Mitch Barnhart, right, did his part to get coach Mark Stoops and the Cats in the Gator Bowl. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky native John Showalter has been part of the Gator Bowl committee in Jacksonville, Fla., for 12 years but admits he even didn’t know Kentucky would be playing in this year’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl until a few hours before the bowl pairings were officially announced.
“We have a big board in the bowl office and keep track of movement in both conferences (SEC and ACC),” Showalter said on WPBK-FM. “The Kentucky-Louisville game impacted both sides of our bowl and really changed things for the ACC side.”
When Alabama made the championship playoff and Georgia, Ole Miss and Missouri all qualified for the New Year’s Six bowl games, that elevated UK’s status.
“Kentucky could not go back to the Music City Bowl (in Nashville) because they played there last year,” Showalter said. “The Citrus Bowl wanted Tennessee. There was a lot of excitement on what we call selection Sunday. I knew there was a pretty good shot we were going to get Kentucky.”
One reason for Showalter’s optimism was Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart’s relationship with Greg McGarity, president and CEO of Gator Bowl Sports. McGarity was athletics director at Georgia from 2010 to 2020.
“There are people that lobby the bowl committee and some have more clout than others,” Showalter said. “Mitch knows Greg McGarity, who hired Kirby Smart at Georgia. We talk a lot to athletic directors on our scouting trips to maintain relationships.
“Mitch did a great job communicating with Greg about how much Kentucky wanted to be part of our bowl game and that’s important to us. All that factors in and Mitch assured us Kentucky wanted to come and would be a good fit for us. His lobbying carries weight.”
It is about “heads in bed, butts in seats” for bowl games and the Gator Bowl knows Kentucky fans will travel to Jacksonville, especially after a win over Louisville to close out the regular season and knowing Clemson is the bowl opponent.
“The Kentucky brand has improved tremendously under coach (Mark) Stoops. Clemson is a brand that does great for TV,” Showalter said. “Kentucky does such a great job with fans and how they travel. It’s tough to get Kentucky because other bowls will lobby for Kentucky.”
Showalter knows the Jacksonville area is a plus for fans. Amelia Island is where the ACC team stays while the SEC team is headquartered at Ponte Vedra Beach.
“We have a big pep rally at Jacksonville Beach. The community here is very welcoming,” Showalter, a Boyle County native, said. “There are a lot of good arts and culture options downtown along with plenty of lodging and restaurants.”
Showalter said fans can go to this link for ticket information — “Ticket sales are going well on both sides,” he said — or about advance parking passes.
“There is plenty of parking available at and around the stadium,” he said.
