OLD EL PASO NAMED TITLE SPONSOR OF SUN BOWL
Partnership brings together two brands with deep ties to the Sun City
EL PASO, Texas – The Sun Bowl Association today announced that Old El Paso, the Tex-Mex food
brand from General Mills, is the new title sponsor of the historic Sun Bowl football game, bringing
together two names with deep ties to the El Paso community. As a result, the game will now be
known as the Old El Paso Sun Bowl.
“Being the first bowl game to have a corporate title sponsor, the Sun Bowl has been blessed with
tremendous partners. Now to have someone whose origins are here in El Paso, it could not have
been a better match,” said Sun Bowl Association Executive Director Bernie Olivas. “This partnership
fits perfectly with our community. It allows us to promote not only the city, but a great company
that encompasses what El Paso is known for: quality tacos.”
The Old El Paso brand traces its roots to 1917, when the Mountain Pass Canning Company began
producing canned foods in the El Paso region. In 1938, the company adopted the Old El Paso name,
which helped establish the brand as a leader in Mexican-inspired foods in the United States. Over
the following decades, Old El Paso expanded its offerings, introducing products such as hot sauce,
taco shells, seasonings, and one of the first Mexican meal kits. Today, Old El Paso is on a mission to
bring families together over flavorful meals, proving that originality shouldn’t have to come at the
cost of convenience. Believing that no two taco nights should ever be the same, the brand offers a
wide variety of quick, easy, and customizable options that make mealtime anything but boring.
“We are absolutely thrilled to bring Old El Paso back to its roots as the title sponsor of the Sun
Bowl,” said Ben Bienert, Old El Paso Business Unit Director at General Mills. “At Old El Paso, we
believe that just like a great football game, a family taco night is all about bringing people together,
having fun, and making memories. Partnering with such an iconic, community-first event in the
very city where our story began is a true homecoming for us. We can’t wait to kick off this exciting
new chapter and fans can definitely expect Elroy, our larger-than-life singing cowboy, to bring his
signature swagger and flair to the celebration, both in the stadium and around the dinner table!”
Scheduled for December 31, 2026, the 93rd annual Old El Paso Sun Bowl will kick off at and air live
on CBS at 2pm ET/12pm MT. CBS has broadcast the Sun Bowl since 1968, making its relationship
with the Sun Bowl Association one of the network’s longest running. This year’s game will feature a
matchup between universities from the ACC and Legacy Pac-12 Conferences.
The partnership was brokered by THE·TEAM, the global sport, music and entertainment company,
through its dedicated U.S. Rights Sales group, which represents the Sun Bowl Association’s
commercial rights.
ABOUT GENERAL MILLS
General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to
boldly build its brands, relentlessly innovate, unleash its scale and stand for good. Its portfolio of
beloved brands includes household names like Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs,
Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Totino’s, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry and more. General Mills
generated fiscal 2026 net sales of U.S. $18 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-
consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1 billion. For more information, visit
