Old El Paso Named Title Sponsor of Sun Bowl

Old El Paso’s title sponsorship rebrands the Sun Bowl while tying General Mills’ Tex-Mex label back to its El Paso origins on a national TV stage.

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Partnership brings together two brands with deep ties to the Sun City

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 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 www.generalmills.com.

ABOUT THE SUN BOWL ASSOCIATION

The Sun Bowl Association is a volunteer-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The Sun Bowl Association, with the help of over 700 volunteers, promotes and serves the El Paso community and features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the annual Old El Paso Sun Bowl football game. Other Sun Bowl core events include the Nusenda Credit Union Sun Bowl Pickleball Tournament, the Glasheen, Valles, & Inderman Injury Lawyers Sun Bowl Parade, the WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Basketball Invitational, the Old El Paso Sun Bowl Fan Fiesta presented by El Paso LIVE, and the Old El Paso Sun Bowl Pregame Fan Party presented by Visit El Paso. Follow the Sun Bowl Association on Instagram (@oldelpasosunbowl), Facebook (@OldElPasoSunBowl), and X (@OldElPasoSB).

www.sunbowl.org || Instagram: @oldelpasosunbowl || Facebook: @OldElPasoSunBowl || X: @OldElPasoSB

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260917101969/en/

General Mills Communications
763-764-6364
media.line@genmills.com

The Sun Bowl Association
Richie Davis
915-474-7665
rdavis@sunbowl.org

Source: General Mills

Key Terms

501(c)(3) regulatory

A 501(c)(3) is a U.S. federal tax designation for organizations organized and operated for charitable, educational, religious, scientific or literary purposes, which exempts them from federal income tax and generally makes donations to them tax-deductible. Investors pay attention because the designation shapes how the organization raises money, what activities it can legally pursue (for example, limits on political lobbying), and how transparent and financially stable it must be—factors that affect risk, reputation, and potential partnerships.