NEW ORLEANS – The 2019 football season marks the 150th anniversary of college football and the Sun Belt will join the national celebration throughout the season.
 
The rich history of Sun Belt football will be promoted in August through a series of feature stories as well as video content and other look backs at historic moments from Sun Belt institutions.
 
The Sun Belt Conference and its programs will participate in “CFB150 Celebration Week” which will run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 9. During that week, the Sun Belt and its institutions will highlight the league's history, along with notable accomplishments, players, coaches and games through the Sun Belt's digital and social media channels.
 
The Sun Belt will also name a “Sun Belt Conference CFB150 Honor Roll” consisting of five former players from each school.  Honor Roll members will not be limited to those that played while members of the Sun Belt.  Institutions will be able to choose how they select individuals, but the Sun Belt will not conduct voting/polling to ensure equal representation among all 10 institutions.
 
In addition to digital and social media campaigns, each Sun Belt institution will wear a commemorative CFB150 patch on their uniforms this season.
 
Though forms of the sport existed well before Nov. 6, 1869, that is the day of the first modern game, held between Rutgers and Princeton. Rutgers won 6-4, and Princeton won the rematch a week later 8-0.  The Sun Belt played its first game on Sept. 22, 2001, when ULM hosted former member Middle Tennessee.
 
College Football's 150th Anniversary is a non-profit corporation formed to plan and administer a national celebration of 150 seasons of collegiate football in 2019. The commemoration will showcase the rich history and traditions of the sport and its contribution to American society and culture, while also promoting the opportunity it continues to provide to thousands of student-athletes across all levels of the sport. The CFB150 staff reports to a Board of Directors made up of representatives from stakeholder groups throughout college football.  The corporation has office space at the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame headquarters in Irving, Texas.