Matt Shanklin Named Director of Partnership Development

SHREVEPORT, La. (Oct. 31, 2023) – The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is adding nearly 30 years of on-campus SEC experience to the staff, naming Matt Shanklin as Director of Partnership Development.

“I am very excited to join the Independence Bowl team and the Shreveport-Bossier City community,” said Shanklin. “It is a great opportunity to be a part of a bowl game that has been a mainstay of the college Bowl Season and a bowl that is so ingrained in the fabric of the community.”

Shanklin spent nine years at LSU, helping grow revenues by over $11 million through his dual role as General Business Manager of LSU Sports Properties and Associate Athletic Director for Marketing. Before his time at LSU, Shanklin spent 20 years at the University of Arkansas. He spent 12 years as the University Licensing Coordinator, while also being the Razorbacks’ first ever Director of Marketing.

His multi-media experience has seen Shanklin negotiate major partnerships with top brands such as Nike, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Gatorade, Capital One, AT&T/Cingular, Tyson Foods, Wal-Mart, Papa John’s, Anheuser-Busch, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, FujiFilm, Fanatics and Sodexho.

“We are very excited to add Matt Shanklin to our staff,” said 2023 Independence Bowl Foundation Chairman Bryan Roppolo. “Matt brings extensive experience to this position and will be a great addition to our already excellent staff.”

At LSU, Shanklin was responsible for the launch of the SkyLine Club at Tiger Stadium, the creation of the first all-inclusive tailgate village at LSU Football and led the implementation of LSU logos on packaging and point of sale for the Bud Light and UPS Tiger programs. He also spearheaded all the marketing, ticket promotions and digital campaigns to drive attendance and increase revenues – resulting in attendance records for football, men’s basketball, gymnastics, softball and baseball.

In his time as Director of Marketing at Arkansas, he built the Razorback Marketing Office from the ground up with in-house multi-media sales, marketing and promotions, negotiating the school’s most significant partnerships – including, at the time, the largest single school sponsorship in college sports with an $11.3 million partnership with Southwestern Bell/Cingular.  

As the Arkansas University Licensing Coordinator, Shanklin grew the Razorback brand into a consistent top-15 CLC school. He was also responsible for creating one of the largest college baseball radio networks while at Arkansas and developed the school’s Hispanic radio network. During his tenure in Fayetteville, he also served as sport administrator for the highly successful Arkansas Razorback baseball program.

A 1988 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Shanklin earned his Master’s degree from the highly regarded Ohio University Sports Administration program in 1989. 

The 47th edition of the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is set for Saturday, December 16 at 8:15 p.m. between the Big 12 Conference and Pac-12 Conference. Various ticket options are on sale now for the Saturday night playing of Shreveport-Bossier’s annual bowl game. Endzone Bench, Sideline Bench and Sideline Chairback tickets are available at RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com/tickets. Great ticket packages – including group tickets, Family Four-Packs, Small Business Fan-Packs and premium options – are available online or by calling the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl office at 318.221.0712 or toll-free at 888.414.BOWL.

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Week will also feature a plethora of free and ticketed events for local and traveling fans of all ages to enjoy. The FCA Breakfast will kick off the public event schedule on Thursday, December 14 at 7:30 a.m. at Riverview Hall. The following night, the eve of the 2023 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, local and traveling fans will all gather in the East Bank District for the free Rally on the Red. The Rally on the Red will feature four free events and runs from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, December 15. Finally, on game day on Saturday, December 16, the week of public events will culminate with Coca-Cola Fan Fest from 12-7:30 p.m. in the Silver Lot outside of Independence Stadium – leading fans into the 8:15 p.m. kickoff of the 47th Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.

Fans can plan their trip to Shreveport for the 2023 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl at ExploreLouisiana.com. For information on Independence Stadium rules and the clear bag policy, please visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com/stadium-rules/.

ABOUT THE RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL™

Established in 1976, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl™ is college football’s 11th most-historic bowl game – celebrating its 47th edition on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 8:15 p.m. CT with a matchup of the Big 12 Conference and Pac-12 Conference on ESPN. The Independence Bowl Foundation announced a one-year extension with Radiance Technologies – ensuring they will be the title sponsor through 2025. The bowl’s conference, team, and television agreements also run through the 2025 season. Army West Point and the Big 12 are slated to match up against a rotation of the Pac-12 Conference, American Athletic Conference and Conference USA, which will be televised on an ESPN network.

The Independence Bowl Foundation is prevalent in the Shreveport-Bossier City area throughout the year, hosting events to help enhance the economic impact and growth of our community. The Mission of the Independence Bowl is to attract and provide quality, nationally recognized football competition oriented to the Ark-La-Tex region. For more information, visit RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com or follow the bowl on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @IndyBowl.