C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl
| C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Location | (on hiatus) |
| Previous stadiums | Bulldawg Stadium (2001–2017), Waco ISD Stadium (2018), Memorial Stadium (2021–2024) |
| Previous locations | Copperas Cove, Texas (2001–2017), Waco, Texas (2018), Commerce, Texas (2021–2024) |
| Operated | 2001–present |
| Conference tie-ins | LSC (2012–2018) NCAA D-II (2012–2018) NJCAA (2001–present) |
The C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl (known as the HOT Bowl for short) is the name of an American football bowl game played at three locations in Central Texas since 2001, featuring teams from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Between 2012 and 2018, it was played as a doubleheader with an NCAA Division II postseason game, which was also known as the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl.
The acronym "C.H.A.M.P.S." stands for "Communities Helping Americans Mature, Progress and Succeed," which is a nonprofit group focusing on treating drug and alcohol abuse, bullying, mental health, and preventing teen suicide. After the addition of another title sponsor, TIPS (The Interlocal Purchasing System), the games were billed as the TIPS–CHAMPS Heart of Texas Bowl in 2018.
The bowl games were founded by Copperas Cove High School football coach and athletic director Jack Welch and played in Copperas Cove until 2017. Following Welch's retirement from the district, the games moved to Waco ISD Stadium in Waco for 2018. The Division II game was then discontinued, but after a two-year hiatus, the junior college game resumed in 2021 in a new location, at Memorial Stadium in Commerce, Texas, where Welch had become a member of the football staff of East Texas A&M. Welch left that position after the 2024 season, putting the fate of the bowl in doubt once again.
Following his appointment as president of Fort Scott Community College in Kansas prior to the 2025–26 academic year, Welch persuaded the Fort Scott city commission to help fund the C.H.A.M.P.S. bowl there. In September 2025, shortly after the deal was made public, city manager Brad Matkin announced that the game would not be played in 2025, but that he and Welch would work together to "to get proper sponsorship for the game so it can possibly be played in Fort Scott in December 2026."