Earlier, the San Francisco Giants occupied the AT&T Park for around 85 days in a year. Seeing all this, a new entity named “Giant Enterprises” was established in 1999 to develop non-baseball uses for the ballpark. However, during the construction work, it was found that the turf surface was large enough to accommodate a football field that further changed the plan. In 2000, Giants Enterprises president Pat Gallagher, president of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau John Marks and Gary Cavalli who is a veteran of the professional and collegiate sports industry came together to form a college bowl game in the City by the Bay. At the time of its formation, this bowl was known as the San Francisco Bowl and its official name was the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl in honor of its sponsor, Diamond of California. This sponsorship deal provided a solid financial foundation for the Bowl's future.

In 2004, the bowl created a record-setting drive. In the third quarter game between Navy and New Mexico, the Navy team with a 31-19 lead forced the opponent team into a three-and-out, reaching the climax in a goal-line stand. At that time, the Midshipmen executed a drive that encompassed 26 plays, 94 yards and 14 minutes and 26 seconds of the game clock, that stretched into the fourth quarter. Later, it was confirmed by the NCAA that it was a historic drive. It made a new record for the number of plays in a drive and time taken in a drive.

As the Insight Bowl shifted from Chase Field to Sun Devil Stadium, now the Emerald Bowl is the only NCAA Division I bowl game played at a stadium, that is exclusively used by a professional baseball team. The Emerald Bowl is a first class event in the beautiful city of San Francisco, where one gets to enjoy a truly remarkable experience On December 28, 2007; the Maryland team will face the Oregon State in an exciting game. Wait no more and book your tickets in advance.