JUNE 2026 EDITION
IN THE NEWS
INDEPENDENCE BOWL TO TRANSITION STAFF LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
The Independence Bowl Foundation announced transitional changes to its current organizational structure on June 15.
Current Director of Communications, Erik Evenson, will be elevated to the Executive Director position, and Missy Setters, the longtime executive director, will transition into a newly created role as Chief Operating Officer. The transition will officially take place on August 15. Setters and Evenson will each retain many of their existing job responsibilities but will begin transitioning in areas of conference and key partnership relations.
This transition, initiated by Setters, comes as she addresses a health matter and reflects a commitment to the long-term strength of the organization. It also creates an opportunity for Setters and Evenson to work closely together, ensuring a seamless leadership transition while continuing to safeguard the future of both the Foundation and the Bowl as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary and looks beyond this milestone year.
Evenson (even-son) joined the Independence Bowl Staff as the Director of Media and Community Relations in July 2018 and was elevated to Director of Communications in March 2022. As Director of Communications, Evenson has led all the organization’s communications and messaging efforts –including communications, marketing and advertising, media and community relations, and digital and social media.
Evenson is currently serving his third year on the Executive Board of the Young Professionals Initiative of NWLA, spending 2026 as the Chair-Elect and set to become the Chair in 2027.
In the two years before the bowl, Evenson served as Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting for the Macon Mayhem of the Southern Professional Hockey League and as a sports radio talk show host, as Co-Host of the Midday Sports Zone on Middle Georgia ESPN Radio. He grew up in the Atlanta, Ga., area and is
a graduate of the University of Alabama, earning a Bachelor’s degree in sports broadcasting and communications in May 2016. He married his wife, Chase Pou Evenson, in January 2024, and they are expecting their first child in July.
Setters joined the Independence Bowl staff in 1996, serving as Media Relations Director before being promoted to Assistant Executive Director for Media Relations in 2003. She then became the bowl’s Executive Director in 2006.
While working for the Independence Bowl, Setters spent a few years as the only female bowl executive director in the country at the time. She was elected to the executive committee of Bowl Season – the national organization serving all college football bowl games – serving in the capacities of secretary, treasurer and vice-chair and eventually chairing the committee in 2020. She recently rolled off the committee after serving for seven years and was the only female serving on the committee during that time.
Setters is a graduate of the Manship School of Mass Communications at LSU, where she was a 4-year letterwinner on the LSU women’s golf team and served as team captain her senior season. She also won the Louisiana State Junior Championship in 1982 and the State High School Championship in 1983. Upon graduation, Setters served six-plus years in the LSU Sports Information Department in Baton Rouge. She started as a student worker in 1987. Following graduation in 1988, she completed a oneyear internship, then went on to work full-time, covering swimming & diving, gymnastics, and golf, and also working all football and men’s basketball games, and a majority of the baseball games.
Setters eventually became the department’s first full-time graphics coordinator, designing media guides and other graphics for all of LSU’s varsity sports teams. During that time, she was part of a team that won numerous CoSIDA publication awards for various sports publications. She also spent two years with the Shreveport Pirates, serving as Media Relations Director in 1994 and 1995.
Setters has also served at various times on the boards of Community Renewal, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Military Affairs Council and was a 2024 Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce Athena Award Honoree. She has also served as a youth small group teacher at her church (Summer Grove) for most of the past 26 years. Setters is married to Ross Setters, who played football at LSU and works for their family-owned industrial supply business in Shreveport. They have one daughter, Codi (27), who is a graduate of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law School and works for Ayres, Shelton, Williams, Benson and Payne in Shreveport.
HALF A CENTURY OF INDY BOWL
SUMMER OF GIVEAWAYS LAUNCHED ON JUNE 22!
As part of the year-round celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is launching the Summer of Giveaways on Monday, June 22 – six months from the kickoff of the milestone game.
During the nine weeks of the Summer of Giveaways –spanning from June 22 through August 24, fans will have the chance to win eight weekly prizes and one grand prize. Prizes will include Independence Bowl merchandise and memorabilia packs, as well as prizes from sponsors such as Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Eagle Distributing, Lee Michael's Fine Jewelry, Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana, SportsCards Louisiana, The Golf Club at Stonebridge and Tickets For Less.
To register for the contest, fans should visit the Bowl's official social media channels at @IndyBowl. The weekly prizes and how fans can register to win will be posted each Monday, with the winner announced the following Monday. Click the buttons below to follow us on social media!
SHARE YOUR FAVORITE INDEPENDENCE BOWL MEMORIES WITH US!
Another aspect of the Independence Bowl's 50th anniversary celebration, currently open for fan participation, is the Fan Memory Submissions. Fans can submit their favorite Independence Bowl memories by clicking the button below or scanning the QR code:
Select memories will be posted online and will be shown during the 50th Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Tuesday, December 22 at 7:30 p.m.
IN THE COMMUNITY
BOWL SET TO HOST 2ND ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY
After a successful inaugural event in 2025, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is set to host the 2nd Annual High School Football Media Day, presented by Xpress Car Wash, on Tuesday, August 4 at Independence Stadium.
The inaugural edition featured 30 high school football teams from Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine and Webster Parishes. The 2026 version, presented by Xpress Car Wash for the first time, will expand to invite a total of 55 high schools from those nine Parishes and seven additional Parishes – Caldwell, Grant, Jackson, Lincoln, Ouachita, Union and Winn. Each high school will be invited to bring their head coach and two student-athletes to meet with local, regional and statewide high school football media members.
All attendees must have a credential for admission. Media representatives can apply for credentials at RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com/Media/HS-FBMedia-Day. Credential requests must be submitted by Friday, July 31 at 11:59 PM.
All attendees must apply for credentials before the credential application closes. No walk-up credentials will be provided on the day of the event. Applicants will receive an email indicating their acceptance or denial after submitting the application. Applications will be thoroughly reviewed and limited strictly to legitimate media representatives who routinely cover local and regional high school football and/or specific local and regional high school football programs.
15TH ANNUAL YOUTH FOOTBALL CLINIC ANOTHER BIG SUCCESS!
The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Youth Football Clinic returned for its 15th edition on Saturday, June 6 from 8-11 a.m. at Independence Stadium!
Nearly 200 children attended this year's clinic and had a great time under the sun! Clinic participants were coached by current Louisiana Tech football players — wide receiver/return specialist Dedrick Latulas, punter Lexington Matthews, defensive back Jacoryian Crowe, defensive back Kameron Carter and offensive lineman Troy Smith — and coaches from Louisiana Tech, ULM, Northwestern State, Sam Houston and Southern-Shreveport.
youth football clinic
SATURDAY, JUNE 6 AT INDEPENDENCE STADIUM
IN THE COMMUNITY
HELP RAISE MONEY FOR LOCAL TEACHERS!
The Independence Bowl Foundation and Flying Heart Brewing & Pub are teaming up to support the Bowl's 2026 Extra Yard for Teachers initiative!
Flying Heart is hosting five Pizza & Pints for a Purpose nights between May and September on the third Wednesday of the month. The next one is July 15.
On these nights, Flying Heart will donate a portion of the proceeds from each night to the Independence Bowl's Extra Yard for Teachers initiative, and teachers who present their teacher ID will receive 10% off pizzas!
Through this initiative, the Independence Bowl has donated $142,000 to local educators since 2021, supporting 164 classrooms and approximately 25,000 students.
Join us at Flying Heart for a great night, and help support local teachers!
