The National Football League Players Association will be the presenting sponsor for the upcoming 75th Reese’s Senior Bowl, it was announced Tuesday.

The 2004 Senior Bowl takes place Feb. 3 at Mobile’s Hancock Whitney Stadium, with kickoff at noon on NFL Network, rather than the 1:30 p.m. start time that had become the standard in recent years. The celebration will include a Friday night gala and a halftime ceremony honoring the Senior Bowl’s 75th anniversary team.

“We are excited about this partnership because it allows us to properly celebrate some of the Senior Bowl’s all-time greats,” executive director Jim Nagy said. “So many legendary players began their NFL journeys in Mobile and getting the NFLPA behind the 75th Anniversary allows us to bring them all back to where it started. Game week is going to be special this year.”

The Senior Bowl was first played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Fla., then moved to Mobile the following year. The annual college football all-star game and NFL draft showcase operated out of Ladd-Peebles Stadium in the Maysville community until 2021, when it moved across town to the University of South Alabama campus.

The Senior Bowl chose a 50th anniversary team in 1999, a list that included the likes of Joe Namath, Walter Payton, Bo Jackson, Joe Greene and Derrick Thomas. However, in order to avoid duplication, the 75th anniversary team will include only those Senior Bowl alumni who were active in the NFL from 1998-2023.

Among those players set to be on the 75th anniversary ballot are quarterbacks Brett Favre and Dan Marino, running back LaDainian Tomlinson, wide receiver Terrell Owens, defensive lineman Aaron Donald, linebackers Derrick Brooks and Brian Urlacher and cornerback Richard Sherman. Voting for the 75th anniversary team will include both fans and members of the Senior Bowl’s executive committee, with fan voting to begin at SeniorBowl.com on Sept. 4.

The NFLPA formed in 1956 as the sport’s official players union. Partnering with the Senior Bowl will allow the NFLPA to connect with future union membership during game week and also give former players the opportunity to participate in game operations.

“To be the presenting sponsor of the 75th Senior Bowl is a tremendous opportunity,” said Teri Smith, the NFLPA’s Chief Operating Officer. “Our union is looking forward to honoring the many great player members who have been a part of this game’s rich history while also continuing our commitment to engage with some of our brightest future members.”

The NLFPA had run its own college football all-star game, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, in California since 2012. However, union officials announced last week they were discontinuing the game and planned to “take the Collegiate Bowl experience in another direction that better aligns with our goals.”