| Game Name: | Sun Bowl |
| Subheader: | Inaugural Sun Bowl |
| Date Game Played: | January 1 |
| Year Game Played: | 1935 |
| Football Season: | 1934 |
| Home School: | Ranger High School |
| Home Name Short: | Ranger |
| Home Nickname: | Bulldogs |
| Home Record: | 5–1 |
| Home Coach: | Ottis "Red" Moore |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 14 |
| Visitor School: | El Paso High School |
| Visitor Name Short: | El Paso |
| Visitor Nickname: | All-Stars |
| Visitor Record: | N/A |
| Visitor Coach: | Mack Saxon &<br>Harry Phillips |
| Visitor 1Q: | 6 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 19 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Stadium: | Jones Stadium |
| Referee: | Bob Carson |
| Attendance: | 3,000 |
| First Game Ever Played: | yes |
The 1935 Sun Bowl was the inaugural edition of the Sun Bowl, an American football postseason bowl game. Played on New Year's Day of 1935, the game featured high school teams and was sponsored by the El Paso Kiwanis club. The following year's game, the 1936 edition, was the first Sun Bowl matchup between college football teams. The game has been held annually in El Paso, Texas, from 1935 to the present.
The El Paso All-Stars started practice in mid-December with players from the Austin, Bowie, Cathedral, and El Paso High Schools.[1] [2] Selected as their opponent were the Bulldogs of Ranger High School in Ranger, Texas.[3] Ranger entered the Sun Bowl with a 5–1 record, having defeated Breckenridge High School for their district championship when both teams were 4–0,[4] [5] then losing to Amarillo High School in a state playoff game.[6]
The El Paso team was co-coached by Mack Saxon, head coach of the Texas Mines Miners (now the UTEP Miners), and Harry Phillips, who had been a running back for the Texas Longhorns in the late 1920s.[2] [3] [7] The Ranger team was coached by Ottis "Red" Moore.[8]
| Statistics | El Paso | Ranger | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First downs | 10 | 8 | |
| Rushing yards | |||
| Passing yards | 212 | 58 | |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–22–3 | 6–18–2 | |
| Fumbles: Total–Lost | 3–1 | 1–1 | |
| Penalties: Number–Yards | 3–15 | 2–10 |