| Season: | 1958 |
| Number Of Bowls: | 8 |
| All Star Games: | Blue–Gray Football Classic East–West Shrine Game North–South Shrine Game Senior Bowl |
| Bowl Start: | December 13, 1958 |
| Bowl End: | January 1, 1959 |
| Champions: | Iowa Hawkeyes (FWAA) LSU Tigers (AP, Coaches) |
| Conference1: | Independents |
| Conference1 Teams: | 4 |
| Conference1 Wins: | 1 |
| Conference1 Losses: | 2 |
| Conference1 Ties: | 1 |
| Conference1 Ap Poll: | 6 |
| Conference2: | SEC |
| Conference2 Teams: | 3 |
| Conference2 Wins: | 2 |
| Conference2 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference2 Ap Poll: | 3 |
| Conference3: | Big Ten |
| Conference3 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference3 Wins: | 1 |
| Conference3 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference3 Ap Poll: | 4 |
| Conference4: | Big Seven |
| Conference4 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference4 Wins: | 1 |
| Conference4 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference4 Ap Poll: | 1 |
| Conference5: | Lone Star |
| Conference5 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference5 Wins: | 1 |
| Conference5 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference5 Ap Poll: | 0 |
| Conference6: | Mountain States |
| Conference6 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference6 Wins: | 1 |
| Conference6 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference6 Ap Poll: | 0 |
| Conference7: | SWC |
| Conference7 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference7 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference7 Losses: | 0 |
| Conference7 Ties: | 1 |
| Conference7 Ap Poll: | 2 |
| Conference8: | ACC |
| Conference8 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference8 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference8 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference8 Ap Poll: | 2 |
| Conference9: | PCC |
| Conference9 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference9 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference9 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference9 Ap Poll: | 1 |
| Conference10: | MCAU |
| Conference10 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference10 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference10 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference10 Ap Poll: | 0 |
| Conference11: | Border |
| Conference11 Teams: | 1 |
| Conference11 Wins: | 0 |
| Conference11 Losses: | 1 |
| Conference11 Ap Poll: | 0 |
The 1958–59 NCAA football bowl games were a series of post-season games played in December 1958 and January 1959 to end the 1958 college football season. A total of eight team-competitive games,[1] and four all-star games, were played. The post-season began with the Bluegrass Bowl on December 13, 1958, and concluded on January 3, 1959, with the season-ending Senior Bowl all-star game.__TOC__
The following table lists bowl games involving University Division teams; bowl games at lower levels are listed in the See also section.
The eight team-competitive bowls consisted of the seven played the prior season plus the first (and only) edition of the Bluegrass Bowl.
Notably, Tangerine Bowl organizers initially invited the University at Buffalo, hoping that the Orlando High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), which operated the Tangerine Bowl stadium, would waive its rule that prohibited integrated sporting events. When it refused, the team unanimously voted to skip the bowl because its two black players (halfback Willie Evans and end Mike Wilson) would not have been allowed on the field.[2] [3]
| Date | Game | Site | Time (US EST) | TV | Matchup (pre-game record) | AP pre-game rank | UPI (Coaches) pre-game rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/13 | Bluegrass Bowl | Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Kentucky | 2:00 p.m.[4] | ABC | Oklahoma State 15 (7–3) (Independent), Florida State 6 (7–3) (Independent) |
| NR NR | |
| 12/27 | Tangerine Bowl | Tangerine Bowl (stadium) Orlando, Florida | 2:30 p.m.[5] | East Texas State 26 (9–1) (Lone Star), Missouri Valley 7 (8–0) (MCAU) | n/a | n/a | ||
| 12/27 | Gator Bowl | Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, Florida | 2:00 p.m.[6] | CBS | Ole Miss 7 (8–2) (SEC), Florida 3 (6–3–1) (SEC) |
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| 12/31 | Sun Bowl | Kidd Field El Paso, Texas | 4:00 p.m.[7] | Wyoming 14 (7–3) (Mountain States), Hardin–Simmons 6 (6–4) (Border) | NR NR | NR NR | ||
| 1/1 | Orange Bowl | Burdine Stadium Miami, Florida | 1:00 p.m. | CBS | Oklahoma 21 (9–1) (Big Seven), Syracuse 6 (8–1) (Independent) |
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| 1/1 | Sugar Bowl | Tulane Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana | 2:00 p.m. | NBC | LSU 7 (10–0) (SEC), Clemson 0 (8–2) (ACC) |
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| 1/1 | Cotton Bowl Classic | Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas | 3:30 p.m. | CBS | TCU 0 (8–2) (SWC), Air Force 0 (9–0–1) (Independent) |
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| 1/1 | Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl Pasadena, California | 5:00 p.m. | NBC | Iowa 38 (7–1–1) (Big Ten), California 12 (7–3) (PCC) |
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