Burley Bowl Explained

The Burley Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played from 1945 through 1956.^[1] It was held each year on Thanksgiving Day in Johnson City, Tennessee, at the city's Memorial Stadium, which was demolished in July 2010.^[2] The game was part of an annual two-day tobacco festival,^[3] with the name of the bowl coming from Burley tobacco. Like some other postseason match-ups of the era, such as the Grape Bowl, Glass Bowl, and Optimist Bowl, results are listed in NCAA records, but the games were not considered NCAA-sanctioned bowls.

The inaugural game was held on November 29, 1945.^[4] That day was the last (and fifth) Thursday of November, which was observed as Thanksgiving in Tennessee that year, despite President Truman proclaiming the holiday to be the fourth Thursday of the month.^[5]

Game results

Season	Date !	Winner		Loser		Attendance	References
	November 29, 1945	align=center colspan="4"	7, 7	3,500
	November 28, 1946	Southeastern Louisiana	21		13	7,500
	November 27, 1947	West Chester	20		6	10,000	^[6] ^[7]
	November 25, 1948		7		2	12,000	^[8]
	November 24, 1949	Emory and Henry	32		0	12,000
	November 23, 1950	Emory and Henry	26		6	12,000	^[9] ^[10]
	November 22, 1951	Morris Harvey	27		20	9,000	^[11] ^[12]
	November 27, 1952	East Tennessee State	34		16	10,000	^[13] ^[14] ^[15]
	November 26, 1953		48		12
	November 25, 1954	Appalachian State	28		13
	November 24, 1955		7		0
	November 22, 1956	Memphis State	32		12	1,200	^[16]

Game records

Team scoring records	Performance	Year
Most points scored (one team)	48, East Tennessee State	1953
Most points scored (both teams)	60, East Tennessee State vs. Emory and Henry	1953
Most points scored (losing team)	20, Lebanon Valley	1951
Fewest points scored (winning team)	7, West Chester 7, East Tennessee State	1948 1955
Fewest points scored (both teams)	7, East Tennessee State vs. Appalachian State	1955
Fewest points allowed	0, Emory and Henry 0, East Tennessee State	1949 1955
Largest margin of victory	36, East Tennessee State	1953

Most appearances

Only teams with more than one appearance are listed.

Rank	Team	Appearances	Record
1	East Tennessee State	5	3–2
T2	Emory & Henry	4	2–2
T2	Appalachian State	4	1–3
T4	West Chester	2	2–0
T4	Milligan	2	0–1–1

Notes

• NCAA records list the date of the first Burley Bowl as "1-1-1946", which is inconsistent with contemporary newspaper reports.

See also

• List of college bowl games
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Tennessee (Memorial Stadium)

Further reading

• Web site: From 1945 to 1956, Thanksgiving Meant It Was Burley Bowl Time in Tennessee . Bob Cox's Yesteryear . November 21, 2005 . March 27, 2017.
• News: SPURRIER'S SPREAD GOES BACK TO '49 BURLEY BOWL . Doug . Ferguson . . AP News Archive . September 26, 1996 . March 27, 2017.

Notes and References

1. Web site: BOWL/ALL STAR GAME RECORDS . 2016 . NCAA . January 7, 2017.
2. Web site: Lost Landmark-Memorial Stadium, Johnson City (TN) . Historic Highway Guides . December 31, 2010 . March 27, 2017.
3. News: Johnson City Plans Burley Bowl Game . limited . . . newspapers.com . November 4, 1945 . March 27, 2017.
4. News: Buffaloes, High Point Struggle To 7-7 Tie In Burley Bowl Tilt . limited . . . newspapers.com . November 30, 1945 . March 27, 2017.
5. News: Truman Sets Nov. 22 As Thanksgiving . . limited . . . newspapers.com . November 13, 1945 . March 27, 2017.
6. News: Smith . Wray . Carson-Newman, West Chester State Vie in Burley Bowl Tilt . . . November 27, 1947 . 25 . May 9, 2023 . .
7. News: Smyth . Jimmy . West Chester Turns Back Plucky Carson-Newman Eleven 20-6 . Johnson City Press-Chronicle . . November 28, 1947 . 11 . May 9, 2023 . .
8. News: West Chester STC gridders whip Appalachian State, 7–2, in Burley Bowl. Intelligencer Journal. November 26, 1948. December 9, 2021. Newspapers.com.
9. News: Thompson . Gene . Emory And Appalachian Collide In Burley Bowl . . . November 23, 1950 . 12 . February 27, 2024 . .
10. News: Emory and Henry stops Appalachian State 26 to 6 in defense of Burley Bowl crown. Johnson City Press-Chronicle. November 24, 1950. December 9, 2021. Newspapers.com.
11. News: . Burley Bowl Kickoff Set For 2:15 P.M. Today At Stadium . Johnson City Press–Chronicle . . November 22, 1951 . 9A . March 5, 2024 . .
12. News: Smyth . Jimmy . Morris Harvey Top Lebanon Valley 27-20 In Burley Bowl . Johnson City Press–Chronicle . . November 23, 1951 . 6 . March 5, 2024 . .
13. News: . Wasps Favored In Eighth Burley Bowl . . . . November 27, 1952 . 7 . February 29, 2024 . .
14. News: Thompson . Gene . State Trounces Emory 34 To 16 In Burley Bowl . . . November 28, 1952 . 1A . February 29, 2024 . .
15. News: Thompson . Gene . State Trounces Emory (continued) . . . November 28, 1952 . 1C . February 29, 2024 . .
16. News: Memphis State wins Burley Bowl game, 32 to 12. Johnson City Press. November 23, 1956. September 21, 2021. Newspapers.com.