All-American Bowl Explained
The All-American Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985.[1]
In 1986, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame decided to relocate the Hall of Fame bowl game to Tampa, Florida, where it eventually became known as the Outback Bowl (now the ReliaQuest Bowl). The game in Birmingham continued as the All-American Bowl, which was played for five years under a different organizing body.
When the Southeastern Conference expanded to twelve schools and began contesting a SEC Championship Game in 1992, Birmingham officials chose to host the conference title game and abandon the All-American Bowl. The SEC championship was moved to Atlanta's Georgia Dome two years later, leaving Legion Field without any Division I-A postseason college football until 2006, when ESPN and the city agreed to establish a new post-season game, the Birmingham Bowl.
The game
The All-American Bowl played host to a number of successful teams from the premier college football conferences of the time (the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Eight (now Big 12 Conference), Big Ten Conference, Southeastern Conference and Southwest Conference). All of them placed teams in the All-American Bowl in various years. At least one of the power conferences fielded teams in the All-American Bowl in every year of its existence; often, two of those premier conferences met in the game. The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference each placed five teams into the All-American Bowl. The Big Ten Conference proved to be the least successful conference, having never won a game despite placing teams in four different years.
Game results
| Date | Bowl Name | Winning Team | Losing Team | Attendance[2] | Source |
|---|
| December 22, 1977 | | Maryland | 17 | | 7 | 47,000 | [3] |
| December 20, 1978 | | Texas A&M | 28 | | 12 | 41,150 | [4] |
| December 29, 1979 | | Missouri | 24 | | 14 | 62,785 | [5] |
| December 27, 1980 | | Arkansas | 34 | | 15 | 30,000 | [6] |
| December 31, 1981 | | Mississippi State | 10 | | 0 | 41,672 | [7] |
| December 31, 1982 | | Air Force | 36 | | 28 | 75,000 | [8] |
| December 22, 1983 | | - 18 West Virginia
| 20 | | 16 | 42,000 | [9] |
| December 29, 1984 | | Kentucky | 20 | | 19 | 47,300 | [10] |
| December 31, 1985 | | Georgia Tech | 17 | | 14 | 45,000 | [11] |
| December 31, 1986 | | Florida State | 27 | | 13 | 30,000 | [12] |
| December 22, 1987 | | Virginia | 22 | | 16 | 37,000 | [13] |
| December 29, 1988 | | Florida | 14 | | 10 | 48,218 | [14] |
| December 28, 1989 | | - 24 Texas Tech
| 49 | | 21 | 47,750 | [15] |
| December 28, 1990 | | North Carolina State | 31 | | 27 | 44,000 | [16] | |
Most valuable players
| Year played | MVP[17] | Team | Position |
|---|
| 1977 | Chuck White | Maryland | SE |
| 1977 | | Maryland | DT |
| 1978 | | Texas A&M | RB |
| 1979 | | Missouri | QB |
| 1980 | | Arkansas | RB |
| 1980 | | Arkansas | LB |
| 1981 | | Mississippi State | QB |
| 1981 | | Mississippi State | LB |
| 1982 | | Vanderbilt | QB |
| 1982 | Carl Dieudonne | Air Force | DE |
| 1983 | | West Virginia | QB |
| 1984 | Mark Logan | Kentucky | RB |
| 1984 | Todd Gregoire | Wisconsin | PK |
| 1985 | | Michigan State | WR |
| 1986 | | Florida State | RB |
| 1987 | | Virginia | QB |
| 1988 | | Florida | RB |
| 1989 | James Gray | Texas Tech | RB |
| 1990 | | Southern Miss | QB |
|
Conference records
Ranked teams
On several occasions, the All-American Bowl winners finished the season ranked in the AP Top Twenty poll:
- Texas A&M finished #19 in the final 1978 AP poll after defeating #19 Iowa State.[18]
- West Virginia finished #16 in the final 1983 AP poll after defeating Kentucky.[19]
- Kentucky finished #19 in the final 1984 AP poll and the final UPI poll after defeating #20 Wisconsin.[20]
- Georgia Tech finished #19 in the final 1985 AP poll after defeating Michigan State.[21]
- Texas Tech finished #19 in the final 1989 AP poll after defeating #20 Duke.[22]
See also
Notes and References
- Foldesy, Jody. "Bowls burgeon as big business", The Washington Times. December 21, 1997. Page A1.
- Web site: Bowl/All-Star Game Records . National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) . 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records . 37 . NCAA.org . October 1, 2011 . PDF.
- News: Maryland clips Gophers 17–7. Star Tribune. December 23, 1977. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: ISU bowl jinx continues, 28–12. The Des Moines Register. December 21, 1978. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Missouri pounces on Gamecocks 24–14. The Charlotte Observer. December 30, 1979. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Arkansas tops Tulane in Hall of Fame Game. The Commercial Appeal. December 28, 1980. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: KU's nightmare comes true. The Wichita Eagle. January 1, 1982. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Vandy falls to Air Force. The Montgomery Advertiser. January 1, 1983. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Woodside, Hostetler chill UK in bowl. The Courier-Journal. December 23, 1983. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Badgers drop FG battle. The Reporter. December 30, 1984. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Curfew? Tech slips in, 17–14. The Atlanta Constitution. January 1, 1986. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Freshman running back leads Florida State to victory over IU. The Star Press. January 1, 1987. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Cavaliers pass big test. Birmingham Post-Herald. December 23, 1987. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Florida edges Illini on late TD. Chicago Tribune. December 30, 1988. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: Texas Tech ruins Spurrier's finale. The Charlotte Observer. December 29, 1989. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- News: USM's final drive falls short. The Clarion-Ledger. December 29, 1990. January 17, 2023. Newspapers.com.
- Web site: Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Former Major Bowls . National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) . 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records . 100 . NCAA.org . October 1, 2011 . PDF.
- Web site: Final 1978 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com . 2009-06-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090417072948/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1978 . 2009-04-17 . dead .
- Web site: Final 1983 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com . 2009-06-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090417073017/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1983 . 2009-04-17 . dead .
- Web site: Final 1984 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com . 2009-06-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090417073022/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1984 . 2009-04-17 . dead .
- Web site: Final 1985 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com . 2009-06-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090417073027/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1985 . 2009-04-17 . dead .
- Web site: Final 1989 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com . 2009-06-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090417073047/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1989 . 2009-04-17 . dead .
