Vulcan Bowl Explained
The Vulcan Bowl was a college football bowl game played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The game was played on New Year's Day between 1941 and 1949 and again in 1952, between historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The game was one of the longer-lasting bowls for HBCUs established in the 1940s.[1] The first game in the series was called the Steel Bowl, and the bowl game served as an early era black college football national championship game by matching the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion against the best team from the other HBCU conferences.[2] The final contest was also called the Steel Bowl and was played at Legion Field.[3]
Game results
| Date | Winner | Loser | Ref. |
|---|
| January 1, 1941 | Morris Brown | 19 | | 3 | [4] |
| January 1, 1942 | Langston | 13 | | 0 | [5] |
| January 1, 1943 | | 13 | | 0 | [6] |
| January 1, 1944 | | 12 | | 7 | [7] |
| January 1, 1945 | Tennessee A&I | 13 | | 0 | [8] |
| January 1, 1946 | Tennessee A&I | 33 | | 6 | [9] |
| January 1, 1947 | Tennessee A&I | 32 | | 0 | [10] |
| January 1, 1948 | Wilberforce State | 27 | | 21 | [11] |
| January 1, 1949 | | 23 | | 13 | [12] |
| January 1, 1952 | | 27 | | 13 | | |
Notes and References
- News: Saylor. Roger B.. Black College Football. College Football Historical Society Newsletter. 6. May 2000.
- Web site: Vulcan Bowl Game Set. Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News (p. 11). November 7, 1941.
- News: Daytona team Steel Bowl winner. The Birmingham News. January 2, 1952. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
- Web site: John Rodgers. January 11, 1941. Morris Brown Tops Wilberforce In Thrilling Steel Bowl Game. Durham Carolina Times (p. 5).
- News: Langston wins Vulcan Bowl game, 13 To 0. The Birmingham News. January 2, 1942. 23. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
- News: Texas College rally wins Vulcan Bowl battle, 13–10 over Tuskegee Institute. Tyler Morning Telegraph. January 2, 1943. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
- News: Tigers make breaks, beat Clark, 12 to 7. The Birmingham News. January 2, 1944. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
- News: Tennessee State rips Tuskegee. The Tennessean. January 2, 1945. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
- News: Texas negros lose Vulcan Bowl crown. The Austin American. January 2, 1946. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
- News: Tennessee State wallops Louisville in Vulcan Bowl. The Tennessean. January 2, 1947. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
- News: Wilberforce cops Vulcan Bowl fray. The Lima News. January 2, 1948. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
- News: Kentucky State Thorobreds win in Vulcan Bowl, 23–13. Lexington Herald-Leader. January 2, 1949. June 13, 2021. Newspapers.com.
