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My Favorite Bowls |
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I used to love New Year's Day because of the college bowl lineup. There were four major bowl games played back-to-back starting in the morning and ending with the Orange Bowl from Miami in the evening. Some years one or two games were of significance in deciding the national title. But, many years there was a huge question of who was number one and the issue could only be decided after all of the games had been played. The greatest years were probably 1966, 1971 and 1978 with the domino upsets that led to Alabama, Nebraska and Notre Dame’s national titles, respectively.
The bowl season was always special at my house. My brother went to Notre Dame and, in the 1970's, they were always in the discussion for the national title. It touched me very personally one year when a Notre Dame fan, a family friend named Monte, cajoled my brother and I into coming to his house to watch the Independence Bowl in 1997 between ND and LSU. We both sensed that something was wrong and he would announce that night that he was going to a Wichita, Ks hospital for tests. Within a few months, he had passed on. I still wait for the next Notre Dame national championship so I can toast him on the other side. That was the nature of our relationship. It was defined by the love of the college game. And, my God, was he a bowl lover. Football has always tied us all together. I saved a ton of memorabilia, photos and data over the years and decided to compile it into these pages for safekeeping.
At the risk of offending some, I am going to state my mind here. Since the advent of the BCS system for trying to match-up a #1 and #2 each year, the splendor and mystery of New Years Day has been lost. The games are now spread out over a few days and the New Years games seem meaningless. The smaller bowls do not add into the equation anymore. Gone are the days of a Fiesta Bowl or Holiday Bowl surprise national champion like in 1975 and 1984. Gone are the days that a Colorado can shoot up to #3 on the basis of a commanding performance in the Bluebonnet Bowl, coupled with routs by fellow league teams in other, more significant bowls, like in 1971. There is no possibility of a #4 or #5 team winning it all on New Years Day.
I recognize that the old system often left us confused as to who was really #1. But, so does the current system. Ask LSU, USC or Auburn. Today, a computer decides the national champion in the name of advertising bucks and big business. The national championship game may appear to decide the issue on the field. And, sometimes it does, like in 2006. But, more often than not, a team is left out in the cold just as in the old days. Only difference is, they have no chance to shoot up and win it all on January 2. We need a playoff, that's for sure. But, in absence of that, I long for a return to the January 1 format. Remember when New Year's Day was just like Super Bowl Sunday in the hearts of Americans? Remember Jerry Tagge plunging in over LSU in the Orange Bowl in 1971 to settle the question after a grueling, long day of football viewed live by millions across the nation?
Priceless. Mark Bolding
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SARCASM! |
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Click HERE to view a few newspaper cartoons of ridicule.
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Before the BCS, It Was Often Confusing
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Before 1968, the national champion was the team that finished number one in the the regular season. Although this was anti-climatic, it avoided a good deal of controversy. When that changed, all hell broke loose. The 70's became a decade of controversy. I remember how refreshing it was in that rare, "no doubt" season of 1987, when Miami and Penn State squared off as #1 and #2 to settle things. But, because of conference alignments with bowls, that was unusual. Here are few articles from seasons that left the fans scratching their heads or arguing the vote for the next 8 months: |
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SOME HISTORY:
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| Small College Classics | |||||||||
| Grantland Rice Bowl | Boardwalk Bowl | ||||||||
| Tangerine Bowl | Pecan Bowl | ||||||||
| National Junior College Championship | FCS National Championship Game | ||||||||
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THE GAMES |
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1997 Alamo
Bowl
1992 Aloha Bowl
1965 Bluebonnet Bowl
2004 Capital One Bowl
2007 Champs Sports Bowl
1924 Christmas Festival
1991 Copper Bowl
1948 Cotton Bowl
1956 Cotton Bowl
1960 Cotton Bowl
1962 Cotton Bowl
1969 Cotton Bowl
1974 Cotton Bowl
1982 Cotton Bowl
2009 EagleBank Bowl
2008 FCS National Championship Game
1979 Fiesta Bowl
1999 Fiesta Bowl
2004 Fort Worth Bowl 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl
2001 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl
1980 Garden State Bowl
1976 Gator Bowl
1991 Gator Bowl
2010 GMAC Bowl
1980 Hall of Fame Classic
2009 Hawaii Bowl
2003 Houston Bowl
2000 Humanitarian Bowl
1978 Independence Bowl
1993 Independence Bowl
2004 Independence Bowl
2000 Insight.com Bowl
2008 International Bowl
2002 Las Vegas Bowl
1969 Liberty Bowl
1972
Liberty Bowl
1981 Liberty Bowl
2003 Liberty Bowl
1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl
2009 New Orleans Bowl
1947 Oil Bowl
1965 Orange Bowl
1967 Orange Bowl
1970 Orange Bowl
1997 Outback Bowl
1939 Poi Classic
1965 Rose Bowl
2002 San Francisco Bowl
1966 Sugar Bowl
1970 Sugar Bowl
2002 Sugar Bowl
1974 Sun Bowl |
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DISCLAIMER
This sight is in no way commercial and is not intended as a for profit mechanism. The data in this section has been collected, digitalized and stored over the years since my childhood. My sources are too numerous to be listed. The photos were obtained and captured from newspapers, periodicals and the Internet. The videos are recorded from television and saved from the Internet. They are the property of their respective owners and not intended for reproduction, distribution or resale. For the most part, the text stories of each game are taken from newspaper articles , although some I wrote myself. Certainly, the information in all summaries originate from press sources and Internet sources such as Hickock Sports and Wikipedia. The fact is, I cannot remember some of the sources for many of the materials contained herein because I clipped and saved them so long ago. The materials in this site are a promotion for the college game and the spirit of bowl season. Helmet images contained within these pages are taken from The Helmet Project, Infinite Helmets and Helmets, Helmets, Helmet. Both pages are wonderful and highly recommended for football history. I had to modify some helmet images and create some. I apologize if they are not of a quality consistent with those websites. |
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As big a bowl fan as I am, I must admit that rampant confusion often
followed the New Year's Bowls. The mythical championship seemed to
always be in question. Sometimes, the old system lucked out and there was
only one undefeated team. But, about every ten years, the domino upset
effect left everyone begging for a playoff.