All-American Bowl
Encyclopedia
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.
In the spring of 1986, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame decided to relocate the Hall of Fame Bowl
game to Tampa
beginning in December 1986. The game in Birmingham continued for five years under a different name and organizing body. When the Southeastern Conference
expanded to twelve schools and began contesting a 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 the NCAA agreed to hold a new post-season game the Papajohns.com Bowl (now the BBVA Compass Bowl), proposed by ESPN.
, 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.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
played at Legion Field
Legion Field
Legion Field is a large stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, primarily designed to be used as a venue for American football, but is occasionally used for other large outdoor events. The stadium is named in honor of the American Legion, a U.S. organization of military veterans. At its peak...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the Hall of Fame Classic from 1977 to 1985.
In the spring of 1986, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame decided to relocate the Hall of Fame Bowl
Outback Bowl
The Outback Bowl is an annual New Year's Day college football bowl game played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The event was originally called the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1994 until being renamed in 1995 for its new title sponsor, Outback Steakhouse...
game to Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
beginning in December 1986. The game in Birmingham continued for five years under a different name and organizing body. When the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
expanded to twelve schools and began contesting a championship game
SEC Championship Game
The SEC Championship Game refers to the game determining the Southeastern Conference's football season champion. The championship game pits the SEC Western Division representative against the Eastern Division representative in a game held after the regular season has been completed. Thus far, nine...
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
Georgia Dome
The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the...
two years later, leaving Legion Field without any Division I-A postseason college football until 2006, when the NCAA agreed to hold a new post-season game the Papajohns.com Bowl (now the BBVA Compass Bowl), proposed by ESPN.
Hall of Fame Classic
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 22, 1977 | Maryland | 17 | Minnesota | 7 | 47,000 | notes |
| December 20, 1978 | 28 | #19 Iowa State 1978 Iowa State Cyclones football team The 1978 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented the Iowa State University in the college football season of 1978-1979. The team captains were Tom Boskey and Dexter Green.-Schedule:-External links:*... |
12 | 41,500 | notes | |
| December 29, 1979 | 24 | #16 | 14 | 62,785 | notes | |
| December 27, 1980 | Arkansas | 34 | Tulane 1980 Tulane Green Wave football team The 1980 Tulane Green Wave football team represented Tulane University in the 1980 college football season. The Green Wave competed in the All American Bowl but lost. The offense scored 279 points while the defense allowed 243 points. Two members of the Green Wave team were drafted into the... |
15 | 30,000 | notes |
| December 31, 1981 | 10 | 0 | 41,672 | notes | ||
| December 31, 1982 | 36 | 28 | 75,000 | notes 1982 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl The 1982 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl, part of the 1982 bowl game season, was the sixth annual contest and took place on December 31, 1982, at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The competing teams were the , representing the Southeastern Conference , and the , representing the Western Athletic... |
||
| December 22, 1983 | #18 West Virginia 1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with a 9–3 record and played in the Hall of Fame Classic, where they beat Kentucky 20–16.-1983 Schedule:-1983 season:... |
20 | Kentucky 1983 Kentucky Wildcats football team The 1983 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Wildcats scored 228 points while allowing 237 points.... |
16 | 42,000 | notes 1983 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl 1983 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl was the sixth installment of the Hall of Fame Bowl. The game featured the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference and the West Virginia Mountaineers, then an independent... |
| December 29, 1984 | Kentucky 1984 Kentucky Wildcats football team The 1984 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Wildcats scored 293 points while allowing 221 points. Kentucky won the 1984 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl.-Season:... |
20 | #20 Wisconsin 1984 Wisconsin Badgers football team The 1984 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 1984 college football season.-Schedule:-Team players in the 1985 NFL Draft:... |
19 | 47,300 | notes 1984 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl 1984 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl was the seventh installment of the Hall of Fame Bowl. The game featured the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference and the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. Wisconsin was ranked #20 in the AP poll prior to the game... |
All-American Bowl
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 1985 | 17 | 14 | 45,000 | notes | ||
| December 31, 1986 | 27 | 13 | 30,000 | notes 1986 All-American Bowl The 1986 All-American Bowl featured a meeting between the and the . FSU, coached by Bobby Bowden, had a 6-4-1 record going into the bowl game and Indiana, coached by Bill Mallory had a 6–5 record.-Game summary:... |
||
| December 22, 1987 | 22 | 16 | 37,000 | notes 1987 All-American Bowl The 1987 All-American Bowl featured the first meeting between the and the . BYU, coached by Lavell Edwards, had a 9–3 record going into the bowl game and Virginia, coached by George Welsh had a 7–4 record.-Game summary:... |
||
| December 29, 1988 | Florida | 14 | 10 | 48,218 | notes 1988 All-American Bowl The 1988 All-American Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama between the and the University of Florida Gators on December 29, 1988... |
|
| December 28, 1989 | #24 Texas Tech | 49 | #20 | 21 | 47,750 | notes |
| December 28, 1990 | 31 | #23 Southern Mississippi 1990 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team The 1990 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 1990 NCAA college football season. Led by Brett Favre, the Golden Eagles qualified for the .-Regular season:... |
27 | 44,000 | notes |
Most Valuable Players
| Year played | MVP | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Chuck White | Maryland | SE |
| 1977 | Charles Johnson Charles Johnson (defensive tackle) Charles Adrian Johnson is a former professional American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played three seasons for the Green Bay Packers.... |
Maryland | DT |
| 1978 | Curtis Dickey Curtis Dickey Curtis Raymond Dickey , was a two-sport athlete at Texas A&M University where he was an outstanding running back in football and excelled in track and field, winning the NCAA championship in the 60 yard dash three times .He also was a professional football player who was selected by the Baltimore... |
Texas A&M | RB |
| 1979 | Phil Bradley Phil Bradley Philip Poole Bradley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder/designated hitter with an 8 year career from to . He played for the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox of the American League and Philadelphia Phillies of the National League. He was elected to the American... |
Missouri | QB |
| 1980 | Gary Anderson Gary Anderson (running back) Gary Wayne Anderson is a former professional American football running back who played in the National Football League, the United States Football League and the Canadian Football League from 1983 to 1995.-USFL:... |
Arkansas | RB |
| 1980 | Billy Ray Smith | Arkansas | LB |
| 1981 | John Bond | Mississippi State | QB |
| 1981 | Johnie Cooks Johnie Cooks Johnie Earl Cooks is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Baltimore Colts as the second overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. A 6'4", . linebacker from Mississippi State University, Cooks played in ten NFL seasons from 1982-1991 for the Colts, New York Giants, and... |
Mississippi State | LB |
| 1982 | Whit Taylor Whit Taylor Whit Taylor , an assistant principal and athletic director at a Tennessee high school, is most widely known for his college and professional football careers. He was an all-Southeastern Conference quarterback for the Vanderbilt from 1979–1982, a period which included a trip to the 1982 Hall of Fame... |
Vanderbilt | QB |
| 1982 | Carl Dieudonne | Air Force | DE |
| 1983 | Jeff Hostetler Jeff Hostetler William Jeffrey Hostetler is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins. His nickname is "Hoss".-Penn State:... |
West Virginia | QB |
| 1984 | Mark Logan | Kentucky | RB |
| 1984 | Todd Gregoire | Wisconsin | PK |
| 1985 | Mark Ingram, Sr. | Michigan State | WR |
| 1986 | Sammie Smith Sammie Smith Sammie Lee Smith , is a former American football player who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 1st round of the 1989 NFL Draft. A 6'2", 226-lb... |
Florida State | RB |
| 1987 | Scott Secules Scott Secules Thomas "Scott" Wescott Secules is a former professional American football quarterback who played 6 seasons in the National Football League from 1988 to 1993 for the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots.Secules was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 6th round of the 1988... |
Virginia | QB |
| 1988 | Emmitt Smith Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for... |
Florida | RB |
| 1989 | Jerry Gray | Texas Tech | RB |
| 1990 | Brett Favre Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota... |
Southern Miss | QB |
Teams
The All-American Bowl played host to a number of successful teams from the premier college football conferences of the time (the Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
, Big Eight (now Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
), Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
, Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
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
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
and Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
each placed five teams into the All-American Bowl. The Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
proved to be the least successful conference, having never won a game despite placing teams in four different years.
- Conference records in the All-American Bowl were as follows:
- Southwest Conference 3–0 (1.000)
- Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast ConferenceThe Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
4–1 (.800) - Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
3–2 (.600) - Western Athletic ConferenceWestern Athletic ConferenceThe Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
1–1 (.500) - Big Eight ConferenceBig 12 ConferenceThe Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
1–2 (.333) - Big Ten ConferenceBig Ten ConferenceThe Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
0–4 (.000)
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.
- West Virginia finished #16 in the final 1983 AP poll after defeating Kentucky.
- Kentucky finished #19 in the final 1984 AP poll and the final UPI poll after defeating #20 Wisconsin.
- Georgia Tech finished #19 in the final 1985 AP poll after defeating Michigan State.
- Texas Tech finished #19 in the final 1989 AP poll after defeating #20 Duke.