Coca-Cola Classic (college football)
Encyclopedia
The Coca-Cola Classic was a NCAA college football
game played using regular season scheduled games played in Tokyo, Japan. It was sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company
and named for the beverage Coca-Cola Classic
manufactured by the company. The series was played from 1986 to 1993. Because the game is merely a re-location of a regular season game, it was not considered a traditional, post-season bowl game
.
that was imported into the United States was better known as the Dodge Colt
.
The first Mirage Bowl was played in Korakuen Stadium
on December 11, 1977 between Grambling and Temple. Grambling won 35-32. Grambling quarterback Doug Williams
was named MVP.
Originally held in the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, National Olympic Stadium (Tokyo), it was held in the Tokyo Dome
from 1988 to 1993.
and volleyball
are two examples.
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...
game played using regular season scheduled games played in Tokyo, Japan. It was sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
and named for the beverage Coca-Cola Classic
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
manufactured by the company. The series was played from 1986 to 1993. Because the game is merely a re-location of a regular season game, it was not considered a traditional, post-season 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...
.
Mirage Bowl
The Mirage Bowl was hosted by Mitsubishi Motors in Japan, after its line of subcompact cars named the Mirage. The Mitsubishi MirageMitsubishi Mirage
Mitsubishi launched the Mirage as a three-door front wheel drive hatchback in 1978, as a response to the first fuel crisis some years before. It had a distinctive design with large windows and Mitsubishi's Super Shift transmission . A five-door joined the range in 1979...
that was imported into the United States was better known as the Dodge Colt
Dodge Colt
The Dodge Colt and the similar Plymouth Champ and Plymouth Colt, were subcompact cars sold by Dodge and Plymouth from 1970 to 1994. They were captive imports from Mitsubishi Motors, initially twins of the rear-wheel drive Galant and Lancer families before shifting to the smaller front-wheel drive...
.
The first Mirage Bowl was played in Korakuen Stadium
Korakuen Stadium
was a stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1937, it was primarily used for baseball and was home to the Yomiuri Giants until 1988 when they moved next door, to the Tokyo Dome, which sits on the site of the Velodrome. The ballpark had a capacity of 50,000 people. In 1942 Korakuen Stadium played...
on December 11, 1977 between Grambling and Temple. Grambling won 35-32. Grambling quarterback Doug Williams
Doug Williams (football player)
Douglas Lee "Doug" Williams is a former American football quarterback and head football coach of the Grambling State University Tigers...
was named MVP.
Originally held in the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, National Olympic Stadium (Tokyo), it was held in the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
from 1988 to 1993.
Game results
Italics denote a tie game.| Date Played | | Winning Team | | Losing Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 11, 1977 | Grambling 1977 Grambling State Tigers football team The 1977 Grambling State Tigers football team represented the Grambling State University in the SWAC during the 1977 college football season. The Tigers offense scored 462 points while the defense allowed 175 points.-Schedule:... |
35 | 32 | |
| December 10, 1978 | 28 | 24 | ||
| November 24, 1979 | 40 | Miami (FL) 1979 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1979 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami for the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team became known as the "Jet Lag Kids", playing seven times away from home and traveling over 28,000 miles, an NCAA record... |
15 | |
| November 30, 1980 | 34 | 3 | ||
| November 28, 1981 | 21 | 16 | ||
| November 27, 1982 | Clemson | 21 | Wake Forest | 17 |
| November 26, 1983 | 34 | 12 | ||
| November 17, 1984 | 45 | 31 | ||
| November 30, 1985 | USC | 20 | 6 | |
| November 30, 1986 | 29 | 24 | ||
| November 28, 1987 | 17 | 17 | ||
| December 3, 1988 | Oklahoma State 1988 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team The 1988 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented the Oklahoma State University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Barry Sanders was in his junior year for the Cowboys.-Schedule:... |
45 | Texas Tech | 42 |
| December 4, 1989 | 24 | 13 | ||
| December 2, 1990 | 62 | 45 | ||
| November 30, 1991 | Clemson | 33 | 21 | |
| December 6, 1992 | Nebraska 1992 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1992 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:... |
38 | Kansas State 1992 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 1992 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 1992. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 1992 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 5-6, and a 2-5 record in Big... |
24 |
| December 6, 1993 | Wisconsin 1993 Wisconsin Badgers football team The 1993 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Season:Over the course of the season, Wisconsin was the top team in the Big Ten in terms of passing efficiency, with QB Darrell Bevell recording an impressive 155.2 in... |
41 | 20 |
Other contests
Other sport contests have been named "Coca Cola Classic" based on the sponsorship of the Coca Cola Company. College BasketballCollege basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
are two examples.
Trivia
- Nebraska and WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
won their respective conference titles (Big EightBig Eight ConferenceThe Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
and Big TenBig 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...
) at the last two Mirage Bowls. The 1993 win sealed an invitation to the 1994 Rose Bowl1994 Rose BowlThe 1994 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1994. It was the 80th Rose Bowl Game. The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the 21-16...
-- its first Rose BowlRose Bowl GameThe Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
appearance since the 1963 Rose Bowl1963 Rose BowlThe 1963 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1963 at the end of the 1962 college football season. It was the 49th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans defeated the Wisconsin Badgers, 42–37...
.
- The 1984 Mirage Bowl between Army and Montana marked the introduction of "The Wave" to Japan.