The Bowl Game Experience – Issue 5

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF

OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 5

CHRONICLING HISTORY Upcoming Book Commemorates Tradition and Passion

BY DENNIS J. SCHMIDT

CELEBRATING THE GOOD OF THE GAME

HISTORY OF THE BOWLS

During the 2019 season, college football will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its first game in 1869, Princeton against Rutgers. More than a century ago, the creation of the Rose Bowl Game introduced a model that allowed teams and their fans to end the season with a game at a neutral site. This Football Bowl Association book by noted author Malcolm Moran celebrates the history and tradition of a postseason that has evolved to include more than 40 games. Through efforts of community leadership, bowl games have provided significant economic impact while also creating lifelong memories for their patrons and fans. Most importantly, they have provided a national platform for college football student-athletes to celebrate successes and experiences that reach far beyond the game itself. This book will describe the dramatic growth of an industry and how it became a fabric of holiday celebrations. Filled with iconic images, this treasure trove also contains replicas of historic memorabilia, including old game program covers, ticket stubs and much more!

“We’re just little old Clemson and I’m not supposed to be here. But we are and I am. How about them Tigers?”

— Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney

“I told the team, ‘You stop them on fourth down, and you’re going to win the national championship’”

— Texas head coach Mack Brown

“It’s hard to believe we won the daggone game. Every time I looked up, somebody else was winning it.”

— Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden

$ 49.95

/ $ 65.95 Canada

“Fifty-three years, baby! This is for you. War Eagle!”

— Auburn head coach Gene Chizik

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CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

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uring the 2019 season, college football trove also contains replicas of historic is celebrating the 150th anniversary of memorabilia, including old game program its first game in 1869, Princeton against covers, ticket stubs, telegrams and much more!

Rutgers. More than Among the greatest a century ago, the bowl games covered HISTORY OFcreation THE BOWLS include the Texas CELEBRATING THE GOOD OF THE GAME of the Rose Bowl Game introduced Longhorns defeating a model that allowed USC in the 2006 Rose teams and their fans Bowl, the 2007 Fiesta to end the season with Bowl in which Boise a game at a neutral State utilized trick plays site. History of the to beat Oklahoma in Bowls: Celebrating the overtime, the 1973 Sugar Good of the Game by Bowl with Notre Dame noted author Malcolm edging Alabama, the Moran celebrates the MORAN 1984 Orange Bowl victory MALCOLM MORAN history and tradition of

by Miami over Nebraska, a postseason that has Penn State’s 1987 Fiesta evolved to include more Bowl win over Miami, than 40 games. the 1963 Rose Bowl featuring Wisconsin’s Filled with iconic photographs from college near-comeback over USC, and many more football’s greatest bowl games, this treasure memorable bowl battles.

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF

OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 5 CAPTURING HISTORY: Malcolm Moran takes the reader on a comprehensive journey through time, celebrating the greatness of bowl games.

The collectible replicas include the game program cover for the 1917 Rose Bowl, the program cover for the first Sugar Bowl in 1935, a Western Union telegram inviting actor Pat O’Brien to the 1937 Cotton Bowl between Marquette and TCU, a ticket to the 2000 Orange Bowl, a letter from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger welcoming the 2010 BCS National Championship Game to California, and dozens of other treasures.

Author Malcolm Moran has covered college football for more than 30 years. His detailed manuscript ties together this book’s historic photographs and memorabilia with a narrative that includes quotes from the game’s greatest coaches:

“It’s hard to believe we won the daggone game. Every time I looked up, somebody else was winning it.”

— FLORIDA STATE HEAD COACH BOBBY BOWDEN

“I told the team, ‘You stop them on fourth down, and you’re going to win the national championship.’”

— TEXAS HEAD COACH MACK BROWN

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"I said that I dreamt about winning, wanted to win it, but I’ve got to be honest with you. I didn’t think there was any way in this world that I was ever going to be a part of it as a head coach. I’ve got to be honest with you. You think, ‘Man, that’s for other people.

That’s for movie stars.'"

— NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH LOU HOLTZ

“We’re just little old Clemson and I’m not supposed to be here. But we are and I am.

How about them Tigers?”

— CLEMSON HEAD COACH DABO SWINNEY

Through efforts of community leadership, bowl games have provided significant economic impact while also creating lifelong memories for their patrons and fans. Most importantly, they have provided a national platform for college football student-athletes to celebrate successes and experiences that reach far beyond the game itself.

This 144-page, large-format book describes the dramatic growth of an industry and how it became a fabric of holiday celebrations. This collector’s item is currently available for pre-order on Whitman.com and Amazon.com.

#GIVEAFOOTBALL CHALLENGE Nov. 6 is the official 150th birthday of college football. In recognition, bowls and personalities in the sport are challenging friends and colleagues to donate a football to a youth league, team, school or organization on that date.

CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

MILITARY BOWL ®

#BIGGERTHANTHEGAME

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THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF

OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 5

RED CARPET TREATMENT

The Tradition of Hospitality for the Teams and Players at Bowl Games Goes Back a Long Way

BY RUSTY BURSON

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ach year, thousands of FBS-level college football players across the country gather at 130 different campuses to begin practicing in the heat of August with at least one common end-goal in mind: Bowl eligibility.

Obviously, the best teams each year will receive the most prestigious bowl invitations, but all 41 bowl games are a reward for the institutions, coaches, players and fans. For the most part, the players look forward to bowl games with great anticipation because, among other things, the NCAA allows bowls to give each player gift packages that are worth up to $550.

It wasn’t always that way. Prior to the United States’ involvement in World War II, players sometimes viewed bowl games—especially practice time leading up to those games—as more of a punishment than a prize. In fact, the term “bowl hospitality” might be tracked back to the Cotton Bowl almost 80 years ago when invitations were extended to the Fordham Rams and Texas A&M Aggies.

Fordham, a private university in the Bronx, New York, happily accepted the invitation, as it was the Rams’ first-ever bowl game. A&M players, however,

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balked at the idea of missing the holiday season with their families and girlfriends for a second consecutive year.

A&M went unbeaten in 1939 and received an invitation to play in the sixth annual Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 1940 at Tulane Stadium. The Aggies beat Tulane, 14-13, to win the national championship.

According to Roy Bucek, who played on the Aggies’ 1939 championship team, A&M received $200,000 from participating in the Sugar Bowl.

The money was used to pay for the team’s train ride to New Orleans and back, as well as to cover expenses for A&M’s 10-day stay in Biloxi, Miss. and New Orleans. But the players received no gifts or monetary compensation.

The following year, A&M started the season 8-0, but lost to Texas in the regular-season finale. The oncebeaten Aggies accepted an invitation to the Cotton Bowl, and head coach Homer Norton had told his players to be back in College Station in mid-December to begin practicing. The players had other ideas.

“Some seniors got together after the 1940 season and basically said, ‘Hell, we’re not gonna play in the Cotton Bowl for nothing,’” said Bucek, who played

“

Everybody got $200 apiece for playing in the Cotton Bowl, and we all agreed that was a good deal.”

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CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

guard at A&M from 1939-41. “Tommie Vaughan was and bowl hospitality is so much more today than the team spokesman, and he said, ‘Coach Norton, merely providing players with gifts. we’re not going to play in the Cotton Bowl this year. We “Each bowl does a remarkable job of creating played in the Sugar Bowl, and we didn’t get a damned unique experiences that the players really come to thing. We missed Christmas with our parents, family appreciate,” said Rick Baker, President/CEO of the and girlfriends, and we don’t Goodyear Cotton Bowl. “We think it’s worth it to go play recently inducted Oklahoma in a bowl game.’ Homer said, great Roy Williams into ‘Don’t you fellas know that our Hall of Fame, and he is an honor to play in the mentioned in his speech his Cotton Bowl?’ But it didn’t experience visiting Texas matter to those seniors.”

Scottish Rite Hospital as a Norton asked the players player at the Classic and the to give him time to see what impression it left on him. We he could do before declining have taken both teams to the Cotton Bowl’s invitation. local children’s hospitals for When the team met again decades. One year, we had a days later, he had good player who was a patient at news for his players. the hospital as a child. There Norton had contacted are always some amazing the Southwest Conference stories that come from the office, Cotton Bowl officials time spent with children at and the Board of Directors our hospital visits each year.” of the Athletic Council at And there is an amazing A&M College. The Cotton amount of planning that Bowl offered each player 40 goes into the hospitality tickets to the game, priced efforts of each bowl game. at $5 apiece. While the “The volunteers who run players could not sell the both the player and coach/ tickets directly, there was a administrator hospitality loophole that allowed the efforts take time away players, according to Bucek’s from their families and recollection, to return the their jobs to plan and tickets to A&M officials, execute everything needed who could then sell them at to make sure that the face value and provide the teams’ experiences here in income to the players.

Shreveport are great,” said “Everybody got $200 Missy Setters, Executive ROY BUCEK apiece for playing in the Director of the Walk-On’s Cotton Bowl, and we all agreed that was a good deal,” Independence Bowl. “Outside of the volunteers, said Bucek, who died in February 2012. “On top of that, hospitality is something that we work on all year long, we got on a train and went to Dallas for the Cotton from finding entertainment options for the players Bowl. When we got to Corsicana, the Cotton Bowl and coaches to new food options for them to try. It’s officials boarded the train and gave each of us a big ol’ something we focus on throughout the entire year.” cowboy hat and a few other trinkets. As far as I know, Rusty Burson is a former sportswriter for the Galveston Daily that was probably the first gifts a bowl ever gave.”

News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and 12th Man Magazine. He has Bowls have obviously come a long way since then, authored 22 books.

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THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF

OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 5 6

FOOTBALL LEADERSHIP TAKES MANY FORMS, ON AND OFF THE FIELD Several FBA Bowl Executives Participate in Leadership Symposium

BY DOUG KELLY

L

eadership.

Webster's Dictionary defines leadership as "the office or position of a leader; capacity to lead; the act or an instance of leading."

First known usage of the term came in 1765, and its meaning has expanded but not changed dramatically over the past 244 years. Leadership is, as its name, implies "the ability of the individual to lead others" be it in the business world, the pursuit of education, within the political realm, and, as many of us know, on the football field.

is a retired Marine officer and during his leadership at Troy, the university has worked closely with all branches of the military, but most notably the US Air Force Air University, located at Maxwell Air Base in Montgomery, Alabama."

From October 14-17, FBA executive directors and other administrative personnel underwent an intense two full days of 10 lectures, with discussions following each speaker. Each topic is tied to leadership as a whole and taught by a professional.

Sample topics included: Leading Diverse Teams; Using Stories to The Football Bowl Communicate as Leaders; Association has an obligation Understanding and to provide its membership Leveraging Social Media/ the very best professional Digital Leader; Generational enhancement opportunities.

Diversity; and Values Football Bowl Association Executive Director Wright Waters Bowl Directors are tasked Alignment, among others. (left), pictured with Lt. Col Kevin Osborne – Air University, Eaker Center for Leadership Development.

Lt. Col Osborne with producing a national "Leadership is one was one of over a dozen speakers to address FBA executive event before a national of the themes that has directors and staff members at the FBA Leadership television audience, often with been adopted as part of Symposium October 14-17 in Montgomery, AL. limited resources, a small staff the 150th anniversary of and large numbers of volunteers. The leadership college football," Waters continued. "We are excited of these men and women is a skill that requires that the Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base in constant sharpening and reinforcing. conjunction with Troy University – Montgomery are To aid its members in this quest, the FBA and allowing us to tap into their vast knowledge about executive director Wright Waters reached out to the leadership. No one teaches leadership like the one organization that has the best understanding United States Military." of leadership: the United States military. "We first Doug Kelly is Director of Communications for the Football Bowl sought the advice of Chancellor Jack Hawkins at Association. He has worked within the bowl industry since 2002.

Troy University," Waters said. "Chancellor Hawkins

FOOTBALLBOWLASSOCIATION.COM

HELP THE PEACH BOWL FIGHT CHILDHOOD CANCER

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CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

eptember, Pediatric Cancer Awareness month, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl established the Peach Bowl Legacy Fund — a $20 million fund hyper-focused on funding clinical drug trials for the most promising new drugs and treatment options.

We need YOU to join the fight.

With our Touchdowns for Children’s program, you can make a pledge for every touchdown your team scores this season. The Peach Bowl will then match every dollar you donate!

DONATE Learn how you can join the fight.

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