Japan Bowl

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For the X-League championship game, see Japan X Bowl.
Japan Bowl (defunct)
ジャパンボウル
StadiumNational Stadium
(1976–1979)
Yokohama Stadium
(1980–1991)
Tokyo Dome
(1992–1993)
LocationTokyo (1976–79, 1992–93)
Yokohama (1980–91)
Operated1976–1993

The Japan Bowl (in Japanese, ジャパンボウル) was a post-season college football all-star game played in Japan each January from 1976 to 1993, which showcased East and West all-star teams made up of college football players from the United States.

History[]

The first game was played in 1976 in Tokyo, to a crowd of 68,000 spectators.[1] After being played at National Stadium for four years, the game moved to Yokohama in 1980, where it was played at Yokohama Stadium through 1991. The final two game were held at Tokyo Dome in 1992 and 1993.

From 1983 through 1989, the game was sponsored by Ricoh and was known as the Ricoh Japan Bowl.

The bowl featured various famous participants, including Heisman Trophy winners Bo Jackson and Ty Detmer, who both received MVP awards. College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz led the East team in the 1976 game, and Super Bowl XLIV champion Mark Brunell won the final MVP award in 1993.

The 1977 game featured California quarterback Joe Roth, who was fighting a battle with melanoma. The Japan Bowl ended up being the final football game of Roth's career; he died just a month after the game in February at the age of 21.

Several unrelated football games have been informally referred to as the "Japan Bowl", such as the 1993 Coca-Cola Classic,[2] the 1994 Ivy Bowl,[3] and some of the NFL's American Bowl games.

Game results[]

No. Datedagger Winner Loser Venuedouble-dagger Attendance[4] Ref.
1 January 18, 1976 West 27 East 18 National Stadium 68,000 [5]
2 January 16, 1977 West 21 East 10 58,000 [6]
3 January 14, 1978 East 26 West 10 32,500 [7]
4 January 14, 1979 East 33 West 14 55,000 [8]
5 January 13, 1980 West 28 East 17 Yokohama Stadium 27,000 [9]
6 January 18, 1981 West 25 East 13 30,000 [10]
7 January 17, 1982 West 28 East 17 28,000 [11]
8 January 23, 1983 West 30 East 21 30,000 [12]
9 January 15, 1984 West 26 East 21 26,000 [13]
10 January 13, 1985 West 28 East 14 30,000 [14]
11 January 11, 1986 East 31 West 14 30,000 [15]
12 January 11, 1987 West 24 East 17 30,000 [16]
13 January 10, 1988 West 17 East 3 30,000 [17]
14 January 15, 1989 East 30 West 7 29,000 [18]
15 January 13, 1990 East 24 West 10 27,000 [19]
16 January 12, 1991 West 20 East 14 30,000 [20]
17 January 11, 1992 East 14 West 13 Tokyo Dome 50,000 [21]
18 January  9, 1993 East 27 West 13 46,000 [22]

The West team won 11 games, while the East team won 7 games.[23]
dagger NCAA records and contemporary news reports sometimes cite different game dates, likely due to differing time zones.
double-dagger NCAA records incorrectly list all games as having been played in Yokohama.

MVPs[]

Joe Roth Memorial Award

Following the 1977 appearance of Joe Roth – an All-American quarterback from Cal who was suffering from melanoma, which would lead to his death weeks after playing in the game – the game's MVP recognition was given as the Joe Roth Memorial Award.[24] The trophy is topped by Roth's helmet. The first recipient was Jimmy Cefalo of Penn State in 1978.[25]

Year MVP Team Pos.
1976 Chuck Muncie Cal RB
1977 Robin Earl Washington RB/TE
1978 Jimmy Cefalo Penn State RB
1979 Scott Fitzkee Penn State RB
1980 Paul Campbell Ohio State RB
1981 J. C. Watts Oklahoma QB
1982 Leo Wisniewski Penn State OL
1983 Richard Neely SMU DL
1984 Irving Fryar Nebraska WR
1985 Gale Gilbert Cal QB
1986 Bo Jackson Auburn RB
1987 Troy Stradford Boston College RB
1988 Chad Hennings Air Force DL
1989 Mark Messner Michigan DL
1990 Anthony Thompson Indiana RB
1991 Bill Musgrave Oregon QB
1992 Ty Detmer BYU QB
1993 Mark Brunell Washington QB

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "U.S. collegians draw 68,000 to Japan Bowl". Chicago Tribune. New York Times News Service. January 19, 1976. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  2. ^ Kiel, Barry (December 1, 1993). "Straightforward". Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Ivy League wins Japan Bowl". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. January 9, 1994. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "BOWL/ALL STAR GAME RECORDS" (PDF). NCAA. 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  5. ^ "They Even Played a Bowl in Japan". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 19, 1976. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Ferragamo Passes West to 21-10 Win". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 17, 1977. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "East Wins Japan Bowl". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 15, 1978. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "East Routs West in Japan Bowl". The Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. January 15, 1979. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Japan Bowl Won by West Team". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 14, 1980. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "McNeil, Easley Lead West Win". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 19, 1981. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "West Wins the Japan Bowl". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 18, 1982. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Tuggle Leads West to 30-21 Victory". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 24, 1983. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Fourth-Down Gambling Helps West Beat East un Japan Bowl, 26-21". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 16, 1984. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Pitts Has 99-Yard Score as West Wins Japan Bowl". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 13, 1985. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Three Scores by Jackson Lead East Past West, 31-14". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 12, 1986. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Matt Steven's Touchdown Pass Wins for West in Japan Bowl". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 11, 1987. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Santos Passes, Runs West All-Stars to a 17-3 Victory". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 10, 1988. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "East Defense Shuts Down West for a 30-7 Victory". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 16, 1989. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "College Football Roundup". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 14, 1990. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Musgrave Passes West Over East". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 14, 1991. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "East rises over West in Japan". The San Bernardino County Sun. AP. January 12, 1992. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "East defeats West, 27-13". The San Bernardino County Sun. AP. January 10, 1993. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Teague Is Back in the Spotlight". The Los Angeles Times. AP. January 11, 1993. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  24. ^ "Japan Bowl Trophy". JoeRoth12.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  25. ^ "Ellis Shines". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. January 15, 1978. Retrieved June 20, 2017 – via newspapers.com.

External links[]

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