All-American Bowl

The All-American Bowl was an annual post-season college football game played at Legion Field from 1985 to 1990. Before 1985 the city hosted the Hall of Fame Classic which was relocated to Tampa, Florida. After 1990, organizers dropped the bowl game to focus on hosting the first SEC Championship Game at Legion Field.

1985

• Georgia Tech defeated Michigan State 17-14, finishing at #19 in the AP Poll. The New Year's Eve game was attended by an estimated 45,000 fans who took part in setting a Guinness World Record for "largest kazoo ensemble", surpassing a similar event with 35,000 participants at a Vanderbilt Commodores game in Nashville, Tennessee earlier the same year. Rock & roll star Wilson Pickett led the concert using plastic kazoos supplied by Supreme Beverage Co.. The two schools' marching bands provided accompaniment. The crowd performed "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "Auld Lang Syne"

1986

• Florida State defeated Indiana 27-13

1987

• Virginia defeated Brigham Young 22-16

1988

• Florida defeated Illinois 14-10 on the strength of Emmitt Smith's 159 rushing yards.

1989

• Texas Tech defeated Duke 49-21 in the most lopsided win in the series. Running back James Gray overcame illness to set an NCAA bowl record with 280 rushing yards. The Red Raiders finished the season ranked #19 in the AP poll. The game was Steve Spurrier's last as Duke's head coach.

1990

• North Carolina State defeated Southern Mississippi 31-27 on December 28. It was USM coach Jeff Bower's debut, and Brett Favre quarterbacked the losing team.

References

• Bennighof, Mike (January 1, 1986) "Fans enter Guinness fame as they kazoo their way to world record." Birmingham Post-Herald, p. B2
• Segrest, Doug (December 23, 2006) "Games had big names, big crowds." The Birmingham News