Grantland Rice Bowl
| Grantland Rice Bowl | |
|---|---|
| Location |
Murfreesboro, Tennessee (1964–68) Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1969–75) Fargo, North Dakota (1976) Anniston, Alabama (1977) |
| Operated | 1964–1977, 1981–current |
The Grantland Rice Bowl was an annual college football bowl game in NCAA's College Division, for smaller universities and colleges. The game was named for Grantland Rice, an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose.
From 1964 to 1972, it was one of four season-ending national quarterfinals which led to the determination of a College Division national champion, by poll. It was the Mideast Regional championship, played in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1968. In the 1968 game, Tommy Spinks of Louisiana Tech set two records when he caught 12 passes for 167 yards; the passes were thrown by junior quarterback Terry Bradshaw, the first selection of the 1970 NFL Draft.
Regional alignments shifted in 1969 and the game was relocated to BREC Memorial Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where it remained through 1975.
In 1973, the College Division was realigned into Division II and Division III, with full eight-team playoffs to determine a national champion in both divisions. The Grantland Rice Bowl became a national semifinal in Division II, along with the Pioneer Bowl in Wichita Falls, Texas, with the winners advancing to the Camellia Bowl championship game in Sacramento, California. In 1976, the Grantland Rice Bowl left Baton Rouge and became a hosted game at Fargo, North Dakota, and in Anniston, Alabama in 1977. The other semifinal in those two seasons was the Knute Rockne Bowl, and the championship game was the Pioneer Bowl in Texas.
With the formation of Division I-AA (renamed FCS in 2006) and the modern playoff structure, the game ceased to exist. After a three-year absence, the game returned in a different form. Since 1981, the NCAA Division I FCS Playoff South Regional Championship (national quarterfinal) is commonly referred to as the Grantland Rice Bowl, in honor of its College Division heritage. The game is played at the highest remaining seed in the South Region with the winner advancing to the NCAA Division I FCS Playoff Final Four (national semifinal).
College Division results
| Date | Winner | Score | Loser | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 12, 1964 | Middle Tennessee State | 20–0 | Muskingum | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | College Division quarterfinal |
| December 11, 1965 | Tennessee State | 14–14 | Ball State | ||
| December 10, 1966 | Tennessee State | 34–7 | Muskingum | ||
| December 9, 1967 | Eastern Kentucky | 27–13 | Ball State | ||
| December 13, 1968 | Louisiana Tech | 33–13 | Akron | ||
| December 13, 1969 | East Tennessee State | 34–14 | Louisiana Tech | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
| December 12, 1970 | Tennessee State | 26–25 | Southwestern Louisiana | ||
| December 11, 1971 | Tennessee State | 26–23 | McNeese State | ||
| December 10, 1972 | Louisiana Tech | 35–0 | Tennessee Tech | ||
Division II results
| Date | Winner | Score | Loser | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 8, 1973 | Western Kentucky | 28–20 | Grambling State | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Division II semifinal |
| December 7, 1974 | Delaware | 49–11 | UNLV | ||
| December 6, 1975 | Western Kentucky | 14–3 | New Hampshire | ||
| December 4, 1976 | Montana State | 10–3 | North Dakota State | Fargo, North Dakota | |
| December 3, 1977 | Jacksonville State | 31–7 | North Dakota State | Anniston, Alabama | |
- The other semifinal was the Pioneer Bowl (1973–1975) and Knute Rockne Bowl (1976–1977);
the championship game was the Camellia Bowl (1973–1975) and Pioneer Bowl (1976–1977).
Division I FCS results (South Region Championship — FCS playoffs)
formerly Division I-AA (1978–2005)
| Date | Winning Team | Losing Team | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 5, 1981 | South Carolina State | 26 | Tennessee State | 25 | Division I-AA quarterfinal |
| December 4, 1982 | Tennessee State | 20 | Eastern Illinois | 19 | |
| December 3, 1983 | Western Carolina | 28 | Holy Cross | 21 | |
| December 1, 1984 | Louisiana Tech | 44 | Alcorn State | 21 | |
| December 7, 1985 | Georgia Southern | 28 | Middle Tennessee State | 21 | |
| December 6, 1986 | Georgia Southern | 55 | Nicholls State | 31 | |
| December 5, 1987 | Appalachian State | 19 | Georgia Southern | 0 | |
| December 3, 1988 | Eastern Kentucky | 41 | Western Kentucky | 24 | |
| December 2, 1989 | Georgia Southern | 45 | Middle Tennessee State | 3 | |
| December 1, 1990 | Central Florida | 52 | William & Mary | 38 | |
| December 7, 1991 | Marshall | 41 | Northern Iowa | 13 | |
| December 5, 1992 | Youngstown State | 42 | The Citadel | 17 | |
| December 4, 1993 | Youngstown State | 34 | Georgia Southern | 14 | |
| December 3, 1994 | Youngstown State | 18 | Eastern Kentucky | 15 | |
| December 2, 1995 | Marshall | 41 | Northern Iowa | 24 | |
| December 7, 1996 | Marshall | 54 | Furman | 0 | |
| December 6, 1997 | Delaware | 16 | Georgia Southern | 7 | |
| December 5, 1998 | Georgia Southern | 27 | Connecticut | 21 | |
| December 4, 1999 | Florida A&M | 17 | Troy | 10 | |
| December 2, 2000 | Appalachian State | 17 | Western Kentucky | 14 | |
| December 8, 2001 | Georgia Southern | 38 | Appalachian State | 24 | |
| December 7, 2002 | Georgia Southern | 31 | Maine | 7 | |
| December 6, 2003 | Wofford | 34 | Western Kentucky | 17 | |
| December 4, 2004 | William & Mary | 44 | Delaware | 38 | |
| December 3, 2005 | Furman | 24 | Richmond | 20 | |
| December 1, 2006 | Appalachian State | 38 | Montana State | 17 | Division I FCS quarterfinal |
| December 7, 2007 | Southern Illinois | 34 | Massachusetts | 27 | |
| December 6, 2008 | Richmond | 33 | Appalachian State | 13 | |
| December 6, 2009 | Appalachian State | 35 | Richmond | 31 | |
| December 11, 2010 | Georgia Southern | 23 | Wofford | 20 | |
| December 10, 2011 | Sam Houston State | 49 | Montana State | 13 | |
| December 8, 2012 | North Dakota State | 14 | Wofford | 7 | |
| December 14, 2013 | New Hampshire | 20 | Southeastern Louisiana | 17 | |
| December 13, 2014 | Sam Houston State | 34 | Villanova | 31 | |
| 2015 | |||||