Liberty Bowl
| Liberty Bowl | |
|---|---|
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl | |
 | |
| Stadium | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| Location | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Previous stadiums |
John F. Kennedy Stadium (1959–1963) Convention Hall (1964) |
| Previous locations |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1959–1963) Atlantic City, New Jersey (1964) |
| Operated | 1959–present |
| Conference tie-ins |
Big 12 #4 Pick[1] vs SEC Pool Pick[2] The American (alternate)[3] |
| Previous conference tie-ins |
C-USA (1996–2013) MWC (1998–2005) winner of the Commander in Chief's Trophy (1989–1992) |
| Payout | US$2,400,000[4] (As of 2014) |
| Sponsors | |
| Former names | |
|
Liberty Bowl (1959-1992) St. Jude Liberty Bowl (1993-1996) AXA Liberty Bowl (1997–2003) | |
| 2014 matchup | |
| Texas A&M vs. West Virginia (Texas A&M 45–37) | |
| 2016 matchup | |
| Arkansas vs. Kansas State (January 2, 2016) | |
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in late December or early January since 1959. Since 1965, the game has been held at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. For its first five years, it was played in Philadelphia. Since 2004, the game has been sponsored by Memphis-based auto parts retailer AutoZone. Because of the scheduling of the bowl game near the end of the calendar year, no game was played during calendar years 2008 or 2015; and, two games were played in calendar year 2010.
History
A. F. "Bud" Dudley, a former Villanova athletic-director, created the Liberty Bowl in Philadelphia in 1959. The game was played at Philadelphia's Municipal Stadium. It was the only cold-weather bowl game of its time, and was plagued by poor attendance. The inaugural game was the most successful of the five held in Philadelphia, as 38,000 fans watched Penn State beat Alabama 7–0 in 1959.
Atlantic City convinced Dudley to move his game from Philadelphia to Atlantic City's Convention Hall for 1964 and guaranteed Dudley $25,000. It would be the first Bowl Game played indoors. AstroTurf was still in its developmental stages and was unavailable for the game. Convention Hall was equipped with a 4-inch-thick (100 mm) grass surface with two inches of burlap underneath it (as padding) on top of concrete. To keep the grass growing, artificial lighting was installed and kept on 24 hours a day. The entire process cost about $16,000. End-zones were only 8 yards long. 6,059 fans saw Utah rout West Virginia. Dudley was paid $25,000 from Atlantic City businessmen, $60,000 from the gate, and $95,000 from television revenues, for $10,000 net profit.[5]
Dudley moved the game to Memphis in 1965, where it has made its home at what became Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to much larger crowds and has established itself as one of the oldest non-BCS bowls.
Matchup
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Liberty Bowl offered an automatic invitation to the winner of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, if that team was bowl eligible.[6]
Beginning in 1996, the Liberty Bowl started to affiliate itself with the newly launched Conference USA, offering its champion an automatic bid. Beginning in 2005, the winner of the C-USA championship game was offered the berth.
In 1996 and 1997, the opponent for the C-USA champion was a team from the Big East. In 1998, the Liberty Bowl replaced the Holiday Bowl in a shared contract with the Cotton Bowl Classic and had second choice between the WAC champion and a team from the SEC. From 1999 to 2005, the opponent for the C-USA champion was the Mountain West champion. There were two exceptions:
- In 2004, Mountain West champion Utah qualified for the BCS. In their place, the Liberty Bowl chose WAC champion Boise State.
- In 2005, Mountain West champion TCU chose to play in the Houston Bowl instead of the Liberty Bowl. At-large WAC team Fresno State took their place.
In 1999, the Mountain West Conference did not have an outright champion, as three teams tied for the conference lead. The conference's bid for the game was given to Colorado State.
The bowl's contract from 2006 until 2013 pitted the winner of the C-USA championship game against the eighth pick from the SEC. The American (the successor to the Big East), was to provide its fifth-place team as an alternate if the SEC cannot fulfill the bid. The SEC was also given veto power for the bowl, and chose to use it in 2011 to block C-USA champion Southern Miss from playing Vanderbilt; instead Cincinnati got the spot and Southern Miss accepted an invitation to the Hawaii Bowl instead.[7][8]
As of 2014, the matchup will feature a team from the SEC against the #4 pick from the Big 12 Conference. The Liberty Bowl is part of a six-bowl pool arrangement that also involves the Belk, Music City, Outback, TaxSlayer, and Texas bowls; these bowls will choose one representative from the conference each, while the College Football Playoff receiving first choice (usually the Sugar Bowl in years it does not serve as a national semifinal) and the Citrus Bowl second choice.
The game is televised nationally on ESPN, and is carried nationwide by ESPN Radio, and internationally by ESPN International.
Recent matchups
The 2010 win by UCF was the program's first-ever bowl victory.
The 2011 game matched Coaches' Poll #24 ranked Cincinnati against upstart Vanderbilt, and unlike most lower tier bowls, it aired on the broadcast network ABC rather than its cable brethren ESPN. The game returned to a December date at the end of 2010 after being played on January 2 in 2009 and 2010, the only times since the bowl was founded in 1959 that it had a non-December date. (Technically there was no 2008 game, as the game after the 2008 season was played January 2, 2009.) Cincinnati defeated Vanderbilt in a second-half comeback.
The 2012 Liberty Bowl featured a matchup between the Iowa State Cyclones (9th place in the Big 12) and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Conference USA champions).[9] Iowa State defeated Tulsa 38-23 in the season's first weekend, however Tulsa defeated Iowa State 31-17 in the rematch of the regular season game.[9] Though the bowl normally selects a team from the SEC, it invited Iowa State because the SEC did not have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all of its contracted bowl games.[10] In 2013, the matchup featured Rice vs Mississippi State.[11] In 2014, Texas A&M defeated West Virginia 45-37. [12]
Game results
| Date Played | Winning Team | Losing Team | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 19, 1959 | Penn State | 7 | Alabama | 0 | notes |
| December 20, 1960 | Penn State | 41 | Oregon | 12 | notes |
| December 16, 1961 | Syracuse | 15 | Miami (Florida) | 14 | notes |
| December 15, 1962 | Oregon State | 6 | Villanova | 0 | notes |
| December 21, 1963 | Mississippi State | 16 | North Carolina State | 12 | notes |
| December 19, 1964 | Utah | 32 | West Virginia | 6 | notes |
| December 18, 1965 | Ole Miss | 13 | Auburn | 7 | notes |
| December 10, 1966 | Miami | 14 | Virginia Tech | 7 | notes |
| December 16, 1967 | North Carolina State | 14 | Georgia | 7 | notes |
| December 14, 1968 | Ole Miss | 34 | Virginia Tech | 17 | notes |
| December 13, 1969 | Colorado | 47 | Alabama | 33 | notes |
| December 12, 1970 | Tulane | 17 | Colorado | 3 | notes |
| December 20, 1971 | Tennessee | 14 | Arkansas | 13 | notes |
| December 18, 1972 | Georgia Tech | 31 | Iowa State | 30 | notes |
| December 17, 1973 | North Carolina State | 31 | Kansas | 18 | notes |
| December 16, 1974 | Tennessee | 7 | Maryland | 3 | notes |
| December 22, 1975 | USC | 20 | Texas A&M | 0 | notes |
| December 20, 1976 | Alabama | 36 | UCLA | 6 | notes |
| December 19, 1977 | Nebraska | 21 | North Carolina | 17 | notes |
| December 23, 1978 | Missouri | 20 | LSU | 15 | notes |
| December 22, 1979 | Penn State | 9 | Tulane | 6 | notes |
| December 27, 1980 | Purdue | 28 | Missouri | 25 | notes |
| December 30, 1981 | Ohio State | 31 | Navy | 28 | notes |
| December 29, 1982 | Alabama | 21 | Illinois | 15 | notes |
| December 29, 1983 | Notre Dame | 19 | Boston College | 18 | notes |
| December 27, 1984 | Auburn | 21 | Arkansas | 15 | notes |
| December 27, 1985 | Baylor | 21 | LSU | 7 | notes |
| December 29, 1986 | Tennessee | 21 | Minnesota | 14 | notes |
| December 29, 1987 | Georgia | 20 | Arkansas | 17 | notes |
| December 28, 1988 | Indiana | 34 | South Carolina | 10 | notes |
| December 29, 1989 | Ole Miss | 42 | Air Force | 29 | notes |
| December 27, 1990 | Air Force | 23 | Ohio State | 11 | notes |
| December 29, 1991 | Air Force | 38 | Mississippi State | 15 | notes |
| December 31, 1992 | Ole Miss | 13 | Air Force | 0 | notes |
| December 28, 1993 | Louisville | 18 | Michigan State | 7 | notes |
| December 31, 1994 | Illinois | 30 | East Carolina | 0 | notes |
| December 30, 1995 | East Carolina | 19 | Stanford | 13 | notes |
| December 27, 1996 | Syracuse | 30 | Houston | 17 | notes |
| December 31, 1997 | Southern Miss | 41 | Pittsburgh | 7 | notes |
| December 31, 1998 | Tulane | 41 | BYU | 27 | notes |
| December 31, 1999 | Southern Miss | 23 | Colorado State | 17 | notes |
| December 29, 2000 | Colorado State | 22 | Louisville | 17 | notes |
| December 31, 2001 | Louisville | 28 | BYU | 10 | notes |
| December 31, 2002 | TCU | 17 | Colorado State | 3 | notes |
| December 31, 2003 | Utah | 17 | Southern Miss | 0 | notes |
| December 31, 2004[13] | Louisville | 44 | Boise State | 40 | notes |
| December 31, 2005 | Tulsa | 31 | Fresno State | 24 | notes |
| December 29, 2006 | South Carolina | 44 | Houston | 36 | notes |
| December 29, 2007 | Mississippi State | 10 | UCF | 3 | notes |
| January 2, 2009 | Kentucky | 25 | East Carolina | 19 | notes |
| January 2, 2010 | Arkansas | 20 | East Carolina | 17 | notes |
| December 31, 2010 | UCF | 10 | Georgia | 6 | notes |
| December 31, 2011 | Cincinnati | 31 | Vanderbilt | 24 | notes |
| December 31, 2012 | Tulsa | 31 | Iowa State | 17 | notes |
| December 31, 2013 | Mississippi State | 44 | Rice | 7 | notes |
| December 29, 2014 | Texas A&M | 45 | West Virginia | 37 | notes |
| January 2, 2016 | Arkansas | 45 | Kansas State | 23 | notes |
MVPs
| Date played | MVP | School | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 19, 1959 | Jay Huffman | Penn State | C |
| December 17, 1960 | Dick Hoak | Penn State | RB |
| December 16, 1961 | Dick Easterly | Syracuse | RB |
| December 15, 1962 | Terry Baker | Oregon State | QB |
| December 21, 1963 | Ode Burrell | Mississippi State | HB |
| December 19, 1964 | Ernest Allen | Utah | QB |
| December 18, 1965 | Tom Bryan | Auburn | FB |
| December 10, 1966 | Jimmy Cox | Miami (Fla.) | SE |
| December 16, 1967 | Jim Donnan | North Carolina State | QB |
| December 14, 1968 | Steve Hindman | Ole Miss | TB |
| December 13, 1969 | Bobby Anderson | Colorado | TB |
| December 12, 1970 | Dave Abercrombie | Tulane | TB |
| December 20, 1971 | Joe Ferguson | Arkansas | QB |
| December 18, 1972 | Jim Stevens | Georgia Tech | QB |
| December 17, 1973 | Stan Fritts | North Carolina State | FB |
| December 16, 1974 | Randy White | Maryland | DT |
| December 22, 1975 | Ricky Bell | USC | RB |
| December 20, 1976 | Barry Krauss | Alabama | LB |
| December 19, 1977 | Matt Kupec | North Carolina | QB |
| December 23, 1978 | James Wilder | Missouri | RB |
| December 22, 1979 | Roch Hontas | Tulane | QB |
| December 27, 1980 | Mark Herrmann | Purdue | QB |
| December 30, 1981 | Eddie Myers | Navy | TB |
| December 29, 1982 | Jeremiah Castille | Alabama | DB |
| December 29, 1983 | Doug Flutie | Boston College | QB |
| December 27, 1984 | Bo Jackson | Auburn | RB |
| December 27, 1985 | Cody Carlson | Baylor | QB |
| December 29, 1986 | Jeff Francis | Tennessee | QB |
| December 29, 1987 | Greg Thomas | Arkansas | QB |
| December 28, 1988 | Dave Schnell | Indiana | QB |
| December 28, 1989 | Randy Baldwin | Ole Miss | RB |
| December 27, 1990 | Rob Perez | Air Force | QB |
| December 29, 1991 | Rob Perez | Air Force | QB |
| December 31, 1992 | Cassius Ware | Ole Miss | LB |
| December 28, 1993 | Jeff Brohm | Louisville | QB |
| December 31, 1994 | Johnny Johnson | Illinois | QB |
| December 30, 1995 | Kwame Ellis | Stanford | CB |
| December 27, 1996 | Malcolm Thomas | Syracuse | RB |
| December 31, 1997 | Sherrod Gideon | Southern Miss. | WR |
| December 31, 1998 | Shaun King | Tulane | QB |
| December 31, 1999 | Adalius Thomas | Southern Miss. | DE |
| December 29, 2000 | Cecil Sapp | Colorado State | RB |
| December 31, 2001 | Dave Ragone | Louisville | QB |
| December 31, 2002 | LaTarence Dunbar | TCU | WR |
| December 31, 2003 | Brandon Warfield | Utah | RB |
| December 31, 2004 | Stefan LeFors | Louisville | QB |
| December 31, 2005 | Paul Smith | Tulsa | QB |
| December 29, 2006 | Blake Mitchell | South Carolina | QB |
| December 29, 2007 | Derek Pegues | Mississippi State | FS |
| January 2, 2009 | Ventrell Jenkins | Kentucky | DT |
| January 2, 2010 | Ryan Mallett | Arkansas | QB |
| December 31, 2010 | Latavius Murray | UCF | RB |
| December 31, 2011 | Isaiah Pead | Cincinnati | RB |
| December 31, 2012 | Trey Watts | Tulsa | RB |
| December 31, 2013 | Dak Prescott | Mississippi State | QB |
| December 29, 2014 | Kyle Allen | Texas A&M | QB |
| January 2, 2016 | Alex Collins | Arkansas | RB |
Broadcasters
Appearances by team
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | 5 | 2–3 |
| T2 | Ole Miss | 4 | 4–0 |
| T2 | Louisville | 4 | 3–1 |
| T2 | Mississippi State | 4 | 3–1 |
| T2 | Air Force | 4 | 2–2 |
| T2 | Alabama | 4 | 2–2 |
| T2 | East Carolina | 4 | 1–3 |
| T8 | Tennessee | 3 | 3–0 |
| T8 | Penn State | 3 | 3–0 |
| T8 | Southern Miss | 3 | 2–1 |
| T8 | Tulane | 3 | 2–1 |
| T8 | North Carolina State | 3 | 2–1 |
| T8 | Colorado State | 3 | 1–2 |
| T8 | Georgia | 3 | 1–2 |
| T15 | Utah | 2 | 2–0 |
| T15 | Syracuse | 2 | 2–0 |
| T15 | Tulsa | 2 | 2–0 |
| T15 | UCF | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | South Carolina | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | Illinois | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | Auburn | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | Ohio State | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | Missouri | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | Colorado | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | Miami (Florida) | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | Texas A&M | 2 | 1–1 |
| T15 | Houston | 2 | 0–2 |
| T15 | BYU | 2 | 0–2 |
| T15 | LSU | 2 | 0–2 |
| T15 | Virginia Tech | 2 | 0–2 |
| T15 | Iowa State | 2 | 0–2 |
| T15 | West Virginia | 2 | 0–2 |
| T33 | Georgia Tech | 1 | 1-0 |
| T33 | PURDUE | 1 | 1–0 |
| T33 | Cincinnati | 1 | 1–0 |
| T33 | TCU | 1 | 1-0 |
| T33 | Kansas State | 1 | 0–1 |
| T33 | Rice | 1 | 0–1 |
References
- ↑ Liberty Bowl teams with Big 12
- ↑ AutoZone Liberty Bowl Agrees to New 6-Year Partnership with SEC
- ↑ American Athletic Conference Announces 2014-19 Bowl Lineup
- ↑ AutoZone Liberty Bowl doubling payout in new deal with SEC
- ↑ Antonick, John (2005-06-22). "Unique Game". West Virginia Mountaineers. MSNsportsNET.com. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
- ↑ Cavanaugh, Jack (1989-11-12). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Boston College Surprises Army". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- ↑ UCF Knights news, scores & more for the University of Central Florida - Orlando Sentinel
- ↑ JSilver's UConn blog: Big East Bowl lineup complete
- 1 2 Chatmon, Brandon (2012-12-02). "AutoZone Liberty Bowl". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
- ↑ Higgins, Ron (2012-12-02). "Tulsa, Iowa State land in Liberty Bowl; Rebels to Birmingham". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
- ↑ MissState to play Rice in 55th AutoZone Liberty Bowl
- ↑ "ESPN College Football - Liberty Bowl 2014". Texas A&M Aggies vs West Virginia Mountaineers. ESPN. 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2014-12-29.
- ↑ Mountain West Conference champion Utah was released from their contractual obligation to the Liberty Bowl after earning a BCS berth in 2004. Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State took Utah's place.