Burley Bowl

The Burley Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played from 1945 through 1956.[1] It was held each year on Thanksgiving Day in Johnson City, Tennessee, at the city's Memorial Stadium, which was demolished in July 2010.[2] The game was part of an annual two-day tobacco festival,[3] with the name of the bowl coming from Burley tobacco. Like some other postseason match-ups of the era, such as the Grape Bowl, Glass Bowl, and Optimist Bowl, results are listed in NCAA records, but the games were not considered NCAA-sanctioned bowls.[1]

The inaugural game was held on November 29, 1945.[4] That day was the last (and fifth) Thursday of November, which was observed as Thanksgiving in Tennessee that year, despite President Truman proclaiming the holiday to be the fourth Thursday of the month.[5]

Game results
Program cover for 1947 game
SeasonDateWinnerLoserAtt. (est.)[1]
1945November 29, 1945High Point 7, Milligan 73,500
1946November 28, 1946Southeastern Louisiana21Milligan137,500
1947November 27, 1947West Chester20Carson–Newman610,000[6][7]
1948November 25, 1948West Chester7Appalachian State212,000
1949November 24, 1949Emory and Henry32Hanover012,000
1950November 23, 1950Emory and Henry26Appalachian State612,000
1951November 22, 1951Charleston (WV)27Lebanon Valley209,000
1952November 27, 1952East Tennessee State34Emory and Henry16
1953November 26, 1953East Tennessee State48Emory and Henry12
1954November 25, 1954Appalachian State28East Tennessee State13
1955November 24, 1955East Tennessee State7Appalachian State0
1956November 22, 1956Memphis State32East Tennessee State12

Game records
Team scoring records Performance Year
Most points scored (one team) 48, East Tennessee State 1953
Most points scored (both teams) 60, East Tennessee State vs. Emory and Henry 1953
Most points scored (losing team) 20, Lebanon Valley 1951
Fewest points scored (winning team) 7, West Chester
7, East Tennessee State		 1948
1955
Fewest points scored (both teams) 7, East Tennessee State vs. Appalachian State 1955
Fewest points allowed 0, Emory and Henry
0, East Tennessee State		 1949
1955
Largest margin of victory 36, East Tennessee State 1953

Most appearances

Only teams with more than one appearance are listed.

RankTeamAppearancesRecord
1East Tennessee State53–2
T2Emory & Henry42–2
T2Appalachian State41–3
T4West Chester22–0
T4Milligan20–1–1

Notes
  • NCAA records list the date of the first Burley Bowl as "1-1-1946",[1] which is inconsistent with contemporary newspaper reports.[3][4]

See also

References
  1. "BOWL/ALL STAR GAME RECORDS" (PDF). NCAA. 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  2. "Lost Landmark-Memorial Stadium, Johnson City (TN)". Historic Highway Guides. December 31, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  3. "Johnson City Plans Burley Bowl Game". Kingsport Times. Kingsport, Tennessee. November 4, 1945. Retrieved March 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  4. "Buffaloes, High Point Struggle To 7-7 Tie In Burley Bowl Tilt". Kingsport Times. Kingsport, Tennessee. November 30, 1945. Retrieved March 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  5. "Truman Sets Nov. 22 As Thanksgiving". Kingsport Times. Kingsport, Tennessee. AP. November 13, 1945. Retrieved March 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
  6. Smith, Wray (November 27, 1947). "Carson-Newman, West Chester State Vie in Burley Bowl Tilt". The Knoxville New-Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. p. 25. Retrieved May 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com open access.
  7. Smyth, Jimmy (November 28, 1947). "West Chester Turns Back Plucky Carson-Newman Eleven 20-6". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. Johnson City, Tennessee. p. 11. Retrieved May 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com open access.

Further reading
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