Japan Bowl

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.

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

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.Date†WinnerLoserVenue‡Attendance[4]Ref.
1January 18, 1976West27East18National Stadium68,000[5]
2January 16, 1977West21East1058,000[6]
3January 14, 1978East26West1032,500[7]
4January 14, 1979East33West1455,000[8]
5January 13, 1980West28East17Yokohama Stadium27,000[9]
6January 18, 1981West25East1330,000[10]
7January 17, 1982West28East1728,000[11]
8January 23, 1983West30East2130,000[12]
9January 15, 1984West26East2126,000[13]
10January 13, 1985West28East1430,000[14]
11January 11, 1986East31West1430,000[15]
12January 11, 1987West24East1730,000[16]
13January 10, 1988West17East330,000[17]
14January 15, 1989East30West729,000[18]
15January 13, 1990East24West1027,000[19]
16January 12, 1991West20East1430,000[20]
17January 11, 1992East14West13Tokyo Dome50,000[21]
18January  9, 1993East27West1346,000[22]

The West team won 11 games, while the East team won 7 games.[23]
† NCAA records and contemporary news reports sometimes cite different game dates, likely due to differing time zones.
‡ 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.
1976Chuck MuncieCalRB
1977Robin EarlWashingtonRB/TE
1978Jimmy CefaloPenn StateRB
1979Scott FitzkeePenn StateRB
1980Paul CampbellOhio StateRB
1981J. C. WattsOklahomaQB
1982Leo WisniewskiPenn StateOL
1983Richard NeelySMUDL
1984Irving FryarNebraskaWR
1985Gale GilbertCalQB
1986Bo JacksonAuburnRB
1987Troy StradfordBoston CollegeRB
1988Chad HenningsAir ForceDL
1989Mark MessnerMichiganDL
1990Anthony ThompsonIndianaRB
1991Bill MusgraveOregonQB
1992Ty DetmerBYUQB
1993Mark BrunellWashingtonQB

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.
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