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]
Season | Date | Winner | Loser | Attendance | References | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1945 | November 29, 1945 | High Point 7, Milligan 7 | 3,500 | ||||
1946 | November 28, 1946 | Southeastern Louisiana | 21 | Milligan | 13 | 7,500 | |
1947 | November 27, 1947 | West Chester | 20 | Carson–Newman | 6 | 10,000 | [6] [7] |
1948 | November 25, 1948 | West Chester | 7 | Appalachian State | 2 | 12,000 | [8] |
1949 | November 24, 1949 | Emory and Henry | 32 | Hanover | 0 | 12,000 | |
1950 | November 23, 1950 | Emory and Henry | 26 | Appalachian State | 6 | 12,000 | [9] [10] |
1951 | November 22, 1951 | Morris Harvey | 27 | Lebanon Valley | 20 | 9,000 | [11] [12] |
1952 | November 27, 1952 | East Tennessee State | 34 | Emory and Henry | 16 | 10,000 | [13] [14] [15] |
1953 | November 26, 1953 | East Tennessee State | 48 | Emory and Henry | 12 | ||
1954 | November 25, 1954 | Appalachian State | 28 | East Tennessee State | 13 | ||
1955 | November 24, 1955 | East Tennessee State | 7 | Appalachian State | 0 | ||
1956 | November 22, 1956 | Memphis State | 32 | East Tennessee State | 12 | 1,200 | [16] |
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 |
Only teams with more than one appearance are listed.
Rank | Team | Appearances | Record |
---|---|---|---|
1 | East Tennessee State | 5 | 3–2 |
T2 | Emory & Henry | 4 | 2–2 |
T2 | Appalachian State | 4 | 1–3 |
T4 | West Chester | 2 | 2–0 |
T4 | Milligan | 2 | 0–1–1 |
The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden bats, its season runs from June through August. The league is part of Major League Baseball and USA Baseball's Prospect Development Pipeline.
Interstate 81 (I-81) is part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 855.02 miles (1,376.02 km) northward from Dandridge, Tennessee, to the Thousand Islands Bridge at the Canadian border near Fishers Landing, New York. In Tennessee, I-81 serves the northeastern part of the state, running 75.66 miles (121.76 km) from its southern terminus with I-40 in Dandridge to the Virginia state line in Bristol. The route serves the Tri-Cities region of the state and the eastern parts of the Knoxville metropolitan area, terminating about 35 miles (56 km) east of Knoxville. I-81 bypasses most cities that it serves, instead providing access via interchanges with state and federal routes. It remains in the Ridge-and-Valley topographic region of the Appalachian Mountains for its entire length in Tennessee, and runs in a northeast to southwest direction.
The 1948 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team was an American football team that represented Appalachian State Teachers College as a member of the North State Conference during the 1948 college football season. In their second year under head coach E. C. Duggins, the Mountaineers compiled an overall record of 8–1–1, with a mark of 7–0–1 in conference play, and finished as NSC champion. State concluded their season with a loss against West Chester at the Burley Bowl.
The 1950 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team was an American football team that represented Appalachian State Teachers College as a member of the North State Conference during the 1950 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach E. C. Duggins, the Mountaineers compiled an overall record of 9–2–1, with a mark of 7–0–1 in conference play, and finished as NSC champion. State concluded their season with a losses to Emory and Henry at the Burley Bowl and against West Liberty at the Pythian Bowl.
The 1954 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team was an American football team that represented Appalachian State Teachers College as a member of the North State Conference during the 1954 college football season. In their seventh year under head coach E. C. Duggins, the Mountaineers compiled an overall record of 8–3, with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, and finished as NSC champion. State concluded their season with a victory over East Tennessee State at the Burley Bowl and a loss against Newberry at the Elks Bowl.
U.S. Route 23 (US 23) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that travels from Jacksonville, Florida, to Mackinaw City, Michigan. In the U.S. state of Tennessee, the highway travels 57.48 miles (92.51 km) in the northeastern part of the state from the North Carolina state line at Sam's Gap in the Bald Mountains to the Virginia state line in Kingsport. The entire route in Tennessee is a four-lane controlled-access highway and is concurrent with Interstate 26 (I-26) for most of its length. The freeway is also designated the James H. Quillen Parkway for its entire length in Tennessee. US 23 in Tennessee is part of Corridor B of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) and serves as a major thoroughfare in the Tri-Cities region of the state. Although I-26 is technically an east–west route, the highway predominantly travels in a north–south alignment in the state. The highway reaches a maximum elevation of 3,760 feet (1,150 m) at the North Carolina state line, which is the highest elevation on the Interstate Highway System east of the Mississippi River.
The East Tennessee State Buccaneers football program is the intercollegiate American football team for East Tennessee State University (ETSU) located in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was dormant from the end of the 2003 season until being reinstated for the 2015 season. They played all of their 2015 home games and all but one of their 2016 home games at Kermit Tipton Stadium before the opening of the new William B. Greene Jr. Stadium for the 2017 season. The remaining 2016 home game, against Western Carolina on September 17, was played at nearby Bristol Motor Speedway, which was already set up for football due to a game the prior week between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Before ETSU dropped football, it competed in NCAA Division I as a Southern Conference (SoCon) football program. The revived program played as an independent in 2015 before returning to the SoCon in 2016.
The Emory & Henry Wasps also known as E&H Wasps are the athletic teams that represent Emory & Henry University, located in Emory, Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Wasps will compete as members of the South Atlantic Conference as they plan to start playing a full SAC schedule in 2022–23. Altogether, Emory & Henry sponsors 26 sports: 11 men's teams, 11 women's teams, and 4 co-ed teams. Emory & Henry previously competed as members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) of NCAA Division III from 1976–77 to 2020–21.
The 1979 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Johnny Majors, in his third year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and five losses and a loss against Purdue in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.
The Elizabethton Phils were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Appalachian League from 1937 to 1942 and 1945 to 1951. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and played their home games at Cherokee Park.
The Smoky Mountain Conference – officially the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference – was an intercollegiate athletic conference that existed from December 1926 to October 1966. Most teams in the league were located in Tennessee, and there were at times teams from Virginia and North Carolina. The first commissioner of the league was W. O. "Chink" Lowe, who had played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers; he served as commissioner until September 1941.
The 1951 Tangerine Bowl was an American college football bowl game played following the 1950 season, on January 1, 1951, at the Tangerine Bowl stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game featured the Emory and Henry Wasps and the Morris Harvey Golden Eagles.
The Erwin Cubs were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Class D Appalachian League from 1943 to 1944. They were located in Erwin, Tennessee, and played their home games at Gentry Stadium. Known as the Erwin Aces in 1943, they became the Erwin Cubs in 1944 borrowing the moniker from the Chicago Cubs, with whom they were affiliated in both seasons. The Aces won the 1943 Appalachian League playoff championship.
The 1928 East Tennessee State Teachers football team was an American football team that represented East Tennessee State Teacher's College—now known as East Tennessee State University (ETSU)—as an independent in the 1927 college football season. They were led by fourth-year coach John Robinson. He was referred to affectionately as "Robbie" and was so popular that later the 1929 yearbook was dedicated to him. Robinson was assisted by William "Willie" Flinn Rogers, who taught history and government at the school from 1925 to 1928. For the first time since the program started, the 1928 squad had 28 men come out for football with 10 returning lettermen. As a result, the 1928 team was a success with their first winning record since the 1921 season, which included wins against high school competition. This season also marked the first time the school play rival Appalacchian State, which was then known as Appalachian Training School of Boone.
The 1937 East Tennessee State Teachers Buccaneers football team was an American football team that represented State Teachers College, Johnson City—now known as East Tennessee State University (ETSU)—as a member of the Smoky Mountain Conference in the 1937 college football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Gene McMurray. The 1937 team had their first losing season in six years.
The 1950 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team was an American football team that represented East Tennessee State College (ETSC)—now known as East Tennessee State University—as a member of the Smoky Mountain Conference and the Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC) during the 1950 college football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Loyd Roberts, the Buccaneers compiled an overall a record of 3–5–1, with marks of 1–2–1 against Smoky Mountain opponents and 0–1–1 in VSAC play. This was the program's first losing record under Roberts and the first losing season since 1941. The team's co-captains were Mark Sutherland and Bob "Snake" Evans. The 1950 squad beat local rival Tusculum. They also tied Milligan in the final meeting between the two rivals as Milligan dropped football after the season. One of the few bright spots of the year was the transfer of Hal Morrison from Tennessee, as he became a record-setting target over the next three seasons. This was the first Buccaneer football team to receive athletic scholarships after the players had gone on strike the previous year.
The 1928 Emory and Henry Wasps football team represented Emory and Henry College as a member of the Smoky Mountain Conference and the Virginia Conference during the 1928 college football season. Led by second-year head coach Pedie Jackson, the Wasp compiled an overall record of 10–0 with marks of 4–0 against Smoky Mountain opponents and 3–0 in Virginia Conference play, winning both conference titles.
The 1950 Emory and Henry Wasps football team represented Emory and Henry College as a member of the Smoky Mountain Conference and the Virginia Little Six Conference during the 1950 college football season. Led by third-year head coach Conley Snidow, the Wasps compiled an overall record of 10–2 with marks of 4–0 in Smoky Mountain play and 2–0 against Virginia Little Six opponents, winning both conference titles. Emory and Henry was invited to the Burley Bowl, where the Wasps beat Appalachian State, and the Tangerine Bowl, where the team fell to Morris Harvey. Emory and Henry played three home games at Bristol Municipal Stadium in Bristol, Tennessee and three at Fullerton Field in Emory, Virginia.
The 1951 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team was an American football team that represented East Tennessee State College (ETSC)—now known as East Tennessee State University—as a member of the Smoky Mountain Conference and the Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by Loyd Roberts in his fifth and final season as head coach, the Buccaneers compiled an overall a record of 4–5, with marks of 1–1 against Smoky Mountain opponents and in VSAC play. The team's co-captains were Kenneth "Birdlegs" Bryan and Gene "Shadow" Hall. The 1951 season was East Tennessee State's last as a member of the Smoky Mountain Conference.
The 1952 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team was an American football team that represented East Tennessee State College (ETSC)—now known as East Tennessee State University—as a member of the Volunteer State Athletic Conference (VSAC) during the 1952 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Star Wood, the Buccaneers compiled an overall record of 6–1–2. East Tennessee State's made the program first bowl game appearance a with victory in the Burley Bowl over the Emory and Henry by the score of 34–16. The team captains were Hal Morrison and Cecil Maddux.