Oyster Bowl

Last updated
Oyster Bowl
Stadium S.B. Ballard Stadium (1946–1995, 2011–present)
Location Norfolk, Virginia
Previous stadiums Joseph S. Darling Memorial Stadium (1999–2004)
The Apprentice School (2005–2010)
Previous locations Hampton, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Operated1946, 1948–1995
1999–present
Conference tie-ins Sun Belt Conference
Previous conference tie-ins Southern Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Colonial Athletic Association
Conference USA
Sponsors
Khedive Temple of the Shriners
2024 matchup
Marshall vs. Old Dominion
(Marshall wins 42–35)

The Oyster Bowl is a regular season college football game played annually in the Hampton Roads-area of Virginia. The game has featured match-ups between high school, NCAA Division III, and at present, NCAA Division I teams. It is sponsored by the Norfolk, Virginia-based Khedive Temple of the Shriners, with a portion of the revenue going to children's charity. The 2024 Oyster Bowl was the 74rd edition of the game.

Contents

In its heyday as a major college or Division I neutral-site contest (1948–1995), the Oyster Bowl served as Norfolk's counterpart to the Tobacco Bowl in Richmond, Virginia (1949–1982), and the short-lived Harvest Bowl in Roanoke, Virginia (1958–1969), which were also regular season neutral-site games.

History

During the first incarnation of the Oyster Bowl, the game was held at Foreman Field in Norfolk, Virginia. The inaugural contest, held in 1946, featured two high school teams, the local Granby Comets and the Clifton Mustangs of Clifton, New Jersey. [1] [2] After a one-year break, the game was resumed in 1948 as a major college football contest, and was played continuously until 1995, when it was discontinued for financial reasons. [1] [2] [3] The series of games from 1946 to 1995 generated more than $3 million for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. [3]

Many well known players participated in the Oyster Bowl during the time it featured Division I teams. These include Ernie Davis of Syracuse, Bruce Smith of Virginia Tech, Roger Staubach of Navy, Fran Tarkenton of Georgia, and Randy White of Maryland. [4] The 1977 game between East Carolina and William & Mary featured an incident well-publicized at the time, in which former East Carolina head coach Jim Johnson, attending the game as a sideline spectator, tackled a William & Mary player about to score the game-winning touchdown. [5]

In 1999, after a hiatus of three years, the Oyster Bowl was revived and relocated to Joseph S. Darling Memorial Stadium in nearby Hampton, Virginia, as a match-up between Division III college teams. [6] Three of the six games in Hampton featured the Apprentice School from nearby Newport News, Virginia. In 2005 the Oyster Bowl moved to Newport News as an annual home game for the Apprentice School.

In 2011, the Oyster Bowl returned to a renovated Foreman Field (now known as S.B. Ballard Stadium) as an annual home game for Division I Old Dominion University (ODU). Recent visiting teams have been conference rivals of ODU from Conference USA (through 2021) and the Sun Belt Conference (2022 to the present).

Game results

YearSiteWinning teamLosing team
1946 Norfolk, Virginia Granby High School 6 Clifton High School 0
1947No game held
1948Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 31 VMI 0
1949 [7] Norfolk, Virginia NC State 14 VPI 13
1950Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 34 NC State 0
1951Norfolk, Virginia Duke 55 VPI 6
1952Norfolk, Virginia South Carolina 21 Virginia 14
1953Norfolk, Virginia Duke 48 Virginia 6
1954Norfolk, Virginia Navy 40 Duke 7
1955Norfolk, Virginia North Carolina 32 South Carolina 14
1956Norfolk, Virginia Pittsburgh 27 Duke 14
1957Norfolk, Virginia Navy 27 Georgia 14
1958Norfolk, Virginia Tulane 14 Navy 6
1959Norfolk, Virginia Syracuse 32 Navy 6
1960Norfolk, Virginia Navy 26 SMU 7
1961Norfolk, Virginia Duke 30 Navy 9
1962Norfolk, Virginia Navy 32 Pittsburgh 9
1963Norfolk, Virginia Navy 21 VMI 12
*1964Norfolk, Virginia Maryland 10 North Carolina 9
1965Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 3 Southern Miss 0
*1966Norfolk, Virginia Southern Miss 7 NC State 6
1967Norfolk, Virginia Duke 35 Navy 16
1968Norfolk, Virginia Duke 30 Maryland 28
1969Norfolk, Virginia VPI 48 Duke 12
1970Norfolk, Virginia NC State 7 Maryland 0
1971Norfolk, Virginia Clemson 3 Duke 0
*1972Norfolk, Virginia Duke 17 Navy 16
*1973Norfolk, Virginia Maryland 30 Duke 10
1974Norfolk, Virginia Maryland 56 Duke 13
1975Norfolk, Virginia Virginia Tech 24 William & Mary 7
1976Norfolk, Virginia VMI 13 Virginia 7
1977Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 21 East Carolina 17
*1978Norfolk, Virginia East Carolina 21 Richmond 14
1979Norfolk, Virginia Navy 24 William & Mary 7
1980Norfolk, Virginia Virginia Tech 21 VMI 6
1981Norfolk, Virginia VMI 14 The Citadel 0
1982Norfolk, Virginia Virginia Tech 14 VMI 3
1983 [8] Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 26 Yale 14
1984Norfolk, Virginia Virginia Tech 54 VMI 7
1985Norfolk, Virginia Richmond 38 James Madison 15
1986 [9] Norfolk, Virginia Temple 29 Virginia Tech 16
1987Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 17 VMI 6
1988Norfolk, Virginia The Citadel 30 VMI 20
*1989Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 13 Boston University 10
1990Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 59 VMI 47
1991Norfolk, Virginia The Citadel 17 VMI 14
1992Norfolk, Virginia Richmond 41 VMI 18
1993Norfolk, Virginia William & Mary 49 VMI 6
1994Norfolk, Virginia The Citadel 58 VMI 14
1995Norfolk, Virginia Georgia Southern 31 VMI 13
1996No game held
1997No game held
1998No game held
1999 Hampton, Virginia Wesley (DE) 48 Apprentice 33
2000Hampton, Virginia Methodist 30 Apprentice 8
2001Hampton, Virginia Christopher Newport 14 Ferrum 11
2002Hampton, Virginia Salisbury 48 Apprentice 17
2003Hampton, Virginia Bridgewater 58 Catholic University 20
2004Hampton, Virginia Christopher Newport 21 Bridgewater 16
2005 Newport News, Virginia Wesley (DE) 45 Apprentice 0
2006Newport News, Virginia Apprentice 37 Chowan 0
2007Newport News, Virginia Chowan 61 Apprentice 55
2008Newport News, Virginia Apprentice 37 Southern Virginia 14
2009Newport News, Virginia Southern Virginia 14 Apprentice 10
2010Newport News, Virginia Webber International 40 Apprentice 7
2011Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 23 James Madison 20
2012Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 31 Delaware 26
2013Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 66 Albany 10
2014Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 30 Louisiana Tech 27
2015Norfolk, Virginia Florida Atlantic 33 Old Dominion 31
2016Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 42 FIU 28
2017Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 24 Rice 21
2018Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 77 VMI 14
2019Norfolk, Virginia Charlotte 38 Old Dominion 22
2020No game held
2021Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 56 Charlotte 34
2022Norfolk, Virginia James Madison 37 Old Dominion 3
2023Norfolk, Virginia Old Dominion 28 Appalachian State 21
2024Norfolk, Virginia Marshall 42 Old Dominion 35

References

  1. 1 2 Peggy Haile, Pages from Norfolk's Past, Norfolk Public Library, retrieved January 31, 2009.
  2. 1 2 20th Century History Archived 2009-02-09 at the Wayback Machine , The City of Norfolk, VA, retrieved January 31, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Oyster Bowl runs out of downs, Shriners pull plug on 49-year tradition, The Virginian Pilot , February 22, 1996, retrieved January 31, 2009.
  4. ↑ Oyster Bowl Information, Newport News Apprentice School, November 13, 2008, retrieved February 1, 2009.
  5. ↑ Kirsch, Fred (December 1, 2004). "Coach Jim tackled a lot, but one was most memorable". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012.
  6. ↑ Keith McMillan, Around the Nation, D3 Football, November 9, 2001, retrieved January 31, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Short Shot on State's 1949 Football Opponents". Media guide, Football, North Carolina State, 1949 season.
  8. ↑ Rogers, Thomas (1983-10-04). "Scouting". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  9. ↑ "Oyster Bowl Will Be Televised by Home Team Sports". scholar.lib.vt.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
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