Vulcan Bowl

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The Vulcan Bowl was a college football bowl game played at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The game was played on New Year's Day between 1941 and 1949 and again in 1952, between historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The game was one of the longer-lasting bowls for HBCUs established in the 1940s. [1] The first game in the series was called the Steel Bowl, and the bowl game served as an early era black college football national championship game by matching the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion against the best team from the other HBCU conferences. [2] The final contest was also called the Steel Bowl and was played at Legion Field. [3]

Game results

DateWinnerLoserRef.
January 1, 1941 Morris Brown 19 Wilberforce 3 [4]
January 1, 1942 Langston 13 Morris Brown 0 [5]
January 1, 1943 Texas College 13 Tuskegee 0 [6]
January 1, 1944 Tuskegee 12 Clark (GA) 7 [7]
January 1, 1945 Tennessee A&I 13 Tuskegee 0 [8]
January 1, 1946 Tennessee A&I 33 Texas College 6 [9]
January 1, 1947 Tennessee A&I 32 Louisville Municipal 0 [10]
January 1, 1948 Wilberforce State 27 Grambling 21 [11]
January 1, 1949 Kentucky State 23 North Carolina A&T 13 [12]
January 1, 1952 Bethune–Cookman 27 Texas College 13 [3]

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The 1946 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team represented Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College as a member of the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1946 college football season. In their third season under head coach Henry Kean, the Tigers compiled a 10–1 record, won the MAA championship, shut out six of eleven opponents, defeated West Virginia State in the Derby Bowl and Louisville Municipal in the Vulcan Bowl, and outscored all opponents by a total of 247 to 61. The team played its home games at Tennessee State Stadium and Sulphur Dell in Nashville, Tennessee.

The 1948 Wilberforce State Green Wave football team was an American football team that represented Wilberforce State University—now known as Central State University– in the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1948 college football season. In its 13th season under head coach Gaston F. Lewis, the team compiled a 9–1–1 record, won the MAA championship, and was defeated by Hampton in the Fish Bowl, but defeated Prairie View A&M in the Prairie View Bowl, and all outscored opponents by a total of 237 to 61.

The 1946 Tuskegee Golden Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Tuskegee University as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1946 college football season. In their 24th season under head coach Cleveland Abbott, Tuskegee compiled a 10–2 record, lost to Southern in the Yam Bowl, and outscored all opponents by a total of 287 to 138.

The 1946 Florida A&M Rattlers football team was an American football team that represented Florida A&M College as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1946 college football season. In their second season under head coach Jake Gaither, the Rattlers compiled a 6–3–1 record, and won the SIAC championship, and appeared in two post-season games, losing to Lincoln (PA) in the Orange Blossom Classic and tying Wiley in the Angel Bowl.

The 1946 Wilberforce Green Wave football team was an American football team that represented Wilberforce University in the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1946 college football season. In its 11th season under head coach Gaston F. Lewis, the team compiled a 5–2–2 record. Wilberforce was invited to play in three bowl games, rejected the Cattle and Tobacco Bowl bids, and accepted the bid to play in the Angel Bowl, but its acceptance was made several days too late.

The 1946 Lane Dragons football team, also sometimes known as the "Red Dragons", was an American football team that represented Lane College in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) during the 1947 college football season. In their 10th season under head coach Edward Clemons, the Dragons compiled an 8–2 record, lost to Arkansas AM&N in the Cattle Bowl, gave up only 3.5 points per game on defense, and outscored opponents by a total of 189 to 35.

The 1946 Lincoln Blue Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Lincoln University of Missouri in the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1946 college football season. In their second year under head coach David D. Rains, the Tigers compiled a 5–3–1 record, defeated Lane in the Mule Bowl on Armistice Day, lost to Prairie View A&M in the Prairie View Bowl on New Year's Day, and outscored all opponents by a total of 60 to 57.

The 1946 Louisville Municipal Bantams football team was an American football team that represented Louisville Municipal College as an independent during the 1946 college football season. In their first season under head coach Dwight T. Reed, the Bantams compiled a 5–2 record, lost to Tennessee A&I in the Vulcan Bowl, and outscored all opponents by a total of 116 to 63.

The 1945 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team represented Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College as a member of the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1945 college football season. In their second season under head coach Henry Kean, the Tigers compiled a 9–2 record, won the MAA championship, defeated Texas College in the Vulcan Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 335 to 69. The team played its home games at Tennessee State Stadium and Sulphur Dell in Nashville, Tennessee.

The 1944 Tennessee A&I Tigers football team represented Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College as a member of the Midwest Athletic Association (MAA) during the 1944 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Henry Kean, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 8–2–1.

References

  1. ↑ Roger B., Saylor (May 2000). "Black College Football" (PDF). College Football Historical Society Newsletter. p. 6.
  2. ↑ "Vulcan Bowl Game Set". Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News (p. 11). 7 November 1941.
  3. 1 2 "Daytona team Steel Bowl winner". The Birmingham News. 2 January 1952. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ John Rodgers (11 January 1941). "Morris Brown Tops Wilberforce In Thrilling Steel Bowl Game". Durham Carolina Times (p. 5).
  5. ↑ "Langston wins Vulcan Bowl game, 13 To 0". The Birmingham News. 2 January 1942. p. 23. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Texas College rally wins Vulcan Bowl battle, 13–10 over Tuskegee Institute". Tyler Morning Telegraph. 2 January 1943. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Tigers make breaks, beat Clark, 12 to 7". The Birmingham News. 2 January 1944. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Tennessee State rips Tuskegee". The Tennessean. 2 January 1945. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Texas negros lose Vulcan Bowl crown". The Austin American. 2 January 1946. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Tennessee State wallops Louisville in Vulcan Bowl". The Tennessean. 2 January 1947. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Wilberforce cops Vulcan Bowl fray". The Lima News. 2 January 1948. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Kentucky State Thorobreds win in Vulcan Bowl, 23–13". Lexington Herald-Leader. 2 January 1949. Retrieved 13 June 2021– via Newspapers.com.
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