College football bowl game in Illinois, US
College football bowl game
The Corn Bowl was a college football bowl game played from 1947 until 1955 in central Illinois . The first game was played November 27, 1947, in Normal, Illinois , between Southern Illinois and North Central of Illinois.[ 1] Its final game was played November 24, 1955, between Western Illinois and Luther . There was no game played in 1952 and 1954.[ 2]
The game was primarily organized by A. B. Perry, who called for the construction of a stadium that would seat 150,000. The plans never came to fruition and the largest crowd attracted to a game was 8,000 spectators for the 1948 matchup.[ 1] The 1949 matchup was witnessed by 4,567 fans.[ 3]
The bowl was sponsored by the Hybrid Seed Corn Breeders of Illinois and the Bloomington American Legion .[ 4]
Game results
Year
Winner
Loser
Stadium
Location
Attendance
Source
1947
Southern Illinois
21
North Central (IL)
0
Fred Carlton Field
Normal, Illinois
5,500
[ 5]
1948
Illinois Wesleyan
6
Eastern Illinois
0
Wesleyan Field
Bloomington, Illinois
8,500
[ 6]
1949
Western Illinois
13
Wheaton (IL)
0
Wesleyan Field
Bloomington, Illinois
4,567
[ 7] [ 8]
1950
Missouri Mines
7
Illinois State Normal
6
Wesleyan Field
Bloomington, Illinois
2,500
[ 9]
1951
Lewis
21
William Jewell
12
Wesleyan Field
Bloomington, Illinois
2,000
[ 10]
1953
Western Illinois
32
Iowa Wesleyan
0
Wesleyan Field
Bloomington, Illinois
2,500
[ 11]
1955
Luther
24
Western Illinois
20
Hanson Field
Macomb, Illinois
5,000
[ 12]
References
^ a b Kemp, Bill (November 18, 2007). "Corn Bowl was short-lived Thanksgiving gridiron tradition" . Pantagraph.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012 .
^ DeLassus, David. "Corn Bowl Games" . College Football Data Warehouse . Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2012 .
^ "Wins Corn Bowl Game" . Reading Eagle . November 25, 1949. Retrieved January 4, 2012 .
^ Jauss, Bill (October 16, 1997). "Full Crop Of Corn Bowl Memories" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved January 4, 2012 .
^ Alsene, Edgar (November 28, 1947). "Southern Clips North Central in Corn Bowl" . The Pantagraph . p. 14. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Young, Fred (November 26, 1948). "IWU Trips Eastern, 6-0, On Last Minute Counter" . The Pantagraph . p. 13. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Twin Tornadoes Collide In Corn Bowl Here Today" . The Pantagraph . Bloomington, Illinois . November 24, 1949. p. 32. Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Young, Fred (November 25, 1949). "Angie Marini Steals Show as Western Cops Third Annual Corn Bowl Game" . The Pantagraph . p. 11. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Alsene, Ed (November 24, 1950). "Missouri Mines Edges ISNU 7-6" . The Pantagraph . p. 14. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Alsene, Ed (November 23, 1951). "Lewis Triumphs, 21-12" . The Pantagraph . p. 13. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ Alsene, Ed (November 27, 1953). "Western Wins 1953 Corn Bowl Game, 32-0" . The Pantagraph . p. 30. Retrieved November 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Luther Nips Western in 'Corn' Bowl' " . The Rock Island Argus . Rock Island, Illinois . November 25, 1955. p. 20. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .