There may have been an earlier college football bowl game on New Year's Eve, but the earliest I found came in 1968, when Houston hosted the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, raising issues we continue to witness in college football today.
The 1949 Raisin Bowl was on NYE, and featured TTU and SJSU - two teams that are currently FBS and have been for a long time, though i'm not sure they'd be considered major college football in 1949.
The Gator Bowl moved to NYE in 1954-55 bowl season, before returning as a NYD game in the 1990s (until the CFP), and always featured southern teams that seem major to my eye.
I think those two are your first NYE bowl games, and potentially the first "major" bowl games to be scheduled before NYD
I searched the newspaper archives for football games on 12/31 year-by-year but clearly missed something. Wiki says the 1949 Raisin Bowl was played on 1/1/49. As you say, the 1955 Gator Bowl was played on 12/31/55, so I should change the title to the first New Year's Eve Bowl Game other than the Gator Bowl. Tx.
Bluebonnet was on Mizlou if I remember right. Being from Arkansas and a kid I always thought it was associated with the margarine.
That's one of those perfectly logical assumptions kids make. We have the Duke's Mayo Bowl today.
I remember watching that game. Chuck Hixson was the quarterback for SMU.
That is a good memory on your part!
The 1949 Raisin Bowl was on NYE, and featured TTU and SJSU - two teams that are currently FBS and have been for a long time, though i'm not sure they'd be considered major college football in 1949.
The Gator Bowl moved to NYE in 1954-55 bowl season, before returning as a NYD game in the 1990s (until the CFP), and always featured southern teams that seem major to my eye.
I think those two are your first NYE bowl games, and potentially the first "major" bowl games to be scheduled before NYD
I searched the newspaper archives for football games on 12/31 year-by-year but clearly missed something. Wiki says the 1949 Raisin Bowl was played on 1/1/49. As you say, the 1955 Gator Bowl was played on 12/31/55, so I should change the title to the first New Year's Eve Bowl Game other than the Gator Bowl. Tx.