The Grape Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played in 1947 and 1948.[1] It was held at the Grape Bowl stadium, in Lodi, California.[2]
Both games featured the College of the Pacific (now University of the Pacific), who defeated Utah State in 1947, and played Hardin–Simmons to a tie in 1948. Like some other postseason match-ups of the era, such as the Glass Bowl and the Optimist Bowl, results are listed in NCAA records, but the games were not considered NCAA-sanctioned bowls.[1]
While the Grape Bowl game did not continue past 1948, a game following the 1949 season was also held at the same venue, between senior players from Pacific and Cal.[7] Organized to showcase quarterbacks Eddie LeBaron of Pacific and Bob Celeri of Cal, the game drew over 20,000 fans,[2][8] and was also called the "Cash Bowl", as proceeds from the game were divided among players.[9][8] The game was played on February 12, 1950, and resulted in a 7–6 victory for Pacific,[10] the difference being a missed extra point.[8]
^ abc"BOWL/ALL STAR GAME RECORDS" (PDF). NCAA. 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^ abReid, Keith (May 13, 2007). "Lodi's love for the Grape Bowl". RecordNet.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
^"Pacific Tigers Whip Aggies in Grape Bowl". Los Angeles Times. AP. December 14, 1947. Retrieved November 30, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
^"Le Baron Leads College Of Pacific to 35-21 Victory Over Utah State". Ogden Standard-Examiner. AP. December 14, 1947. Retrieved November 30, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
^Holt, Corlis (December 12, 1948). "H-SU Gets 35-35 Tie in Second Grape Bowl Tilt". Abilene Reporter-News. Retrieved November 30, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
^"Hardin-Simmons, Pacific Tie at 35-All in Grape Bowl". Albuquerque Journal. AP. December 12, 1948. Retrieved November 30, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
^"Bob Celeri Vs. Eddie LeBaron In Grape Bowl". The Stanford Daily. AP. January 25, 1950. Retrieved January 7, 2017 – via stanforddailyarchive.com.
^ abcLea, Ralph; Kennedy, Christi (September 18, 2010). "Grape Bowl stadium featured major college showdown in 1950". Lodi News-Sentinel. Retrieved January 7, 2017 – via lodinews.com.
^"Celeri Duels With LeBaron Sunday In 'Cash Bowl' Tilt". The San Bernardino Sun. UP. February 10, 1950. Retrieved January 7, 2017 – via cdnc.ucr.edu.
^"LeBaron-Celeri game, Lodi Grape Bowl, 1950". Michael Perovich. June 13, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2017 – via YouTube.