Refrigerator Bowl

History

The Refrigerator Bowl was founded as part of a post-1945 bowl game boom featuring a number of short-lived games emulating the better-known contests established before World War II: the Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange, and Sun bowls. Like their predecessors, the new bowls were sponsored by chambers of commerce and civic organizations to promote and publicize various cities and their goods or services. Evansville at the time took pride in being known as the "refrigerator capital of the United States." In the postwar years, the city was home to three refrigerator manufacturers employing 10,000 workers, and produced 3,800 refrigerators per day.

The Evansville Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) was responsible for running the game. Proceeds from it were used "to help support worthy youth charities" in the city. The most outstanding player of the Refrigerator Bowl received the William A. Carson Award, and the YMCA's Camp Carson was the game's primary beneficiary. Both were named after a prominent local businessman.

The Refrigerator Bowl was distinctive among the new post-World War II bowls in being contested on the first weekend in December rather than on or around New Years Day. And whereas most of its peers discontinued play by 1950, some after just a year or two, it survived well into the new decade. While the first two Refrigerator Bowls featured the local university, Evansville, the game ultimately attracted teams from as far away as Idaho and Rhode Island. At the time, the bowl's participants were all considered "small college" programs, but seven of them eventually grew to compete at the highest level of the sport, in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

The 1956 contest attracted just 3,000 fans, less than a third of the bowl's peak attendance, putting the future of the game in doubt. In late August 1957, the Jaycees finally announced the demise of the Refrigerator Bowl, citing "the lack of public support" and failure to find a sponsor for the event. signaling the beginning of the end of the city's golden age as "the refrigerator capital of the United States."

Game results

Notes

References

References

1. (March 23, 2013). "Reitz Bowl".
2. (November 14, 1948). "Carson Trophy For Grid Bowl Game Star Here". [[Evansville Courier & Press.
3. (February 26, 2018). "History Lesson: Refrigerator Bowl At Reitz High School". The Courier & Press.
4. (August 31, 1957). "Refrigerator Bowl Game Is Dead". The Evansville Courier.
5. "Overview of Servel plant in Evansville, Indiana".
6. (December 5, 1948). "Missouri Valley's Streak Of 41 Grid Wins Snapped". The Hartford Courant.
7. . (December 3, 1949). ["Pleasant Weather Predicted for Hillsdale-Evansville Bowl Battle Today"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/evansville-courier-and-press/143493618/). *[[Evansville Courier & Press*.
8. Robertson, Bill. (December 4, 1949). "Evansville's Air Attack Wins Bowl Tilt". [[Evansville Courier & Press.
9. Robertson, Bill. (December 4, 1949). "Aces Defeat Hilldale In 22-7 Triller (continued)". [[Evansville Courier & Press.
10. (December 4, 1949). "Evansville On Top, 22-7; Pins First Defeat on Hillsdale in Refrigerator Bowl". The New York Times.
11. Robertson, Bill. (December 2, 1950). "Abilene Eleven Is Favored In Big Bowl Game". [[Evansville Courier & Press.
12. Robertson, Bill. (December 3, 1950). "Abilene Captures Bowl Game, 13-7 Before 7,000 Fans". [[Evansville Courier & Press.
13. Robertson, Bill. (December 3, 1950). "Bowl Game (continued)". [[Evansville Courier & Press.
14. (December 3, 1950). "Abilene Christian Wins Refrigerator Bowl Tilt in Rain". [[The Tennessean]].
15. . (December 2, 1951). ["Arkansas State Team Ready for Bowl Today"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91581740/fort-worth-star-telegram/). *[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]*.
16. Middlemas, Larry. (December 3, 1951). "Arkansas State Bombs Camp Breckenridge Eleven, 46-12". [[Evansville Courier & Press.
17. (December 3, 1951). "Arkansas State Wins Refrigerator Bowl". The Washington Post.
18. Robertson, Bill. (December 8, 1952). "Powerful Western Kentucky Dethrones Arkansas State, 34-19". [[Evansville Courier & Press.
19. (December 7, 1953). "Safety wins for Sam Houston in muddy bowl". Evansville Press.
20. Cartwright, Al. (December 6, 1954). "Delaware Rally Conquers Kent State Foe and Thrills Refrigerator Bowl Territory". [[The News Journal.
21. (December 6, 1954). "Delaware Beats Kent State, 19-7; Wins in Refrigerator Bowl as Zaiser Scores Twice in Fourth Period". The New York Times.
22. (December 5, 1955). "Rhode Island Loses Refrigerator Bowl Duel To Jacksonville, Ala., State, 12-10". The Hartford Courant.
23. (December 5, 1955). "Jacksonville rips Rhode Island, 12–10". The Evansville Courier.
24. (December 2, 1956). "Sam Houston defeats Middle Tenn. 27–13". The Paducah Sun.