In 1945, two fledgling bowl committees were scrambling to secure the funding and paperwork to launch a New Year's Day game. One game is still played today. The other one never got started.
Interesting that they chose "tobacco". When I read the headline, my immediate thought was "why is he writing about a bowl game in Durham?" A name more appropriate to the Real Carolina, such as Sand Gnat Bowl, Fort Jackson Bowl, or Wonderful Iodine Bowl , would have made more sense. (only 1 of those suggestions is actually an intended joke.) I'm guessing, it being South Carolina after all, that some tobacco companies were big political contributors and that swayed the naming process.
Anyway, interesting article and a bit of news I've never heard of before. Keep up the great work.
Yeah, that was one of a few mysteries in this one that I wish I'd had more time solve. Doesn't seem like the craziest thing in the world that they'd want to call the game the Tobacco Bowl, but what did seem extremely weird is that they'd seemingly rather not have a game at all if they couldn't call it the Tobacco Bowl.
Yeah, that is a puzzle. Odd thing to make a stand on, especially since NC and Kentucky are more associated with tobacco. Not that SC didn't have some. When I was growing up on the farm in Berkeley County in the '60's, we and others planted it. If the game was going to be played in Lake City or Mullins or Marion, it would make more sense. Probably a case of money talks. Also known as "politics as usual". But that's just my cynical guess, no facts to support it.
They took their tobacco and went home. It'd be funny to see them play it in Myrtle Beach, with some kind of tie-in to Marlboro County, even though the name is not related to the cigarette.
This is so South Carolina.
I think that sums it up pretty well.
Great lost history!
Interesting that they chose "tobacco". When I read the headline, my immediate thought was "why is he writing about a bowl game in Durham?" A name more appropriate to the Real Carolina, such as Sand Gnat Bowl, Fort Jackson Bowl, or Wonderful Iodine Bowl , would have made more sense. (only 1 of those suggestions is actually an intended joke.) I'm guessing, it being South Carolina after all, that some tobacco companies were big political contributors and that swayed the naming process.
Anyway, interesting article and a bit of news I've never heard of before. Keep up the great work.
Yeah, that was one of a few mysteries in this one that I wish I'd had more time solve. Doesn't seem like the craziest thing in the world that they'd want to call the game the Tobacco Bowl, but what did seem extremely weird is that they'd seemingly rather not have a game at all if they couldn't call it the Tobacco Bowl.
Yeah, that is a puzzle. Odd thing to make a stand on, especially since NC and Kentucky are more associated with tobacco. Not that SC didn't have some. When I was growing up on the farm in Berkeley County in the '60's, we and others planted it. If the game was going to be played in Lake City or Mullins or Marion, it would make more sense. Probably a case of money talks. Also known as "politics as usual". But that's just my cynical guess, no facts to support it.
They took their tobacco and went home. It'd be funny to see them play it in Myrtle Beach, with some kind of tie-in to Marlboro County, even though the name is not related to the cigarette.
smh we could have had Marlboro High grad Syvelle Newton winning the Tobacco Bowl MVP
Just think of the controversy we missed out on when in the 1990s federal regulators would’ve required the game to be played in black and white.
alternate universe where the winner of the Tobacco Bowl and the Oil Bowl meets in the Congressional Testimony Classic