“On this day in 1987, the last Bluebonnet Bowl game was played. This annual post-season football game was initiated in Houston in 1959… The first game, on December 19, 1959, matched Clemson University against Texas Christian University… Beginning in 1968 the game was played in the Astrodome, and the event was referred to as the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl… Unable to continue after a… failure to attract a corporate sponsor, the Bluebonnet Bowl ceased after… its 1987 game.”
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If memory serves, the bowl never made the payout to the teams that played that year.
Good. UT beat Pitt in that game so hopefully the Longhorns lost some money on that one.
After watching Memphis have the opportunity to play at home, it would be nice to see UH have a similar option. We thought we had the Texas Bowl but they have moved to the dark side.
If we are not going to a traditional bowl, it would be great to have another “home game” during bowl eligible seasons. Can we start up the Bluebonnet at TDECU?
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All it would take is a sponsor that was willing to give out a decent payout and NCAA approval. I believe the NCAA put a freeze on new bowl games as they have three more waiting to be approved (one in Austin I believe).
I went to the first three Bluebonnet Bowls with free tickets distributed to all members of my junior high football team, the Jane Long Longhorns. I also went to the UH- NC State game in 1974 when I moved back to Houston, but prior to my enrollment at UH. At that time I was still an LSU fan.
I went to the early games, '59-64 by getting free tickets from the Boys Club on Airline Drive…great memories, but my favorite memory was UH whipping Auburn in the '69 Bluebonnet Bowl…
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I too went to Jane Long.
I attended the final game. Ironhead Heyward was on that Pitt team.
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Wouldn’t it be nice…to see the Bluebonnet Bowl return and be played in TDECU Stadium. Unpaid debts would have to be satisfied to retain the name, but it would be great to renew a Houston tradition.
The one person who could pull this off would be Tilman Fertitta. It’s highly possible that UH could be a regular representative.
My sister went to Jane Long but I was in the class that opened Fondren.
I was working at the Tulsa vs Ole Miss game in 1964 where Tulsa beat Ole Miss. Coldest day ever worked. Rain, 30 degrees and a 30 mph wind flowing through Rice Stadium.
I was there and it was cold as was the LSU-Baylor game the year before. Those were two of the coldest games, not to mention just miserable conditions, I have been in. Of course the Ice Bowl in Dallas was the absolute worst…
My first UH game ever was the Bluebonnet Bowl against Tulane. I also remember seeing Bert Jones, I think, quarterback LSU against Tennessee in the Bluebonnet Bowl. I’m old enough to remember when only good teams went to bowl games!
Edit: Of course, it was the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl by then.
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When I think of the Bluebonnet Bowl, I think of J. Fred Duckett.
Fred was such a great guy…a great Rice fan but we forgave him of that lol…
Back in the day, I attended four (4) Bluebonnet Bowl games that UH played in the Dome.
1969 A 36-7 UH victory over Auburn and QB Pat Sullivan, Heisman Trophy winner.
1971 A 17-29 UH loss against Colorado.
1973 A 47-7 UH victory over Tulane.
1974 A 31-31 tie with North Carolina State with HC Lou Holtz.
The Bluebonnet Bowl was special and it gave UH a solid home field advantage and excellent publicity. Those were the days.
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