Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. Usually held near the end of December, games are played at the Sun Bowl stadium on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso; since 2011, it has featured teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Pac-12 Conference.
Since 2019, the game has been sponsored by Kellogg's and is officially known as the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, after the mascot for the company's Frosted Flakes cereal. Previous sponsors include John Hancock, Norwest Corporation, Wells Fargo, Vitalis, Brut and Hyundai.
History
The first Sun Bowl was the 1935 edition, played on New Year's Day between Texas high school teams; the 1936 edition, played one year later, was the first Sun Bowl contested between college teams. In most of its early history, the game pitted the champion of the Border Conference against an at-large opponent. The first three editions were played at El Paso High School stadium, then switched to Kidd Field until the present stadium was ready in 1963. Through the 1957 season, the game was played on January 1 or January 2; since then, with the exception of the 1976 season, the game has been played in late December, with a majority of games played on or near New Year's Eve.Notable games
The 1940 game set the record for fewest points scored, when the Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe Bulldogs played the Catholic University Cardinals to a scoreless tie, the only 0–0 result in Sun Bowl history.In advance of the 1949 game, Lafayette College turned down an invitation from the Sun Bowl Committee because the committee would not allow an African American player to participate. This bid rejection led to a large student demonstration on the Lafayette campus and in the city of Easton, Pennsylvania, against segregation.
Due to a freak snowstorm before the 1974 game, followed by warming temperatures as the sun created a rising steam from the field during the first half, the game was nicknamed the "Fog Bowl."
The 1992 game was the final head coaching appearance of 2001 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Grant Teaff of Baylor; his Bears won over Arizona.
The 1994 game was voted the greatest Sun Bowl ever played, and included four touchdowns by Priest Holmes, as Texas defeated North Carolina.
The 2005 game set the record for most points scored, as UCLA defeated Northwestern 50–38.
Since the NCAA started the use of overtime in Division I bowl games in 1995, the 2011 game is the only Sun Bowl decided in overtime; Utah defeated Georgia Tech, 30–27.
Sponsorship
From 2010 to 2018, the tournament was sponsored by the Hyundai Motor Company. Hyundai renewed its sponsorship through the 2018 season; in August 2019, it was announced that Kellogg's had been named the new title sponsor, and that the game would be branded as the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl—referencing Tony the Tiger, the mascot of the company's cereal brand Frosted Flakes.Conference tie-ins
Starting with the 2011 edition, the bowl has been contested between teams from the Pac-12 Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.The Sun Bowl is part of the ACC's pool arrangement where the Duke's Mayo, Pinstripe, Music City, and Gator bowls each share choice of the conference's eligible teams following the College Football Playoff and the Cheez-It Bowl. The Sun Bowl can take any team ranked fourth through eighth in the ACC.
The Pac-12 currently employs the Sun Bowl as its fifth choice, behind the CFP and the Alamo, Holiday, and Redbox bowls.
Game results
Italics denote a tie game.Source:
The 1935 game was contested between high school teams.
Awards
C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player Trophy
Awarded since 1950; named after the first Sun Bowl Association president, Dr. C. M. Hendricks.Two players have been two-time MVPs; Charley Johnson and Billy Stevens.
| Game | MVP | Team | Position |
| 1950 | Harvey Gabrel | Texas Western | HB |
| 1951 | Bill Cross | West Texas State | E |
| 1952 | Junior Arteburn | Texas Tech | QB |
| 1953 | Tom McCormick | Pacific | HB |
| 1954 | Dick Shinaut | Texas Western | QB |
| 1955 | Jesse Whittenton | Texas Western | QB |
| 1956 | Jim Crawford | Wyoming | HB |
| 1957 | Claude Austin | George Washington | RB |
| 1958 | Ken Porco | Louisville | RB |
| 1958 | Leonard Kucewski | Wyoming | G |
| 1959 | Charley Johnson | New Mexico A&M | QB |
| 1960 | Charley Johnson | New Mexico State | QB |
| 1961 | Billy Joe | Villanova | FB |
| 1962 | Jerry Logan | West Texas State | HB |
| 1963 | Bob Berry | Oregon | QB |
| 1964 | Preston Ridlehuber | Georgia | QB |
| 1965 | Billy Stevens | Texas Western | QB |
| 1966 | Jim Kiick | Wyoming | TB |
| 1967 | Billy Stevens | UTEP | QB |
| 1968 | Buddy McClinton | Auburn | DB |
| 1969 | Paul Rogers | Nebraska | HB |
| 1970 | Rock Perdoni | Georgia Tech | DT |
| 1971 | Bert Jones | LSU | QB |
| 1972 | George Smith | Texas Tech | HB |
| 1973 | Ray Bybee | Missouri | FB |
| 1974 | Terry Vitrano | Mississippi State | FB |
| 1975 | Robert Haygood | Pittsburgh | QB |
| 1977 | Tony Franklin | Texas A&M | K |
| 1977 | Charles Alexander | LSU | TB |
| 1978 | Johnny "Lam" Jones | Texas | RB |
| 1979 | Paul Skansi | Washington | WR |
| 1980 | Jeff Quinn | Nebraska | QB |
| 1981 | Darrell Shepard | Oklahoma | QB |
| 1982 | Rob Rogers | North Carolina | TB |
| 1982 | Ethan Horton | North Carolina | TB |
| 1982 | Brooks Barwick | North Carolina | TB |
| 1983 | Walter Lewis | Alabama | QB |
| 1984 | Rick Badanjek | Maryland | FB |
| Game | MVP | Team | Position |
| 1985 | Max Zendejas | Arizona | K |
| 1986 | Cornelius Bennett | Alabama | DE |
| 1987 | Thurman Thomas | Oklahoma State | RB |
| 1988 | David Smith | Alabama | QB |
| 1989 | Alex Van Pelt | Pittsburgh | QB |
| 1990 | Courtney Hawkins | Michigan State | WR |
| 1991 | Arnold Ale | UCLA | LB |
| 1992 | Melvin Bonner | Baylor | WR |
| 1993 | Cale Gundy | Oklahoma | RB |
| 1994 | Priest Holmes | Texas | RB |
| 1995 | Sedrick Shaw | Iowa | RB |
| 1996 | Chad Hutchinson | Stanford | QB |
| 1997 | Mike Martin | Arizona State | RB |
| 1998 | Basil Mitchell | TCU | TB |
| 1999 | Billy Cockerham | Minnesota | QB |
| 2000 | Freddie Mitchell | UCLA | WR |
| 2001 | Lamont Thompson | Washington State | S |
| 2002 | Kyle Orton | Purdue | QB |
| 2003 | Samie Parker | Oregon | WR |
| 2004 | Sam Keller | Arizona State | QB |
| 2005 | Kahlil Bell | UCLA | RB |
| 2005 | Chris Markey | UCLA | RB |
| 2006 | Matt Moore | Oregon State | QB |
| 2007 | Jonathan Stewart | Oregon | RB |
| 2008 | Victor Butler | Oregon State | DE |
| 2009 | Ryan Broyles | Oklahoma | WR |
| 2010 | Michael Floyd | Notre Dame | WR |
| 2011 | John White IV | Utah | RB |
| 2012 | Rod Sweeting | Georgia Tech | CB |
| 2013 | Brett Hundley | UCLA | QB |
| 2013 | Jordan Zumwalt | UCLA | LB |
| 2014 | Demario Richard | Arizona State | RB |
| 2015 | Luke Falk | Washington State | QB |
| 2016 | Solomon Thomas | Stanford | DE |
| 2017 | Nyheim Hines | NC State | RB |
| 2018 | Cameron Scarlett | Stanford | RB |
| 2019 | Jayden Daniels | Arizona State | QB |
Source:
Jimmy Rogers Jr. Most Valuable Lineman Trophy
Awarded since 1961; named after former Sun Bowl president Jimmy Rogers Jr.| Game | Player | Team | Position |
| 1961 | Rich Ross | Villanova | G |
| 1962 | Don Hoovler | Ohio | G |
| 1963 | Dun Hughes | SMU | G |
| 1964 | Jim Wilson | Georgia | T |
| 1965 | Ronny Nixon | TCU | T |
| 1966 | Jerry Durling | Wyoming | MG |
| 1967 | Fred Carr | UTEP | LB |
| 1968 | David Campbell | Auburn | T |
| 1969 | Jerry Murtaugh | Nebraska | LB |
| 1970 | Bill Flowers | Georgia Tech | LB |
| 1971 | Matt Blair | Iowa State | LB |
| 1972 | Ecomet Burley | Texas Tech | DT |
| 1973 | John Kelsey | Missouri | TE |
| 1974 | Jimmy Webb | Mississippi State | DT |
| 1975 | Al Romano | Pittsburgh | MG |
| 1977 | Edgar Fields | Texas A&M | DT |
| 1977 | Gordon Ceresino | Stanford | LB |
| 1978 | Dwight Jefferson | Texas | DT |
| 1979 | Doug Martin | Washington | DT |
| 1980 | Jimmy Williams | Nebraska | DE |
| 1981 | Rick Bryan | Oklahoma | DT |
| 1982 | Ronnie Mullins | Texas | DB |
| 1983 | Wes Neighbors | Alabama | C |
| 1984 | Carl Zander | Tennessee | LB |
| 1985 | Peter Anderson | Georgia | C |
| 1986 | Steve Alvord | Washington | MG |
| 1987 | Darren Warren | West Virginia | LB |
| 1988 | Derrick Thomas | Alabama | LB |
| 1989 | Anthony Williams | Texas A&M | LB |
| 1990 | Craig Hartsuyker | USC | LB |
| 1991 | Mike Ploskey | Illinois | DT |
| 1992 | Rob Waldrop | Arizona | NT |
| 1993 | Shawn Jackson | Texas Tech | DE |
| 1994 | Blake Brockermeyer | Texas | OT |
| 1995 | Jared DeVries | Iowa | DL |
| 1996 | Kailee Wong | Stanford | DE |
| 1997 | Jeremy Staat | Arizona State | DT |
| 1998 | London Dunlap | TCU | DE |
| 1999 | Dyron Russ | Minnesota | DT |
| 2000 | Oscar Cabrera | UCLA | OG |
| 2001 | Akin Ayodele | Purdue | DE |
| 2002 | Shaun Phillips | Purdue | DE |
| 2003 | Junior Siavaii | Oregon | DT |
| 2004 | Brandon Villareal | Purdue | DT |
| 2005 | Kevin Mims | Northwestern | DT |
| 2006 | Xzavie Jackson | Missouri | DE |
| 2007 | Fenuki Tupou | Oregon | OT |
| 2008 | Greg Romeus | Pittsburgh | DE |
| 2009 | Gerald McCoy | Oklahoma | DE |
| 2010 | Zach Martin | Notre Dame | OT |
| 2011 | Star Lotulelei | Utah | DT |
| 2012 | Jay Finch | Georgia Tech | C |
| 2013 | Kenny Clark | UCLA | DT |
| 2014 | Marcus Hardison | Arizona State | DE |
| 2015 | Hercules Mata'afa | Washington State | DE |
| 2016 | Nazair Jones | North Carolina | DT |
| 2017 | Kentavius Street | NC State | DE |
| 2018 | Thomas Booker | Stanford | DE |
| 2019 | Robert Cooper | Florida State | DT |
Source:
John Folmer Most Valuable Special Teams Player Trophy
Awarded since 1994; named after former Sun Bowl president John Folmer.Positions: P=Punter, K=Kicker, PR=Punt returner, KR=Kickoff returner
| Game | Player | Team | Position | Statistics | Ref. |
| 1994 | Marcus Wall | North Carolina | KR/PR | 3 returns, long 82 | |
| 1995 | Brion Hurley | Iowa | K/P | 3/3 FG, 0/0 XP | |
| 1996 | Troy Walters | Stanford | PR | 5 returns, long 24 | |
| 1997 | Tim Dwight | Iowa | KR/PR | 6 returns, long 26 | |
| 1998 | Adam Abrams | USC | K | 2/2 FG, 1/1 XP | |
| 1999 | Ryan Rindels | Minnesota | P | 7 punts, avg. 46.1 | |
| 2000 | Michael Bennett | Wisconsin | KR | 2 returns, long 54 | |
| 2001 | Drew Dunning | Washington State | K | 4/4 FG, 3/3 XP | |
| 2002 | Anthony Chambers | Purdue | KR/PR | 3 returns, long 51 | |
| 2003 | Jared Siegel | Oregon | K | 3/3 FG, 3/3 XP | |
| 2004 | Dave Brytus | Purdue | P | 8 punts, avg. 48.9 | |
| 2005 | Brandon Breazell | UCLA | KR | 2 TD returns | |
| 2006 | Jeff Wolfert | Missouri | K | 1/1 FG, 5/5 XP | |
| 2007 | Matt Evensen | Oregon | K | 2/2 FG, 5/5 XP | |
| 2008 | Johnny Hekker | Oregon State | P | 10 punts, avg. 45.0 | |
| 2009 | Ryan Broyles | Oklahoma | PR | 4 returns, long 42 | |
| 2010 | David Ruffer | Notre Dame | K | 3/4 FG, 3/3 XP | |
| 2011 | DeVonte Christopher | Utah | KR | 2 returns, long 68 | |
| 2012 | Jamal Golden | Georgia Tech | KR/PR | 3 returns, long 56 | |
| 2013 | Ka'imi Fairbairn | UCLA | K | 0/1 FG 6/6 XP | |
| 2014 | Kalen Ballage | Arizona State | KR | 3 returns, long 96 | |
| 2015 | Erik Powell | Washington State | K | 2/2 FG, 2/2 XP | |
| 2016 | Conrad Ukropina | Stanford | K | 4/5 FG, 1/1 XP | |
| 2017 | Kyle Bambard | NC State | K | 1/1 FG, 7/7 XP | |
| 2018 | Alex Kessman | Pittsburgh | K | 2/2 FG, 1/1 XP | |
| 2019 | Cristian Zendejas | Arizona State | K | 4/4 FG, 0/0 XP |
Source:
Most appearances
Only teams with at least three appearances are listed.| Rank | Team | Appearances | Won | Lost | Tied | Win pct. |
| 1 | Texas Tech | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | .111 |
| 2 | Texas-El Paso | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 |
| 3 | Arizona State | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
| T4 | Stanford | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | |
| T4 | North Carolina | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 |
| T6 | Oregon | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 |
| T6 | UCLA | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 |
| T6 | Pittsburgh | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 |
| T6 | Texas | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 |
| T6 | Hardin–Simmons | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .375 |
| T6 | Washington | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 |
| T12 | Alabama | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| T12 | Oklahoma | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| T12 | Wyoming | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| T12 | New Mexico State | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| T12 | Georgia Tech | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .666 |
| T12 | West Virginia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .666 |
| T12 | Georgia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| T12 | New Mexico | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| T12 | Purdue | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| T12 | Arizona | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| T12 | Florida State | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 |
| T12 | USC | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 |
California and Colorado are the only current Pac-12 members to have never appeared in the Sun Bowl. Northern Arizona is the only former member of the Border Conference to have never appeared in a Sun Bowl.
Texas-El Paso: Was known as Texas Mines and Texas Western. Records reference both.
New Mexico State: Was known as New Mexico A&M. Records reference both.
Appearances by conference
Updated through the December 2019 edition.- Games marked with an asterisk were played in January of the following calendar year.
- The first edition of the game, played in January 1935, was contested between high school teams.
- Records are based on teams' conferences at the time each game was played.
- Conferences that are defunct or not currently active in FBS are marked in italics.
- The American Athletic Conference, retains the conference charter of the Big East following the 2013 split of the original Big East along football lines. Big East appearances: South Florida and Pittsburgh.
- The Pac-12's record includes appearances by teams when the conference was the Pac-8 and Pac-10.
- The Mountain States Conferences was popularly known as the Skyline Conference from 1947 through 1962.
- Independent appearances : Army, Catholic, Cincinnati, Drake, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Hardin–Simmons, Louisville, Mexico, Miami , New Mexico, Notre Dame, Oregon, Pacific, Pittsburgh, Second Air Force, Southern Miss, UTEP, Villanova, West Texas State, and West Virginia.
Game records
| Team | Record, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Most points scored | 56, Oregon vs. South Florida | 2007 |
| Most points scored | 88, UCLA vs. Northwestern | 2005 |
| Most points scored | 38, most recent: Missouri vs. Oregon State | 2006 |
| Fewest points allowed | 0, most recent: Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh | 2008 |
| Largest margin of victory | 42, Texas vs. Maryland | 1978 |
| Total yards | 561, Missouri vs. Oregon State | 2006 |
| Rushing yards | 455, Mississippi State vs. North Carolina | 1974 |
| Passing yards | 419, Purdue vs. Washington State | 2001 |
| First downs | 33, Northwestern vs. UCLA | 2005 |
| Fewest yards allowed | –21, Southwestern vs. UNAM | 1945 |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | –23, TCU vs. USC | 1998 |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | –50, Southwestern vs. UNAM | 1945 |
| Individual | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| All-purpose yards | 282, Jonathan Stewart, Oregon vs. South Florida 253 rush, 29 return | 2007 |
| Touchdowns | 4, shared by: Thurman Thomas, Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia Priest Holmes, Texas vs. North Carolina Demario Richard, Arizona State vs. Duke | 1987 1994 2014 |
| Rushing yards | 253, Jonathan Stewart, Oregon vs. South Florida | 2007 |
| Rushing touchdowns | 4, shared by: Thurman Thomas, Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia Priest Holmes, Texas vs. North Carolina | 1987 1994 |
| Passing yards | 419, Kyle Orton, Purdue vs. Washington | 2002 |
| Passing touchdowns | 4, shared by: Matt Moore, Oregon State vs. Missouri Justin Roper, Oregon vs. South Florida | 2006 2007 |
| Receiving yards | 200, Samie Parker, Oregon vs. Minnesota | 2003 |
| Receiving touchdowns | 3, Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma vs. Stanford | 2009 |
| Tackles | 24, Carl Zander, Tennessee vs. Maryland 14 solo, 10 assist | 1984 |
| Sacks | 4.5, Reggie McKenzie, Tennessee vs. Maryland | 1984 |
| Interceptions | 3, shared by: Buddy McClinton, Auburn vs. Arizona Harrison Smith, Notre Dame vs. Miami | 1968 2010 |
| Long Plays | Record, Player, Team vs. Opponent | Year |
| Touchdown run | 94, Hascall Henshaw, Arizona State vs. Western Reserve | 1941 |
| Touchdown pass | 91, James Blackman to Tamorrion Terry, Florida State vs. Arizona State | 2019 |
| Kickoff return | 100, Peter Panuska, Tennessee vs. Maryland | 1984 |
| Punt return | 82, Marcus Wall, North Carolina vs. Texas | 1994 |
| Interception return | 91, Don "Skip" Hoovler, Ohio State vs. West Texas | 1962 |
| Fumble return | ||
| Punt | 78, Scott Blanton, Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech | 1993 |
| Field goal | 62, Tony Franklin, Texas A&M vs. Florida | 1977 |
| Miscellaneous | Record, Teams | Year |
| Largest attendance | 54,021, Notre Dame vs. Miami | 2010 |
Source: