The Bacardi Bowl was a college football bowl game played seven times in Havana, Cuba at Almandares Park and La Tropical Stadium.[1] The games were also referred to as the Rhumba Bowl and were the climaxing event of Cuba’s annual National Sports Festival. The first five occurrences matched an American college team (all from the Deep South) against Cuban universities or athletic clubs.[2] The 1937 game featured two American universities. The 1946 game sometimes considered the first of the Cigar Bowl games also matched an American college team (from the Deep South) against a Cuban university.
Barcardi Bowl game results
| Date Played | Winning Team | Losing Team | Stadium | Location |
|---|
| December 25, 1907 | LSU | 56 | University of Havana | 0 | Almandares Park | Havana, Cuba |
| January 1, 1910 | Cuban Athletic Club | 11 | Tulane | 0 | Almendares Park | Havana, Cuba |
| January 1, 1912 | Mississippi A&M | 12 | Cuban Athletic Club | 0 | Almandares Park | Havana, Cuba |
| December 25, 1912 | Florida | 28 | Vedado Tennis Club | 0 | Almendares Park | Havana, Cuba |
| December 31, 1921 | Cuban Athletic Club | 14 | Ole Miss | 0 | Almandares Park | Havana, Cuba |
| January 1, 1937 | Auburn | 7 | Villanova | 7 | La Tropical Stadium | Havana, Cuba |
| December 7, 1946 | Mississippi Southern | 55 | University of Havana | 0 | La Tropical Stadium | Havana, Cuba |
Italics denote a tie game
Notable Barcardi Bowl games
1907 - LSU vs. Havana University
The first Bacardi Bowl in 1907 matched Louisiana State University against the Havana University.
1937 - Auburn vs. Villanova
Auburn’s bowl history began with the 1937 game before 15,000 to 18,000 spectators when the Tigers and Villanova tied 7-7. This game marked the first time that two American universities played a game on foreign soil. An Auburn drive in the first quarter stalled on the 10-yard line where the Wildcats took over on downs. After a Villanova punt, Auburn running back Billy Hitchcock broke loose around left end and rambled 40 yards for the Tigers' only score. The score at the half was Auburn 7, Villanova 0.
Auburn stopped a Villanova drive on its own 12-yard line during the third quarter but couldn’t get field position. Villanova was able to tie the score when they blocked an Auburn quick kick and the ball bounced into the endzone where Wildcat Lineman Matthews Kuber fell on it for the score. The p.a.t. tied the game. Auburn’s return to the USA marked an end to more than 11,000 miles of travel for the 7-2-2 Tigers that finished the season ranked 13th in the country under coach Jack Meagher.
The game was played in a revolutionary atmosphere. Fulgencio Batista, the dictator who would be overthrown by Fidel Castro 22 years later, had just assumed power. The game was almost canceled because Batista’s picture was not in the game program. A quick trip to the printer saved the Bacardi Bowl. The December 22, 1963 issue of the Florence Times-Tri-Cities Daily has a detailed account of former Auburn player Frank Hamm's recollections of this game.
Other Cuba college football games
Additional games college football games were played in Cuba or against Cuban teams in the United States from 1908-1956.[3] The 1938 games were also billed under the Bacardi Bowl and Rhumba Bowl monikers, but are not officially considered the Bacardi Bowl.
Other Cuba college football game results
| Date Played | Winning Team | Losing Team | Location |
|---|
| 1908 | Rollins College | | University of Havana | | Cuba |
| December 25, 1915 | Cuban Athletic Club | 7 | Florida Southern | 6 | Cuba |
| January 1, 1916 | Florida Southern | 47 | Cuban Athletic Club | 0 | Tampa, Florida |
| January 1, 1920 | Cuban Athletic Club | 6 | Stetson | 0 | Cuba |
| 1922 | Rollins College | | University of Havana | | Cuba |
| 1922 | American Legion (Tampa) | | Cuban Athletic Club | | Cuba |
| December 23, 1923 | Rollins College | 59 | Cuban National Police | 0 | Cuba |
| December 25, 1923 | Rollins College | 46 | University of Havana | 0 | Cuba |
| December 30, 1923 | Rollins College | 31 | Cuban Athletic Club | 0 | Cuba |
| November 29, 1924 | Florida Southern | 32 | University of Havana | 7 | Lakeland, Florida |
| December 6, 1924 | Florida Southern | 0 | University of Havana | 0 | Tampa, Florida |
| 1925 | American Legion (Tampa) | | University of Havana | | Cuba |
| November 25, 1926 | Miami (FL) | 23 | University of Havana | 0 | Cuba |
| November 28, 1927 | Howard College | 20 | University of Havana | 6 | Cuba |
| October 1928 | Miami (FL) | 62 | Vedado Tennis Club | 0 | Coral Gables, Florida |
| 1931 | Rollins College | | Cuban Athletic Club | | Cuba |
| December 15, 1934 | Tampa | 38 | Cuban Athletic Club | 13 | Tampa, Florida |
| December 30, 1934 | Tampa | 25 | Cuban Athletic Club | 0 | Cuba |
| 1938 | Rollins College | | University of Havana | | Cuba |
| 1938 | Tampa | | University of Havana | | Cuba |
| January 2, 1938 † | Rollins College | - | Cuban Navy | - | Cuba |
| October 11, 1939 | Georgia Teachers College | 14 | University of Havana | 0 | Statesboro, Georgia |
| October 27, 1939 | Rollins College | | University of Havana | | Orlando, Florida |
| December 9, 1939 | Georgia Teachers College | 27 | University of Havana | 7 | Cuba |
| December 23, 1939 | Rollins College | 71 | University of Havana | 0 | Cuba |
| December 27, 1939 | Rollins College | 46 | Tampa | 0 | Cuba |
| December 30, 1939 | Tampa | 28 | University of Havana | 6 | Cuba |
| 1944 | Presbyterian College | | University of Havana | | Cuba |
| 1946 | Norman Junior College (GA) | 24 | University of Havana | 0 | Norman Park, Georgia |
| November 9, 1946 | Alabama "B" Team | 53 | University of Havana | 18 | Dothan, Alabama[4] |
| 1956 | Stetson | | University of Havana | | Cuba |
Italics denote a tie game
† Game at Campo Polar canceled after Cuban naval goodwill fliers accident in Cali, Colombia. Rollins College played a split squad exhibition game that day. One team was called “Rollins College” and the other “Cuban Navy” and it ended in a 26-26 tie.[3]
Other American football games in Cuba
The last organized American football game in Cuba was in 1958, when a semipro league – featuring teams of Cubans and Americans – played.[5] It would be another 45 years until Cuba would host a football game, this time featuring two American teams. In 2003, Bonita Vista High School and La Jolla High School from San Diego played at Pan-American Stadium. The field only measured 90 yards (coaches agreed to shorten the field because of the presence of metal boxes beyond the end line) but it still was football. In what was billed as the "Havana Classic", Bonita Vista defeated La Jolla, 31-22 in front of 400 people.[6]
See also
References
External links
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Pound sign (#) denotes national championship game.
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Pound sign (#) denotes national championship game.
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Pound sign (#) denotes BCS National Championship Game.
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