Japan Bowl

Japan Bowl (defunct)
"ジャパンボウル"
Previous stadiums	National Stadium (1976–1979) Yokohama Stadium (1980-1991) Tokyo Dome (1992-1993)
Previous locations	Tokyo, Japan Yokohama, Japan
Operated	1976-1993
1993 matchup

The Japan Bowl (ジャパンボウル) was a post-season college football all-star game played in Japan, which showcased East and West All-Star teams made up of college football players from the United States. The first game was played in 1976 in Tokyo to a crowd of 68,000 spectators.^[1] The final game was played in 1993.

Heisman Trophy winners Bo Jackson and Ty Detmer both participated and both won the MVP. College football Hall of Famer Lou Holtz coached the East team in the 1976 game. And Super Bowl XLIV champion Mark Brunell won the final MVP in 1993.

Joe Roth Memorial Award

Following Joe Roth's appearance in the 1977 game (despite suffering from cancer), the MVP would be awarded the Joe Roth Memorial Award.^[2] The trophy features Roth's helmet on top of the trophy. The first winner was Jimmy Cefalo of Penn State in 1978.

Game results

Game	Date	Winning team	Score	Losing team	Score	Venue	Attendance	MVP
1	January 18, 1976	West	27	East	16	National Stadium	68,000	Chuck Muncie[2] Cal RB
2	January 16, 1977	West	21	East	10	National Stadium	58,000	Robin Earl[2] Washington RB/TE
3	January 14, 1978	East	26	West	10	National Stadium	33,000	Jimmy Cefalo[2] Penn State RB
4	January 14, 1979	East	33	West	14	National Stadium	55,000	Scott Fitzkee[2] Penn State RB
5	January 13, 1980	West	28	East	17	Yokohama Stadium	27,000	Paul Campbell[2] Ohio State RB
6	January 18, 1981	West	25	East	13	Yokohama Stadium	30,000	J. C. Watts[2] Oklahoma QB
7	January 17, 1982	West	28	East	17	Yokohama Stadium	28,000	Leo Wisniewski[2] Penn State OL
8	January 23, 1983	West	30	East	21	Yokohama Stadium	30,000	Richard Neely[2] SMU DL
9	January 16, 1984	West	27	East	16	Yokohama Stadium	26,000	Irving Fryar[2] Nebraska WR
10	January 13, 1985	West	28	East	14	Yokohama Stadium	30,000	Gale Gilbert[2] Cal QB
11	January 12, 1986	East	31	West	14	Yokohama Stadium	30,000	Bo Jackson[2] Auburn RB
12	January 11, 1987	West	24	East	17	Yokohama Stadium	30,000	Troy Stradford[2] Boston College RB
13	January 10, 1988	West	17	East	3	Yokohama Stadium	30,000	Chad Hennings[2] Air Force DL
14	January 16, 1989	East	30	West	7	Yokohama Stadium	29,000	Mark Messner[2] Michigan DL
15	January 14, 1990	East	24	West	10	Yokohama Stadium		Anthony Thompson[2] Indiana RB
16	January 14, 1991	West	20	East	14	Yokohama Stadium		Bill Musgrave[2] Oregon QB
17	January 12, 1992	East	14	West	13	Tokyo Dome	50,000	Ty Detmer[2] BYU QB
18 [3]	January 10, 1993	East	27	West	13	Tokyo Dome		Mark Brunell[2] Washington QB

References

1. "U.S. collegians draw 68,000 to Japan Bowl". Chicago Tribune. January 19, 1976. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
2. "Japan Bowl Trophy". JoeRoth12.com. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
3. "Teague Is Back in the Spotlight : Japan Bowl: Alabama defensive back, who gained fame with a touchdown against Miami, scores to fuel a 27-13 victory for the East.". LA Times. January 11, 1993. Retrieved December 25, 2015.