View source for All-American Bowl

{{for|the high school football all-star game|All-American Bowl (high school football)}}
{{Collegebowl
| name               = All-American Bowl
| full_name          =
| nickname           = 
| defunct            = yes
| logo               =
| image_size         =
| caption            = 
| stadium            = [[Legion Field]]
| previous_stadiums  = 
| location           = [[Birmingham, Alabama]]
| previous_locations = 
| years              = 1977–1990
| previous_tie-ins   = 
| conference_tie-ins = 
| payout             = 
| sponsors           = 
| former_names       = Hall of Fame Classic (1977–1985)
}}
The '''All-American Bowl''' was an annual postseason  [[college football]] [[bowl game]] played at [[Legion Field]] in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], from 1977 to 1990. The game was known as the '''Hall of Fame Classic''' from 1977 to 1985.<ref>Foldesy, Jody. "Bowls burgeon as big business", ''The Washington Times''. December 21, 1997. Page A1.</ref>

In 1986, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame decided to relocate the Hall of Fame bowl game to [[Tampa, Florida]], where it eventually became known as the Outback Bowl (now the [[ReliaQuest Bowl]]). The game in Birmingham continued as the All-American Bowl, which was played for five years under a different organizing body.

When the [[Southeastern Conference]] expanded to twelve schools and began contesting a [[SEC Championship Game]] in 1992, Birmingham officials chose to host the conference title game and abandon the All-American Bowl. The SEC championship was moved to Atlanta's [[Georgia Dome]] two years later, leaving Legion Field without any Division I-A postseason college football until 2006, when [[ESPN]] and the city agreed to establish a new post-season game, the [[Birmingham Bowl]].

==The game==
The All-American Bowl played host to a number of successful teams from the premier college football conferences of the time (the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]], Big Eight (now [[Big 12 Conference]]), [[Big Ten Conference]], [[Southeastern Conference]] and [[Southwest Conference]]). All of them placed teams in the All-American Bowl in various years. At least one of the power conferences fielded teams in the All-American Bowl in every year of its existence; often, two of those premier conferences met in the game. The [[Southeastern Conference]] and [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] each placed five teams into the All-American Bowl. The [[Big Ten Conference]] proved to be the least successful conference, having never won a game despite placing teams in four different years.

==Game results==
{{for|the Hall of Fame Bowl contested from 1986 to 1995|ReliaQuest Bowl}}
{| class="wikitable"
! Date
! Bowl Name
! colspan="2" | Winning Team
! colspan="2" | Losing Team 
! Attendance<ref name="Attendance">{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2011/Bowls.pdf |title=Bowl/All-Star Game Records   |author=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |work=2011 NCAA Division I Football Records |page=37 |publisher=NCAA.org |accessdate=October 1, 2011 |format=PDF}}</ref>
! Source
|-
| December 22, 1977 || [[1977 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || '''[[1977 Maryland Terrapins football team|Maryland]]''' || '''17''' || [[1977 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team|Minnesota]] || 7 || 47,000 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/9293955/maryland-clips-gophers-17-7/|work=Star Tribune|title=Maryland clips Gophers 17–7|date=December 23, 1977|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 20, 1978 || [[1978 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || '''[[1978 Texas A&M Aggies football team|Texas A&M]]''' || '''28''' || #19 [[1978 Iowa State Cyclones football team|Iowa State]] || 12 || 41,150 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116697676/isu-bowl-jinx-continues-2812/|work=The Des Moines Register|title=ISU bowl jinx continues, 28–12|date=December 21, 1978|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 29, 1979 || [[1979 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || '''[[1979 Missouri Tigers football team|Missouri]]''' || '''24''' || #16 [[1979 South Carolina Gamecocks football team|South Carolina]] || 14 || 62,785 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116697828/missouri-pounces-on-gamecocks-2414/|work=The Charlotte Observer|title=Missouri pounces on Gamecocks 24–14|date=December 30, 1979|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 27, 1980 || [[1980 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || '''[[1980 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]]''' || '''34''' || [[1980 Tulane Green Wave football team|Tulane]] || 15 || 30,000 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116698048/arkansas-tops-tulane-in-hall-of-fame-gam/|work=The Commercial Appeal|title=Arkansas tops Tulane in Hall of Fame Game|date=December 28, 1980|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 31, 1981 || [[1981 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || '''[[1981 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team|Mississippi State]]''' || '''10''' || [[1981 Kansas Jayhawks football team|Kansas]] || 0 || 41,672 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116698218/kus-nightmare-comes-true/|work=The Wichita Eagle|title=KU's nightmare comes true|date=January 1, 1982|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 31, 1982 || [[1982 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || '''[[1982 Air Force Falcons football team|Air Force]]''' || '''36''' || [[1982 Vanderbilt Commodores football team|Vanderbilt]] || 28 || 75,000 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116698347/vandy-falls-to-air-force/|work=The Montgomery Advertiser|title=Vandy falls to Air Force|date=January 1, 1983|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 22, 1983 || [[1983 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || #18 '''[[1983 West Virginia Mountaineers football team|West Virginia]]''' || '''20''' || [[1983 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky]] || 16 || 42,000 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116698536/woodside-hostetler-chill-uk-in-bowl/|work=The Courier-Journal|title=Woodside, Hostetler chill UK in bowl|date=December 23, 1983|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 29, 1984 || [[1984 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || '''[[1984 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky]]''' || '''20''' || #20 [[1984 Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin]] || 19 || 47,300 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116698668/badgers-drop-fg-battle/|work=The Reporter|title=Badgers drop FG battle|date=December 30, 1984|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 31, 1985 || [[1985 Hall of Fame Classic|Hall of Fame Classic]] || '''[[1985 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team|Georgia Tech]]''' || '''17''' || [[1985 Michigan State Spartans football team|Michigan State]] || 14 || 45,000 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116698859/curfew-tech-slips-in-1714/|work=The Atlanta Constitution|title=Curfew? Tech slips in, 17–14|date=January 1, 1986|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 31, 1986 || [[1986 All-American Bowl|All-American Bowl]] || '''[[1986 Florida State Seminoles football team|Florida State]]''' || '''27''' || [[1986 Indiana Hoosiers football team|Indiana]] || 13 || 30,000 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116699036/freshman-running-back-leads-florida-stat/|work=The Star Press|title=Freshman running back leads Florida State to victory over IU|date=January 1, 1987|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 22, 1987 || [[1987 All-American Bowl|All-American Bowl]] || '''[[1987 Virginia Cavaliers football team|Virginia]]''' || '''22''' || [[1987 BYU Cougars football team|Brigham Young]] || 16 || 37,000 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116699188/cavaliers-pass-big-test/|work=Birmingham Post-Herald|title=Cavaliers pass big test|date=December 23, 1987|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 29, 1988 || [[1988 All-American Bowl|All-American Bowl]] || '''[[1988 Florida Gators football team|Florida]]''' || '''14''' || [[1988 Illinois Fighting Illini football team|Illinois]] || 10 || 48,218 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116699347/florida-edges-illini-on-late-td/|work=Chicago Tribune|title=Florida edges Illini on late TD|date=December 30, 1988|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 28, 1989 || [[1989 All-American Bowl|All-American Bowl]] || #24 '''[[1989 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team|Texas Tech]]''' || '''49''' || #20 [[1989 Duke Blue Devils football team|Duke]] || 21 || 47,750 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80421823/|work=The Charlotte Observer|title=Texas Tech ruins Spurrier's finale|date=December 29, 1989|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| December 28, 1990 || [[1990 All-American Bowl|All-American Bowl]] || '''[[1990 NC State Wolfpack football team|North Carolina State]]''' || '''31''' || #23 [[1990 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team|Southern Miss]] || 27 || 44,000 || <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116699769/usms-final-drive-falls-short/|work=The Clarion-Ledger|title=USM's final drive falls short|date=December 29, 1990|accessdate=January 17, 2023|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|}

==Most valuable players==
{|class = "wikitable sortable"
!|Year played
!|MVP<ref name="MVP">{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2011/Bowls.pdf |title=Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Former Major Bowls |author=National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) |work=2011 NCAA Division I Football Records |page=100 |publisher=NCAA.org |accessdate=October 1, 2011 |format=PDF}}</ref>
!|Team
!|Position
|-
|1977 || Chuck White || Maryland || SE
|-
|1977 || [[Charles Johnson (defensive tackle)|Charles Johnson]] || Maryland || DT
|-
|1978 || [[Curtis Dickey]] || Texas A&M || RB
|-
|1979 || [[Phil Bradley]] || Missouri || QB
|-
|1980 || [[Gary Anderson (running back)|Gary Anderson]] || Arkansas || RB
|-
|1980 || [[Billy Ray Smith, Jr.|Billy Ray Smith]] || Arkansas || LB
|-
|1981 || [[John Bond (quarterback)|John Bond]] || Mississippi State || QB
|-
|1981 || [[Johnie Cooks]] || Mississippi State || LB
|-
|1982 || [[Whit Taylor (American football)|Whit Taylor]] || Vanderbilt || QB
|-
|1982 || Carl Dieudonne || Air Force || DE
|-
|1983 || [[Jeff Hostetler]] || West Virginia || QB
|-
|1984 || Mark Logan || Kentucky || RB
|-
|1984 || Todd Gregoire || Wisconsin || PK
|-
|1985 || [[Mark Ingram Sr.]] || Michigan State || WR
|-
|1986 || [[Sammie Smith]] || Florida State || RB
|-
|1987 || [[Scott Secules]] || Virginia || QB
|-
|1988 || [[Emmitt Smith]] || Florida || RB
|-
|1989 || James Gray || Texas Tech || RB
|-
|1990 || [[Brett Favre]] || Southern Miss || QB
|-
|}

==Conference records==
*[[Southwest Conference]] 3–0 (1.000)
*[[Atlantic Coast Conference]] 4–1 (.800)
*[[Southeastern Conference]] 3–2 (.600)
*[[Western Athletic Conference]] 1–1 (.500)
*[[Big 12 Conference|Big Eight Conference]] 1–2 (.333)
*[[Big Ten Conference]] 0–4 (.000)

==Ranked teams==
On several occasions, the All-American Bowl winners finished the season ranked in the AP Top Twenty poll:
*Texas A&M finished #19 in the final 1978 AP poll after defeating #19 Iowa State.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1978 |title=Final 1978 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com |access-date=2009-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417072948/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1978 |archive-date=2009-04-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*West Virginia finished #16 in the final 1983 AP poll after defeating Kentucky.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1983 |title=Final 1983 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com |access-date=2009-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417073017/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1983 |archive-date=2009-04-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*Kentucky finished #19 in the final 1984 AP poll and the final UPI poll after defeating #20 Wisconsin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1984 |title=Final 1984 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com |access-date=2009-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417073022/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1984 |archive-date=2009-04-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*Georgia Tech finished #19 in the final 1985 AP poll after defeating Michigan State.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1985 |title=Final 1985 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com |access-date=2009-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417073027/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1985 |archive-date=2009-04-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*Texas Tech finished #19 in the final 1989 AP poll after defeating #20 Duke.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1989 |title=Final 1989 AP poll at AP Poll Archive.com |access-date=2009-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417073047/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/seasons.cfm?seasonid=1989 |archive-date=2009-04-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==See also==
*[[List of college bowl games]]

{{All-American Bowl navbox}}

[[Category:All-American Bowl| ]]
[[Category:Defunct college football bowls]]
[[Category:American football competitions in Birmingham, Alabama]]
[[Category:College football bowls in Alabama]]