Vulcan Bowl

The Vulcan Bowl, also known as the Steel Bowl, was a New Year's Day college football bowl game held for the 1940 through 1948 and 1951 seasons at Legion Field. The game was created to determine the annual Negro College championship.

1940 season

• January 1, 1941: Morris Brown defeated Wilberforce by a final score of 19-3.

The first game was known as the Steel Bowl and was expected to attract over 15,000 spectators. A parade featuring two bands was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. while kickoff was scheduled for 2:00 p.m.¹

1941 season

• January 1, 1942: Langston College defeated Morris Brown College by a final score of 13-0.

1942 season

• January 1, 1943: Texas College defeated Tuskegee University by a final score of 13-10.

1943 season

• January 1, 1944: Tuskegee University defeated Clark College by a final score of 12-7.

1944 season

• January 1, 1945: Tennessee State University defeated Tuskegee University by a final score of 13-0.

1945 season

• January 1, 1946: Tennessee State University defeated Texas College by a final score of 33-6.

1946 season

• January 1, 1947: Tennessee State defeated Louisville Municipal College by a final score of 32-0.

1947 season

• January 1, 1948: Central State (Ohio) defeated Grambling State by a final score of 27-21.

1948 season

• January 1, 1949: Kentucky State defeated North Carolina A&T by a final score of 23-13.

West Virginia State University declined a bid to compete in this game due to the length of time between training and the game and a conflict with their already approved basketball schedule.²

1951 season

• January 1, 1952: Bethune-Cookman defeated Texas College by a final score of 27-13.

Before the month was out, Bethune-Cookman sued the Steel Bowl Corporation for $1,300 citing breach of agreement. The school claimed the company's agreement was to provide $2,000 plus room and board for the 36 players.³

References

1. House, Jack (January 1, 1942). "Wilberforce And Morris Brown Clash in Steel Bowl Contest." The Birmingham News. Page 10.
2. "State Rejects Grid Bowl Bid." (November 19, 1948). The Charleston Gazette. Page B7.
3. "Bethune-Cookman, Prairie View Bowl Game Victors." (January 17, 1952). Jet. Page 52.

• Segrest, Doug (August 25, 2002) "Legion Field: 75 years of memories". Birmingham News.
• College Football Data Warehouse. (February 19, 2007). Accessed, February 19, 2007.