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A look back at defunct bowl games
Dave Sandford / Getty Images

A look back at defunct bowl games

All good things must come to an end. Such was the case with these 23 now defunct college football bowl games.

Yes, believe it or not, there were other bowls besides the 40 current ones (plus the College Football Playoff Championship Game). Let's take a look at these nearly two dozen bowl games of yesteryear.

 
1 of 23

All-American Bowl

All-American Bowl
Allen Steele / Getty Images

Originally called the Hall of Fame Classic when it launched in 1977 and later known as the All-American Bowl in 1986, the game concluded in 1990. It was played at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, with notable game MVPs including Jeff Hostetler, Emmitt Smith and Brett Favre.

 
2 of 23

Aloha Bowl

Aloha Bowl
Jerry Driendl / Getty Images

The Aloha Bowl started in 1982 and was later named the Aloha Classic for three years before ending in 2000. Taking place at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, the game was sponsored by Jeep in all 19 years of its existence.

 
3 of 23

Bluebonnet Bowl

Bluebonnet Bowl
Denver Post / Getty Images

The Astrodome and Rice Stadium in Houston hosted the Bluebonnet Bowl from 1959-87. Texas universities were regular participants, with the Texas Longhorns participating in the final one.

 
4 of 23

California Bowl

California Bowl
Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images

The California Bowl was played 11 times, from 1981-91, at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California. The game moved to Las Vegas in 1992, becoming the Las Vegas Bowl.

 
5 of 23

Cherry Bowl

Cherry Bowl
Tom Pidgeon / Getty Images

The Cherry Bowl was viable for only two years, played at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan in 1984 and 1985. While the inaugural game had more than 70,000 fans in attendance, the second (and last) game had just under 52,000.

 
6 of 23

Delta Bowl

Delta Bowl
Brett Deering / Getty Images

The Delta Bowl took place in Memphis, Tennessee only twice: 1948 and 1949. The four participants were Ole Miss, TCU, William & Mary, and Oklahoma State.

 
7 of 23

Dixie Bowl

Dixie Bowl
Collegiate Images / Getty Images

Before the Hall of Fame Classic and All-American Bowl at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, there was the Dixie Bowl. The game was played on New Year's Day in 1948 and 1949.

 
8 of 23

Dixie Classic

Dixie Classic
Bettmann / Getty Images

Preceding the Cotton Bowl in Dallas was the Dixie Classic, taking place in 1922, 1925 and 1934. The game's third and final occurrence was a 7-7 tie between Arkansas and Centenary.

 
9 of 23

Freedom Bowl

Freedom Bowl
Stephen Dunn / Getty Images

The Freedom Bowl was played 11 times at Anaheim Stadium in California, from 1984-94. The final game featured a 16-13 win by Utah over Arizona, and future Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi was named one of the MVPs.

 
10 of 23

Garden State Bowl

Garden State Bowl
Robert Riger / Getty Images

Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, hosted the Garden State Bowl for four years, from 1978-81. But poor December weather doomed it.

 
11 of 23

Gotham Bowl

Gotham Bowl
Bettmann / Getty Images

New York City hosted the Gotham Bowl in 1961 and 1962, with proceeds going to the March of Dimes. Unfortunately, the game folded after only its second year after drawing just over 6,000 fans.

 
12 of 23

Harbor Bowl

Harbor Bowl
Bettmann / Getty Images

San Diego played host to the Harbor Bowl from 1947-49 on New Year's Day. The game ascended to 20,000 fans in 1949 before folding.

 
13 of 23

Houston Bowl

Houston Bowl
Brian Bahr / Getty Images

Launching as the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl in 2000 before being renamed the EV1.net Houston Bowl in 2002, it was played only six times. The Astrodome hosted the first two games before it moved to Reliant Stadium. Notable game MVPs include David Garrard and college football analyst Joel Klatt.

 
14 of 23

International Bowl

International Bowl
Dave Sandford / Getty Images

Played at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, the International Bowl was the first bowl game to be played outside the United States since the Bacardi Bowl in 1937. While the game was only played from 2007-10, notable MVPs include future NFL running backs Ray Rice and Donald Brown.

 
15 of 23

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Leon Halip / Getty Images

The Motor City Bowl launched in 1997 in Detroit and was renamed the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in 2009-13. The game was replaced in Detroit by the Quick Lane Bowl. Several notable eventual NFL players were MVPs of the game, including Chad Pennington, DeAngelo Williams and T.Y. Hilton.

 
16 of 23

Oil Bowl

Oil Bowl
Thomas B. Shea / Getty Images

Rice Field in Houston hosted the Oil Bowl in 1946 and 1947 on New Year's Day. Bad luck with weather ended the game after only two go-rounds.

 
17 of 23

Pasadena Bowl

Pasadena Bowl
Focus on Sport / Getty Images

Initially known as the Junior Rose Bowl in 1967, it was renamed the Pasadena Bowl until 1971. The game was also played in 1976 and 1977, featuring the California JUCO champs vs. NJCAA teams.

 
18 of 23

Poinsettia Bowl

Poinsettia Bowl
Donald Miralle / Getty Images

The Poinsettia Bowl is no more after being played in San Diego from 2005-16. Taking place at Qualcomm Stadium (now known as the SDCCU Stadium), the game's most prominent MVP was current Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, who won the award with TCU in 2008.

 
19 of 23

Raisin Bowl

Raisin Bowl
Collegiate Images / Getty Images

The Raisin Bowl was played five times in Fresno, California, from 1946-1949. The game featured a California school vs. an at-large competitor.

 
20 of 23

Salad Bowl

Salad Bowl
Collegiate Images / Getty Images

The Salad Bowl was placed in Phoenix and featured college teams from 1947-51. After those five renditions, the game was played four more times with service teams and all-star teams.

 
21 of 23

San Diego East-West Christmas Classic

San Diego East-West Christmas Classic
Collegiate Images / Getty Images

Balboa Stadium in San Diego played host to the San Diego East-West Christmas Classic in 1921 and 1922. West Virginia defeated Gonzaga, 21-13, in the final game in front of 5,000 in attendance.

 
22 of 23

Seattle Bowl

Seattle Bowl
Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images

The Seattle Bowl was played only in 2001 and 2002 in its city's namesake at Safeco Field and Seahawks Stadium (now known as CenturyLink Field). It ended after failing to find a sponsor.

 
23 of 23

Silicon Valley Bowl

Silicon Valley Bowl
John Medina/WireImage / Getty Images

The Silicon Valley Bowl was played at Spartan Stadium at San Jose State (CEFCU Stadium now) from 2000-04. The game ended after drawing less than 22,000 fans in 2004.

Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.

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