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The California Bowl (later the California Raisin Bowl) was a post-season college football bowl game played annually at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California, from 1981 to 1991.[1] The game featured the champions of the Big West Conference (known prior to 1988 as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association) and the Mid-American Conference.
| California Bowl (defunct) | |
|---|---|
| California Raisin Bowl | |
| Stadium | Bulldog Stadium |
| Location | Fresno, California |
| Operated | 1981–1991 |
| Conference tie-ins | PCAA/Big West, MAC |
| Sponsors | |
California Raisin Advisory Board (1988–1991) | |
In 1988, the California Raisin Advisory Board purchased the naming rights to the bowl.
The game was dealt a severe blow in 1992 when Fresno State moved to the Western Athletic Conference. The MAC and Big West then moved their tie-ins to Las Vegas, Nevada and created the Las Vegas Bowl. The California Bowl made plans to hold the 1992 game without tie-ins, but was unable to find a new sponsor. When organizers came up short of a $1.75 million fundraising goal, the NCAA pulled the bowl's certification. It has never returned.[2][3]
| Date played | Winning team | Losing team | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 19, 1981 | Toledo | 27 | No. 20 San Jose State | 25 | notes |
| December 18, 1982 | Fresno State | 29 | Bowling Green | 28 | notes |
| December 17, 1983 | Northern Illinois | 20 | Cal State Fullerton | 13 | notes |
| December 15, 1984 | Toledo * | 13 | UNLV | 30 | notes |
| December 14, 1985 | No. 18 Fresno State | 51 | No. 20 Bowling Green | 7 | notes |
| December 13, 1986 | No. 19 San Jose State | 37 | Miami (OH) | 7 | notes |
| December 12, 1987 | Eastern Michigan | 30 | San Jose State | 27 | notes |
| December 10, 1988 | Fresno State | 35 | Western Michigan | 30 | notes |
| December 9, 1989 | Fresno State | 27 | Ball State | 6 | notes |
| December 8, 1990 | No. 25 San Jose State | 48 | Central Michigan | 24 | notes |
| December 14, 1991 | Bowling Green | 28 | Fresno State | 21 | notes |
* UNLV won this game, but subsequently forfeited its entire schedule due to the use of ineligible players earlier in the season.
| Season | MVP | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | |||
| 1982 | Jeff Tedford | QB | |
| 1983 | Lou Wicks | FB | |
| 1984 | |||
| 1985 | Mike Mancini | P | |
| 1986 | Mike Perez | QB | |
| Andy Marlatt | |||
| 1987 | Gary Patton | RB | |
| 1988 | Darrell Rosette | RB | |
| 1989 | Ron Cox | LB | |
| 1990 | |||
| 1991 |
| Rank | Team | Appearances | Record | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [[Fresno State Bulldogs football|Fresno State]] | 5 | 4–1 | .800 |
| 2 | [[San Jose State Spartans football|San Jose State]] | 4 | 2–2 | .500 |
| 3 | [[Bowling Green Falcons football|Bowling Green]] | 3 | 1–2 | .333 |
| 4 | [[Toledo Rockets football|Toledo]] | 2 | 2–0 | 1.000 |
| T5 | [[Eastern Michigan Eagles football|Eastern Michigan]] | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| T5 | [[Northern Illinois Huskies football|Northern Illinois]] | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 |
| T5 | [[Ball State Cardinals football|Ball State]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T5 | [[Cal State Fullerton Titans football|Cal State Fullerton]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T5 | [[Central Michigan Chippewas football|Central Michigan]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T5 | [[Miami RedHawks football|Miami (OH)]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T5 | [[UNLV Rebels football|UNLV]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| T5 | [[Western Michigan Broncos football|Western Michigan]] | 1 | 0–1 | .000 |
| Rank | Conference | Appearances | Record | Win % | # of Teams | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Big West | 11 | 6–5 | .545 | 4 | Fresno State (4–1) San Jose State (2–2) |
| T1 | MAC | 11 | 5–6 | .455 | 8 | Bowling Green (1–2)
Toledo (2–0) |
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