Corn Bowl

The Corn Bowl was a college football bowl game played from 1947 until 1955 in central Illinois. The first game was played November 27, 1947, in Normal, Illinois, between Southern Illinois and North Central of Illinois.^[1] Its final game was played November 24, 1955, between Western Illinois and Luther. There was no game played in 1952 and 1954.^[2]

Corn Bowl (defunct)
Previous locations	Normal, Illinois, Bloomington, Illinois, Macomb, Illinois
Operated	1947–1955
Sponsors
Hybrid Seed Corn Breeders of Illinois Bloomington American Legion

The game was primarily organized by A. B. Perry, who called for the construction of a stadium that would seat 150,000. The plans never came to fruition and the largest crowd attracted to a game was 8,000 spectators for the 1948 matchup.^[1] The 1949 matchup was witnessed by 4,567 fans.^[3]

The bowl was sponsored by the Hybrid Seed Corn Breeders of Illinois and the Bloomington American Legion.^[4]

Game results

Year	Winner		Loser		Stadium	Location	Attendance	Source
1947	Southern Illinois	21	North Central (IL)	0	Fred Carlton Field	Normal, Illinois	5,500	[5]
1948	Illinois Wesleyan	6	Eastern Illinois	0	Wesleyan Field	Bloomington, Illinois	8,500	[6]
1949	Western Illinois	13	Wheaton (IL)	0	Wesleyan Field	Bloomington, Illinois	4,567	[7][8]
1950	Missouri Mines	7	Illinois State Normal	6	Wesleyan Field	Bloomington, Illinois	2,500	[9]
1951	Lewis	21	William Jewell	12	Wesleyan Field	Bloomington, Illinois	2,000	[10]
1953	Western Illinois	32	Iowa Wesleyan	0	Wesleyan Field	Bloomington, Illinois	2,500	[11]
1955	Luther	24	Western Illinois	20	Hanson Field	Macomb, Illinois	5,000	[12]

References

1. Kemp, Bill (November 18, 2007). "Corn Bowl was short-lived Thanksgiving gridiron tradition". Pantagraph.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
2. DeLassus, David. "Corn Bowl Games". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
3. "Wins Corn Bowl Game". Reading Eagle. November 25, 1949. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
4. Jauss, Bill (October 16, 1997). "Full Crop Of Corn Bowl Memories". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
5. Alsene, Edgar (November 28, 1947). "Southern Clips North Central in Corn Bowl". The Pantagraph. p. 14. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Young, Fred (November 26, 1948). "IWU Trips Eastern, 6-0, On Last Minute Counter". The Pantagraph. p. 13. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Twin Tornadoes Collide In Corn Bowl Here Today". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. November 24, 1949. p. 32. Retrieved March 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
8. Young, Fred (November 25, 1949). "Angie Marini Steals Show as Western Cops Third Annual Corn Bowl Game". The Pantagraph. p. 11. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Alsene, Ed (November 24, 1950). "Missouri Mines Edges ISNU 7-6". The Pantagraph. p. 14. Retrieved October 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Alsene, Ed (November 23, 1951). "Lewis Triumphs, 21-12". The Pantagraph. p. 13. Retrieved November 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Alsene, Ed (November 27, 1953). "Western Wins 1953 Corn Bowl Game, 32-0". The Pantagraph. p. 30. Retrieved November 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Luther Nips Western in 'Corn' Bowl'". The Rock Island Argus. Rock Island, Illinois. November 25, 1955. p. 20. Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .