Pythian Bowl

The Pythian Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played from 1949 through 1951.^[1] In 1952, the game was played under the name of Lions Bowl.^[2] The game was played each year in December in Salisbury, North Carolina, at Shuford Stadium^[3] on the grounds of Catawba College. The bowl's original name came from the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization, with proceeds from the game going to a local orphanage.^[3] The 1952 game was named after Lions Clubs International, with game proceeds again being used for charitable works. Like some other postseason match-ups of the era, such as the Grape Bowl, Glass Bowl, and Optimist Bowl, results are listed in NCAA records, but the games were not considered NCAA-sanctioned bowls.^[1]

Game results

Season	Bowl Name	Date	Winner		Loser		Attendance	References
1949	Pythian Bowl	December 10, 1949	Appalachian State	21	Catawba	7	2,000	[4][5]
1950	Pythian Bowl	December 9, 1950	West Liberty	28	Appalachian State	26	4,500	[6][7]
1951	Pythian Bowl	December 8, 1951	Lenoir Rhyne	13	California (PA)	7	4,500	[8][9]
1952	Lions Bowl	December 13, 1952	Clarion	13	East Carolina	6	2,700	[10]

Notes

• NCAA records list the date of the first Pythian Bowl as "11-26-1949",^[1] which is inconsistent with contemporary newspaper reports.^[3][4]
• The 1949 game was listed as the "Olympian Bowl" in some newspapers.^[11][1]
• For the 1952 game, West Chester had been invited and accepted, however the school later withdrew its acceptance due to the bowl not being sanctioned by the NCAA; Clarion was then invited and replaced West Chester.^[12]

See also

• List of college bowl games

References

1. "BOWL/ALL STAR GAME RECORDS" (PDF). NCAA. 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
2. "West Chester In Lions Bowl". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. AP. November 18, 1952. Retrieved March 29, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
3. "Pythian Bowl Slated Today At Salisbury". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. AP. December 10, 1949. Retrieved March 29, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
4. "Appalachian State Tops Catawba, 21-7". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. AP. December 11, 1949. Retrieved March 29, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
5. "Appalachian bowls over Indians, 21–7". The Charlotte Observer. December 11, 1949. Retrieved December 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "West Liberty rally in 4th beats Appalachian, 28–26". The News and Observer. December 10, 1950. Retrieved December 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "West Liberty – Postseason History". West Liberty Hilltoppers. May 18, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
8. "State Set For Pythian Content Here Tomorrow". Salisbury Post. Salisbury, North Carolina. December 7, 1951. p. 8. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
9. Turner, C. G. (December 10, 1951). "Bears Win Pythian Clash". Hickory Daily Record. Hickory, North Carolina. p. 6. Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
10. "Clarion wins in Lions Bowl, stays unbeaten". Sunday News. December 15, 1952. Retrieved March 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Bowl Results". Idaho State Journal. Pocatello, Idaho. December 11, 1949. Retrieved March 29, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
12. "Clarion State In Lions Bowl". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. AP. November 23, 1952. Retrieved March 29, 2017 – via newspapers.com.