Bean Bowl
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| Bean Bowl (defunct) | |
|---|---|
| Stadium | Bearcat Stadium |
| Location | Scottsbluff, Nebraska |
| Operated | 1949–1950 |
| 1950 matchup | |
| Doane College vs. Colorado State (14-6) | |
The Bean Bowl was a non-NCAA-sanctioned North American College Football bowl game played in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, in 1949 and 1950.[1]
The series was short-lived. It was developed with the goal of promoting the dry bean industry from the North Platte Valley. That area of Nebraska was a major regional hub for the cultivation for dry edible beans and more specifically, Great Northern and pinto beans. This is where the bowl got its name.[2]
Local civic leaders and businessmen established the Bean Bowl not only to highlight collegiate athletics, but as a promotional vehicle to draw attention to the area's vital cash crop and drive holiday tourism. Hosted at Bearcat Stadium, a venue primarily used for local high school sports, the bowl was intentionally scheduled to become an annual Thanksgiving tradition for the community.
The game was held on Thanksgiving both years and was meant to remain on that holiday for the duration of the series.
The Bean Bowl was part of a post-World War II trend of "small-college" bowl games intended to showcase regional athletes, similar to the High School Shrine Bowl. Like contemporary regional games such as the Glass Bowl or Refrigerator Bowl, it struggled with financial sustainability and logistical constraints caused by the monetary demands of the Korean War. The game was discontinued in 1950, following its second iteration.
Because the event operated outside the official sanctioning of the NCAA, it relied entirely on local ticket sales, community funding, and municipal sponsorships for its survival.[3]
Today, the Bean Bowl remains a brief but unique chapter in the history of small-college football.
Results
| Game | Date | Winner | Loser | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | November 24 | Idaho State | 20 | Chadron State | 2 | [4][5] |
| 1950 | November 23 | Doane | 14 | Colorado State–Greeley | 6 | [6][7] |
