Shrimp Bowl

The Shrimp Bowl was not played in 1953, but returned on January 2, 1955 as a contest between two of the top military service football teams – Fort Ord and Fort Hood.^[4] The 1955 Shrimp Bowl was the first game in Galveston’s history that featured racially integrated teams, as both clubs had several black players. The game was broadcast on radio by the American Forces Network.^[5] Fort Ord won the game 36–0.^[6] On December 18, 1955, Don Gottlob won his second Shrimp Bowl, as he quarterbacked Fort Hood to a 33–13 victory over the Little Creek Navy Gators.^[7] In 1956 game featured numerous former college football stars, including Bolling Air Force Base's Ralph Guglielmi, Bernie Faloney, Doyle Nix, Billy Reynolds, and Fort Hood's Dick Tamburo, Bobby Luna, and George Rosso.^[8] Bolling won the game 29–14.^[9] The Texas A&M Aggies football team, which was barred from post season play by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, were invited to the game – as spectators.^[10] Bolling returned the following year and defeated the San Diego Marines in front of a crowd of 9,000 – the largest in the game’s history.^[11] Eglin Air Force Base beat Brooke Army Medical Center in the 1958 contest to claim the mythical national championship.^[12] The final contest took place on December 13, 1959 and saw the Quantico Marines blowout McClellan Air Force Base 90–0 before only 3,500 spectators.^[13]