Cactus Bowl (Division II)
The Cactus Bowl (formerly the Snow Bowl) was a postseason college football all-star game played each January in Kingsville, Texas, which showcased the best NFL draft prospects of those collegiate players who had completed their eligibility in NCAA Division II. First played in 1994 at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota, as the Snow Bowl, the game moved to Javelina Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University–Kingsville in 2001 as the Cactus Bowl.[1] Proceeds went to the Shriners Hospitals for Children.[1]
| Cactus Bowl (defunct) | |
|---|---|
 Logo for the 2011 game | |
| Stadium | Javelina Stadium (2001–2011) Fargodome (1994–2000) |
| Location | Kingsville, Texas (2001–2011) Fargo, North Dakota (1994–2000) |
| Operated | 1994–2011 |
| Sponsors | |
| Former names | |
Snow Bowl (1994–2000) | |
The game typically consisted of 88 total players;[2] in all but the final year, teams were designated East and West, composed of players from those regions of the United States. The game gave NFL scouts a chance to view the relatively low profile Division II talent, prompting its slogan of "the best players you've never seen."[1] The bowl's website (now defunct) said that more than 100 players of the game later signed with the NFL.[1] The bowl lasted through 2011, after which it was merged with the USA College Football Bowl of NCAA Division III.[3]
Winner
| Date | Winning team | Losing team | Venue | Att. | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 6, 1994 | West | 23 | East | 14 | Fargodome | 5,962 | [4] |
| January 7, 1995 | West | 16 | East | 10 | [5] | ||
| January 13, 1996 | East | 10 | West | 7 | |||
| January 11, 1997 | West | 43 | East | 3 | [6] | ||
| January 10, 1998 | West | 15 | East | 12 (OT) | [7] | ||
| January 9, 1999 | West | 30 | East | 28 | [8] | ||
| January 15, 2000 | West | 24 | East | 22 | 6,248 | [9] | |
| January 12, 2001 | West | 33 | East | 33 | Javelina Stadium | [10] | |
| January 11, 2002 | East | 42 | West | 12 | [11] | ||
| January 10, 2003 | East | 19 | West | 7 | [12] | ||
| January 9, 2004 | West | 30 | East | 27 (OT) | [13] | ||
| January 7, 2005 | East | 18 | West | 15 | [14] | ||
| January 6, 2006 | West | 49 | East | 28 | [15] | ||
| January 11, 2008 | East | 42 | West | 13 | [16] | ||
| January 9, 2009 | West | 28 | East | 27 | [17] | ||
| January 8, 2010 | West | 16 | East | 0 | [18] | ||
| January 7, 2011 | Red Storm | 28 | Blue Devils | 6 | 4,200 | [19][2] | |
Overall records: West over East (10–5–1) and Red Storm over Blue Devils (1–0)[20]
Most Valuable Players
Players in the NFL
Cactus Bowl players (2001–2010) who later appeared in the NFL.
See also
References
- "About the Cactus Bowl". cactusbowl.org. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2010-11-28 – via Wayback Machine.
- "Cactus Bowl- Red Storm topple Blue Devils". tamuk.edu. January 8, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- "USA College Football Bowl". Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- "Snowbowl Division II football all-star game will return in '95". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. January 20, 1994. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Holmes scores in Snow Bowl". Statesman Journal. Salem, Oregon. January 8, 1995. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Hebegen helps West win Snow Bowl". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. January 12, 1997. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "West needs overtime in Division II Snow Bowl". Odessa American. Odessa, Texas. January 11, 1998. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Football". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. January 10, 1999. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "USD's White tests well for NFL; Poppinga hurt". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. January 16, 2000. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "East, West battle to tie in Cactus Bowl". The Index-Journal. Greenwood, South Carolina. January 14, 2001. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Cactus Bowl". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. January 13, 2002. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "East wins Cactus Bowl 19-7". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. January 11, 2003. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Mars Hill player performs in Cactus Bowl". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. January 11, 2004. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- Stone, Michael (January 9, 2005). "Tim Pope has MVP performance at bowl game". The Index-Journal. Greenwood, South Carolina. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Beschorner shines at all-star game". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. January 9, 2006. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Edinboro". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 13, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "ESU duo at Division II all-star game". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. January 11, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Middletown's Scott stars in Cactus Bowl". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. January 10, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Cactus Bowl". St. Cloud Times. St. Cloud, Minnesota. January 8, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
- "Cactus Bowl Games". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014 – via Wayback Machine.
External links
- cactusbowl.org from February 2010 – via Wayback Machine