Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2007 - (Page 20)

O n V ie w Novembe r 29 – J anuary 1 3 Since its inception in 1935, the Sugar Bowl Football Classic has Tulane rally with a 25-yard run by Dick Hardy, who turned in been one of the premier post-season college sports contests in the perhaps the greatest game of his career. The Green Wave emerged country. A list of coaches and players who have participated over from the inaugural Sugar Bowl Football Classic triumphant, 20-14. the years reads like a hall of fame roster: Pop Warner, Bear Bryant, Each school received $20,759.20 for its participation. Joe Paterno, Steve Spurrier, Billy Cannon, Dan Marino, Vinny The Sugar Bowl was named for its original location — Tulane Testaverde, Jerome Bettis, and many more. Traditionally attracting University, built on the former site of the Foucher sugar plantation, the nation’s leading teams, the Sugar Bowl has determined college where Etienne Boré first granulated sugar from cane syrup. In fact, football’s national champion 21 times. Tulane Stadium was often referred to as This summer, The Historic New the Sugar Bowl. At the time of the first Orleans Collection acquired the archives game, the stadium seated 24,000. It of the Sugar Bowl and immediately set quickly became clear that the game’s to work preparing an exhibition tracing popularity would overwhelm the capacithe game’s history. Opening November ty of the stadium. Over the next dozen 29, Classic! A Celebration of Sugar Bowl years, three separate expansions were Memories highlights the legendary completed, resulting in a maximum seatmoments, coaches, and players from the ing capacity of 80,985 in 1947. By 1975, bowl’s seven decades. the Sugar Bowl had outgrown Tulane Newspaper publisher Colonel James Stadium prompting the move to the M. Thomson and sportswriter Fred Louisiana Superdome, where, except for Digby first conceived of the idea for a a one-year hiatus to Atlanta’s Georgia bowl game in New Orleans in 1927. Dome following Hurricane Katrina, the Motivated by the success of California’s Sugar Bowl continues to be played today. Rose Bowl, founded in 1902, Thomson Throughout its history, the Sugar and Digby began developing plans for a Bowl has been affected by a range of similar game that would attract winternational political events. World War II time visitors to the temperate city. Over dramatically altered the face of college the next seven years, they fleshed out football. Young men who previously their idea with fellow sports enthusiasts, would have battled on the gridiron including lawyer Warren Miller, who found themselves enmeshed in an entireproposed the bowl game to several ly different kind of fight. Colleges and community leaders in early 1934. Thus, universities around the country offered the Mid-Winter Sports Association, a officer training programs, and some of nonprofit organization dedicated to the the best college football teams came creation of a sporting carnival, was born. from these schools. But athletes enrolled Before year’s end, the association had in such programs were restricted in their raised $32,700 in capital and secured ability to participate in sporting events by the use of Tulane Stadium rent-free. a 48-hour limit on furloughs. Also, Thomson, Digby, and Miller’s vision wartime rationing of gasoline severely for a prestigious postseason game in curtailed travel of any distance by teams New Orleans was realized on January 1, and fans. 1935, when Tulane University went The Mid-Winter Sports Association Inaugural Sugar Bowl Football Classic brochure head-to-head with Temple University in chose not to cancel the Classic during the published by the Mid-Winter Sports Association, 1934. the inaugural Sugar Bowl Football war years. The 1942 Fordham vs. gift of the Sugar Bowl Classic. Missouri game went on just three weeks Both teams were offensive powerhouses. The Temple Owls, after the attacks at Pearl Harbor, and it was not the war that adcoached by the legendary Glenn “Pop” Warner, boasted versely affected the game but the weather — a torrential downAll-American “Dynamite” Dave Smuckler at fullback. Tulane’s pour held the final score at 2-0, Fordham. Green Wave, helmed by Ted Cox, featured Claude “Monk” Simons The war’s toll on America’s college-age men is well illustrated at halfback. A hard-fought 60 minutes in front of 22,026 fans saw by the 1944 matchup between the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and 20 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Fall 2007 http://www.hnoc.org/

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2007

Contents Friends & Letters Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Big Charity: A History of New Orleans’ Public Hospital Historic New Orleans Collection Making Groceries: A History of New Orleans Markets New Orleans’ Faubourg Tremé: Rooted in Tradition Jazz Notes Louisiana Association of Museums Chinatown New Orleans Louisiana Foodways A Question of Secession Louisiana Architecture Louisiana State Museum The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish Terra Incognita Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Fall 2007

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