The History of the Liberty Bowl

The Liberty Bowl began in 1959 and hosts two football teams yearly at the college level. Penn State and Alabama were the first teams to compete in the bowl; Penn State won the game with a score of 7-0.

  1. Most Valuable Player

    • Each year, the most valuable player (MVP) is selected based on his performance that season. For several years, the MVP was also a Heisman Trophy winner. The last year that a Heisman Trophy winner was also named MVP was in 1984, when Bo Jackson was chosen.

    Records

    • Individual and team records are compiled and are compared with the records from previous years. Individual records include rushing, passing, pass receiving, total offense, interceptions and scoring. Team records include first downs, rushing, passing, total plays, interceptions, points scored and attendance.

    Liberty Bowl Facts

    • The Liberty Bowl was initially held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The bowl name originated as a celebration of the original Liberty Bell, which is located in Philadelphia. Due to poor crowd turnout, the bowl was moved to Memphis in 1965, when Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium opened.