AutoZone Liberty Bowl

1961 Ernie Davis edit

1961 - ERNIE DAVIS rushed 30 times for 140 yards and ran a touchdown in to lead the Syracuse Orangemen over Miami in the Third Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Earlier in the year, Davis became the first Syracuse player to ever receive the Heisman Trophy; more importantly, however, he was the first African-American to win the coveted award. His 2,386 career rushing yards broke the Syracuse record previously held by football great Jim Brown. Tragically, Ernie Davis died two years after graduating. He was a victim of leukemia, which ironically is a disease that St. Jude Children’s Hospital has made tremendous strides in treating.

1962 Terry Baker Heisman edit

1962 - The AutoZone Liberty Bowl hosted its second Heisman Trophy winner in Oregon State’s TERRY BAKER. Baker led the Beavers to a 6-0 victory over Villanova. His 99-yard touchdown run in the 4th Annual AutoZone Liberty Bowlstill stands as the longest touchdown scamper in the games illustrious history. Baker still holds the school record for longest run from scrimmage and is 2nd all-time in total offense, 2nd all-time in passing, and 10th all-time in career rushing yards.

1983 4edit

1983 - DOUG FLUTIE, who would go on to win the Heisman the next year, completed 15 of 37passes for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns in a losing effort as his Boston College Eagles fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 19-18. Flutie, who received the game’s Most Valuable Player award, holds records at Boston College in: career passing yards and career total offense. Flutie was a starting quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers after a seven-year career in the Canadian Football League.

1984 3edit

1984 - Heisman Trophy winner-to-be BO JACKSON led his Auburn Tigers to a 21-15 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks. Bo was named the games Most Valuable Player as he ran for 90 yards on 18 carries and 2 touchdowns. Jackson received the Heisman a year later and went on to be one of sport’s most popular athletes. His ability to break away from tacklers with the NFL’s Los Angeles Raiders was complemented by his ability to hit the home run ball. He made his professional baseball debut with Memphis’ AA Chicks and went on to play for both the Kansas City Royals and Chicago WhiteSox.

Click on each player's name for more information.

PLAYER	YEAR
Seth Henigan, Memphis	2023
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas	2022
Donovan Smith, Texas Tech	2021
T.J. Simmons, West Virginia	2020
Malcolm Perry, Navy	2019
Taylor Cornelius, Oklahoma State	2018
Allen Lazard, Iowa State	2017
Trenton Thompson, Georgia	2016
Alex Collins, Arkansas	2015
Kyle Allen, Texas A&M	2014
Dak Prescott, Mississippi State	2013
Trey Watts, Tulsa	2012
Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati	2011
Latavius Murray, UCF	2010
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas	2009
Ventrell Jenkins, Kentucky	2008
Derek Pegues, Mississippi State	2007
Blake Mitchell, South Carolina	2006
Paul Smith, Tulsa	2005
Stefan LeFors, Louisville	2004
Morgan Scalley, Utah	2003
LaTarence Dunbar, TCU	2002
David Ragone, Louisville	2001
Cecil Sapp, Colorado State	2000
Adalius Thomas, Southern Mississippi	1999
Shaun King, Tulane	1998
Sherrod Gideon, Southern Mississippi	1997
Malcolm Thomas, Syracuse	1996
Kwame Ellis, Stanford	1995
Johnny Johnson, Illinois	1994
Jeff Brohm, Louisville	1993
Cassius Ware, Ole Miss	1992
Rob Perez, Air Force	1991
Rob Perez, Air Force	1990
Randy Baldwin, Ole Miss	1989
Dave Schnell, Indiana	1988
Greg Thomas, Arkansas	1987
Jeff Francis, Tennessee	1986
Cody Carlson, Baylor	1985
Bo Jackson, Auburn*	1984
Doug Flutie, Boston College*	1983
Jeremiah Castille, Alabama	1982
Eddie Meyers, Navy	1981
Mark Herrmann, Purdue	1980
Roch Hontas, Tulane	1979
James Wilder, Missouri	1978
Matt Kupec, North Carolina	1977
Barry Krauss, Alabama	1976
Ricky Bell, USC	1975
Randy White, Maryland	1974
Stan Fritts, North Carolina State	1973
Jim Stevens, Georgia Tech	1972
Joe Ferguson, Arkansas	1971
David Abercrombie, Tulane	1970
Bob Anderson, Colorado	1969
Steve Hindman, Ole Miss	1968
Jim Donnan, North Carolina State	1967
Jimmy Cox, Miami (Fla.)	1966
Tom Bryan, Auburn	1965
Ernest Allen, Utah	1964
Ode Burrell, Mississippi State	1963
Terry Baker, Oregon State*	1962
Dick Easterly, Syracuse	1961
Dick Hoak, Penn State	1960
Jay Huffman, Penn State	1959

*Heisman Trophy Winner

PAST HEAD COACHES

Listed Alphabetically with Teams and Years.

Click on each coach's name for more information.

NAME	TEAM	YEAR(S)
Arnsparger, Bill	LSU	1985
Bailiff, David	Rice	2013
Battle, Bill	Tennessee	1971, 1974
Bell, Alex	Villanova	1962
Bellard , Emory	Texas A&M	1975
Bicknell, Jack	Boston College	1983
Bielema, Bret	Arkansas	2015
Blankenship, Bill	Tulsa	2012
Bower, Jeff	Southern Mississippi	1997, 1999, 2003
Brewer, Billy	Ole Miss	1989, 1992
Briles, Art	Houston	2006
Brooks, Rich	Kentucky	2008
Brown, Neal	West Virginia	2020
Broyles, Frank	Arkansas	1971
Bruce, Earl	Ohio State	1981
Bryant, Paul "Bear"	Alabama	1959, 1969, 1976, 1982
Campbell, Matt	Iowa State	2017, 2023
Casanova, Len	Oregon	1960
Claiborne, Jerry	Maryland	1974
Claiborne, Jerry	Virginia Tech	1966, 1968
Cooper, John	Ohio State	1990
Corum, Gene	West Virginia	1964
Croom, Sylvester	Mississippi State	2007
Crowder, Eddie	Colorado	1969, 1970
Crowton, Gary	Brigham Young	2001
Cumbie, Sonny	Texas Tech	2021
Davis, Paul	Mississippi State	1963
DeBerry, Fisher	Air Force	1989, 1990 1991, 1992
Donahue, Terry	UCLA	1976
Dooley, Bill	North Carolina	1977
Dooley, Vince	Georgia	1967, 1987
Dye, Pat	Auburn	1984
Edwards, Earle	North Carolina State	1963, 1967
Edwards, Lavell	BYU	1998
Engle , Rip	Penn State	1959, 1960
Fambrough, Don	Kansas	1973
Faust, Gerry	Notre Dame	1983
Franklin, James	Vanderbilt	2011
Fulcher, William	Georgia Tech	1972
Gundy, Mike	Oklahoma State	2018
Gustafson, Andy	Miami-FL	1961
Gutekunst, John	Minnesota	1986
Harris, Walt	Pittsburgh	1997
Hatfield, Kenny	Arkansas	1984, 1987
Hawkins, Dan	Boise State	2004
Helton, Kim	Houston	1996
Hill, Pat	Fresno State	2005
Holgorsen, Dana	West Virginia	2014
Holtz, Lou	North Carolina State	1973
Holtz, Skip	East Carolina	2008, 2009
Jones, Butch	Cincinnati	2011
Jordon, Shug	Auburn	1965
Kleiman, Chris	Kansas State	2019
Kragthorpe, Steve	Tulsa	2005
Leach, Mike	Mississippi State	2021
Leipold, Lance	Kansas	2022
Logan, Steve	East Carolina	1994, 1995
Lubick, Sonny	Colorado State	1999, 2000, 2002
Majors, Johnny	Iowa State	1972
Majors, Johnny	Tennessee	1986
Mallory, Bill	Indiana	1988
McClendon, Charlie	LSU	1978
McKay, John	Southern California	1975
Meyer, Urban	Utah	2003
Monken, Jeff	Army	2020
Morrison, Joe	South Carolina	1988
Mullen, Dan	Mississippi State	2013
Niumatalolo, Ken	Navy	2019
Norvell, Mike	Memphis	2017
Nagle, Ray	Utah	1964
Odom, Barry	Missouri	2018
O'Leary, George	UCF	2007,2010
Osborne, Tom	Nebraska	1977
Pasqualoni, Paul	Syracuse	1996
Paterno, Joe	Penn State	1979
Patterson, Gary	TCU	2002, 2016
Perles, George	Michigan State	1993
Petrino, Bobby	Louisville & Arkansas	2004, 2009
Pittman, Jim	Tulane	1970
Pittman, Sam	Arkansas	2022
Powers , Warren	Missouri	1978, 1980
Prothro, Tommy	Oregon State	1962
Rhoads, Paul	Iowa State	2012
Richt, Mark	Georgia	2010
Scelfo, Chris	Tulane	1998
Schnellenberger, Howard	Louisville	1993
Schwartzwalder, Ben	Syracuse	1961
Sherrill, Jackie	Mississippi State	1991
Silverfield, Ryan	Memphis	2023
Smart, Kirby	Georgia	2016
Smith, John L.	Louisville	2000, 2001
Smith, Larry	Tulane	1979
Snyder, Bill	Kansas State	2015
Spurrier, Steve	South Carolina	2006
Sumlin, Kevin	Texas A&M	2014
Tate, Charlie	Miami-FL	1966
Teaff, Grant	Baylor	1985
Tepper, Lou	Illinois	1994
Vaught, John	Ole Miss	1965, 1968
Welsh, George	Navy	1981
White, Mike	Illinois	1982
Willingham, Tyrone	Stanford	1995
Young, Jim	Purdue	1980

THE HISTORY OF THE AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl takes place annually at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The Bowl is the seventh oldest college bowl game and is one of the most tradition-rich and patriotic bowl games in America.

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl game was founded in Philadelphia in 1959 and the inaugural game featured a match-up between Penn State and Alabama. That game began a tradition of great stars and exciting football and was the first of 64 thrilling chapters in the history of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Football Classic.

After five years in Philadelphia, the game moved indoors to Atlantic City Convention Center for one year and in the process became the first indoor college bowl game. Every AutoZone Liberty Bowl since 1965 has been held at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.

The AutoZone Liberty Bowl has enjoyed many highlights through the years. The Bowl has hosted all-time great coaches such as Paul “Bear” Bryant, Lou Holtz, Tom Osborne, Steve Spurrier and Bill Snyder. The Bowl’s history also includes four Heisman Trophy winners (Ernie Davis, Terry Baker, Doug Flutie and Bo Jackson) and other stars such as Archie Manning and Donovan McNabb.

Another proud tradition is the Bowl’s terrific partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital which brings together an internationally recognized research institution and a winning college football tradition. St. Jude is dedicated to helping children throughout the world in their fight against catastrophic diseases.

Beginning in 2004, Memphis-based AutoZone, Inc., became the Bowl’s title sponsor.

Memorable Moments in AutoZone Liberty Bowl History

December 19, 1959 – The game marked the beginning of a great bowl tradition and also was the first of 24 consecutive bowl trips for Paul “Bear” Bryant. The game was played at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia, PA.

December 15, 1961 – Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis led his Syracuse Orangemen to rally to a 15-14 win over the Miami Hurricanes. Davis was named the game’s Outstanding Back but teammate Dick Easterly won the MVP award.

December 15, 1962 – Heisman Trophy winner Terry Baker raced 99 yards with 9:24 left in the first quarter for the game’s only score. The run marked an AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Oregon State record. The mark still stands today.

December 19, 1964 – The inaugural game in Atlantic City, featuring Utah and West Virginia, marked the first time a major college bowl game was held indoors.

December 18, 1965 – Marked the first game held in Memphis, TN, and pitted Ole Miss against Auburn.

December 14, 1968 – Archie Manning led his Ole Miss Rebels to a 34-17 victory over Virginia Tech.

December 13, 1969 – Colorado running back Bobby Anderson rushed for an AutoZone Liberty Bowl record 254 yards.

December 18, 1972 – Georgia Tech’s backup quarterback Jim Stevens was named MVP after completing 12 of 15 passes for 157 yards in guiding Georgia Tech to a 31-30 victory over Iowa State.

December 17, 1973 – Lou Holtz and his N.C. State Wolfpack took a 10-10 tie in the 3rd quarter and pushed it to a 31-18 victory over Kansas.

December 20, 1976 – Terry Donahue faced off against Paul “Bear” Bryant. Bryant’s 16th ranked Crimson Tide dominated Donahue’s 7th ranked UCLA Bruins, 36-6.

December 19, 1977 – Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne called on backup quarterback Randy Garcia, who rallied the Cornhuskers with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to beat North Carolina 21-17.

December 22, 1979 – This game marked the only time a touchdown was not scored as Joe Paterno’s Penn State Nittany Lions defeated Tulane 9-6.

December 29, 1982 – The 1982 contest marked an end to a remarkable career as Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant coached his final game. Alabama defeated Illinois 21-15 before a crowd of 54,123.

December 29, 1983 – Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, but Notre Dame pulled out a 19-18 victory thanks to a missed extra point. Flutie was named the game’s MVP.

December 27, 1984 – Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson had two touchdown runs. Jackson’s 39-yard-touchdown run late in the fourth quarter gave Auburn a 21-15 win over Arkansas.

December 29, 1991 – A record crowd of 61,497 watched as Air Force defeated Mississippi State 38-15.

December 31, 1998 – Tulane capped an undefeated season by defeating BYU 41-27.

December 29, 2000 - #23 Colorado St. defeated #22 Louisville 22-17. The Rams finished the year 11-1 and ranked #16.

December 31, 2001- For the second year in a row, the Bowl featured a match-up of two Top 25 teams as #23 Louisville downed #19 BYU 28-10.

December 31, 2004 – The first match-up of two Top 10 teams as No. 7 Louisville took on No. 10 Boise State. This was the highest scoring game in AutoZone Liberty Bowl history until this point with Louisville defeating Boise State 44-40.

December 29, 2007 - In front of an all-time record crowd of 63,816 fans, Mississippi State defeated UCF 10-3.

January 2, 2009 - In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, the Bowl secured a January playing date for the first time in its history. Kentucky rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to knock off East Carolina, 25-19.

January 2, 2010 - A sellout crowd of 62,742, the second largest of all-time, watched the first-ever overtime game in AutoZone Liberty Bowl history, as Arkansas defeated East Carolina 20-17.

August 2013 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl announced new 6-year partnerships with the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conference creating an SEC versus Big 12 matchup in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl from 2014 through 2019.

February 21, 2014 - AutoZone extended its title sponsorship agreement for 6 additional years beginning in the 2014 season through the 2019 season.

January 2, 2016 - A sellout crowd of 61,136, watched Arkansas defeat Kansas State 45-23 in one of the most watched non-NY6 ESPN bowl games of the year.

December 30, 2017 - A capacity crowd of 57,266 watched Iowa State defeat Memphis 21-20.

December 28, 2022 - Arkansas defeated Kansas 55-53 in triple overtime and was the highest scoring game in AutoZone Liberty Bowl history. It was also the second overtime game and first ever 3 OT game in AutoZone Liberty Bowl history.