It was where Bear Bryant experienced his first and last bowl game as Alabama’s football coach.
It has been a showcase for players such as Boston College’s Doug Flutie and Auburn’s Bo Jackson the year before they won the Heisman Trophy.
And it once ranked among the top six or seven postseason destinations when only a dozen or so were around.
The Liberty Bowl may not have the marquee value it enjoyed during the 1970s, but its perseverance is undeniable.
“It has stood the test of time and has been one of the great revered names,” Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart said. “There are an awful lot of bowls that have come and gone, and some recently have been based on commercial situations that I won’t get into, but we’re based on patriotism and liberty and our relationship with the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We try to do things in a traditional kind of way.”
Ranking seventh among bowls held continuously, the Liberty Bowl will take place for a 52nd time on New Year’s Eve afternoon when Georgia (6-6) faces Conference USA champion Central Florida (10-3). Some traditions that have been around more than 40 years include both teams visiting St. Jude patients, a black-tie gala at The Peabody hotel honoring the wives of the coaches the night before the game, a patriotic pregame show and a halftime spectacular.
The O’Jays, whose “Love Train” hit remains popular through Coors Light commercials, will perform at the gala and at halftime.
“We hear that everybody that has been there has really enjoyed it,” Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said.
Founded in 1959 by former Villanova athletic director Bud Dudley, who flew missions over Europe in World War II, the Liberty Bowl originally was located in Philadelphia. Penn State, which had Joe Paterno as a young assistant coach, defeated Bryant’s Crimson Tide 7-0 in the inaugural game, but attendance lagged during the event’s first five years b because harsh weather conditions.
The bowl moved to Memphis in 1965 and experienced its golden era in 1975-77, when Southern Cal, Alabama and Nebraska won prime-time contests.
“I tell people that the Liberty Bowl was the highest-rated bowl game during that time, and they look at me like I’m crazy,” Ehrhart said. “In those days, we were the last Monday in December, and ABC did the games on Monday night with Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford. Everybody in America who was used to watching ‘Monday Night Football’ watched the Liberty Bowl, and we had ratings like 17s and 18s.”
The Liberty Bowl never had the same exposure once the NFL expanded to 16 regular-season games in 1978, but the matchups remained notable. Bryant coached Alabama to a 21-15 victory over Illinois during the 1982 game, which would be his 323rd and final win, and Notre Dame defeated Boston College a year later.
Notre Dame never had played in a bowl other than the Rose, Orange, Cotton or Sugar before electing to come to Memphis in ’83.
By the 1990s, however, there were established, balmy locales in Florida that tied in with the SEC. The Liberty Bowl could not match those luxuries and opted for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy winner for several seasons before going with the C-USA champ beginning in 1996.
The non-BCS powers out West also came to Memphis, with Urban Meyer’s Utah Utes winning the 2003 game and undefeated Boise State falling to Louisville, 44-40, in the ’04 matchup.
“We were attempting to be the fifth BCS bowl by matching the best of the non-BCS conferences,” Ehrhart said. “We thought that was the right solution, having the Liberty Bowl service the best from the east and the west and give us BCS status. They would not have had all this consternation, but instead the big guys gave them a whole different game.”
The Liberty Bowl linked with the SEC in 2006, and South Carolina, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Arkansas have won the past four meetings.
Ehrhart had a feeling Georgia would be his team this year after Richt spoke at an FCA event in Memphis in April and when sophomore receiver Marlon Brown, a Memphis native, recovered a key fumble in the 42-34 win over Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs played in the 1967 and 1987 Liberty bowls.
“I think our last seven games were decided on the last possession of the game,” Ehrhart said. “We’ve had some great competition on the field, and we’ve always tried to pick outstanding teams. We’re proud to have Georgia back.”