The Dixie Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game held New Year's Day at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. The game was only held twice, following the 1947 and 1948 seasons, after which it was discontinued. Birmingham and Legion Field have since played host to a number of other bowl games including the Hall of Fame Classic, All-American Bowl and the BBVA Compass Bowl. Baylor hosted Wake Forest and beat them 20-7. Now in 2010, Legion Field is where the UAB Blazers play football.
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Both games featured teams from the Southern Conference and the Southwest Conference, with the SWC representative winning each one.
1948 Dixie Bowl
Arkansas and #20 William & Mary squared off in the inaugural Dixie Bowl on January 1, 1948. The game was played in front of 22,000 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Arkansas took a 14-13 lead into halftime. The Tribe scored six in the 3rd to take a 19-14 lead. Arkansas would score the game-winning touchdown on a 7-yard run to win the game 21-19.
1949 Dixie Bowl
The second Dixie Bowl was between the Baylor Bears and the #20 Wake Forest Demon Deacons in front of 20,000 in Birmingham. Baylor opened the scoring in the 1st with a 1-yard run (PAT no good), giving them a 6-0 lead. In the 2nd, A 1-yard run and a 12-yard pass made it 20-0 at halftime. Baylor's defense let in one touchdown in the 3rd to win the game 20-7. The game was a bit lopsided despite WFU winning the yardage battle 277-212.