Senior Bowl

Updated on Sep 23, 2024

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Stadium Ladd–Peebles Stadium Operated 1950–present		Location Mobile, Alabama

Previous stadiums Gator Bowl Stadium (1950) Previous locations Jacksonville, Florida (1950) Instances 2017 Senior Bowl, 2016 Senior Bowl, 2015 Senior Bowl, 2014 Senior Bowl, 2012 Senior Bowl

2017 reeses senior bowl

The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd–Peebles Stadium the next year. Produced by the non-profit Mobile Arts & Sports Association, the game is also a charitable fund-raiser benefiting various local and regional organizations with over US$5.9 million in donations over its history.

In 2013, Reese's took over sponsorship of the game. Beginning in 2007, the telecast of the game moved to the NFL Network from ESPN, and added Under Armour as its title sponsor.

Background

Two teams, representing the North and the South, are coached by select coaching staff from two NFL teams. In recent years, the coaching staffs have come from teams who finished near the bottom of the league standings, but whose coaches were not subsequently terminated.

The week-long practice that precedes the game is attended by key NFL personnel (including coaches, general managers and scouts), who oversee the players as possible prospects for pro football. At one point the Senior Bowl was the first chance its participants had to openly receive pay for participation in an athletic event. This was one reason that participation was limited to seniors whose eligibility for further participation in collegiate football had expired, and the game was also their first exposure to the slightly different professional rules. Players who wished to participate in collegiate spring sports had to avoid participation in the Senior Bowl. The significance of all of this has waned in recent years as there has been some lessening of the former strict separation of professional and amateur athletes. Athletes sometimes decline invitations to participate in the Senior Bowl, opting instead to prepare for the NFL scouting combine or their colleges' pro day.

Its scheduling has varied even though since 1967 it has been traditionally set for the week before the NFL's Super Bowl (which itself is now played in February). It is usually established as the final game of the season, but for a period during the 1980s and 1990s, it was the next-to-the-last game (followed the following week by either the Hula Bowl or the now-dormant Gridiron Classic). The 2008 Senior Bowl was played as the college football season's penultimate game on January 26, followed by the Texas vs. The Nation Game February 1. The 2010 game was played on January 30.

The single-season record for number of players sent to the Senior Bowl from one school is 10 by Alabama in 1987, followed by nine sent by Auburn in 1988 and Southern California in 2008.

Game results

Winning team in bold

Tie game denoted in italics

All-time series: South (34-28–3); AFC (2–1)

From 1991 to 1993 the two teams were designated "AFC" and "NFC" to distinguish where their coaching staffs were from and to stress the professional nature of the game. This was confusing to some, as the game occurred well before the NFL draft and there was no way of determining which conference the players were actually going to wind up in to start their professional careers. In 1994 this was dropped and the designations were reverted to the traditional "North vs. South" format.

The first game in 1950 was played in Jacksonville, Florida. All subsequent games have been played in Mobile, Alabama.

50th Anniversary Senior Bowl All-Time Team

The following team was selected by fan voting:

Senior Bowl Hall of Fame

Established in 1987, the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame seeks to pay tribute to the many outstanding former Senior Bowl players who have made lasting contributions to the game of football. The Senior Bowl Hall of Fame also allows enshrinement to former coaches, administrators and other individuals whose efforts helped the Senior Bowl.

1988 – Joe Greene, Lee Roy Jordan, Steve Largent, Joe Namath, Walter Payton, Pat Sullivan, Jim Taylor, Travis Tidwell

1989 – Ed Jones, Ozzie Newsome, John Stallworth, Gene Upshaw, Jack Youngblood

1990 – Paul Brown, Tucker Frederickson, Jerry Kramer, Neil Lomax, Wellington Mara, Finley McRae, Jack Pardee, Rea Scheussler

1991 – Morten Andersen, James Brooks, Dave Butz, Weeb Ewbank, Doug Williams

1992 – Franco Harris, Mike Holovak, Sam Huff, Dan Marino, Don Shula, Pat Swilling

1993 – Cornelius Bennett, Bear Bryant, Ralph Jordan, Tom Landry, Marty Schottenheimer, Lynn Swann

1994 – Robert Brazile, Rickey Jackson, Mark Rypien, Jim Simpson

1995 – Bob Baumhower, Pat Dye, Bo Jackson, Gene Washington

1996 – James Lofton, Dick Steinberg, Kellen Winslow

1997 – Bob Hayes, Sterling Sharpe, Doak Walker

1998 – Jim McMahon, Ray Nitschke, Thurman Thomas

1999 – Tom Banks, Dale Carter, Paul Krause, Albert Lewis, Randall McDaniel, Art Monk, E. B. Peebles, Jr., Derrick Thomas, Roger Wehrli