The Alamo Bowl is a major American college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The current champions are the Baylor Bears. It matches the second choice team from the Pacific-12 Conference and the third choice team from the Big 12 Conference.

Traditionally, the Alamo Bowl has been played in December. The game following the 2009 season marked the first time the game was played in January, making it be played in 2010. The game following the 2010 season returned to December.

History[link]

The game was previously known as the Builders Square Alamo Bowl (1993–1998), the Sylvania Alamo Bowl (1999–2001) and the MasterCard Alamo Bowl (2002–2005). The logo of the event has evolved to reflect the changes in sponsorship. On May 24, 2007 the Alamo Bowl announced a partnership with Valero Energy Corporation, and thus the bowl's full name was changed to the Valero Alamo Bowl.

The game originally gave an automatic invite to a team from the now-defunct Southwest Conference (SWC). However, in 1993, only two of the eight SWC teams finished with the necessary 6 wins against Division 1-A teams to become bowl-eligible (and those two teams were already committed to other bowls). The Alamo Bowl invited the Iowa Hawkeyes instead. The SWC was able to provide participants for the next two seasons (Baylor and Texas A&M) before the conference disbanded.

During the 1996 Alamo Bowl, the Iowa Hawkeyes wore plain black helmets (removing their tigerhawk logo and gold stripe) in honor of linebacker Mark Mitchell's mother, who died in a car accident while traveling to San Antonio for the game.

The 2002 Alamo Bowl played between Colorado and Wisconsin was the first ever Alamo Bowl to go into overtime, with the unranked Badgers defeating the No. 14 ranked Buffaloes after kicking a field goal to win 31–28, completing a perfect non-conference schedule at 6-0 (they went 2-6 in the Big Ten). The 2008 Alamo Bowl between Missouri and Northwestern also went into overtime, with Missouri defeating Northwestern 30–23.

The 2005 Alamo Bowl ended on one of the most controversial plays in bowl game history,^[1] a multi-lateral play in which almost the entire Nebraska team and coaching staff (as well as a few Michigan players, Michigan coaches and media) entered onto the field, and Nebraska gave their coach the Gatorade Dunk before the play was blown dead, bringing up memories of 1982's "The Play", 2000's "Music City Miracle", and 2002's "Bluegrass Miracle".

The 2007 Alamo Bowl between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Texas A&M Aggies was attended by 66,166, which set an Alamodome facility-record crowd for a sporting event, breaking the previous year's game between Iowa and Texas. Penn State won the game 24–17.^[1][2]

The Alamo Bowl has sold out seven of its sixteen games (1995, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2011).^[3]

On August 28, 2009, the Alamo Bowl organizers announced they had reached an agreement with the then-Pac-10 Conference to replace the Big Ten in the Alamo Bowl. Under the terms of the agreement, the now-Pac-12's second-choice team earns a bid to the Alamo Bowl. The agreement takes effect beginning with the 2010 college football season.^[4] The now-Pac-12's second-choice team was previously contracted to play in the Holiday Bowl against a Big 12 team; that bowl will instead take the #3 team in the Pac-12 to face a Big 12 opponent.

In the 2011 Alamo Bowl the Baylor Bears and Washington Huskies combined to score 123 points, breaking the record for the most points scored in a bowl game in college football history. Baylor won the game 67-56. The 2011 game was also the first Alamo Bowl to feature the season's Heisman Trophy winner, Baylor's Robert Griffin.

Media coverage[link]

The Alamo Bowl has produced eight of the top 20 most-watched bowl games in ESPN history. In 2006, the Alamo Bowl featured the Texas Longhorns and the Iowa Hawkeyes in a game that earned a 6.0 rating, making it the most-watched college football game in ESPN history as more than 8.83 million viewers saw the telecast.^[5]

Game results[link]

^†Rankings reflect rank at time of bowl game and taken from AP Top 25 poll

MVPs[link]

Most appearances[link]

Wins by conference[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website of the Alamo Bowl

Robert P. Griffin
United States Senator from Michigan
In office May 11, 1966 – January 3, 1979 Serving with Philip A. Hart (1966-1975) and Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (1975-1979)
Preceded by	Patrick V. McNamara
Succeeded by	Carl Levin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th district
In office January 3, 1957 – May 10, 1966
Preceded by	Ruth Thompson
Succeeded by	Guy Vander Jagt
14th Minority Whip of the United States Senate
In office September 7, 1969 – January 3, 1977
Leader	Hugh D. Scott, Jr.
Preceded by	Hugh D. Scott, Jr. (R)
Succeeded by	Ted Stevens (R)
Personal details
Born	(1923-11-06) November 6, 1923 (age 88) Detroit, Michigan
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Central Michigan College University of Michigan Law School
Religion	Congregationalist
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1946
Unit	71st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II

Robert Paul Griffin (born November 6, 1923) was a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan and Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Griffin was born in Detroit, Michigan and attended public schools in Garden City and Dearborn. During the Second World War, he enlisted in the 71st Infantry Division in 1943 and spent fourteen months in Europe. After the war, he graduated from Central Michigan College (now Central Michigan University) at Mount Pleasant in 1947. He received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1950. He commenced the practice of law in Traverse City.

Griffin was elected as a Republican to U.S. House of Representatives from the Michigan's 9th congressional district in 1956, unseating incumbent Ruth Thompson in the Republican primary. He served in the Eighty-fifth United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1957, until his resignation May 10, 1966. He was appointed by Governor George Romney on May 11, 1966, to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Patrick V. McNamara. He was elected November 8, 1966, to a full six-year term, defeating former Governor Soapy Williams by a 56% to 44% margin, commencing January 3, 1967 and was reelected in 1972, winning a tough race against state Attorney General Frank J. Kelley, and served from May 11, 1966, to January 2, 1979. He was Republican Whip 1969–1977. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978, narrowly defeated by Democrat Carl Levin. He was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court 1987–1994. His son, Richard Allen Griffin, was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from 1989 to 2005, until he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 2005.

During Griffin's first Senate campaign in 1966, a suburban Detroit rock band, Doug Brown and the Omens, released a promotional flexidisc in support of his candidacy. The song, "Give Bob The Ball" (which extolled Griffin's "youth and experience") has been included on the garage rock compilation album Friday At The Hideout.

Robert Griffin is currently (as of 2010^[update]) a resident of Traverse City.

Bibliography[link]

• Griffin, Robert P. "The Landrum-Griffin Act: Twelve Years of Experience in Protecting Employee Rights." Georgia Law Review 5 (summer 1971): 622–42
• Griffin, Robert P. "Rules and Procedure of the Standing Committees." In We Propose: A Modern Congress, edited by Mary McInnis, pp. 37–53. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1966.

External links[link]

• Presentation of the Portrait of the Honorable Robert P. Griffin
• Robert P. Griffin at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

v t e United States Senate Minority Whips Wadsworth • Curtis • Gerry • Sheppard • Hebert • Wherry • Lucas • Saltonstall • Clements • Saltonstall • Dirksen • Kuchel • Scott • Griffin • Stevens • Cranston • Simpson • Ford • Reid • Nickles • Reid • Nickles • Reid • Durbin • Lott • Kyl

v t e United States Senators from Michigan Class 1 Lyon Porter Cass Fitzgerald Cass Chandler Christiancy Chandler Baldwin Conger Stockbridge Patton Burrows Townsend Ferris Vandenberg Moody Potter Hart Riegle Abraham Stabenow Class 2 Norvell Woodbridge Felch Stuart Bingham Howard Ferry Palmer McMillan Alger Smith Newberry Couzens Brown Ferguson McNamara Griffin Levin

Eric Eugene Crouch (born November 16, 1978) is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks. He also is a TV sports analyst and recreational equipment vendor.

Crouch played college football for the University of Nebraska. In 2001 Crouch won the Heisman Trophy, awarded annually to the most outstanding collegiate football player in the United States. He also won the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, given annually to the best collegiate quarterback in the US. During that year running Nebraska's option offense,^[1] he completed 105 of 189 passes for 1,510 yards and seven touchdowns, while also rushing for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns. Crouch was the USA Today Nebraska Player of the Year, and a Parade All-American athlete at Millard North High School, where he was a two-time All-State selection at quarterback. Crouch appeared on the cover of the video game NCAA College Football 2K3.

College football[link]

Ankle surgery forced Crouch to redshirt for the 1997 co-national championship-winning season.^[2] In 1998, Bobby Newcombe began the season as the starting quarterback, but he was sidelined by a knee injury after the first game and Crouch took over the starting duties. Against UAB, Crouch rushed for two touchdowns and completed 11 of 17 passes in his first career start. 1998 proved to be a chaotic season for the Cornhuskers. Crouch made another start before being replaced by a healthy Bobby Newcombe. Newcombe started the next five games, but was pulled in the middle of a game because of a PCL strain. Senior walkon, Monte Christo, took over for Newcombe, and started the following week against Texas. With Texas leading 10-0 in the middle of the second quarter, Christo was pulled and replaced by Crouch. Crouch remained the starter for the rest of the season, which ended with a 23-20 loss to Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.

The next fall Newcombe was named the starting quarterback, and it was rumored that Crouch might leave the team. Crouch, however, was given significant playing time in the first and second games. He started the third game against Southern Mississippi, and Newcombe moved to wingback. Crouch led Nebraska in a season that saw NU avenge its only loss of the season in a rematch against Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Cornhuskers finished the season with a 12-1 record and ranked No. 3 after defeating Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl.

Crouch started every game in the 2000 season, which ended with a 66-17 trouncing of Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl. Nebraska's only losses during the 10-2 season were to eventual national champion, Oklahoma Sooners, and the Kansas State Wildcats.

In 2001 Crouch had his best year, breaking school or NCAA records almost weekly and appearing to be a serious contender for the Heisman Trophy. In the first game of the 2001 season, a 21-7 defeat of TCU, Crouch surpassed Tommie Frazier as Nebraska's all-time total offense leader. He became the Big 12 all-time career rushing quarterback in the emotionally-charged game against Rice. The next week, against Missouri, Crouch was backed up near the goal line when he scrambled to escape from defenders and pulled off a 95-yard touchdown run, the longest in school history. Against Iowa State the following week, Crouch broke the record for career touchdowns by a quarterback. Crouch became only the fourth player in Division 1 history to both pass and rush for 3000 yards in a career with his performance against Texas Tech. Next, in a hard-fought game against defending national champion Oklahoma, Crouch again showed off his speed and playmaking abilities, this time serving as quarterback and receiver in a single play, the famous Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass in which Crouch made a 63-yard touchdown reception. By mid-November Crouch had set a school record for most career wins as a starter and became only the ninth quarterback in D-1A history to have won 35 games as a starter. The Cornhuskers were 11-0 going into the annual contest with Colorado the day after Thanksgiving. Crouch had a career day, setting the school record for offense yards in a single game with 360 yards. The Nebraska defense was dominated by the Buffaloes, however, and gave up a then-record 62 points to Colorado. The 62-36 loss appeared to have ended Nebraska's hopes of playing for the national championship and to have hurt Crouch's chances of winning the Heisman. Two weeks later, however, Crouch was announced as the recipient of the award, edging out Florida's Rex Grossman and Miami's Ken Dorsey in the closest Heisman ballot since 1985. His outstanding season also was recognized when he won the Davey O'Brien Award for being the best collegiate quarterback in the nation during the 2001 season. In the meantime several highly-ranked teams were upset and in the final BCS rankings, Nebraska beat out one-loss Oregon and two-loss Colorado to earn the No. 2 spot in the BCS rankings. The final BCS rankings were steeped in controversy since Nebraska had the chance to play in the Rose Bowl for the national championship despite not winning a conference or division championship. In the Rose Bowl on January 3, 2002, Crouch rushed for 114 yards against the Miami Hurricanes but was denied a touchdown for the first time since September, 1999. The No. 1 Hurricanes defeated the Cornhuskers 37-14, leaving Crouch with a 35-7 record as a starting quarterback.^[3]

Awards[link]

• 2001 Heisman Trophy
• 2001 Davey O'Brien Award
• 2001 Walter Camp Award
• 2001 Big 12 Conference offensive player of the year
• 2000 Third-Team All-American (College Football News)
• 2000 Second-Team All-Big 12 (AP, Sporting News, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle)
• 2000 Third-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches)
• 2000 Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP vs. Tennessee
• 1999 Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Year (Coaches)

Records[link]

• One of three quarterbacks in Division 1-A history to rush for 3,000 and pass for 4,000 yards in a career
• 13th player in NCAA to rush and pass for 1,000 in a season (1,115 rushing, 1,510 passing)
• Nebraska career total offense leader with 7,915 yards
• Former Nebraska single-season total offense leader with 2,688 yards
• Former Nebraska single-game total offense record of 360 yards
• Nebraska career total-offense touchdown leader with 88
• Owns Nebraska career record for most rushing yards by a quarterback (3,434)
• NCAA record for most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (59)
• Most rushing attempts by a Husker quarterback (648)
• Former Nebraska total TD passes in a game (5 vs. Iowa)
• Most rushing TDs in a game by a quarterback (4 vs. Kansas)
• Set a QB record for most rushing TDs in a season (20)
• Set school records in 2001 for most rushing attempts in a season for a quarterback (203)
• Most total offense yards by a sophomore (2,158)
• Tied an NCAA record by scoring a TD via run, pass, reception in the same game (vs. University of California, Berkeley, 1999)
• Nebraska school record longest run from scrimmage, 95 yards (vs. Missouri, 2001)

Professional football[link]

NFL and NFL Europe[link]

Crouch was initially drafted by the St. Louis Rams of the NFL as a wide receiver, but still wanted to play quarterback. Crouch, however, was seen by NFL teams as being too short to play quarterback. His athleticism was seen as better suited for playing wideout, but a hard tackle by a defensive player caused him to have 150cc of blood drained from his leg. Because of the injury, Crouch left the team before playing a game.

Crouch signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in January 2005, and was allocated to the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe. Crouch converted to the safety position, recording 25 tackles and 2 passes defended.

CFL[link]

Crouch's opportunity to play quarterback at the professional level finally came when he signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League on February 15, 2006 as a quarterback. (The Argonauts had owned his CFL rights for several years.) In his inaugural CFL season Crouch eventually became the fourth-string quarterback in Toronto, behind Damon Allen, Michael Bishop, and Spergon Wynn. On July 22, 2006, Crouch made his regular season CFL debut against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina, Saskatchewan. Coming in at the start of the second half following an injury to Wynn, Crouch sealed the win for Toronto with solid play, including a 94-yard pass completion to Arland Bruce III.

In 2007 Crouch was expected to battle Michael Bishop, Damon Allen, Mike McMahon and Tom Arth for the Argos' starting quarterback position, but he eventually faltered because of injury. He began the season on the nine-week disabled list.^[6][7] After coming off the disabled list, Crouch was released by the Argos on September 6, 2007.

AAFL[link]

On September 25, 2007, Crouch signed with the upstart All-American Football League. He was drafted 3rd overall by Team Texas on January 26, 2008, in the first round of the league's inaugural draft. He was, however, released from his contract (along with all AAFL players) when the league canceled its debut season.

UFL[link]

On April 9, 2011, Crouch attended a public workout for the United Football League's Omaha Nighthawks. Although Coach Moglia praised the workout, he has yet to commit to resuming Crouch's playing career. On June 8, 2011, Crouch accepted an invitation to attend the Nighthawks mini-camp.^[8][9] On June 10, 2011, he was added to the Nighthawks official roster.^[10]

Post-playing career[link]

Crouch is currently a sales territory manager for a major medical device manufacturer in the US. Crouch is now a vendor of playground and recreation equipment at Crouch Recreation in Omaha, Nebraska.^[11]

He has been a TV studio analyst for KETV Channel 7 in Omaha, and a studio analyst on Versus.

See also[link]

• List of Division I FBS rushing touchdown leaders

References[link]

External links[link]

• Nebraska profile
• Eric Crouch at the Heisman Trophy