The Sun Bowl Game

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Legends of the Sun Bowl

Charley Johnson 1994

Charley Johnson

Sun Bowl Most Valuable Player
1959 & 1960
New Mexico State

Charley Johnson played collegiate football at New Mexico State University where he quarterbacked the Aggies to two winning appearances in the Sun Bowl in 1959 and 1960. He was the first two-time C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player. He completed 7-of-15 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns and rushed seven times for 31 yards at the 1959 Sun Bowl … One year later, he capped an undefeated season by completing 18 of 26 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in the 1960 Sun Bowl. Charley graduated from NMSU in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science Degree and subsequently earned his Master of Science and Doctor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Charley played 15 years in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, and Denver Broncos. While in professional football, he served as Team Captain for both the Oilers and the Broncos. He was also a pro-bowl quarterback in 1963 while a member of the Cardinals. His No. 33 jersey in the only retired number in Aggie history.

The Sun Bowl Game

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The first Sun Bowl game was played at El Paso High School’s Jones Stadium, with the El Paso All-Stars defeating Ranger 25-21.

1935
Texas Tech and West Virginia played the first Sun Bowl game at Kidd Field, a 15,000-seat stadium on the UTEP campus.

1938
Miami (Ohio) capped an undefeated season with a 13-12 Sun Bowl victory over Texas Tech.

1948
Two games were played in the same calendar year, Jan. 1 & Dec. 31.

1958
18,646 fans witnessed Oregon defeat SMU, 21-14, in the first Sun Bowl game played at Sun Bowl Stadium on Dec. 31.

1963
Tony Dorsett, Elliott Walker & Robert Haygood rushed for over 100 yards each as Pitt defeated Kansas, 33-19 before a sellout crowd.

1975
The first snow during a Sun Bowl game happened the first time the game was played on Christmas Day.

1982
The 50th edition of the game featured the highest-ranked team ever to play in El Paso – No. 6 SMU. Alabama rolled over SMU, 28-7.

1983
Maryland scored 28 second half points for the biggest comeback win in Sun Bowl history defeating Tennessee 28-27.

1984
The Sun Bowl became the first bowl to enter an agreement with a corporate sponsor signing a five-year contract with John Hancock.

1986
The highest TV rating (7.6) in 20 years also saw over 50,000 fans pack Sun Bowl Stadium to see Michigan State over USC, 17-16.

1990
Game is renamed the Norwest Sun Bowl after Norwest Corporation establishes a corporate relationship with the Sun Bowl Association.

1996
A Norwest/Wells Fargo Bank merger changes the name to Wells Fargo Sun Bowl.

1999
Name is changed to Vitalis Sun Bowl as the largest crowd in Sun Bowl history (51,288) witnesses Arizona State edge Purdue, 27-23.

2004
Renamed the Brut Sun Bowl after securing sponsor Helen of Troy Ltd. through 2009 making largest team payout ever: $1.9m/team.

2006
The game sold out in 22 hours setting a new stadium attendance record, 54,021 as Notre Dame and Miami renew their storied rivalry.

2010
Utah RB John White rushed for 124 yards on 26 carries scoring the winning touchdown in the Sun Bowl’s first ever overtime game.

2011
Sun Bowl fans were able to watch the future No. 2 (Mitch Trubisky) and No. 3 (Solomon Thomas) picks in the NFL Draft battle it out in their final collegiate football game.

2016
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes® is announced as the title sponsor of the newly-named Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.

2019

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Sun Bowl Association
4150 Pinnacle Street
Suite 100
El Paso, Texas 79902

Phone: (915) 533-4416
Toll Free: (800) 915-BOWL