{{Infobox college football bowl game | name = Pecan Bowl | full_name = | nickname = | defunct = yes | logo = | image_size = | caption = | location = Arlington, Texas (1968–1970)<br>Abilene, Texas (1964–1967)<br>Orangeburg, South Carolina (1946–1947) | stadium = Turnpike Stadium (1970)<br>Memorial Stadium (1968–1969)<br>Shotwell Stadium (1964–1967) | previous_stadiums = | previous_locations = | years = 1964–1970<br>1946–1947 | previous_tie-ins = | conference_tie-ins = | payout = | sponsors = | former_names = }} The '''Pecan Bowl''' was the name of two college football bowl games played in two different eras. The initial version, in 1946 and 1947, was contested by historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The later version, held from 1964 through 1970, was an NCAA College Division regional final.

==History== ===HBCUs=== The original Pecan Bowl was played in Orangeburg, South Carolina in 1946 and 1947. Both games were hosted (and won) by South Carolina State.<ref name=NCAApdf>{{cite web |url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2016/bowls.pdf |title=BOWL/ALL STAR GAME RECORDS |year=2016 |publisher=NCAA |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref>

===College Division=== The Pecan Bowl name was revived for one of the four regional finals of the College Division, before it was subdivided into Division II and Division III in 1973. The game served as the championship for the Midwest Region from 1964 to 1970, at a time when there were no playoffs at any level of NCAA football. For the smaller colleges and universities, as for the major programs, the national champion was determined by polls conducted by the leading news wire services.

The bowl was played in Abilene, Texas from 1964 to 1967 and in Arlington, Texas, from 1968 to 1970.<ref>{{cite web|author1=George Breazeale|title=Pecan Bowl|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/xsp01|website=Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref> The intent for the Midwest game was to match the two best non-major teams from a region of eleven states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. The other three regional finals were the Tangerine (later Boardwalk), Grantland Rice, and Camellia bowls. Louisiana was moved to the Mideast Region in 1967, prior to the Grantland Rice Bowl relocating from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to Baton Rouge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/NCAA-News-19671101/NCAA-News-19671101_djvu.txt|title = NCAA News 19671101|date = November 1967}}</ref>

The bowl name was selected through a public contest in 1964, and was considered appropriate as Abilene is in the Texas pecan belt.<ref name=contest>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10217342/pecan_is_ncaa_bowl_name/ |title=Pecan Is NCAA Bowl Name |url-access=limited |newspaper=Abilene Reporter-News |location=Abilene, Texas |via=newspapers.com |date=October 5, 1964 |access-date=April 12, 2017}}</ref> The game was played four times at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, before moving to Arlington's Memorial Stadium in 1968.<ref name=pbset>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IAEzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cukDAAAAIBAJ&pg=968%2C403994 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Pecan Bowl set |date=April 17, 1968 |page=12}}</ref> The last Pecan Bowl was held at Arlington's Turnpike Stadium, a minor-league baseball facility subsequently expanded to serve as the initial home of the Texas Rangers in 1972.

The inaugural game matched the State College of Iowa (now the University of Northern Iowa) and Lamar Tech (now Lamar University), and was won by State College.<ref name=nyt64>{{cite web|title=Iowa Team tops Lamar Tech, 19-17 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/12/13/iowa-team-tops-lamar-tech-1917.html?_r=0|newspaper=New York Times|agency=UPI|access-date=March 22, 2016|date=December 13, 1964}}</ref><ref name=scsparks>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KzlWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vegDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4444%2C4178605 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Schultz sparks Pecan Bowl win |date=December 13, 1964 |page=1, sports}}</ref> Two schools made three appearances in the Pecan Bowl, North Dakota State and Arkansas State, with both winning twice and losing once. They played each other in 1968, in a game won by top-ranked NDSU.<ref name=nd68>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=drVWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cekDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5573%2C6268893 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=North Dakota State beats Arkansas State in 'Pecan' |date=December 15, 1968 |page=3, sports}}</ref>

In March 1971 the Midwest regional final was moved from Arlington to Wichita Falls, Texas, where it was rebranded as the Pioneer Bowl.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/780904588/?match=1&clipping_id=137728699|first=Ted |last=Buss |title=Pecan Bowl Picks City As New Site|newspaper=Wichita Falls Times|date=March 16, 1971 |access-date=December 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/781027848/?match=1&clipping_id=137728227|title=New Name Picked For NCAA Classic |newspaper=Wichita Falls Times|date=May 6, 1971 |access-date=December 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

==Game results== ===HBCUs=== {| class="wikitable" style= |- ! Date || colspan="2"| Winner || colspan="2" | Loser || Location || Attendance || Ref. |- | December 7, 1946 || South Carolina State || 13 || {{cfb link|year=1946|team=Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls|title=Johnson C. Smith}} || 6 || rowspan=2|Orangeburg,<br>South Carolina || 4,000 || <ref name=NCAApdf /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10218022/sc_state_is_pecan_winner/ |title=S. C. State Is 'Pecan' Winner |agency=Associated Press|url-access=limited |newspaper=The Greenville News |location=Greenville, South Carolina |via=newspapers.com |date=December 8, 1946 |access-date=April 11, 2017}}</ref> |- | December 13, 1947 || South Carolina State || align=center|7 || {{cfb link|year=1947|team=Allen Yellow Jackets|title=Allen}} || 0 || 3,000 || <ref name=NCAApdf /> |}

===College Division=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Date || colspan="2"| Winning team || colspan="2" | Losing team || Location || Attendance || Notes || Ref. |- | December 12, 1964 || State College of Iowa || 19 || Lamar Tech || 17 || Abilene, Texas || 7,500 || || <ref name=nyt64/><ref name=scsparks/> |- | December 11, 1965 || North Dakota State || 20 || Grambling || 7 || Abilene, Texas || 8,500 || || <ref name=pbtndst>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1965/12/12/page/77/article/pecan-bowl-to-n-dakota-state-20-to-7|newspaper=Chicago Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Pecan Bowl to N. Dakota State 20 to 7, |date=December 12, 1965 |page=4, section 2}}</ref> |- | December 10, 1966 || North Dakota || 42 || {{cfb link|year=1966|team=Parsons Wildcats|title=Parsons}} || 24 || Abilene, Texas || 8,000 || || <ref name=ct66pars>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1966/12/11/page/68/article/pecan-bowl-passes-rout-parsons-ia|newspaper=Chicago Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Pecan Bowl passes rout Parsons (Ia.)|date=December 11, 1966 |page=2, section 2}}</ref> |- | December 16, 1967 || Texas–Arlington || 13 || North Dakota State || 0 || Abilene, Texas || 1,200 || || <ref name=arstp>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=G9BYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FukDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1665%2C892886|newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington|title=Arlington stops N.D. State 13-0 |date=December 17, 1967 |page=1, sports}}</ref><ref name=arcappbl>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VwFaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GUsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3358%2C2569810 |newspaper=Victoria Advocate |location=Texas |agency=Associated Press |title=Arlington captures Pecan Bowl |date=December 17, 1967 |page=17A}}</ref> |- | December 14, 1968 || North Dakota State || 23 || Arkansas State || 14 || Arlington, Texas || 7,200 || || <ref name=nd68/> |- | December 13, 1969 || Arkansas State || 29 || {{cfb link|year=1969|team=Drake Bulldogs |title=Drake}} || 21 || Arlington, Texas || 7,500 || notes || <ref name=ark69drk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_uYRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aOsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3312%2C4835559 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Arkansas State defeats Drake |date=December 14, 1969 |page=3, sports}}</ref><ref name=ctarktbc>{{cite news |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1969/12/14/page/60/article/arkansas-state-turns-back-drake |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |agency=Associated Press |title=Arkansas State turns back Drake |date=December 14, 1969 |page=6, section 2}}</ref> |- | December 12, 1970 || Arkansas State || 38 || {{cfb link|year=1970|team=Central Missouri State Mules |title=Central Missouri State}} || 21 || Arlington, Texas || 9,500 || || <ref name=ctms70>{{cite web |title=Arkansas State Pecan winner |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1970/12/13/page/70/article/arkansas-state-pecan-winner |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |agency=Associated Press |date=December 13, 1970 |page=6, section 2}}</ref><ref name=toprtg>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wupWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ku0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6155%2C4742093 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington|agency=Associated Press |title=Top-rated grid team wins bowl |date=December 13, 1970 |page=3, sports}}</ref> |}

==See also== * List of college bowl games

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6LAMKoM4Bc 1966 Pecan Bowl Game Film (Parsons in dark jerseys)]

Category:Defunct college football bowls