The Mercy Bowl was the name to two one-off charity bowl games played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The first was played between Fresno State University and Bowling Green State University on November 23, 1961, as a special fundraiser in memory of sixteen Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo football players killed in a plane crash following a game against Bowling Green a year earlier.[1][2] The game raised $200,000 for the surviving widows and children and for a memorial in their honor. A second Mercy Bowl was staged in 1971 between CSUF and Fresno State University to benefit the fourteen surviving children of three CSUF assistant coaches and a pilot who died in an airplane crash a month earlier.

Game results

Date Winner Loser Location
November 23, 1961 Fresno State 36 Bowling Green 6 Los Angeles, California
December 11, 1971 Cal State Fullerton 17 Fresno State 14 Anaheim, California

See also

References

  1. ^ Walker, Ben (December 25, 2008). "Mercy Bowl helped a school heal". Seattle Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  2. ^ Foldesy, Jody. "Bowls burgeon as big business", The Washington Times. December 21, 1997. Page A1.
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