The Senior Bowl is an all-star college football exhibition game usually played either at or towards the end of the college football season in January. Held annually since 1950, first in Jacksonville, Florida, and a year later in Mobile, Alabama (where it has been held since), the Senior Bowl is also a showcase for potential future NFL stars, some that go on to the NFL Draft itself.

Two teams, representing the North and the South, are coached by select coaching staff from two NFL teams.

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 openly to 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.

For many decades, the Senior Bowl was the final game of the college football season, but in recent years has been the next-to-the-last game (followed the following week by either the Hula Bowl or the Gridiron Classic). However, the 2005 Senior Bowl was played on January 29, 2005 as the final game of the 2004-2005 season.

Scores of Senior Bowls

1950s

• 1950 North, 23-22*
• 1951 South, 19-18
• 1952 North, 20-6
• 1953 North, 28-23
• 1954 North, 20-14
• 1955 South, 12-6
• 1956 South, 12-2
• 1957 South, 21-7
• 1958 North, 15-13
• 1959 South, 21-12

1960s

• 1960 North, 26-7
• 1961 South, 33-26
• 1962 South, 42-7
• 1963 South, 33-27
• 1964 South, 28-21
• 1965 tie, 7-7
• 1966 South, 27-18
• 1967 North, 35-13
• 1968 South, 24-21
• 1969 North, 27-16

1970s

• 1970 tie, 37-37
• 1971 North, 31-13
• 1972 North, 26-21
• 1973 South,3 33-30
• 1974 North, 16-13
• 1975 tie, 17-17
• 1976 North, 42-35
• 1977 North, 27-24
• 1978 tie, 17-17
• 1979 South, 41-21

1980s

• 1980 North, 57-3
• 1981 North, 23-10
• 1982 South, 27-10
• 1983 North, 14-6
• 1984 South, 21-20
• 1985 South, 23-7
• 1986 North, 31-17
• 1987 South, 42-38
• 1988 North, 21-7
• 1989 South, 13-12

1990s

• 1990 North, 41-0
• 1991 AFC, 38-28
• 1992 AFC, 13-10
• 1993 NFC, 21-6
• 1994 South, 35-32
• 1995 South, 14-7
• 1996 North, 25-10
• 1997 North, 35-14
• 1998 South, 31-8
• 1999 South, 31-21

2000s

• 2000 North, 24-21
• 2001 South, 21-16
• 2002 South, 41-26
• 2003 North, 17-0
• 2004 South, 28-10
• 2005 North, 23-13

(25-24-4 in favor of the South) (*) indicates the first game was played at Jacksonville, Florida.

From 1991 to 1993 the two teams were designated "NFC" and "AFC" to distniguish 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.

External links

• Official Senior Bowl Website