Blue–Gray Football Classic


The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama, usually in late December and often on Christmas Day. The brainchild of Alabama college football legend Champ Pickens, the contest began in 1939 and was held annually through 2001, with the exception of 1943 due to World War II.
All of the games, except for the final contest, were played at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, under the auspices of the Montgomery Lions Club. The game was not contested in 2002, then was revived briefly in 2003 at Movie Gallery Stadium in Troy, Alabama. Lacking a major television sponsor, the game was discontinued thereafter.

History

The format pitted players who attended college in the states of the former Confederacy, the "Grays", who wore white jerseys, against players who attended school in the northern half of the country, the "Blues", who wore blue jerseys, and also sometimes including players from western teams. Both teams wore gray pants. Only seniors played in this game, because it was their first venture into professional football, as they were paid for their participation.
The game was almost always the first major college all-star game of the year. For this reason, it was difficult to get some of the collegiate stars, because many of them were preparing at the same time for bowl games with their regular teams. Also, many potential players preferred to spend Christmas at home. In the game's later years, most of the players came from teams with losing records and from smaller schools which do not play NCAA Division I football. The Classic gave these players an opportunity to be noticed by NFL scouts and others who may not have had the opportunity to observe them previously. Most such players now attend the NFL Combine for evaluation.
The game was slow to desegregate. In 1963, NBC, which had televised the game for much of its run, dropped it from the schedule when the Lions Club refused to integrate it. The game desegregated in 1965, which in turn convinced CBS to carry a telecast. From then on, the Classic showcased many African American stars from smaller, lesser-known schools. Jerry Rice played in the 1984 game and was named the Most Valuable Player.
The Classic also made many concessions to make it more television-friendly. In 1975, Mizlou Television Network, which carried the game that year, cut three minutes off the game clock by shortening the first quarter to 12 minutes long. The Classic's committee, angered by the change, asserted control over the game clock for future games so that such an incident could not happen again. The game also used a "rally rule": after either team scored, if one of the two teams was losing by ten or more points, they would receive the kickoff, in order to keep the game close and prevent the loss of viewership which often occurs in lopsided games. From 1979 onward, the game was played on Christmas Day, which may have tended to limit the live attendance, but ensured it was on television at a time when potential viewership was great.
The game was not played in 2002 after longtime sponsor Kelly Springfield Tire decided to discontinue its sponsorship, and the Lions Club was unable to find a new sponsor in time. However, it was unlikely in any event the game would have been played that year due to the poor condition of the Cramton Bowl: the stadium, built in 1923, had not been well maintained over the years, and by this time it was literally crumbling.
The Lions Club was instrumental in reviving the game at Troy University's Movie Gallery Stadium, 50 miles south of Montgomery. It was generally thought that the Lions Club and others would have liked to return the game to Montgomery, but opted not to do so because it was unable to find a suitable replacement venue in the Montgomery area.
The Cramton Bowl was ultimately renovated in 2011, today hosting the Camellia Bowl; a new Montgomery football stadium was also constructed at the same time.

Game results

64 Blue–Gray Football Classics were played. Gray won 33 games, Blue won 29 games, and two games tied. All were played in Montgomery, Alabama, except the 2003 game, played in Troy, Alabama.
#DateWinnerScore
1January 1, 1939Blue7–0
2December 30, 1939Gray33–20
3December 28, 1940Blue14–12
4December 27, 1941Gray16–0
5December 26, 1942Gray24–0
6December 30, 1944Gray24–7
7December 29, 1945Blue26–0
8December 28, 1946Gray20–13
9December 27, 1947Gray33–6
10December 25, 1948Blue19–13
11December 31, 1949Gray27–13
12December 30, 1950Gray31–6
13December 29, 1951Gray20–14
14December 27, 1952Gray28–7
15December 26, 1953Gray40–20
16December 25, 1954Blue14–7
17December 31, 1955Gray20–19
18December 29, 1956Blue14–0
19December 28, 1957Gray21–20
20December 27, 1958Blue16–0
21December 26, 1959Blue20–8
22December 31, 1960Blue35–7

#DateWinnerScore
23December 30, 1961Gray9–7
24December 29, 1962Blue10–6
25December 28, 1963Gray21–14
26December 26, 1964Blue10–6
27December 25, 1965Gray23–19
28December 24, 1966Blue14–9
29December 30, 1967Blue22–16
30December 28, 1968Gray28–7
31December 27, 1969Tie6–6
32December 28, 1970Gray9–0
33December 28, 1971Gray27–15
34December 27, 1972Gray20–14
35December 18, 1973Blue20–14
36December 17, 1974Blue29–24
37December 19, 1975Blue14–13
38December 24, 1976Gray31–10
39December 30, 1977Blue20–16
40December 29, 1978Gray28–24
41December 25, 1979Blue22–13
42December 25, 1980Blue24–23
43December 25, 1981Blue21–9
44December 25, 1982Gray20–10

#DateWinnerScore
45December 25, 1983Gray17–13
46December 25, 1984Gray33–6
47December 25, 1985Blue27–20
48December 25, 1986Blue31–7
49December 25, 1987Gray12–10
50December 25, 1988Blue22–21
51December 25, 1989Gray28–10
52December 25, 1990Blue17–14
53December 25, 1991Gray20–12
54December 25, 1992Gray27–17
55December 25, 1993Gray17–10
56December 25, 1994Blue38–27
57December 25, 1995Blue26–7
58December 25, 1996Blue44–34
59December 25, 1997Gray31–24
60December 25, 1998Gray31–24
61December 25, 1999Tie22–22
62December 25, 2000Gray40–37
63December 25, 2001Blue28–10
64December 25, 2003Blue31–24