I remember before the internet age that I used to bet this game every year that it was on ABC on Christmas Day with Gary Bender & Lynn Swann doing the game as I recall. I remember that the sports section had the lineups in the paper and went with the beter QB's in the game and bet the over which was in the high 30's every year and usually went over with ease.Than the Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl came on right after that and the underdog usually won that game as I can remember and had some great games like Cal & Navy about 1996 and think Navy won 41-37 as both defenses sucked that day.Oh the memories and now we get to watch boring NBA basketball all day YUCK.
The History of Blue Gray Football
But for a casual visit between two old friends in 1938, the Blue-Gray Football Classic might never have come into existence.
The late Champ Pickens, known throughout his long and colorful life as a great promoter, conceived the idea of a football game between North and South college senior all-stars as an attraction for the 1940 World's Fair in New York.
Before leaving for New York, where he hoped to sell his idea to Fair officials, Champ visited his friend, Montgomery Mayor Bill Gunter, and explained the nature of his planned trip to New York. The Blue and Gray game was born at that meeting with Gunter insisting that the first game be played in Montgomery and then moved to New York for the 1940 Fair. The first game was played January 2, 1939, with the North winning 6 - 0. The media carried the Blue and Gray story worldwide.
Champ Pickens never made it to New York's World Fair. With Mayor Gunter's insistence and financial backing, the game stayed in and became a part of Montgomery, Alabama, being played again on December 30, 1939, when the South won 33 - 20.
Many legends of football have proudly coached and played for the Blue or the Gray at Cramton Bowl. The game has weathered three wars, the end of the great depression, recessions, good times and bad times and today is stronger than ever.
Champ Pickens was helped by his friend Grantland Rice, a strong, early supporter of the game, and the Gillette Safety Razor Company, radio's main sports sponsor of that era.
The legend of Champ Pickens, student manager of the 1898 University of Alabama, Crimson Tide football team, lives on in the Blue-Gray Football Classic. As Champ would say, "The success of the game belongs to many others." That fact is particularly true since his death.
When Allyn McKeen, the most successful coach in the history of Mississippi State, moved to Montgomery in the late 1940's to open a sporting goods business, Champ Pickens associated him to help run the game. McKeen served in many capacities using his numerous football contacts serving as General Manager of the game until the late 1970's.
The game was acquired in 1955 from Pickens and McKeen by the Montgomery Lions Club and the proceeds since that time have gone to Lions Club charities.
The 1986 association with ABC Sports and now ESPN/ESPN2 solidified the Blue-Gray’s position as one of the top post-season events.
The high quality of the game is being maintained through the strong leadership and volunteer participation of the Montgomery Lions Club through its Blue and Gray Association.
More than 300 representatives from professional teams attend practices and meet with players. It is a unanimous consensus of college coaches, administrators and professional personnel, that the Blue-Gray All Star Football Classic is one if the best run and best organized of all college football special events.
Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright says, “The Blue-Gray Game gives the historic capital city tremendous national exposure for tourism and business”.
But for a casual visit between two old friends in 1938, the Blue-Gray Football Classic might never have come into existence.
The late Champ Pickens, known throughout his long and colorful life as a great promoter, conceived the idea of a football game between North and South college senior all-stars as an attraction for the 1940 World's Fair in New York.
Before leaving for New York, where he hoped to sell his idea to Fair officials, Champ visited his friend, Montgomery Mayor Bill Gunter, and explained the nature of his planned trip to New York. The Blue and Gray game was born at that meeting with Gunter insisting that the first game be played in Montgomery and then moved to New York for the 1940 Fair. The first game was played January 2, 1939, with the North winning 6 - 0. The media carried the Blue and Gray story worldwide.
Champ Pickens never made it to New York's World Fair. With Mayor Gunter's insistence and financial backing, the game stayed in and became a part of Montgomery, Alabama, being played again on December 30, 1939, when the South won 33 - 20.
Many legends of football have proudly coached and played for the Blue or the Gray at Cramton Bowl. The game has weathered three wars, the end of the great depression, recessions, good times and bad times and today is stronger than ever.
Champ Pickens was helped by his friend Grantland Rice, a strong, early supporter of the game, and the Gillette Safety Razor Company, radio's main sports sponsor of that era.
The legend of Champ Pickens, student manager of the 1898 University of Alabama, Crimson Tide football team, lives on in the Blue-Gray Football Classic. As Champ would say, "The success of the game belongs to many others." That fact is particularly true since his death.
When Allyn McKeen, the most successful coach in the history of Mississippi State, moved to Montgomery in the late 1940's to open a sporting goods business, Champ Pickens associated him to help run the game. McKeen served in many capacities using his numerous football contacts serving as General Manager of the game until the late 1970's.
The game was acquired in 1955 from Pickens and McKeen by the Montgomery Lions Club and the proceeds since that time have gone to Lions Club charities.
The 1986 association with ABC Sports and now ESPN/ESPN2 solidified the Blue-Gray’s position as one of the top post-season events.
The high quality of the game is being maintained through the strong leadership and volunteer participation of the Montgomery Lions Club through its Blue and Gray Association.
More than 300 representatives from professional teams attend practices and meet with players. It is a unanimous consensus of college coaches, administrators and professional personnel, that the Blue-Gray All Star Football Classic is one if the best run and best organized of all college football special events.
Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright says, “The Blue-Gray Game gives the historic capital city tremendous national exposure for tourism and business”.
