1945 Sun Bowl

The 1945 Sun Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game held at Kidd Field in El Paso, Texas, on January 1, 1945, with approximately 13,000 spectators in attendance.[1] The game featured the Southwestern Pirates representing Southwestern University and the Mexico Pumas representing the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). This game was the first time an American football bowl game has included a team from Mexico. The next time an American Division-1 college would play a Mexican opponent was the 2011 Kilimanjaro Bowl.

1945 Sun Bowl
Mexico Pumas Southwestern Pirates
(4–0–1) (6–5)
Independent Texas Conference
0 35
Head coach: 
Bernard A. Hoban		 Head coach: 
Randolph M. Medley
1234 Total
Mexico 0000 0
Southwestern 77147 35
DateJanuary 1, 1945
Season1944
StadiumKidd Field
LocationEl Paso, Texas
Attendance13,000
PayoutUS$6,511

Mexico entered the game with a 4–0–1 record and had outscored its opponents 182–24.[2] Southwestern was considered a "slight" favorite over the Mexican team.[3] One reason given was that the game played at El Paso was 6,000 feet lower in elevation to what the Mexicans were accustomed.[4]

Southwestern won with a score of 35 points to 0, becoming the first team to win back-to-back Sun Bowl championships.[1] Southwestern set a record for the most penalty yards gained (109 yards) while Mexico set records for the fewest passing yards, fewest offensive plays, fewest offensive yards, lowest offensive average per play, fewest first downs, and fewest first down passes.[5] Southwestern also set the record for most points scored in the Sun Bowl up to that point.[6]

References
  1. "Sun Bowl Year By Year Game Results". Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  2. Mexican Team Invited to Play in Sun Bowl, The Milwaukee Journal, December 16, 1944.
  3. TENNESSEE ELEVEN READY FOR TROJANS; TO MEET SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN ROSE BOWL FOOTBALL GAME TODAY, The New York Times, January 1, 1945.
  4. Mexicans Under Handicap, The Pittsburgh Press, December 31, 1944.
  5. "Sun Bowl Team Records". Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  6. SOUTHWESTERN TOPS MEXICAN ELEVEN, 35-0, The New York Times, January 2, 1945.
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