First Poinsettia Bowl in 1952 was a wild and wet one
On Dec. 20, 1952, military teams from Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., and San Diego’s Naval Training Center faced off in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl football game at Balboa Stadium.
The Poinsettia Bowl moniker returned as a college bowl game from 2005 to 2016.
From The San Diego Union, Sunday, Dec. 21, 1952:
BOLLING TORPEDOES N.T.C., 35-14 DOROW’S AERIALS SPARK POWER-LADEN GENERALS
Shades of Sammy Baugh!
The National service football championship and victory in the first annual Poinsettia Bowl went winging on the right arm of Al Dorow here yesterday afternoon as the former Michigan State All-American and his Bolling Air Force teammates shocked San Diego’s Naval Training Center, 3514.
Defying both the elements and a Navy eleven that had been ranked in some quarters as the nation’s No. 1 club, Dorow riddled the Bluejackets with 14 completions for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Twelve of this number was registered in the first half.
It was fitting, of course, that the aviators’ rousing triumph was achieved in the overhead — but Dorow’s remarkable performance was accentuated by the miserable playing conditions.
RAIN KILLS CROWD
A driving rain in mid-morning turned the turf into a virtual slough, and an anticipated crowd of 20,000 was reduced to an estimated 9000 at game time. The drenched crowd was composed largely of Navy and Marine recruits.
Several thousand additional tickets were sold to patrons who preferred to watch the contest in the comfort of their homes. The action was televised by the National Broadcasting Co. on a nationwide network with Tommy Harmon handling the play-by-play.
Millions of video fans, plus the small minority in the stands, saw the Bluejackets pushed around in a manner highly embarrassing to a team that had outplayed Southern Cal everywhere but on the scoreboard three months ago.
Bolling took the initiative at the outset, smashing 63 yards on 17 plays on the first series from scrimmage for a 7-0 lead, and the advantage actually mounted to 15-0 before the Training Center ran an offensive play.
The contest was in its 13th minute when the Sailors finally launched a play from scrimmage. This highly unusual situation had developed when Bob Boyd, the Bluejacket safety, was chased into his end zone for a safety on the kickoff following Bolling’s touchdown.
Boyd was placed in this predicament when Earl Stelle, a Navy defensive specialist, handled the kickoff at the Bluejacket 25 and uncorked a lateral when surrounded. Boyd, seeking running room, headed toward his goal, finally being chased into the end zone where he was brought to earth by Mark Burns and John Ignarski.
BLUEJACKETS RALLY
That left the Navy trailing 9-0, and forced another kick to Bolling Field. The Generals immediately struck 53 yards on 11 plays and the count was 15-0 with only 15 seconds remaining in the opening period.
There was still considerable football to be played, however, with the Bluejackets surging back for a pair of touchdowns that contributed to a halftime reading of 28-14.