The Marshall situation made the Independence Bowl desperate for options. So desperate, they almost replicated the Gotham Bowl’s unprecedented measures in 1960.
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Saturday was an eventful day in the bowl landscape. Marshall made the unprecedented move to withdraw from the Independence Bowl due to transfer portal losses. The mass exodus left Shreveport's bowl scrambling for a new team. Luckily, the local Louisiana Tech Bulldogs stepped up despite their 5-7 record. After Louisiana Tech's placement became official, a shocking development leaked.
The Independence Bowl contacted Air Force to replace the Thundering Herd. Naturally, the Falcons expressed interest. However, the Independence Bowl avoided a rematch and opted for Louisiana Tech.
This figure may surprise many, but this is not the first time a desperate bowl tried matching Air Force and Army in a bowl. Sixty-four years ago, the doomed Gotham Bowl attempted to create an Air Force-Army bowl.
By 1960, Yankee Stadium had solidified itself as one of the most renowned venues in American sports. Yankee Stadium had several iconic events, from the Notre Dame-Army games of yore to hosting iconic moments with the Yankees and Giants. Thus, a bowl game seemed natural, paving the way for the Gotham Bowl.
Unfortunately, the Gotham Bowl struggled to field two teams in its inaugural season. Syracuse's refusal to participate was the catalyst for the failure to launch. Then, the bowl's brass had a brilliant idea. They pursued pitting Air Force and Army in their bowl.
The year prior, in 1959, the two Service Academies met for the first time and sold out Yankee Stadium. An encore made sense at the box office. It also made sense for Air Force. The Falcons sought to continue their ascent to college football relevance after appearing in the Cotton Bowl in 1958.
Although 1960 was forgettable, with a 4-5 record and one win over an opponent with a winning record at the time the Gotham Bowl courted them, a bowl in front of the New York City media was crucial for the advancement of the program. However, they would only participate if Army did.
The Cadets had a respectable result with a 6-3-1 record and a winning over 7-2-1 defending national champion Syracuse. However, Army refused to appear in bowls until 1984, even turning down a Sugar Bowl bid in 1967, killing the dream of an Air Force-Army bowl. The Gotham Bowl got Oregon State to accept an invitation. Yet, they could not find an opponent after Colorado and Holy Cross declined. Ultimately, the Gotham Bowl never occurred in 1960. The 1961 game served as the inaugural edition.
In 1960, desperate times called for desperate measures when the Independence Bowl courted Air Force. Fortunately, the Independence Bowl found a solution, unlike the Gotham Bowl.
Have learned Air Force was contacted by Mountain West and asked if they would be interested replacing Marshall in Independence Bowl. AF said YES. However Independence Bowl selected Louisiana Tech to replace Marshall. #
If I had a nickel for every time an Army vs. Air Force bowl game almost happened but fell through, I would have two nickels—which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Have learned Air Force was contacted by Mountain West and asked if they would be interested replacing Marshall in Independence Bowl. AF said YES. However Independence Bowl selected Louisiana Tech to replace Marshall. #
