The Coca-Cola Classic was a regular season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football game played in Tokyo , Japan , from 1977 to 1993 . It was originally sponsored by Mitsubishi and known as the Mirage Bowl , and later sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and renamed for the soft drink Coca-Cola Classic . Because the game was merely a re-location of a late regular season game, it was not considered a traditional postseason bowl game .
9-629: Japan universities began forming their own college football teams since 1934. In 1971, the Utah State Aggies became the first American college football team to play in Japan, in a series of games against teams of Japan's college all-stars. January 1976 saw the beginning of the Japan Bowl , a post-season college football all-star game played in Japan each January from 1976 to 1993. In September 1976, Grambling State and Morgan State played
18-561: A regular-season game at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo , Japan. Won by Grambling State, 42–16, it was the first regular-season NCAA game played in Japan. Referred to as the "Pioneer Bowl" in some sources, the game was unrelated to the postseason Pioneer Bowl played in Wichita Falls, Texas , during 1971–1982, or the later Pioneer Bowl contested between historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) during 1997–2012. The Mirage Bowl
27-694: The Big Eight conference title, edging out runner-up Colorado with the win. It was the finale of Kansas State 's last non-bowl season until 2004 . With their 21-point win over Michigan State , Wisconsin became co-champions of the Big Ten (with Ohio State , who they had tied earlier in the season) and received the invitation to the Rose ;Bowl , the program's first New Year's Day appearance in 31 years . 1971 Utah State Aggies football team The 1971 Utah State Aggies football team
36-584: The Heisman Trophy announcement in a Tokyo television studio at five o'clock in the morning. Sanders rushed for more than 300 yards in Oklahoma State 's 45–42 win against Texas Tech to finish the season with 2,628 yards. Houston quarterback David Klingler passed for 716 yards against Arizona State , a Division I-A (now FBS) single-game passing yardage record that stood for over two decades, broken by Connor Halliday in 2014. Nebraska won
45-571: The playing field demonstrated the concept of The Wave, and it was quickly adopted by spectators in the stands. Heisman Trophy winning running back Barry Sanders concluded his Division I-A (now FBS ) record-setting rushing season in this game, since the NCAA did not begin counting bowl game statistics until 2002 (four weeks later, he gained 222 yards in the Holiday Bowl , which are not included in his record-setting total). He watched
54-503: The team traveled to Japan for two games against Japanese university students. The Aggies were the first American college football team to play a game in Japan since the sport was introduced there in the 1910s. The American players reportedly had a height advantage of twelve inches (30 cm) and a weight advantage of fifty pounds (23 kg) per player. 2004 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 2004 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in
63-684: Was an American football team that represented Utah State University as an independent during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season . In their fifth season under head coach Chuck Mills , the Aggies compiled an 8–3 record and outscored all opponents 243 to 183. The team's statistical leaders included Tony Adams with 2,035 passing yards, Ed Giles with 510 rushing yards, Bob Wicks with 862 receiving yards, Jerry Hughes with 60 points scored (six touchdowns), Alan McMurray "Madpup" (soph all american) lead team with 104 tackles, (record 19.5 sacks) and Tom Murphy with 81 total tackles. In December,
72-764: Was hosted by Mitsubishi Motors in Japan from its inception through 1985. The name refers to Mitsubishi's Mirage line of subcompact cars. Chrysler imported the Mirage and sold it in the US as the Dodge Colt and the Plymouth Champ . The Coca-Cola Company took over corporate sponsorship from Mitsubishi in 1986, renaming it the "Coca-Cola Classic". Other sports contests sponsored by Coca-Cola have also been called "Coca-Cola Classic", for example, in college basketball and volleyball . The company's flagship beverage, itself,
81-479: Was re-branded " Coca-Cola Classic " in the wake of the " New Coke " fiasco. The inaugural Mirage Bowl was played in 1977 at Korakuen Stadium on December 11, between Grambling and Temple . Grambling rallied to win 35–32 with a last-minute touchdown, and All-American quarterback Doug Williams was named MVP. The eighth edition, between Army and Montana , marked the introduction of " The Wave " to Japan. A line of Army and Montana cheerleaders on
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