On This Day In Alabama History: Blue-Gray All-Star Football Classic Kicked Off

By Alabama NewsCenter Staff

January 2, 1939

The Blue-Gray All-Star Football Classic, an annual contest between college players from the North and South, was inaugurated in Montgomery, kicking off a 65-year run. The game was originally planned to be at the New York World’s Fair, but Montgomery Mayor William Gunter persuaded the organizers to move it to Alabama. The North team was coached by Northwestern’s Lynn Waldorf and Cornell’s Carl Snavely, while the South squad was led by Alabama’s Frank Thomas and Auburn’s Jack Meagher. The North won 7-0 before a sparse crowd that prompted future games to be scheduled ahead of the traditional New Year’s Day bowls. Heavy with Civil War symbolism – coaches were called “generals” and players “soldiers,” for example – the game steadily grew in popularity. As more bowl games were established, however, interest waned. The final game was played, in Troy, in 2004.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.

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