The Wheat Bowl was the only National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics endorsed pre-season bowl game that operated from 1995 until 2006. The Wheat Bowl Football Classic was headquartered in the Central Kansas town of Ellinwood and was played in nearby Great Bend annually as the kickoff for the NAIA season.[3]

Wheat Bowl (defunct)
Wheat Bowl Football Classic
The only sanctioned NAIA pre-season bowl game
StadiumGreat Bend High School Memorial Stadium[1]
LocationGreat Bend, Kansas
Previous locationsEllinwood, Kansas
Operated1995–2006
Sponsors
various[2]
2006 matchup
Northwestern Oklahoma vs Lindenwood (14–13)

In 1995 and 1996, the game was played as a "post-season" game. Beginning in 1997, the Wheat Bowl Football Classic was successfully switched to a pre-season contest to eliminate several potential obstacles: the possibility of inclement weather, conflicts with Kansas State University and University of Kansas home games as well as conflicts with high school playoffs.

Due to facilities not being available, no game was played in 2007. The next game was scheduled for August 23, 2008 at the newly renovated Great Bend Memorial Stadium.[4] According to the bowl website, it appears that the game was not played as originally scheduled and the bowl is now considered defunct. The College Fanz First Down Classic preseason bowl began in 2007 and was considered the kick-off of the NAIA season[5] until its final game in 2011.

Game results

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Year Winning Team Losing Team
1995 MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers 38 Ottawa Braves 0
1996 Southwestern Moundbuilders 28 Baker Wildcats 20
1997 Sioux Falls Cougars 35 Benedictine Ravens 10
1998 NW Oklahoma State Rangers 40 MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers 7
1999 No. 12 NW Oklahoma State Rangers 49 Missouri Valley Vikings 14
2000 Concordia Bulldogs 31 Lindenwood Lions 14
2001 No. 19 Peru State Bobcats 21 No. 13 Baker Wildcats 14
2002 Midland Warriors 25 Bacone Warriors 15
2003 No. 10 MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers 21 Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm 14
2004 No. 22 Midland Warriors 31 Avila Eagles 9
2005 No. 23 Graceland Yellowjackets 24 Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm 20
2006 NW Oklahoma State Rangers 14 No. 15 Lindenwood Lions 13

Community College

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There was a game called the "Wheat Bowl" played between Kansas Community Colleges from 1948 to 1950. Although the name is the same, the organization was completely different. This particular bowl is now defunct.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Memorial Stadium Photo
  2. ^ Wheat Bowl – Great Bend – Kansas – Football
  3. ^ NAIAFOOTBALL.NET-The Nation's Home for NAIA Football
  4. ^ Wheat Bowl – Great Bend – Kansas – Football
  5. ^ CollegeFanz "Avila University Wins College Fanz First Down Classic"
  6. ^ "Games". Archived from the original on 2006-10-20. Retrieved 2007-11-30.