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
| |
| Stadium | Great Bend High School Memorial Stadium[1] |
| Location | Great Bend, Kansas |
| Previous locations | Ellinwood, Kansas |
| Operated | 1995–2006 |
| Sponsors | |
various[2] | |
| 2006 matchup | |
| Northwestern OklahomavsLindenwood (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.
| 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 |
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]