All-American Bowl (high school football)


The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United States.
Seventeen All-Americans have been Heisman Trophy finalists, with over 450 later playing in the National Football League. Notable alumni include Andrew Luck, Adrian Peterson, Odell Beckham Jr., Eric Berry, Tim Tebow, Joe Thomas, Tyron Smith, Robert Quinn, C. J. Mosley, DeMarco Murray, and Chase Young.
The All-American Bowl was previously organized by All-American Games; in 2019, NBC Sports announced it had acquired the game and its assets.

History

The All-American Bowl is an annual high school football all-star game. The All-American Bowl is usually played in January between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United States.
The First All-American High School Football game, held on June 25, 1994, at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania marked a significant moment in the history of high school football. The event was orchestrated by Dale Dougherty, whose unwavering determination led to the participation of high schools nationwide in the inaugural spectacle.

Background and organization

Dougherty's vision culminated in a national selection process, spearheaded by a network of sportswriters, to identify the country's top graduated seniors. The selected players were divided into 33-player teams, segregated into East and West squads, with the Mississippi River serving as the geographical dividing line.

Roster and players

The event featured an impressive roster, with 63 out of the top 66 high school football players nationwide committing to participate. Lamont Green, Bo Barzilauskas, Rasheed Simmons, Ryan Clement, Amp Campbell, Marcus Nash, Jason McCullough, and Dan Drogan were among the participants, each boasting remarkable achievements in their respective positions.

Corporate sponsorship and television coverage

Efforts were made to secure corporate sponsorships, offering various packages ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to involve businesses in supporting the event. Discussions with Prime Network/Sports Channel aimed for national exposure, targeting approximately 50 million households. Television coverage was secured through WFMZ-TV, Channel 69, for local broadcasting and ESPN2 for nationwide telecast.

Legacy and impact

Dougherty's brainchild evolved from an academic project during his sports administration studies at the United States Sports Academy into a groundbreaking reality. The All-American Bowl not only stood as a significant sporting event but also symbolized a pioneering effort in high school football. It united the nation's top talent on a grand stage, setting the precedent for future editions of this prestigious showcase.
The game was first played on December 30, 2000, at Highlander Stadium in Dallas. In 2002, the game was moved to San Antonio, where it is played at the Alamodome. Since the game's inception, attendance has risen from 6,300 for the inaugural game in 2000 to a record 40,568 in 2017. The United States Army served as title sponsor of the game until 2017, when it announced that it would not renew its sponsorship past the 2018 edition. American Family Insurance became the new presenting sponsor the following year, and was succeeded by the United States Navy in 2025.
NBC started broadcasting the All-American Bowl in 2004. As a result, the game became a platform for participating college prospects to announce a verbal commitment to their future university. Prior to 2019, the All-American Bowl was organized by All-American Games. On February 25, 2019, it was announced that All-American Games had sold the game to NBC Sports Group for an undisclosed "seven-figure" amount. There were plans to leverage NBC's other platforms, including NBCSN and SportsEngine as part of promotion and coverage of the game. This purchase did not include other events owned by All-American Games, such as the FBU National Championships and the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl–both held annually in Naples, Florida, which were sold separately to All-American Games vice-president Steve Quinn and partner Erik Richards.
The 2021 game was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In place of the game, NBC scheduled an All-American Bowl: Declaration Day special on January 2, 2021, to honor top players of the 2020 season and air commitment announcements.

Awards

During the week of the game, a number of national awards are given at a formal awards dinner including:
  • Ken Hall Trophy: Awarded to the nation's best high school football player and named after Ken "Sugarland Express" Hall, once the all-time leading rusher in high-school football history for more than five decades
  • Bill Yoast Trophy: Awarded to the nation's top high school coach
  • Glenn Davis Army Award and Doc Blanchard Awards: Recognizes an East and West player who best epitomizes the Army's high standard of excellence in community service, education, and athletic distinction
  • Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year Award: Awarded to the nation's best high school offensive lineman or defensive lineman
After the conclusion of the game on Saturday afternoon, these awards are given:
All-American Bowl players are chosen through a national "selection tour" and associated combine. The committee is headed by the national recruiting director, Erik Richards.

Game records

Record categoryRecord holderYearRecord
Highest Attendance2017201740,568
Longest Touchdown PassTravis Waller to Derrius Guice201592 yards
Most Passing YardsSpencer Rattler2019234 yards
Most Passing TouchdownsGraham Mertz20195 TDs
Most Rushing YardsDemetrius Hart2011100 yards
Most Rushing TouchdownsMost Recently: Royce Freeman 20143 TDs
Most Receiving YardsDerrius Guice2015153 yards
Most Points, Single PlayerMost Recently: Royce Freeman 201418 points
Most TacklesDe'Anthony Thomas20118 tackles
Longest Kickoff Return TDTed Ginn Jr.200498 yards
Largest Margin of VictoryEast over West 47–3200344 points
Longest Field GoalDavid Olano202350 yards

Game results

East victories are shaded ██ red. West victories shaded ██ gold.
DateSiteResultSeries
December 30, 2000Highlander Stadium • Dallas, TexasWest 18–15West 1–0
January 5, 2002Alamo Stadium • San Antonio, TexasWest 26–6West 2–0
January 5, 2003Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 47–3West 2–1
January 3, 2004Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 45–28Tied 2–2
January 15, 2005Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 35–3West 3–2
January 7, 2006Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 27–16Tied 3–3
January 6, 2007Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 24–7West 4–3
January 5, 2008Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 33–23Tied 4–4
January 3, 2009Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 30–17East 5–4
January 9, 2010Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 30–14Tied 5–5
January 8, 2011Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 13–10East 6–5
January 7, 2012Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 24–12Tied 6–6
January 5, 2013Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 15–8East 7–6
January 4, 2014Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 26–8Tied 7–7
January 3, 2015Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 39–36West 8–7
January 9, 2016Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 37–9West 9–7
January 7, 2017Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 27–17West 9–8
January 6, 2018Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 17–16West 10–8
January 5, 2019Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 48–14West 10–9
January 4, 2020Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 33–20West 11–9
January 8, 2022Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 34–14West 12–9
January 7, 2023Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 55–17West 12–10
January 6, 2024Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 31–28West 13–10
January 11, 2025Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasWest 13–7West 14–10
January 10, 2026Alamodome • San Antonio, TexasEast 17–14West 14–11

Game MVPs

A game MVP is announced after each year's All-American Bowl. In the past, the winner of the MVP award was given the Pete Dawkins Trophy, named for 1958 Heisman Trophy winner Pete Dawkins, but as of 2019 that award name is no longer active.
Image:DeSean Jackson receives 2005 Pete Dawkins MVP trophy allamerican12005-01-18.jpg|thumb|DeSean Jackson receives the Pete Dawkins Trophy from General Richard A. Cody at the 2005 All-American Bowl
SeasonPlayerPositionHigh schoolCollegeRef.
2001Dominic RobinsonWRDiamond BarFlorida State-
2002Vince YoungQBMadisonTexas-
2003Chris LeakQBIndependenceFlorida-
2004Ted Ginn Jr.WRGlenvilleOhio State-
2005DeSean JacksonWRLong BeachCalifornia
2006Beanie WellsRBGarfieldOhio State
2007Chris GalippoLBServiteUSC
2008Terrelle PryorQBJeannetteOhio State
2009Tajh BoydQBPhoebusClemson
2009Bryce BrownRBWichita EastTennessee
2010Ronald PowellDERancho VerdeFlorida
2011Demetrius HartRBPhillipsAlabama
2011Demetrius HartRBPhillipsColorado State
2012Dorial Green-BeckhamWRHillcrestMissouri
2012Cyler MilesQBMullenWashington
2013James QuickWRTrinityLouisville
2014Joe MixonRBFreedomOklahoma
2015Derrius GuiceRBCatholicLSU
2016Shea PattersonQBIMGOle Miss
2016Shea PattersonQBIMGMichigan
2017Hunter JohnsonQBBrownsburgClemson
2017Hunter JohnsonQBBrownsburgNorthwestern
2018Caden SternsDBSteeleTexas
2019Graham MertzQBBlue Valley NorthWisconsin
2020Bryce YoungQBMater DeiAlabama
2022Rayshon LukeRBSt. John BoscoArizona
2023Dante MooreQBMartin Luther King Jr.UCLA
2024Koi PerichSLincoln SecondaryMinnesota
2025Keisean HendersonQBLegacy the School of Sport SciencesHouston
2026Luke WafleDEHun School of PrincetonUSC