Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Produced by the non-profit Mobile Arts & Sports Association, the game is also a charitable fund-raiser, benefiting various local and regional organizations with over US$7.8 million in donations over its history. The game is sponsored by Panini America and is televised by the NFL Network.

History

The 1950 Senior Bowl, the inaugural edition, was played at Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida; the game then moved to Mobile's Ladd–Peebles Stadium the next year, where it remained through the 2020 edition. Since the 2021 edition, the game has been played at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama, also in Mobile.
Historically, the Senior Bowl was the first chance its participants had to openly receive pay for participation in an athletic event. Players in the inaugural 1950 game each received $343 or $475 ; by 1975, the amounts had been increased to $1,250 and $1,500. The 1988 edition was the last time players were paid. This was one reason that participation was limited to seniors whose eligibility for further participation in college football had expired. Athletes who wished to play spring collegiate sports, such as college baseball, or otherwise remain eligible for amateur sports, had to avoid participation in the Senior Bowl.
The game has consistently been played on a Saturday in January, with the exception of 1976, when it was held on a Sunday. The scheduling date within January has varied – the earliest playing has been January 3, while the latest playing prior to the 2022 edition has been January 30. Since 1967, it has been traditionally set for the week before the NFL's Super Bowl. It is usually scheduled as the final game of the college football season, although for a period during the 1980s and 1990s, it was the next-to-the-last game, followed a week later by either the Hula Bowl or the Gridiron Classic. From 2007 through 2011, and also in 2013, the Senior Bowl was again the penultimate game, followed by the Texas vs The Nation game a week later. In 2020, the revived Hula Bowl was played the day after the Senior Bowl.
CBS acquired national television coverage rights to the 1952 through 1954 games, though they never televised the games nationally under those rights. The first nationally televised Senior Bowl was in 1958 by NBC, and the games have been televised every year since. To commemorate the occasion and the publicity that the televising of the Senior Bowl would draw to the state of Alabama, Gov. James E. Folsom commissioned each player in the 1958 game as Honorary Admirals in the Alabama State Navy, as well as Senior Bowl founder Jimmy Pearre, North squad coach Joe Kuharich, South squad coach Paul Brown, and South squad past-coach Steve Owens; announcers for the televised event, Red Grange and Lindsey Nelson, were commissioned Honorary Colonels in the Alabama State Militia. ESPN televised the game as early as 1982, continuing until the game moved to the NFL Network starting with the 2007 edition.

Sponsors and branding

Sponsors of the game have included Delchamps, a supermarket chain headquartered in Mobile; Food World, a supermarket chain headquartered in Birmingham; Under Armour; and Nike, Inc. Starting with the 2014 game, Reese's took over sponsorship. In January 2018, Reese's announced that they were extending their sponsorship of the game through at least the 2020 edition. The final edition of the game sponsored by Reese's was held in February 2025.
In March 2020, the Senior Bowl registered "The draft starts in Mobile" as a service mark.
In October 2020, Panini America entered a multi-year agreement to produce trading cards for Senior Bowl players. In June 2025, Panini America was announced as the bowl's new title sponsor, with the game officially known as the Panini Senior Bowl.

Game format

For most editions of the Senior Bowl, players have been rostered into North and South teams. In 1991, team names were changed to AFC and NFC, to distinguish where their coaching staffs were from and to stress the professional nature of the game. This was somewhat confusing, as the Senior Bowl is played early in the calendar year, typically several months before players are selected by teams in the NFL draft. Additionally, both coaching staffs for the 1993 game came from AFC teams. In 1994, team designations were reverted to the North vs. South format. In 2021, the bowl moved to American and National team designations.
The two teams are coached by coaching staffs that are selected from two NFL teams. In recent years, the coaching staffs have come from teams who finished near the bottom of the league standings, but whose coaches were not subsequently terminated. Beginning with the 2022 edition, head coaches serve in more of an advisory capacity while promoting select assistants into leadership roles on the staff.
Organizers stipulate a number of specific rules for the game, some of which are intended to reduce the chance of injury, and others that simplify what the teams need to practice and prepare for. The game is also the players' first time competing under the slightly different professional rules.
The week-long practice that precedes the game is attended by key NFL personnel, who oversee the players as possible prospects for professional football. Athletes sometimes decline invitations to participate in the Senior Bowl, opting instead to prepare for the NFL scouting combine or their college's pro day.
The single-season record for number of players sent to the Senior Bowl from one school is 10 by Alabama in 1987, followed by nine sent by Auburn in 1988 and USC in 2008.
Dan Lynch of Washington State was the first player to appear in two Senior Bowls, having been granted an extra year of eligibility after the 1984 game. In 2013, two players with a year of college football eligibility remaining, but who had already graduated, became the first "fourth-year juniors" to be granted clearance to play in the Senior Bowl.

Game results

All-time series, through the 2026 game : South ; AFC ; National
The first game was played in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1950. All subsequent games have been played in Mobile, Alabama.

Coaching appearances

Seven people have served as head coach in four or more Senior Bowls.

Games	Head coach	W	L	T	Win pct.
8		6	2	–
7		5	2	–
6		3	3	–
4		3	1	–
4		2	1	1
4		2	2	–
4		1	2	1

Games coached by NFL teams

Each of the current 32 NFL teams has had members of their coaching staff coach in at least one Senior Bowl. Coaches from the New York Giants have coached in the most Senior Bowls, 13, while coaches from the Baltimore Ravens have only coached in one Senior Bowl.
Records include games played under a franchise's prior names.
Updated through the 2026 game.

Games	NFL team	W	L	T	Win pct.	Most recent
13	New York Giants		2025	-	-	-
12	Cleveland Browns		2025	-	-	-
11	Detroit Lions		2022	-	-	-
8	Indianapolis Colts		1995	-	-	-
7	Oakland Raiders		2023	-	-	-
7	Denver Broncos		2018	-	-	-
7	Washington Commanders		2012	-	-	-
6	New York Jets		2024	-	-	-
6	Kansas City Chiefs		2000	-	-	-
6	San Francisco 49ers		2019	-	-	-
6	New Orleans Saints		2026	-	-	-
5	Miami Dolphins		2021	-	-	-
5	Dallas Cowboys		2016	-	-	-
5	Chicago Bears		2023	-	-	-
4	Jacksonville Jaguars		2016	-	-	-
4	Arizona Cardinals		2002	-	-	-
4	Tampa Bay Buccaneers		2007	-	-	-
4	Philadelphia Eagles		2026	-	-	-
4	Cincinnati Bengals		2020	-	-	-
3	Tennessee Titans		2024	-	-	-
3	Seattle Seahawks		2002	-	-	-
3	Atlanta Falcons		2014	-	-	-
3	Buffalo Bills		2011	-	-	-
3	New England Patriots		1976	-	-	-
2	Green Bay Packers		2001	-	-	-
2	Houston Texans		2018	-	-	-
2	Los Angeles Chargers		2004	-	-	-
2	Minnesota Vikings		2012	-	-	-
2	Carolina Panthers		2021	-	-	-
2	Los Angeles Rams		1989	-	-	-
2	Pittsburgh Steelers		2001	-	-	-
1	Baltimore Ravens		1998	-	-	-

MVPs

Year	Name	Pos.	College team
1950	Travis Tidwell	QB	Auburn
1951	Bucky Curtis	WR	Vanderbilt
1952	Al Dorow	QB	Michigan State
1953	Harry Agganis	QB	Boston University
1954	Gene Filipski	RB	Villanova
1955	Bobby Freeman	QB	Auburn
1956	Don Goss	DL	SMU
1957	Don Bosseler	FB	Miami (FL)
1958	Jim Taylor	FB	LSU
1959	Theron Sapp Norm Odyniec	FB RB	Georgia Notre Dame
1960	Jacky Lee	QB	Cincinnati
1961	Dick Norman	QB	Stanford
1962	Earl Gros Ronnie Bull	RB RB	LSU Baylor
1963	Glynn Griffing	QB	Ole Miss
1964	Ode Burrell	RB	Mississippi State
1965	Steve DeLong	DL	Tennessee
1966	Howard Twilley	WR	Tulsa
1967	Bubba Smith	DT	Michigan State
1968	Kim Hammond	QB	Florida State
1969	Jerry Levias	WR	SMU
1970	Terry Bradshaw	QB	Louisiana Tech
1971	J. D. Hill	WR	Arizona State
1972	Pat Sullivan	QB	Auburn
1973	Chuck Foreman	RB	Miami (FL)
1974	Bill Kollar	DL	Montana State
1975	Steve Bartkowski	QB	California
1976	Craig Penrose	QB	San Diego State
1977	Tommy Kramer	QB	Rice
1978	James Lofton	WR	Stanford
1979	Willie Jones	DL	Florida State
1980	Marc Wilson	QB	Brigham Young
1981	Neil Lomax	QB	Portland State
1982	John Fourcade Steve Clark	QB DL	Ole Miss Utah
1983	Dan Marino Terry Kinard	QB DB	Pittsburgh Clemson
1984	Walter Lewis Doug Smith	QB DL	Alabama Auburn
1985	Paul Ott Carruth	RB	Alabama
1986	Napoleon McCallum	RB	Navy

Year	Name	Pos.	College team
1987	Don Smith	QB	Mississippi State
1988	Thurman Thomas	RB	Oklahoma State
1989	Cleveland Gary	RB	Miami (FL)
1990	Blair Thomas	RB	Penn State
1991	Alvin Harper	WR	Tennessee
1992	Tony Smith	RB	Southern Miss
1993	Eric Hunter	QB	Purdue
1994	Stan White	QB	Auburn
1995	Derrick Brooks	LB	Florida State
1996	Bobby Hoying	QB	Ohio State
1997	Pat Barnes	QB	California
1998	Dameyune Craig	QB	Auburn
1999	Cade McNown	QB	UCLA
2000	Chad Pennington	QB	Marshall
2001	LaDainian Tomlinson	RB	TCU
2002	Antwaan Randle El	WR	Indiana
2003	Larry Johnson	RB	Penn State
2004	Philip Rivers	QB	NC State
2005	Charlie Frye	QB	Akron
2006	Sinorice Moss	WR	Miami (FL)
2007	Tony Hunt	RB	Penn State
2008	Matt Forte	RB	Tulane
2009	Pat White	QB	West Virginia
2010	Brandon Graham	DL	Michigan
2011	Christian Ponder	QB	Florida State
2012	Isaiah Pead	RB	Cincinnati
2013	EJ Manuel	QB	Florida State
2014	Dee Ford	DL	Auburn
2015	Ameer Abdullah	RB	Nebraska
2016	Dak Prescott	QB	Mississippi State
2017	Davis Webb	QB	California
2018	Kyle Lauletta	QB	Richmond
2019	Daniel Jones	QB	Duke
2020	Justin Herbert	QB	Oregon
2021	Kellen Mond	QB	Texas A&M
2022	Perrion Winfrey	DL	Oklahoma
2023	Jake Haener	QB	Fresno State
2024	Spencer Rattler	QB	South Carolina
2025	Jack Bech	WR	TCU
2026	Garrett Nussmeier	QB	LSU

Source:
denotes an MVP whose college team was not part of the top tier of college football at the time they played in the Senior Bowl. There have been four such MVPs: Terry Bradshaw, Bill Kollar, Neil Lomax, and Kyle Lauletta.

Senior Bowl all-time teams

In the below tables, a player's induction to the College Football Hall of Fame or Pro Football Hall of Fame is indicated the HOF column with a C or P, respectively.

50th anniversary

The following team was selected by fan voting before the 1999 game:
;Offense

Pos.	Name	College	Year	HOF
QB	Joe Namath	Alabama	1965	– P
RB	Walter Payton	Jackson State	1975	C P
RB	Bo Jackson	Auburn	1986	C –
RB	Franco Harris	Penn State	1972	– P
WR	Steve Largent	Tulsa	1976	– P
WR	Lynn Swann	USC	1974	C P
WR	Art Monk	Syracuse	1980	C P
TE	Ozzie Newsome	Alabama	1978	C P
OL	Gene Upshaw	Texas A&I	1967	– P
OL	Jerry Kramer	Idaho	1958	– P
OL	Mike Webster	Wisconsin	1973	– P
OL	Randall McDaniel	Arizona State	1988	C P
OL	Tom Banks	Auburn	1970	– –

; Defense

Pos.	Name	College	Year	HOF
DL	Joe Greene	North Texas State	1969	C P
DL	Ed Jones	Tennessee State	1974	– –
DL	Bubba Smith	Michigan State	1967	C –
DL	Jack Youngblood	Florida	1971	C P
LB	Lee Roy Jordan	Alabama	1963	C –
LB	Ray Nitschke	Illinois	1958	– P
LB	Derrick Thomas	Alabama	1989	C P
LB	Ted Hendricks	Miami	1969	C P
DB	Paul Krause	Iowa	1964	– P
DB	Dale Carter	Tennessee	1992	– –
DB	Albert Lewis	Grambling	1983	– –
DB	Roger Wehrli	Missouri	1969	C P
K	Morten Andersen	Michigan State	1982	– P

75th anniversary

The following team was announced in November 2023, after selection via a combination of fan voting, a poll of NFL general managers, and "consideration from the Senior Bowl's selection committee."
;Offense

Pos.	Name	College	Year	HOF
QB	Dan Marino	Pittsburgh	1983	C P
QB	Brett Favre	Southern Miss	1991	– P
RB	LaDainian Tomlinson	TCU	2001	C P
RB	Thurman Thomas	Oklahoma State	1988	C P
RB	Curtis Martin	Pittsburgh	1995	– P
RB	Shaun Alexander	Alabama	2000	– –
FB	Kyle Juszczyk	Harvard	2013	– –
TE	Jimmy Graham	Miami	2010	– –
WR	Terrell Owens	UT-Chattanooga	1996	– P
WR	Reggie Wayne	Miami	2001	– –
WR	Torry Holt	North Carolina State	1999	C –
T	Joe Staley	Central Michigan	2007	– –
T	Terron Armstead	Arkansas Pine-Bluff	2013	– –
T	Lane Johnson	Oklahoma	2013	– –
G	Larry Allen	Sonoma State	1994	– P
G	Steve Hutchinson	Michigan	2001	– P
G	Zack Martin	Notre Dame	2014	– –
C	Dermontti Dawson	Kentucky	1988	– P
C	Kevin Mawae	LSU	1994	– P

; Defense

Pos.	Name	College	Year	HOF
DT	Aaron Donald	Pittsburgh	2014	– –
DT	Bryant Young	Notre Dame	1994	– P
DT	Geno Atkins	Georgia	2010	– –
DE	DeMarcus Ware	Troy	2005	– P
DE	Michael Strahan	Texas Southern	1993	– P
DE	Jason Taylor	Akron	1997	– P
OLB	Von Miller	Texas A&M	2011	– –
OLB	Cornelius Bennett	Alabama	1987	C –
ILB	Derrick Brooks	Florida State	1995	C P
ILB	Brian Urlacher	New Mexico	2000	C P
ILB	Patrick Willis	Ole Miss	2007	C –
ILB	Bobby Wagner	Utah State	2012	– –
S	Brian Dawkins	Clemson	1996	– P
S	Bob Sanders	Iowa	2004	– –
S	LeRoy Butler	Florida State	1990	– P
CB	Richard Sherman	Stanford	2011	– –
CB	Patrick Surtain Sr.	Southern Miss	1998	– –
CB	Aeneas Williams	Southern	1991	– P

Pos.	Name	College	Year	HOF
K	Phil Dawson	Texas	1998	– –
P	Pat McAfee	West Virginia	2009	– –
RS	Darren Sproles	Kansas State	2005	C –

Heisman Trophy winners

The following players who won the Heisman Trophy also played in the Senior Bowl. To date, the only Heisman Trophy winner to be named Senior Bowl MVP was Pat Sullivan in 1972.

Player	Pos.	Heisman season	Senior Bowl	Ref.
Doak Walker	HB	1948	1950
Alan Ameche	FB	1954	1955
Pat Sullivan	QB	1971	1972
John Cappelletti	RB	1973	1974
Bo Jackson	RB	1985	1986
Carson Palmer	QB	2002	2003
Troy Smith	QB	2006	2007
Tim Tebow	QB	2007	2010
Baker Mayfield	QB	2017	2018

2020 winner DeVonta Smith accepted an invitation to the 2021 edition, but did not play.

Senior Bowl Hall of Fame

Established in 1987, the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame seeks to pay tribute to the many outstanding former Senior Bowl players who have made lasting contributions to the game of football. The Senior Bowl Hall of Fame also allows enshrinement to former coaches, administrators and other individuals whose efforts helped the Senior Bowl.1988 – Joe Greene, Lee Roy Jordan, Steve Largent, Joe Namath, Walter Payton, Pat Sullivan, Jim Taylor, Travis Tidwell1989 – Ed Jones, Ozzie Newsome, John Stallworth, Gene Upshaw, Jack Youngblood1990 – Paul Brown, Tucker Frederickson, Jerry Kramer, Neil Lomax, Wellington Mara, Finley McRae, Jack Pardee, Rea Scheussler1991 – Morten Andersen, James Brooks, Dave Butz, Weeb Ewbank, Doug Williams1992 – Franco Harris, Mike Holovak, Sam Huff, Dan Marino, Don Shula, Pat Swilling1993 – Cornelius Bennett, Bear Bryant, Ralph Jordan, Tom Landry, Marty Schottenheimer, Lynn Swann1994 – Robert Brazile, Rickey Jackson, Mark Rypien, Jim Simpson1995 – Bob Baumhower, Pat Dye, Bo Jackson, Gene Washington1996 – James Lofton, Dick Steinberg, Kellen Winslow1997 – Bob Hayes, Sterling Sharpe, Doak Walker1998 – Jim McMahon, Ray Nitschke, Thurman Thomas1999 – Tom Banks, Dale Carter, Paul Krause, Albert Lewis, Randall McDaniel, Art Monk, E. B. Peebles, Jr., Derrick Thomas, Roger Wehrli2000 – Hanford Dixon, Brett Favre, Chuck Howley2001 – William Andrews, Ron Jaworski, Eddie Robinson2002 – Todd Christensen, Bert Jones, Steve McNair2003 – Terry Beasley, Jeremiah Castille, Ted Hendricks2004 – Derrick Brooks, Christian Okoye, Richard Todd2005 – Larry Allen, Al Del Greco, Ray Perkins2006 – Curtis Martin, Tony Nathan, Michael Strahan2007 – E. J. Junior, Jake Plummer, Hines Ward2008 – Dean Kleinschmidt, Kevin Mawae, Brian Urlacher2009 – Jason Taylor, Shaun Alexander2010 – Larry Johnson, Terrell Owens2011 – None, due to NFL lockout2012 – Keith Brooking, Donovan McNabb, Dan Reeves2013 – John Abraham, Sylvester Croom, Aeneas Williams2014 – Bill Kollar, Torry Holt, DeMarcus Ware2015 – Woodrow Lowe, Tony Richardson, Kyle Williams2016 – Steve Hutchinson, Bill Curry, Tamba Hali2017 – Blaine Bishop, Lance Briggs, Jim Harbaugh2018 – Al Wilson, Phil Villapiano, Jay Novacek2019 – Rodney Hudson, DeMarco McNeil, Billy Neighbors2020 – None, due to COVID-19 pandemic2021 – Cameron Jordan, Joe Staley, Patrick Surtain, Fred Taylor, Reggie Wayne2022 – Kevin Faulk, Von Miller, Dak Prescott, Philip Rivers, Patrick Willis2023 – Chris Johnson, Lane Johnson, Clay Matthews III, Brian Westbrook, Marshal Yanda
Source: