The 1946 Raisin Bowl was a postseason college football game played once in the United States. The contest was staged in Fresno, California, a region noted for its raisin production, and the event’s name was derived from that local agricultural specialty. Organized by local civic and commercial groups, the bowl was intended to promote the region’s raisin industry and to provide a postseason opportunity for participating collegiate football programs.
Date and venue
The game took place on January 1, 1946, at Ratcliffe Stadium (also known historically as Fresno State College Stadium) in Fresno, California.
Participating teams
Published records of the specific collegiate teams that competed in the 1946 Raisin Bowl are limited. Contemporary newspaper accounts confirm that two college football programs participated, but the identities of those programs are not consistently documented in readily accessible, reliable sources.
Outcome
Because the participating teams and final score are not conclusively recorded in major historical compilations of college bowl games, the result of the 1946 Raisin Bowl remains undocumented in widely cited references.
Legacy
The Raisin Bowl was not continued after its inaugural edition; no subsequent games bearing the same name were held in later years. Consequently, the 1946 event remains a singular historical footnote within the broader context of mid‑20th‑century American college football postseason contests.
Historical context
During the 1940s, numerous regionally sponsored “bowl” games were organized across the United States, often as promotional events tied to local industry (e.g., the Grape Bowl, the Fruit Bowl). The Raisin Bowl fits this pattern, reflecting an effort by Fresno’s agricultural community to showcase its raisin production on a national stage through the medium of college football.
Documentation status
While the existence of the 1946 Raisin Bowl is confirmed by period newspaper reports and by references in compilations of defunct bowl games, detailed information such as the exact participating institutions, the final score, and attendance figures is not comprehensively recorded in readily available encyclopedic sources. Further research in archival newspapers, university athletic records, or contemporaneous sporting publications would be required to fill these gaps.