2009 International Bowl
2009 International Bowl.
The 2009 International Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Connecticut Huskies and the Buffalo Bulls played in Canada at the Rogers Centre (pictured) in Toronto on January 3, 2009. Connecticut represented the Big East Conference; Buffalo was the Mid-American Conference champion. At the pregame luncheon, members of the 1958 Buffalo Bulls were honored. The 1958 team was the first from the university to be invited to a bowl game, the Tangerine Bowl, where they would have faced Florida State. Because that stadium prohibited integrated football games, the team's African-American players—starting running back Willie Evans and backup defensive end Mike Wilson—were not allowed to play. The players unanimously voted to reject the bowl bid, and Buffalo would not play in a bowl until the 2009 game, which ended in a 38–20 victory for Connecticut.
The 2009 International Bowl was a postseason American college football bowl game between the Connecticut Huskies and the Buffalo Bulls played in Canada at the Rogers Centre (pictured) in Toronto on January 3, 2009. Connecticut represented the Big East Conference; Buffalo was the Mid-American Conference champion. At the pregame luncheon, members of the 1958 Buffalo Bulls were honored. The 1958 team was the first from the university to be invited to a bowl game, the Tangerine Bowl, where they would have faced Florida State. Because that stadium prohibited integrated football games, the team's African-American players—starting running back Willie Evans and backup defensive end Mike Wilson—were not allowed to play. The players unanimously voted to reject the bowl bid, and Buffalo would not play in a bowl until the 2009 game, which ended in a 38–20 victory for Connecticut.
