The 1950 Salad Bowl was a college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 bowl game

Bowl game

In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

 played between Xavier University and Arizona State College

Arizona State University

Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

 at Montgomery Stadium

Montgomery Stadium

Montgomery Stadium was a multi-use stadium in Phoenix, Arizona that hosted the Salad Bowl from 1948 to 1952. Its capacity was 23,000 people, and it was located on the Phoenix Union High School campus.-References:...

 in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

. Xavier entered the game with a 9–1 record, best in the state of Ohio, and favored over 7–2 Arizona, which had the best record in Arizona. Xavier defeated Arizona State 33-21 before 20,000 fans, then the most fans who had ever watched a football game (of any level) in the state of Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. This marked Xavier's first and only appearance in a post-season bowl game.

The Phoenix Kiwanis Club, who sponsored the Salad Bowl, selected Arizona State as the home team after the Sun Devils defeated the Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats football

The Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Early years:...

, 34–7. Arizona State had not beaten Arizona since 1931. At the end of November the organizers invited Xavier, whose 9–1 record was best in Ohio, to face Arizona State. Other teams considered included the College of the Pacific, Wyoming

Wyoming Cowboys football

The Wyoming Cowboys are a college football team that represents the University of Wyoming. They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I. The team has won 15 conference titles...

 and Colorado A&M

Colorado State Rams football

The Colorado State Rams football program, established in 1893, represents Colorado State University and is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Mountain West Conference under head coach Steve Fairchild...

.

During the game Xavier benefited from mistakes by Arizona State, including three touchdown

Touchdown

A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...

 drives which began with Arizona State turnovers

Turnover (football)

In American football, a turnover occurs when the team with the ball loses possession of the ball, which is then gained by the other team. The two events that are officially classified as "turnovers" are fumbles or interceptions In American football, a turnover occurs when the team with the ball...

. On the other side of the ball, Arizona State's barefoot kicker Bobby Fuller kicked all three extra points. The following season Fuller would make 48 of 51 attempts, a record which stood for 20 years.

The pre-game parade featured Jacque Mercer

Jacque Mercer

Jacque Mercer from Litchfield, Arizona, was Miss America in 1949. She is mentioned several times in the 1997 Philip Roth novel, American Pastoral.-References:*...

, the 1949 Miss America

Miss America

The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...

 and a native of Litchfield Park, Arizona

Litchfield Park, Arizona

Litchfield Park is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. In 2010 it had a population of 5,476.-History:The town of Litchfield Park is named for its founder, Paul Weeks Litchfield...

. Her presence came from a special connection: Robert Hannelly, who was president of both the Phoenix Kiwanis Club and Phoenix College

Phoenix College

Phoenix College is a community college located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country....

, which Mercer attended.

Although a number of modern sources state that the game took place on New Years Day, contemporary newspaper accounts confirm that the game was played, along with most bowl games that year, on January 2. No bowl games were played on January 1, 1950 because it fell on a Sunday.