The 1993 Alamo Bowl was the inaugural edition of the college football bowl game and featured the California Golden Bears of the Pacific-10 Conference and the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference.
Part of the 1993âÂÂ94 bowl schedule, it was played on New Year's Eve at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Held on Friday night, it was televised by ESPN and kicked off shortly after 8:30 p.m. CST. Favored California won in a rout, 37âÂÂ3.
The bowl had planned to feature the third place team from the Texas-based Southwest Conference (SWC) against the fourth place team from the Pacific-10 Conference.
However, only two of the SWC's eight teams (Texas A&M and Texas Tech) reached the necessary six wins for bowl eligibility, and those teams were committed to the Cotton Bowl and the Hancock Bowl (Sun Bowl), respectively. Texas had played a rigorous non-conference schedule, going 0âÂÂ3âÂÂ1, and finished with an ineligible 5âÂÂ5âÂÂ1 record.
Bowl officials subsequently invited Iowa, who had finished eighth in the Big Ten, but won their final four games for a bowl-eligible 6âÂÂ5 record.
Washington finished fourth in the Pac-10 with a conference record of 5âÂÂ3, but was ineligible, due to conference sanctions. California and Arizona State were tied behind Washington, with 4âÂÂ4 conference records. Bowl officials unanimously decided to invite California (8âÂÂ4) over the Sun Devils (6âÂÂ5).
Cal placekicker Doug Brien connected on field goals of 37 and 20 yards in the first quarter, as Cal took a 6âÂÂ0 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Brien's third field goal, a 30 yarder gave Cal a 9âÂÂ0 lead. Cal quarterback Dave Barr threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Mike Caldwell as Cal went up 16âÂÂ0. A 61-yard interception return by linebacker Jerrot Willard gave Cal a 23âÂÂ0 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, Iowa's Brion Hurley kicked a 42-yard field goal to get the Hawkeyes on the scoreboard at 23âÂÂ3. Barr threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Iheanyi Uwaezuoke to take a 30âÂÂ3 lead after three quarters. He added a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brian Remington in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 37âÂÂ3, the final score.
With the win, California improved to 9âÂÂ4 and was ranked #25 in the final AP poll.