The Snow Bowl Turns 25: Remembering the Most Infamous Independence Bowl Ever

Just a couple of days ago, organizers of the Independence Bowl in Shreveport made the announcement that the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs would meet the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the 49th annual Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl set for Tuesday, December 30 at 1:00 pm

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That means that for the second consecutive year, the bulldogs will take center stage here in Shreveport.  And, with the local connection to Ruston's Louisiana Tech, there's a great deal of interest in this year's game, however it will be hard to top the memory of what could be called the most infamous Independence Bowl of all time.

If you are old enough to remember New Year's Eve 2000, you probably remember the event that occurred that put Shreveport in the national spotlight.

Twenty five years ago, Texas A&M and Mississippi State University were in town for what would would soon be known as the "Snow Bowl."

READ MORE: 2025 Independence Bowl Features La. Tech & Coastal Carolina

It was about thirty minutes prior to kickoff when snow blew into Shreveport and by the second quarter, all the turf was covered, forcing plows to be used during timeouts to make all the goal lines, yardage lines and hash marks visible.

At certain times, the snow came down so hard that television viewers said it was much like watching television static and half of the nearly 37,000 fans called it quits by half time and left the stands to finish the game from the comforts of an indoor television.

Just check out this video to jog your memory.

Mississippi State won the game in overtime 43-41 and Coach Jackie Sherrill said his team won through their sheer will, "There might have been a different football game under normal conditions, but our team just never gave up." Sherrill continued, "I was surprised both teams scored as many points as we did in the snow."

It's highly unlikely we could see a repeat of that type weather this year.  In fact, long range forecast from Accuweather.com, the weather for game day is looking relatively nice with lots of sunshine and a high of 64.

Of course, we are still three weeks from then and considering the way our weather changes around here, we could have anything from a tropical heat wave to a blizzard.

So, for those planning to visit Shreveport for this year's game, if you pack everything from a parka and thermal underwear to shorts and flip flops, you should be good to go.