1955 Sugar Bowl
| 1955 Sugar Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1954 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Tulane Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Joe Gattuso | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Ole Miss by 1 1⁄2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 80,190 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jack Drees, Bill Stern | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1955 Sugar Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on January 1, 1955 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game featured the fifth-ranked Navy Midshipmen and the sixth-ranked Ole Miss Rebels.
Running back Joe Gattuso scored on a 3-yard touchdown run as Navy took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter. The second quarter had no scoring. In the third quarter, Navy quarterback George Welsh threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to halfback Jack Weaver, as Navy took command with a 14–0 lead. Gattuso scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, as Navy built a 21–0 lead. With no more scoring, Navy held on to win. With two rushing touchdowns, Gattuso was named the game's MVP.
The 1954 Sugar Bowl, played between the Georgia Tech and West Virginia, was a fiasco for the game's organizers. West Virginia, in an attempt to stop Georgia Tech's rushing attack, utilized an unusual 8-3 defensive structure and set themselves up for a 42-19 rout. The Mid-Winter Sports Association, who organizes the game, wanted to recover from the 1954 disaster. Journalist Marty Mulé wrote that the group "felt obligated to reestablish itself as the premier bowl". Because of this, the organization "went hunting in new territory: the service academies". Army quickly rejected an offer from the Sugar Bowl, but Navy officials said they would consider accepting a bid from the Sugar or Cotton bowls.
The 1953 season was a disappointment for Navy, who entered the year ranked 13th in the AP Poll, but finished with a mediocre record at 4-3-2. The Midshipmen were in their fourth season under the leadership of Eddie Erdelatz, who held an 11-14-2 record before the 1953 season, which included a 14-2 upset of undefeated rival Army in 1950. The 1953 season began decently for Navy, but ended in with a 1-3-1 record in their last five games, of which all three losses were to rivals.
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