Bacardi Bowl
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Bacardi Bowl was a college football bowl game played just one time in Havana, Cuba. The game ended in a tie. Auburn’s bowl history began in 1937 when the Tigers and Villanova tied 7-7 in the Bacardi Bowl, sometimes referred to as the Rhumba Bowl or the Cigar Bowl, the climaxing event of Cuba’s annual National Sports Festival. The game was played in Havana, Cuba, and is the first and only bowl game to ever be played outside the United States. An Auburn drive in the first quarter stalled on the 10-yard line where the Wildcats took over on downs. After a Villanova punt, Auburn back Billy Hitchcock broke loose around left end and rambled 40 yards for the Tigers only score. The score at the half was Auburn 7, Villanova 0. Auburn stopped a Villanova drive on its own 12-yard line during the third quarter but couldn’t get field position. Villanova was able to tie the score when they blocked an Auburn quick kick and the ball bounced into the endzone where Wildcat Lineman Matthews Kuber fell on it for the score. The PAT tied up the game. Auburn’s return to the States marked an end to more than 11,000 miles of football travel for the 7-2-2 Tigers that finished the season ranked 13th in the nation under coach Jack Meagher. The game was played in a revolutionary atmosphere. Fulgencio Batista, the dictator who would be overthrown by Fidel Castro 22 years later, had just assumed power. The game was almost canceled because Batista’s picture was not in the game program. A quick trip to the printer saved the Bacardi Bowl and allowed Auburn’s bowl history to get off to a significant and historical beginning