Japan Bowl Trophy

The Japanese people adored Joe. They respected his desire to participate in their All-Star game despite suffering from cancer. Joe's courageous yet humble actions resonated with the values and ideals of the Japanese culture. As a tribute to Joe, the Japan Bowl committee created a new award to honor the Most Inspirational Player from each Japan Bowl game. The first Joe Roth Memorial Award was given to WR Jimmy Cefalo of Penn St. The award was given annually until the game was discontinued before the 1994 game. The award acknowledged Joe by placing his helmet on top of the trophy. In the chart below you can see several Joe Roth Memorial Award recipients holding the trophy with Joe's helmet on top.

Year Winner Score Runner-Up Score Joe Roth Memorial Award Photo
1976 West 27 East 18 Award not yet created N/A
1977 West 21 East 10 Award not yet created N/A
1978 East 26 West 10 Jimmy Cefalo, RB (Penn St.) Cefalo
1979 East 33 West 14 Scott Fitzkee, RB (Penn St.) Fitzkee
1980 West 28 East 17 Paul Cambell, RB (Ohio St.) Cambell
1981 West 25 East 13 JC Watts, QB (Oklahoma) Watts
1982 West 28 East 17 Leo Wisniewski, OL (Penn St.) Wisniewski
1983 West 30 East 21 Richard Neely, DL (SMU) Neely
1984 West 26 East 21 Irving Fryer, WR (Nebraska) Fryer
1985 West 28 East 14 Gale Gilbert, QB (California) Gilbert
1986 East 31 West 14 Bo Jackson, RB (Auburn) Jackson
1987 West 24 East 17 Stradford, RB (Boston College) Stradford
1988 West 17 East 3 Chad Hennings, DL (Air Force) Hennings
1989 East 30 West 7 Mark Messner, DL (Michigan) Messner
1990 East 24 West 10 Research in progress
1991 West 20 East 14 Research in progress
1992 East 14 West 13 Research in progress
1993 East 27 West 13 Research in progress
Japan Bowl MIP Trophy