Budweiser vs. Bud Light: Who Dominated Those 1990s ‘Bud Bowl’ Matchups?
In the classic The Simpsons episode “Lisa the Greek,” which premiered Jan. 23, 1992, a number of Super Bowl traditions and rituals are parodied, including a celebrity (in this case, Troy McClure) promoting an upcoming episode of their new series making its premiere after the game.
There was also this commercial for the “Duff Bowl,” pitting teams of anthropomorphic bottles of Duff Beer against one another on the football field (divided into teams: Duff Lite vs. Duff Dry).
Watched today by a younger person, this Duff Bowl ad might seem funny, yet not make too much sense. Those of a certain age, however, even if they didn’t see this episode at the time, certainly remember what this ad was zinging: Budweiser’s classic series of Super Bowl-targeted “Bud Bowl” commercials. Three Bud Bowls had already aired in the years leading up to this Simpsons episode, and the fourth would air during the Super Bowl that took place just a few days after the episode debuted.
Over what eventually were eight commercial campaigns that aired during Super Bowls from 1989 to 1997, the Bud Bowl pitted player-bottles of Budweiser against Bud Light (with occasional appearances by Bud Dry and Bud Ice; Budweiser was among the companies that got in on the “ice beer” trend that started in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s).
As silly as they might seem now, Budweiser went all in on these ads, not just in terms of their stop-motion and computer-animated “players,” but also in acquiring some big names from among top sportscasters and retired athletes of the time to call the on-field action.
BUD BOWL RESULTS 1989-97
Unlike some of the blowout Super Bowls during which they aired, all eight of the Bud Bowls were pretty closely contested, with the largest margin of victory being six points and usually a lot less, but Budweiser still managed to get the upper hand over Bud Light most of the time, winning six of the eight Bud Bowls.
Bud Bowl I
The inaugural Bud Bowl took place Jan. 22, 1989, during Super Bowl XXIII between the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals (remember when Super Bowls took place in January?).
The 49ers beat the Bengals 20-16 in the Super Bowl, and the Bud Bowl was similarly close and exciting, with Budweiser defeating Bud Light 27-24:
This first Bud Bowl commercial also features a shot of “Bud Light owner” and “Original Party Animal” Spuds MacKenzie up in his box celebrating a score by his team. Spuds, the famed mascot who first appeared in another well-remembered commercial for Bud Light during Super Bowl XXI in 1987, was actually played by a female bull terrier named Evie, who passed away in 1993.
© Anheuser-Busch/Screenshot from youtube.com/@budbowl
And that’s not the only reference to another famous Bud advertising campaign in this commercial; there is a also a shot of the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales seen on the stadium’s Jumbotron at one point.
There were apparently a couple of alternate endings for Bud Bowl I. In one, seen below, the game ends in a tie very abruptly when a couple of players are grabbed off the field by some beer shoppers.
Another ending had the game hilariously interrupted by the movie Heidi, a reference to the infamous “Heidi Game” incident in 1968 when NBC cut away from a Jets/Raiders game to show that family film, only to be inundated by irate calls and letters from fans who ended up missing what turned into a classic comeback victory for the Raiders, who scored two touchdowns in the game’s final minute.
References to things like the “Heidi Game” are peppered throughout all the Bud Bowl commercials, and that is part of what made them enjoyable then, and still fun today. They not only referenced notable personalities from the game and the world of sportscasting, but they also recruited an impressive number of them to take part.
For example, Bud Bowl I itself was announced by Bob Costas and Paul Maguire, while the media kit preview below, sent out ahead of the commercial, featured noted sportscasters Dick Enberg, Chris Berman and Roy Firestone (with Firestone doing impersonations of Keith Jackson and Howard Cosell).
Bud Bowl II
The second Bud Bowl took place on Jan. 28, 1990, during Super Bowl XXIV between the 49ers and Denver Broncos
While the Super Bowl itself was a blowout, with the 49ers winning 55-10, the Bud Bowl was a much closer affair, with Budweiser repeating as champion with a 36-34 victory over Bud Light.
That commercial was also preceded by an interesting media kit, this one presented by sportscaster Brent Musburger, who also called the action in the commercial alongside Terry Bradshaw.
Bud Bowl III
Keith Jackson, “Dandy Don” Meredith and Chris Berman called Bud Bowl III, which aired Jan. 27, 1991, during Super Bowl XXV between the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills.
The Giants edged out a 20-19 victory, handing the Bills the first of their four consecutive Super Bowl losses. Meanwhile, in the Bud Bowl, Bud Light got its first victory over Budweiser, 23-21.
Bud Bowl IV
Berman went solo to call the action in Bud Bowl IV on Jan. 26, 1992, during Super Bowl XXVI between the Washington football team (under their former name) and the Bills.
Washington won 37-34, while Budweiser took back its Bud Bowl title, beating Bud Light 27-24.
Bud Bowl V
The fifth Bud Bowl, announced by Ahmad Rashad and Karen Duffy, was contested on Jan. 31, 1993, during Super Bowl XXVII between the Dallas Cowboys and the Bills.
Dallas destroyed Buffalo in the Super Bowl 52-17, while in the Bud Bowl, NFL legend Joe Namath coached team Budweiser to a 35-31 victory over team Bud Light, coached by actor Corbin Bernsen.
Bud Bowl VI
The Cowboys and Bills returned to the Big Game the following year, in Super Bowl XXVIII on Jan. 30, 1994.
Dallas won again, in a closer game this time, 30-13. In Bud Bowl VI that year, in a game called by Marv Albert, team Bud Light, coached by Bum Phillips, beat Budweiser, coached by Mike Ditka, 20-14, one of the more lop-sided of Bud Bowl scores, showing just how evenly matched these competitors were over the course of their rivalry.
This Bud Bowl also featured a can, known as “the Basher,” playing for the first time, and using his size and brute strength to push in for a score (unfortunately, he ended up getting tossed from the game for excessive celebration and cussing out the referee; Coach Ditka comments that this player should learn to control his anger).
Bud Bowl VII
Chris Berman returned to call the action in Bud Bowl VII, which took place on Jan. 29, 1995, during Super Bowl XXIX between the 49ers and the San Diego Chargers.
The 49ers defeated the Chargers 49-26, with Budweiser winning the Bud Bowl by a much closer margin of 26-24.
Bud Bowl 8
For some reason, there was not a Bud Bowl commercial in 1996, but the Budweiser/Bud Light rivalry returned on Jan. 26, 1997, during Super Bowl XXXI between the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots.
The Packers won that Super Bowl 35-21, and Budweiser continued its Bud Bowl dominance, beating Bud Light 27-24 in what ended up being the final Bud Bowl game, which was called by former NFLers Howie Long and Ronnie Lott.
I think the Bud Bowl lived on a bit in contests or at least in posters in stores, etc., for a few years afterward, but by this time, Budweiser was also moving on to other notable Super Bowl ad campaigns, like the “Bud-Weis-Er” frogs, whose first commercial dropped during Super Bowl XXIX in 1995, followed by the “Whassup?” commercial campaigns of the late ’90s/early 2000s.
I’m a little surprised the Bud Bowl hasn’t been brought back in commercial form, for nostalgia’s sake, but at least we have the hall-of-fame-worthy originals to look back on and enjoy.
Remind