Click here for a historical video about the MacArthur Bowl.
 
ATHENS, GA, (Jan. 14, 2023) - The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame today formally presented the University of Georgia football team and head coach Kirby Smart with the MacArthur Bowl, the organization's national championship trophy for the Football Bowl Subdivision, during the National Championship Celebration on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens for a second consecutive year.
 
"Every year since 1959, the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame has presented the MacArthur Bowl, and all of the national champions for the past 64 years are etched on its replica of the stadium," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "The Georgia administration led by Dr. Moorhead, Josh Brooks and Coach Kirby Smart have done a marvelous job in leading the Bulldogs to back-to-back championships, which is unbelievable in this day and age… We'd all be remiss if we did not mention our great friend, the late Vince Dooley, the College Football Hall of Fame Coach, who passed away in 2022 and led Georgia to the 1980 title, as well as  his special wife, Barbara, who served on our board of directors for a long time… So, it's my humble privilege on behalf of the NFF today to present the MacArthur Bowl to Coach Smart, his staff, his team and all of you in Dawg Nation. Congratulations!"

Coach Smart accepted the award on behalf of his 2022 Georgia football team between the hedges in front of a standing room only crowd of more than 93,000 fans. Several community leaders made remarks on stage, including Georgia J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks, Governor Brian P. Kemp, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, University of Georgia President Jere Morehead, and Coach Smart. (Both Sankey and Morehead serve on the NFF Board.)

The NFF previously announced No. 1 Georgia (15-0) as the recipient of the 2022 NFF MacArthur Bowl National Championship Trophy, following the team's 65-7 victory over No. 3 TCU (13-2) in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship on Jan. 9 before a sellout crowd of 72,628 fans at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The name of the 2022 Bulldogs will now be etched alongside the greatest teams in college football history on the fabled MacArthur Bowl Championship Trophy, including the 1980 and 2021 Georgia teams. The trophy is housed at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Presented to every national champion since 1959, the MacArthur Bowl represents the pinnacle of team achievement in college sports, and each year during its 64-year history a new name has been etched alongside the greatest teams of all time. The trophy, a replica of a football stadium, features archways with space to engrave the names of 100 teams and miniature goal posts. The trophy was the gift of an anonymous donor, who commissioned Tiffany & Co. to craft it from 400 ounces of silver, in honor of early NFF leader General Douglas MacArthur. It took eight months to make, and the trophy features MacArthur's famous quote: "There Is No Substitute For Victory."

With the 2022 title, Georgia has now claimed the MacArthur Bowl three times. The Bulldogs won the MacArthur Bowl in 1980, under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Vince Dooley, and again last season under Coach Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs also won a fourth national title in 1942, which predates the presentation of the MacAthur Bowl. A team in the current SEC has now claimed the trophy 21 times.

Twenty-four different schools have claimed the trophy at least once during its 64-year history. Alabama has hoisted it the most, claiming it 10 times. Notre Dame is second with five wins while Ohio State, Miami (FL), Southern California and Texas have each etched their names four times on the trophy. Georgia now joins Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Nebraska and Oklahoma as three-time recipients. Michigan State and Penn State have each won the trophy twice.

During college football's Poll Era, the NFF MacArthur Bowl Committee selected the recipient of the trophy. With the advent of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1998, the national championship game has determined which team claimed the MacArthur Bowl, a tradition that continues under the College Football Playoff.
 
First presented in 1959, NFF National Champions and MacArthur Bowl recipients include: Syracuse 1959, Minnesota 1960, Alabama 1961, Southern California 1962, Texas 1963, Notre Dame 1964, Michigan State 1965, Michigan State/Notre Dame 1966, Southern California 1967, Ohio State 1968, Texas 1969, Ohio State/Texas 1970, Nebraska 1971, Southern California 1972, Notre Dame 1973, Southern California 1974, Oklahoma 1975, Pittsburgh 1976, Notre Dame 1977, Alabama 1978, Alabama 1979, Georgia 1980, Clemson 1981, Penn State 1982, Miami (FL) 1983, Brigham Young 1984, Oklahoma 1985, Penn State 1986, Miami (FL) 1987, Notre Dame 1988, Miami (FL) 1989, Colorado 1990, Washington 1991, Alabama 1992, Florida State 1993, Nebraska 1994, Nebraska 1995, Florida 1996, Michigan 1997, Tennessee 1998, Florida State 1999, Oklahoma 2000, Miami (FL) 2001, Ohio State 2002, LSU 2003, Vacated 2004, Texas 2005, Florida 2006, LSU 2007, Florida 2008, Alabama 2009, Auburn 2010, Alabama 2011, Alabama 2012, Florida State 2013, Ohio State 2014, Alabama 2015, Clemson 2016, Alabama 2017, Clemson 2018, LSU 2019, Alabama 2020, Georgia 2021 and Georgia 2022.