What is Penn State Football's All-Time Bowl Record?

Let’s take a look at Penn State Football’s history in Bowl Games.

With a history of 52 bowl games under their belt, Penn State boasts an impressive record of 31-19-2. The Nittany Lions have truly shone in the major bowls (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, Peach, and Cotton), holding a formidable 17- 7- 1 record.

Tracing back to their first bowl appearance, the Nittany Lions debuted in the Rose Bowl in 1922. Despite a challenging game against the USC Trojans, resulting in a 14-3 loss, it marked the beginning of their journey in bowl games.

Joe Paterno led Penn State Football to 37 bowl appearances, winning 24 times.

Paterno’s record stands at 24–12–1 (.662). Paterno also recorded a 13–4–0 record in’ major’ bowls.

Paterno is one of only two coaches in history to have
competed in and won all five major bowls, the other being Bob Stoops at Oklahoma.

Penn State under Paterno won two national championships in 1983 at the Sugar Bowl when they beat Georgia Bulldogs and in 1987 at the Fiesta Bowl when they beat the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes.

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Penn State’s all-time bowl scores

January 1, 1923, Rose Bowl: USC 14, Penn State 3
January 1, 1948, Cotton Bowl: Penn State 13, SMU 13
December 19, 1959, Liberty Bowl: Penn State 7, Alabama 0
December 17, 1960, Liberty Bowl: Penn State 41, Oregon 12
December 30, 1961, Gator Bowl: Penn State 30, Georgia Tech 15
December 29, 1962, Gator Bowl: Florida 17, Penn State 7
December 30, 1967, Gator Bowl: Penn State 17, Florida State 17
January 1, 1969, Orange Bowl: Penn State 15, Kansas 14
January 1, 1970, Orange Bowl: Penn State 10, Missouri 3
January 1, 1972, Cotton Bowl: Penn State 30, Texas 6
December 31, 1972, Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma 14, Penn State 0
January 1, 1974, Orange Bowl: Penn State 16, LSU 0
January 1, 1975, Cotton Bowl: Penn State 41, Baylor 20
December 31, 1975, Sugar Bowl: Alabama 13, Penn State 6
December 27, 1976, Gator Bowl: Notre Dame 20, Penn State 9
December 25, 1977, Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 42, Arizona State 30
January 1, 1979, Sugar Bowl: Alabama 14, Penn State 7
December 22, 1979, Liberty Bowl: Penn State 9, Tulane 6
December 26, 1980, Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 31, Ohio State 19
January 1, 1982, Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 26, USC 10
January 2, 1987, Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 14, Miami 10
January 1, 1988, Citrus Bowl: Clemson 35, Penn State 10
December 29, 1989, Holiday Bowl: Penn State 50, BYU 39
December 28, 1990, Blockbuster Bowl: Florida State 24, Penn State
17
January 1, 1992, Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 42, Tennessee 17
January 1, 1993, Blockbuster Bowl: Stanford 24, Penn State 3
January 1, 1994, Citrus Bowl: Penn State 31, Tennessee 13
January 2, 1995, Rose Bowl: Penn State 38, Oregon 20
January 1, 1996, Outback Bowl: Penn State 43, Auburn 14
January 1, 1997, Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 38, Texas 15
January 1, 1998, Citrus Bowl: Florida 21, Penn State 6
January 1, 1999, Outback Bowl: Penn State 26, Kentucky 14
December 28, 1999, Alamo Bowl: Penn State 24, Texas A&M 0
January 1, 2003, Capital One Bowl: Auburn 13, Penn State 9
January 3, 2006, Orange Bowl: Penn State 26, Florida State 23
January 1, 2007, Outback Bowl: Penn State 20, Tennessee 10
December 29, 2007, Alamo Bowl: Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17
January 1, 2009, Rose Bowl: USC 38, Penn State 24
January 1, 2010, Capital One Bowl: Penn State 19, LSU 17
January 1, 2011, Outback Bowl: Florida 37, Penn State 24
January 2, 2012, Ticket City Bowl: Houston 30, Penn State 14
December 27, 2014, Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State 31, Boston College
30
January 2, 2016, TaxSlayer Bowl: Georgia 24, Penn State 17
January 2, 2017, Rose Bowl: USC 52, Penn State 49
December 30, 2017, Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 35, Washington 28
January 1, 2019, Citrus Bowl: Kentucky 27, Penn State 24
December 28, 2019, Cotton Bowl: Penn State 53, Memphis 39
January 1, 2022, Outback Bowl: Arkansas 24, Penn State 10
January 2, 2023, Rose Bowl: Penn State 35, Utah 21