College Bowl

The first ever televised quiz bowl. The format of this show would spawn a multitude of other academic bowls all over the nation.

Broadcast
CBS/NBC/ABC/Syndicated 1953-1955, 1959-1970, 1978

NBC 1984

Disney Channel 1987

Packagers
Moses-Reid-Cleary Productions 1959-1984

Richard Reid Productions/The College Bowl Company 1987

Hosts
Allen Ludden

Robert Earle

Art Fleming

Pat Sajak

Dick Cavett

Announcers
Don Morrow

Jerry Damon

Mel Brandt

Alan Berns

Nelson Davis

Jim McKrell

Gameplay
The format was simple. Two four-member teams representing various colleges and universities competed; one member of each team was its captain. The game began with a "toss-up" question for ten points; the first player to buzz in got the right to answer, but if (s)he was wrong, the other team could try to answer (if a player buzzed in before the host finished reading the question and was wrong, the team was penalized five points). Answering a "toss-up" correctly earned the team the right to answer a multi-part "bonus" question worth up to thirty points; the team members could collaborate, but only the captain was allowed to actually give the answer. The game continued in this manner, and was played in halves. During halftime, the players were allowed to show a short promotional film of their school; or they might talk about career plans or the like.

Link
Official Site

Josh Rebich's College Bowl Rule Sheets