Thank goodness for the Lions Club of Georgia.
If this fraternal organization didn't require a fundraiser-drive idea in the late 1960s, supporting local businesses, Deep South residents wouldn't have been treated to one of college football's most storied bowls of the last 50 years.
The Peach Bowl might have started out as a short-term initiative, but it has grown into a major event on the college football calendar; and with the advent of the College Football Playoff (established in 2014), the long-term health of the Chick fil-A Peach Bowl couldn't be any rosier.
Which brings us to this:
To celebrate the event's golden anniversary, with Saturday's classic pitting Michigan and Florida, here are 10 Fun Facts about the Peach Bowl's illustrious history:
10 FUN FACTS ABOUT THE PEACH BOWL
1. The Peach Bowl has enjoyed four different venues during its half-century ride of prominence—Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Georgia Dome, Fulton County Stadium and Georgia Tech's Grant Field (1968-70).
For the inaugural game in 1968, LSU outlasted No. 14 Florida State, 31-27.
It would mark the first and last time the Tigers and Seminoles would meet in postseason play.
2. The Big Ten hasn't earned a Peach Bowl victory since 1982, when Iowa trumped Tennessee at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
(NOTE: Maryland vanquished the Vols in the 2002 Peach Bowl, 30-3, but the Terrapins were a member of the ACC at the time.)
3. Clemson alum DeAndre Hopkins holds the Peach Bowl single-game record for receptions (13), as part of his 191-yard, two-TD explosion against LSU in 2012.
Absurd numbers for a crazy game, with Clemson rallying from an 11-point deficit in the final minutes.
But here's the really weird part ... six years later:
On that night, Clemson had a perfectly balanced ratio of 50 passes and 50 rushes; and quarterback Tajh Boyd incredibly accounted for 79 percent of the final touches (50 passes, 29 runs).
4. The last four Peach Bowls (including Alabama's 2016 win over Washington for the College Football Playoff semifinals) have yielded an average scoring differential of 19.3 points.
This doesn't bode well for Florida, which sits as a 6 1/2-point underdog (source: Vegas Insider) ... and posted a 1-3 record against the spread for the Gators' four seasonal defeats.
5. The 2011 Auburn squad could easily stand as the last non-ranked victor in Peach Bowl history.
Why is that?
Given its 'New Year's Six' standing, the Peach Bowl will likely be a haven for top-10 teams ... charting years that don't directly involve the 4-team Playoff.
6. The following nugget comes as a mild surprise:
Since the advent of the NY6 bowl series four years ago (Rose, Orange, Cotton, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach), the Big Ten boasts a 9-4 overall record (excluding CFP title games).
The SEC, in turn, owns a middling 5-5 record in New Year's Six outings, with Alabama (six national titles during the Nick Saban era) accounting for three conference victories.
7. Older Clemson fans might still be haunted by the Tigers' terrible trifecta at the Peach Bowl, citing 1996 through 1999.
Here are the lowlights of Clemson's three trips to Atlanta during than span:
**The Tigers scored a grand total of 31 Peach Bowl points for 1996, 1998 and 1999.
**In 1997, Clemson accounted for only four total first downs—a Peach Bowl record for futility.
**Two years later, Clemson also established a Peach Bowl record ... with five interceptions thrown (QBs: Brandon Streeter/Woody Dantzler).
8. Former UGA star Hines Ward holds the Peach Bowl record for most passes attempted in a single outing (59 in 1995).
How untouchable is this mark?
On Saturday, quarterbacks Shea Patterson (Michigan) and Feleipe Franks (Florida) are hardly locks for 59 combined pass attempts.
9. Seven players share the Peach Bowl single-game record for most rushing touchdowns (three) ... but only one played quarterback: Indiana's Trent Green.
Strange but true: The fleet-footed-in-college Green, who eclipsed 4,000 yards passing over three consecutive seasons with the Chiefs (2003-05), accounted for only six rushing touchdowns during his 16-year NFL career.
10. Thirty-seven years later ... and West Virginia's Paul Woodside still owns the Peach Bowl record for most made field goals (four).
Woodside also gets bonus credit for kicking in the mucky grime of the old Fulton County Stadium turf ... which always seemed wet and wild during bowl time.
On that New Year's Eve in 1981, West Virginia knocked off vaunted Florida by 20 points ... thanks to the brilliance of Woodside, a stifling Mountaineers defense and the rock-solid work of quarterback Oliver Luck.
More famously known as the father of Andrew Luck.