George Crumbley, Peach Bowl founder, dies

By KEN SUGIURA

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

George Crumbley, who laid the groundwork for what became a staple of the Atlanta sports calendar, died Tuesday. The founder of the Peach Bowl, now the Chick-fil-A Bowl, was 86.

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AJC File George Crumbley founded the Peach Bowl, which was first played in 1968 in Atlanta, and is the ninth-oldest existing bowl.

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Mr. Crumbley founded the game, which is the ninth-oldest existing bowl, to raise money for the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, of which he was an officer. He served as the game’s executive director from 1968 to 1985. He stepped down after a heart attack in 1985. Mr. Crumbley also was an advertising and public relations executive.

“He was always a kind and humble presence who was reluctant to take credit for any of our collective progress,” Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan wrote in an e-mail to bowl supporters. “We will honor his memory and the important role he played in the birth of the bowl game for many years to come.”

Crumbley saw the game through its more difficult years as its executive director when the game was played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and hampered by poor weather and financial difficulty. In later years, the game has gained solid footing with annual sellouts, a string of compelling games in the Georgia Dome and a prime-time audience on ESPN. In 2006, it became known as the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Funeral arrangements had not been made Tuesday evening.