![]() Special teams doomed Kent State, not only with the missed kicks, but also with an early muffed punt that set up the first of two Orndorff touchdown catches. At the end, the gutty Golden Flashes were denied a tie or victory only by two missed point-after tries and a two-point conversion attempt which also failed. The threatened rout never came near unfolding as Coach Don James' Mid-American Conference champions came off the floor to score one in the third period and twice more in a fight-enlivened fourth. It looked like Tampa had one.īut anemic Kent State stepped into one of Clark Kent's old phone booths midway and came out like Superman to convert the 27th Tangerine Bowl from a game to a classic.īefore a record crowd of 20,062 on a perfect night for football, the Spartans had just enough left to preserve a 21-18 victory in a contest they had led 21-0 when it was a mere 24 minutes old. ![]() 2: Kent State defenders Dan Rector (56), Alonzo Curry (27), Jack Lambert (99) watch as play goes for 35 yards and score to make it 14-0" įor a half Friday night, it didn't look like Tampa needs a pro team. The game: From the Orlando Sentinel: The caption: "PAUL ORNDORFF HOME FREE FOR TAMPA TD NO. This is one of the sport’s great hindsight games, a “Huh, wow, how about that?” tidbit. On the Golden Flashes’ depth chart were future NFL hall of famer Jack Lambert, future Missouri wins leader Gary Pinkel, and a heady safety named Nick Saban. The Spartans’ bowl opponent, Kent State, was led by Don James, who would spend two more seasons there before taking the Washington job and eventually winning a national title with the Huskies. And they were led onto the field by Earle Bruce, who would leave for Iowa State after the season and eventually succeed Woody Hayes at Ohio State. 1 pick (and movie star) John Matuszak, future professional wrestler Paul Orndorff, and future 49ers receiver Freddie Solomon. ĩ-2 Tampa had suffered a midseason letdown in what was otherwise a dream season the Spartans committed a host of mistakes in losses to Kansas State and Louisville, but they rebounded to handle rivals Florida A&M (26-9) and Miami (7-0), and they destroyed Vanderbilt in the season finale to lock up a Tangerine berth. The 1972 Tangerine Bowl was one of the more noteworthy, star-heavy minor bowls ever played, even if nobody had any idea at the time. Wonderful, Sloth, and a future NFL receiver playing quarterback. On one sideline, you had three future coaching greats and one of the best linebackers of all-time. Not all of it was elite football-playing talent. But in between, in late 1972, 20,072 attendees witnessed a strangely awesome amalgamation of elite talent. In the years after 1972, the Tangerine Bowl became an annual home for Miami (Ohio) to defeat local power conference teams - Florida in 1973, Georgia in 1974, South Carolina in 1975. In the years leading up to 1972, it was basically an opportunity for Toledo to finish incredible seasons with blowout wins (56-33 over Davidson, 40-12 over William & Mary, 28-3 over Richmond). But in the 1970s, it was a mid-major showcase pitting the MAC champion vs. ![]() The back story: The Tangerine Bowl would eventually become the Citrus Bowl and start frequently hosting high-level SEC, Big Ten, or ACC teams. The stakes: The 1972 Tangerine Bowl title! Rose Bowl breakthroughsġ924 Notre Dame, 1925 Alabama, 1931 USC, 1993 Wisconsin, 2004 Texas Offensive innovationġ906 Chicago, 1943 Iowa Pre-Flight, 1968 Texas, 1991 Florida, 2007 Oregon Dramatic seasonsġ960 Iowa, 1965 UCLA, 1978 Missouri, 1982 Pitt, 2013 Auburn Star powerġ923 Illinois, 1938 TCU, 1980 Georgia, 1984 Boston College, 1999 Virginia Tech On the riseġ951 Michigan State, 1962 Nebraska, 1970 Alabama, 1981 Florida State, 2002 USC Mid-majorsġ930 Utah, 1970 Dartmouth, 1972 Tampa, 1974 Miami (Ohio), 2010 Boise State Greatness deniedġ941 Northwestern, 1968 Purdue, 1973 Michigan, 1988 Miami, 1990 Virginia, 1998 Ohio State Incredible defenseġ938 Tennessee, 1957 Auburn, 1959 Ole Miss, 1985 Oklahoma, 1993 Texas A&M, 2011 LSU Perfectionġ917 Georgia Tech, 1940 Minnesota, 1945 Army, 1947 Notre Dame, 1955 Oklahoma, 1959 Syracuse, 1991 Washington ![]() Over the coming weeks, we’re going to take a look at some of the biggest games from these 50 best* teams. The title is a misdirection - it’s not about the best teams it’s about college football at its best and most interesting. ![]() My second book, The 50 Best* College Football Teams of All Time, came out in March. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |