This Week In College Football History, Dec. 27-Jan. 2
Courtesy of The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc.
FEATURED MOMENT:
January 1, 1987: No. 4 and undefeated Syracuse, led by College Football Hall of Famers coach Dick MacPherson and quarterback Don McPherson, played No. 6 Auburn to the first tie in Sugar Bowl history 16-16 in New Orleans. Much to the Tiger crowd’s disappointment, Auburn College Football Hall of Fame coach Pat Dye opted to kick the game tying 30-yard field goal rather than go for the win with time winding down. McPherson was named the game’s MVP.
OTHER NOTABLE DATES:
December 27, 1958: Texas A&M Commerce (formerly East Texas State) beat Missouri Valley, led by College Football Hall of Fame coach Volney Ashford, 26-7 to claim its second Tangerine Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) victory in less than a year. The Lions held the Vikings nation-leading rushing attack to just 154 yards en route to the win.
December 27, 1971: Arizona State beat Florida State, 45-38, in the first Fiesta Bowl.
December 31, 1973: In a match of teams ranked #1 and #2 nationally, Notre Dame edged Alabama, 24-23, in the Sugar Bowl.
January 1, 1902: The first bowl game. Michigan 49, Stanford 0, Rose Bowl.
January 1, 1942: The government had a rule against large crowds on the west coast because of Pearl Harbor. The Rose Bowl was moved from Pasadena, Cal., to Durham, N.C. Oregon State beat Duke, 20-16.
January 1, 1946: Texas beat Missouri, 40-27, in the Cotton Bowl. Bobby Layne figured in all 40 Texas points. He ran and passed for six touchdowns and kicked four extra points. Layne was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1968.
January 1, 1954: Rice 28, Alabama 6, Cotton Bowl. Dicky Maegle of Rice was in the open field, running near the sideline. At the 40-yard line an Alabama player, Tommy Lewis, came off the bench and tackled Maegle. Officials gave Maegle a touchdown, recording it as a 95-yard run. Maegle was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979.
January 1, 1960: Syracuse beat Texas, 23-14, in the Cotton Bowl, completing a perfect 11-0 season, thus capturing the first ever MacArthur Bowl Trophy – as college football’s national champion for 1959. The trophy is still awarded today.
January 1, 1979: Archie Griffin of Ohio State started his fourth Rose Bowl. UCLA beat Ohio State, 23-16. Griffin was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
January 1, 1979: Teams ranked #1 and #2 met in the Sugar Bowl. Alabama beat Penn State, 14-7.
January 2, 1939: Duke came to the Rose Bowl undefeated, untied and unscored upon. Its record was 9-0. Southern California’s record was 8-2. With 40 seconds left, Southern California scored and won, 7-3.
January 2, 1996: Teams ranked #1 and #2 met in the Fiesta Bowl. Nebraska was victorious over Florida, 62-24.
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