Norm Carlson Looks Back.. - Gator Memories
Thursday, August 25, 2005 | Football
| 1963 Miami Game The 1963 Florida-Miami game on November 23 in the Orange Bowl wasn't for national ranking or a bowl bid. It wasn't a particularly exciting game, but it was one to remember because it was played the day after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. There was considerable doubt about whether or not the game would go on as scheduled right up to the last few minutes before kickoff that night. Officials of both schools were briefed in the press box and a statement was prepared in the event Miami President Henry King Stanford called it off. The cancellation very nearly took place following an eerie pre-game marching band performance at the slowest possible pace, with the UM drums covered in black cloth. Media accounts stated that Dr. Stanford was headed to the public address booth when Jimmy Burns, the Miami Herald sports editor, blocked his path and talked him out of sending the crowd of 58,000 home at that late stage. For most of the game the fans sat in silence. Plays that normally would have brought folks to their feet were greeted with subdued applause. George Mira threw two touchdown passes for UM, and Miami native Tom Shannon scored a touchdown down while also completing seven of 10 pass attempts for Florida. It wasn't until the fourth quarter when another Miami native, Hagood Clarke, ran 70 yard for a touchdown on his only carry of the night, winning the game 27-21 for the Gators, that the fans came alive like a football crowd normally reacts. It is not the sort of game you would ever want to witness again. 1973 Miami (of Ohio) Game Perhaps the coldest weather for any Florida football game came when the Gators played a team from the State of Ohio. The contest wasn't even in the Buckeye State. It was the 1973 Tangerine Bowl, which was supposed to be played in Orlando but wound up in Gainesville. Stadium construction at the old Tangerine Bowl caused the site switch to Florida Field. The Gators and Miami of Ohio trained all week in the Orlando area, trekked up to Gainesville that Friday and played on December 22. Florida won five consecutive games to close out the 1973 seasons, including November victories over Auburn, Georgia and the other Miami, the one from the State of Florida. Gator fans, players and coaches were not overly excited about playing the unknown Miami, and didn't give them proper respect. That was the first major error. At kickoff time that night the temperature was below freezing and the wind was an icy 20 mph out of the northeast. Miami of Ohio players loved it. They felt right at home. As it turned out, they relished the underdog role in the Tangerine Bowl for three straight years, knocking off the Gators, Georgia and South Carolina in 1973-74-75. Miami rushed for 239 yards on a whopping 70 attempts, and passed for only six yards. Their fullback, Chuck Varner, was a converted linebacker. He carried 28 times for 156 yards. Florida turned the ball over four times, had only 189 yards of total offense and lost starting quarterback Don Gaffney in the first quarter with a strained back. About the only positive Florida memory was the play of Nat Moore, a first-team All-SEC pick that year. The temperature was 24 degrees in the fourth quarter and Moore was still playing hard. With the Gators trailing 16-0, he scored to make the final count 16-7. Only about 10,000 of the original 37,234 were still around, but Nat was playing out of pride. The Auburn Series When you have been involved in a series for 46 years, and have worked for schools, a multitude of good and bad memories accumulate. That is what has happened after four years in sports information at Auburn, and 42 years at Florida. In 1962, my final season with the Tigers, we were 5-0, ranked in the Top 10 and had already beaten Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Clemson either on the road or at a neutral site. The Gators were 3-3 and had been shutout the previous week, 23-0, by LSU. The Florida fans and media were in an uproar. Game day started out bad for Auburn when team buses arrive over an hour late at the Thomas Hotel in Gainesville. It quickly got worse. Florida wore the Tigers out that day in Gainesville to the tune of 22-3, starting a quarterback controversy and leading to a season that resulted in one win, three losses and a tie in the last five games, including a 38-0 defeat by Alabama on Dec. 1. The finest Gator memories in the series date back to the 30-27 win in 1966 when Steve Spurrier clinched the Heisman Trophy. There are many other great moments in a classic series that is no longer played on a regular basis:
The Florida-Georgia Series The drama of Florida-Georgia football has unfolded for generations of fans from both schools, With enough ecstasy and agony to create vivid memories for all concerned. The setting in Jacksonville, and the accomplishments of players, coaches and teams has made this game on the classics in college football. There are far more wonderful recollections than space allows, so here is one per decade:
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| Norm Carlson recently retired from the University Athletic Association after 40 years of service. Carlson serves as historian for Gator athletics and will contribute a regular column to gatorzone.com. |
