Carlson's Gator Tales: Sugar Bowl Meeting Sparked Florida-Missouri Rivalry
Friday, October 17, 2014 | Football
By Norm Carlson
Assistant Athletics Director/Gator Historian
The Florida-Missouri football series started in a bowl game in New Orleans following the 1965 season. It was nationally televised by NBC-TV. The Gators entered the contest unranked despite entering with a 7-3 record and beating FSU in final game of the season, 30-17. Missouri was ranked sixth.
Despite the ranking and record, the Tigers weren't highly respected by SEC fans. They played in the Big Eight and Florida played in the mighty SEC, home of national powers like Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Alabama.
Florida's success was measured by a few star players, stellar defense under Bob Woodruff in the 1950's, and James Van Fleet's genius in the 1920's, when he was ROTC commander and had a background as a star player on great Army teams alongside Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley, two other World War II heroes.
Florida's signature games to that point came in Birmingham in 1923 against Alabama's Rose Bowl team, 1926 vs. Georgia in Savannah, 1947 in an upset 7-6 win over 18th-ranked N.C. State in Raleigh, 31-27 over 13th-ranked Vanderbilt in Nashville in 1950 and a 0-0 tie in a heavy rain in Gainesville against Georgia Tech in 1953.
The game against third-ranked Georgia Tech was played in hurricane-force wind and heavy rain. It was much like the recently-cancelled contest against Idaho. Georgia Tech's Leon Hardeman was clear for a touchdown on a sweep, but slipped making a cut and fell. That was the closest either team came to scoring.
Students seated in the wooden seats on the east side of the stadium didn't mind. Bags and containers were not checked in those days and a plethora of alcoholic beverages made its way inside. They stayed until the end.
Missouri football in those days was measured by clashes against Big Eight opponents Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa State. Under Coach Don Faurot, running out of the Split-T, the Tigers were solid foes that didn't win championships, but did eliminate some of those who hoped to do so. Week after week of facing the Cornhuskers, Sooners, Jayhawks and Cyclones on the lesser days, held them down.
Nebraska went to the Rose Bowl in 1941 and dominated the Tigers that year. Oklahoma was as outstanding under Bud Wilkinson as they are now under Bob Stoops. Iowa State was also a powerful foe with great players. Cornhusker stars like Allen Zigmund, who led the Huskers to the Rose Bowl and broke his arm while crashing into the goal post at the goal line and held on to the ball, were headliners.
Missouri is a grand SEC choice. It possesses excellent athletics and academics, where the engineering and journalism schools rank with the nation's finest, much like Florida's. It is located in Columbia, a beautiful college town like Gainesville. The university is near Kansas City and St. Louis, the Gateway to The West, just as Gainesville is located near Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa.
It is a good match and the Gators are fortunate the Tigers were placed in the SEC East.
