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Bowl Bound!

@Mizzou readers share memories of past bowl games…

I was fortunate to be in Marching Mizzou when Warren Powers was the head coach. I performed at the Liberty Bowl in 1980 and the Tangerine Bowl (now Florida Citrus) in 1981. We left Columbia by bus (no, the band did not get to fly back then) in a snow storm to head to Orlando. It took four hours to get to St. Louis, so you can guess that we drove straight through. Our bus was the lucky one that had many of us come down with food poisoning (me included) after we ate at a truck stop in Mississippi.

Although the Orlando area experienced one of their worst freezes ever (game time temperature was 13 degrees, and we were in Florida!), it was still a good time. We got to perform at Disney World and spend the day there. A few of us got Mickey Mouse sunglassses and were known to wear them during our performances the following year. Of course the day we left, the weather turned warm and we could actually take off our winter coats. We arrived back in Columbia to more snow. Many of my best experiences in college were associated with Marching Mizzou and our director Dr. Alexander Pickard.

— Sharon Schiller Fusco, BES ’84

As a Marching Mizzou member, I remember our trip to the Orange Bowl in 1960 (or was it early ’61?) aboard the “Orange Blossom Express” train. We marched in a pre-game parade on an evening that was much too warm for our black wool uniforms, and there was an elaborate half-time show involving live tigers. The game? I don't even remember who won. But the experience was pretty exciting for a freshman from the country!

— Carol Dunham Rothwell, BA ’64

I played the tuba in Marching Mizzou during the Warren Powers era. I remember all too well how excited we were to go to Orlando and play Southern Mississippi in 1981 for what used to be called the Tangerine Bowl. Our first day in Orlando we got to march at Disney World in celebration of the bowl game. What a thrill. It was a sunny 70-degree December day in beautiful Florida. The next day was a totally different story. I remember it like yesterday. It was 29 degrees at kickoff for that evening game. Of course, none of us prepared for cold and hadn't packed warm clothing. It was so cold we couldn't enjoy the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders who were performing with us. However, we won the game, and it was a memorable Christmas.

— Russ Jones, BES ’82

I remember playing in Marching Mizzou and riding 24 hours in buses to Florida in ’81 when Mizzou played Southern Mississippi in the Tangerine Bowl. We sure had a great time. It was a BIG party!

— Fred Moreadith, BES ’83, MA ’84

I did not make the MU baseball team in the fall of my sophomore year, so I tried out for Marching Mizzou, made it (Dr. Pickard said he could never have enough baritone players!), and went to the Orange Bowl in 1970 with Marching Mizzou. Hollywood, Florida, was our host city, and they were very generous and gracious. All we did in return was give one outdoor concert during our stay. I also remember how well our defense played against Penn State. Our offense, who had a great year, turned the ball over 10 times, but our defense only gave up 10 points. Terry McMillan threw an interception into our end zone as the game ended, so we were in the game until the end. It was an exciting game even though we did not win. Great trip!

P.S. I met my wife in Marching Mizzou two years after the bowl game.

— Tim Coleman, BS Ed ’72, M Ed ’73

If my 90-year-old memory serves me right, the Tigers played Georgia Tech in the 1940 Orange Bowl in Miami. My father, who was an avid MU sports supporter (he worked as a volunteer for the athletic department and was acquainted with both coaches and players) was able to get me four tickets for the game. I was in the Navy stationed at Pensacola, Florida, and was teaching aerodynamics in the flight ground school. It was a cloudy day. At kick-off time we had a terrific downpour, and the game was played mostly in rain. Umbrellas came up and down as the rain started and stopped. As I recall, the game was won by Georgia Tech, and the winning touchdown came in a downpour of rain, so umbrellas came up and few saw the play.

Back in business, I had several of the Georgia Tech players in my aerodynamics class at Pensacola, and my opening comments for that class was to recall the record of that game and to remind the players they would have a hard time passing my course.

— Harry R. Ball, BS AgE. ’40

On Jan. 1, 1942, Mizzou met the Fordham Rams in the Sugar Bowl game at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. This was just a few short weeks after the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, and male students knew that soon we would be trading in college clothes for olive drab. Game day was hit by a torrential downpour and the field was ankle deep in water. All-American Bob Steuber and halfback Harry Ice could not show their speed under such conditions, and finally, Fordham prevailed on a safety, 2 to 0.

— W. David Wolk, attended MU, 1942

The Tigers finished the 1945 Big Six season — first post-war schedule — with a 6 and 4 record, and for that, were awarded a berth in the Cotton Bowl game in Dallas the following New Year’s Day.

The season was interesting for many reasons: Pre-war coach Don Faurot returned from the Navy at the end of the season to become the athletic director at MU; both the 1944 and 1945 teams had featured a multi-tasking 285-pound tackle named Jim Kekeris, who not only blocked and tackled, but handled the punting and place kicking for the team; and in a surprising finale during the Kansas game (won by Missouri 33-27) Kekeris scored a touchdown on a faked lateral play.

Missouri was not accustomed to being invited to Bowl games. The war years had been essentially a no-nonsense classroom business. As a result, the administration had a strict “no cut class” policy. This meant, as I recall, “one negative hour” for every class missed, and classes were scheduled for Jan. 2. This situation pretty well precluded student participation at the game.

I was the president of the student government association and ex-officio member of some kind of governing board which gave us the opportunity to plead our case that this was patently unfair. Bill Dellastatious, star halfback, was vice president, and Dave Donnelly — son of Governor Phil Donnelly— was the secretary of the SGA. It was never clear just what turned the verdict in the student’s favor, but the “negative hour” business was temporarily lifted, and some students were able to watch Bobby Layne of Texas showcase a 40-27 win over the Tigers. But, as students, we thought we had won a victory for “justice.”

— Ray Taylor, BS Ed ’47

For the Liberty Bowl, my cousin Greg Krispin, BA, BJ '71, and I drove from St. Louis on Dec. 23, 1978, to see the Tigers (the only real Tigers) beat LSU's so-called Tigers! It was a wonderful time, and Greg and I still talk about it and how much fun it was. We look forward to doing it again, but let's do it at the BCS championship game, okay? Go Mizzou!

— Karl J. Hasik, BA ’75, MD ’79

My favorite bowl memory would have to be Phil Bradley's Tigers beating Charles Alexander and LSU in the 1978 Liberty Bowl. The Tigers had been pulling off big upsets, but when Bradley finally led us to a bowl and thumped the hated Bayou
Bengals, it sent the SEC home crying.

— Ted Padberg, BA ’87

The very best was watching Missouri beat LSU in the Liberty Bowl. James Wilder proved that he was one of Missouri’s greatest. My husband and I drove down with a friend and had an absolutely wonderful day. It was cold, clear and just perfect for watching a good football game.

— Nancy Jo Day, BS ’68

Congratulations, Mizzou, on a winning season and a bowl appearance!

I recall the Tigers went to the Liberty Bowl in 1978 and won the game, defeating LSU, 20 - 15.

The news of the bowl bid energized the campus. It seemed like a significant achievement at the time. I believe the bowl invitation represented a milestone and a comeback for the Mizzou Athletic Department.

The bowl excitement brought people closer together. Students and staff were enthused. There were some legendary players on that team. And who can forget those gorgeous Golden Girls?

Go Tigers!

— Edward Sargent, BJ ’81

Beating Navy in 1961!

— Sanford Josephson, BJ ’63

It was great for our defense to hold Navy’s Heisman Trophy winner, Joe Bellino, to four yards rushing for the entire game on over 20 carries in the 1961 Orange Bowl.

— Andy Russell, BS BA ’63, MBA ’67

In the 1966 Sugar Bowl, I think we played the Florida Gators, but who remembers? We had a fabulous time in New Orleans — the way it was …

— Barbara (Bobbie) Bassin Grossman, BJ ’66

Four guys from McClurg House drove from Columbia to New Orleans in one day for the '66 Sugar Bowl against Steve Spurrier and Florida. We didn't even have hotel reservations, but we found a nice little motel at the edge of town and took the bus to the French Quarter and Pat O'Brien's, the unoffical headquarters for Mizzou fans. At game time it was 80 degrees. We wore wool blazers and sat in the last row at the corner of the end zone, but we loved every exciting moment. The 20-point lead was whittled down to 2 as Florida kept going for 2-point conversions and were stopped each time. New Year's Eve in New Orleans is not to be believed unless you've seen it in person. I hope those wonderful people can get the city back to what it was; it was fabulous. What a time.

— William C. Pierce, BA ’67, MA ’69

My most memorable bowl game was the Alabama vs. MU at Jacksonville, Fla. in the 1968 Gator Bowl. It was a perfect game day — not too hot and clear. We were in the stands in the area where the Bama and Mizzou sections had a perfect view of the game. Bama started its “Roll Tide” cheers and went so far as to offer to bet on the game before it even started. First it was for how badly Bama was going to beat MU. Then the game began. To say it was a shock to the Alabama fans would be an understatement. It got to the point that Alabama fans were willing to bet on whether the Tigers were going to score on the next play, not whether they were going to win or lose.

It was the worst loss Bear Bryant had in his career to that date.

For my father (class of '28), me, and later my son who graduated in ’81, it was a great day and a memory that we still talk about.

— Michael W. Hannegan, MD ’60

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Last Update: November 15, 2007