Nebraska’s First Bowl Victory — The 1962 Gotham Bowl
Nebraska hired Bob Devaney in 1962 after two decades of futility. In the twenty one years before Devaney was hired, Nebraska only had three winning seasons in twenty one years and only played in one bowl game. The hiring of Devaney resurrected a once proud program.
Nebraska got off to a promising start in Devaney’s debut against South Dakota. The crowd roared its approval when Nebraska threw a pass on its first play from scrimmage even though it fell incomplete. The fans had grown weary of Jennings’ boring and ineffectual run first offense. Another innovation of sorts was that Nebraska went for third downs. The team had usually punted on third down when Jennings was coach. Devaney won his first game 53–0 and a very happy crowd left Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska’s first real test was in their second game at traditional powerhouse Michigan. The Huskers were going to take on the Wolverines in the cavernous stadium nicknamed the “Big House,” which seated 101,000 fans. At the time, the Big 10 was regarded as the premier conference in college football. Nobody but the Nebraska coaches and players expected the Huskers to win the game. The Huskers were ten-point underdogs, and the Associated Press’ football expert predicted a 22–7 Michigan victory.
Before the season, Devaney and his staff made defeating Michigan a high priority. The Wolverines had graduated a significant number of important players and the coaches concluded they were overrated after numerous hours of film study. Devaney saw this game as an opportunity to convince both the players and the fans that Nebraska was back.
Quarterback Dennis Claridge and fullback Bill “Thunder” Thornton led Nebraska to one of its greatest wins in school history. The game was close in the first half and the Huskers clung to a 7–6 lead at the halftime break. Nebraska dominated the third quarter and took a 19–6 lead. The Wolverines scored next, and the Huskers held a narrow 19–13 lead. Nebraska finished strong and won the game by a comfortable 25–13 margin.
Nebraska fans were thrilled by the victory. The Huskers were welcomed home by a crowd of 2,500 delirious fans at the Lincoln airport and there were thousands more stuck in traffic. It was the biggest crowd for a returning Husker team since the 1941 Rose Bowl game.
Devaney later wrote that he cherished this win more than any other game in his storied career at Nebraska, and this includes the 1971 Orange Bowl win over Louisiana State and the 1971 Game of the Century against Oklahoma. “The win over Michigan is the one that put us on the map. It showed the country we were turning things around. I think the players knew how much the game meant to me.”
Nebraska went on to have its best regular season since 1940 and finished with an 8–2 record. Unfortunately, the regular season was marred by a 34–6 blowout loss to Oklahoma in the finale. The Huskers were rewarded for their successful season by an invitation to play in the Gotham Bowl in New York City against Miami. However, Devaney recommended against acceptance of the bowl bid because the Gotham Bowl was on shaky ground financially.
The Nebraska head coach described it as a “crappy bowl” because he did not know if the bowl committee had any money. There was also a newspaper strike in New York and the game would be played in bitterly cold weather. Devaney told the players to discuss it for five minutes and make a decision. The players talked for about fifteen seconds and voted unanimously to go to New York.
Bill Thornton said playing Miami was the only way to get to forget about the bad loss to Oklahoma. The team was highly motivated and had been diligently working out daily in case Nebraska was invited to a bowl game. The players were excited about traveling to the Big Apple and playing a game on national television.
Nebraska Governor Frank Morrison supported the team’s decision to play in the Gotham Bowl. Morrison urged Nebraska to play since exposure in the “world’s communications center” would be good for the university and the state of Nebraska.
Even though Nebraska and Miami had accepted invitations to play in the Gotham Bowl, there were no guarantees the game would be played. The bowl committee had problems coming up with the money promised to the universities and it had not lined up a national television contract. Nebraska and Miami both demanded $30,000 each for trip expenses. Nebraska Athletic Director Tippy Dye said the team would not leave Lincoln until the money had been advanced.
Nebraska received a $35,000 check from the Gotham Bowl the night before the team flew to New York, but the check had not cleared. Nevertheless, the university official, coaches, players, and their wives gathered at the Lincoln airport for the flight the following morning. Finally, after two hours of waiting, Dye got the call from the bank that the check was good. A loud cheer went up from the Husker entourage when it was announced. It was wheels up!
The game itself was played in front of only one thousand fans on a dreary, bitterly cold day. Devaney fired up the team with a masterful pep talk: “I told the players that the weather was terrible, and the game didn’t seem like a very big deal because nobody was out there. Then I said it reminded me of the days when I was a kid and we used to have fights in the back alley. There wouldn’t be anyone watching there either, but pride was still the most important thing in the world.”
The underdog Huskers defeated Miami in a wild, seesaw game 36–34. Miami star quarterback George Mira completed twenty-four out of forty-six passes for three hundred twenty-one yards and two touchdowns. Nebraska was lucky to win since Miami receivers dropped five passes due to the bitter cold and one would have gone for an easy touchdown. Bob Brown sealed the win with an interception of a Mira pass with about one minute left to play.
Devaney described it as one of the “craziest games you will ever see” and later wrote that Nebraska was “lucky as hell to win.” The Nebraska coach was a gracious winner and congratulated Mira on his brilliant performance. In the joyous winning locker room, Devaney jokingly told his team: “You have made me famous. I’ve received a number of offers to lecture on defense.
The fans were thrilled about the first bowl win in program history. “People acted like we had just won the Orange Bowl or the World Series. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that game was really important for our program,” Devaney said. The win over Miami gave Nebraska its best record since 1905. Devaney also said: “But more important, it helped generate the enthusiasm that carried over the next few years. “