1951 Gator Bowl

American college football game December 2025 August 2023 Gator Bowl January 1 1951 1950 Wyoming Cowboys 9–0 Bowden Wyatt Skyline 0 13 7 0 Washington and Lee Generals 8–2 George T. Barclay SoCon 0 0 0 7 HB Eddie Talboom (Wyoming) 12 14 18 NR bg Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, Florida 26,354 The 1951 Gator Bowl was an American college football game played on January 1, 1951, at Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the sixth annual Gator Bowl. The game featured the Wyoming Cowboys, champions of the Skyline Conference (also known as the Mountain States Conference), against the Washington and Lee Generals, champions of the Southern Conference. Background The Cowboys were champions of the Mountain States Conference champions and had finished the regular season undefeated. The Generals won the Southern Conference with a perfect conference record, led by quarterback Gil Bocetti and fullback Walt Michaels, although Michaels missed the game due to appendicitis. They recorded wins over West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Louisville, and Richmond, while losing to Virginia and Tennessee. They were the first team from Virginia to play in a bowl game.http://generalssports.com/sports/fball/info/champhistory W&L Conference/NCAA Championship History: The Official Site of GeneralsSports.com generalssports.com 22 May 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20101217132732/http://generalssports.com/sports/fball/info/champhistory 17 December 2010 dead Game summary After a scoreless first quarter, the Cowboys started a crucial second quarter with an Eddie Talboom touchdown pass to Dick Campbell. A turning point in the game occurred on the General's following drive. Bocetti was driving his team down the field when his pass was intercepted by Selmer Pederson. Talboom let another drive down the field, culminating in a touchdown run by Talboom himself, making the score 13–0 at halftime. Despite outgaining the Cowboys in total yardage, the Generals failed to capitalize on their opportunities until it was too late. In the third quarter, fullback John Melton added a touchdown run, making the lead 20–0. With the outcome already decided, the Generals added a late touchdown run by Gil Bocetti, as the Cowboys secured their first-ever bowl victory. Talboom completed 10 of 14 passes for 141 yards and also rushed for 31 yards.http://www.taxslayerbowl.com/wp-content/uploads/boxscores/6thBoxScores.pdf Archived copy 2015-01-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20150102101935/http://www.taxslayerbowl.com/wp-content/uploads/boxscores/6thBoxScores.pdf 2015-01-02 dead http://www.wyonation.com/information-and-resources/history-of-wyoming-cowboy-bowl-games/ History of Wyoming Cowboy Bowl Games The attendance for the game was 26,354.Waters Barney Wyoming Turns Back W And L, 20 To 7, In Gator Bowl https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald/137592746/ Miami Herald Miami, Florida January 2, 1951 2B December 28, 2023 Newspapers.com Aftermath This victory began Wyoming's streak of bowl game wins, as they went on to win three more before their first loss in 1968. They have not played in the Gator Bowl since this game. The Generals did not appear in another bowl game until after the 2022 season (as a member of Division III), when they participated in the inaugural Chesapeake Challenge bowl series, losing to Lycoming College in the Cape Charles Bowl. Statistics Statistics Wyoming W&L First downs 14 19 Yards rushing 147 252 Yards passing 141 31 Total yards 291 301Punts-Average 5-39.0 6-29.5Penalties-Yards 6-75 2-31 References Gator Bowl Category:Gator Bowl Category:Wyoming Cowboys football bowl games Category:Washington and Lee Generals football bowl games Gator Bowl Category:January 1951 sports events in the United States