1962 Gotham Bowl

August 2023 August 2025 Gotham Bowl 2nd Gotham Bowl 1962 Gotham Bowl poster.png 175px December 15 1962 1962 Nebraska Cornhuskers 8–2 Bob Devaney MVIAA 6 14 8 8 Miami Hurricanes 7–3 Andy Gustafson Independent 6 14 7 7 NR 18 ABC (delayed)https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GoMjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=e3QFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1994%2C1915383 Stage set for Gotham Bowl Joe Reichler The Day New London, Connecticut Associated Press December 14, 1962 23 George Mira (Miami QB) Joyce Burnshttps://www.widerightnattylite.com/2011/12/29/2667895/the-ridiculous-history-of-nyc-bowl-games OUR BOWL MIGHT BE CURSED GUYS Sean Odeen Wide Right & Natty Lite December 29, 2011 August 18, 2025 Miamihttps://www.mccookgazette.com/story/2562469.html Then along came Bob! The Gotham Bowl Walt Sehnert McCook Gazette October 29, 2018 August 18, 2025 yes Yankee Stadium New York City, New York 6,166 The 1962 Gotham Bowl was the second and final edition of the college football bowl game, played on December 15, 1962, at Yankee Stadium in New York City. The Nebraska Cornhuskers of the MVIAA defeated the Miami Hurricanes 36–34. Despite poor organization and freezing temperatures, the game itself was tightly contested, featuring five lead changes and 800 combined yards of offense. Nebraska survived a record-setting day by All-American Miami quarterback George Mira to register the program's first postseason victory. Teams Nebraska 1962 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team Nebraska finished third in the MVIAA under first-year head coach Bob Devaney to make its first bowl appearance in eight years. Devaney, initially hesitant to accept a postseason invitation and forfeit offseason recruiting time, agreed to play in the Gotham Bowl just eleven days beforehand. The team was delayed at the airport for hours until the pilot received confirmation that Nebraska had received its $35,000 allotment for appearing in the game.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZXtaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=80oDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4883%2C1759189 Go-ahead given in Gotham Bowl The Victoria Advocate Associated Press December 15, 1962 11https://www.ketv.com/article/husker-1962-season/63288149 'Very calm and collected': Former Husker remembers 1962 season Bill Schammert KETV December 26, 2024 August 17, 2025 After landing in New York, Devaney said to reporters, "I'll tell you right now, if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't. That's for damn sure." Miami 1962 Miami Hurricanes football team Miami entered 7–3, making its second consecutive bowl appearance after a one-point loss to Syracuse in the 1961 Liberty Bowl. The Hurricanes chose to play in the Gotham Bowl over an invite from the more lucrative and travel-friendly Gator Bowl, believing a game in New York City would add national exposure. Like Nebraska, Miami became concerned about the Gotham Bowl's ability to make its promised payouts to the schools ($35,000 to NU and $30,000 to Miami, with the Hurricanes to receive a larger portion of gate revenue), but did not delay its travel.https://www.dailynebraskan.com/little-recognized-gotham-bowl-integral-for-huskers/article_4c942938-1fe9-5c24-9e10-6c246a58a9f0.html Little-recognized Gotham Bowl integral for Huskers Jonathan Crowl The Daily Nebraskan September 19, 2008 August 18, 2025 Game The temperature at kickoff was a damp 14 F, prompting Nebraska staff members to put their players in running shoes instead of cleats. As a result of the weather and poor marketing (a newspaper strike in New York City limited coverage of the game leading up to kickoff), announced attendance was just 6,166, with significantly less actually in the stadium. Miami lost two early fumbles in its own territory, the second of which set up Nebraska for an opening touchdown. The Hurricanes tied the game seven minutes later on a George Mira pass to Ben Rizzo. Failed conversions by each team (a two-point attempt by Nebraska and a kick by Miami) kept the score 6–6 to end the opening quarter.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cMEbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CU8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3490%2C334853 Nebraska edges Miami, 36–34 Pittsburgh Press United Press International December 16, 1962 1, section 4 Minutes later, Mira threw his second touchdown to give Miami its first lead of the game, but a conversion pass fell incomplete. The Cornhuskers immediately responded when Willie Ross returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Miami retook the lead after an eleven-play drive capped by the first of two one-yard Nick Ryder touchdown runs. Nebraska's offense struggled for much of the half, but tied the game just before intermission on its first extended drive. In one of the final years of college football's one-platoon system, NU quarterback and safety Dennis Claridge starred on both sides of the ball in the second half. After leading a seventy-yard drive and running in a conversion to give the Cornhuskers a 28–27 lead, Claridge intercepted Mira and set up another NU scoring drive. Mira, who finished with 321 passing yards on forty-six attempts, marched the Hurricanes downfield to cut the lead back to two with most of the fourth quarter remaining. Driving into NU territory with a chance to take the lead in the closing minutes, he was intercepted again by Bob Brown to seal Nebraska's first postseason victory. Scoring summary Qtr Team Time Detailhttps://www.huskermax.com/game/1962-miami-football/ In frigid shootout, Nebraska claims first bowl victory HuskerMax August 16, 2025 NU MIA 1 NU 7:21 Bill Thornton 2-yd run (run failed) 6 0 MIA 0:29 Ben Rizzo 10-yd pass from George Mira (kick failed) 6 6 2 MIA 12:31 Nick Spinnelli 30-yd pass from Mira (pass failed) 6 12 NU 12:18 Willie Ross 92-yd kickoff return (Rudy Johnson kick) 13 12 MIA 7:20 Nick Ryder 1-yd run (Ryder pass from Mira) 13 20 NU 0:42 Mike Eger 6-yd pass from Dennis Claridge (Johnson kick) 20 20 3 MIA 8:44 John Bennett 3-yd run (Bobby Wilson kick) 20 27 NU 0:08 Thornton 1-yd run (Claridge run) 28 27 4 NU 13:32 Ross 1-yd run (Thornton run) 36 27 MIA 9:29 Ryder 1-yd run (Wilson kick) 36 34 Team statistics Statistic Nebraska Miami First downs 12 34 Rushes–yards 42–150 43–181 Comp.–att. Completions–pass attempts–yards 9–14–146 24–46–321 Total yards 296 502 Turnovers 2 4 Punts–average 6–37.0 1–35.0 Penalties–yards 6–69 1–5 Aftermath Mira set school records for passing yards and completions despite the frigid conditions, and was named most valuable player. The game was broadcast live on ABC in South Florida and Nebraska, with an abbreviated version shown tape-delayed at 5:00 p.m. EST. The Gotham Bowl, intended as a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization March of Dimes, lost over $150,000 in its two years of existence according to executive director Bob Curran.https://www.footballstudyhall.com/2017/5/3/15515738/1962-gotham-bowl-nebraska-miami-bob-devaney Game of the Year of the Day, 1962: Nebraska 36, Miami 34 Bill Connelly Football Study Hall May 3, 2017 August 18, 2025 It was disbanded after the 1962 edition, and postseason football did not return to New York City until the advent of the Pinstripe Bowl in 2010. Miami and Nebraska became frequent bowl opponents in later decades, meeting five more times in the postseason, including four Orange Bowls and three national championship games.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=20020104&id=5g4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1Q0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5936,933521 Well-done rivalry: Miami, Nebraska clash for titles Toledo Blade Associated Press January 4, 2002 October 3, 2016 1 See also Miami–Nebraska football rivalry References Gotham Bowl Category:Miami Hurricanes football bowl games Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football bowl games Gotham Bowl Category:December 1962 sports events in the United States Category:Events at Yankee Stadium