1973 Tangerine Bowl

American college football game December 2025 August 2023 Tangerine Bowl December 22 1973 1973 Florida Gators 7–4 Doug Dickey SEC NR T–18 0 0 0 7 Miami Redskins 10–0 Bill Mallory MAC 15 17 3 0 10 3 bg Florida Field Gainesville, Florida Chuck Varner, Miami (back)Brad Cousino, Miami (lineman) Richard McVay (MAC;split crew: MAC, SEC) 37,234 Citrus Bowl (game) The 1973 Tangerine Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Florida Gators and the Miami Redskins (located in Oxford, Ohio and now nicknamed the RedHawks). Played in Gainesville, Florida, this game is the only time that the Tangerine Bowl (now the Citrus Bowl) was not played in Orlando. Background Teams Miami completed a perfect regular season with a Mid-American Conference championship, their first since 1965. This was their first bowl game appearance since the 1962 Tangerine Bowl. Florida's season started with two wins, but they lost their next four games (two to ranked opponents), before a five-game winning streak gave the Gators their first season over .500 since 1970. While they finished tied for fifth in the Southeastern Conference, they appeared in their first bowl game since the 1969 Gator Bowl. Venue In early 1973, construction improvements were planned for the game's normal venue, the Tangerine Bowl stadium in Orlando, to expand from 17,000 seats to 51,000 seats. However, construction was stalled in the summer due to legal concerns. Miami (Ohio) and East Carolina were planned to be the two teams invited, but East Carolina declined. Officials decided to move the game to the University of Florida's stadium in Gainesville and invite them, which they accepted. Participants were greeted with a near-record low temperature on game day of 35 F at kickoff and 25 F by the end of the game. Game summary After little scoring, and with Miami ahead 6–0 late in the third quarter, Florida fumbled a kickoff, which Miami recovered deep in Florida territory. Two plays later, Miami scored a touchdown, which proved to be the deciding score. Chuck Varner of Miami rushed for 157 yards on 28 carries and was named the game's outstanding back, while teammate Brad Cousino was named outstanding lineman.Harry Chris December 27, 2015 Citrus Bowl History Lesson 1: Gators vs Miami (Ohio), 1973 http://floridagators.com/news/2015/12/24/harry_1224152745.aspx 2025-11-26 floridagators.com Scoring summary MU FLA 1 5:54 MU 29 FG 26 Dave Draudt 3 0 3 2:28 MU FG 45 Dave Draudt 6 0 3 2:08 MU 2 8 RushTD Chuck Varner 3 good Dave Draudt 13 0 4 UF 3 31 RushTD Nat Moore 1 good John Williams 13 7 4 MU FG 27 Dave Draudt 16 7 16 7 https://www.newspapers.com/image/236422543/?terms=tangerine Yes, Gators, Miami Is For Real, 16-7 Bill Clark subscription Orlando Sentinel newspapers.com December 23, 1973 March 17, 2017 Aftermath The Redskins went to three straight Tangerine Bowls while winning four straight MAC titles, going 42–1–1 in that 4-year span. The Gators began a bowl streak, qualifying for a bowl for the next three seasons. The Tangerine Bowl returned to Orlando the following year, with renovations approved. Statistics Statistics Florida MiamiFirst downs 12 14Rushing yards 90 239Passes attempted 21 8Passes completed 9 1Passes intercepted 4 0Passing yards 99 6Penalties–yards 3–27 3–39Punts–average 6–34.3 10–33.3Fumbles–lost 4–3 2–1 References Tangerine Bowl Category:Citrus Bowl (game) Category:Florida Gators football bowl games Category:Miami RedHawks football bowl games Tangerine Bowl Tangerine Bowl