History: Gator Bowl NCAA.com
CHAMPS
PRESENTED BY Businessman Charles Hilty is credited with conceiving the Gator Bowl. A group of four, including Hilty, put up $10,000 to finance the first Gator Bowl in 1946. It could hardly be deemed a success, as just 7,362 fans came to Fairfield Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., to see Wake Forest defeat South Carolina 26-14. Two years later, despite the fact that neither of the first two Gator Bowls sold out, the stadium was expanded and renamed "Gator Bowl Stadium." The next year, in 1949, the bowl's future was secured, when 32,939 fans watched Clemson beat Missouri 24-23 on a late field goal from Jack Miller. • In 1955, the Gator Bowl became the first bowl game to be televised nationally. Fans across the country saw Vanderbilt upset Auburn 25-13 on CBS. • Despite its multitude of successes, the Gator Bowl experienced some tragedy in 1963. After a post-Gator Bowl party, the Hotel Roosevelt in Jacksonville caught fire, killing 22 people. It was determined the party had nothing to do with the fire. Still, this unfortunate coincidence is still linked with the game. • Ohio State coach Woody Hayes had always been known as having a bit of a temper. In the 1978 Gator Bowl, that temper was shown off in front of a big audience. Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman had just picked off OSU quarterback Art Schlichter. After Bauman ran the ball out of bounds on the Buckeyes' side of the field, Hayes hit Bauman with his forearm. Clemson won the game 17-15 and Hayes was fired before he even left Jacksonville. • Bobby Bowden coached his final game in the bowl. A Gator-Bowl record crowd of 84,129 saw Bowden carried off the field after his Florida State Seminoles defeated West Virginia 33-21.GATOR BOWL RESULTSYEARWINNERSCORELOSERSCORE1946Wake Forest26South Carolina141947Oklahoma34North Carolina State131948Georgia20Maryland201949Clemson24Missouri231950Maryland20Missouri71951Wyoming20Washington & Lee71952Miami (Florida)14Clemson01953Florida14Tulsa131954Texas Tech35Auburn131954Auburn33Baylor131955Vanderbilt25Auburn131956Georgia Tech21Pittsburgh141957Tennessee3Texas A&M01958Ole Miss7Florida31960Arkansas14Georgia Tech71960Florida13Baylor121961Penn State30Georgia Tech151962Florida17Penn State71963North Carolina35Air Force01965Florida State36Oklahoma191965Georgia Tech31Texas Tech211966Tennessee18Syracuse121967Florida State17Penn State171968Missouri35Alabama101969Florida14Tennessee131971Auburn35Mississippi281971Georgia7North Carolina31972Auburn24Colorado31973Texas Tech28Tennessee191974Auburn27Texas31975Maryland13Florida01976Notre Dame20Penn State91977Pittsburgh34Clemson31978Clemson17Ohio State151979North Carolina17Michigan151980Pittsburgh37South Carolina91981North Carolina31Arkansas271982Florida State31West Virginia121983Florida14Iowa61984Oklahoma State21South Carolina141985Florida State34Oklahoma State231986Clemson27Stanford211987LSU30South Carolina131989Georgia34Michigan State271989Clemson27West Virginia71991Michigan35Ole Miss31991Oklahoma48Virginia141992Florida27NC State101993Alabama24North Carolina101994Tennessee45Virginia Tech231996Syracuse41Clemson01997North Carolina20West Virginia131998North Carolina42Virginia Tech31999Georgia Tech35Notre Dame282000Miami (Fla.)28Georgia Tech132001Virginia Tech41Clemson202002Florida State30Virginia Tech172003NC State28Notre Dame62004Maryland41West Virginia72005Florida State30West Virginia182006Virginia Tech35Louisville242007West Virginia38Georgia Tech352008Texas Tech31Virginia282009Nebraska26Clemson212010Florida State33West Virginia212011Mississippi State52Michigan142012Florida24Ohio State172013Northwestern34Mississippi State202014Nebraska24Georgia19Two games played in 1960, the first on Jan. 2, the second on Dec. 30. No game played in 1959. Two games also played in 1965, on Jan. 2 and Dec. 31. No game played in 1964. Two games were also played in 1971, on Jan. 2 and Dec. 31, with no game played in 1970. Other years with duplicate games were 1989 and '91, with no games played in 1988 or '90. Undefeated college football teams in 2022
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