The 1962 Tangerine Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on December 22, 1962, at the Tangerine Bowl stadium in Orlando, Florida. The Miami Redskins (based in Oxford, Ohio and now the Miami RedHawks) with a record of 8–1–1 played the Houston Cougars with a record of 6–4. Houston won the game, by a score of 49–21.
Remarkably, despite Lopasky's performance, the title of Tangerine Bowl MVP was awarded to UH quarterback Billy Roland.
When questioned about the magnitude of the upset, Bill Yeoman emphatically declared, "Absolutely! We were well aware that Miami was a superior team."
This game holds a unique historical significance as it marked the inaugural televised appearance for the University of Houston. It was broadcast to regional audiences in the Southwest and Midwest, setting the stage for the Cougars' first national broadcast in 1965, which took place in the iconic Astrodome.
Background In his 7th (and final) season at Miami, Pont led the Redskins to their first bowl game since 1951. After serving as an assistant coach for eight seasons at Michigan State, Yeoman had been hired to coach Houston in 1962. He led them to their first bowl game since 1952.
Game summary Miami – Myers 9-yard touchdown pass from Ernie Kellerman (Jenckskick), 9:08 remaining in the 1st quarter Houston – Joe Lopasky 3-yard touchdown run (McMillan kick), 2:14 remaining in the 1st quarter Houston – Bobby Brezina 1-yard touchdown run (McMillan kick), 11:40 remaining in the 2nd quarter Houston – Bobby Brezina 44-yard touchdown pass from Roland (McMillan kick), 5:51 remaining in the 2nd quarter Houston – Joe Lopasky 70 punt yard touchdown return (McMillan kick), 3:58 remaining in the 2nd quarter Houston – Bill McMillan 4-yard touchdown pass from Billy Roland (McMillan kick), 0:18 remaining in the 2nd quarter Miami – Ernie Kellerman 1-yard touchdown run (Jenckskick), 4:50 remaining in the 3rd quarter Houston – Joe Lopasky 4-yard touchdown run (McMillan kick), 1:14 remaining in the 3rd quarter Miami – Neumeier 11-yard touchdown run (Jenckskick), 12:14 remaining in the 4th quarter Houston – Joe Lopasky 14-yard touchdown pass from Billy Roland (McMillan kick), 6:15 remaining in the 4th quarter Billy Roland threw 11-of-17 for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns, and Joe Lopasky caught 3 passes for 81 yards while scoring four touchdowns, with Roland being named MVP of the game.
Aftermath Pont left for Yale after the game ended. Miami (despite winning the MAC in 1965) would not be in a bowl game until 1973. Houston would soon utilize the Veer offense near the end of the decade, particularly in their next bowl game in 1969.
Statistics Statistics Houston MiamiFirst downs 18 17Passing yards 206 265Rushing yards 207 54Total yards 413 319Passes intercepted 1 2Penalties–yards 7–83 7–65Punts–average 3–41.3 5–38.8Fumbles lost 0 0
References