1940’s Game History

Nick Sacrinty rushed for 188 yards and led the overpowering Demon Deacons to a 26-14 victory in the inaugural Gator Bowl. The victory provided consolation for the favored Deacons after the scrappy Gamecocks played them to a tie earlier that season. Nearly 8,000 spectators filled Fairfield Stadium to watch D.C “Peahead” Walker’s Wake Forest squad duke it out with the Gamecocks led by John McMillan.

MVP: Nick Sacrinty (Wake Forest)

Coaches: D.C. “Peahead” Walker (Wake Forest), John McMillan (Gamecocks)

Total Payout: $20,000

Attendance: 7,362

Chairman: Ted Arnold

Wake Forest-26      South Carolina-14

WF: Nick Sacrinty, 3 yd. run (kick failed) – SC: Bobby Giles, 1 yd. run (Charlie Brembs kick) – WF: Dick Brinkley, 3 yd. TD run (kick blocked) – WF: Brinkley, 1 yd. TD run (Sacrinty kick) – WF: Bob Smathers, 25 yd. TD run (Sacrinty kick) – SC: Brembs, 90 yd. interception return (Brembs kick)

Rushing – WF: Sacrinty 27-188, Brinkley 97, Bo Sacrinty 76, Smathers 41, Bullard 28, Gary 21, Grandy 6, Ognovich 2 SC: Brembs 44, Giles 11, Harrison 10, Carr 10, Hanson 6, Maginn 4, Sideman 3

Passing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

The second match-up of the Gator Bowl featured the Big Six Conference Champions, Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners would be challenged but not overcome by their North Carolina State Wolfpack opponents. Jim Tatum, the former coach of the Jacksonville Naval Air Station wartime football team, led his Sooners into battle as the fan favorite.

MVP: Joe Golding (RB, Oklahoma)

Coaches: Jim Tatum (Oklahoma), Beattie Feathers (North Carolina State)

Total Payout: $58,000

Attendance: 10,134

Chairman: Ted Arnold

All Americans: Buddy Burris (G, Oklahoma)

Oklahoma-34    North Carolina State-13

OU: Eddie Davis, 1 yd run (Dave Wallace kick) – NCST: Al Phillips, 63 yd. pass from Howard Turner (Jim Byler kick) – OU: Davis, 7 yd. run (Wallace kick) – OU: Dave Wallace, 5 yd. run (kick failed) – OU: Joe Golding, 5 yd. run (Wallace kick) – NCST: Les Palmer, 8 yd. run (kick failed) – OU: Owens, 15 yd. pass from Charlie Sarratt (Wallace kick)

Rushing – OU: Joe Golding 12-91, Mitchell 9-36, Eddie Davis 10-32, Charlie Sarratt 7-29, Dave Wallace 5-7. NCST: Les Palmer 10-70, Roseman 8-37, George Allen 3-14, Richkus 8-7, Turner 17-6, Smith 1-3

Passing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Head Coach Jim Tatum returned to Jacksonville for the second year in a row. This time leading his underdog Maryland Terrapins against the favored Georgia Bulldogs. This game proved to be the first Gator Bowl with a partisan crowd when University of Florida fans poured in to watch Jacksonville natives, Jack Bush and Herb St. John, power the Georgia line. Maryland halfback Lu Gambino rushed for two touchdowns, and caught one as the Terrapins stunned the Bulldogs with a 20-20 draw.

MVP: Lu Gambino (HB, Maryland)

Coaches: Wally Butts (Georgia), Jim Tatum (Maryland)

Total Payout: $60,000

Attendance: 16,666

Chairman: Peyton Burkhalter

All-Americans: Bob Ward (G, Maryland)

Maryland-20       Georgia-20

UM: Lu Gambino, 35 yd. run (Tom McHugh kick) – UGA: Johnny Rauch, 1 yd. run (Joe Geri kick) – UM: Gambino, 1 yd. run (kick failed) – UM: Gambino, 24 yd. pass from John Barone (McHugh kick) – UGA: Geri, 4 yd. run (kick failed) – UGA: John Donaldson, 9 yd. pass from Rauch (Geri kick)

Rushing – UM: Lu Gambino 22-165, John Idzik 2-32, Bonk 5-23, Laruel 4-24, Turyn 4-9, Brown 2-6, Tucker 2-3, Siebert 3-3, Roth 3-(minus 16) UGA: Donaldson 10-69, Geri 7-56, Henderson 8-48, Reid 7-46, Nestorak 3-6, Bodine 3-2, Bradberry 1-2, Brunson 3-(minus 2), Rauch 3-(minus 10)

Passing – UM: Tucker 4-5-0, John Baroni 2-3-0 UGA: Johnny Rauch 12-20-1, 187 yds

Receiving – UM: Evans 4-45, Lu Gambino 2-69 UGA: Edwards 3-44, Henderson 1-62

The 1949 Gator Bowl was a cat fight until the very end. Two first quarter touchdowns by the Clemson Tigers sent their counterpart Missouri Tigers back home on a loss. Clemson’s Jack Miller made the first ever field goal in the Gator Bowl, and Missouri’s scored the first ever safety in the bowl game. Harold Enstminger’s 116 yards of total offense and two touchdowns simply was not enough for Missouri, as they suffered a 24-23 loss in the end.

MVP: Bobby Gage (HB, Clemson)

Coaches: Frank Howard (Clemson), Don Faurot (Missouri)

Total Payout: $87,846

Attendance: 32,939

Chairman: Walter McRae, Sr.

All-Americans: Bobby Gage (DB, Clemson), Jackie Calvert (DB, Clemson)

Clemson-24            Missouri-23

CU: Fred Cone, 1 yd. run (Jack Miller kick) – CU: Cone, 1 yd. run (Miller kick) – UM: Harold Entsminger, 23 yd. run (Dawson kick) – UM: Entsminger, 1 yd. run (Dawson kick) – CU: John Poulos, 9 yd. pass from Bobby Gage (Miller kick) – UM: Safety – CU: Miller, 32 yd. field goal – UM: Kenneth Bounds, 20 yd. pass from Braznell (Dawson kick)

Rushing – UM: Harold Etsminger 17-77, Nicholas Carras 12-73, Richard Braznell 13-57, Carter 2-9, Houston 3-7, Wilbur Volz 1-1, Sader 1-0, Ed Stephens 1-(minus 4) CU: Ray Mathews 11-73, Fred Cone 14-72, Bobby Gage 15-25, John Poulos 1-10, Carson 1-6

Passing – UM: Harold Etsminger 3-7-0, 39 yds., Richard Braznell 1-1-0, 37 yds. CU: Bobby Gage 10-23-1, 112 yds.

Receiving – UM: Kenneth Bounds 2-57, Melbourne Sheehan 1-8, Wren 1-8 CU: Thompson 4-48, John Poulos 3-28, Bob Martin 1-19, Ray Mathews 1-16, Fred Cone 1-1