1970 Cotton Bowl

by PSU4ever31 on Aug 17, 2009 7:19 PM EDT Comment 10 comments

I was just reading the thing about villains in college football on ESPN. In the article, it talks about Dick Nixon being hated by PSU fans because he proclaimed the winner of Arkansas-Texas the winner of NC. Also is says, that PSU turned down the opportunity to play Texas in the Cotton Bow. Does anyone know the reason PSU turned down this chance? I'm a life long PSU fan and grew up hating Nixon, one of many reasons, but never heard anything about PSU having the chance to face Texas.

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I am most likely wrong

but what I had heard was that we had committed to playing in a different bowl game before the offer from the cotton bowl came in

How could Nixon know so little about Watergate and so much about football ?

by psupride on Aug 17, 2009 7:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes, and they ended up regretting it.

The Collegian’s archive has this:

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/1989/11/11-18-89cm/11-18-89cm-09.asp

Turns out, Nixon could have been left out of the entire thing had the team decided differently.

Dang.

'People are about as happy as they decide they want to be'

by Pete the Streak on Aug 17, 2009 7:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

PSU chose sunny Miami Beach over Dallas

In those days, the bowls offered invitations to teams, and teams accepted them well before the season ended.

At the time PSU accepted the invitation to play in Florida, it was unlikely that a national championship game was possible, because the Rose Bowl had it likely sewed up with USC beign unbeaten and number one, and playing the Big Ten champ in the Rose Bowl. So, PSU wasn’t going to have a shot at the national championship, in all probability.

So, rather than play in Dallas, PSU players chose Miami, and the sun and the fun.

PSU’s opponent was the Big Eight Champ, Missouri, who had the number one offense in the country.

Well, the Rose Bowl did not have the champ because of a last-game-of-the-year tie between USC and UCLA, so number one was up for grabs.

Texas beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, using their vaunted Wishbone Offense, which was supposedly unstoppable at that time.

Penn State beat Missouri, who managed to score 3 points against Paterno’s two-deep zone defense.

Nixon declared Texas number One.

Missouri’s coach said "Texas might be number one, but they would not score on Penn State!"

At least, that’s what I remember.

Elizabeth, the only person on earth working at the same job longer than JoePa.

by joefromboalsburg on Aug 17, 2009 9:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice

When pressed for time and given the choice between checking the Collegian’s archive or this personal recount from Joefromboalsburg, I went with Joefromboalsburg and was rewarded.

Thanks. If there’s an opposite of Suck It Joefromboalsburg, you’d get it here.

"For me the game wasn’t grounded in reality. It was about the uniform you put on that turned you into a warrior. It was about the mythology of the battle, the victory, the defeat, the struggle." - Mike Reid, PSU '69

by jtothep on Aug 18, 2009 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

um, how about same phrase

different picture (such as the bacon bra)?

by The JuggerNitt on Aug 18, 2009 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just another

in a long line of missed National Championship opportunities.

by PABroncofan on Aug 17, 2009 11:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If I recall correctly....

Joe told Nixon to “shove it.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sehI9o1UWUg

by smashtheguitar on Aug 17, 2009 11:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Not exactly about the championship though

If I recall the story he told at Football Eve last year, that story Joe told was about Nixon wanting to award PSU with a special trophy for the longest unbeaten streak for 68 and 69. A representative (I doubt Nixon would’ve made the call himself) from the White House had called Joe to ask tell Joe that Tricky Dick was going to be honoring PSU for the longest winning streak in the country, to which Joe replied to them, “Shove it”.

by dawsonPSU10 on Aug 18, 2009 12:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

thanks guys!

by PSU4ever31 on Aug 18, 2009 2:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Redemtion, just a little late

But then at the end of the 1971 season we destroyed Texas in the Cotton Bowl 30 to 6.
Our defense shattered the vaunted Wishbone offense.
I still have my commemorative ’72 Cotton bowl Penn State helmet “piggy” bank.

by confirmy on Aug 18, 2009 3:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs