1963 Gator Bowl
American college football game
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The 1963 Gator Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Air Force Falcons and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
| 1963 Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 28, 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Gator Bowl Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Jacksonville, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Ken Willard (RB, North Carolina) & Dave Sicks (FB, Air Force)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Jack Vest | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 50,018 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Lindsey Nelson Terry Brennan Jim Simpson | ||||||||||||||||||
Background
This was the Falcons' first bowl game since 1959. The Tar Heels were co-champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which was their first conference title since the 1949 Southern Conference title. This was their first bowl game in 1950.
Game summary
- UNC – Willard 1-yard run (Kick failed), 2:34 remaining
- UNC – Edge 6-yard run (Pass failed), 9:40 remaining
- UNC – Robinson 5-yard pass from Black (Robinson pass from Black), 4:29 remaining
- UNC – Kesler 1-yard run (Lacey pass from Edge), 4:44 remaining
- UNC – Black 5-yard run (Chapman kick), 13:19 remaining
Aftermath
Air Force did not return to a bowl game until 1971, nor win one until 1982. North Carolina did not return to a bowl game until 1970.
The morning after the game, there was a fire at the Hotel Roosevelt in downtown Jacksonville, with 22 dying.
Statistics
| Statistics | Air Force | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 14 | 23 |
| Rushing yards | 95 | 251 |
| Passing yards | 165 | 119 |
| Punts–average | 4–40.0 | 6–36.0 |
| Fumbles–lost | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–42 | 3–35 |
