1943 Orange Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1943 Orange Bowl
, part of the 1942 bowl game
season, took place on January 1, 1943, at the Orange Bowl
in Miami, Florida
. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) and the , competing as a football independent. Alabama won the game 37–21.
and the Georgia Navy Pre-Flight (an all-star
team of military personnel). The Monday following the 35–19 defeat against Georgia Navy Pre-Flight, Alabama accepted a bid to play in the Orange Bowl on New Years Day. The appearance marked the first for Alabama in the Orange Bowl, and their seventh overall.
ranked No. 1 with a perfect record of 8–0. In the contest, the Crusaders upset the heavily favored Eagles by a final score of 55–12 resulting in Boston College losing their No. 1 ranking and finishing the regular season with a record of 8–1. The following Monday, the Eagles accepted a bid to play in the Orange Bowl on New Years Day. The appearance marked the first for Boston College in the Orange Bowl, and their third overall.
fullback Mike Holovak
scored both first quarter touchdowns for the Eagles on a 65-yard reception from Edward Doherty and on a 33-yard run. Alabama responded with a 22 point second quarter to take a 22–21 lead at the half. Wheeler Leeth scored the Crimson Tide's first points on a 14-yard touchdown reception from Russ Mosley
and Ted Cook had Alabama's second score on a 17-yard reception from Johnny August. George Hecht missed both extra points
and Alabama only trailed by two 14–12. The teams then traded touchdown with Bama scoring on a 40-yard Tom Jenkins run and Boston College on a one-yard Mike Holovak run with a 15-yard George Hecht field goal at the end of the end of the quarter giving Alabama a 22–21 lead at halftime
.
In the second half, the Alabama defense shutout
the Boston College offense, and the offense scored two more touchdowns. Johnny August reached the endzone on a 15-yard touchdown run in the third and Tom Jenkins on a one-yard run in the fourth. The final points of the game came late in the fourth when on a punt the Eagles' Harry Connolly was tackled by Joe Domnanovich
in the endzone for a safety on a failed punt
attempt.
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935 and celebrated its 75th playing on January 1, 2009...
, part of the 1942 bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
season, took place on January 1, 1943, at the Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
in Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) and the , competing as a football independent. Alabama won the game 37–21.
Alabama
The 1942 Alabama squad finished the regular season 8–3 with losses coming to the Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech Yellow JacketsGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets football
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and the Georgia Navy Pre-Flight (an all-star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team of military personnel). The Monday following the 35–19 defeat against Georgia Navy Pre-Flight, Alabama accepted a bid to play in the Orange Bowl on New Years Day. The appearance marked the first for Alabama in the Orange Bowl, and their seventh overall.
Boston College
The 1942 Boston College squad entered their final game of the regular season against the rival Holy Cross CrusadersHoly Cross Crusaders football
The Holy Cross Crusaders football team is the collegiate football program of the College of the Holy Cross. The team is a member of the Patriot League, an NCAA Division I conference that participates in the second-level Football Championship Subdivision, more commonly known as FCS or the...
ranked No. 1 with a perfect record of 8–0. In the contest, the Crusaders upset the heavily favored Eagles by a final score of 55–12 resulting in Boston College losing their No. 1 ranking and finishing the regular season with a record of 8–1. The following Monday, the Eagles accepted a bid to play in the Orange Bowl on New Years Day. The appearance marked the first for Boston College in the Orange Bowl, and their third overall.
Game summary
Looking to rebound from their loss to Holy Cross in the regular season finale, Boston College was looking for redemption against the Crimson Tide. With this mindset entering the game, the Eagles raced to a 14–0 first quarter lead. All-American1942 College Football All-America Team
The 1942 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers. The organizations choosing the teams included: the United Press, the Associated Press, Collier's Weekly, the New York Sun, and Sporting News...
fullback Mike Holovak
Mike Holovak
Michael Joseph Holovak was an American football player, coach, and executive. He played college football at Boston College, where he was named an All-American at fullback in 1942. Holovak was selected in the first round of the 1943 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Rams...
scored both first quarter touchdowns for the Eagles on a 65-yard reception from Edward Doherty and on a 33-yard run. Alabama responded with a 22 point second quarter to take a 22–21 lead at the half. Wheeler Leeth scored the Crimson Tide's first points on a 14-yard touchdown reception from Russ Mosley
Russ Mosley
Russ Mosley was a player in the National Football League. He played two seasons with the Green Bay Packers....
and Ted Cook had Alabama's second score on a 17-yard reception from Johnny August. George Hecht missed both extra points
Convert
The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...
and Alabama only trailed by two 14–12. The teams then traded touchdown with Bama scoring on a 40-yard Tom Jenkins run and Boston College on a one-yard Mike Holovak run with a 15-yard George Hecht field goal at the end of the end of the quarter giving Alabama a 22–21 lead at halftime
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
.
In the second half, the Alabama defense shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
the Boston College offense, and the offense scored two more touchdowns. Johnny August reached the endzone on a 15-yard touchdown run in the third and Tom Jenkins on a one-yard run in the fourth. The final points of the game came late in the fourth when on a punt the Eagles' Harry Connolly was tackled by Joe Domnanovich
Joe Domnanovich
Joseph John Domnanovich was a professional American football Center in the National Football League. He played six seasons for the Boston Yanks and the New York Bulldogs/Yanks . Prior to his professional career Domanovich played for Coach Frank Thomas at the University of Alabama from 1938-1942...
in the endzone for a safety on a failed punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
attempt.