The Miami News from Miami, Florida • 29

THE MIAMI NEWS, Sunday, December 16, 1962 5C A QT ATP ANTkQ ITJ 4TJVWVI QT 4TMTIM ZM. KJ JL JLUTJLL 1 JLSU M.1 1 JL jTJLL 1 M.X.JLJJLJ kJ JL fllS JL 1TJL IVe Seen Here Since Johnny Lujack9 EDrMITUr JOINS were two famous passing quarterbacks of the past, Notre Dame's Angelo Bertelll and Frank Tripucka. In a gallant effort to lend a touch of Florida sunshine to the proceedings, Miami brought along 2,500 coconuts which were handed out to kids admitted free. The moppets stuck green fronds In their hats and clutched the hardshelled fruit, but somehow failed to look like royal palms. The Miami players, on the other hand, looked like disaster refugees.

They crouched on the bench in front of radiant heaters, huddling down in hooded robes borrowed from the New York Giants. There were two reasons why Miami showed up. One was that the University president, Dr. Henry King Stanford, had never gone to bowl game. Before this year he was at Georgia College for women and then Birmingham Southern, who don't get invited.

The other reason was it got the Miami players home for Christmas in the Pennsylvania coal fields, for free. By RED SMITH T. Hirald-Trlbune Newi Srrvlc NEW YORK As any crossword puzzle player knows, Mlra is a remarkable variable star with a fluted spectrum in the constellation Cetus. As millions of New York taxpayers didn't see for themselves yesterday, Mira is also a remarkable football player with the University of Miami whose performance in the lamentable nonsense called the Gotham Bowl may have been the finest by a college quarterback in Yankee Stadium since Johnny Lujack came on with Notre Dame 16 years ago. Certainly there was never a day in the big Bronx ball park when so few watched so much football and went home so bewildered.

This was the third annual effort to piove New York a resort of langurous tropical splendor suitable to door games in midwinter but only the second game played, for the promotion didn't geet off the ground in 1960. The dizzy idea appealed to 6.16S who basked in 18 degrees Fahrenheit tempered by bonfires in the bleachers and gaped in amazement as the University of Nebraska lost everything but the game. Murdered in every statistic, the men from the plains licked the Pennsylvanians from the Deep South, 36-34. George Mira's accomplices from Miami made 34 first downs to 12, gained 501 yards to 296, and got trimmed on two' two-point conversions. Here was a bowl game that probably shouldn't happen and almost didn't, that was blacked out by the newspaper strike and crowded off live television, that was dominated by a crippled 20-year-old whose exploits were a dark and guarded secret in the city where he brought them off.

Incredibly, in view of his performance, Mira was hurt. He suffered a painful muscle pull in his left side last Wednesday in practice, and aggravated the injury on his second forward pass. Flattened on a run early in the fourth period, he got a cramp in the already damaged side and lay gasping en the frozen ground, then struggled slowly to his feet and hobbled back to the huddle. Right down to the frantic end he was on the firing line, rifling 46 passes long and short, completing 24 for 321 yards, two touchdowns and one two-point conversion. Only two throws were intercepted and those by accident, both caroming off receivers into Nebraska hands.

Splendidly protected and superbly poised, this six-foot strip of pain didn't miss his target more than half a dozen times. Some of his passes were dropped and others bounced off Miami bosoms, for he fires hard and flat like the best of the pros. Watching him, and shaking their heads in admiration, 7T7T 1 umcanes 3 1 xzy: TOUCHDOWN To Restrict Bowl Picks 3 i 'fir t'f y7 i -v, 9 i Af i 1 r. 4-- "f' 4. Play Starts From The One Ryder's In Close Quarters But Topples In For Score Cornhuskers Outlast For Gotham Victory Continued From Page 1C er did not have sufficient funds to cover, came from a club with headquarters on Madison Avenue.

The strange financial maneuvering of the Gotham Bowl now is under surveillance by the special events committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The fact the guarantees were not paid directly by the sponsoring group is regarded by some collegiate leaders as a flagrant violation of the conditions under which the Gotham Bowl was given sanction. Harding and Athletic Director William II. Dye of Nebraska likely will be asked to submit a full and detailed account of the financial transactions. The shoddy conduct of the Gotham Bowl is having some far reaching effects and giving oppo-' nents of post season football games new ammunition.

Ernie Seiler, executive vice president of the Orange Bowl, says the old and established games will welcome tighter NCAA restrictions as the result of the Miami-Nebraska fiasco. "There's no question we all are affected and hurt to some extent when a thing like this happens," Seiler says. "The damage comes when these unfavorable developments give powerful college presidents who question the value of post season games new reasons for their stand. You'll recall Ohio State's faculty voted against letting it play in the Rose Bowl last season. Just a week or so ago, the president of the University of Wisconsin spoke out against bowl games.

There's no question about the damage fly by night promoters do to stablished bowl games." In advocating tighter control at the NCAA level, Seiler says the colleges should realize what the New Year's Day activities of the Orange, Sugar, Cotton and Rose Bowls mean to them. "This is intercollegiate athletics finest day of the year," he says, "they can't afford to let anything connected with any post season game mar or detract from it." In contrast to Curran's continuing reneging oh supplying a contract to Miami or Nebraska and the threats which had to be made to get the expense guarantees, Seiler points to Orange Bowl's method of operation. "The day Alabama beat Auburn and could formally accept our bid," Seiler says, "Jess Yar-borough took a contract into the Alabama dressing room for Bear Bryant to sign. While the contract covering Oklahoma's appearance is an agreement with the Big Eight, we still had Ben Benjamin have a copy for Bud Wilkinson to check immediately after he beat Nebraska." While not required by NCAA regulations to provide a minimum guarantee to the compet-ing teams, the Orange Bowl does. "The night of the game, at the annual party we have for the teams, each athletic director is given a check for $120,000," Seiler says.

"Then as soon as our ticket manifest is approved by the city, federal and internal revenue representatives and an audit is made, the teams are paid the remainder due them. Normally this is within three weeks after the game." 'A Continued From Page 1-C second half after getting the ball on a fumble on the Nebraska 21-yard line. Bob Wilson had tried an unsuccessful field goal from the 35 for Miami a couple of plays before. In five plays, Miami scored with John Bennett ramming over from the three and Wilson i yy 4 MS i i Al I A 1 lry 'i A Leslie Lilt is a University of Miami cheerleader. As is with most cheerleaders, Leslie is an emotional young lady.

Her emotions were shoicn nationally yesterday during the telecast of the Miami-Nebraska game. VVJtcn Hurricane quarterback George Mira disappeared under the Nebraska bench, injured on one play, Leslie's jace ran the jull length of emotions, from near tears to delirious joy ichen Mira got up. The ABC cameras stayed on Leslie. It was what many people call hammy. But it was good ham.

IS'iek Spinelli Keeps Ears Warm Ross grabbed the kickoff and streaked 92 yards fir a touchdown. He was to cause further trouble later returning kickoffs until Miami finally got wise and kicked the ball in the direction of less dan-gerous speedsters. Miami immediately retaliated. This time, the Hurricanes went 76 yards in 11 plays and Mira's record on this expedition was near perfect: Four completions on five throws for 53 yards He had to throw for this one twice before it counted. Hoyt Sparks slipped and fell at the goal-line in the only soft area on the field as he was set to take Mira's 31-y a touchdown throw.

BENNETT SCORES Later Mira threw 15 to him to the two and Bennett punctured through from the one to tally. Mira pitched to P.yder for two and it was Miami by 20-13. Deceived by the scoreboard and the sideline marker that showed fourth down when it as only third. Miami tried a fake field goal from the Nebraska 23 with 1:37 to go before the half. Mira ran outside with the ball and lost six.

It was thru discovered it wasn't fourth down. A pass failed to make the necessary yardage for a first down and Nebraska took the ball on Its 23. Claridge emulated Mira. He had been watching a master in action and apparently learned something. He threw for 15 to Callahan, for 42 to Theisen and for nine again to Callahan.

This put the ball on the six and then he rifled to Mike Eger in the end zone for the touchdown. Johnson made the point. This tied it 20-20. The half ended 42 seconds later. Miami gained a total of 502 yards, almost double the 296 piled up by the Cornhuskers.

This 502 Is still shy of Ml. ami's all-time single-game of-fensive total of 5S2 amassed against Elou la 1941. kicking the point. Then Nebraska scored twice twice making vital two-point conversions that provided their ultimate margin of victory before Miami could tally again and this packaged it up with Christmas ribbons. Twenty-eight seconds before the third quarter ended, Nebraska moved 70 yards in 10 plays to score.

Their quarterback, Dennis Claridge, completed three passes for 61 cf the yards. A 23-yard pass from Claridge to Dennis Stuewe put the ball on the 4 and, two plays later fullback Bill Thornton bulled it over from inches away. Claridge kept and ran for two points to regain the lead at 28-27 for the Huskers and they were never behind again. In the fourth period, they wrapped it up although Miami kept tearing suspensefully at the strings right to the end. An intercepted pass led to what turned out to be the winning touchdown.

Claridge caught Mira's deflected pass off Nick Ryder's fingers on Miami's 39. Willie Ross, a will o' wisp runner who returned a kickoff 92 yards for one of Nebraska's first-half scores, blurred for 14 yards. Thornton powered through the middle for 16 two plays later. Nebraska was on Miami's five and Miami was being worn down. Ross did a jackknife dive from the one for the score.

Thornton ran for two points. Nebraska led 36-27. Almost 12 minutes of the game remained but Miami couldn't catch up. To navigate more easily over the hard ground, most of the players on both teams wore i '1 nis shoes and. Miami fortified itself against the unaccustomed freezing weather with long white underwear.

Some wore gloves. Cold Miami hands couldn't hold the ball. Twice Miami lost the ball on fumbles before it got going in this wild, thrilling game although Mira's receivers continued to drop the ball periodically all afternoon. They dropped at least half a dozen right in their hands or on their chests. Nebraska scored first after fumbles had thwarted Miami twice.

Ross broke away for 41 yards to Miami's two after John Bennett's fumble had been grabbed by Dave Theisen on the Miami 43. Thornton rammed over from the one for the score and Claridge failed in an effort for two points. TERRY'S LOCKER Mira who had turned down a $20,000 professional baseball offer to go to college unintentionally, although it appears fatefully. occupied Yankee pitcher Ralph Terry's cubicle in the Yankee dressing-room. It was disguised with the names of two rookie Giant football players above it now.

Mira proceeded to pitch more spectacularly than Terry ever did in this arena. Near the end of the first quarter, Miami went 54 yards in eight plays for a soore, with Mira completing two of four passes for 31 yards. One of them was a 10-yard toss to Ben Rizzo in the end zone for the score. Wilson missed the point and it was tied 6-6 going into the second quarter. Mira was incredible on Miami's second touchdown advance of 66 yards in seven plays in the second period.

He accounted for 56 of the yards on three passes and the two he didn't complete were not his fault. His mates dropped them. GREAT PASS The touchdown throw was for 30-yards- and was a real thriller. Mira faked one throw, side-stepped a tackier and then passed into the end zone to Nick Spinelli. His pass for two points was unsuccessful.

Miami was in front 12-6, but this was a nervous game that never stayed put. it a 8 I ii i 'Mr Portable Gas Heaters Popular Gathering Place For U-M Players.