January 2, 1940
Georgia Tech Upsets Missouri
Georgia Tech 21 Missouri 7
The Yellow Jackets made their first of five trips to the Orange Bowl a successful one, defeating Big Six champion Missouri, 21-7, behind the heroics of 147-pound Johnny Bosch, who outran and out-passed the Tigers' all-America "Passin" Paul Christman.
January 1, 1941
Special Teams Saves State
Mississippi St. 14 Georgetown 7
Famed Georgetown guard Augie Lio thought the Hoyas were a victim of Southern officiating in the 1941 game, as Mississippi State won a defensive struggle with Eastern power Georgetown, 14-7, to earn its first bowl victory in history. With MSU leading 7-0, Georgetown’s Julius Koshlap hit Arthur Lenski for 46 yards to the state four. However, the referee called it back when he said Koshlap was not five yards behind the line when he launched the ball, a rule at that time.
January 1, 1942
Bulldog Star Sinks TCU
Georgia 40 Texas Christian 26
Georgia All-American quarterback, future Heisman Trophy winner and Orange Bowl Hall-of-Honor member Frankie Sinkwich, playing with an oversized chin mask to protect a broken jaw, put on an offensive display still considered by many as the greatest in any bowl game as he led his Bulldogs to a 40-26 win over Texas Christian.
January 1, 1943
Solo-Soaring Eagle Not Enough
Alabama 37 Boston College 21
Stung by two first-quarter Boston College touchdowns, Alabama regrouped to score 22 second-quarter points en route to a 37-21 victory in its first Orange Bowl appearance.
January 1, 1944
Van Buren Steals Show in Win
Louisiana State 19 Texas A&M 14
Steve Van Buren ran and passed for two first-quarter touchdowns and then sewed up the victory with a 63-yard scoring run in the third as Louisiana State beat Texas A&M 19-14 in a war-time game.
January 1, 1945
Tulsa Gains Revenge On Tech
Tulsa 26 Georgia Tech 12
Quarterback Frank Broyles’ Orange Bowl-record 304-yard passing attack was not enough for Georgia Tech as Tulsa avenged a 20-18 loss in the 1944 Sugar Bowl with a 26-12 win over the Yellow Jackets.
January 1, 1946
Hurricanes Feeling Right at Home
Miami 13 Holy Cross 6
While the rest of the state celebrated its centinal anniversary, a capacity crowd saw what was probably the most exciting finish in Orange Bowl history as Miami's Al Hudson intercepted a pass and returned it 89 yards for the winning touchdown with no time remaining on the clock to defeat a shocked Holy Cross squad, 13-6.
January 1, 1947
Blocked Punts Bring Down Vols
Rice 8 Tennessee 0
Eight first-quarter points, including a safety off of a blocked punt, paved the way for an 8-0 upset of Tennessee by Rice.
January 1, 1948
Jackets Hold Off Jayhawks
Georgia Tech 20 Kansas 14
Georgia Tech held off a furious late rally from Kansas that included a goal line fumble in the game's final seconds to defeat the Jayhawks by a 20-14 score. The Jayhawks were a two touchdown underdog to Bobby Dodd's powerful Yellow Jackets.
January 1, 1949
Late TDs Key Longhorn Win
Texas 41 Georgia 28
The Texas Longhorns came out on top in this high-scoring affair and the lead changed hands six times before Coach Blair Cheery's squad handed Georgia a 41-28 setback. The combined 69 points scored in the contest tied the most ever in the Orange Bowl's 56-year history.