January 1, 1960
Tarkenton Rallies Georgia
Georgia 14 Missouri 0
The nation was first introduced to quarterback Fran Tarkenton in the '60 Orange Bowl Classic, as the Georgia senior used his scrambling ability to lead his team to a 14-0 win over Missouri. Tarkenton threw for two touchdowns on broken plays and completed nine of 16 passes for 131 yards. Georgia head coach Wally Butts coached his last Bulldog game.
January 2, 1961
Navy’s Weapon Silenced
Missouri 21 Navy 14
Missouri held Navy Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award winner Joe Bellino to just four yards rushing and came away a 21-14 winner on a day of big plays. Missouri avenged a 1960 Orange Bowl loss and would have finished the season as national champion had it not been for a regular season-ending loss to Kansas.
January 1, 1962
Blocked Punts Propel Tigers
Louisiana State 25 Colorado 7
Louisiana State's Paul Dietzel, coaching his last game for the Tigers, watched while his team turned Colorado punts into scores in a 25-7 triumph over the Big Seven opponent. Dietzel had noticed a quirk in the Colorado center's snaps and used it to his team's advantage in this battle of top 10, once-beaten teams.
January 1, 1963
JFK Watches ‘Bama’s Show
Alabama 17 Oklahoma 0
President John F. Kennedy was one of 73,380 fans to witness Alabama linebacker Lee Roy Jordan single-handedly turn back Oklahoma, 17-0.
January 1, 1964
Nebraska Holds Off Late Rally
Nebraska 13 Auburn 7
Nebraska linebacker John Kirby batted away an Auburn pass on fourth down as the final seconds ticked away in the '64 Orange, giving his team a 13-7 win. Both teams came into the Orange Bowl with identical 10-1 records with Nebraska ranked fifth and Auburn sixth in the UPI poll. The AP poll figured it the another way. Nebraska head coach Bob Devaney made his first appearance in the Orange Bowl.
January 1, 1965
First Night Game a Classic
Texas 21 Alabama 17
Texas upset top-ranked Alabama, 21-17, in the first prime-time night game in Orange Bowl history. The Longhorns stopped Alabama quarterback Joe Namath just short of the goal line on a crucial fourth-down play late in the game that would have given the Crimson Tide the lead. The defeat overshadowed a heroic performance by Namath, the senior quarterback who didn't start the game because of a knee injury. He completed 18 of 37 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
January 1, 1966
Sloan Passes Underdog Alabama
Alabama 39 Nebraska 28
Alabama coach Bear Bryant gave quarterback Steve Sloan the green light to throw on any down, and Sloan set Orange Bowl passing records in leading the Tide to a 39-28 victory over powerhouse Nebraska. The Tide's Perkins caught an Orange Bowl-record nine passes for 159 yards, a mark that stood for 25 years.
January 2, 1967
Smith Runs Over Georgia Tech
Florida 27 Georgia Tech 12
Halfback Larry Smith rushed for 187 yards, including a third-quarter 94-yard touchdown sprint, as Florida rolled over eighth-ranked Georgia Tech, 27-12. The '67 Orange marked legendary Bobby Dodd's last appearance as head coach at Georgia Tech. Florida head coach Ray Graves had been Dodd's assistant at Georgia Tech for 14 years.
January 1, 1968
Vols’ Miss Game Winning FG
Oklahoma 26 Tennessee 24
A 43-yard field goal attempt by Tennessee's Karl Kremser with seven seconds left sailed wide right, leaving Oklahoma with a narrow 26-24 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma. The miss saved Oklahoma first-year coach Chuck Fairbanks from being the game's goat after he made a coaching miscue minutes earlier.
January 1, 1969
Late Penalty Gives PSU Win
Penn State 15 Kansas 14
Given a second try due to a Kansas penalty, Penn State scored on a late two-point conversion to beat the Jayhawks, 15-14, in the 35th Orange Bowl. Kansas had held on the previous attempt, but referee Foster Grose noticed 12 men on the field and awarded a second try to the Nittany Lions. Bob Campbell swept over the left side of the line for the win.