DOMINANT DECADE
FIESTA BOWL 50TH ANNIVERSARY: Sun Devils went 4-1 in bowl created for them
Editor’s note: This is the first of an occasional series of stories looking back at the Fiesta Bowl, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this college football season. Although it is far from certain whether the 2021 edition will still be played — it is scheduled for Jan. 2 — we are commemorating the game’s golden anniversary and its singular impact on Arizona’s sports history.
The idea worked perfectly.
Build a football bowl game essentially for Arizona State and not only will the Sun Devils come, but the state’s balmy weather will attract a quality opponent and accompanying fans to boost economic impact.
It’s not that ASU never played in a bowl game before the creation of the Fiesta Bowl, which turns 50 this college football season. There was the Peach Bowl in the snow in 1970 and before that a pair of Sun Bowls in the 1940s and two Salad Bowls in the ‘50s.
But it took an undefeated season for the Sun Devils even to get the Peach Bowl invitation in an era when there were only 11 bowl options.
The real impetus for a Phoenix area bowl game began in 1968 when Arizona wrangled a Sun Bowl invitation before the Territorial Cup showdown vs. ASU, a 30-7 Sun Devils win in what’s become known as the Ultimatum Bowl.
By January 1969, a committee of business leaders was formed to lay the groundwork for a bowl game would pair the winner of the Western Athletic Conference — usually ASU during that period — against an at-large invitee.
Then-U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell played a role in the bowl being approved by the NCAA, as Arizona Republic sports columnist Bob Hurt revisited in 1995.
Mitchell told the NCAA extra events committee that he and President Richard Nixon viewed the bowl as part of an anti-drug crusade, then not so subtly dropped this bombshell, relayed to Hurt by one of the Fiesta founders, Don Meyers: “I want you to know that, as the chief law-enforcement officer of the country, I am responsible for enforcing the antitrust laws. And, I intend to do so.”
Committee chair Stan Bates, soon to become WAC commissioner, later told the Arizona delegation, “We didn’t know you were that serious about this game. I want you to know we don’t give any bowl approval after just one presentation, but that permission will be granted.”
Arizona State goes 4-1
ASU would in essence outgrow the Fiesta Bowl, first with its move from the WAC to what became the Pac-10 starting in the fall of 1978, freeing the Fiesta to grow over time into one of the nation’s premier bowl games.
But for most of the Fiesta Bowl’s first decade, ASU was the dominant player — just as designed.
The Sun Devils played in five of the first of the first seven Fiesta Bowls, winning four. All nine games from 1971-79 were played in late December at Sun Devil Stadium.
Pittsburgh had the second most appearances in 1970s with two. Arizona made its Fiesta debut in 1979, losing 16-10 to Pitt.
Game of the decade
For ASU and the Fiesta Bowl, the peak of the 1970s is the same — a 17-14 Sun Devils win over Nebraska capping an undefeated season and elevating ASU to its highest-ever Associated Press postseason ranking, No. 2.
It was the first meeting between ASU (ranked No. 7) and Nebraska (No. 6), and the one-loss favored Cornhuskers led 14-6 going into the fourth quarter.
After suffering pinched nerve on a quarterback sneak for a critical first down, Dennis Sproul temporarily exited. His replacement, Fred Mortensen, threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to John Jefferson and then connected with Larry Mucker for a two-point, gametying conversion.
Sproul returned and engineered a drive to the 12yard line, where Danny Kush kicked what stood up as a game-winning, 29-yard field goal. Nebraska fumbled away its final chance — forced by safety John Harris and recovered by Rocky Mataalii with 1:08 left — for a seventh consecutive bowl win.
“It was huge by our standards at the time,” said John Reid, then Fiesta Bowl executive director. “It put the game on the map.”
No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Texas A&M lost their bowl games, with No. 3 Oklahoma winning 14-6 over Michigan in the Orange Bowl. In the final AP poll, the Sooners (11-1) finished with a 219-point edge over ASU (12-0) to decide the national title.
“There’s no question about it, we should have been No. 1,” ASU coach Frank Kush said. “Anyone who played on that team could have played for Michigan State,” referring to Michigan State’s 1952 national championship team that included Kush. “It was Oklahoma’s reputation.”
Notable performances
ASU rushed for 452 yards and had a still Fiesta Bowl record 718 yards total offense in a 49-35 win over Missouri in 1972.
Woody Green led the way with 202 yards (second best in Fiesta history) and four touchdowns. As if that wasn’t enough, Brett McClanahan had 171 yards rushing for the Sun Devils.
In three Fiestas (1971-73), Green ran for 434 yards and 10 touchdowns. He outplayed Pitt’s Heisman Trophy-winning Tony Dorsett in the 1973 game.
—The inaugural Fiesta Bowl in 1971 included Steve Holden’s 106 yards in punt returns, still a bowl record. He took one punt 68 yards to the house while also catching a 55-yard touchdown pass from Danny White.
—Missouri’s Mike Fink returned a kickoff 100 yards vs. ASU in the wild 1972 game and had a still bowl record 203 total kickoff return yards.
—Penn State linebacker Matt Millen’s 18 tackles in a 42-30 1977 win over ASU still are tied for the most in bowl history. The Sun Devils were 4-0 in the Fiesta Bowl before that defeat.
Lone Fiesta Bowl tie
The only Fiesta Bowl tie occurred in 1978 with UCLA rallying from a scoreless first half for a 10-10 deadlock with Arkansas, the lowest scoring game in the game’s history.
The NCAA adopted overtime in college football in 1996.
There were only a combined 139 yards passing on 35 combined attempts.
The game is more remembered for an expletive from UCLA coach Terry Donahue that made it onto the air via a then new-to-broadcasting sideline mike than for the on-field performance.
“I think that it’s ridiculous we have fans who drive 2,000 miles to watch a tie,” Arkansas coach Lou Holtz said. “I know UCLA feels the same way. Everybody says a tie is like kissing your sister. I guess it’s better than kissing your brother.”
“It was huge by our standards at the time. It put the game on the map.” John Reid, then Fiesta Bowl executive director on the 1975 game