1948 Tangerine Bowl
| 1948 Tangerine Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1948 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1947 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Tangerine Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Orlando | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 9,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1948 Tangerine Bowl was the 2nd game held. It featured tiny Catawba College vs the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Background
Catawba appeared in the first Tangerine Bowl and beat Maryville College 31-6. The following season, they entered the 2nd Tangerine Bowl with a 10-1 record and had only one loss (VMI) early in the season, entering the game with an 8 game winning streak. They participated in the North State Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Marshall was an Independent who was 9-2 on the year in Cam Henderson's 10th season with Marshall.
Game summary
Indians’ fullback Lee Spears scored on a one-yard carry late in the fourth quarter to win the game. Despite outgaining Catawba in yards 109-54, Marshall turned the ball over three times, which cost them the game. End Don Gibson for Marshall was named MVP of the game. [1]
Aftermath
Marshall joined the Ohio Valley Conference the following year while Catawba has never played in a bowl game since. Coach Kirkland retired after the bowl win. They were the first team to have a shut out win along with being the first to win consecutive Tangerine Bowls. Marshall would not win a bowl game until 1998.