BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…December 9, 1961:
In one of college football’s forgotten bowl games, Baylor upsets No. 10 Utah State 24-9 in the first Gotham Bowl in New York. The Aggies were led by future Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, but he obviously couldn’t draw a crowd all by himself — only 15,123 fans showed up at the iconic Polo Grounds. Only one more Gotham Bowl would be played. Hopefully the crowd later appreciated seeing Olsen in the final game of his college career. He had won the Outland Trophy that season as the best lineman in college football and was a Consensus All-American.
Olsen was drafted in the first round by the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and the AFL’s Denver Broncos. The AFL was only two years old and was still gaining traction, so Olsen chose the Rams. He’d go on to a 15-year career as one of the NFL’s top defensive stars, making the Pro Bowl every season but his last (back when it meant a lot more). After retirement, Olsen starred on TV in “Little House On The Prairie” and “Father Murphy.” The field at USU’s Maverik Stadium (then Romney Stadium) was named after Olsen in 2009.
As for Utah State, that No. 10 ranking in 1961 remains the highest in school history. USU wouldn’t make another postseason game until the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl. Since then, the Aggies have played in 10 bowls, four of them in Boise: the inaugural Humanitarian Bowl in 1997 and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2011, 2012 and 2015.
The Gotham Bowl was supposed to debut in 1960, and it invited Oregon State. But no opponent could be found, and the game was canceled. The second and final edition of the game was scheduled for Yankee Stadium and was anchored by Miami. But bowl officials again had problems finding another team, finally landing Nebraska just 11 days before kickoff. The Hurricanes and Cornhuskers produced a shootout, with Nebraska prevailing 36-34. But only a handful of fans saw it, as it was played in 14-degree weather. No Famous Idaho Potato Bowl has ever been that cold.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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