Almost 1,000 miles apart, former Colorado stars Bobby Anderson and Darian Hagan reacted in a similar fashion after learning that Alabama would be the Buffaloes’ opponent in Sunday’s Independence Bowl.
“I said, ‘Hmmm. That’s interesting,’ ” Anderson recalled recently after an afternoon of soaking in the sunshine at his southern California home.
“Wow. Alabama again?” thought Hagan, CU’s running backs coach.
It’s been awhile, but memories of the two previous bowl meetings between the two schools remain fresh.
Anderson, a tailback completing his college career with an All-American season, rushed for 254 yards and three touchdowns during Colorado’s 47-33 victory in the 1969 Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Anderson’s Liberty Bowl records for rushing yardage, touchdowns and carries (35) still stand.
And get this: Anderson had a 50-yard gain nullified by a penalty. Fullback Ward Walsh, who was not directly involved in Anderson’s run, had flinched slightly before the snap.
“Our offensive line had a great game blocking and the ball came my way most of the day,” Anderson said.
Wearing his trademark houndstooth hat, legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant visited the CU locker room after the game to offer his congratulations. “He shook my hand and said, ‘Son, you just made yourself a bunch of money today,’ ” recalled Anderson, who played six seasons in the NFL.
“(CU players) played the best they ever had,” coach Eddie Crowder said of the 1969 Liberty Bowl. “It was as satisfying a game and victory as any of us had during my career. On offense and defense, our men bristled with electricity.”
Hagan, a dual-threat quarterback, struggled in his finale as a Buffs player. He completed just 11-of-30 passes (for 210 yards) and netted only 12 yards on 14 rushes in Alabama’s 30-25 victory in the 1991 Blockbuster Bowl at Miami.
During the month between the conclusion of the regular season and the bowl game, Colorado coach Bill McCartney had switched from an option offense to a one-back, pass-oriented attack. But during the game, Alabama’s defense appeared to anticipate every move.
A friend of Hagan, who played for the Crimson Tide, later told the former Buffs star that Alabama had a spy watch CU’s bowl practices in Miami. A freeway overlooked the practice field.
“We’d never shown a one-back formation all year,” Hagan explained. “And on our first play, when we broke out of the huddle, Alabama had a defensive back waiting for each of our receivers. Their guys didn’t even hesitate or look surprised. That couldn’t have been a coincidence.”
National championship
A 10-9 final score did not reflect all the excitement in the 1991 Orange Bowl, a Colorado victory over Notre Dame that gave the Buffaloes a share of the 1990 national championship. Charles S. Johnson, forced to take over at quarterback when starter Darian Hagan injured a knee just before halftime, directed a go-ahead drive that All-America tailback Eric Bieniemy completed on a 1-yard run with 4:26 remaining in the third quarter. CU still had to withstand a couple of late scares.
An apparent 91-yard punt return by Notre Dame’s Raghib “Rocket” Ismail was called back because of a clipping penalty. Later, the Irish began a drive to get in position for a winning field goal, but All-America cornerback Deon Figures intercepted a Rick Mirer pass at the CU 36 in what turned out to be the game’s final play.
Colorado (11-1-1) earned the national championship in the writers’ poll; Georgia Tech (11-0-1) got the nod from the coaches.
“It was great to see Charles come in and have success,” Hagan recalled recently. “The only thing I was disappointed in was that I was on crutches and couldn’t join the guys jumping around and celebrating on the 50-yard line.”
Almost
Colorado came close to winning back-to-back national championships. The Buffaloes stood 11-0 and were ranked No. 1 when they faced Notre Dame in the 1990 Orange Bowl, following the 1989 season. But after a scoreless first half, Notre Dame scored three times to win 21-6. CU never led. CU quarterback Darian Hagan had a tough day, managing just 65 yards passing.
The tyler rose
A 21-7 halftime lead wasn’t enough for Colorado in the 1975 Bluebonnet Bowl. Texas bruiser Earl Campbell led a second-half charge, finishing with 95 yards on 19 carries in a 38-21 Longhorns victory. Two notable players caught second-quarter touchdown passes for CU.
Dave Logan, the current Mullen High School coach and Broncos’ play-by-play announcer, played nine years in the NFL, primarily as a receiver with the Cleveland Browns. Tight end Don Hasselbeck also played nine NFL seasons, mostly with the Patriots, and later watched two sons become NFL quarterbacks after starring at Boston College.
Frequent target
Current Broncos tight end Daniel Graham set a CU bowl record with 10 catches (for 89 yards and a touchdown) in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, a 38-16 loss to Oregon.
Most recent
Directed by interim coach Mike Hankwitz and missing regular quarterback Joel Klatt (concussion in the Big 12 championship game against Texas), Colorado managed just 124 yards in total offense in the 19-10 loss to Clemson in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl. Gary Barnett had been forced to step down as Colorado coach 19 days earlier by first-year CU athletic director Mike Bohn. “Bowl games are fun, but I know from experience they’re way more fun when you win,” said Buffs senior tailback Hugh Charles, who also played as a true freshman in CU’s 33-28 win over UTEP in the 2004 Houston Bowl.
Good things come in threes
With the Independence Bowl, Alabama will join Notre Dame and Oregon as having been Colorado’s bowl opponent on three occasions. No school has played CU in four bowls.
McCartney’s swan song
Bill McCartney got a ride off the field on the shoulders of his players following his final appearance as CU coach in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl, a 41-24 win over Notre Dame. McCartney had announced his retirement following the regular-season finale. “It was huge to send Coach Mac off like that,” said Donnell Leomiti, a junior safety in that game and current defensive technical intern under Dan Hawkins. “It was definitely a special time to see him go out with a bang.”
