1959 Liberty Bowl
| 1959 Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Inaugural Liberty Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 19, 1959 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | Announcers Lindsey Nelson[2] | Red Grange[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
The 1959 Liberty Bowl, part of the
Teams
Alabama
The 1959 Alabama squad finished the regular season with a 7–1–2 record and played in a bowl for the first time since the 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic. This was the first bowl for Bear Bryant as head coach of the Crimson Tide.[2]
After Navy turned down an offer, Alabama accepted a bid to play in the inaugural Liberty Bowl on November 30.[2] Alabama had been offered a spot in the Bluegrass Bowl, scheduled to be played the same day as the Liberty Bowl, but turned down that invitation; the Bluegrass Bowl was subsequently canceled.[4]
Penn State
After starting the season 7–0, Penn State dropped two of their final three games to finish the regular season with a record of 8–2. The Nittany Lions accepted a bid for the Liberty Bowl on November 23 with the other opponent identified as being either Georgia, Georgia Tech, SMU or Navy.[5] Alabama was selected as the opponent after Navy turned down an offer.[2] The game marked the first bowl for Penn State since the 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic.[2]
Game summary
In a game dominated by both defenses, the only points were scored at the end of the second quarter by the Nittany Lions on a fake field goal.[6] This lone touchdown was scored by Roger Kochman on a 17-yard reception from Galen Hall with Sam Stellatella adding the extra point.[6]
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See also
References
- ^ Hand, Jack (December 19, 1959). "Penn State favored in Liberty Bowl". The Gettysburg Times. p. 5. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Land, Charles (December 1, 1959). "Tide going to Liberty Bowl". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
- ^ "Alabama Football's Racial Dilemma". Retrieved July 2, 2022.
- ^ Down, Fred (November 30, 1959). "Only One Bowl Berth Still Open". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. UPI. p. 11. Retrieved June 8, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Penn State bowl opponent unpicked". Kentucky New Era. Associated Press. November 24, 1959. p. 12. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Land, Charles (December 20, 1959). "Penn State outplays Crimson Tide, 7–0". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1. Retrieved November 16, 2010.