Tangerine Bowl, East Carolina vs. University of Massachusetts

In 1964, East Carolina’s football team came from behind to stun the University of Massachusetts with an upset victory, 14-13, taking the Atlantic Coast football championship at the Tangerine Bowl. Most analysts had predicted that Massachusetts would win, but the favored team harbored concerns about competing against East Carolina, 8-1 in the Southern Conference, and its “ancient single wing” offense. Apparently the single wing had not been widely used in college play since the 1920s. Also, Massachusetts had already experienced considerable snow fall, limiting its pre-bowl practice time. Ultimately, however, it was East Carolina’s determination to win that prevailed, bringing Pirate football unprecedented national recognition and respect. Moreover, the Tangerine Bowl victory helped increase, for decades to come, already strong momentum for further development of football as the crown jewel in East Carolina’s intercollegiate athletic program.

In the featured picture, ECC tailback Bill Cline holds the trophy; Dave Bumgarner, on the left, embraces Cline. In single wing play, the tailback rather than the quarterback is the ball handler, and it was Cline’s passing and running game that led the Pirates to victory. Initially, however, things looked bad for the Pirates as a series of fumbles led Massachusetts to a 13-0 lead in the second half. The Pirates rallied in the third quarter with a touchdown, making the score 13-6. Cline then attempted a two-point conversion, but his pass went incomplete. The game was decided in the fourth quarter when ECC’s Dinky Mills intercepted a pass on the Pirate 10-yard line ending Massachusetts’ drive that might have made the game 19-6. Stealing the momentum, Cline completed a 67 yard pass to Dick Bass. Five plays later, Cline carried the ball nine yards for the touchdown, climaxing a 91-yard drive that made the game 13-12.

Rather than try to tie the game, the Pirates again attempted a two-point conversion, this time with Cline completing his pass to Dave Bumgarner, thus securing a 14-13 victory over Massachusetts. For his outstanding performance, Cline was named most outstanding player. In the contest, he carried the ball 12 times for 39 yards, completed eight of 16 passes for 178 yards, scored one touchdown, and passed for the game-winning two-point conversion. Earlier Cline had been elected to the 1964 Little All-American Team, and led the Southern Conference in total offense with 1,574 yards. East Carolina coach Clarence Stasavich called the victory “one of the greatest team efforts I have ever coached.” The same year, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic named Stasavich coach of the year.

The victory in the 1964 Tangerine Bowl was East Carolina’s second bowl victory in two years. In 1963, the Pirates defeated Northeastern University in the Eastern Bowl, 27-6. These impressive victories encouraged President Leo W. Jenkins to accelerate his push for athletic expansion, especially in football competition. Earlier, Clarence Stasavich had been hired as head football coach, and in 1963, the new football stadium, Ficklen Memorial Stadium, was completed, marking the beginnings of Pirate greatness in athletics. As Jenkins realized, a strong athletic program not only enhanced school spirit, it provided the rapidly growing school with incalculable national recognition. Pirate football also proved to be a highly effective way of maintaining alumni loyalty, not to mention the growing support of the larger community in eastern North Carolina and the state as well. With the Tangerine Bowl victory, the Pirate nation was beginning to emerge.

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Sources

• “Cline Sparks East Carolina Rally For 14-13 Win In Tangerine Bowl.” Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia). December 13, 1964. P. 38.
• “East Carolina Defeats Massachusetts In Bowl.” Asheville Citizen-Times. December 13, 1964. P. 18.
• “Orlando Looking Forward to UMass.” Boston Globe. December 8, 1964. Pp. 21, 24.
• Jackson, Orval. “Massachusetts Faces East Carolina Eleven.” Tampa Tribune. December 12, 1964. P. 27.
• “Players, Coaches, Fans Share Tangerine Bowl Victory.” Buccaneer. Greenville, N.C. East Carolina College. 1964. Pp. 45, 91, 100. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15316.
• “Tangerine Bowl.” San Francisco Examiner. December 13, 1964. P. 69.
• “Tangerine Bowl Slated Tonight.” Asheville Citizen-Times. December 12, 1964. P. 9.
• “Tangerine Bowl To East Carolina.” Des Moines Register. December 13, 1964. P. 27.
• “The Magic Number, 14.” East Carolinian. December 16, 1964. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38855.
• “UMass Edged by East Carolina 14-13 in Tangerine Bowl.” Bennington Banner (Bennington, Vermont). December 14, 1964. P. 11.

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