North Carolina State University Athletics
Tangerine Rematch
12/18/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 18, 2001
By Tony Haynes
NC State meets Pitt in the Tangerine Bowl. Sound familiar?
If you've been around long enough to remember the year 1978, then a Tangerine Bowl match-up between the Wolfpack and Panthers should ring a bell.
That '78 contest grabbed some national attention because it pitted two of the very best players in college football against each other. NC State had senior running back Ted Brown, who had rushed for more yards than any other runner in ACC history.
The Panthers countered with All-America defensive end Hugh Green, arguably one of the most dominant defensive players in college football history.
The date was December 23, 1978, and among those roaming the NC State sidelines that day was a fiery young assistant coach named Chuck Amato.
"One thing a lot of people didn't realize is that NC State had an outstanding football team that year," Amato said. "We lost a very, very close game to Penn State late in the season. We had Ted Brown, who finished second in the Heisman trophy balloting, and Jim Ritcher, who won the Outland Trophy. We also had Bill Cowher, who has become a very successful coach."
Ranked 16th in the country and just two years removed from a national title, Pitt came in as the favorite.
"We weren't supposed to have a chance," Amato recalled. "Pitt was very good. They had Hugh Green and a huge offensive line."
But on this day, the Panthers would be no match for coach Bo Rein's Wolfpack, which jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half and never looked back the rest of the way in route to a convincing 30-17 victory. Brown, playing in his last college game, was named the games most outstanding player after rushing for 126 yards on 28 carries.
Brown's one-yard plunge in the first quarter got NC State going. Following a bowl record 51-yard field goal by Nathan Ritter that made it 10-0, reserve quarterback John Isley connected with flanker Lee Jukes on a 55-yard touchdown pass to push the Pack out in front 17-0.
Safety Mike Nall's 66-yard interception return for a score in the fourth period sealed NC State's second bowl triumph in as many years.
"We played very well in that game," Amato said. "Bill Cowher hyper-extended his elbow, but he was not going to come out of that game. Pitt didn't even ask him to come visit their school when he was being recruited. Naturally, I wouldn't remind him of that (said with tongue firmly implanted in cheek). He gave a speech before the game that was X-rated, but it was awfully good. It was a lot of fun."
Besides the fact that NC State and Pittsburgh will square off in a rematch this Thursday, there are other ironies associated with that 1978 Tangerine Bowl. Bill Cowher, the Pittsburgh native who wasn't recruited by his hometown school, is now the head coach of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jim Ritcher of Outland Trophy fame is now the proud papa of NC State freshman fullback John Ritcher.
Current tailback Ray Robinson is the first player to lead the Wolfpack in both rushing and receiving in the same season since Ted Brown did so for three straight years, including 1978.
And of course, that fiery assistant, the one named Amato, is the Wolfpack's head coach.
