New ESPN 30 for 30: Nixon's National Champs

[Sirhornsalot]

A 30 minute documentary about the Texas-Arkansas game, President Nixon, and the Penn State situation after they declined to play Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Airs tomorrow night at 10:30 p.m.

 

[Worster1]

A 30 minute documentary about the Texas-Arkansas game, President Nixon, and the Penn State situation after they declined to play Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Airs tomorrow night at 10:30 p.m.

LHN or what network?

 

[Sirhornsalot]

LHN or what network?

Sorry, ESPN does the 30 for 30 series. It will air there first and LHN will pick it up I'm sure.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

[No message]

 

[Worster1]

Dec. 1969, I well remember mighty undefeatred Penn State & Joe Pa choosing the sunny Orange Bowl and NOT settling who was National Champion vs # 1 ranked THE  UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS in the CB on Jan. 1, 1970.  They whined and whined about it but they were whimps! 

Anyone else old enough to remember the PSU decision and eventual whining?

I was at the CB 1/1/70 with my Dad to watch &  celebrate UT beating Joe Theisman & ND 21-17.

I dare say UT would have beaten PSU by far more points than that had they played that day.

Hook 'Em!

 

[streettopeschel]

i hope this doesn't play out like 'penn state got screwed' and nixon made the call. 

i went back and checked. prior to the big shootout, UT was an easy Number one with 31 out of 36 first place votes. arky was 2 and psu 3. 

nixon could have been in hanoi and the polls would have still awarded UT the top spot after beating #2 on their field. 

and yes, psu could have come to the cotton bowl and settled it. they declined. 

the final poll, post bowl game, had ut #1 with 36 1st place votes and psu #2 with 7. 

scoreboard

 

[Etex Horn]

Can anyone explain to me "why" Penn State declined the invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 1970?

Just got through looking for an answer on the Internet, but all I could find was "PSU preferred to spend New

Year's Day in sunny Miami and play in the Orange Bowl."  What I read also indicated PSU was invited just 

PRIOR to The Big Shootout to play the Texas/Arkansas winner in the Cotton Bowl....but PSU declined.  I

feel I should know more about all this...

 

[streettopeschel]

etex...all i've ever seen is that they voted miami over dallas because paterno said football should be fun and miami would be more fun.

maybe true, maybe not. if true...fine. but don't bitch about poll results later. 

 

[Etex Horn]

So they did indeed have the opportunity to settle everything, head to head on the football field and earn an

undisputed NC.  Had they played in the Cotton and beaten Texas, they would have had undisputed claim

to it, despite Nixon's proclamation about Texas being the NC at the end of The Big Shootout.  You're

right, STP, they had no right to bitch about the way things turned out.