President Kennedy at the Orange Bowl. Front row: Grant Stockdale of Miami, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland; Congressman Dante B. Fascell, of Miami; Mrs. Farris Bryant. Center: President Kennedy, Governor Bryant. Back row: U.S. Senator Mike Mansfield, of Montana (pipe in mouth); and Congressman Claude Pepper (in profile).
President Kennedy performing the ceremonial coin toss at the game
President Kennedy enjoying the game & talking with Governor Bryant
Aerial view of Miami’s Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day 1969
President John F. Kennedy went to the Orange Bowl game held in Miami, Florida on New Year’s Day 1963. The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners played that year and 72,880 people were in attendance. Coaching Alabama was Paul “Bear” Bryant ; Joe Namath was the new starting quarterback for the team in 1962. Bud Wilkinson coached the Sooners. The Crimson Tide won the game, beating the Sooners 17 – 0.
The 2013 Orange Bowl game is between the Florida State Seminoles and the Northern Illinois Huskies and being played this evening. Since I’m a native Floridian, I’ll have to pull for my homestate – go Seminoles!!
