1978 Gator Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Date | December 29, 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
Season | 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Gator Bowl Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Jacksonville, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
Referee | James M. Artley (SEC) | ||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 72,011 | ||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | ABC | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Keith Jackson, Ara Parseghian | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1978 Gator Bowl was a college football bowl game played between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Clemson Tigers on December 29, 1978.
This game proved to be coach Woody Hayes' last game at OSU as well as his last game as a college football coach. With just over two minutes left in the game, OSU trailed 17–15. Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter threw a pass that sailed wide of an Ohio State back and was intercepted by Clemson Middle Guard Charlie Bauman. Bauman ran towards the OSU sideline avoiding tackles and was finally shoved out of bounds, but after he got up coach Hayes punched Bauman through his face mask. The next day Ohio State fired Hayes after 28 seasons as the Buckeyes head coach.
Ohio State and Clemson would meet again in the 2014 Orange Bowl, and then in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl which was a College Football Playoff.