the game

Game Recaps : 1970s


1970


SOUTH 37, NORTH 37

MVP: Terry Bradshaw, La. Tech
NORTH COACH: Lou Saban, Broncos
SOUTH COACH: Don Shula, Colts
TOP PLAYERS: Terry Bradshaw, Tom Banks

A succession of sellout crowds also marked the Senior Bowl's third decade, starting with a thrilling 37-37 tie. The words 'thrilling' and 'tie' don't usually go together, but it was the highest scoring Senior Bowl to date and featured a spectacular passing duel between Louisiana Tech's Terry Bradshaw and San Diego State's Dennis Shaw.

Shaw set a new record - which still stands - with 386 passing yards. He completed 22 of a record 52 attempts, while Bradshaw countered with 267 yards and won the game's MVP Award. In a see-saw tilt that saw five lead changes, the South led, 37-23, before Shaw connected on two fourth quarter TD passes to tie the score.

The South, coached by Don Shula, had a chance to win it on the game's final play, but a 46-yard field goal attempt went wide of the mark as time expired.

1971


NORTH 31, SOUTH 13

MVP: J. D. Hill, Arizona State
NORTH COACH: Lou Saban, Broncos
SOUTH COACH: Weeb Ewbank, Jets
TOP PLAYERS: Lynn Dickey, John Riggins, Jack Youngblood, Scott Hunter, Isiah Robertson

Arizona State's J.D. Hill was nearly a one-man show in a game full of stars. He returned a punt for a record 73-yard touchdown - a mark that still stands -and made a touchdown-saving tackle as the North won, 31-13, in front of a sellout crowd of 40,646.

Trailing 17-10 in the third quarter, the South's Isiah Robertson stopped a North drive with an interception, and then returned it 90 yards to the North six-yard line. But the South couldn't punch it in, settled for a field goal and never recovered as the North added on two more scores for the final margin.

Santa Clara's Dan Pastorini also turned in a unique performance in an impressive quarterback/place kicking role, as he accounted for 13 points - four extra points, one field goal and a touchdown pass.

1972


SOUTH 26, NORTH 21

MVP: Pat Sullivan, Auburn
NORTH COACH: Alex Webster, Giants
SOUTH COACH: J. D. Roberts, Saints
TOP PLAYERS: Pat Sullivan, Franco Harris

The nation's two premier quarterbacks - Auburn's Pat Sullivan and Florida's John Reaves - attracted a standing room-only crowd, and it was Sullivan who led the South to a come-from-behind 26-21 victory and earned the game's MVP Award.

Penn State's future Pro Football Hall of Famer Franco Harris got the North off to a 7-0 lead with a one-yard dive in the first quarter. The South countered with two second period scores - the second a four-yard pass from Sullivan to Tennessee's Curt Watson that capped a 95-yard touchdown drive.

The North took a short-lived 14-12 lead in the third quarter when it blocked a South field goal attempt and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown, but Reaves and Sullivan then matched touchdown passes to give the South a 26-14 lead.

1973


SOUTH 33, NORTH 30

MVP: Chuck Foreman, Miami
NORTH COACH: Lou Saban, Bills
SOUTH COACH: Weeb Ewbank, Jets
TOP PLAYERS: Chuck Foreman, Bert Jones, Dave Butz, Ron Jaworski, Joe DeLamielleure

Senior Bowl fans were in store for another wild offensive show as LSU's Bert Jones, Florida State's Gary Huff and Miami's Chuck Foreman, who gained 167 yards rushing and earned MVP honors, led the South to a 33-30 win.

After BYU's Pete Van Valkenberg broke through for a 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter - still the longest in Senior Bowl history - the South fired back. It took a 30-13 lead on the strength of a nine-yard TD run and two touchdown catches by Florida State's Barry Smith.

After trading field goals, Youngstown State's Ron Jaworski then threw a pair of 48-yard TD tosses - the second to Arizona's Marty Shuford with 1:17 remaining - to get the North within three points, but South then ran out the clock to finish off a thrilling win.

1974


NORTH 16, SOUTH 13

MVP: Bill Kollar, Montana State
NORTH COACH: Mike McCormack, Eagles
SOUTH COACH: Don McCafferty, Lions
TOP PLAYERS: John Cappelletti, Lynn Swann, Mike Webster, Danny White, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, John Stallworth

USC's Lynn Swann caught a 17-yard touchdown pass with just 26 seconds remaining to give the North a 16-13 victory in the Silver Anniversary game. Another capacity crowd of 40,646 saw the South take its first lead of the game, 13-9, with 12:10 remaining. Arizona State's Woody Green scored on a two-yard run after Alabama's Wilbur Jackson had busted through the North defense with a 53-yard scamper.

Swann then took over on the game's final drive as the North went 80 yards on eight plays. Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti of Penn State, who gained 201 yards rushing and receiving on the day, gave the North a first down on the South 17 with a 16-yard reception. Then, with less than 30 seconds to go in the game, Swann made his game-winning catch for the 16-13 win.

1975


SOUTH 17, NORTH 17

MVP: Steve Bartkowski, California
NORTH COACH: John Ralston, Broncos
SOUTH COACH: Dick Nolan, 49ers
TOP PLAYERS: Walter Payton, Robert Brazile, Steve Bartkowski

Maryland's Steve Mike-Mayer kicked a 22-yard field goal for the South with just 25 seconds to play to force the third tie in Senior Bowl history, 17-17.

California quarterback Steve Bartkowski earned MVP honors with a 227-yard passing performance as he led the North to a pair of second half TDs. Trailing 17-14, Maryland's Bob Avellini drove the South to the edge of victory, as he directed a 16-play, 61-yard drive in the game's final minutes. The drive was highlighted by key runs from the NFL's future all-time rushing leader Walter Payton of Jackson State, who led all rushers with 73 yards. But on third down from the five, Avellini's pass was incomplete and the South then settled for the tie with Mike-Mayer's kick.

1976


NORTH 42, SOUTH 35

MVP: Craig Penrose, San Diego St.
NORTH COACH: Chuck Fairbanks, Pats
SOUTH COACH: Jack Pardee, Bears
TOP PLAYERS: Steve Largent, Richard Todd

Alabama's Richard Todd and San Diego State's Craig Penrose squared off in a tremendous record-setting passing duel and established another Senior Bowl scoring record as the North won, 42-35. The Penrose-led North squad set Senior Bowl records for total offense (596), passing yardage (427) and completion percentage (70.0), while Todd's Southerners also set South team marks for total offense (529) and passing yardage (416).

The South held a 28-21 advantage thanks to the longest pass play in the game's history - an 82-yard TD toss from Todd to Texas A&M's Bubba Bean. But, the North then bombarded the South with three third-period TD passes by Penrose to give it a 42-28 lead entering the fourth quarter.

1977


NORTH: 27, SOUTH 24

MVP: Tommy Kramer, Rice
NORTH COACH: Forrest Gregg, Browns
SOUTH COACH: Don Shula, Dolphins
TOP PLAYERS: Tommy Kramer, A.J. Duhe, Bob Baumhower, Wendell Tyler, Pete Johnson

The North won its third in four games - setting North squad records for first downs (30) and rushing yardage (288) in a wild 27-24 victory.

Rice quarterback Tommy Kramer took the game's MVP Award in a losing cause, throwing for 242 yards and two scores. The North featured an efficient ground attack led by Wendell Tyler of UCLA (104 yards) and Pete Johnson of Ohio State (83).

In a wild fourth quarter, Missouri quarterback Steve Pisarkiewicz connected with Stanford's Tony Hill to cut the South lead to just 24-21 with just 1:55 left. The North then recovered an onside kick and, eight plays later, Pisarkiewicz and Hill hooked up again for the winning score with 33 seconds left.

1978


NORTH 17, SOUTH 14

MVP: James Lofton, Stanford
NORTH COACH: Don Coryell, Cardinals
SOUTH COACH: Leeman Bennett, Falcons
TOP PLAYERS: Doug Williams, James Lofton, Wes Chandler, Ozzie Newsome, Todd Christensen

Stanford's James Lofton was named the game's MVP with a nine-catch performance, as the North recorded its third straight win, 17-14.

The South squad was led by the brilliant passing of Grambling's Doug Williams, who completed 21-34 for 254 yards. Alabama's Johnny Davis rushed for 109 yards and Florida receiver Wes Chander led all receivers with 10 receptions. However, their heroics weren't enough as the North scored all of its points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning TD - a one-yard dive by BYU's Todd Christensen - with just 1:27 remaining.

1979


SOUTH 41, NORTH 21

MVP: Willie Jones, Florida St.
NORTH COACH: Walt Michaels, Jets
SOUTH COACH: Coach Dick Nolan, Saints
TOP PLAYERS: Kellen Winslow, Kirk Gibson, Mark Gastineau, Jeff Rutledge, William Andrews

The South stopped their losing skid, recording a convincing 41-21 victory in front of another sell-out crowd of 40,646.

Alabama quarterback Jeff Rutledge was the game's MVP and Florida State defensive lineman Willie Jones was credited with six quarterback sacks. Senior Bowl fans also got to see future NFL star Mark Gastineau of East Central Oklahoma perform his first-ever "Sack Dance," and future Major League baseball star Kirk Gibson of Michigan State, but the South's offensive firepower was simply too much to handle.

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