1962
The 1962 edition of the Gotham Bowl, played in Yankee Stadium, was particularly tormented with poor planning and bad luck: the Miami Hurricanes were invited, but no opponent could be found. Finally, on December 4, 1962, just eleven days before the game, the Gotham Bowl invited Nebraska, which had just finished an 8-2 season. However, the day before the contest, the Cornhuskers' team plane refused to leave the Lincoln airport until the bowl's check for expenditures cleared, which it did. (Miami made a similar demand and received their $30,000 expense check up front.)
In addition, the 1962 New York City newspaper strike ensured that the Gotham Bowl would receive virtually no coverage in its own city. The contest was, however, aired on national television by ABC's Wide World of Sports.
The weather didn't cooperate, either: a damp, 14-degree day limited the official attendance to just 6,166 (plus 5,000 tickets given away). Perhaps a few thousand stalwarts were actually in the stands at kickoff.
The game itself was a thriller: Nebraska edged Miami, 36-34, despite an MVP performance by Miami (and future professional) quarterback George Mira, who passed for 321 yards and a pair of touchdowns. (It was the Cornhuskers' first trip to the Big Apple in four decades, after beating Rutgers at the Polo Grounds 28-0 in 1920. Nebraska hasn't played a game in New York City proper since, although they have since played in the Kickoff Classic in suburban New Jersey.)
The poor attendance ensured the 1962 Gotham Bowl would be the last one played.
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