Walker and Buster were named MVPs of that game at which over 16,000 were in attendance.
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Walker Gillette and Buster O’Brien Interview by Bob Black-50th Anniversary Tangerine Bowl
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Walker and Buster were named MVPs of that game at which over 16,000 were in attendance.
Tangerine Bowl 1968 championship vs. 2008 FCS championship: Which is greater UR achievement?- BY JOHN O’CONNOR | Richmond Times-Dispatch
- Oct 3, 2018
University of Richmond quarterback Buster O’Brien (kneeling) was flanked by 1968 Tangerine Bowl teammates (left to right) Charlie Tysinger, Bob Haggerty, Dave Criswell, Bill Fazioli, Wayne Fowler, Tom Enland, Walker Gillette, Jim Livesay, Pat Morris and Joe Kellum. The Spiders defeated No. 15 Ohio 49-42.- 1968, TIMES-DISPATCH
Mike London lifted the 2008 FCS national-championship trophy with Spiders Josh Vaughan (32), John Crone (3) and Sherman Logan (8) joining the celebration in Chattanooga, Tenn. Vaughan ran for 162 yards as unseeded Richmond toppled fourth-seeded Montana 24-7 in the championship game.- 2008, ALEXA WELCH EDLUND/TIMES-DISPATCH
At Saturday’s 3 p.m. game against Delaware, the University of Richmond will salute the 1968 Tangerine Bowl championship team on its 50th anniversary. On Nov. 10, when Maine visits, the Spiders will recognize the 10th anniversary of the 2008 team that won the FCS championship. Which achievement of those is greater? We make the case for ...
1968 Tangerine Bowl team (ABOVE)
The Spiders began the year 0-2, and then went 6-0 in the Southern Conference (7-3 regular season), earning the right to challenge No. 15 Ohio (10-0), the Mid-American Conference champion and one of three undefeated teams in the nation.
They met in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 27, 1968, and at that time, there were only 11 bowl games (Cotton, Orange, Rose, Sugar, Bluebonnet, Peach, Gator, Sun, Tangerine, Liberty, Pasadena).
Ohio was a heavy favorite.
The Spiders started the game by running the ball, but that didn’t go well against one of the country’s top defensive lines.
Coach Frank Jones ordered a steady passing attack, and Buster O’Brien completed 39 of 58 for 447 yards and four touchdowns.
Walker Gillette made 20 receptions for 242 yards and Jim Livesay added 10 catches for 127 yards.
UR pulled the upset, 49-42, and Jones called the win “the biggest athletic victory for the University of Richmond.”
Ohio finished the year ranked No. 20 in The Associated Press Top 20.
Though Richmond was unranked at season’s end, it gained national recognition for the thrilling Tangerine Bowl performance. The teams combined for 91 pass attempts, an extremely high number in 1968.
UR lost at Toledo (31-14), at West Virginia (17-0) and at Virginia Tech (31-28) during a 10-game regular season. The Spiders played at home only four times.
Conclusion: The Spiders were one of only 22 teams that advanced to bowl games that season, and were competing at college football’s highest level. With a SoCon championship and a Tangerine Bowl win, they are the standard by which all Richmond teams are measured.
2008 FCS championship team (BELOW)
With a 6-2 CAA record, Richmond did not win the league championship, and the Spiders were scrambling with a 4-3 record after seven games. They didn’t lose again, winning nine straight to capture the FCS title with a 24-7 victory over Montana on Dec. 19, 2008, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
UR was not one of the four seeded teams in a 16-team FCS playoff field. The Spiders eliminated defending national champion and second-seeded Appalachian State 33-13 on the road in a quarterfinal game, and then won 21-20 at third-seeded Northern Iowa in the semifinals at the UNI-Dome. Fourth-seeded Montana was making its fifth appearance in the title game. Richmond controlled the final, leading 21-0 at halftime.
Unlike the 1968 Spiders, who won the Tangerine Bowl through the air, the 2008 Spiders rocked Montana on the ground and with defense. Josh Vaughan rushed for 162 yards on 23 carries, and defensive end Lawrence Sidbury was responsible for four of UR’s seven sacks.
“That was a tight-knit group from top to bottom. We had such a good group. Not just good players, but good guys,” Sidbury said.
Coach Mike London’s defense was coordinated by Russ Huesman, who’s in his second season as Richmond’s coach. The 2008 Spiders, who finished 13-3, lost regular-season games at Virginia (16-0), at Villanova (26-20) and to James Madison (38-31).
Conclusion: How could anything beat a national championship? This was the FCS, the second tier of college football, and Richmond did not capture its league title. But London’s Spiders earned a spot in the playoff field and then beat three of the four seeded teams, two of them on the road, to reach the national-championship game. In that, they authoritatively established superiority.- BY JOHN O’CONNOR | Richmond Times-Dispatch
For all you newbies and youngsters out there,this 1968 team was very,very good.There was no FCS back then.Great players,great coaches.Frank Jones knew how to recruit.All 3 phases of the team were superb.Walker even majored in Math combined with being on most All American teams and a 1st round draft choice.Very witty and dry sense of humor.Looks like he could still play.Buster was a transfer from Notre Dame,went on to law school and became a Va Beach attorney and Circuit Court Judge.Charlie Tysinger, Bob Haggerty, Dave Criswell, Bill Fazioli, Wayne Fowler, Tom Enland, Walker Gillette, Jim Livesay, Pat Morris and Joe Kellum were each tough as nails and great athletes.
THESE GUYS PLAYED WITH AN EDGE.We could learn alot from that.
THESE GUYS PLAYED WITH AN EDGE.We could learn alot from that.
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1 Sep 14, 1968 Richmond @ Toledo MAC L 14 31
2 Sep 21, 1968 Richmond @ West Virginia Ind L 0 17
3 Sep 28, 1968 Richmond Davidson Southern W 24 14
4 Oct 12, 1968 Richmond @ Citadel Southern W 21 16
5 Oct 19, 1968 Richmond Furman Southern W 34 0
6 Oct 26, 1968 Richmond @ East Carolina Southern W 31 7
7 Nov 2, 1968 Richmond Virginia Military Institute Southern W 35 0
8 Nov 9, 1968 Richmond @ Virginia Tech Ind L 18 31
9 Nov 16, 1968Richmond @ Southern Mississippi Ind W 33 7
10 Nov 23, 1968 Richmond William & Mary Southern W 31 6
11 Dec 27, 1968 Richmond v (15) Ohio MAC W 49 42 Tangerine Bowl (Tangerine Bowl (Orlando, FL))
2 Sep 21, 1968 Richmond @ West Virginia Ind L 0 17
3 Sep 28, 1968 Richmond Davidson Southern W 24 14
4 Oct 12, 1968 Richmond @ Citadel Southern W 21 16
5 Oct 19, 1968 Richmond Furman Southern W 34 0
6 Oct 26, 1968 Richmond @ East Carolina Southern W 31 7
7 Nov 2, 1968 Richmond Virginia Military Institute Southern W 35 0
8 Nov 9, 1968 Richmond @ Virginia Tech Ind L 18 31
9 Nov 16, 1968Richmond @ Southern Mississippi Ind W 33 7
10 Nov 23, 1968 Richmond William & Mary Southern W 31 6
11 Dec 27, 1968 Richmond v (15) Ohio MAC W 49 42 Tangerine Bowl (Tangerine Bowl (Orlando, FL))
Was at that game. Went with my Dad on a Spider Club charter flight. Will never forget it.
For Spider sports fans that is one of those moments when you remember where you were when the game was played two days after Christmas. Great moment in Spider football history. In 1973 we were ranked number 20 in the AP poll the week of 10/22. One of the few times, maybe the only time? we were ranked when there was one Division - 1. In 1968 we were not ranked but Ohio U, our opponent in the Tangerine Bowl, was ranked the last six weeks of the season, and entered the bowl game undefeated and ranked number 15. After their loss to us they ended ranked number 20 and we were not ranked.
Any of these guys have eligibility left?
saw Walker and Buster at homecoming tailgate the last time i was up and they are really close buds to this day. Walker was a frat bro and recall spending a bit of time with him on our lodge roof just laughing, talking, spraying others with a hose, just stupid college stuff. also recall going with him to a local clothing store when he returned from the hula bowl and he had to speak at the VA sports club or something and needed a suit. the people at the store knew him and said pick one out and it is yours. i stated that i was with him and they said, will be $150 for you bud. it most definitely does not seem like 50 years but know it is.
Buster O’Brien enters Virginia HOF.Hell of a QB and UR gridiron leader.
Remember watching that bowl game over the '68 holidays as a young kid. An amazing win! It was on one of only the 3 channels we had back then. But many people in Central VA knew Spider football even if you weren't an alumnae, since Coach Jones had a 30-minute TV show every weekend on Channel 6.
as long as i got to watch my SHOCK THEATER with the BOWMAN BODY, could live with only 3/4 channels.
Lived 60 miles from RVA, so even with large house antenna, couldn't get Ch 23.
Ex-Spiders star LB Pat Kelly pulls for upstart football leagues. Richmonder played in one.
At least one Richmond-area resident paid close attention when the Birmingham Stallions and New Jersey Generals kicked off the reincarnated United States Football League on Saturday night on Fox and
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