1958 Tangerine Bowl (January)

The January 1958 Tangerine Bowl was an American college football bowl game played following the 1957 season, on January 1, 1958, at the Tangerine Bowl stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game pitted the Mississippi Southern Southerners (today's Southern Miss) and the East Texas State Lions (now Texas A&M University–Commerce). It was the first of two Tangerine Bowls played in calendar year 1958.

1958 Tangerine Bowl
East Texas State Lions Mississippi Southern Southerners (8–1) (8–2) Lone Star Conference Independent 10 9 Head coach:  Jules V. Sikes Head coach:  Thad Vann
1 2 3 4 Total East Texas State 7 0 0 3 10 Mississippi Southern 7 0 2 0 9
Date	January 1, 1958
Season	1957
Stadium	Tangerine Bowl
Location	Orlando, Florida
MVP	Norman Roberts, East Texas State^[1]
Referee	P.T. Rahaim
Attendance	10,500^[2]
Tangerine Bowl  < 1957  1958 (Dec) >

Background

The Lions were champions of the Lone Star Conference after finishing 8–1, with only one conference loss in seven tries. This was their third conference title in four seasons along with their fourth Tangerine Bowl appearance in seven seasons. The Southerners, who were an NCAA College Division independent, finished 8–2,^[3] while being invited to their second straight Tangerine Bowl and fourth bowl game in five years.^[4]

Game summary

Garry Berry scored a touchdown for the Lions on a three-yard touchdown plunge. The Southerners scored back on a touchdown plunge from quarterback George Sekul. A snap that went over the punter for the Lions sailed into the endzone, giving Mississippi Southern a 9–7 lead. With 7:47 to go in the game, Neal Hinson kicked a 31-yard field goal to put the go-ahead points on the board for the Lions, and they held on to win their second Tangerine Bowl in three appearances.^[5]

Aftermath

Mississippi Southern's next bowl was the 1980 Independence Bowl, by which time they were known as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

References

1. "Writers Name Roberts as Outstanding". Orlando Sentinel. January 2, 1958. p. 17. Retrieved March 10, 2017 – via newspapers.com.
2. "East Texas Wins Tangerine Bowl". Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. AP. January 2, 1958. p. 13. Retrieved January 1, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
3. . Archived from the original on September 28, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. "History: Bowl History". 2013 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Football Media Guide (PDF). Hattiesburg, Mississippi: University of Southern Mississippi Department of Athletics. 2013. p. 175. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
5. . Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2017.