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12-27-2013, 06:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-27-2013, 04:30 PM by
Hulk01.)
Great memories of Don. A gifted runner who gained over 100 yards in a game in Plunk's senior year. I felt a connection forever because some people thought that I resembled him, mostly because of our nearly identlcal long blonde hair.
The DB was James Ferguson, a very athletic first-year player (sophomore) and one of the not-that-many blacks on our team (DBs Ferguson, McCloud and Barnes, RB Brown, FB Shockley/Sanderson, and WRs Winesberry and Moore))Â Ferguson's forward progress reached at least the two-and-a-half and that the safety call was the worst of the Rose Bowl years.Â
That game also featured the most deceptive fake punt I have seen. Our up back (McClure?) intercepted the snap and handed it forward and put it on the butt of Jackie Brown, who had his hands under his butt like a center delivering the snap to the QB. Michigan's defenders tore past Brown and the upback and Jackie then took off, ending right in front of us at around the Michigan 15-20.
But that is what happened but not what we saw. What we thought that we saw was our punter taking the snap and kicking the ball--going through all the motions--toward the Michigan goal line. But when we looked airborne we could not see the punted ball. Then we heard the roar and looked down. Jackie was racing five yards past the LOS and veering to the right sideline.Â
Great game. Thanks to our Princess friend/Stanford junior Janice Lowe, we had parade seats directly in front of June Lockhart and the rest of the network broadcasting crew so each band would rev up when they reached us. Even as a suave college senior, I thought the floats were very creative and the parade was worth every minute.
The parade also was notable for one of our Band's great moments. The year before this match against Michigan and Bo Schembechler we had beaten Woody Hayes' All American-laden Buckeyes (Jack Tatum, Jim Stillwagon, Rex Kern, Tim Fox, and John Brockington.) For the Michigan game parade, our band marched in precise lines until it came to a street corner. Then the members all would scatter wildly to the next corner, reassemble, and resume their march in perfect--especially by Band standards--straight lines. And all the while, the great part:Â
The band members repeatedly chanted "Beat...OHIO! Beat ... OHIO!"Â
So cool that we didn't even care who we were playing and didn't think enough of the Buckeyes to ever learn their name.
All this and a perfect Pasadena day, aka like few days on earth.