From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic,
popularly called the Chicken Soup Game[1],
was a football game played between the University of Notre Dame and
the University of Houston. The game
took place on an unusually cold day in Dallas, Texas, and
quarterback Joe
Montana, who had the flu, led Notre Dame to a come-from-behind
victory in the second half after eating a bowl of chicken soup.[2]
The game
In the first quarter, Notre Dame scored the first 12 points of
the game and ended 12-0. In the second quarter, aided by the
direction of the wind, Houston responded with 20 consecutive
points. When the teams returned to the field to start the second
half, Joe Montana remained in the locker room.[1]
During the game, Montana's body temperature had dipped to 96
degrees and he had to fight off hypothermia. He was forced to retire to the
locker room where the ND medical staff
warmed Montana by feeding him chicken bouillon, and by covering him with
warm blankets.[3]
By the fourth quarter, Houston had built a 34-12 lead over Notre
Dame. Montana returned to the field with 7:37 remaining on the game clock and was
cheered actively by the Notre Dame fans.[3]
In the last seconds of the game, Notre Dame was behind, but had
possession of the ball. With six seconds left, Montana threw the
ball out of bounds, which stopped the game clock and just two
seconds remained.[3]
The final play was a touchdown pass to receiver Kris Haines after the
clock had stopped; placekicker Joe Unis was forced to kick the
extra point twice after a Notre Dame
penalty, but was successful both times, and Notre Dame won the game
35-34.[4]
Aftermath
The game is one of the most notable games in Montana's entire
football career (both collegiate and professional).[3]
It was his final game for Notre Dame and helped to reinforce his
image with football fans as "The Comeback Kid." Six-months after
the game, Notre Dame put out a promotional film called Seven
and a Half Minutes to Destiny. Dan Devine, Notre Dame's head coach, called the
movie a "Joe Montana film."[3]
Years later, the game has been recognized as an important game
in bowl game history.
References
- ^ a
b
"The List: Greatest Bowl
Games". espn.com. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/bestbowls.html. Retrieved
2009-01-07.
- ^
Dave Anderson, "Joe Cool Has Coped With Cold." New York
Times, January 18, 1994, http://www.proquest.com/
(accessed November 26, 2007).
- ^ a
b
c
d
e
"Born to be a
quarterback". cnnsi.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/centurys_best/news/1999/08/13/flashback_montana2/. Retrieved
2007-07-22.
- ^
Mike Jones, "Irish windfall thaws UH lead, 35-34," Dallas
Morning News, January 2, 1979, http://www.whas11.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/cottonbowl/history/1979.html
(accessed November 26, 2007).
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nd/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/FBRecSuppBowlRecaps.pdf
External
links
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