1950 Orange Bowl
1950 Orange Bowl recap
The 16th Orange Bowl was played on January 2, 1950, at Burdine Stadium in Miami. The Kentucky Wildcats (9–2) from the SEC faced the Santa Clara Broncos (7–2–1), an independent team from Northern California. Santa Clara was ranked No. 15, while Kentucky had been as high as No. 6 that season and entered the game at No. 11.
The game was scoreless through the first quarter. In the second quarter, Kentucky drove 51 yards in 14 plays and scored on Wilbur Jamerson’s 2-yard run. Bobby Brooks added the extra point, giving Kentucky a 7–0 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Santa Clara tied the game when John Pasco threw a 25-yard pass to Larry Williams, and Pasco scored on a 1-yard run. A pass interference call by Kentucky helped set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Hall Haynes, putting Santa Clara ahead 14–7.
Early in the fourth quarter, Kentucky quarterback Babe Parilli threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Emery Clark, but the extra point was missed, leaving the score at 14–13 with Santa Clara in front.
With less than a minute remaining, Bernie Vogel scored on a 16-yard run for Santa Clara, making the final score 21–13.
Kentucky’s Bill Leskovar rushed for 83 yards. Some players and coach Bear Bryant later said the lengthy two-a-day practices before the game contributed to Kentucky’s fatigue, and Bryant acknowledged it wasn’t his best coaching decision, though he did not blame the players.
This victory marked Santa Clara’s third and final bowl win. The program later moved to Division II and dropped football after the 1992 season.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 11:51 (CET).