December Card & Memorabilia Auction Dec 9 - 18/19
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/18/2022
Offered is a 1978 Orange Bowl plaque featuring a color photograph of University of Arkansas football head coach Lou Holtz (at left) posed with University of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer (at right) outside the historic Miami Orange Bowl stadium. The 8 x 10-inch color photo depicts the coaching rivals posed together on a platform with prop "oranges" at their sides with their respective school names in white, with the legend "ORANGE BOWL "78"" below the posed pair. The photo is mounted on a laminated brown woodgrain board with gold accents. In his first season at Arkansas, Holtz led the Razorbacks to a 10-1 record and a No. 6 ranking nationally. In the 1978 Orange Bowl, Oklahoma was in position to win their third national championship in four seasons after top-ranked Texas lost earlier in the day to fifth-ranked Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Arkansas' chances looked slim after the team lost several key personnel just before the game. In one of his last practices, All-American guard, Leotis Harris suffered a season-ending injury, and only a couple of days later Holtz suspended both starting running backs, Ben Cowins and Michael Forrest, and top receiver, Donny Bobo, for disciplinary reasons. However, behind an Orange Bowl record of 205 yards rushing from reserve running back Roland Sales the Hogs upset the Sooners 31–6. This item comes with a LOA from Lou Holtz, and 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this item will benefit the Holtz Charitable Foundation, Inc.