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Orange Bowl History
COMMITTEE FORMED TO AID TOURISM
The Orange Bowl game and festival is one of the nation's most colorful annual spectacles. It was the brainchild of men with great imagination and foresight - but with few resources -- who wanted to attract folks to Miami in the middle of the Great Depression.In 1932, George E. Hussey was athletic director for Florida Power & Light and Miami's official greeter. He, along with Earnie Seiler, Miami's recreation director, took notice of the media attention generated by California's Rose Bowl and parade. Miami could offer a similar climate at that time of the year.Hussey called Chick Meehan, a friend and coach of powerhouse Manhattan College. He asked Meehan if his team would play the University of Miami on New Year's Day. Meehan accepted. Although organizers were apprehensive about sending the 3-3-1 Hurricanes against such a formidable team, plans were set in motion for the first game in Miami. It would be called the Palm Festival.To save on expenses, Manhattan took a three-day boat trip to Miami, but financial problems almost prevented the game from taking place. The organizers came up $1,500 short of their $3,000 guarantee to Manhattan andMeehan would not take the field until his team was fully paid. "That's when we made the sheriff our finance director," said Seiler. "Three hours before kickoff, the sheriff brought one of the local bookies to us who peeled off 15 crisp $100 bills from his bankroll and saved the game."The organizers met with Coach Meehan and asked him to hold down the score. He agreed to ease up after his team scored three touchdowns. In the end, it was unnecessary. Miami beat the mighty Manhattan, 7-0, in the game played on a Moore Park field six inches deep in sand. The tradition that began that day has grown into the single largest tourist attraction in South Florida.The Palm Festival becomes the Orange Bowl
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