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Arizona safety Dave Liggins was named the Fiesta Bowl Defensive Player of the Game with his two interceptions of Dan Marino in the 1979 Fiesta Bowl (YouTube video, click on photo to access video)
With Arizona taking on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday, we take a look back at the Wildcats’ first appearance in the bowl, a 1979 matchup with one of the most talented teams Arizona has faced, the Pitt Panthers, led by quarterback Dan Marino:
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1979 Fiesta Bowl
Final: Pittsburgh 16, Arizona 10
Recap: The 10th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers, with Marino, only a freshman, survived a late rally and hung on to defeat Arizona in what was Tony Mason’s last game as the Wildcats’ head coach. An NBC-TV audience watched Arizona’s defense hold Pitt and Marino to 299 yards, while the Wildcats’ gained 317 yards against the Panthers’ nationally-ranked defense. The Panthers took a 16-3 lead with 8:02 left when Mark Schubert kicked his third field goal of the day with 8:02 left. The Wildcats went to trickery from the Pitt 47 when fullback Hubie Oliver took a pitch and launched a pass down field to Greg Jackson who caught it at the Panther 1. Oliver scored on the next play. The outcome was in doubt until Terry White picked off a Jim Krohn pass with :58 remaining. Arizona’s David Liggins was voted the game’s most valuable defensive player on the strength of two key interceptions of Dan Marino passes to thwart Panther drives.
Quotable:
As published by Associated Press reports
“They threw the ball pretty well. When they were unable to throw the ball, they came out throwing it. It surprised me that they could throw the ball that well.”
— Pitt coach Jackie Sherrill
“That trophy was on the back of my mind since Monday when I saw it. I think, defensively, we showed people we can play football. We never gave up.”
— Arizona safety Dave Liggins
“We’ve been underestimated all year long but we can play with anybody. That was a good football team out there, and I thought we should have won. I won’t make any excuses for our play. We did well but they were better.”
— Arizona coach Tony Mason
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Dan Marino wore a towel that read:
“Merry Xmas, Mom.”
Dan Marino during the pregame introductions of the 1979 Fiesta Bowl on NBC
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Arizona halfback Hubie Oliver winds up his pass to wide receiver Greg Jackson, a 47-yard completion to the Pitt 1 that led to Oliver’s touchdown run (NBC video screen shot)
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The Christmas Day game in 1979 in Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium was played on Day 51 of the Iran Hostage Crisis. The late Charlie Jones, a broadcaster for more than 40 years, started the telecast by saying, “On this most special of all days, all of us at NBC Sports send out our hopes and our prayers to the families of the hostages in Iran, and we hope for a very safe return and a very quick return.”
Pittsburgh, which finished 11-1, had on its roster Marino at quarterback, Russ Grimm and Mark May on the offensive line, and Hugh Green on the defensive line.
When Florida State played Pittsburgh the following year with these players still on the roster, former Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden came away very impressed. In his book “Called to Coach,” Bowden wrote that the Panthers “might have been the best team (he) ever coached against.”
Marino and Grimm are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame while May and Green are members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Arizona’s backfield of Oliver and fullback Larry Heater was one of the best in the program’s history. Oliver played six seasons in the NFL, mostly for Philadelphia. Heater played three seasons with the New York Giants.
Defensive tackle Cleveland Crosby was a third-team All-American for Arizona in 1979.
The star of the game for Arizona — Liggins — intercepted Marino twice. In the following season, the Cincinnati transfer intercepted UCLA’s Tom Ramsey twice in Arizona’s upset of No. 2 UCLA 23-17 at Arizona Stadium.
Liggins was coached by Larry Smith that season, his senior year, after Mason was fired amid an NCAA investigation into alleged recruiting violations.
Hubie Oliver’s 1-yard touchdown run brought Arizona within six points with about 5 minutes left but Pitt held on to win the Fiesta Bowl (NBC screen shot)
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The 1979 Fiesta Bowl was the last game of Tony Mason’s three-year tenure at Arizona (NBC screen shot)
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Dan Marino completed 15 of 29 passes for 172 with two interceptions and a touchdown pass against Arizona in the 1979 Fiesta Bowl (NBC screen shot)
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also has published articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
