Nov. 17, 1962 - Georgia Tech used a new shotgun offense today with quarterback Billy Lothridge (pictured with Coach Bobby Dodd) in charge to upset highly ranked Alabama, 7-6, and handed the defending national champions their first football defeat in 27 games. Georgia Tech fullback Mike McNames, a 196-pound senior, intercepted a pass from Joe Namath, sophomore quarterback, in the second period and raced 26 yards to the Alabama 14. Two plays later, he went nine yards for a touchdown. In the fourth period, McNames’s jarring tackle thwarted a 2-point conversion try when Alabama gambled for victory after its touchdown. The loss, Alabama’s first since Tennessee beat the Crimson Tide early in 1960, may have affected Alabama’s chance of going to the Orange Bowl, but this was not certain.
Comments