Jan. 1, 1963 - Joe Namath, operating behind a lightning-fast line, pitched and raced Alabama to a 17-0 Orange Bowl victory over ill-fated Oklahoma today before a crowd of 73,380 headed by President Kennedy. The line, led by All-America center Lee Roy Jordan, turned the tables in favor of the Crimson Tide. Outweighed almost 10 pounds to the man, the mobile Alabama linemen opened huge holes for a host of racing backs and throttled every Oklahoma threat in the same manner in which they had yielded only 39 points all season. President Kennedy tossed the coin before the game from his box in the Orange Bowl. After the game, Alabama coach Paul (Bear) Bryant wasted no words in praising quarterback Namath in the dressing room. “That’s Namath, son — N-A-M-A-T-H. But don’t worry about it, you’ll learn how to spell it in the next couple of years.”
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