University of North Carolina Athletics
Brewer: Latest Honor For McCauley Is Peach Bowl Selection
January 8, 2003 | Football
Jan. 8, 2003
By Rick Brewer, SID Emeritus
Over three decades have passed since Don McCauley's last football game at North Carolina, but his list of honors continues to grow.
The latest accolade came last week in Atlanta when he was chosen for the Peach Bowl's inaugural Hall of Fame class.
Five other players-- defensive lineman Randy White of Maryland, Baylor linebacker Mike Singletary, Miami quarterback Jim Kelly, Florida linebacker Wilbur Marshall and Florida State wide receiver Ron Sellers-- joined McCauley on the select nine-man list.
Also chosen for the Peach Peach honor were legendary Georgia Tech coach obby Dodd, longtime Georgia coach Vince Dooley and George Crumley, former executive director of the post-season game.
Most of McCauley's other awards have been a result of his great Tar Heel career. He is generally regarded as the finest all-around running back in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
Just last year he was named to the College Football Hall of Fame by the National Football Foundation.
In 1970 he set an NCAA single-season rushing record with 1,720 yards. His 3,172 yards on the ground are the most ever for an ACC player in just three years of competition. He twice led the league in both rushing and passing. His 126 points in 1970 are still the ACC single-season record.
But his Peach Bowl honor was for one game only. Making it especially unusual was that he was recognized despite playing in a losing effort. The Tar Heels dropped a 48-26 decision to Arizona State in that 1970 game. Still, it was impossible to overlook McCauley's performance that night in Grant Field.
The Peach Bowl was the first bowl game at Carolina for Coach Bill Dooley and the first for the school since 1963. Dooley had begun to rebuild the football program in 1967 and in his second year started to form his offense around McCauley, a sophomore tailback from Garden City, N.Y.
That paid off in an 8-3 regular-season record in 1970 and the trip to Atlanta.
"The coaching staff knew the program was making progress quickly," says Dooley. "But, we also realized how important it was to get into a bowl game. High school kids would then have a better understanding of where we were heading.
" But, we wouldn't have gotten into a bowl as soon as we did without McCauley. Charlie Justice immediately put Carolina back on the national football map when he arrived in 1946. Don was the key guy who got the program going again in 1970.
"Except for a short period in the late 1980's, it has been there ever since."
The game with Arizona State was tremendous challenge for Carolina. The school had little football tradition. The Sun Devils had only been to four post-season games in history. Catholic University and Case Western Reserve had been the opponents in the 1939 and 1940 Sun Bowl games. ASU had played Xavier and Miami of Ohio in 1949 and 1950 at the now discontinued Salad owl.
But Arizona State had suffered only one losing season since 1948 when it earned its Peach Bowl berth. The Sun Devils had finished 10-0 and were loaded with talent.
A number of schools had even asked to be dropped from Peach Bowl consideration after Arizona State was named as one of the participants. Football coaches knew how good the Sun Devils were. They didn't want to take a chance on losing to a powerful opponent who had yet to gain a national reputation.
However, for Dooley and Carolina, it was a great opportunity.
"We wanted desperately to win," says Dooley. "But, the important thing was to go somewhere. The help in recruiting wasn't even the main reason. The seniors on our team had been the building blocks for the future and deserved to play in a bowl game."
Arizona State may have had the most speed of any team in America. It certainly had the most outside the Far West. Twenty-six players off that team would eventually sign professional contracts. Wide receivers J.D. Hill and Steve Holden would be first-round picks in the NFL draft. Weather proved to be a major factor in the game. A mixture of snow and cold rain was falling as play began. By halftime Grant Field would be covered with snow.
The Sun Devils showed their speed on the game's opening possession, driving 78 yards to take a 7-0 lead. Hill had a 17-yard catch and halfback Monroe Eley broke off a 29-yard run. Fullback Bob Thomas blasted up the middle for eight yards and the game's opening score. Thomas added a 33-yard touchdown run in the opening moments of the second quarter.
Then McCauley took over.
Carolina went 64 yards in 11 plays for its first TD. McCauley carried the ball the last nine times on that five-minute drive.
Two plays later Hill caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Joe Spagnola for a 21-7 lead. Carolina responded with a 36-yard scoring pass from Paul Miller to Tony Blanchard. Back-to-back ASU turnovers then set up 17 and four-yard touchdown runs by McCauley in the half's final 3:30.
A missed extra point attempt and a failed two-point conversion left Carolina with a 26-21 halftime advantage. McCauley carried the ball 24 times for 109 yards in the first 30 minutes.
Playing conditions worsened as the snow became heavier at the half. A bigger problem for the Tar Heels was the loss of Miller. The Carolina quarterback had been injured on his touchdown pass to Blanchard and would be sidelined the rest of the game.
Without Miller in the game the Arizona State defense gave even more attention to McCauley. The Tar Heels could not make a first down in the entire third quarter. The defense was on the field virtually the entire period and quickly began to tire. Making things no easier were the horrible conditions.
Arizona State scored 20 points in the quarter for a 41-26 edge. The Sun Devils added a final touchdown late in the game for the 48-26 final. McCauley finished the game with 36 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
"The important thing for us was to control the football in the second half and keep McCauley off the field," said Frank Kush, the Arizona State coach. "Fans saw two fine teams tonight and a great running back."
Tar Heel fans already knew that and 33 years later they still do.
Rick Brewer is in his fourth decade with the University of North Carolina athletic department and brings a unique historical perspective to TarHeelBlue.com. A native of North Carolina, Brewer served as UNC's Sports Information Director from 1975 until his retirement from full-time work in 2000. Email Rick Brewer at rbrewer@uncaa.unc.edu.
