Our first Gator game in person was the 1983 Gator Bowl.Florida vs Iowa. It was Wilbur Marshall vs Chuck Long. TO THIS DAY, the coldest game ever played in Jacksonville. By game's end, wind chills were about 12-15 degrees. That is DANGEROUS for Florida standards. Dad and I over the years hardly recalled the game but did we ever talk about SURVIVING! We sat down 30 minutes before kickoff. When we stood for the National Anthem, I fell into the people in front of me...I could NOT feel my feet. I had been in similar weather before, even here. Running around and playing. But I had never sat on a metal bench for close to four hours.
I was dressed warm but not enough. That game was 30 Dec 1983. From them on, it would be the measuring stick for cold weather for Dad and I. When I was in USAF Fire School in Illinois, I saw minus 10 wind chills. I told Dad that it STILL was not "Florida / Iowa cold" We ALWAYS brought that night up throughout the years. My Dad passed away in Aug 2013. When I heard of this bowl match up, I looked back and actually chuckled. LOL In more ways than one, a COOL memory!
