The Pirates rallied in the third quarter with a touchdown, making the score 13-6.
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Initially, however, things looked bad for the Pirates as a series of fumbles led Massachusetts to a 13-0 lead in the second half. In single wing play, the tailback rather than the quarterback is the ball handler, and it was Cline’s passing and running game that led the Pirates to victory.
In the featured picture, ECC tailback Bill Cline holds the trophy Dave Bumgarner, on the left, embraces Cline. Moreover, the Tangerine Bowl victory helped increase, for decades to come, already strong momentum for further development of football as the crown jewel in East Carolina’s intercollegiate athletic program. Ultimately, however, it was East Carolina’s determination to win that prevailed, bringing Pirate football unprecedented national recognition and respect. Also, Massachusetts had already experienced considerable snow fall, limiting its pre-bowl practice time.
Apparently the single wing had not been widely used in college play since the 1920s. Most analysts had predicted that Massachusetts would win, but the favored team harbored concerns about competing against East Carolina, 8-1 in the Southern Conference, and its “ancient single wing” offense. In 1964, East Carolina’s football team came from behind to stun the University of Massachusetts with an upset victory, 14-13, taking the Atlantic Coast football championship at the Tangerine Bowl. University of Massachusetts Image source: ECC players celebrate Tangerine Bowl win
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