1971 Peach Bowl

It all made sense when I got the watch.

My grandfather, Lamont Henry, was the team physician for the Georgia Tech football team back in the 60′s and 70′s, and he accompanied the team to several bowl games throughout the years.

And with bowl games, obviously, came schwag. Free goodies.

Wristwatches were one of the goodies he collected. And he had several. Sun Bowl 1970. Gator Bowl 1960. Peach Bowl 1971.

After he sadly passed in 1999, these same watches were passed down, and began to distribute through the family line. As I was born in 1971, I was drawn to his Peach Bowl watch. Mainly ’cause of my birth year, but also ’cause the watch advertises the Peach Bowl moniker, instead of the current gawd-awful ‘Chick-fil-A’ Bowl graffiti.

So, it became mine. All Stainless steel. Automatic. No batteries. No winding. Pretty sweet.

And I’ve worn it since that day. (as seen below)

Up until about 2 years ago, though, I began to wonder…

Who played Georgia Tech in the 1971 Peach Bowl? Who won?

And, after some research, and gap-jawed – stunned amazement, I discovered who.

Ole Miss. My Ole Miss. My alma mater.

And guess what? Ole Miss won. Big. In a mud bowl, heavy rain, in Atlanta Fulton County Stadium.

per TicketCity:

The 1971 Peach Bowl was one to remember, as the players from Ole Miss and Georgia Tech fought it out in the rain and mud. Mississippi dominated the first half, scoring five touchdowns and a field goal while GT struggled to get its offense moving. The field was a veritable swamp, as rain continued to pour, and puddles splashed in wide arches as Ole Miss moved the ball down the field. Georgia Tech could not even gain possession of the ball until the score was 10-0, and could not convert a first down in the first quarter. Ole Miss’s Norris Weese made Ole Miss look healthy and strong in a supposed rebuilding year. Instead, it was a winning year. Ole Miss won the Peach Bowl with little answer from Georgia Tech, 41-18

It meant a lot when I received it. It means even more now.

Hotty Toddy.