Johnnies once came to rescue

Now it’s “Blind Date Bowl – the Sequel.” Only 31 years in the making.

Saturday’s second-round game in the NCAA Division III football playoffs isn’t the first time Saint John’s University of Minnesota and Whitworth College have met at the Pine Bowl – though the first one was a true accident.

In 1975, the Pirates were scheduled to play Whitman on homecoming the last weekend in October. But on Monday before the game, Whitman coach Ken Woody called and forfeited. Injuries had left the Missionaries with only 20 available players.

Naturally, it being homecoming and with other activities planned, Whitworth was desperate to play anyway. The Pirates solicited Cal State Los Angeles, Valley City State of North Dakota and even the University of Washington – for a JV team – but all declined.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Pirates looked to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a league with nine teams that left one with an open date each week. That week it happened to be Saint John’s – and coach John Gagliardi, then in only his 22nd year on the job, said he’d come, as long as it didn’t cost his school anything. Whitman chipped in some of the $7,500 travel cost and Whitworth’s boosters covered the rest.

“It’s the Blind Date Bowl,” said Hugh Campbell, Whitworth’s coach at the time.

A Pirates fumble at midfield allowed SJU to punch in a second-quarter touchdown behind the running of fullback Tim Schmitz. Steve Wilson answered with a 26-yard field goal, but that 7-3 score held up for the Johnnies.

“All I remember was it was a deluge,” Gagliardi said. “I never saw so much rain in my life. We didn’t even go out on the field for pregame – we stayed in the gym.

“I thought they were building the ark.”

–John Blanchette