Did anyone else know this about the 1986 Fiesta Bowl?

EricStratton-RushChairman · Monday at 12:23 PM

Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown came into Penn State locker room after the game to speak with team and congratulate players on winning NC? How is it I never knew this... John Shaffer said it was a Class Act on their part.

33K views · 478 reactions | Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here:...

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ApexLion · Monday at 12:26 PM

Yes. Johnson appreciated the defense cooked up to bottle them up.

psuro · Monday at 12:35 PM

EricStratton-RushChairman said:
Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown came into Penn State locker room after the game to speak with team and congratulate players on winning NC? How is it I never knew this... John Shaffer said it was a Class Act on their part.

33K views · 478 reactions | Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here:...

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Yes. I thought this was common knowledge that it happened.

LionJim · Monday at 12:53 PM

EricStratton-RushChairman said:
Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown came into Penn State locker room after the game to speak with team and congratulate players on winning NC? How is it I never knew this... John Shaffer said it was a Class Act on their part.

33K views · 478 reactions | Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here:...

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I did not know this particular story about visiting the locker room but if you watch the final kneel-down, you see Brown say something to Shafer and Shafer laughs and playfully slaps Brown’s helmet, friendly-like. Shafer and Brown shared a plane to some All-Star game in Hawaii immediately after the Fiesta Bowl and Shafer says that Brown couldn’t have been more gracious. Jerome Brown’s performance in that Fiesta Bowl, I’ve never seen anything better in college football, memorable.

OaktonDave · Monday at 1:06 PM

LionJim said:
I did not know this particular story about visiting the locker room but if you watch the final kneel-down, you see Brown say something to Shader and Shafer laughs and playfully slaps Brown’s helmet, friendly-like. Shafer and Brown shared a plane to some All-Star game in Hawaii immediately after the Fiesta Bowl and Shafer says that Brown couldn’t have been more gracious. Jerome Brown’s performance in that Fiesta Bowl, I’ve never seen anything better in college football, memorable.

Despite some of the antics of the Miami team in the days before the game, Brown had a very good rep as a person. He and Reggie White were close while playing for the Eagles.

KingLando · Monday at 1:55 PM

EricStratton-RushChairman said:
Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown came into Penn State locker room after the game to speak with team and congratulate players on winning NC? How is it I never knew this... John Shaffer said it was a Class Act on their part.

33K views · 478 reactions | Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here:...

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Jerome Brown was a good dude. Very tragic he died so young.

massimoManca II · Monday at 5:05 PM

Bob White gave a group of us a private tour Beaver Stadium about 15yrs ago, at the end of the session he did a nice Q&A and asked us if we had any questions … I asked him to tell us a story that few would have ever been privileged to hear … after some chin-scratching, he shared a story about how, at the critical 4th & Goal moment at the end of the ‘87 Fiesta Bowl, he and Shane Conlan were waiting for JS to signal the defensive set ~ alas JS was nowhere to be found, apparently he was paralyzed in the moment and disappeared somewhere behind the bench …. In lieu of any direction from the sideline and in the fog of battle , Shane couldn’t wait any longer and, to everyone’s surprise, blurted out an obscure defensive set ( forgot what he called it) they’d use quite a bit in practice - but never in any game

…. The rest is history

LionJim · Monday at 5:46 PM

massimoManca II said:
Bob White gave a group of us a private tour Beaver Stadium about 15yrs ago, at the end of the session he did a nice Q&A and asked us if we had any questions … I asked him to tell us a story that few would have ever been privileged to hear … after some chin-scratching, he shared a story about how, at the critical 4th & Goal moment at the end of the ‘87 Fiesta Bowl, he and Shane Conlan were waiting for JS to signal the defensive set ~ alas JS was nowhere to be found, apparently he was paralyzed in the moment and disappeared somewhere behind the bench …. In lieu of any direction from the sideline and in the fog of battle , Shane couldn’t wait any longer and, to everyone’s surprise, blurted out an obscure defensive set ( forgot what he called it) they’d use quite a bit in practice - but never in any gameView attachment 1448832…. The rest is history

Bob White, damn, a legend. Truly.

BobPSU92 · Monday at 6:11 PM

EricStratton-RushChairman said:
Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown came into Penn State locker room after the game to speak with team and congratulate players on winning NC? How is it I never knew this... John Shaffer said it was a Class Act on their part.

33K views · 478 reactions | Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here:...

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Did Japan and the U.S. have dinner together after Pearl Harbor? For f*ck’s sake.

Colt2169 · Monday at 6:20 PM

LionJim said:
Bob White, damn, a legend. Truly.

I actually had a gym class (handball) with him.

they had to get him special gloves - me not so much

slwlion · Monday at 6:39 PM

BobPSU92 said:
Did Japan and the U.S. have dinner together after Pearl Harbor? For f*ck’s sake.

Very nice story, but I still hate Miami. lol

SleepyLion · Monday at 6:42 PM

BobPSU92 said:
Did Japan and the U.S. have dinner together after Pearl Harbor? For f*ck’s sake.

But they did after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

s1uggo72 · Monday at 7:05 PM

massimoManca II said:
Bob White gave a group of us a private tour Beaver Stadium about 15yrs ago, at the end of the session he did a nice Q&A and asked us if we had any questions … I asked him to tell us a story that few would have ever been privileged to hear … after some chin-scratching, he shared a story about how, at the critical 4th & Goal moment at the end of the ‘87 Fiesta Bowl, he and Shane Conlan were waiting for JS to signal the defensive set ~ alas JS was nowhere to be found, apparently he was paralyzed in the moment and disappeared somewhere behind the bench …. In lieu of any direction from the sideline and in the fog of battle , Shane couldn’t wait any longer and, to everyone’s surprise, blurted out an obscure defensive set ( forgot what he called it) they’d use quite a bit in practice - but never in any gameView attachment 1448832…. The rest is history

53 G web??

EricStratton-RushChairman · Monday at 9:03 PM

Funny thing is, my first wife ran in the same circles as many of the early/mid 90s cowboys, including Michael Irving. She would go on and on about how nice a guy he was and I'd laugh and just go " 14-10 January 2nd 1987". One night at a bar he comes up to say hi to her and she introduces me, especially timely because I had on Penn state polo. Well he and I spoke for about 30 minutes, and God as my witness... One of the most down to earth guys I've ever met. Ran into him again about 6 months later and he remembered my name and chatted me up.

However, I too remain committed to my hated of Miami.

op2 · Monday at 9:19 PM

massimoManca II said:
Bob White gave a group of us a private tour Beaver Stadium about 15yrs ago, at the end of the session he did a nice Q&A and asked us if we had any questions … I asked him to tell us a story that few would have ever been privileged to hear … after some chin-scratching, he shared a story about how, at the critical 4th & Goal moment at the end of the ‘87 Fiesta Bowl, he and Shane Conlan were waiting for JS to signal the defensive set ~ alas JS was nowhere to be found, apparently he was paralyzed in the moment and disappeared somewhere behind the bench …. In lieu of any direction from the sideline and in the fog of battle , Shane couldn’t wait any longer and, to everyone’s surprise, blurted out an obscure defensive set ( forgot what he called it) they’d use quite a bit in practice - but never in any gameView attachment 1448832…. The rest is history

Wait a second, are you saying that on Miami's last offensive play of the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, the play that was going to determine the outcome of the game and also the national championship, Penn State's defensive strategy was determined by a Penn State player rather than a coach? If so, that's pretty amazing.

Lil Nicky Scarfo · Monday at 9:53 PM

LionJim said:
I did not know this particular story about visiting the locker room but if you watch the final kneel-down, you see Brown say something to Shafer and Shafer laughs and playfully slaps Brown’s helmet, friendly-like. Shafer and Brown shared a plane to some All-Star game in Hawaii immediately after the Fiesta Bowl and Shafer says that Brown couldn’t have been more gracious. Jerome Brown’s performance in that Fiesta Bowl, I’ve never seen anything better in college football, memorable.

Jerome Brown - not Reggie White - was the heart and soul of the great Buddy Ryan Eagles’ defenses. Everyone loved him and he kept the team loose. He was just an absolute stud - Hall of Famer for sure if he stayed healthy.

And you’re right - he was a wrecking ball in that game.

saturdaysarebetter · Monday at 9:56 PM

op2 said:
Wait a second, are you saying that on Miami's last offensive play of the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, the play that was going to determine the outcome of the game and also the national championship, Penn State's defensive strategy was determined by a Penn State player rather than a coach? If so, that's pretty amazing.

I believe that was mentioned in the book: The Perfect Season: How Penn State Came to Stop a Hurricane and Win a National Football Championship by M. G. Missanelli. I have it but it's been ages since I read it.

Lil Nicky Scarfo · Monday at 9:58 PM

BobPSU92 said:
Did Japan and the U.S. have dinner together after Pearl Harbor? For f*ck’s sake.

It was: "Did the Japanese go and sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?” Either way - hilarious - as was John Bruno’s response (who won that war by the way?)

pap · Monday at 10:01 PM

EricStratton-RushChairman said:
Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown came into Penn State locker room after the game to speak with team and congratulate players on winning NC? How is it I never knew this... John Shaffer said it was a Class Act on their part.

33K views · 478 reactions | Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

Penn State national championship quarterback John Shaffer tell us the story of Jimmy Johnson and Jerome Brown speaking in. the Penn State locker room after the 87 Fiesta Bowl Full pod here:...

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That has been known for years . It was in the SI article about what they did

Lil Nicky Scarfo · Monday at 10:03 PM

EricStratton-RushChairman said:
Funny thing is, my first wife ran in the same circles as many of the early/mid 90s cowboys, including Michael Irving. She would go on and on about how nice a guy he was and I'd laugh and just go " 14-10 January 2nd 1987". One night at a bar he comes up to say hi to her and she introduces me, especially timely because I had on Penn state polo. Well he and I spoke for about 30 minutes, and God as my witness... One of the most down to earth guys I've ever met. Ran into him again about 6 months later and he remembered my name and chatted me up.

However, I too remain committed to my hated of Miami.

I ran into the Boz at my gym in Austin about a decade ago. Nice guy. I told him his Sooners broke my heart in 1986 when Jamelle Holloway sealed the game with that pass down the seam to Keith Jackson. He laughed and said Holloway came back to the sideline and said - “I just closed my eyes and chucked it”. That made it all the more painful

massimoManca II · Monday at 10:29 PM

op2 said:
Wait a second, are you saying that on Miami's last offensive play of the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, the play that was going to determine the outcome of the game and also the national championship, Penn State's defensive strategy was determined by a Penn State player rather than a coach? If so, that's pretty amazing.

The story was from Bob White’s own mouth … I heard it first hand and we’re were all stunned … have a photo from when he told the story (my BlackBerry didn’t record video)

Connorpozlee · Monday at 10:35 PM

op2 said:
Wait a second, are you saying that on Miami's last offensive play of the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, the play that was going to determine the outcome of the game and also the national championship, Penn State's defensive strategy was determined by a Penn State player rather than a coach? If so, that's pretty amazing.

I’ve heard that story before but I don’t think it was the 4th and goal play. As I remember hearing it, it was earlier in the drive.
Edit: Doing a quick google search, I see several mentions of it being that play. I stand corrected.

psuro · Tuesday at 9:08 AM

Jan 2, 1987 - Not only the Fiesta Bowl/National Championship, but my 22nd birthday. To this day, that National Championship is the best birthday gift I have gotten.

I occassionally run into a player or talk to a player on that team. When I had club seats, and Bob White was running the Club Seats, we spoke on the phone a few times and I mentioned that it was the best birthday gift I had gotten. He laughed and said, "Glad we made it a good day for you". On the following January after we spoke, I got a package in the mail - from Bob - an autographed mini football from him and Joe, with the date of the game and "Happy Birthday" on it.

I saw Blair Thomas at one of the "post Joe firings" that the University held in King of Prussia. Told him that same story. He did not give me an autographed football, but he did shake my hand and said that "he was glad we made it a good day for you".

I didn't realize until years later why sorority girls would get excited when they met a football player. But, now I know.

Did anyone else know this about the 1986 Fiesta Bowl?

All-American

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