Kentucky time machine: 1952 Cotton Bowl win caps Cats’ Cinderella story

Editor’s Note: The Herald-Leader continues its series re-publishing the game stories from Kentucky’s 10 football bowl victories in chronological order. These stories appear, with some light editing, as they were written at the time in the Herald, the Leader or the Herald-Leader. We hope you’re enjoying them.

Jan. 1, 1952

KENTUCKY 20, TEXAS CHRISTIAN 7

Cotton Bowl at Cotton Bowl Stadium

Lexington Herald headline:

Kentucky Conquers Texas Christian, 20-7, Before 75,349 In Cotton Bowl; Parilli’s Passes Click For Two Touchdowns

Two Cinderella teams met here today in the Cotton Bowl, but the hour of midnight struck soonest for Texas Christian University, and Kentucky’s Wildcats, playing as courageous a game as ever seen on any grid, scored their second major bowl victory in two years by a 20-7 score.

Great defensive play, especially in the first half when TCU three times had first downs within Kentucky’s 8-yard line, plus two bullet payoff pitches from the arm of Vito (Babe) Parilli, settled the issue. But the Horned Frogs still were very much in the ball game until Ed Hamilton scampered over for an unneeded but very welcome touchdown with only 25 seconds remaining to be played.

The battle between these two four-times-beaten teams, who came back to score a series of impressive triumphs after suffering disastrous setbacks early in the campaign, drew a crowd of 75,349 football fans to Cotton Bowl Stadium and there was a thrill a minute for every customer, especially the 8,000 or more Kentuckians who followed the Wildcats here.

The hero of the game was little Emery Clark, a halfback from Carlisle, who was one of 12 seniors closing out their football careers at Kentucky in a blaze of glory.

Clark not only scored the Wildcats’ first two touchdowns on end zone receptions from Parilli, but his defensive work cut off two potential Frog scoring drives and his interception of a Mal Fowler pass set up the second Wildcat marker.

Sharing honors with Parilli and Clark in the Kentucky backfield were fullback Tom Fillion, who ripped off several nice runs when they were really needed, Harry Jones, Bunky Gruner and Hamilton.

Kentucky’s line play, as soon as the Cats had solved the Dutch Meyer spread, also was terrific, with Ray Correll, a sophomore from Somerset, Gene Donaldson, Bob Fry, Frank Fuller, Jim Mackenzie and every other member of the forward wall coming through when the chips were down — and the chips were down on almost every play.

Moseley hurt

Excellent linebacking by Doug Moseley, who was forced out with cracked ribs just before the first half ended, Tom Adkins and Johnny Griggs also played a big part in Kentucky’s triumph.

At the outset it appeared that TCU would sweep Kentucky off the field, the Horned Frogs driving to the 4-yard line after receiving the opening kickoff, but there the Cats made the first of three brilliant goal-line stands and from that point on the Kentucky defense got stronger.

The Cats scored the second time they got the ball, covering 53 yards in eight plays, including a 31-yard pass from the Babe to end Steve Meilinger and a 5-yard bullet pass to Clark for the touchdown. Jones added the extra point and the Cats were ahead 7-0 after 11 minutes, nine seconds.

TCU came back strong, moving 59 yards in 11 plays, but Clark came through with a key interception, returning Fowler’s toss 33 yards to the Kentucky 43, and in 10 plays the Cats covered the 57 yards between them and the Promised Land.

Clark again

Again it was Clark who made a leaping catch of a Parilli toss deep in the end zone after a 22-yard Parilli-to-Meilinger heave and plunges by Gruner and Jones had put the ball on the Frog 12. This time Jones, kicking against a stiff wind, missed the try for the extra point, but the Southwest Conference champions trailed by 13-0 after only 4:51 of the second period.

The remaining minutes of the period saw TCU’s hopes rise and sag as the Horned Frogs were thwarted twice when it appeared they were certain to score. The first time a 15-yard roughness penalty against Kentucky gave the Fort Worth boys a first down on the Cats’ 5-yard stripe, and the second time a sensational pass play gave them a first down a scant yard from pay dirt.

Each time Kentucky’s defenders rose up to push the Southwest champions back. The Cats benefited by a 5-yard penalty against the Frogs the second time, but on the first occasion the Cat forward wall did it all by itself.

Frogs gigged

After the penalty had put the ball on the 5 midway of the second period, Correll threw John Harville back to the seven, Mackenzie tossed Ray McKown back to the 9, Clark broke up a McKown pass which Bob Blair appeared to have in his hands in the end zone, and Donaldson and Fry dumped McKown back to the 15 as he attempted to get another pass away.

With less than three minutes remaining in the period, the Frogs got a break that looked like a certain touchdown. After Parilli had punted out of bounds on the TCU 48, McKown tried three passes in a row. His first two were incomplete, but his third was deflected by Kentucky’s Fry and fell into the hands of end Ted Vaught on the Cat 30. Vaught raced down the sidelines as Clark raced over from his safety position. Clark caught Vaught on the 3, but the big end fell forward. He crawled into the end zone, but the officials ruled his knee had touched the ground on the 1.

Doty stopped

The TCU supporters went wild as the Frogs lined up. The ball went to Bill Doty, but he hit a stone wall, getting only about a foot.

At this juncture Meyer sent a substitute into the game and his team drew what proved to be a fatal 5-yard penalty for excessive time out.

Doty pitched out to McKown, who was stopped on the three by Moseley. It was a fine defensive play by the All-America co-captain, but it was his last of the game. He was carried unconscious from the field, and although he recovered shortly after the intermission and sat on the UK bench in the second half, he did not re-enter the game on the advice of the team doctor.

O.T. Rudd replaced Moseley as linebacker and on the next play Adkins smote down McKown on the 2.

Fearing to test the Kentucky line again, McKown took to the air, but his pass intended for Harville fell incomplete in the end zone.

Parilli sneaks

Kentucky took over with 52 seconds left in the period and Parilli killed the clock with two quarterback sneaks.

A 62-yard quick-kick by McKown put the Cats in the hole early in the third quarter, but two Parilli passes and nice running by Fillion and Gruner moved the ball to the TCU 23. Here the Cat threat was stopped when Ronald Fraley intercepted a Parilli pass in the end zone for an automatic touchback.

TCU coach Meyer sent in Gil Bartosh, the veteran who lost his starting berth to the sophomore McKown during the Frogs’ losing streak early in the season, and the complexion of the game changed suddenly as Bartosh took charge. In only four plays the Frogs ate up 80 yards to score a touchdown and put themselves back in the game.

Bartosh ripped off 9 yards around end, then passed to John Medanich for a first down on the Kentucky 49. On the next play Bartosh made a remarkable recovery after fumbling while fading pack for a pass. The junior quarterback picked up the ball and ran to the Kentucky 43 when it appeared he would be dropped far back of the line of scrimmage.

Floyd scores

Bobby Jack Floyd, with good interference, then raced down the sideline for the Frogs’ only touchdown and when Keith Flowers kicked the extra point, TCU trailed by only six points with 1:12 remaining in the third period.

In the last quarter the Southwest champions had possession of the ball only twice, but on the first occasion they reached Kentucky territory to throw a scare into the Wildcat rooters who had visions of Kentucky suffering a 14-13 defeat.

After TCU had made a first down on the UK 44, it could get only three yards in three plays and McKown punted out of bounds on the Kentucky 8.

Two rushes made only 3 yards for Kentucky, but on a vital third-down play, Fillion, on a trap through the middle, swept 17 yards to the UK 28. Gruner’s third-down plunge three plays later failed by a yard of making a third down, and Parilli punted 50 yards to Marshall Robinson, who returned to the TCU 24.

Bartosh spilled

Five minutes, 10 seconds remained to be played, plenty of time for TCU to score again, but at this point Correll, aided by Fuller and Bill Conde, came through with two key plays. Bartosh, attempting to pass, was spilled back on the 10. Floyd got 14 yards on a spin around left end, but Correll slammed Bartosh to the ground for an 11-yard loss and the Frogs were forced to punt.

TCU couldn’t get possession after that. Clark received McKown’s punt on the Frog 38 and lugged it to the 26. Here the Cat ground attack clicked for the game-clinching touchdown.

Two carries by Hamilton were good for a first down on the 16. Clark went to the 13, then to the 12. Fillion spurted through to the 5. Parilli, on a sneak, carried to the 3 — then Hamilton leaped over for the tally. Jones added the extra point and only 25 seconds remained.

Threaten at end

Kentucky nearly scored again in the closing seconds as two or three TCU men booted Don Jirschele’s kickoff around and Don Dyer recovered for Kentucky on the 14.

Herbie Hunt, in for one play at quarterback, raced out of bounds on the 12. Parilli came back in, handed off to Fillion, who carried to the 5 as the game ended.

Parilli completed only eight of 20 passes, a relatively poor percentage for him, but at least four of his tosses were dropped and the 18-mile-an-hour wind carried some others out of his receivers’ reach.

This story was originally published May 31, 2020 at 11:17 AM.