Don Van Galder remembers it like yesterday, even if it has been 30 years since one of the most memorable football games in University of Utah history.
It was 30 years ago, on Nov. 4, 1972, that the Utes made the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in NCAA history, overcoming a 27-0 deficit to beat Arizona 28-27 at Rice Stadium.
Van Galder, the Utah quarterback, transformed what he called the "worst game of my career" into perhaps the best, certainly the most memorable, by throwing two long touchdown passes to Steve Odom and then scoring on a short run with just 10 seconds to play. Flemming Jensen's PAT gave Utah the one-point victory.
That's not the only memorable game in the 33-game series with Arizona (Utah leads 17-14-2), which resumes Saturday night in Tucson when the Utes and Wildcats play at Arizona Stadium.
Ute fans will never forget the 1994 Freedom Bowl victory over Arizona, which capped off a 10-2 season. After being stopped cold for most of the game (five total first downs), the Utes rallied in the final minutes thanks to a long kick return by freshman Cal Beck and a fourth-down touchdown pass from Mike McCoy to Kevin Dyson.
Some old-timers remember the 1959 game with Arizona, not for its thrilling finish. Rather, that was the day Utah great Larry Wilson scored five touchdowns — a Ute record that still stands — in a 54-6 thumping in Salt Lake on Halloween afternoon.
One of the saddest games for Utah in the series came in 1969 when the "Redskins" went to Tucson on a seven-game winning streak and the Fiesta Bowl in their sights as heavy favorites against the lowly 2-6 Wildcats. Utah dominated the statistics, outgaining Arizona by more than 100 yards and getting 24 first downs to UA's 12. However, the Utes couldn't find the end zone and lost 17-16 on a last-quarter field goal.
But back to the 1972 game.
The Utes were in the thick of the Western Athletic Conference race. However, they played terribly for three quarters, especially Van Galder, who threw four interceptions.
"I was having the worst game of my career," said Van Galder earlier this week from his home in Fresno, Calif., where he is a high school teacher. "We were getting clobbered. I kind of took myself out of the game. Then coach (Bill) Meek said, 'Brownie' (Van Galder's nickname), you're the only guy who can get it done."
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Utes were forced to punt, only to get a reprieve on a personal foul penalty. Then Van Galder hit Odom with a 53-yard pass to cut the lead to 27-7. Less than three minutes later, Van Galder and Odom hooked up again from 36 yards out and the Utes had new life.
However, they failed on their next drive thanks to a dropped pass and watched Arizona's ground game chew up the clock. "It didn't seem like we had enough time," said Van Galder.
Then with less than five minutes remaining, Arizona called what Deseret News sports editor Hack Miller wrote was "the worst play coach (Bob) Weber ever called in all his playing and coaching days."
After completing just one pass all day, the Wildcats inexplicably called for a pass over the middle. The pass was tipped and intercepted by Ute defensive back Steve Marshall, who weaved his way up field for a 68-yard touchdown return to make it 27-21.
"He made the greatest run I've ever seen in my life," Van Galder recalled.
Marshall, a Salt Lake resident, who is a longtime assistant coach at Skyline High, doesn't remember the run as being that spectacular.
"It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time," said Marshall, who was "shocked" when Arizona called a pass play. "I figured they were going to run an off-tackle play. I was on the left side and kind of read the quarterback's eyes. I flowed over and caught the football, got a good block from the defensive end and ran down the right side of the field."
Now the momentum was clearly on Utah's side, but they needed the ball. The fired-up defense held and the Utes moved downfield on Van Galder passes.
They got down to the 3-yard line and had no timeouts left as the clock ticked inside 30 seconds. Van Galder can still remember every play he called on the winning drive and this one was "Fan right Y out," where he was supposed to hit Willie Armstead. However when he saw his target covered as he rolled out to the right, Van Galder, not known as the swiftest runner, tucked the ball, was hit at the 1 and dove into the end zone with 10 seconds left. If he'd been stopped short, the clock surely would have run out.
Then all they needed was the extra point. "I told Fleming (Jensen), keep your head down and stick it and we've got this game," said Van Galder. Jensen, who was quoted the day after as saying he was "shaking like a leaf," booted the ball through the uprights.
Utah announcer Bill Marcroft's main impression of the game is a variation on the old cliche about more people claiming to be at a famous game than there were seats in the stadium. Marcroft said, "there must be 40,000 people who say they heard the end of the game on the radio on the way home."
One of those was then-Salt Lake Mayor Jake Garn, who left with his son, who said, "Dad, we don't want to see this," prior to the fourth quarter. Later when one of his neighbors returned from the game, having witnessed the amazing comeback, he chided Garn, saying "Oh ye of little faith."
"Those people that stayed were louder than any crowd I've ever heard," said Van Galder. "They went nuts."
Even Van Galder's mother was unaware of the amazing comeback after watching the "Prudential Scoreboard" and seeing Utah down 27-0. It wasn't until she got a phone call later that she learned of the remarkable Utah win.
"It was unreal," said Van Galder.
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