History: Orange Bowl

After the Tournament of Roses organizers had such success with the Rose Bowl, in 1926, leaders in Miami tried to do the same thing with a "Fiesta of the American Tropics." Unlike the Rose Bowl, which was created after the Tournament of Roses Parade was started, the Fiesta was built around a New Year's Day football game.

Just one year after its inception, the festival was discontinued, but the football game remained.

In 1932, the first Fesitval of Palms Bowl -- the precursor to the Orange Bowl -- was held. In the first two instances, an at-large team was invited to take on the local team -- Miami. Technically, under the circumstances, the NCAA could not recognize it as a bowl because one team was guaranteed a spot in the game regardless of record. In 1935, the bowl was revamped, not guaranteeing a spot for anyone (although Miami did play) and renamed the Orange Bowl.

Memorable moments

• William "Refrigerator" Perry helped hold down the Nebraska offense to give Clemson a 22-15 victory -- and the national title -- in 1982.

• In 1984, Miami won its first national championship, beating Nebraska 31-30 after Ken Callhoun deflected Turner Gill's pass that would have given Nebraska a 2-point conversion.

• In 1991, with 43 seconds left, Raghib Ismail returned a punt 92 yards for what appeared to be the winning touchdown that would have cost Colorado a share of the national title. However, the touchdown was called back on a clipping penalty.

• In 1994, with Florida State leading 18-16, Nebraska's Tommie Frazier hit Trumane Bell for a 29-yard gain to the FSU 28-yard line in the final seconds. The clock ticked down to 0:00, However, referee John Soffey ruled that Bell was down with 1 second left on the clock, and ordered the field cleared, allowing Nebraska placekicker Byron Bennett a shot to kick the game-winning field goal. But the 45-yard kick sailed wide left.

• In the first overtime game of the BCS era, Alabama placekicker Ryan Pflugner missed a point after, giving Michigan a 35-34 win.

• The 2006 Orange Bowl took more than four hours and was the final meeting of coaches Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden. FSU kicker Gary Cismesia missed two field goals in three overtimes and Penn State won 26-23.

• In 2012, nine different Orange Bowl records were either tied or broken when West Virginia beat Clemson 70-33.

* -- Game moved to December 31 in 2014.