This week in Church history
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25 years ago
President Spencer W. Kimball and his wife, Camilla, accompanied the BYU football team to the 1976 Tangerine Bowl on Dec. 18 in Orlando, Fla., according to the Dec. 25, 1976, Church News.
The Cougars ended their season 9-2 after losing in their second bowl game ever to Oklahoma State, 49-21.
On the afternoon of the game, President Kimball spoke about the importance of families to 8,000 people gathered in the Tangerine Bowl under a clear blue sky.
Also before the game, President Kimball met with the team in its hotel, greeting the players and wishing them well. He spoke for about 15 minutes, recalling his athletic years at Gila College in Arizona. He told of playing basketball games in overalls rather than uniforms, and of playing on the ground on outdoor courts.
The Church News article quoted President Kimball: "When we went to compete in another community, one player would borrow a horse and another a buggy so we would have transportation. We would stay in the homes with the boys we were playing against."
President Kimball said his team won nearly every game until playing a team from Clifton, Ariz. "All their players had new suction-bottom shoes. We didn't have any suction on our shoes and we slid all over. They beat us, and that really humbled us."
President Kimball also spoke during a special conference of the Orlando Florida Stake.
