1970 College World Series

By Jim Joanos

It was June of 1970. I was practicing law in a small firm. My wife and I had gotten involved in a number of FSU Alumni Association and Seminole Booster activities and were active FSU sports fans.

The FSU baseball team had an excellent regular season record losing very few games. The coach at the time was Jack Stallings. The team was loaded with talented players. You might recognize the names, Dick Nichols, Johnny Grubb, Ron Cash, Pat Osburn, and Mac Scarce to mention just a few. After the regular season , they had proceeded to the NCAA regional in Gastonia, North Carolina, where they defeated East Carolina, Maryland and Mississippi State and advanced to the College World Series.

In Omaha they won their first and second games, shutting out Arizona, 4-0 and Dartmouth, 6-0. Back in Tallahassee the FSU fans were following the games closely and listening to them on the radio. The College World Series had become the “talk of the town.” Even folks who had never been to an FSU baseball game suddenly became vocal in support. There was a little letdown when FSU lost its third game to Texas, 1-5. But the interest came back when FSU won its next game, beating Ohio, 2-0. After that FSU got revenge on Texas, 11-2, and were set to play Southern California the next night for the national championship. Excitement was at a fever high in Tallahassee in anticipation of the coming game.

Some Tallahassee businessmen quickly made arrangements and set about to charter an air liner to go to the game. I was offered a seat at a reasonable cost. Consequently, the next day I went to the airport and joined the group going to the game. When we got to Omaha, arrangements had been made for a yellow school bus to meet us and take us to the stadium. One of the men who had made the arrangements was active in the Boy Scout organization. A special surprise greeted us at the Omaha airport. There was a boy scout bugler blowing his horn as we boarded the bus.

We arrived at the stadium a couple hours before the game. It was plenty of time to load up on hot dogs and sodas and to walk around and enjoy just being at such a special event.

Finally, the game began. FSU was at bat first. Neither team scored in the first inning. Southern California threated in the second but a spectacular catch by FSU’s centerfielder John Grubb ended the threat. Neither team scored in the third and fourth inning. FSU scored the game’s first run in the top of the fifth inning. SC tied it up in seventh, making in 1-1. Neither team scored in the eighth and ninth forcing extra innings.

FSU’s starting pitcher Pat Osburn had done well holding USC scoreless until the fifth inning, when he was injured when his knee collapsed on a base running play (Pitchers batted back then). FSU used a couple of relievers until the seventh when USC managed to piece together some stuff and tie the game up with a run to make it 1-1. Consequently, FSU’s Mac Scarce came on to pitch. What he did after that was nothing short of masterful. The future major leaguer proceeded to dismiss batter after batter. At one point he retired thirteen in a row without anyone reaching base. Meanwhile in the eight inning USC had brought on its ace pitcher in relief. As a result, for inning after inning, the fans packed into that stadium got to enjoy a fantastic pitching duel. It went on for inning after inning. In the tenth inning FSU had advanced a runner to second base but a strike out following that ended the possibility of scoring. It began to seem as if neither team would ever score.

Unfortunately, after pitching the fourteenth inning, FSU’s pitcher, Scarce, had developed a blister on his pitching hand and could not continue. FSU failed to score in the top of the fifteen. In the bottom of that inning, after some batters had gotten on base, an FSU player made a fielding mistake, USC scored a run and won the game and the national championship, 2-1.

The USC fans, unsurprisingly, celebrated the victory with lots of gusto. However, what may be surprising to some, the group of FSU fans that had flown up for the game were not that unhappy. We had witnessed a fantastic national championship game and our team had played their hearts out. Not only that, but we had been witnesses to the furthest an FSU baseball team had at that time gone in its quest to win a national championship. We were runners-up to the champions. That meant, we were the second-best college team in the whole country. Nothing to be unhappy about!

After the game we got back on the yellow school bus and went back to the airport. By this time, it was early the next day. The flight back was very quiet. Most of us fell asleep quickly. It had been a full day. By the time I got to the house, my wonderful wife had prepared a very welcomed breakfast for me and the kids. After which I went to bed with a special feeling. I felt very fortunate to have had such a very special experience.

About the author:

Jim Joanos

Memories of Garnet and Gold

Jim Joanos and his wife Betty Lou have deep roots at Florida State University. Avid sports fans, they have literally seen, and done, it all. Fortunately for us, Jim loves telling first-hand accounts dating back to FSU’s first football game, a 1947 clash with the Stetson Hatters on Centennial Field, where Cascades Park is today.

The Osceola will run a series of these colorful stories written by the former Tallahassee lawyer and judge, which we feel our readers will find enlightening and/or nostalgic.

Jim and Betty Lou, who was Associate Director of the FSU Alumni Association (1991-2003), have been married 65 years and are each listed as one of FSU’s 100 Distinguished Graduates. The couple were enshrined in the FSU Hall of Fame in 2015 as Moore-Stone Award Recipients. Ironically, both Deans Moore and Stone were instrumental in the Joanoses career development.

“Both Jim and Betty Lou Joanos have been exemplary fans and supporters of Florida State University, both academically and athletically,” said Andy Miller, retired President and CEO of Seminole Boosters, Inc. “You can’t go to an athletic event of any kind that you don’t see both Jim and Betty Lou Joanos together. They love their university as much as they love each other.”