1989 Freedom Bowl

The 1989 Freedom Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30 at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. The game featured the 1989 [Washington Huskies football team|Washington Huskies] of the Pacific-10 Conference and the 1989 [Florida Gators football team|Florida Gators] of the Southeastern Conference, who were led by junior Emmitt Smith, a 1989 [College Football All-America Team|consensus All-American] at running back.

Teams

Washington

The Huskies opened with two wins, lost three straight, then won five of six to finish the regular season tied for second in the Pac-10.

Florida

The Gators lost their opener, won six straight, then lost three of four to finish the regular season tied for fourth in the SEC. Head coach resigned in early October after allegations of NCAA rules and defensive coordinator Gary Darnell was the interim

Game

Washington built a twenty-point lead at halftime and Smith gained only 17 yards on seven carries, as Florida was forced to go to the air in the second half. It was Smith's lowest rushing total since his first game as a freshman, when he was a reserve.

Scoring

First quarter

Washington – Mario Bailey 21 pass from Cary Conklin
Florida – Donald Douglas 67 run
Washington – Field goal, McCallum 21
Washington – Andre Riley 10 pass from Conklin

Second quarter

Washington – Jaime Fields recovered blocked punt in end zone
Washington – Field goal, McCallum 32

Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Washington – Mark Brunell 20 run

Aftermath

Unranked since early October, Washington was #23 in the and played in the next three Rose Bowls, which included a shared College football national championships in [NCAA Division I FBS|national championship] after the second. Florida hired alumnus Steve Spurrier as head coach the and he led the Gators for Florida Gators football team|twelve seasons]. Smith skipped his senior season and was selected seventeenth overall in the 1990 NFL draft; he won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
This was the last bowl game between the Pac-10 and SEC until the 2010 [NCAA Division I FBS football season|2010] season, when 2010 [Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn] met 2010 [Oregon Ducks football team|Oregon] in the 2011 [BCS National Championship Game|national championship game] in Arizona. It also marks Washington's only win against an SEC team, as of 2025.