| Game Name: | Gator Bowl |
| Date Game Played: | December 28 |
| Year Game Played: | 1963 |
| Football Season: | 1963 |
| Home Name Short: | North Carolina |
| Home Nickname: | Tar Heels |
| Home Record: | 8–2 |
| Home Rank Ap: | NR |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 19 |
| Home 1Q: | 6 |
| Home 2Q: | 14 |
| Home 3Q: | 8 |
| Home 4Q: | 7 |
| Mvp: | Ken Willard (RB, North Carolina) & Dave Sicks (FB, Air Force)[1] |
| Visitor Name Short: | Air Force |
| Visitor Nickname: | Falcons |
| Visitor Record: | 7–3 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Type: | bg |
| Attendance: | 50,018 |
| Us Network: | CBS |
| Us Announcers: | Lindsey Nelson Terry Brennan Jim Simpson |
The 1963 Gator Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Air Force Falcons and the North Carolina Tar Heels.
This was the Falcons' first bowl game since 1959. The Tar Heels were co-champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference, which was their first conference title since the 1949 Southern Conference title. This was their first bowl game in 1950.
Willard ran for 94 yards on 18 carries.[2] [3]
Air Force did not return to a bowl game until 1971, nor win one until 1982. North Carolina did not return to a bowl game until 1970.
The morning after the game, there was a fire at the Hotel Roosevelt in downtown Jacksonville, with 22 dying.
| Statistics | Air Force | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 14 | 23 |
| Rushing yards | 95 | 251 |
| Passing yards | 165 | 119 |
| Punts–average | 4–40.0 | 6–36.0 |
| Fumbles–lost | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–42 | 3–35 |