Is Barry Hanna’s 1984 Gator Bowl Game-Winner the Most Iconic Touchdown in OSU History?

I put out a tweet Monday asking what the most iconic singular touchdown in Oklahoma State history was.

Most of the responses, I was plenty familiar with. Tyreek’s punt return in 2014 Bedlam; Brennan Presley’s kick return in 2021 Bedlam; Rashuan Woods’ game-winning catch in 2001 Bedlam — I had seen them all, but another name that I wasn’t as familiar with kept popping up: Barry Hanna.

I wasn’t born until 1995, making me about -12 years old when Hanna scored on a ridiculous play to beat South Carolina in the 1984 Gator Bowl. But once Hanna’s named popped up a couple of times in the mentions of that tweet, I had to see this. Luckily for me, OSU Athletics has the entire 1984 Gator Bowl up on its YouTube channel (first half and second half).

Rather than skipping to the end and watching the score, I wanted to get the full feel, so I spent my Tuesday morning watching the 1984 Gator Bowl for the first time.

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Context

This bowl game was one of only two in 1984 that featured two top 10 teams. The Gamecocks entered at 10-1 ranked seventh in the country while the Cowboys came in at 9-2 ranked ninth in the country. The other bowl to feature two top 10 teams was the Orange Bowl between No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 4 Washington (OU lost, by the way).

It was the first season of the Pat Jones era after Jimmie Johnson skipped town for Miami after winning the 1983 Bluebonnet Bowl, and Jones led the Cowboys (spoiler alert) to their first 10-win season in program history. This was also the first time South Carolina made it to 10 wins.

The Cowboys went into halftime with a 13-0 lead on a rushing touchdown from freshman Thurman Thomas before Thomas then threw a halfback pass back to Rusty Hilger for OSU’s second score. South Carolina figured something out at the break, though, and responded with a halfback pass of its own to get on the board before a 57-yard touchdown pass and PAT gave the Gamecocks a 14-13 lead.

Which brings us to the moment in question.

The Touchdown

With less than two minutes to play, Hanna caught a crossing route at the USC 20-yard line before dispatching a would-be tackler, tip-toeing the sideline and carrying three Gamecocks into the end zone. His helmet came off some where in there. It was Hanna’s first touchdown of the season but capped off a monstrous game from the OSU tight end. He finished with eight catches for 94 yards and the game-winning score.

I’m not sure how (or if, for that matter) Hanna stayed in bounds. Watching the initial angle, it looked like he assuredly stepped out, but they had a replay from the end zone that looked like he narrowly kept everything in the field of play. Even if he didn’t, there weren’t reviews in 1984, so the TD stood. The closest he came to stepping out was after dispatching that first defender, but I think Hanna’s heel was up as he tight-roped down the sideline.

I’m not sure which still of this moment is more iconic, Hanna carrying three defenders into the end zone or him standing in the end zone helmetless before getting dogpiled.

It’s going to be hard for a touchdown to beat the Tyreek punt return for me because I was in that south endzone that the Cheetah ran into, but after taking in the sights and sounds of the ’84 Gator Bowl, I get it.

Other Notes from the Gator Bowl

• I’ve been waiting all day for Sunday night!

• Pat Jones was hooked up to an EKG for this game, and every once in a while, the broadcast took a look at his heart rate. The last check in I saw was during OSU’s game-winning drive, and it hit 157. It was also funny because they were talking as if this wireless EKG was quite the cutting-edge piece of technology, and nowadays people have watches and rings that can track your heart rate.

• Another sign of the times were the teams’ offensive lines. As Al Michaels read through the starting lineups, he listed weights for seven of the game’s 10 starting O-linemen. The heaviest weight Michaels said was 270 pounds with the average of the listed weights being about 259 pounds. Only two of the 21 offensive linemen listed on OSU’s 2025 roster are below 300 pounds. The average weight of 2025 OSU O-linemen is about 310 pounds. That’s about a 51-pound difference in that average from 1984.

• Thurman Thomas was only a freshman in 1984, but it was evident when watching this game that he was already quite good. He took home game MVP honors after running for 155 yards on 32 carries to go with that rushing score and six-yard passing touchdown.

What touchdown do you think is the most iconic in OSU history?