NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- When No. 5 Florida hosts the unranked Miami Hurricanes 8 p.m. Saturday in the Swamp, Harvin Clark will be rooting for his beloved Gators. Clark will always be a hero to New Smyrna Beach fans, especially if they are also Gator fans.
However, his role as arch villain to Miami fans nearly four decades ago will never die.
The notorious “38-lay down” play will never be forgotten or forgiven by the Miami crowd. Even this writer's own sister-in-law, J’neese Strozier, a Smyrna native, but Miami fan, says that it will be a long time before he is forgiven even though he is a good friend of her own sister Jackie.
Clark recounted his “dastardly deed" the other night at the New Smyrna Steak House.
It was the last game of the 1971 season and Florida was playing Miami in the Orange Bowl. Time was running out and Florida fans were fixated on whether Gators quarterback John Reeves would get another chance with the ball to try to break 1970 Heisman-winner Jim Plunkett’s passing-yardage record.
Miami punted the ball to Florida so Reeves was in line to get his hands on the ball. However, an unfortunate thing happened. Harvin Clark fielded the punt and noticed that bulk of the Miami team had moved to one side of the field.
Clark went down the other side and before he could help himself scored a touchdown.
Now Miami had the ball back on a kickoff and time was running out. Harvin was desperate to make amends for his “goof” in scoring the touchdown. He called time out and went to coach Doug Dickey for permission to let Miami Score. Of course, Dickey could not do such a thing. So Clark called time again with no cooperation from Dickey.
Finally, Clark huddled his teammates together and said when Miami hikes the ball everybody fall down so they can score. This play has been forever labeled 38 fall down (Harvin’s number was 38.)
The play worked. Miami scored. Florida got the ball back. John reeves broke Jim Plunkett’s passing record. The Florida Fans were happy.
The Miami fans were incensed at this insult to their honor. It makes you wonder how mad they would have been if it had taken them more than one play to score?
This play comes up again and again even though it took place more than 30 years ago. Clark spoke at the Gator Club of Gainesville on Friday. You were right if you bet this was the topic at hand. They won’t ask about his kick run-back record or the fact that he is the only defensive player in major college history to score the first and last times he touched the ball. No, it was all about "the flop."
At the earlier New Smyrna Steakhouse gathering, Clark answered a few questions that some of his fans such as Bobby Howard, Tommy Brown and Ken Phillips had been asking. First, Clark went to defense by his own choice because he had played offense all of his career and had taken a pounding from the defensive teams. He wanted his chance to pound on someone.
Clark had an opportunity to play for either the Dallas Cowboys or the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he decided that he had so much trouble with his neck injury that he should retire from football.
If Clark had to do it all over again would he avoid all this hassle by touching the punt down? It's doubtful. He is simply having way too much fun being Miami’s “arch villain.”