Jimbo Fisher Remembers Miracle on Markham at LRTDC

2.6K

Former Florida State and Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher remembers the 2002 Miracle on Markham perhaps better than some Arkansas fans.

Speaking before the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday, Fisher shared memories of competing against the Razorbacks, of NIL and the transfer portal, of coaching salaries and more. He specifically recalled the Friday after Thanksgiving 22 years ago in Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium when he was the offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at LSU.

Fisher was a longtime assistant at Auburn and LSU before replacing his mentor, the legendary Bobby Bowden, at FSU in 2010 and leading the Seminoles to a national championship in 2013. Before his move to Tallahassee, Fisher and Arkansas saw a lot of each other in the old SEC West. That night in Little Rock, a division title was on the line when the Hogs hosted LSU.

Fisher reeled off details about the game like it had taken place over the weekend. Most Hog fans tend to forget the game’s first 59 minutes. The Tigers had controlled the game, leading 10-0 at halftime and 17-7 after three, but Arkansas stayed within striking distance. John Corbello’s 29-yard field goal with 40 seconds to play seemed to secure the Tigers’ win and trip to Atlanta, which was guaranteed to the winner.

The Hogs held LSU to a field goal late when a touchdown would have iced the game, setting up one of the most improbable finishes in Razorback history, if not the history of all college football.

With no timeouts and just 40 seconds left to play, Matt Jones and the Hogs started the ensuing drive at their own 19. Jones found Richard Smith on the sideline for a big gain to midfield (Fisher said the play boiled down to a missed assignment by a Tiger cornerback) with 19 seconds left. Jones quickly spiked the ball to stop the clock, then found DeCori Birmingham in the back of the south end zone. The next morning, newspaper headlines proclaimed, “Jones to Birmingham to Atlanta.”

“Yall completed two passes the whole day,” a bemused Fisher told Bazzel.

When Bazzel referenced the “Miracle on Markham,” the moniker by which the game has been since known (north of Monroe, anyway), Fisher said it was more like “misery on Markham” for the folks from Baton Rouge.

As a self-described student of the history of college football, Fisher said he always loved War Memorial Stadium and playing in Little Rock. The coach remembered his first trip to Fayetteville as an assistant at Auburn in 1993.

“There was six to eight inches of snow, and they had to bring in the snow plows,” he said. The Tigers’ 31-21 win propelled them to an undefeated season under Terry Bowden, Bobby’s son, but Auburn finished fourth in the final polls. The Hogs finished 5-5-1 under first-year coach Danny Ford.

Fisher also told Bazzel that NIL and the transfer portal have fundamentally changed college football and that he believes it will take federal legislation to fix them.

Photos by Ryan Parker
READ ALSO: McElroy to Speak at Next Little Rock Touchdown Club Meeting