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Everything about Rose Bowl Game totally explained

The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It is part of the Tournament of Roses "America's New Year Celebration", with the Rose Parade held in the morning.
   In 2002 and 2006, the Rose Bowl game was also the BCS National Championship Game. In the current BCS alignment, the Rose Bowl will host the designated Big Ten and Pacific-10 conference representatives unless they're involved in the national championship game. Rose Bowl game representative teams from the Big Conferences and Pacific-10 are chosen by the specific rules for each conference. Tiebreaker rules exist when multiple teams tie for the conference championship.

History

Originally titled the "Tournament East-West football game," the Rose Bowl was first played on January 1, 1902, starting the tradition of New Year's Day bowl games. The inaugural game featured Fielding Yost's dominating 1901 Michigan team, representing the East, who crushed a previously 3-1-2 team from Stanford University, representing the West, by a score of 49-0 after Stanford quit in the third quarter. Michigan finished the season 11-0-0 and was considered the national champion. Yost had been Stanford's coach the previous year. The game was so lopsided that for the next 15 years, the Tournament of Roses officials ran chariot races, ostrich races, and other various events instead of football. But, on New Year's Day 1916 football returned to stay as Washington State University defeated Brown University in the first annual Rose Bowl.

Tournament Park and Rose Bowl stadium

Before the Rose Bowl Stadium was built for the January 1, 1923 match, games were played in Pasadena's Tournament Park, approximately three miles southeast of the current stadium. Tournament Park was determined to be unsuitable for the larger and larger crowds gathering to watch the game and a new, permanent home for the game was commissioned. The Rose Bowl stadium, designed after the Yale Bowl in New Haven, then hosted the first "Rose Bowl" game in 1923.

Team selection 1916-1946

In the game's early years, except during World War I, the Rose Bowl always pitted a team, but not necessarily the conference champion, from the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the predecessor of the current Pacific-10 Conference, against an opponent from the Eastern U.S. During the last two years World War I, Military base teams met in the Rose Bowl. A number of notable matchups were made with the top football teams and top coaches of the time. These included the 1925 Rose Bowl featuring Knute Rockne's Notre Dame team against Pop Warner's Stanford team, and the 1940 Rose Bowl, featuring Howard Jones' USC Trojans against Bob Neyland's Tennessee Volunteers. There were 10 games matching two undefeated teams during this time.

1942 Venue change to Durham, North Carolina

With the United States' entry into World War II, on December 7, 1941, there was concern about an Japanese attack on the West Coast. Much discussion focused on the possibility of an attack where any crowds might gather. The Rose parade with a million watchers, and the Rose Bowl with 90,000 spectators were presumed to be ideal targets for the Japanese. Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt recommended that the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl festivities be canceled. The Rose Bowl committee originally planned to cancel the game. On December 16, 1941, Duke University invited the game and Oregon State to Duke's home stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

Big Nine - PCC agreement

During World War II, many college football schools had dropped some conference opponents and instead played football against local military base teams. Many colleges couldn't even field teams due to the draft and manpower requirements. After the war was over, demobilization and the G.I. Bill enabled returning servicemen to attend college. The 1946 season was the first true post-war college football season with travel restrictions lifted and civilian college opponents returning to schedules.
   The Big Nine and PCC were of the same accord when it came to treating players as amateurs, as compared to the semi-professional status that the Southern Universities proposed. Also, the Big Nine and PCC both had the same attitudes towards desegregation and allowing African-Americans to play football. Many other universities were still segregated. None of the Southeastern Conference schools had an African American athlete until 1966. The Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl wouldn't be integrated until 1948, 1955, and 1956 respectively.
   The Big Nine agreed, after eight years of negotiating over payments, rules, and ticket allocations to a five-year exclusive deal with the Rose Bowl to send the conference champion to meet the PCC conference champion. UCLA, USC, Minnesota and Illinois all voted against it. Beginning with the 1947 Rose Bowl game, the game's participants were established as the champions of what is now the Big Ten Conference and the PCC.
   When the PCC dissolved in 1959 following a pay-for-play scandal, there was no official agreement in force. The Tournament of Roses invited the ex PCC champion to play the Big Ten champion to the 1960 Rose Bowl. The Big Ten authorized its members to accept any Rose Bowl invitation at their discretion. The Athletic Association of Western Universities signed an agreement with the Rose Bowl that remained in force from the 1961 Rose Bowl onwards. Ohio State exercised this discretion and held the Buckeyes from the 1962 Rose Bowl. The Big Ten later again signed an agreement with the Rose Bowl. The AAWU later became known as the Pacific 8, and eventually the Pacific 10 conference.

Bowl Championship Series

Since 1998, with the creation of the Bowl Championship Series, team selection for the Rose Bowl is now tied to the other three BCS bowls, although in any given year the Rose Bowl still attempts, if possible, to maintain the traditional Pac-10 versus Big Ten format. Twice in this era, the Rose Bowl has served as the BCS championship game.
   The 2002 game, between Nebraska of the Big 12 Conference and Miami, then a member of the Big East Conference, was the first matchup since 1946 not featuring the traditional pairing and the first matchup ever without a West Coast team.
   The 2006 Rose Bowl game featured offensive powerhouses Texas, riding a 19-game winning streak, and USC, which entered the game with a 34-game winning streak and 2 Heisman Trophy winners. Texas won 41-38. The game's television viewership was the highest for college football contest since the 1987 Fiesta Bowl between Penn State and Miami.
   On two other occasions during the BCS era, Rose Bowl participation has expanded beyond the Big Ten and Pac-10. The 2003 game featured the first appearance by Oklahoma. The 2005 game featured Texas of the Big 12 Conference, selected, amid some controversy, over California of the Pac-10.
   The 2004 game is also noteworthy. In this game, USC defeated Michigan, 28-14, thus earning the top ranking in the AP Poll and a share of the national championship with BCS champion LSU.

Sponsorship and broadcasting rights

For many years the Rose Bowl eschewed sponsorship, but for the 1999 Rose Bowl, the game became known as The Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T. Unlike the other bowl games, the sponsor wasn't added to the title of the game, but instead as a presenter. In 2002 it was branded The Rose Bowl Game presented by PlayStation 2. Since 2003, when the agreement with Sony expired, the game has been presented by Citi.
   From 1952 to 1988, the Rose Bowl was televised by NBC in a 1 p.m. PST time slot, the only New Year's bowl airing at that time. The 1962 Rose Bowl was the first college football game broadcast in color. Since 1989, it has been broadcast on ABC, usually at 2 p.m. PST. While FOX has secured the broadcasting rights to the other Bowl Championship Series games, the Rose Bowl, which negotiates its own television contracts independent of the BCS, has agreed to keep the game on ABC. The 2005 Rose Bowl was the first one broadcast in HDTV.
   Except in the years when the Rose Bowl served as the BCS National Championship Game, the Rose Bowl Game has continued to be played in the afternoon. (Starting with the 2006 season (2007 game), there has been a separate BCS National Championship Game.) In 2010, the Tournament of Roses will host the BCS National Championship in a separate game to be held on January 7th at 5:00 P.M. The Rose Bowl Game will be held on January 1, 2010.

Frequent participants

USC has played the most times in the Rose Bowl, with 32 appearances, followed by Michigan (20), Washington (14), and Ohio State (13). Alabama, 4-1-1 in Rose Bowls, has made the most appearances of any team outside the Pac-10 and Big Ten conferences, and even references the game in its fight song.
   USC has won the most Rose Bowls (23), followed by Michigan (8), Washington (7), and Ohio State (6). Michigan has lost the most (12), followed by USC (9), UCLA and Ohio State (7 each). Of teams appearing at the Rose Bowl at least 4 times, Alabama and Michigan St. have the greatest winning percentage (0.75), followed by USC (0.72) and Illinois (0.60).
   The most frequent Rose Bowl matchup is USC-Michigan, occurring for the eighth time in 2007, with USC holding a 6-2 advantage. (Including rare meetings outside the Rose Bowl, USC leads this series 6-4.) The next most frequent matchup is USC-Ohio State, occurring for the seventh time in 1985, with USC holding a 4-3 advantage.
   From the 1946 season (1947 Rose Bowl), when the Big Ten-Rose Bowl agreement began, through the 1971 season (1972 Rose Bowl), the Big Ten didn't allow its teams to appear in the Rose Bowl in consecutive years. There was one exception: Minnesota played in the 1961 Rose Bowl and 1962 Rose Bowl games. (Several unusual circumstances occurred in the 1961 season: the Big Ten-Rose Bowl contract had been allowed to lapse, Big Ten champion Ohio State was invited anyway, and the Ohio State faculty turned down the bid.)
   Also of note, during this era Big Ten and Pac-8 teams could play only in the Rose Bowl; this restriction wasn't lifted until the 1975 season. Archie Griffin of Ohio State is the only player to ever start in four Rose Bowl games. Legendary coach Woody Hayes led Ohio State to the Rose Bowl from 1973-1976.
   The only current member of the Pac-10 or the Big Ten to have never appeared in the Rose Bowl is the University of Arizona. Idaho and Montana, who were members of the Pacific Coast Conference from 1922 until 1958 and 1950 respectively, never finished near the top in the PCC football standings. The University of Chicago discontinued football in 1939, and had their best years in the first decade of the 20th century.
   The Rose Bowl was exclusively a Big Ten-Pac-10 affair for 52 years, from 1946 (1947 Rose Bowl) through 1997 (1998 Rose Bowl). While the Big Ten dominated the game in the late 1940s and 1950s, and the Pac-10 dominated during the 1970s and early 1980s, over the entire 52-year span, each conference won 26 games.
   The BCS era now covers the past nine seasons, starting with 1998 (1999 Rose Bowl). Of the five games featuring the traditional Big Ten-Pac-10 matchup, the Pac-10 leads 4-2. The 2007 Rose Bowl and 2008 Rose Bowl didn't feature the Big Ten champion, since Ohio State played in each seasons' BCS National Championship Game and USC, the PAC-10 champion, played in the 2004 BCS National Championship game.
Big Ten and Pac-10 schools
Team Appearances Wins Ties Latest
32 23 2008
20 8 2007
14 7 1 2001
13 6 1997
12 5 1 2000
12 5 1999
8 2 1 1959
6 3 2000
5 3 2008
5 2 1991
4 3 1988
4 1 1995
4 1 2003
3 1 1965
2 1 1997
2 1 1961
2 1 1996
2 1 1995
2 1 2001
1 0 1968
0 0 n/a
Other Universities*
Team Appearances Wins Ties Latest
6 4 1 1946
4 1 1937
2 2 2006
2 0 1942
2 0 2002
2 0 1945
1 1 1934
1 1 1943
1 1 1929
1 1 1920
1 1 2002
1 1 1925
1 1 2003
1 0 1 1924
1 0 1916
1 0 1936
1 0 1932
1 0 1 1922
1 0 0 1917
In 1918 and 1919 the Rose Bowl hosted football games between military institutions.

Game results

Years listed below indicate the January game date; for example, the 2007 game was played following the 2006 football season.
Winners listed first, to left of table. Italics denote a tie game.
Date Played Winning Team Losing Team Notes
January 1, 1902 Michigan 49 Stanford 0 notes
January 1, 1916 Washington State 14 Brown 0 notes
January 1, 1917 Oregon 14 Pennsylvania 0 notes
January 1, 1918 Mare Island - USMC 19 Camp Lewis - US Army 7 notes
January 1, 1919 Great Lakes - US Navy 17 Mare Island 0 notes
January 1, 1920 Harvard 7 Oregon 6 notes
January 1, 1921 California 28 Ohio State 0 notes
January 2, 1922 California 0 Washington & Jefferson 0 notes
January 1, 1923 Southern California 14 Penn State 3 notes
January 1, 1924 Washington 14 Navy 14 notes
January 1, 1925 Notre Dame 27 Stanford 10 notes
January 1, 1926 Alabama 20 Washington 19 notes
January 1, 1927 Alabama 7 Stanford 7 notes
January 2, 1928 Stanford 7 Pittsburgh 6 notes
January 1, 1929 Georgia Tech 8 California 7 notes
January 1, 1930 Southern California 47 Pittsburgh 14 notes
January 1, 1931 Alabama 24 Washington State 0 notes
January 1, 1932 Southern California 21 Tulane 12 notes
January 2, 1933 Southern California 35 Pittsburgh 0 notes
January 1, 1934 Columbia 7 Stanford 0 notes
January 1, 1935 Alabama 29 Stanford 13 notes
January 1, 1936 Stanford 7 SMU 0 notes
January 1, 1937 Pittsburgh 21 Washington 0 notes
January 1, 1938 California 13 Alabama 0 notes
January 2, 1939 Southern California 7 Duke 3 notes
January 1, 1940 Southern California 14 Tennessee 0 notes
January 1, 1941 Stanford 21 Nebraska 13 notes
January 1, 1942** Oregon State 20 Duke 16 notes
January 1, 1943 Georgia 9 UCLA 0 notes
January 1, 1944 Southern California 29 Washington 0 notes
January 1, 1945 Southern California 25 Tennessee 0 notes
January 1, 1946 Alabama 34 Southern California 14 notes
January 1, 1947 Illinois 45 UCLA 14 notes
January 1, 1948 Michigan 49 Southern California 0 notes
January 1, 1949 Northwestern 20 California 14 notes
January 2, 1950 Ohio State 17 California 14 notes
January 1, 1951 Michigan 14 California 6 notes
January 1, 1952 Illinois 40 Stanford 7 notes
January 1, 1953 Southern California 7 Wisconsin 0 notes
January 1, 1954 Michigan State 28 UCLA 20 notes
January 1, 1955 Ohio State 20 Southern California 7 notes
January 2, 1956 Michigan State 17 UCLA 14 notes
January 1, 1957 Iowa 35 Oregon State 19 notes
January 1, 1958 Ohio State 10 Oregon 7 notes
January 1, 1959 Iowa 38 California 12 notes
January 1, 1960 Washington 44 Wisconsin 8 notes
January 2, 1961 Washington 17 Minnesota 7 notes
January 1, 1962 Minnesota 21 UCLA 3 notes
January 1, 1963 Southern California 42 Wisconsin 37 notes
January 1, 1964 Illinois 17 Washington 7 notes
January 1, 1965 Michigan 34 Oregon State 7 notes
January 1, 1966 UCLA 14 Michigan State 12 notes
January 2, 1967 Purdue 14 Southern California 13 notes
January 1, 1968 Southern California 14 Indiana 3 notes
January 1, 1969 Ohio State 27 Southern California 16 notes
January 1, 1970 Southern California 10 Michigan 3 notes
January 1, 1971 Stanford 27 Ohio State 17 notes
January 1, 1972 Stanford 13 Michigan 12 notes
January 1, 1973 Southern California 42 Ohio State 17 notes
January 1, 1974 Ohio State 42 Southern California 21 notes
January 1, 1975 Southern California 18 Ohio State 17 notes
January 1, 1976 UCLA 23 Ohio State 10 notes
January 1, 1977 Southern California 14 Michigan 6 notes
January 2, 1978 Washington 27 Michigan 20 notes
January 1, 1979 Southern California 17 Michigan 10 notes
January 1, 1980 Southern California 17 Ohio State 16 notes
January 1, 1981 Michigan 23 Washington 16 notes
January 1, 1982 Washington 28 Iowa 0 notes
January 1, 1983 UCLA 24 Michigan 14 notes
January 2, 1984 UCLA 45 Illinois 9 notes
January 1, 1985 Southern California 20 Ohio State 17 notes
January 1, 1986 UCLA 45 Iowa 28 notes
January 1, 1987 Arizona State 22 Michigan 15 notes
January 1, 1988 Michigan State 20 Southern California 17 notes
January 2, 1989 Michigan 22 Southern California 14 notes
January 1, 1990 Southern California 17 Michigan 10 notes
January 1, 1991 Washington 46 Iowa 34 notes
January 1, 1992 Washington 34 Michigan 14 notes
January 1, 1993 Michigan 38 Washington 31 notes
January 1, 1994 Wisconsin 21 UCLA 16 notes
January 2, 1995 Penn State 38 Oregon 20 notes
January 1, 1996 Southern California 41 Northwestern 32 notes
January 1, 1997 Ohio State 20 Arizona State 17 notes
January 1, 1998 Michigan 21 Washington State 16 notes
January 1, 1999 Wisconsin 38 UCLA 31 notes
January 1, 2000 Wisconsin 17 Stanford 9 notes
January 1, 2001 Washington 34 Purdue 24 notes
January 3, 2002* Miami (FL) 37 Nebraska 14 notes
January 1, 2003 Oklahoma 34 Washington State 14 notes
January 1, 2004 Southern California 28 Michigan 14 notes
January 1, 2005 Texas 38 Michigan 37 notes
January 4, 2006* Texas 41 Southern California 38 notes
January 1, 2007 Southern California 32 Michigan 18 notes
January 1, 2008 Southern California 49 Illinois 17 notes
* denotes BCS National Championship Game
** Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1942 game was moved to Duke University's Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, as officials were wary of allowing such a large crowd to congregate anywhere on the West Coast due to World War II security threats.

Rose Bowl Player of the Game Awards

The most valuable player in the Rose Bowl game is given a crystal trophy that's the Rose Bowl Player of the Game Award. The award was created in 1953 and awarded retroactively for players all the way back to the 1902 Rose Bowl. Occasionally, the award has been shared by two players. Beginning with the 2005 Rose Bowl Game, the Rose Bowl Player of the Game Award has been given to both offensive and defensive players of the game.
Year Played MVP Team Position
1902 Neil Snow Michigan FB
1916 Carl Dietz Washington State FB
1917 John Beckett Oregon T
1918 Hollis Huntington Mare Island FB
1919 George Halas Great Lakes E
1920 Edward Casey Harvard HB
1921 Harold "Brick" Muller California E
1922 Russell Stein Washington & Jefferson T
1923 Leo Calland USC G
1924 Ira McKee Navy QB
1925 Elmer Layden Notre Dame FB
Ernie Nevers Stanford FB
1926 Johnny Mack Brown Alabama HB
George Wilson Washington HB
1927 Fred Pickhard Alabama T
1928 Clifford Hoffmann Stanford FB
1929 Benjamin Lom California HB
1930 Russell Saunders USC QB
1931 John "Monk" Campbell Alabama QB
1932 Erny Pinckert USC HB
1933 Homer Griffith USC QB
1934 Cliff Montgomery Columbia QB
1935 Millard "Dixie" Howell Alabama HB
1936 James "Monk" Moscrip Stanford E
Keith Topping Stanford E
1937 William Daddio Pittsburgh E
1938 Victor Bottari California HB
1939 Doyle Nave USC QB
Alvin Krueger USC E
1940 Ambrose Schindler USC QB
1941 Peter Kmetovic Stanford HB
1942 Donald Durdan Oregon State HB
1943 Charles Trippi Georgia HB
1944 Norman Verry USC G
1945 James Hardy USC QB
1946 Harry Gilmer Alabama HB
1947 Claude "Buddy" Young Illinois HB
Julius Rykovich Illinois HB
1948 Bob Chappuis Michigan HB
1949 Frank Aschenbrenner Northwestern HB
1950 Fred "Curly" Morrison Ohio State FB
1951 Donald Dufek Michigan FB
1952 William Tate Illinois HB
1953 Rudy Bukich USC QB
1954 Billy Wells Michigan State HB
1955 Dave Leggett Ohio State QB
1956 Walter Kowalczyk Michigan State HB
1957 Kenneth Ploen Iowa QB
1958 Jack Crabtree Oregon QB
1959 Bob Jeter Iowa HB
1960 Bob Schloredt Washington QB
George Fleming Washington HB
1961 Bob Schloredt Washington QB
1962 Sandy Stephens Minnesota QB
1963 Pete Beathard USC QB
Ron Vander Kelen Wisconsin QB
1964 Jim Grabowski Illinois FB
1965 Mel Anthony Michigan FB
1966 Bob Stiles UCLA DB
1967 John Charles Purdue DB
1968 O.J. Simpson USC TB
1969 Rex Kern Ohio State QB
1970 Bob Chandler USC FL
1971 Jim Plunkett Stanford QB
1972 Don Bunce Stanford QB
1973 Sam Cunningham USC FB
1974 Cornelius Greene Ohio State QB
1975 Pat Haden USC QB
John McKay, Jr. USC SE
1976 John Sciarra UCLA QB
1977 Vince Evans USC QB
1978 Warren Moon Washington QB
1979 Charles White USC TB
Rick Leach Michigan QB
1980 Charles White USC TB
1981 Butch Woolfolk Michigan RB
1982 Jacque Robinson Washington RB
1983 Don Rogers UCLA FS
Tom Ramsey UCLA QB
1984 Rick Neuheisel UCLA QB
1985 Tim Green USC QB
Jack Del Rio USC LB
1986 Eric Ball UCLA TB
1987 Jeff Van Raaphorst Arizona State QB
1988 Percy Snow Michigan State LB
1989 Leroy Hoard Michigan FB
1990 Ricky Ervins USC TB
1991 Charles Mincy Washington DB
1992 Steve Emtman Washington DT
Billy Joe Hobert Washington QB
1993 Tyrone Wheatley Michigan RB
1994 Brent Moss Wisconsin TB
1995 Danny O'Neil Oregon QB
Ki-Jana Carter Penn State RB
1996 Keyshawn Johnson USC WR
1997 Joe Germaine Ohio State QB
1998 Brian Griese Michigan QB
1999 Ron Dayne Wisconsin RB
2000 Ron Dayne Wisconsin RB
2001 Marques Tuiasosopo Washington QB
2002 Ken Dorsey Miami QB
Andre Johnson Miami WR
2003 Nate Hybl Oklahoma QB
2004 Matt Leinart USC QB
2005 Vince Young Texas QB
LaMarr Woodley Michigan LB
2006 Vince Young Texas QB
Michael Huff Texas S
2007 Dwayne Jarrett USC WR
Brian Cushing USC OLB
2008 John David Booty USC QB
Rey Maualuga USC LB

Game arrangements

Beginning with the 1947 Rose Bowl, the Pacific Coast representative was the home team, and the Big Nine representative was with visiting team. This arrangement would alternate each year. The stadium seating started with the Big Nine representatives in the end zone, but eventually was set with the Big Ten fans and team on the West (press box) side, and Pacific-10 fans and team on the East side. The home team wears their home jerseys, and the visiting team wears the visiting jerseys. There have been exceptions. UCLA wore their home jerseys in the 1962, 1966, and 1976 Rose Bowl games.
   Beginning with the 2002 Rose Bowl, Nebraska was the home team and fans and team were on the East sideline. Since 2006, the home team has been the team with the highest BCS season ending ranking. For the 2005 Rose Bowl, the Michigan team was on the East sideline, Texas was the visiting team and was on the West sideline. For the 2006 Rose Bowl, USC was the home team and Texas was the visiting team on the West sideline. Traditionallly, the Big Ten (or its BCS replacement) is on the West side (press box) and the Pac-10 team is on the East side.
   The institution with the highest BCS ranking performs the national anthem, and performs first at halftime. Except in BCS championship years, the National Anthem is performed by the band. In BCS Championship years, a performer has been invited to sing the Anthem, the last being Le Ann Rimes in 2006. The Rose Bowl doesn't have other performers during the halftime show besides the school marching bands. As part of the television contract, a portion of each band's halftime performance is shown on television. Each school and each conference are allocated television spots to advertise.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Rose Bowl Game'.


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