Rose Bowl
|
|
|
Nicknamed “The Granddaddy of Them All,” the Rose Bowl is the most prestigious bowl game college football has to offer. The game is always played on New Year’s Day and is part of the Tournament of Roses Parade. The first Rose Bowl game was played on January 1, 1902 between the Michigan Wolverines and the Stanford Cardinal. The game matched up the best teams from the east and west coast. Michigan obliterated Stanford 49-0. The Wolverines finished the season 11-0, winning the national championship. Because the outcome of the game was so one-sided, the Rose Bowl game was not played again until 1916.
The game was played in Pasadena’s Tournament Park from 1916-1922. The Rose Bowl stadium was built in 1923. The first game featured the University of Southern California and Penn State. USC won the game 14-3. USC has made a record 31 appearances in the Rose Bowl. Michigan is second with 20 appearances.
The Rose Bowl game has been played in Pasadena every year except in 1942. The game was moved to Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina following the Pearl Harbor attack. In that contest, Oregon State defeated Duke 20-16.
From 1947-2001, the participants of the Rose Bowl were the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions. When the Rose Bowl joined the BCS in 1998, the possibility of a non-Big Ten/Pac-10 matchup became a possibility. The 2002 game between Nebraska and Miami was for the national championship. It was the first Rose Bowl ever that did not include a West Coast team.
The most notable Rose Bowl game in recent memory was the 2006 game between defending national champion USC and undefeated Texas. In one of the greatest college football games ever, Vince Young led the Longhorns to a dramatic comeback victory over USC. It was the most watched college football contest in nearly twenty years.
|
|
Print
E-mail
Del.icio.us
Digg
