A Look at the Rose Bowl

  • The Rose Bowl Game has been played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California for 95 years. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is then played on the following Monday.
  • The Rose Bowl is nicknamed "The Granddaddy of Them All" because it is the oldest bowl game.
  • It was first played in 1902, and continuously since 1916.
  • Originally titled the "Tournament East-West football game," the first Rose Bowl was 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, which 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. 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 The State College of Washington defeated Brown University in the first annual Rose Bowl.
  • Since 1945, it has been the highest attended college football bowl game.
  • It is a part of the Tournament of Roses "America's New Year Celebration".
  • USC has won the most Rose Bowls (24), 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).
  • The most frequent Rose Bowl matchup is USC-Michigan, occurring for the eighth time in 2007, with USC holding a 6–2 advantage.
  • 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 Pac-10 representatives unless they are involved in the national championship game.
  • Results:
  • January 1, 1902 Michigan 49 Stanford 0 notes
  • January 1, 1916 Washington State 14 Brown 0
  • January 1, 1917 Oregon 14 Pennsylvania 0
  • January 1, 1918 Mare Island - USMC 19 Camp Lewis - US Army 7
  • January 1, 1919 Great Lakes - US Navy 17 Mare Island 0
  • January 1, 1920 Harvard 7 Oregon 6
  • January 1, 1921 California 28 Ohio State 0
  • January 2, 1922 California 0 Washington & Jefferson 0
  • January 1, 1923 Southern California 14 Penn State 3
  • January 1, 1924 Washington 14 Navy 14
  • January 1, 1925 Notre Dame 27 Stanford 10
  • January 1, 1926 Alabama 20 Washington 19
  • January 1, 1927 Alabama 7 Stanford 7
  • January 2, 1928 Stanford 7 Pittsburgh 6
  • January 1, 1929 Georgia Tech 8 California 7
  • January 1, 1930 Southern California 47 Pittsburgh 14
  • January 1, 1931 Alabama 24 Washington State 0
  • January 1, 1932 Southern California 21 Tulane 12
  • January 2, 1933 Southern California 35 Pittsburgh 0
  • January 1, 1934 Columbia 7 Stanford 0
  • January 1, 1935 Alabama 29 Stanford 13
  • January 1, 1936 Stanford 7 SMU 0
  • January 1, 1937 Pittsburgh 21 Washington 0
  • January 1, 1938 California 13 Alabama 0
  • January 2, 1939 Southern California 7 Duke 3
  • January 1, 1940 Southern California 14 Tennessee 0
  • January 1, 1941 Stanford 21 Nebraska 13
  • January 1, 1942 Oregon State 20 Duke 16
  • January 1, 1943 Georgia 9 UCLA 0
  • January 1, 1944 Southern California 29 Washington 0
  • January 1, 1945 Southern California 25 Tennessee 0
  • January 1, 1946 Alabama 34 Southern California 14
  • January 1, 1947 Illinois 45 UCLA 14
  • January 1, 1948 Michigan 49 Southern California 0
  • January 1, 1949 Northwestern 20 California 14
  • January 2, 1950 Ohio State 17 California 14
  • January 1, 1951 Michigan 14 California 6
  • January 1, 1952 Illinois 40 Stanford 7
  • January 1, 1953 Southern California 7 Wisconsin 0
  • January 1, 1954 Michigan State 28 UCLA 20
  • January 1, 1955 Ohio State 20 Southern California 7
  • January 2, 1956 Michigan State 17 UCLA 14
  • January 1, 1957 Iowa 35 Oregon State 19
  • January 1, 1958 Ohio State 10 Oregon 7
  • January 1, 1959 Iowa 38 California 12
  • January 1, 1960 Washington 44 Wisconsin 8
  • January 2, 1961 Washington 17 Minnesota 7
  • January 1, 1962 Minnesota 21 UCLA 3
  • January 1, 1963 Southern California 42 Wisconsin 37
  • January 1, 1964 Illinois 17 Washington 7
  • January 1, 1965 Michigan 34 Oregon State 7
  • January 1, 1966 UCLA 14 Michigan State 12
  • January 2, 1967 Purdue 14 Southern California 13
  • January 1, 1968 Southern California 14 Indiana 3
  • January 1, 1969 Ohio State 27 Southern California 16
  • January 1, 1970 Southern California 10 Michigan 3
  • January 1, 1971 Stanford 27 Ohio State 17
  • January 1, 1972 Stanford 13 Michigan 12
  • January 1, 1973 Southern California 42 Ohio State 17
  • January 1, 1974 Ohio State 42 Southern California 21
  • January 1, 1975 Southern California 18 Ohio State 17
  • January 1, 1976 UCLA 23 Ohio State 10
  • January 1, 1977 Southern California 14 Michigan 6
  • January 2, 1978 Washington 27 Michigan 20
  • January 1, 1979 Southern California 17 Michigan 10
  • January 1, 1980 Southern California 17 Ohio State 16
  • January 1, 1981 Michigan 23 Washington 6
  • January 1, 1982 Washington 28 Iowa 0
  • January 1, 1983 UCLA 24 Michigan 14
  • January 2, 1984 UCLA 45 Illinois 9
  • January 1, 1985 Southern California 20 Ohio State 17
  • January 1, 1986 UCLA 45 Iowa 28
  • January 1, 1987 Arizona State 22 Michigan 15
  • January 1, 1988 Michigan State 20 Southern California 17
  • January 2, 1989 Michigan 22 Southern California 14
  • January 1, 1990 Southern California 17 Michigan 10
  • January 1, 1991 Washington 46 Iowa 34
  • January 1, 1992 Washington 34 Michigan 14
  • January 1, 1993 Michigan 38 Washington 31
  • January 1, 1994 Wisconsin 21 UCLA 16
  • January 2, 1995 Penn State 38 Oregon 20
  • January 1, 1996 Southern California 41 Northwestern 32
  • January 1, 1997 Ohio State 20 Arizona State 17
  • January 1, 1998 Michigan 21 Washington State 16
  • January 1, 1999 Wisconsin 38 UCLA 31
  • January 1, 2000 Wisconsin 17 Stanford 9
  • January 1, 2001 Washington 34 Purdue 24
  • January 3, 2002 Miami(FL) 37 Nebraska 14 (National Championship)
  • January 1, 2003 Oklahoma 34 Washington State 14
  • January 1, 2004 Southern California 28 Michigan 14
  • January 1, 2005 Texas 38 Michigan 37
  • January 4, 2006 Texas 41 Southern California 38 (National Championship)
  • January 1, 2007 Southern California 32 Michigan 18
  • January 1, 2008 Southern California 49 Illinois 17
  • January 1, 2009 Southern California 38 Penn State 24
  • January 1, 2010 Oregon vs. Ohio State
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