60 Fun Facts About Rose Bowl

In which city is the Rose Bowl Game traditionally played?

The game is played in the Arroyo Seco, about 10 miles north-northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Pasadena co-owns the Rose Bowl name with the Tournament of Roses.

Which broadcaster gave the Rose Bowl its nickname, "The Granddaddy of Them All"?

Jackson called the game for ABC for decades. A statue of him was unveiled at the stadium's Rose Plaza in December 2019.

In what year was the very first Rose Bowl game played?

It was billed as the Tournament East–West football game. Football then vanished from the festivities until 1916, when it returned for good.

The 1902 game was so lopsided that Stanford quit in the third quarter. Which team beat them 49–0?

Fielding H. Yost's 1901 Michigan team finished 11–0. Yost had coached Stanford the season before.

After the 1902 blowout, what did the Tournament of Roses stage instead of football for 13 years?

The festivities also once featured a race between a camel and an elephant. The elephant won.

Which school beat Brown in the 1916 game and has not won it since?

Washington State's win predates the Pacific Coast Conference. As of 2026 the Cougars have not won a Rose Bowl since.

Why was a football game added to the New Year's festivities in 1902?

The parade came first, in 1890, and the game was a fundraiser for it. Today the game is the far bigger business.

The trophy given to the winning team is named for which family of Tournament of Roses presidents?

It is named for William L. and Lathrop K. Leishman, two former Tournament of Roses presidents.

Where were Rose Bowl games played before the stadium opened, near the Caltech campus?

It was about three miles southeast of the current stadium. Its temporary stands could not handle crowds above 40,000.

The Rose Bowl stadium's design was modeled on the football bowl of which university?

Architect Myron Hunt designed it in 1921. Even the name "Rose Bowl" was a nod to the then-unusual name of the New Haven venue.

Because of fears of a Japanese attack after Pearl Harbor, the 1942 Rose Bowl was played in which state?

Duke invited the game and Oregon State to its home stadium in Durham. Oregon State won, and the game returned home the next year.

Where was the 2021 Rose Bowl, a Playoff semifinal, played after COVID-19 forced its relocation?

The state denied a request to admit some fans, so the CFP moved the game to the Dallas Cowboys' stadium. It was only the second time the game left Pasadena.

From 1947 to 2023, the Rose Bowl matched the Big Ten champion against which conference's champion?

The pairing began with the Big Nine–Pacific Coast Conference deal for the 1947 game, UCLA versus Illinois. UCLA, USC, Minnesota and Illinois had all voted against it.

In which year did the Rose Bowl join other bowls to form the Bowl Championship Series?

For the first time the Rose Bowl agreed to release the Big Ten or Pac-10 champion if they were ranked No. 1 or No. 2.

Who played in the 2002 Rose Bowl BCS title game, the first since 1946 without a Big Ten or Pac-10 team?

Nebraska's selection was controversial because Oregon was ranked No. 2 in both polls, and the Cornhuskers hadn't even played in their conference title game.

The 2006 Rose Bowl drew the biggest college football TV audience since which 1987 bowl game?

USC came in on a 34-game winning streak with two Heisman winners; 35.6 million people watched the Longhorns beat them.

Which Texas quarterback was named Rose Bowl Player of the Game in both 2005 and 2006?

He is one of only four players to win the award twice, alongside Bob Schloredt, Charles White and Ron Dayne.

Which team was the first from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to play in the Rose Bowl in the BCS era, in 2011?

The 12–0 Horned Frogs of the Mountain West beat No. 5 Wisconsin 21–19, satisfying a 'first time' clause in the BCS agreement.

Which two teams met in the 100th Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2014?

The Spartans won 24–20. It was also the first Rose Bowl in which the anthem was performed by singers rather than a marching band.

Whose 29-game winning streak did Oregon end in the 2015 Rose Bowl, the first Playoff semifinal?

Oregon won 59–20. The Seminoles were also the first ACC team ever to play in the game.

Which team lost the 2017 Rose Bowl 52–49 to USC, setting the record for most points by a losing side?

The 101 combined points capped a shootout that has since been remembered as one of the greatest Rose Bowls ever played.

Georgia's 54–48 win in the 2018 Rose Bowl semifinal was the first Rose Bowl decided how?

It took double overtime. The 2024 semifinal became only the second Rose Bowl to need extra time.

Which two players are the only ones to have started in four Rose Bowl games?

Griffin's Ohio State went from 1973 to 1976 under Woody Hayes; Cushing's USC went from 2006 to 2009 under Pete Carroll.

Which is the most frequent Rose Bowl matchup, played for the eighth time in 2007?

USC leads that Rose Bowl series 6–2. USC–Ohio State is next, with seven meetings.

Which two current Big Ten members, both of which joined in 2014, have never appeared in a Rose Bowl?

Nebraska has played in the game twice, but never as a Big Ten member. Both losses (1941 and 2002) came before it joined.

The 1956 Rose Bowl set a mark that still stands: what share of all US TV households watched it?

NBC carried the game from 1952 to 1988. As the number of bowls multiplied, ratings slid until NBC gave up the rights when its share fell below 20.

The 1962 Rose Bowl marked what broadcasting milestone for college football?

The 1952 game had been the first nationally televised bowl; high definition did not arrive until the 2005 edition.

Which company became the Rose Bowl's first 'presenting' sponsor in 1999?

Unlike other bowls, the sponsor was tacked on as a presenter rather than into the game's title. Sony's PlayStation 2 took over in 2002 and Citi from 2003 to 2010.

Which company became the first to sponsor two New Year's Six bowls at once with the 2021 Rose Bowl?

It also sponsored the Orange Bowl. The 2022 game was branded for its Venture X travel card.

The Rose Bowl long kicked off at 2 p.m. PT. What visual is a key part of its tradition?

In 2026 the kickoff moved an hour earlier, to 1 p.m. PT, so it would not push back the Sugar Bowl.

Who traditionally presents the Rose Bowl coin toss?

If the grand marshal cannot attend, the president of the Tournament of Roses Association steps in.

Unlike most big games, the Rose Bowl halftime show features only what?

A portion of each band's performance is guaranteed television time under the broadcast contract.

How many Super Bowls have been played at the Rose Bowl stadium?

That's the third most of any venue, despite the stadium never being an NFL team's full-time home. The first was Super Bowl XI in January 1977.

Which two teams met in Super Bowl XI, the first Super Bowl played at the Rose Bowl?

The Raiders won 32–14. Super Bowl XIV there in 1980 drew 103,985, still an NFL postseason attendance record.

The Rose Bowl hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final. Which two teams played it?

It ended 0–0 after extra time and Brazil won the shootout 3–2, making it the first World Cup final decided on penalties.

Which US player's 1999 World Cup penalty celebration is shown in a statue outside the Rose Bowl?

The image of her pulling off her jersey was described by The New York Times as the most iconic photograph ever taken of a female athlete.

Which college football team has used the Rose Bowl as its home stadium since 1982?

The Bruins left the L.A. Coliseum when the Raiders moved in. They travel 26 miles from campus for home games but only 14 miles for their road game at USC.

Which sport was contested at the Rose Bowl during the 1932 Summer Olympics?

Fifty-two years later the stadium hosted the 1984 Olympic soccer final, and it will host both soccer gold-medal matches in 2028.

Which country beat Brazil 2–0 at the Rose Bowl to win 1984 Olympic soccer gold before 101,799 fans?

That crowd stood as the largest for a soccer game in the United States until a 2014 Manchester United–Real Madrid friendly in Ann Arbor.

Whose Italian Renaissance-style mansion became the Tournament of Roses headquarters, Tournament House, after 1958?

William Wrigley Jr.'s Italian Renaissance-style home was given to the city on condition it became the parade's permanent home.

Which local society of transplanted Easterners staged the first Rose Parade in 1890?

Its members were transplanted Easterners who wanted to show off the region's mild winter. The club still enters a flower-covered carriage every year.

Why is the Rose Parade never held on a Sunday?

The rule dates from 1893. When January 1 falls on a Sunday, the parade and game shift to Monday, January 2.

What is the rule for what may cover the outside of every Rose Parade float?

Seaweed, vegetables and nuts all qualify; artificial or dyed materials do not. Anaheim's 2008 float carried the Stanley Cup, which commentators guessed required an exception.

Since the mid-1990s, a flyover by which aircraft has signaled the start of the Rose Parade?

The stealth bomber stayed grounded for the 2006 and 2026 parades because of rain.

Which company, presenting sponsor of the Rose Parade since 2011, gets the first float?

Like every other entry, that lead float has to follow the year's parade theme.

Which Pac-10 team was controversially passed over for the 2005 Rose Bowl in favour of Texas on BCS computer rankings?

It was only the second time a West Coast team missed the game. Texas then beat the Wolverines behind four touchdowns from its quarterback.

Which school made its first Rose Bowl appearance in 2003 against the Cougars because the Orange Bowl grabbed Iowa first?

Ohio State, the Big Ten co-champion, had gone off to play for the national title, so the Rose Bowl had to fill the slot from outside its usual conferences.

Which venue overtook the Rose Bowl in 1998 as the largest-capacity football ground in the US?

The Rose Bowl's stated capacity had peaked at 104,594 from 1972 to 1997 before seats were removed.

Which team was the exception to the 'no repeat' rule, playing in both the 1961 and 1962 Rose Bowls?

Second-ranked Ohio State's faculty council voted against going in 1962, letting the Gophers return.

Stanford set the record for most first-half points in a Rose Bowl, 35, against which team in 2016?

The Cardinal won 45-16 in a Pac-12 champion versus Big Ten West matchup.

Which HDTV maker sponsored the Rose Bowl under a four-year deal from 2010 to 2014?

Citi ended its sponsorship in June 2010, and Northwestern Mutual took over from 2015 to 2020.

Which Rose Bowl edition was the first broadcast in high definition?

ABC held the rights from 1989 to 2010, and the Rose Bowl kept its independent TV contract even after Fox won the other BCS games.

As of the 2025 season, which ex-Pac-12 school had not played in a Rose Bowl since 1959?

Minnesota (1962) and Oregon State (1965) had the next-longest droughts; Nebraska had appeared twice without winning.

Which organisation created the Rose Bowl Player of the Game award in the 1940s?

Executive director Bill Schroeder polled a board of sportswriters, and honours were awarded retroactively back to 1902.

Which Washington quarterback was Rose Bowl Player of the Game in both 1960 and 1961?

He is one of just four two-time winners alongside Charles White, Ron Dayne and Vince Young.

Which architect designed the Rose Bowl stadium in 1921?

His design drew on the Yale Bowl, and the Arroyo Seco was chosen as the site.

Which two teams played the first game at the new Rose Bowl stadium in October 1922?

Cal won 12-0 but declined the Rose Bowl invitation, so USC went instead and beat Penn State at the official dedication on January 1, 1923.

What is the record attendance for a Rose Bowl Game, set in 1973 when USC met Ohio State?

It remains the NCAA bowl record; the smallest crowd, 35,000, watched Columbia beat Stanford in 1934.

What was the old 1922 Rose Bowl locker room converted into in 2017?

Its sections cover the stadium's construction, the Rose Bowl games, UCLA football and the Super Bowls played there.

On which day each month is the Rose Bowl Flea Market, claimed as the West Coast's largest, held?

Promoter R.G. Canning hosts it on the stadium parking lots; the stadium also stages the 'Turkey Tussle' high-school game.