Rose Bowl Celebrates Its 100th: Ten Games That Help Define The Granddaddy Slideshow
1925: Notre Dame-Stanford
The Rose Bowl is where the famed Four Horsemen of Notre Dame played their final game together. This helped give the game a boost prestige in its early years. The Irish won 27-10 against a Stanford team coached by Pop Warner.
1929: Cal-Georgia Tech
Roy Riegels was an All-American center for Cal, but he will always be better remembered as Wrong Way Roy for his Rose Bowl error. Riegels picked up a fumble and ran it 69 yards in the wrong direction. He had started in the right direction but got disoriented when he spun to avoid a tackle. He was stopped at the 1-yard line. Cal was unable to pick up a first down and punted from the end zone. It was blocked for a safety, and Georgia Tech ended up winning 8-7.
1963: USC-Wisconsin
This was the first time that the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the nation faced off in any bowl game. No. 1 USC opened up a 42-14 heading into the fourth quarter. Then the Badgers, led by quarterback Ron Vander Kelen, made a furious comeback that fell just short. USC hung on, 42-37, and won the national title.
1975: USC-Ohio State
With 2:03 left, USC quarterback Pat Haden threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to cut Ohio State's lead to 17-16. Trojans coach John McKay, who had gone for a two-point conversion late in USC's 14-13 loss to Purdue in the 1967 Rose Bowl, went for the gusto again. This time Haden connected with receiver Shelton Diggs. The Trojans won 18-17 in McKay's final Rose Bowl and earned the national championship in the coaches' poll. Oklahoma won the AP sportswriters' poll but was banned from a bowl due to NCAA sanctions.
1976: UCLA-Ohio State
No. 1 Ohio State, which featured two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin, was unbeaten and more than a two-touchdown favorite against the Bruins. But John Sciarra hit Wally Henry with a 67-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to help UCLA extend its lead to 16-3. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and UCLA won 23-10. The game was notable in that it turned out to Hayes' final Rose Bowl. It was also Vermeil's last game at UCLA as he went to the Philadelphia Eagles. Vermeil is the only coach to have won the Rose Bowl and Super Bowl.
1980: USC-Ohio State
Under first-year head coach Earle Bruce, the Buckeyes entered the game unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. Ohio State led 16-10 in the fourth quarter, but Charles White, who finished with 247 rushing yards, scored a touchdown to give USC the 17-16 win. The loss by Ohio State allowed Alabama to claim the national title.
1997: Ohio State-Arizona State
Entering the bowls, Arizona State and Florida State were the nation's only unbeaten teams. Florida State ended up losing to Florida in the Sugar Bowl, so a win for Arizona State in the Rose Bowl would've likely made the Sun Devils the national champs. Arizona State, which had Pat Tillman on defense, went ahead 17-14 on quarterback Jake Plummer's 11-yard run with 1:40 left. But quarterback Joe Germaine responded with a 65-yard touchdown drive. It ended with his five-yard TD pass to David Boston with 20 seconds left, and the Buckeyes won 20-17.
1998: Michigan-Washington State
Wolverines cornerback Charles Woodson became one of the few Heisman Trophy recipients to win a national title in the same season as Michigan defeated Washington State 21-16. Woodson intercepted a pass in the end zone and also caught one pass on offense for seven yards. Michigan quarterback Brian Griese, who threw three touchdown passes, was the game's MVP. His dad, Bob Griese, who had led Purdue to victory in the 1967 Rose Bowl, worked the game as ABC color commentator. This was the last year before the Rose Bowl became part of the BCS.
2005: Texas-Michigan
This was the first meeting ever between two of the nation's premier programs, and Longhorns quarterback Vince Young had a spectacular day. He ran for four touchdowns, including a 60-yarder, and threw for another. Michigan went ahead 37-35 after kicking a field goal with three minutes left. But Young drove Texas close enough on the final drive for Dusty Mangum to kick a 37-yard field as time expired for a 38-37 win.
2006: Texas-USC
This year was designated as the BCS title game, and two-time reigning champ USC and Texas each entered with 12-0 records. Vince Young scored on a touchdown run to cut USC's lead 38-33 with four minutes left. On its next possession, the Trojans had a fourth-and-2 at their own 45. Coach Pete Carroll kept Reggie Bush on the bench, and Texas stopped LenDale White to take over. Young then scored the go-ahead touchdown (and two-point conversion) as Texas won the game 41-38 and its first national title since 1970.
