Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl began in 1902 when the Tournament of Roses Association decided to add a football game to their annual celebration. The first game was between Stanford and the University of Michigan. Michigan completely dominated the game, and Stanford gave up in the third quarter at a score of 49 to 0. The uneven game prompted the Tournament to abandon football until 1916.

By 1920, the football crowds had outgrown the stands at Tournament Park, and plans were made for a 57,000 seat stadium. The first football game in the newly named “Rose Bowl” was held on January 1, 1923.

In 1947, the Tournament entered into an exclusive contract with the Big Ten and Pacific Coast Conferences (The Pacific Coast Conference was renamed the Pacific-8 in 1968 and the Pacific-10 in 1978). From 1947 to 1998, the Rose Bowl featured a match between the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions.

In 1999, Big Ten and Pac-10 teams became part of the Bowl Championship Series, meaning the Rose Bowl could join the rotation of national championship bowl games. In 2002, the first non-Big 10/Pac 10 Rose Bowl was held since 1946, with Miami defeating Nebraska 37-14 for the national championship.

Click here for all past Rose Bowl results.

The Rose Bowl on the web…
The official site of the Rose Bowl
The Rose Bowl Stadium