1955 Rose Bowl
| 1955 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 41st Rose Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1954 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Dave Leggett (Ohio State) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 89,191 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Mel Allen | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1955 Rose Bowl was a college football game played between the University of Southern California (USC) and the Ohio State University. Ohio State won the game, 20–7.[1]
Woody Hayes came into his first Rose Bowl tied for the national championship with PCC champion UCLA. However, #2 UCLA was locked out of the game because of the "no-repeat" rule.[2]
Teams
Ohio State
The quarterback for Ohio State was Dave Leggett. Mr. Leggett threw eleven passes, completing six, one a touchdown pass to Robert Archbald Watkins Jr.[1] Hopalong Cassady ran for 92 yards and led the Bucks to 304 yards on the ground and an overall advantage of 360-206 yards in total offense.
USC
The only touchdown by USC was an 86-yard punt return by Aramis Dandoy.
Game summary
The teams played in the first rainstorm to hit Pasadena during a Rose Bowl in more than 50 years.[3]The fans were under umbrellas, and it rained during the entire game, turning the field to mud.[4]
Scoring
Second quarter
- OSU – Dave Leggatt 3-yard run (Weed kick good)
- OSU – Bob Watkins 21-yard pass from Leggett (Watkins kick good)
- USC – Aramis Dandoy 86-yard punt return (Tsagalakis kick good)
Fourth quarter
- OSU – Dick Harkrader 9-yard run (Weed kick blocked)
Aftermath
- Ohio State won a shared National Championship for the 1954 season. It was the first "split" championship in college football, when the writers selected the Buckeyes and the coaches chose the Bruins.
Game notes
- The game was played in the rain; Coach Hayes was not happy that the bands performed the halftime show on the already muddy field
References
- 1 2 Rose Bowl 1955 Archived 2007-07-18 at the Wayback Machine., from RoseBowlHistory.com.
- ↑ Boyles, Bob; Paul Guido (2007). 50 Years of College Football: A Modern History of America's Most Colorful Sport. Skyhorse Publishing Inc. p. 58. ISBN 1-60239-090-8.
- ↑ 2011 Rose Bowl Historic Media Guide, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, December 2011
- ↑ Lesmirises, Doug - Buckeyes Rose Bowl Rewind: National championship glory in the mud of 1955. Cleveland Plain Dealer, December 16, 2009 Quote: "Through mud, slime, murk and driving rain, Ohio State's dauntless Buckeyes today reached the all-time zenith of the University's football history. Ploughing through muck in the fog and semi-darkness, the Buckeyes vanquished Southern California, 20 to 7, in the worst weather conditions of Rose Bowl history."