Nah, It Has to Be a Lot More Than a Man’s (Football) World

Pass the potato chips, please. In true Rose Bowl spirit, let’s examine the new book, “Why Men Watch football,” by Bob Andelman.

So, why do men watch football?

Basically, Andelman writes, because it gives men a chance to be separate from females:

“Men watching games with other men--and without women--creates a masculine space, not unlike an adolescent’s tree house.”

The author listed other reasons why men watch football, such as it’s fun, it has military appeal, some relish its mix with gambling and, lastly, it gives men something to talk about.

Something besides women, presumably.

Trivia time: Who was the USC lineman ejected in the first half of the 1963 Rose Bowl against Wisconsin for a personal foul?

Let it Snow: The first touchdown in Rose Bowl history was scored in 1902 by Michigan’s Neil Snow, who actually scored the first five in a 49-0 victory over Stanford.

Formation innovation: In the 1941 Rose Bowl, the country became aware of a new offensive concept, the T-formation, designed by Stanford Coach Clark Shaughnessy for quarterback Frankie Albert. Stanford defeated Nebraska, 21-13.

Small type: The smallest player to appear in the Rose Bowl was 128-pound Skeet Manerud of Oregon, who kicked a field goal and narrowly missed another that would have won the game for Oregon, which lost to Harvard, 7-6, in 1920.

What water shortage?In 1934, more than 2 1/2 million gallons of water were pumped out of the Rose Bowl by local fire departments after torrential rains had flooded the stadium. Columbia went on to defeat Stanford, 7-0.

Rose Bowl East: Because of a restriction on large crowds on the West Coast after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1942 Rose Bowl game was played in Durham, N.C. Oregon State defeated Duke, 20-16.

Vision quest: In 1956, Dave Kaiser, who had been injured all season and had not practiced field goals for two months, lost a contact lens during the game but still kicked a 41-yard field goal with seven seconds left as Michigan State defeated UCLA, 17-14.

Trivia answer: Marv Marinovich, father of former USC quarterback Todd Marinovich.

Quotebook: Times columnist Jim Murray, after watching USC defeat Michigan, 14-7, in the 1977 Rose Bowl: “Seven of the last eight games have been won by the guys who are supposed to bleed orange juice and play in sunglasses and train in swimming pools and go around dating movie stars and hanging 10 at Malibu.”