The inaugural Rose Bowl was a year before the flight at Kitty Hawk and was still being played last year as the Endeavor crawled through the streets of Los Angeles on the way to its final resting spot. Between the Rose’s first bloom in 1902 and this year’s 100th game, a plane covered a few hundred feet and a space shuttle covered 122 million miles. Time and the Granddaddy of bowl games march on.
Pittsburgh halfback Marshall Goldberg (42) carries the ball against Washington in the 1937 Rose Bowl game. Frank Patrick had two touchdown runs before Bill Daddio sealed Pittsburgh’s 21-0 victory with a 71-yard interception return in the fourth quarter. Both teams came into the game with 7-1-1 records. (George Strock / Los Angeles Times)
UCLA punter Bob Waterfield has his kick blocked by Georgia’s Willard Boyd during the 1943 Rose Bowl game. The ball rolled out of the end zone for a safety as Georgia won, 9-0, to complete an 11-1 season. The Bruins finished 7-4. (Charley Strite / Los Angeles Times)
Opponents from USC and Alabama vie for a pass during the 1946 Rose Bowl game. Alabama defeated USC, 34-14, to stop the Trojans from winning their ninth appearance in a row in the New Year’s Day game in Pasadena dating to 1923. (Collegiate Images / Getty Images)
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USC running back Willie Brown evades a Wisconsin defender as he heads up field in the 1963 Rose Bowl. The Trojans won a highly entertaining game, 42-37, to finish the season 11-0. It was the first bowl game to pair the Associated Press’ No. 1 and No. 2 teams and was the first bowl game to be broadcast by local television on KTLA. (Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
UCLA students halt traffic on Interstate 405 near Wilshire Boulevard after learning USC got the 1967 Rose Bowl bid. The Trojans would lose to Purdue, 14-13. (George Fry / Los Angeles Times)
Although officials ruled USC tailback Charles White (12) crossed the goal line before he fumbled in the 1979 Rose Bowl, this photo shows the ball coming loose before he reached the end zone. The Trojans would go on to win the game, 17-10, to finish the season with a 12-1 record. The Wolverines finished 10-2.
(Larry Sharkey / Los Angeles Times)USC tailback Charles White leaps over Ohio State defenders for a one-yard touchdown with 1 minute 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the score in the 1980 Rose Bowl. The point-after kick was good to give the Trojans a 17-16 victory in a battle of unbeaten teams. USC would finish the season 11-0-1, a 21-21 tie with Stanford the only blemish, while top-ranked Ohio State finished 11-1. Alabama finished the season ranked No. 1 after a 24-9 victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. (Rick Meyer / Los Angeles Times)