1946 Rose Bowl

Last updated

1946 Rose Bowl
32nd Rose Bowl Game
1234Total
USC0001414
Alabama7137734
DateJanuary 1, 1946
Season 1945
Stadium Rose Bowl
Location Pasadena, California
MVP Harry Gilmer (Alabama HB)
Favorite Alabama by 13 points [1] [2]
Referee Orian Landreth (Pacific Coast;
split crew: Pacific Coast, SEC) [3]
Attendance93,000
Rose Bowl
 < 1945   1947 > 

The 1946 Rose Bowl was the 32nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Tuesday, January 1.

Contents

The game matched the undefeated Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the #7 Trojans of the University of Southern California of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). [4] The Tide defeated the underdog Trojans 34–14. [5] [3] [6] [7] It was Alabama's sixth and final trip to the Rose Bowl until their College Football Playoff semifinal appearance in 2021 and Frank Thomas' final bowl trip as head coach.

Game summary

Alabama, known as the "wooden horse" led at the half 20–0 and the Trojans had a net loss of 24 yards. USC, which had won eight straight Rose Bowl games since 1923, didn't make a first down until the third quarter when the score was 27–0.

Alabama outgained USC 351 to 41 yards. Quarterback Harry Gilmer threw only eleven times in the game for one touchdown and ran for 116 yards on 16 carries. Hal Self scored twice, on a one-yard run and on a 24-yard Gilmer pass. Gilmer went over from the one, and Lowell Tew hit left guard from the two for points and Norwood Hodges scored up the middle on a one-yard plunge. Hugh Morrow kicked four extra points in the game. [5] [3] [6] [7] [8]

Scoring

First quarter

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

Aftermath

Following this game, the PCC and Big Nine (now Pac-12 and Big Ten) entered into an exclusive five-year agreement for their champions to meet in the Rose Bowl. It has been extended numerous times, and outside of rotations in the playoffs, it continues. Both conferences openly admitted restricting the Rose Bowl, because they were tired of getting beaten by teams playing "hillbilly ball," the same reason they cited for not inviting them before 1920.

This was the last Rose Bowl appearance by an SEC team for 72 years, when Georgia defeated Oklahoma in a national semifinal in early  2018. The first break in the Pac-12/Big Ten arrangement came in 2002, when it was the BCS Championship Game between Nebraska and  Miami.

See also

Related Research Articles

The 1990 Rose Bowl was the 76th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 1. The game was a rematch of the previous year, won by Michigan, 22–14. Gaining a measure of revenge, the USC Trojans upset the third-ranked Michigan Wolverines, 17–10. USC junior running back Ricky Ervins was named the Player Of The Game. This was Bo Schembechler's final game as Michigan's head coach, and he finished with a 2–8 record in Rose Bowls.

The 1961 Rose Bowl was the 47th Rose Bowl game, played on January 2, 1961, in Pasadena, California. The #6 Washington Huskies defeated the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, 17–7. Washington quarterback Bob Schloredt returned from a mid-season injury was named the Player Of The Game for the second straight year. As New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, the major bowl games were played on Monday.

The 1971 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 77th overall and 38th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 14th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished season with eleven wins and one loss, as SEC champions and with a loss to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

The 1970 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th overall and 37th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Bear Bryant, in his 13th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished season with six wins five losses and one tie and with a tie against Oklahoma in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.

The 1944 Rose Bowl was the thirtieth edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday, January 1. This was the only Rose Bowl game with teams from the same conference, necessitated by the travel restrictions imposed by the war effort. It determined the champion of the PCC for the 1943 season, and the USC Trojans shut out the Washington Huskies 29–0 in a one-sided game.

The 1966 Orange Bowl was the 32nd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, January 1. The final game of the 1965–66 bowl season, it matched the third-ranked and undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The 1980 Sugar Bowl was the 46th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Tuesday, January 1. Part of the 1979–80 bowl game season, it matched the undefeated and second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the #6 Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southwest Conference (SWC). Favored Alabama won 24–9, and gained their third national championship of the decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1926 Rose Bowl</span> College football game

The 1926 Rose Bowl Game was held on January 1, 1926, in Pasadena, California. The game is commonly referred to as "The Game That Changed The South." The game featured the Alabama Crimson Tide, making their first bowl appearance, and the Washington Huskies.

The 1938 Rose Bowl was the 24th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday, January 1. The game featured the second-ranked California Golden Bears of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) against the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), two of the top teams from the 1937 college football season. This game was the fifth trip to Pasadena for the Tide, which had gone without a loss in the previous four.

The 1938 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1938 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 45th overall and 6th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his eighth year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished the season with a record of seven wins, one loss and one tie.

The 1944 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1944 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 50th overall and 11th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his 13th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. They finished the season with a record of five wins, two losses and two ties and with a loss in the Sugar Bowl against Duke.

The 1945 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1945 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 51st overall and 12th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his 14th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. They finished with a perfect season and with a victory in the Rose Bowl over USC. This team was the second season of the "War Babies" as coined by head coach Thomas.

The 1946 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1946 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 52nd overall and 13th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Frank Thomas, in his 15th year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Legion Field in Birmingham and at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. They finished with a record of seven wins and four losses.

The 1947 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1947 college football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 53rd overall and 14th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The team was led by head coach Harold Drew, in his first year, and played their home games at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. They finished with a record of eight wins and three losses and with a loss in the Sugar Bowl.

The 1945 Rose Bowl was the 31st edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 1. The USC Trojans of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) defeated the Tennessee Volunteers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), 25–0.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1935 Rose Bowl</span> College football game

The 1935 Rose Bowl was the 21st Rose Bowl game, an American post-season college football game that was played on New Year's Day 1935 in Pasadena, California. It featured the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Stanford Indians. This was the second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance for Stanford's class of 1936 players, nicknamed the "Vow Boys".

The 1985 Aloha Bowl, part of the 1985 bowl game season, took place on December 28, 1985, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the USC Trojans of the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10). Alabama was victorious in by a final score of 24–3. Alabama running back Gene Jelks and linebacker Cornelius Bennett were named the game's co-MVPs.

The 1975 Orange Bowl was the 41st edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, January 1. Part of the 1974–75 bowl game season, it matched the ninth-ranked independent Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the undefeated #2 Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). It was a rematch of the previous season's Sugar Bowl. In a game dominated by both defenses, underdog Notre Dame held on to upset the Tide, 13–11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Alabama Crimson Tide football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. This season marked the Crimson Tide's 122nd overall season, 83rd as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and its 25th within the SEC Western Division. They played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and were led by tenth year head coach Nick Saban. They finished the season 14–1, were SEC champions and advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship game, for the second consecutive year, where they were defeated by Clemson.

The 2016 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as part of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by head coach Clay Helton in his first full season after replacing Steve Sarkisian in the sixth game of the 2015 season. They finished the season 10–3, 7–2 in Pac-12 play to finish in second place in the South Division. They were invited to the Rose Bowl where they defeated Big Ten Conference champion Penn State.

References

  1. Frawley, Frank (December 31, 1945). "Victory seen for Tide in Rose Bowl battle". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). Associated Press. p. 7.
  2. "13 bowl games to launch greatest year in sports". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. December 31, 1945. p. 13.
  3. 1 2 3 "'Bama humbles USC in Rose Bowl, 34-14". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. January 2, 1946. p. 24.
  4. Rose Bowl Game Timeline, Tournament of Roses
  5. 1 2 bassett, Norman (January 2, 1946). "Tide crushes great USC eleven; gala homecoming planned here". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). p. 1.
  6. 1 2 Becker, Bill (January 2, 1946). "Alabama beats U.S.C., 34-14". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. p. 7.
  7. 1 2 "Alabama wallops Trojans, 34 to 14". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1946. p. 8.
  8. 2009 Alabama Postseason Media Guide, University of Alabama, December 2009