1941 Rose Bowl

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

1941 Rose Bowl
27th Rose Bowl Game
1234Total
Nebraska760013
Stanford777021
DateJanuary 1, 1941
Season 1940
Stadium Rose Bowl
Location Pasadena, California
MVP Peter Kmetovic (Stanford HB)
Favorite Stanford: 1 to 2 odds [1]
Referee Louis "Dutch" Conlan (Pacific Coast;
split crew: Pacific Coast, Big Six) [2] [3]
Attendance92,000
Rose Bowl
 < 1940   1942 > 

The 1941 Rose Bowl was the 27th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, January 1. The undefeated and second-ranked Stanford Indians of the Pacific Coast Conference defeated the #7 Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Six Conference, 21–13. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

This was Nebraska's first bowl game and the eighth for Stanford, all in the Rose Bowl. Through 2020, it remains the only meeting between these football programs. [7] This was the last edition of the Rose Bowl to feature a team from the Big Eight (now Big 12) until 2002.

Teams

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska was 8–1 going into the Rose Bowl and ranked seventh in the nation; their only blemish was a 13–7 loss at top-ranked Minnesota, [8] who did not play in a bowl game. After the announcement of the Rose Bowl acceptance, the celebration that followed lasted for 24 hours in Lincoln, according to newspaper reports. University classes were canceled, and students stormed the state capitol, demanding that the governor lead the singing of the school song, "There Is No Place Like Nebraska." Led by fourth-year head coach Biff Jones, the Cornhuskers had two All-Americans: Warren Alfson and Forrest Behm.

Stanford Indians

Stanford was led by first-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy, who brought a revolutionary football style called the T formation. [9] [10] This new style of playing was filled with tricks, fakes, and pitchouts that helped the Indians to a perfect 9–0 regular season and a nickname of the "Wow Boys", a nod to Stanford's "Vow Boys" teams of the mid-1930s. The new features of the style involved quarterback Frankie Albert taking the snap directly from the center.

The season before, the 1939 Stanford varsity had been winless in their seven conference games under seventh-year head coach Tiny Thornhill and finished 1–7–1 overall. [9] [10]

Game summary

Scoring

First quarter

  • NEBR - Vike Francis 2 run (Francis kick).
  • STAN - Hugh Gallarneau 9 run (Frankie Albert kick).

Second quarter

  • NEBR - Allen Zikmund 33 pass from Herm Rohrig (kick blocked).
  • STAN - Gallarneau 41 pass from Albert (Albert kick).

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

No Scoring

Highlight of the game

The highlight of the game is often considered to be one of the best plays in Rose Bowl history. The Indians drove from their own 23-yard line to the Cornhusker one-yard line before a valiant goal-line stand by Nebraska denied Stanford the end zone. Stanford had four cracks at the end zone from the one-yard line, but the Cornhuskers held each time.

Trailing by one point late in the third quarter, Nebraska took over on their own one and opted to punt on first down, which started the play of the game. Kmetovic took the punt at the Cornhusker 40-yard line and dashed and darted his way to the end zone, giving Stanford a 21–13 lead, which was the final score. [4] [5] [11]

Statistics

Team StatsStanfordNebraska
First downs159
Rushing yards20258
Passing (att–com–int)13–6–214–4–0
Passing yards6885
Total offense375128

Note: Both schools report slightly different stats, these stats are from Nebraska's records [12]

Aftermath

This game is generally considered the clincher that convinced football pundits that the T formation style was the offense of the future.

As the program's first bowl, the game retains a special place in Cornhuskers history; Hall of Fame head coach Bob Devaney arrived in 1962 and used to joke that he'd been in the state several years before he found out that Nebraska had actually lost the 1941 Rose Bowl.

This game is described in detail by David Dodge in his mystery novel, Shear the Black Sheep, published in 1942.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Gallarneau</span> American football player (1917–1999)

Hugh Harold "Duke" Gallarneau was an American professional player who was a halfback in the National Football League (NFL) from 1941 to 1942 and 1945 to 1947 for the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Stanford, where he was an All-American.

In college football, the Flea Kicker was a notable play executed by the Nebraska Cornhuskers against the Missouri Tigers on November 8, 1997 that sent the game into overtime and resulted in a win for the Cornhuskers who went on to share the NCAA Division I-A National Championship with the Michigan Wolverines. The final minutes of the game were seen by many people on ABC, after other regional games ended.

The 1990 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl was the 19th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, in Tempe, Arizona. The game featured the sixth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the independent fifth-ranked Florida State Seminoles.

The 1986 Fiesta Bowl was the 15th edition of the Fiesta Bowl, a college football bowl game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, on Wednesday, January 1. Part of the 1985–86 bowl game season, it matched the fifth-ranked Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference and the seventh-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference; both were runners-up in their respective conferences.

The 1979 Orange Bowl was the 45th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Monday, January 1. Part of the 1978–79 bowl game season, it matched the fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners and #6 Nebraska Cornhuskers, both of the Big Eight Conference.

The 1972 Orange Bowl was the 38th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, January 1. The final game of the 1971–72 bowl season, it matched the top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was a rematch of the 1966 Orange Bowl, where Alabama defeated Nebraska to win the national championship. Both teams were undefeated; Nebraska, the defending national champion, built a large lead in the first half and won 38–6.

The 1971 Orange Bowl was the 37th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Friday, January 1. Part of the 1970–71 bowl season, it matched the third-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, champions of the Big Eight Conference, and the #5 LSU Tigers, champions of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The 1985 Sugar Bowl was the 51st edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Tuesday, January 1. Part of the 1984–85 bowl game season, it matched the fifth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the #11 LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The teams had met two years earlier in the Orange Bowl. Favored Nebraska trailed early, but rallied to win 28–10.

The 1987 Sugar Bowl was the 53rd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the 1986–87 bowl game season, it featured the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and number 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference. Favored Nebraska trailed early and won, 30–15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Kmetovic</span> American football player (1919–1990)

Peter George Kmetovic(Pronounced: "Kuh-MET-o-vick") was an American football player and coach. A high school football star and acclaimed track and field sprinter, as a junior Kmetovic was the starting left halfback for the undefeated 1940 Stanford University team, remembered as "The Wow Boys," leading the squad in scoring and yards per carry. The team's season culminated with a victory in the 1941 Rose Bowl over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, with Kmetovic named as Player of the Game.

The 1940 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nebraska in the Big Six Conference during the 1940 college football season. In its fourth season under head coach Biff Jones, the team compiled an 8–2 record, won the Big Six championship, was ranked No. 7 in the final AP Poll, and lost to Stanford in the 1941 Rose Bowl. The Cornhuskers outscored opponents by a total of 183 to 75. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1940 Stanford Indians football team</span> American college football season

The 1940 Stanford Indians football team, nicknamed the "Wow Boys", represented Stanford University as a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1940 college football season. First-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy inherited a team that finished with a 1–7–1 record the previous season. He installed his own version of the T formation, a system that had largely fallen into disuse since the 1890s and was viewed as obsolete. The Indians shocked observers when they won all ten of their games including the Rose Bowl, which prompted several selectors to declare them the 1940 national champions. Stanford's dramatic reversal of fortunes prompted football programs across the nation to abandon the single-wing formation in favor of the newly reminted T formation.

The 1955 Orange Bowl was the 21st edition of the college football bowl game, held in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, January 1. It matched the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Seven Conference. Duke, ranked fourteenth in both polls, was favored by two touchdowns, and won, 34–7.

The 1941 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Nebraska in the Big Six Conference during the 1941 college football season. In its fifth season under head coach Biff Jones, the team compiled a 4–5 record, tied for second place in the Big Six, and outscored opponents by a total of 93 to 81.

The 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl was a college football bowl game played after the 1990 regular season, with national championship implications. Played on January 1 in Orlando, Florida, the 45th edition of the Citrus Bowl featured the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Cotton Bowl Classic</span> College football game

The 1980 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 44th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Tuesday, January 1. Part of the 1979–80 bowl game season, it matched the seventh-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the #8 Houston Cougars of the Southwest Conference (SWC). A slight underdog, Houston rallied to win, 17–14.

The 1975 Fiesta Bowl was the fifth edition of the college football bowl game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona on Friday, December 26. Part of the 1975–76 bowl game season, it matched the sixth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the undefeated #7 Arizona State Sun Devils of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The underdog Sun Devils won, 17–14.

The 1974 Sugar Bowl was the 41st edition of the Sugar Bowl, a college football bowl game traditionally held in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was played on New Year's Eve at the conclusion of the 1974 NCAA Division I football season and featured the #8 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the #18 ranked Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference. Both teams featured stout defenses, and at the end of three quarters, the underdog Gators held a 10–0 lead over the favored Huskers, who had committed five turnovers up to that point. However, Nebraska relied on its strong running game in the final period to rally for a 13–10 win, the program's first Sugar Bowl victory.

The 1964 Orange Bowl was the thirtieth edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, January 1. Part of the 1963–64 bowl game season, it featured the sixth-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference and the #5 Auburn Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Nebraska scored early and won 13–7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 Pittsburgh Panthers football team</span> American college football season

The 1932 Pittsburgh Panthers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Pittsburgh as an independent during the 1932 college football season. In its ninth season under head coach Jock Sutherland, the team compiled an 8–1–2 record, shut out eight of its eleven opponents, suffered its sole loss to USC in the 1933 Rose Bowl, and outscored all opponents by a total of 182 to 60. The team played its home games at Pitt Stadium in Pittsburgh.

References

  1. McLemore, Henry (December 31, 1940). "Stanford is 1-to-2 favorite over Nebraska". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 21.
  2. "Rose Bowl officials named for big game". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 17, 1940. p. 14.
  3. "Game statistics". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 2, 1941. p. 11.
  4. 1 2 "Stanford's Team of Destiny turns back Nebraska in Rose Bowl game". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1941. p. 10.
  5. 1 2 McLemore, Henry (January 2, 1941). "Albert's handling crowns Stanford's greatest season". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 20.
  6. "Title Unknown" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  7. "Title Unknown". Archived from the original on January 4, 2018.
  8. Super, Henry (December 16, 1940). "'Wear down the enemy, then score' – that's Nebraska's bowl plan". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 25.
  9. 1 2 Super, Henry (December 17, 1940). "Stanford great gambler...but always makes its point". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. p. 31.
  10. 1 2 "Stanford coach has confidence". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 1, 1941. p. 11.
  11. "1941 Rose Bowl recap, Stanford version -- HuskerPedia". Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  12. "1941 Rose Bowl, Nebraska vs Stanford football » HuskerMax game page". HuskerMax. Retrieved May 22, 2021.