The
Rose Bowl began in 1902 when the Tournament of Roses Association
decided to add a football game to their annual celebration. The
first game was between Stanford and the University of Michigan.
Michigan completely dominated the game, and Stanford gave up in
the third quarter at a score of 49 to 0. The uneven game prompted
the Tournament to abandon football until 1916.
By
1920, the football crowds had outgrown the stands at Tournament
Park, and plans were made for a 57,000 seat stadium. The first
football game in the newly named "Rose Bowl" was held
on January 1, 1923.
In 1947, the Tournament entered into an exclusive contract with
the Big Ten and Pacific Coast Conferences (The Pacific Coast Conference
was renamed the Pacific-8 in 1968 and the Pacific-10 in 1978).
From 1947 to 1998, the Rose Bowl featured a match between the
Big Ten and Pac-10 champions.
In 1999, Big Ten and Pac-10 teams became part of the Bowl Championship
Series, meaning the Rose Bowl could join the rotation of national
championship bowl games. In 2002, the first non-Big 10/Pac 10
Rose Bowl was held since 1946, with Miami defeating Nebraska 37-14
for the national championship.
Click here for all past
Rose Bowl results.