1948 Rose Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1948 Rose Bowl was a college football
bowl game
played on January 1, 1948. It was the 34th Rose Bowl Game
, and the second since the Big Nine Conference
and the Pacific Coast Conference
reached an exclusive agreement to match their champions in the game each year. In the game, the Michigan Wolverines
defeated the USC Trojans; 49–0. Michigan halfback
Bob Chappuis
was named the Rose Bowl Player of The Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively.
Michigan tied the record for the most points scored by a team in the Rose Bowl, first set by the 1901 Michigan Wolverines
in the first Rose Bowl
and later matched by USC
in 2008
. Michigan also tied the game's record for largest margin of victory also set by the 1901 Michigan team that defeated Stanford
by an identical 49–0 score. The record of seven PATs
converted by Michigan kicker Jim Brieske remains unbroken, but was tied in 2008 by USC's David Buehler
.
The game was aired by local station KTLA
in the first telecast of a bowl game in the Greater Los Angeles Area
. It was also the first time a U.S. motion picture newsreel was taken in color. In a special AP Poll
following the game, Michigan replaced Notre Dame
as the 1947 national champion by a vote of 226 to 119.
, 7-–. They defeated #4 Cal
in October. USC's matchup with the defending conference champion UCLA Bruins
saw USC win, 6–0. The 1947 Notre Dame-USC game had 104,953 on hand, the highest attendance for a football game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
, to see 7–0–1 Rose Bowl bound USC lose to 8–0 Notre Dame, 38–7. USC dropped from #3 to #8 in the final AP Poll before the Rose Bowl.
, 21–0. Their close game was a 14–7 win at #11 Illinois
, the reigning Big Nine and 1947 Rose Bowl
champion.
were the stars for the Wolverines. Jack Weisenburger scored three touchdowns. Nine Rose Bowl records were set.
, taken before the bowls, had Notre Dame #1 (107 first place votes) and Michigan #2 (25 first place votes). Notre Dame did not play in a bowl game. After urging from Detroit Free Press
sports editor Lyall Smith
, the Associated Press
conducted its first ever post-bowl poll. Michigan won that poll 266–119.
The Wolverines continued their winning streak through the 1948 football season
, going 9–0. Because of a the no-repeat rule for the Rose Bowl, Northwestern
represented the Big Nine as the conference's second place team in the 1949 Rose Bowl
. The 1947 Wolverines's season total of 1,788 passing yards was a school record that stood until 1979
.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
played on January 1, 1948. It was the 34th Rose Bowl Game
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
, and the second since the Big Nine Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
and the Pacific Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
reached an exclusive agreement to match their champions in the game each year. In the game, the Michigan Wolverines
1947 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team, nicknamed the "Mad Magicians", represented the University of Michigan in the 1947 college football season. Coached by Fritz Crisler, the Wolverines finished undefeated and untied with a 10–0 record...
defeated the USC Trojans; 49–0. Michigan halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
Bob Chappuis
Bob Chappuis
Robert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
was named the Rose Bowl Player of The Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively.
Michigan tied the record for the most points scored by a team in the Rose Bowl, first set by the 1901 Michigan Wolverines
1901 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1901 college football season. In their first year under new head coach Fielding H. Yost, Michigan finished the season undefeated with an 11–0 record, outscored their opponents by the unprecedented total of 550...
in the first Rose Bowl
1902 Rose Bowl
Originally titled the "Tournament East-West football game," what is now known as the Rose Bowl Game was first played on January 1, 1902 in Pasadena, California, starting the tradition of New Year's Day bowl games.The inaugural game featured Fielding H...
and later matched by USC
2007 USC Trojans football team
The 2007 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2007–2008, winning a share of the Pacific-10 Conference Championship and winning the 2008 Rose Bowl...
in 2008
2008 Rose Bowl
The 2008 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi, the 94th Rose Bowl Game, played on January 1, 2008 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, was a college football bowl game. The contest was televised on ABC, the 20th straight year the network aired the Rose Bowl, starting at 4:30pm EST...
. Michigan also tied the game's record for largest margin of victory also set by the 1901 Michigan team that defeated Stanford
Stanford Cardinal football
The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...
by an identical 49–0 score. The record of seven PATs
Convert
The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...
converted by Michigan kicker Jim Brieske remains unbroken, but was tied in 2008 by USC's David Buehler
David Buehler
-Dallas Cowboys:He was drafted in the 5th round by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2009 NFL Draft, and the first kicker taken. He was the first USC kicker to be drafted since Cole Ford in 1995. He handles the team's kickoffs and missed his only field goal attempt in the Cowboys' opening regular season...
.
The game was aired by local station KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
in the first telecast of a bowl game in the Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...
. It was also the first time a U.S. motion picture newsreel was taken in color. In a special AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
following the game, Michigan replaced Notre Dame
1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1947 college football season. The Irish, coached by Frank Leahy, ended the season with 9 wins and no losses, winning the national championship. The 1947 team became the sixth Irish team to win the...
as the 1947 national champion by a vote of 226 to 119.
USC Trojans
USC had tied with RiceRice Owls football
The Rice Owls football team represents Rice University in NCAA Division I college football. The Owls have competed in Conference USA's Western Division since 2005. Rice Stadium, built in 1950, hosts the Owls' home football games.-Venue:...
, 7-–. They defeated #4 Cal
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
in October. USC's matchup with the defending conference champion UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
saw USC win, 6–0. The 1947 Notre Dame-USC game had 104,953 on hand, the highest attendance for a football game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
, to see 7–0–1 Rose Bowl bound USC lose to 8–0 Notre Dame, 38–7. USC dropped from #3 to #8 in the final AP Poll before the Rose Bowl.
Michigan Wolverines
The 1947 Michigan Wolverines, known as the "Mad Magicians," won the Big Nine title on the strength of strong offense and defense. They shut out four opponents, including Ohio State1947 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 1947 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented the Ohio State University in the college football season of 1947-1948. The Buckeyes compiled a 2–6–1 record, failing again to beat Michigan. They got outscored 60-150.-Schedule:...
, 21–0. Their close game was a 14–7 win at #11 Illinois
Illinois Fighting Illini football
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...
, the reigning Big Nine and 1947 Rose Bowl
1947 Rose Bowl
The 1947 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was the 33rd Rose Bowl Game. The Illinois Fighting Illini defeated the UCLA Bruins, 45–14. Illinois halfbacks Claude "Buddy" Young and Julius Rykovich shared the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game award. They were named the Rose Bowl Players...
champion.
Game summary
Bob Chappuis and Bump ElliottBump Elliott
Chalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
were the stars for the Wolverines. Jack Weisenburger scored three touchdowns. Nine Rose Bowl records were set.
Second quarter
- Michigan - Jack Weisenberger, 1-yard run (Jim Brieske kick)
- Michigan - Bump ElliottBump ElliottChalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
, 11-yard pass from Bob ChappuisBob ChappuisRobert Richard "Bob" Chappuis is a former American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II...
(Jim Brieske kick)
Fourth quarter
- Michigan - Jack Weisenberger, 1-yard run (Jim Brieske kick)
- Michigan - Gene DerricotteGene DerricotteEugene "Gene" Derricotte is a former American football player who played with the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1944 to 1948. He was one of the University's first African American athletes in the era when NCAA Division I college football was beginning to integrate...
, 45-yard pass from Hank Fonde (Jim Brieske kick) - Michigan - Dick Rifenberg, 29-yard pass from Howard Yerges (Jim Brieske kick)
Aftermath
The final regular season AP PollAP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, taken before the bowls, had Notre Dame #1 (107 first place votes) and Michigan #2 (25 first place votes). Notre Dame did not play in a bowl game. After urging from Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
sports editor Lyall Smith
Lyall Smith
Lyall F. Smith was an American sportswriter and sports editor. He was the sports editor and columnist for the Detroit Free Press from 1945 to 1965 and the president of the Baseball Writers Association of America from 1955 to 1956...
, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
conducted its first ever post-bowl poll. Michigan won that poll 266–119.
The Wolverines continued their winning streak through the 1948 football season
1948 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan during the 1948 college football season. The team's head coach was Bennie Oosterbaan. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium.-Schedule:...
, going 9–0. Because of a the no-repeat rule for the Rose Bowl, Northwestern
1948 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The 1948 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the 1948 college football season. The Wildcats won their first Rose Bowl in school history.-Season:...
represented the Big Nine as the conference's second place team in the 1949 Rose Bowl
1949 Rose Bowl
The 1949 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was the 35th Rose Bowl Game, and the third since the Big Nine Conference and Pacific Coast Conference agreed to an exclusive agreement to match their conference champions. The Northwestern Wildcats defeated the California Golden Bears 20-14...
. The 1947 Wolverines's season total of 1,788 passing yards was a school record that stood until 1979
1979 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1979 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1979 college football season. The team's head coach was Bo Schembechler...
.