1944 Rose Bowl

1944 Rose Bowl
30th edition
Washington Huskies USC Trojans
(4–0) (7–2)
PCC PCC
0 29
Head coach: 
Ralph Welch		 Head coach: 
Jeff Cravath
AP
12
1234 Total
Washington 0000 0
USC 07139 29
DateJanuary 1, 1944
Season1943
StadiumRose Bowl
LocationPasadena, California
Player of the GameNorman Verry (G) – USC
FavoriteWashington: 5 to 2 odds[1]
RefereeT.M. Fitzpatrick (PCC)[2]
Attendance68,000 [3]
Rose Bowl
 < 1943  1945 > 

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 (Pacific Coast), necessitated by the travel restrictions imposed by the war effort.[4] 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.[2][5][6][7]

USC backup quarterback Jim Hardy threw three touchdown passes to lead the Trojans to their seventh Rose Bowl victory and eighth PCC championship.[2][5][8]

For the first time, the Rose Bowl was broadcast on the radio abroad to all American servicemen, with General Eisenhower in Western Europe allowing all troops who were not on the front lines to tune in and listen.[7][9]

  1. ^ "Washington, Trojans meet". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 1, 1944. p. 10.
  2. ^ a b c Shoemaker, Lisle (January 2, 1944). "Southern California upsets Washington". Sunday Morning Star. (Wilmington, Delaware). United Press. p. 23.
  3. ^ 2003 UW media guide, p. 323
  4. ^ "Bowl attendance likely be reduced". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 31, 1943. p. 9.
  5. ^ a b Frawley, Frank (January 2, 1944). "Southern California laces Washington, 29-0, in Rose Bowl". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. p. D1.
  6. ^ "Rose Bowl 1944". Rose Bowl History. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Eskenazi, David (November 1, 2011). "Wayback Machine: Pest Welch's Crazy War Years". Sportspress Northwest. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Rose Bowl 1944". mmbolding.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  9. ^ "Huskies (University of Washington) Football, 1889–2008". historylink.org. April 11, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.