1948 Rose Bowl

1948 Rose Bowl
34th Rose Bowl Game
1234 Total
USC 0000 0
Michigan 714721 49
DateJanuary 1, 1948
Season1947
StadiumRose Bowl
LocationPasadena, California
MVPBob Chappuis (Michigan HB)
FavoriteMichigan by 15
National anthemSpirit of Troy
RefereeRussell Rupp (Big Nine;
split crew: Big Nine, Pacific Coast)
Halftime showMichigan Marching Band Spirit of Troy
Attendance93,000 (estimated)[1]
Rose Bowl
 < 1947  1949

The 1948 Rose Bowl was the 34th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Thursday, January 1. The second-ranked and undefeated Michigan Wolverines of the Big Nine Conference routed the #8 USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific Coast Conference, 49–0.[2][3][4]

It was the second year of the initial five-year agreement between the conferences to match their champions each New Year's Day in Pasadena. Michigan halfback Bob Chappuis was named the Player of the Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively.[5]

Michigan tied the record for the most points scored by a team in the Rose Bowl, first set by the 1901 Wolverines in the first Rose Bowl and later matched by USC in 2008. Oregon supplanted the record in 2015. 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.[6] It was also the first time a U.S. motion picture newsreel was taken in color.[7] In a special unofficial AP Poll five days after the game, Michigan replaced Notre Dame as the 1947 national champion by a vote of 226 to 119.[8]

  1. ^ Official 2007 NCAA Division I football records book - PDF copy available at NCAA.org
  2. ^ "Michigan is no flash in the pan; the win another Rose Bowl game, 49-0". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 2, 1948. p. 9.
  3. ^ French, Bob (January 2, 1948). "Michigan accomplishes greatest rout in Trojan history". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. 30.
  4. ^ "After 49-0 loss to Michigan, USC coach says Irish are best". Pittsburgh Press. United Press. January 2, 1948. p. 46.
  5. ^ 2008 Rose Bowl Program Archived 2008-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, 2008 Rose Bowl. Accessed January 26, 2008.
  6. ^ Rose Bowl Game History - KTLA Archived 2008-03-08 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Kane, Joseph Nathan; Steven Anzovin; Janet Podell (1997). Famous First Facts: A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in American History. Lecture Notes in Mathematics 1358. H. W. Wilson Company; 5th edition. ISBN 0-8242-0930-3. Warner Brothers-Pathe started showing this first color newsreel to theater audiences on 5 Jan 1948. It was made using the Cinecolor process.
  8. ^ "Sports writers choose Michigan almost 2 to 1". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 7, 1948. p. 16.