| 1954 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 40th Rose Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1954 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1953 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Billy Wells (Michigan State HB) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Michigan State by 7 points[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | UCLA Band and Michigan State Marching Band combined | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | George Rennix (Big Ten; split crew: Big Ten, Pacific Coast) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | UCLA Band, Michigan State Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 100,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Mel Allen, Tom Harmon | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 1954 Rose Bowl was the 40th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Friday, January 1. The third-ranked Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference defeated the #5 UCLA Bruins of the Pacific Coast Conference, 28–20.[2][3][4] Michigan State halfback Billy Wells scored two touchdowns and was named the Player of the Game.[5]
This was the first year that Michigan State was counted in the Big Ten football standings, having been a member since 1950. This Rose Bowl had the first color television "colorcast," viewable on 200 sets across the United States.[6]