1961 Rose Bowl

1961 Rose Bowl
47th Rose Bowl Game
1234 Total
Minnesota 0070 7
Washington 31400 17
DateJanuary 2, 1961
Season1960
StadiumRose Bowl
LocationPasadena, California
Player of the GameBob Schloredt (QB Washington)
FavoriteMinnesota by 7 points[1]
National anthemUM Marching Band
RefereeLee Eisan (AAWU;
split crew: AAWU, Big Ten)
Halftime showUM Marching Band,
UW Marching Band
Attendance97,314
United States TV coverage
NetworkNBC (B/W)
AnnouncersMel Allen
Chick Hearn
Rose Bowl
 < 1960  1962

The 1961 Rose Bowl was the 47th Rose Bowl game, played on January 2, 1961, in Pasadena, California. The #6 Washington Huskies defeated the top-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, 17–7. Washington quarterback Bob Schloredt returned from a mid-season injury was named the Player Of The Game for the second straight year.[2] As New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, the major bowl games were played on Monday.

This was the first season of the new agreement with the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) to send their champion. Its predecessor, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), had dissolved after the 1958 season. The Big Ten Conference was no longer in a formal agreement with the Rose Bowl following the demise of the PCC:[3] Big Ten champion Minnesota received and accepted an "at-large" invitation.

The Great Rose Bowl Hoax occurred during halftime. As seen by an estimated 30 million television viewers, students from nearby Caltech altered the plans for the Washington card stunts, which spelled "CALTECH" instead of "HUSKIES" and showed the Caltech Beaver mascot instead of the Washington Husky.[4]

  1. ^ Missildine, Harry (January 2, 1961). "Gophers given TD edge over Huskies". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 14.
  2. ^ 2008 Rose Bowl Program Archived 2008-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, 2008 Rose Bowl. Accessed January 26, 2008.
  3. ^ "Rose Bowl to pick 'at large' eleven". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 22, 1960. p. 13.
  4. ^ The Great Rose Bowl Hoax of 1961. Legends of Caltech. Alumni Association, California Institute of Technology, 1982. Accessed 12 March 2006.