1963 Rose Bowl


The 1963 Rose Bowl was the 49th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on Tuesday, January 1, at the end of the 1962 season. The top-ranked USC Trojans football team|USC Trojans] defeated the Wisconsin Badgers football team|Wisconsin Badgers], 42-37. The Associated Press and United Press International both awarding the national championship to USC in early December 1962, a month before the game was played. Nevertheless, the game was a de facto national championship game as both teams were competing for the Football Writers Association of America's Grantland Rice Trophy, and remained historic as the first matchup between the AP or UPI No. 1 vs. No. 2 in a bowl game, although such matchups had occurred previously in the regular season. The FWAA awarded USC with the ninth annual Grantland Rice Trophy after their victory.
The quarterbacks, Ron Vander Kelen of Wisconsin and Pete Beathard of USC, were named co-Players of the Game.
Down 42-14 in the fourth quarter, Vander Kelen put together a number of drives to score 23 unanswered points and put the Badgers in position to win the game. Due to the historic #1 versus #2 bowl match-up, the number of Rose Bowl records set, and the furious fourth quarter rally by Wisconsin, this game frequently appears on lists of "greatest bowl games of all time."

Teams

This was the first bowl game to pair the #1 and #2 teams in the AP Poll, although there had previously been six regular season #1 versus #2 games since the inception of the poll in 1936. This was the second Rose Bowl meeting between USC and Wisconsin and the fourth meeting, overall.

Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin finished the regular season 8–1, becoming the sole champion of the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers were undefeated except for a loss to conference rival 1962 [Ohio State Buckeyes football team|Ohio State] at Ohio Stadium, ranked #5 in the AP poll at the time. Notable victories were over then-#1 Northwestern Wildcats football team|Northwestern] during homecoming and a comeback victory over archrival Minnesota Golden Gophers football team|Minnesota], then ranked #5. The Badgers earned their third trip to the Rose Bowl.

USC Trojans

After consecutive losing seasons in 1960 and 1961, John McKay turned the Trojans around in his third season as head coach. The team opened with a defeat of #8 1962 [Duke Blue Devils football team|Duke]. Consecutive wins against SMU Mustangs football team|SMU], at Iowa Hawkeyes football team|Iowa], 1962 [California Golden Bears football team|California], and at 1962 [Illinois Fighting Illini football team|Illinois] got the Trojans ranked higher in the top 10. USC's biggest game of the season was against ninth-ranked Washington Huskies football team|Washington]; in the homecoming game on November 3, the Trojans blanked the Huskies 14–0. With that win, the Trojans were ranked number two behind Northwestern. On November 17, by beating Navy Midshipmen football team|Navy] and with 1962 [Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama] losing to 1962 [Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team|Georgia Tech] 7-6, USC ascended to the number one spot in the AP poll.
In the rivalry game against UCLA Bruins football team|UCLA], the Bruins led 3-0 until the fourth quarter, when the Trojans scored two touchdowns. In the final game for 1962 [Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame] head coach Joe Kuharich, USC shut out the 5-4 Fighting Irish at the Coliseum, breaking a five-game losing streak in the annual intersectional rivalry. The Trojans finished ranked number 1 for the first time in the history of the AP poll, and were undefeated for the first time since the twice-tied 1939 team won the Rose Bowl.

Game summary

USC tackle Marv Marinovich was ejected when he got caught elbowing Steve Underwood, the Wisconsin captain. Pete Beathard completed his fourth touchdown pass with 14:54 left in the game to put USC up 42-14.
Then the Badgers, led by Vander Kelen, put together one of the greatest comebacks in the history of college football, scoring 23 unanswered points in the fourth quarter before time ran out. The final score of the game was USC-42, Wisconsin-37. For their efforts, quarterbacks Beathard and Vander Kelen were both named the Rose Bowl MVPs.

Scoring

First quarter

  • USC touchdown Pete Beathard 13-yard pass to Ron Butcher
  • Wisconsin Touchdown 1-yard run by Ralph Kurek fullback

    Second quarter

  • USC touchdown Ben Wilson 1-yard run
  • USC touchdown Ron Heller 25-yard run

    Third quarter

  • USC touchdown Beathard pass to Hal Bedsole
  • Wisconsin touchdown VanderKelen 17-yard run
  • USC 23-yard touchdown pass by Pete Beathard to Hal Bedsole

    Fourth quarter

  • USC 13-yard touchdown pass by Pete Beathard to Fred Hill
  • Wisconsin touchdown Lou Holland
  • Wisconsin touchdown Gary Kroner
  • Wisconsin safety A bad snap on USC punt resulted in a UW safety.
  • Wisconsin touchdown VanderKelen 19-yard pass to Pat Richter for the final 42-37 score

    Rose Bowl records set

StatisticTotal, TeamStatus
First downs32, Wisconsincurrent
Passes attempted48, Wisconsinbroken in 1995
Passes intercepted3, Wisconsintied in 1984 – current
Passes completed33, Wisconsinbroken in 1995
Passing yards401, Wisconsinbroken in 1995
Most Plays??, Wisconsinbroken in 1995
Total Offense??, Wisconsinbroken in 1995
Combined points79, Wisconsin & USCbroken in 1991
touchdown passes4, USCtied in 1984, 2005 – current
Combined touchdown passes6, Wisconsin & USC???
Penalties12 for 93 yards, USC???

Aftermath

Eleven Rose Bowl records were set and four still stand as of 2008: most intercepted passes, most first downs by one team, and most penalties. The Rose Bowl record 79 total points scored in this game stood for nearly thirty years. The omitted records stood for more than thirty years, until broken by Oregon Ducks football team|Oregon] quarterback Danny O'Neil in 1995.
The 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic was the next #1 versus #2 bowl game, while the second #1 versus #2 Rose Bowl came in 1969.
Both of the consensus All-America Team|All-America] ends played in this game. Pat Richter and Hal Bedsole were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, in 1996 and 2012, respectively. This was Richter's last college game, while Bedsole was an underclassman.
Three players from this game have been inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. John McKay has also been inducted as a coach.
The game is considered by many to be among the greatest games in college football history, along with the 2006 Rose Bowl, among others.
USC's next Rose Bowl was four years later, the first of four consecutive; Wisconsin did not return for 31 years.