Six ESPN Analysts Who Participated in Rose Bowl Provide Thoughts on Historic Game
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The Rose Bowl has hosted some of the best games, memorable plays and biggest names in college football over the course its history. ESPN – which will televise the 100th Rose Bowl on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 5 p.m. ET – and ABC have combined to televise every Rose Bowl since 1989. Multiple ESPN platforms have documented the game for fans, including ESPN Radio every year since 1998 and ESPN Deportes’ first Spanish language telecast in the US in 2013.
Six of ESPN’s college football analysts have participated in the Rose Bowl, including two who secured a National Championship with a victory: Ed Cunningham with Washington in 1992 and Brian Griese, who is a member of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, with Michigan in 1998.
The analysts, along with Cunningham and Griese, include Mike Bellotti (Oregon; 1995), Desmond Howard (Michigan; 1989, 1990 & 1992), David Norrie (UCLA; 1983, 1984 & 1986) and Chris Spielman (Ohio State; 1985) – provided their thoughts on the historic game.
Bellotti: “I have been to the Rose Bowl three times: as an announcer in 2002, an offensive coordinator in 1995 and an Athletic Director in 2010. The most fun was 1995 as Oregon’s OC. We were playing an awesome Penn State team coached by Joe Paterno and were a significant underdog. We decided we were going to have to throw the ball frequently to stay in the game. My quarterback, Danny O’Neil, set all kinds of records that day for passing and total offense, being named the Rose Bowl co-MVP. Though we did not win, we fought valiantly on a great stage with a national audience in the Granddaddy of all bowl games. That game set the stage and became the rallying cry for Oregon football, leading us to consecutive New Year’s Day bowl games and 17 bowls in the next 19 seasons. If you live or play on the West Coast, you grow up hoping to compete in the Rose Bowl. It is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Cunningham: “Much of our coaching staff at Washington had been to the Rose Bowl, so when we won the conference and got a bid to play in Pasadena they seemed more excited about it than we did. We’d been to a few bowls, so we thought, ‘What’s the big deal?’ We quickly learned that there is no bowl experience that gets you ready to play in the Rose. Everything about it exudes class and history, and when packed 50/50 with the teams’ fans, the Rose Bowl is one of the most unique and exciting places to play in the world.”
Brian Griese: “I’ve been privileged to be part of some memorable football experiences in my life, including two trips to the Super Bowl, but my fondest memory was January 1, 1998 at the Rose Bowl. For many former players, the Rose Bowl truly is hallowed ground. The stakes are always high, but for us in 1998, we were playing for the National Championship. What did it feel like to play in that Rose Bowl? It felt like my feet did not touch the ground for the first 10 minutes of the game. The stadium of 100,000 is split evenly between friend and foe, and because of that, remains loud the entire game! The scene is the most remarkable in all of college football. Having never been to Pasadena prior to that game, I was experiencing the beauty of the surroundings in the moment. My most vivid memory came in the fourth quarter. We led 21-16 with over six minutes left and our offense ran out on the field. It was a TV timeout so I was giving the huddle instructions on the play we were going to run. I looked up at the scoreboard after I finished to look at the game clock and it hit me: the scoreboard was draped by the sunset over the San Gabriel mountains. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I remember thinking in that moment that this was going to be one of the special memories of my life.”
Desmond Howard: “One of my most fondest memories of the Rose Bowl is when Leroy Hoard of Michigan ran over Mark Carrier of USC in the 1989 Rose Bowl. Leroy won MVP of that game and Michigan won.”
David Norrie: “Growing up as a kid in Portland, Ore., during Pasadena’s Golden Era in the 70’s, I never missed a single play watching on TV. I remember being captivated by a flashy UCLA team that upset No. 1 ranked Ohio State in the 1976 game, their nicknames etched on white towels hanging off the front of their uniform pants. It may have been subliminal, but I was sold. I was going to play QB for UCLA in that game.”
Chris Spielman: “It was an incredible experience even though we lost. I felt privileged to be part of such a great tradition. That game created a lifetime memory for me.”
Additional content on the Rose Bowl can be found on ESPN.com:
Remembering the Roses: 100 Rose Bowl Games
Here 100 memories from the Rose Bowl – one of college football’s grandest and enduring traditions.
Ivan Maisel: After all these years, the Rose Bowl has kept its charm
There are few events on the American calendar that transcend time, that hold the same appeal today as they did decades ago. The Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena is one of those events.
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Contact: Mike Humes at 860-766-2233 or [email protected]
