War Of The Roses -- The History -- Not Always A Bed Of Roses -- Huskies' 10-Game, Rose Bowl History Features A Little Of Everything

CUTLINE: SEATTLE TIMES, 1964: DISAPPOINTED WASHINGTON PLAYERS WATCH BILL DOUGLAS BEING CARRIED OFF THE FIELD AFTER THE HUSKY QUARTERBACK SUFFERED A DISLOCATED KNEE EARLY IN THE GAME.

CUTLINE: QUARTERBACK BOB SCHLOREDT SCORES THE HUSKIES' SECOND TOUCHDOWN IN A 17-7 VICTORY OVER MINNESOTA.

CUTLINE: WARREN MOON

CUTLINE: SEATTLE TIMES, 1964: UW'S DAVE KOPAY RUMBLES PAST ILLINOIS LINEBACKER DICK BUTKUS FOR THE HUSKIES' LONE TOUCHDOWN IN 1964.

CUTLINE: AP: UW COACH DON JAMES GETS CARRIED OFF THE FIELD AFTER HIS HUSKIES SOUNDLY DEFEATED IOWA 28-0 IN THE 1982 ROSE BOWL.

Routine?

Hardly.

Simple?

Far from it.

In fact, the University of Washington's off-again, on-again, 67-year, 10-game involvement with the Rose Bowl has been anything but an orderly reward for football excellence.

Beginning with the 1924 game, the Huskies' Rose Bowl history has been a saga featuring:

-- A second-hand invitation (1924);

-- A near rejection of an invitation (1926);

-- Controversy over the choice of an opponent (1937);

-- Bill McGovern's strange playing sequence and the game itself in 1944;

-- The vote of faculty athletic representatives that resulted in the Huskies' invitation to the 1964 game;

-- A field-goal kick by Southern Cal's Frank Jordan that beat UCLA and sent the Don James-coached Huskies to the 1978 game.

In 1923, Washington lost to California 9-0, a decision that resulted in the Huskies finishing second (behind Cal) in the Pacific Coast Conference. That meant the Golden Bears had qualified for a berth in the Rose Bowl.

But the Bears, who had played in the Rose Bowl in 1921 and 1922, voted not to go in 1924. ``The players are working their way through college and can't spare the time,'' said a report out of Berkeley.

So, runnerup Washington went as a second choice and battled Navy to a 14-14 tie.

Two years later, the George Wilson-led Huskies qualified for the Rose Bowl, but they almost didn't accept the invitation. According to reports, the players voted twice not to go before the wishes of athletic manager Dar Meisnest were honored with a favorable vote on the ``third ballot.''

The game against Alabama turned into a classic, with the Crimson Tide winning 20-19.

There was nothing ``classic'' about the 1937 game, won by Pittsburgh over Washington 21-0.

Trouble began from the moment the Husky athletic director, Ray Eckman, announced that Pitt had been selected over LSU as Washington's opponent. (In those days, the Pacific Coast representative picked the ``outside'' team).

Eckman later said Husky Coach Jim Phelan wanted to play Pitt and its coach, legendary Jock Sutherland. Southern loyalists, who had been working to get LSU into the Rose Bowl, were miffed; fans in Los Angeles were upset over the idea that the Panthers, three-time Rose Bowl losers, were coming back to Pasadena.

But, as it turned out, the game attracted 86,000 fans and Pitt proved to be a worthy foe by beating the Huskies.

McGovern? His place in Rose Bowl history was secured as part of Washington's involvement in the war-time game of 1944 against Southern Cal.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1943, McGovern played for Stadium High against Lincoln in Tacoma's annual cross-town battle. Two weeks later, he enrolled in a service training program at the UW, which made him eligible for football.

So, on Jan. 1, 1944, he was a reserve tackle for the Huskies in his first college game - the Rose Bowl.

The game matched Northern and Southern Division champions because travel restrictions prevented any other arrangement. USC won, 29-0.

Washington's road to the 1964 Rose Bowl was anything but smooth. The Huskies (6-4) ended up as the only Rose Bowl team ever to play in Pasadena with four losses.

Going into the final week of the Big Six Conference season (Oregon and Oregon State were not members at the time) Washington had a 3-1 league record and a 5-4 mark overall before a game against Washington State. Southern Cal was 2-1 and 6-3 prior to its annual match with UCLA.

Then, the outcome of the race was delayed a week when games were postponed in observance of the assassination of President John Kennedy. Finally, the Huskies beat Washington State to go 4-1, 6-4 and USC beat UCLA to go 3-1, 7-3.

The decision on which team would be the Rose Bowl representative was left to a vote of faculty athletic representatives, who decided that Washington's victory over Southern Cal warranted selection of the Huskies even though the Trojans had a better overall record.

Washington lost to Illinois in the Rose Bowl 17-7.

The Huskies' route to the 1978 Rose Bowl began with a 1-3 nonleague start and ended with coaches, players and thousands of fans in front of television sets watching Southern Cal play UCLA six days after the Huskies' had ended their regular season.

If UCLA beat Southern Cal, the Bruins would go to the Rose Bowl and Washington would play in the Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston. If the Trojans won, the Huskies would go to the Rose Bowl and Southern Cal would go to the Bluebonnet Bowl.

As thousands of Seattleites can recall, USC's Frank Jordan kicked a field goal with no time left to beat UCLA - and the Huskies were Rose Bowl-bound.

Following are capsules of the Huskies' 10 previous Rose Bowl games:

UW 14, NAVY 14

Trailing 14-7 midway through the fourth quarter, the Huskies got a break when they recovered the ball on the Navy 10 following a botched center snap of a Middie punt attempt.

After three downs, however, the Huskies faced fourth and goal from the Navy 12. Called was a trick play that paid off in a touchdown pass from Fred Abel to Jimmy Bryan, a guard made eligible by an offensive shift.

``When my signal was called . . . and I knew it was me for a touchdown and a tie score . . . I had that old feeling I guess everyone gets under the same circumstances,'' Bryan recalled after the game. ``When I looked over my shoulder and saw the ball coming straight at me, it looked just as harmless, just as easily caught, as it ever did. And the next thing I knew I was over the goal line.''

Les Sherman kicked the extra point to tie the score.

ALABAMA 20, UW 19

In a game considered a Rose Bowl classic, George Wilson led Washington to a 12-0 lead before Alabama rallied behind Pooley Hubert and Johnny Mack Brown.

Husky fans were convinced an injury suffered by Wilson, which kept him sidelined for 22 minutes of playing time, was decisive. Evidence supports the contention.

When Wilson was on the field, Washington gained 300 yards and scored 19 points; when he was off the field, the Huskies gained just 22 yards and yielded all 20 Alabama points.

Years later, quarterback George Guttormsen recalled: ``Everything was fine until the roof fell in . . . when Wilson was hurt.''

PITTSBURGH 21, UW 0

The underdog Panthers dominated the line of scrimmage in outgaining the Huskies 300 yards to 153. Frank Patrick scored on runs of 1 and 5 yards and Bill Daddio intercepted an attempted lateral and returned it 67 yards for touchdown.

Reports that the Huskies had taken the Panthers lightly and had left their game in a Pasadena hotel were not true, UW lineman Chuck Bond recalled.

``What happened was we hit our peak too soon,'' Bond said.

SOUTHERN CAL 29, UW 0

In the only Rose Bowl game ever played between members of the same league, the Huskies and Trojans were matched in a battle between Coast Conference Northern and Southern Division champions. War-time travel restrictions prevented any other arrangement.

The Huskies, coached by Ralph ``Pest'' Welch, had completed a four-game season unbeaten. But before the Rose Bowl game, first-unit running backs Pat Susick and Jay Stoves were called to active military duty and the Trojans rolled to an easy victory.

UW 44, WISCONSIN 8

In one unforgettable afternoon for Washington fans, the Jim Owens-coached Huskies brought respectability back to West Coast football.

George Fleming and Bob Schloredt shared the game's outstanding player award as Washington snapped the Big Ten's six-year streak of Rose Bowl wins.

Fleming scored 14 points on a touchdown (53-yard punt return), five conversion kicks and a field goal. Schloredt ran for 81 yards on 21 carries, completed 4 of 7 passes for 102 yards and averaged 39.2 yards for four punts. He passed for a touchdown (to Lee Folkins) and ran for one.

``We weren't confident going into the game,'' lineman John Meyers recalled years later. ``Hell, these were the big guys from the Midwest. But after we found out they didn't hit as hard as we thought they would . . . that they got out of shape in a hurry, well, then we got some confidence.''

UW 17, MINNESOTA 7

George Fleming kicked a 44-yard field and Bob Schloredt, making his first appearance since suffering a shoulder separation in midseason, passed for a touchdown (three yards to Brent Wooten) and scored a touchdown (one-yard run) as the Huskies upset the No. 1-ranked Gophers.

Schloredt was named player of the game.

ILLINOIS 17, UW 7

A knee injury suffered by quarterback Bill Douglas on the 12th play of the Huskies' first offensive series and a foot injury suffered by fullback Junior Coffey during practice might have been decisive in the game's outcome.

Douglas had led Washington 53 yards to the Illini 15 where, at the end of a 12-yard run, he was injured. The Huskies responded with a touchdown and a 7-0 lead, but Illinois countered with 17 unanswered points.

Years later, Coach Jim Owens recalled:

``We were as prepared for the '64 game as we had been for the first two Rose Bowls. But when Douglas got hurt . . . and Coffey already was out . . . well, when you lose your quarterback and your fullback you lose the heart of your offense.''

UW 27, MICHIGAN 20

Led by Warren Moon, the Huskies scored three of the first four times they had the ball in building a 24-0 lead over the heavily favored Wolverines. Moon ran for two touchdowns and passed for one - 28 yards to Spider Gaines - en route to being named player of the game in his final Husky appearance.

But it took pass interceptions by Michael Jackson and Nesby Glasgow late in the game to secure the victory.

With less than two minutes to play, Jackson intercepted a Rick Leach pass at the Husky 3 - an accomplishment identified by a vote of fans earlier this year as the greatest moment in Husky football history. Glasgow picked off a long Leach throw with 32 seconds remaining.

``We proved to the Pac-8 that we could win. Now we've proved to the nation that we could play championship football,'' Moon said.

MICHIGAN 23, UW 6

Dominating the second half, Michigan expanded its 7-6 halftime lead with a ball-control offense featuring running back Butch Woolfolk, who was named player of the game, and wide receiver Anthony Carter.

The Wolverines had the ball for 21 minutes in the second half. During that time, they gained 304 yards, earned 16 first downs and scored 16 points while the Huskies were gaining just 105 yards, earning six first downs and scoring no points.

Woolfolk ran for 182 yards on 26 carries; Carter caught five passes for 68 yards and one TD.

UW 28, IOWA 0

The game belonged to freshman tailback Jacque Robinson and a Husky defensive unit that produced the first Rose Bowl shutout in 28 years.

En route to being named player of the game, Robinson rushed for 142 yards on 20 carries and scored touchdowns on runs of 1 and 34 yards. The turnover-prone Hawkeyes gained 264 yards, but got no closer to scoring than the Washington 29 yard line. Three pass interceptions and two lost fumbles proved too great a burden.

Robinson?

``Every week we have to practice against the best defense in the Pac-10,'' Robinson said. ``When you get that kind of experience in practice, it's easier to come out and play in games.''

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ROSE BOWL RESULTS;

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1902 Michigan 49, Stanford 0;

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1916 Washington State 14, Brown 0;

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1917 Oregon 14, Pennsylvania 0;

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1918 Mare Island 19, Camp Lewis 7;

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1919 Great Lakes 17, Mare Island 0;

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1920 Harvard 7, Oregon 6;

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1921 California 28, Ohio State 0;

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1922 Wash. & Jefferson 0, Cal 0;

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1923 Southern Cal 14, Penn State 3;

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1924 Navy 14, Washington 14;

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1925 Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10;

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1926 Alabama 20, Washington 19;

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1927 Alabama 7, Stanford 7;

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1928 Stanford 7, Pittsburgh 6;

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1929 Georgia Tech 8, California 7;

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1930 Southern Cal 47, Pittsburgh 14;

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1931 Alabama 24, Washington St. 10;

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1932 Southern Cal 21, Tulane 12;

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1933 Southern Cal 35, Pittsburgh 0;

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1934 Columbia 7, Stanford 0;

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1935 Alabama 29, Stanford 13;

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1936 Stanford 7, SMU 0;

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1937 Pittsburgh 21, Washington 0;

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1938 California 13, Alabama 0;

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1939 Southern Cal 7, Duke 3;

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1940 Southern Cal 14, Tennessee 0;

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1941 Stanford 21, Nebraska 13;

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1942 Oregon State 20, Duke 16;

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1943 Georgia 9, UCLA 0;

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1944 Southern Cal 29, Washington 0;

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1945 Southern Cal 25, Tennessee 0;

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1946 Alabama 34, Southern Cal 14;

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1947 Illinois 45, UCLA 14;

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1948 Michigan 49, Southern Cal 0;

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1949 Northwestern 20, California 14;

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1950 Ohio State 17, California 14;

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1951 Michigan 14, California 6;

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1952 Illinois 40, Stanford 7;

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1953 Southern Cal 7, Wisconsin 0;

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1954 Michigan State 28, UCLA 20;

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1955 Ohio State 20, Southern Cal 7;

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1956 Michigan State 17, UCLA 14;

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1957 Iowa 35, Oregon State 19;

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1958 Ohio State 10, Oregon 7;

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1959 Iowa 38, California 12;

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1960 Washington 44, Wisconsin 8;

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1961 Washington 17, Minnesota 7;

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1962 Minnesota 21, UCLA 3;

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1963 Southern Cal 42, Wisconsin 37;

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1964 Illinois 17, Washington 7;

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1965 Michigan 34, Oregon State 7;

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1966 UCLA 14, Michigan State 12;

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1967 Purdue 14, Southern Cal 13;

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1968 Southern Cal 14, Indiana 3;

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1969 Ohio State 27, Southern Cal 16;

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1970 Southern Cal 10, Michigan 3;

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1971 Stanford 27, Ohio State 17;

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1972 Stanford 13, Michigan 12;

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1973 Southern Cal 42, Ohio State 17;

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1974 Ohio State 42, Southern Cal 21;

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1975 Southern Cal 18, Ohio State 17;

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1976 UCLA 23, Ohio State 10;

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1977 Southern Cal 14, Michigan 6;

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1978 Washington 27, Michigan 20;

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1979 Southern Cal 17, Michigan 10;

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1980 Southern Cal 17, Ohio State 16;

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1981 Michigan 23, Washington 6;

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1982 Washington 28, Iowa 0;

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1983 UCLA 24, Michigan 14;

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1984 UCLA 45, Illinois 9;

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1985 Southern Cal 20, Ohio State 17;

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1986 UCLA 45, Iowa 28;

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1987 Arizona St. 22, Michigan 15;

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1988 Michigan St. 20, Southern Cal 17;

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1989 Michigan 22, Southern Cal 14;

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1990 Southern Cal 17, Michigan 10;

WASHINGTON

IN ROSE BOWLS

-- Greatest game - 1978: Washington 27, Michigan 20.

-- Greatest player - Bob Schloredt, shared Rose Bowl player of the game award with teammate George Fleming in 1960 (Washington 44, Wisconsin 8); won it outright in 1961 (Washington 17, Minnesota 7).

-- Biggest upset - (tie) 1960 (Washington 44, Wisconsin 8), and 1978 (Washington 27, Michigan 20).

-- Most surprising performance - by Jacque Robinson, 1982: as a freshman, rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, named player of the game in 28-0 win over Iowa.

-- Biggest disappointment - Favored to beat Pittsburgh in 1937, Washington lost 21-0.

-- Greatest moment - Michael Jackson's interception of a Rick Leach pass in 1978 game won by Washington 27-20 over Michigan.