 |
Rose Bowl
|
Rose Bowl
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Even Rose gives way to winds of change
Ballparks Virtual Mall
Rose Bowl Replica Model
After '98 edition, oldest bowl bows to will of AllianceBy Richard Rosenblatt -(AP) December 28, 1997
PASADENA - Even now, nearly 30 years after attending his first Rose Bowl as a member of the Tournament of Roses staff, Jack French's voice is shaky when he recalls the experience.
"Seeing that stadium filled, the mass of colors and the spirit and the sounds and the noise and the fan unity . . . I was overwhelmed," said French, now the CEO of the 935-member group that runs the Rose Bowl. "I don't even remember the teams, but that feeling renews itself every year. I can't help but swell up with emotion whenever I talk about it. It can bring a tear to my eye."
The Rose Bowl does that to people, has since 1902, when the first one was played at 1,000-seat Tournament Park and drew a mob of 8,500 as Michigan routed Stanford, 49-0. On Thursday, No. 1 Michigan plays No. 8 Washington State in the 84th edition.
The oldest bowl game has also been the most traditional. With its pristine setting amid the San Gabriel Mountains and spectacular Tournament of Roses parade, no other game has been able to sustain the pageantry, passion and TV ratings points that go along with being the "Granddaddy of Them All".
Through the years, the more the college football landscape changed, the more the Rose Bowl was determined to stay the same. Same day (January 1st except if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday); same time (2:00 pm PST); same format since 1946 (Big Ten Champ vs. Pac-10 Champ) and same name - the Rose Bowl.
But even the Rose Bowl couldn't hold onto tradition forever. The new college football powers - ABC and the Bowl Alliance - made certain of that.
Whether Michigan wins it first national title since 1948, or Washington State pulls an upset in its first trip to Pasadena in 67 years Thursday, the Rose Bowl will never be the same.
Tampering with tradition
Beginning with the 1999 game, the Rose becomes part of the new super-Alliance, which works like this for the Rose: It gets the national title game in 2002, but played the night of January 3. In the other years of the seven-year deal, if the Big Ten or Pac-10 champion is ranked either No. 1 or No. 2, it would play in the top Alliance game, either the Orange, Sugar or Fiesta bowls."We did not believe the bowl system could stay unchanged," Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney said. "So the Rose Bowl tradition will exist in a modified way, and we traded off for a healthier bowl system and access to play in a 1-vs.-2 bowl game. Not everyone is happy with it, but we think it's the best for us and for college football."
By joining the Alliance, the Rose Bowl loses its lock on the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions; won't always be played in daylight or on January 1; and, believe it or not, could end up with a corporate sponsor attached to its name as early as the '99 game.
But the sponsor's name won't precede Rose Bowl.
"It will be, 'The Rose Bowl,' presented by so-and-so,' " French said. "ABC has the right to have a presenting sponsor during the term of the agreement, but it won't be something like the 'so-and-so Rose Bowl.' We need to preserve that."
Tom Hansen, the Pac-10 commissioner, isn't a big fan of the changes but hopes the new approach works out.
"This is probably the best thing for the Rose, Big Ten and the Pac-10 in the long run because we are all opposed to a playoff system," Hansen said. "And we want to make the new Alliance as effective and widely accepted as possible, but at the same time we realize we are jeopardizing a wonderful tradition."
For the first time since the 1979 season, the Rose Bowl will feature the No. 1 team, and if the Wolverines win, the game will produce its first AP national champion since USC won the title in 1972.
"It'll be a nice way to end an era," French said.
Inauspicious beginnings
And what an era it's been.After the first Rose Bowl, considered a failure because of an unruly crowd, the game was canceled and replaced with chariot races, ostrich races and even an elephant vs. camel race (the elephant won).
The game started up again in 1916, with Washington State beating Brown, 14-0. Until 1935, the Tournament of Roses invited a West Coast team, which in turn selected an Eastern opponent.
Then, the Pacific Coast Conference (now the Pac-10) chose one of its own teams to play and also selected an opponent until 1946, when the current pact was signed.
Among the more memorable Rose Bowls:
- Notre Dame's Four Horsemen vs. Stanford and Ernie Nevers (Knute Rockne's Irish beat Pop Warner's team, 27-10, in 1925).
- The wrong-way fumble return by Cal's Roy Riegels that led to a Georgia Tech safety and 8-7 win over the Bears in 1929.
- Wisconsin's near-miracle comeback led by Ron Vander Kelen in USC's national title-clinching 42-37 win in the '63 game.
- Tailback Charles White's record 247 yards in USC's 17-16 win over Ohio State in '80.
- USC 17, Michigan 10 in '90, Bo Schembechler's final game as coach of the Wolverines.
- Northwestern's first Rose Bowl in 47 years in '96, a 41-32 loss to USC.
- Last season's last-minute 20-17 win by Ohio State, which ended Arizona State's national title hopes.
If the new system were in place this season, No. 1 Michigan would be playing No. 2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl on Friday night, and Washington State would still be in Pasadena against another Alliance team.
"If you love the Rose Bowl, you couldn't sit still with the political winds, the financial winds and the public's desire, and not change," Delaney said. "You couldn't expect the Rose Bowl tradition to be there in 10 to 15 years."
Even though it will have a new look, former Purdue running back Leroy Keyes, who played in the '67 Rose Bowl, says the Rose with any other team is still the Rose.
"I don't think the glitter will diminish at all," Keyes said. "I still believe that all of the people who have participated in the game from the Big Ten and Pac-10 will always look at that as being their bowl game, the Big Ten and the Pac-10 game."
RESIDENTS SEEK RESTRICTIONS ON ROSE BOWL AIR TRAFFIC
July 15, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaventuresBlimps and small aircraft flying over the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA are causing enough problems that local officials are asking the FAA to limit air traffic over the venue. The stadium is in a canyon between two residential neighborhoods and increased traffic in the limited air space increases the noise level. Residents are also concerned that a mid-air accident could send aircraft careening into homes. Local aerial advertising companies say as many as two dozen aircraft have been over the stadium in recent years.
The FAA says it will review the issue. The agency is already looking into policies concerning handling of air traffic above sporting events.
Noticeably, there was no problem during last weekend's final match of the Women's World Cup. The US Secret Service banned air traffic over the venue because of the possibility that the President or First Lady might attend.
Western Waterproofing Stand-out Player on Rose Bowl Restoration team
Reprinted with Permission from The Western Group's September, 1998 Weathervane NewsletterEach New Year's Day, the eyes of football fans worldwide focus on a single point in Pasadena, California. There is only one Rose Bowl Game. And there is only one Rose Bowl. Since 1916 , when it hosted the second-ever Rose Bowl title match, the stadium has reigned as site superb.
The lure of the legendary field is even stronger for those who have grown up in Southern California. One of them is Dirk Wietstock, Los Angeles branch manager for Western Waterproofing, a member of The Western Group. For Wietstock and fellow Western workers, the chance to play a part in the Rose Bowl restoration in 1998 has been a dream come true.
"When you do what we do, having the chance to help restore such a special place is about as neat an opportunity as you can have," Wietstock begins. "Couple that with the fact that this one is hitting all our target numbers, and you have a great job . . . one for which Western is singularly suited."
The Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) is managing this $22.5 million bond-issue project on behalf of The City of Pasadena. The consulting firm of William R. Dorman & Associates, Inc., acts as construction manager, reviewing and securing contractors on behalf of the RBOC. Wheeler & Gray, Inc., provides structural engineering expertise.
To date, more than 40 separate contracts have been let on the Rose Bowl project. Western was awarded the contract as the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for restoration of the concrete deck surfaces.
"The RBOC has chosen to define the scope of work very closely for all contractors," Wietstock continues. "This allows us to focus completely on what we at Western are best at . . . and what we've been doing for decades. Our task involves removal, storage and replacement of bench seating in the stadium's north section and demolition of old seating in the east and west areas. We're also repairing concrete and applying a cementitious overlay in three of the stadium's four sections. We're using SIKA products almost exclusively for this. The SIKA 2C polyurethane joint sealant is a two-component urethane that cures quickly. We've also used SIKAdur 35 epoxy for spall repair and SIKAtop 122, which has a lot of leveling capability. Needless to say, we've relied heavily on SIKA for technical advice. They've been super."
"Some demolition was required early on to remove and dispose of old seats, but most of our work has been in the rehab of the seating area. We've had 45 people on the job working 10-hour days, six days a week. Once we're through, we turn the area over to the seating contractor."
Close interaction and communication among contractors is critical if the ultimate deadline for the project is to be met. And that date is certain, states Steve Berg, project manager for William R. Dorman & Associates, Inc: September 12, 1998. UCLA versus Texas.
"If this were a stadium where only football was played, we'd have had an easier time of scheduling," Berg says, "But we've had to arrange and rearrange work around the Galaxy (pro soccer team) season, flea markets and rock concerts. A number of times we've had to slow up Western to accommodate events, and they've never complained. It's been a real pleasure to work with them. Having been in the business for more than 20 years, I know what a difference a quality-oriented company like Western can make. And they have made a difference."
Western's Wietstock has parallel praise for the Dorman team. "They've been incredibly responsive to our requests for clarification. Many technical aspects of this projects are not our call, and they've been great in assisting us there."
The current restoration is but one of many in Rose Bowl history. In the 1930s, the initial wooden decks were used to form existing concrete ones. In 1930, the stadium's original horseshoe shape came full circle. And each decade since has seen some improvement.
But for the people now working in preparation for this fall's football season, no restoration will be more significant than the one of '98.
For they were part of the team that made it happen.
August 12, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVenturesThe City of Pasadena has approved $25,000 to determine the potential for selling naming rights to the Rose Bowl stadium. While many local residents are opposed to changing the name of the historic venue, city officials say they have a responsibility to consider all revenue sources for the public property.
ROSE BOWL SOCCER CAPACITY TO BE REDUCED
September 2, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVenturesThe MLS Los Angeles Galaxy will reduce the capacity of the Rose Bowl from 96,000 to 35,000 next year. The goal is to make the venue smaller and more intimate and avoid the huge numbers of empty seats. The team draws an average of 17,156 persons per match.
The Galaxy is also considering building a new 30,000-seat soccer stadium somewhere in the area where it hopes to play by 2002.
#20 Rose Bowl CNN/SI - Century's Best - SI's Top 20 Venues of the 20th Century - June 3, 1999 The Rose Bowl is more a postcard than a stadium, designed to seduce pasty Midwesterners with the California fantasy. How many Big Ten fans tuned in on those wintry New Year's Days to gawk at the blooming bougainvillea and started packing their station wagons at halftime?
|
|
