The 1948 Rose Bowl was the 34th

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of the

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, played at the Rose Bowl in

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on Thursday, January 1. The second-ranked and undefeated

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

of the

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routed the #8

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, champions of the

Pacific Coast Conference The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pac-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, with eight of the ten PCC members (including a ...

, 49–0. It was the second year of the initial five-year agreement between the conferences to match their champions each New Year's Day in Pasadena. Michigan halfback

Bob Chappuis Robert Richard Chappuis ( ; February 24, 1923 – June 14, 2012) was an American football player who played halfback and quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1942, 1946, and 1947. His college years were interrupted by servic ...

was named the Player of the Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively.2008 Rose Bowl Program
, 2008 Rose Bowl. Accessed January 26, 2008. Michigan tied the record for the most points scored by a team in the Rose Bowl, first set by the 1901 Wolverines in the first Rose Bowl and later matched by

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

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. Oregon supplanted the record in

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. Michigan also tied the game's record for largest margin of victory also set by the 1901 Michigan team that defeated

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

by an identical 49–0 score. The record of seven PATs converted by Michigan kicker Jim Brieske remains unbroken, but was tied in 2008 by USC's

David Buehler David Jonathan Buehler (born February 5, 1987) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college foot ...

. The game was aired by local station

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in the first telecast of a bowl game in the

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. It was also the first time a U.S. motion picture newsreel was taken in color. In a special unofficial AP Poll five days after the game, Michigan replaced Notre Dame as the 1947 national champion by a vote of 226 to 119.

Teams

USC Trojans

In October, USC tied

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7–7 and defeated #4

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39–14 in

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. The Trojans' rivalry matchup with defending PCC champion

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saw USC win 6–0. The game against Notre Dame had 104,953 on hand, the highest attendance for a football game in the

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,2002 NCAA Records book - Attendance Records
page 494 (PDF) to see 7–0–1 Rose Bowl-bound USC fall to the 8–0 Fighting Irish, 38–7. USC dropped from third to eighth in the final AP Poll in early December, and Notre Dame did not play in a bowl.

Michigan Wolverines

The 1947 Wolverines, known as the "Mad Magicians," won the Big Nine title on the strength of strong offense and defense. They shut out four opponents, including

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, 21–0. Their close game was a 14–7 win at #11

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, the reigning Big Nine and Rose Bowl champion.

Game summary

Bob Chappuis and

Bump Elliott Chalmers William "Bump" Elliott (January 30, 1925 – December 7, 2019) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University (1943–1944) and the University of Michigan (1946–19 ...

were the stars for the Wolverines. Jack Weisenburger scored three touchdowns. Nine Rose Bowl records were set.

Scoring

First quarter

* Michigan - Jack Weisenburger, 1-yard run (Jim Brieske kick)

Second quarter

* Michigan - Jack Weisenburger, 1-yard run (Jim Brieske kick) * Michigan -

, 11-yard pass from

(Jim Brieske kick)

Third quarter

* Michigan - Howard Yerges, 18-yard pass from

(Jim Brieske kick)

Fourth quarter

* Michigan - Jack Weisenburger, 1-yard run (Jim Brieske kick) * Michigan -

Gene Derricotte Eugene Derricotte (June 14, 1926 – March 31, 2023) was an American college football player who was a Halfback (American football), halfback and return specialist for the Michigan Wolverines football, Michigan Wolverines from 1944 to 1948. He ...

, 45-yard pass from Hank Fonde (Jim Brieske kick) * Michigan - Dick Rifenberg, 29-yard pass from Howard Yerges (Jim Brieske kick)

Aftermath

The final regular season

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, taken before the bowls, had Notre Dame #1 (107 first place votes) and Michigan #2 (25 first place votes). Notre Dame did not play in a bowl game. After urging from ''

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'' sports editor

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, the

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conducted its first ever post-bowl poll; Michigan won that unofficial final poll, 266–119. The Wolverines continued their winning streak through the next season, winning all nine games. Because of the no-repeat rule for the Rose Bowl, runner-up Northwestern represented the Big Nine in the 1949 Rose Bowl. Michigan's 1,788 passing yards in 1947 was a school record that stood for 32 years, until

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

Legacy

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferenc ...

, the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

offense lined up for a 4th & 1 conversion attempt during the first quarter. The offense attempted a running back direct snap, converting the run for a first down. After the game, Chiefs' offensive coordinator

Eric Bieniemy Eric M. Bieniemy Jr. (born August 15, 1969) is an American football coach and former running back who is the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was recognized as a consens ...

told the media he discovered the trick play from watching Michigan run the play on the goal line in the 1948 Rose Bowl, adding it to the team's repertoire. Kansas City went on to win the game. The play was even named shift right to Rose Bowl parade.

References

External links

Summary at Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Athletics History

1948 Tournament of Roses Parade and Rose Bowl
Warner Pathe News, 1948. —Color newsreel

(''New York Times'') {{USC Trojans bowl game navbox Rose Bowl Rose Bowl Game Michigan Wolverines football bowl games USC Trojans football bowl games Rose Bowl January 1948 sports events in the United States