9 0 0 0 0 9 | Georgia 0 0 0 9 9 | |
The 1943 Rose Bowl game, played on January 1, 1943, was the 29th Rose Bowl game. The University of Georgia Bulldogs defeated the UCLA Bruins 9-0. The game returned to the Rose Bowl stadium after being played at Duke Stadium the year before. Charley Trippi of Georgia was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively.
Contents
- UCLA Bruins
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Scoring summary
- First quarter
- Second quarter
- Third quarter
- Fourth quarter
- Aftermath
- Myth
- References
After the 1942 Allied victory in the Battle of Midway and the end of the Japanese offensives in the Pacific Theater during 1942, it was deemed that the West Coast was no longer vulnerable to attack, and the Rose Bowl game continued on in the Rose Bowl Stadium. Few Georgia fans were able to make the trip because of travel restrictions. There were a large number of military servicemen in attendance. The Tournament of Roses parade itself still was not held due to the war. Due to the number of American servicemen stationed in Australia, the game was broadcast live on Australian radio.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA won the Pacific Coast Conference title for the first time in school history. The Bruins also won their first victory in the UCLA-USC rivalry. This Rose Bowl game was the first appearance for the Bruins in any post season matchup.
The previous season saw UCLA and USC tie 7-7 in a matchup of lower tier teams. They had played that year on the eve of America's entry into World War II, on December 6, 1941.
In 1942, the Bruins and Trojans met with the Rose Bowl on the line for both teams. On December 12, 1942 UCLA defeated USC for the first time 14-7.
Georgia Bulldogs
The Tournament of Roses committee were responsible for selecting and inviting the opposing team. Georgia was the number two team in the nation behind number 1 Ohio State. The Western Conference, forerunner of the Big Ten Conference, did not permit their teams to play in bowl games until the 1946 agreement between the Big Ten and Pacific Coast Conference. The Bulldogs featured 1942 Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich, Maxwell Award winner Charley Trippi, and Jim Todd (Laurens, SC) backing up Trippi. The Bulldogs had been named national champions by the Berryman, DeVold, Houlgate, Litkenhous, Poling, and Williamson polls. Georgia had played their first bowl game the previous year, the 1942 Orange Bowl.
Scoring summary
The Temperature was 72 and sunny in Pasadena. UCLA wore gold helmets, white jerseys, and gold pants. Georgia had silver helmets, red jerseys, and gray pants.
Both teams went scoreless until the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs had 25 first downs to the Bruins' 5. In the fourth quarter, the Bruins were backed up against the south goal line. Bob Waterfield attempted the punt 10 yards back from the line of scrimmage as was the custom at the time. The punt was blocked out of the end zone.
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Aftermath
The UCLA Bruins had 5 first downs to Georgia's 25 and were regarded as no match for the Bulldogs. The Bruins were considered lucky to have held Georgia to 9 points. Georgia coach Wally Butts was reportedly sweating over the Bruins' defense during the game. A spectator in the stadium died of a heart attack during the game. The Georgia team would remain in town a day to celebrate after the game. The team got a studio tour and met with Hollywood stars.
The UCLA team also got star attention. UCLA Fan Mickey Rooney and Ava Gardner rented the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom at the Ambassador Hotel for a party for the Bruins football team.
Charley Trippi of Georgia was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively. Lynn "Buck" Compton, who played for UCLA, and started at guard in the game, later earned a Silver Star for his meritorious action at Brécourt Manor. The action was later dramatized in episode two of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. According to Lynn "Buck" Compton(See "Call of Duty" by Lt. Lynn Buck Compton, Life, before, during, and after the "Band of Brothers), shortly after the game, the entire Senior Class of those players, who were also in ROTC, were taken into the military, prior to graduation and sent to Officer Candidate School. Buck went on to Ft. Benning Georgia.
This was Georgia's one and only appearance in the Rose Bowl game. With the advent of the Bowl Championship Series, the possibility exists that Georgia could be invited to play in the Rose Bowl game. For the 2008 Rose Bowl, a hopeful matchup was examined that Georgia might play USC, but the Sugar Bowl would not give up the Bulldogs.
During World War II, UCLA left end Milt "Snuffy" Smith was critically injured when his crew was struck by a missile. When he was about to be declared a hopeless case and to be abandoned, a medic saw his "Rose Bowl, 1943" engraved wrist watch he was wearing and shouted, "This is one guy we’ve got to save." Smith recovered after 18 months of hospitalization.
Myth
A myth about the game is circulating the web as a piece of incorrect trivia. "In 1943, Percy Clark of UCLA made the mistake of being tackled behind the goal line while attempting to return a punt against Georgia [in the Rose Bowl]", wrote Arizona Republic columnist David Casstevens in 1996. "UCLA lost the game, 2-0. One newspaper carried the headline: Clark 2, UCLA 0. Clark was ostracized by classmates and quit college a week later. He moved to the woods in Oregon, where he spent many years as a recluse." The winning score was 9-0, not 2-0. The safety was scored by Red Boyd by blocking a punt. The UCLA media guide does not list any Percy Clark as a letterman, nor any "Percy" nor "Clark" who lettered in the 1940s.