1940 Rose Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1940 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1940, was an American Football
bowl game
. It was the 26th Rose Bowl Game
. The USC Trojans defeated the Tennessee Volunteers
14-0. Ambrose Schindler, the USC quarterback, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively. USC ended a 23 game Tennessee winning streak and the Trojans scored the first points against the Volunteers all season.
on November 25. The Volunteers also were in the mix for the 1940 Cotton Bowl, which would have pitted them against the #1 Texas A&M Aggies. But the Rose Bowl committee did not extend official invitations until December 10, 1939.
and Bob Suffridge
, however, were forced to play without their star tailback George Cafego
, who fell victim to a knee injury against The Citadel
earlier in the year. With a 7-0 win in the Auburn
game, Tennessee officially was extended an invitation.
matchup.
Kenny Washington
, Woody Strode
, Jackie Robinson
and Ray Bartlett starred on the 1939 UCLA Bruins football
team, in which African Americans made up three of the four backfield players. This was a rarity to have so many African Americans when only a few dozen at all played on college football teams. The Bruins also were undefeated, and ranked #9. The was the first UCLA-USC rivalry
football game with national implications. It was the first game in the rivalry with the Rose Bowl on the line for both teams. The attendance of 103,303 was the second largest college football crowd ever in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
. UCLA attempted a pass on fourth down, instead of kicking a field goal. Bobby Robertson of USC knocked down Ned Matthews’ 4-yard pass in the end zone with less than 5 minutes to play to preserve the tie for USC. The Pacific Coast Conference voted to have USC, with a 7-0-2 record play in the Rose Bowl instead of UCLA with a 6-0-4 record. Art Cohn
, columnist for the Long Beach Press-Telegram
implied that race may have been a factor in the decision, since teams from the south refused to play against African Americans. After the regular season, the Trojans were named National Champions.
rushed for 51 and 81 yards respectively, for a team total of 229 yards rushing. Schindler scored one touchdown and passed to Al Krueger
-- the hero from the 1939 Rose Bowl
-- for the other.
Coach Howard Jones earned his fifth Rose Bowl victory, his second straight conquest.
USC bases its 1939 National Championship claim on winning the Dickinson System
, a formula devised by a University of Illinois professor which awarded the only championship trophy between 1926 and 1940. In 1939, Dickinson was the only poll or system to rank the Trojans number one. USC's stance, however, is in keeping with that of most other schools which won the Dickinson title; only Notre Dame, which won the Dickinson crown in 1938, does not claim a major national title for that year. Since at least 1969, USC had not listed 1939 as a national championship year; but in 2004, USC once again began recognizing the 1939 team as national champions after it determined that it qualified.
Ambrose "Amblin' Amby" Schindler went on to be the MVP in the 1940 College All-Star Game
. He was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions
Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1973. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2002.
Tennessee player William "Bill" Barnes
would eventually coach the UCLA Bruins football team to the 1962 Rose Bowl
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
. It was the 26th Rose Bowl Game
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. The USC Trojans defeated the Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
14-0. Ambrose Schindler, the USC quarterback, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game when the award was created in 1953 and selections were made retroactively. USC ended a 23 game Tennessee winning streak and the Trojans scored the first points against the Volunteers all season.
Teams
The Rose Bowl committee had both USC and Tennessee on their list and it was likely that USC and Tennessee would play each other. The Volunteers were offered a berth in the Sugar BowlSugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
on November 25. The Volunteers also were in the mix for the 1940 Cotton Bowl, which would have pitted them against the #1 Texas A&M Aggies. But the Rose Bowl committee did not extend official invitations until December 10, 1939.
University of Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee came into the game after shutting out all of their opponents. They were led by two All-American guards, Ed MolinskiEd Molinski
Ed Molinski was a Hall of Fame college football player for the University of Tennessee. He later became a doctor after being involved in boxing, World War II, and college coaching.-Football career:...
and Bob Suffridge
Bob Suffridge
Robert Lee "Bob" Suffridge was an American football player in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he was later inducted into the school's hall of fame and the College Football Hall of Fame...
, however, were forced to play without their star tailback George Cafego
George Cafego
George Cafego was a college, and professional American football player and coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.-High school and collegiate career:...
, who fell victim to a knee injury against The Citadel
The Citadel (military college)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
earlier in the year. With a 7-0 win in the Auburn
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
game, Tennessee officially was extended an invitation.
USC Trojans
The Trojans opened the season against Oregon, tying the Ducks 7-7 with 7:00 minutes remaining in the game. They scored 3 straight shutouts, becoming ranked #8 following the second, a 26-0 win over Illinois. A November 4 game featured #7 USC defeating #11 Oregon State 19-7. On November 25, at Notre Dame, #4 USC defeated the #7 Irish 20-12. A win over Washington by scoring in the last 1:15 set up the very first epic UCLA-USC rivalryUCLA-USC rivalry
The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American college rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles and the USC Trojans sports teams of the University of Southern California ....
matchup.
Kenny Washington
Kenny Washington (American football)
Kenneth S. "Kingfish" Washington was a professional football player who was the first African-American to sign a contract with a National Football League team in the modern era.-UCLA Bruins:...
, Woody Strode
Woody Strode
Woodrow Wilson Woolwine "Woody" Strode was a decathlete and football star who went on to become a pioneering black American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for best supporting actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960...
, Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
and Ray Bartlett starred on the 1939 UCLA Bruins football
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
team, in which African Americans made up three of the four backfield players. This was a rarity to have so many African Americans when only a few dozen at all played on college football teams. The Bruins also were undefeated, and ranked #9. The was the first UCLA-USC rivalry
UCLA-USC rivalry
The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American college rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles and the USC Trojans sports teams of the University of Southern California ....
football game with national implications. It was the first game in the rivalry with the Rose Bowl on the line for both teams. The attendance of 103,303 was the second largest college football crowd ever in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
. UCLA attempted a pass on fourth down, instead of kicking a field goal. Bobby Robertson of USC knocked down Ned Matthews’ 4-yard pass in the end zone with less than 5 minutes to play to preserve the tie for USC. The Pacific Coast Conference voted to have USC, with a 7-0-2 record play in the Rose Bowl instead of UCLA with a 6-0-4 record. Art Cohn
Art Cohn
Art Cohn was an American sportswriter, screenwriter and author.Cohn was born in New York, New York. He was a sportswriter and sports editor for the Oakland Tribune newspaper who published the sports column The Cohn-ing Tower. He also wrote for the Long Beach Press-Telegram...
, columnist for the Long Beach Press-Telegram
Long Beach Press-Telegram
The Press-Telegram is a daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Tracing its history to 1897, it is currently published by the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a division of newspaper conglomerate MediaNews Group, which purchased the newspaper from Knight Ridder in 1997; Ridder and Knight...
implied that race may have been a factor in the decision, since teams from the south refused to play against African Americans. After the regular season, the Trojans were named National Champions.
Game summary
Trojan backs Granny Lansdell and Ambrose SchindlerAmby Schindler
Ambrose "Amblin' Amby" Schindler is a former American collegiate football player, coach and Professional Football on-field official. He played college football for the University of Southern California.-Career:Schindler prepped at San Diego High School...
rushed for 51 and 81 yards respectively, for a team total of 229 yards rushing. Schindler scored one touchdown and passed to Al Krueger
Al Krueger
Alvin John Krueger was an American football end in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He also played in the All-America Football Conference for the Los Angeles Dons. He played college football at the University of Southern California...
-- the hero from the 1939 Rose Bowl
1939 Rose Bowl
The 1939 Rose Bowl was the 25th Rose Bowl college football game, that took place in 1939. It featured the Southern California Trojans against the Duke Blue Devils . Duke led after an early fourth quarter,...
-- for the other.
Coach Howard Jones earned his fifth Rose Bowl victory, his second straight conquest.
Aftermath
USC coach Howard Jones died in the summer of 1941. He had a 5-0 record in the Rose Bowl. Joe Schell, the captain of the USC Trojans who became an oil company owner and a California State Assemblyman, died on April 8, 2008.USC bases its 1939 National Championship claim on winning the Dickinson System
Dickinson System
The Dickinson System was a mathematical point formula that awarded national championships in college football. Devised by University of Illinois economics professor Frank G...
, a formula devised by a University of Illinois professor which awarded the only championship trophy between 1926 and 1940. In 1939, Dickinson was the only poll or system to rank the Trojans number one. USC's stance, however, is in keeping with that of most other schools which won the Dickinson title; only Notre Dame, which won the Dickinson crown in 1938, does not claim a major national title for that year. Since at least 1969, USC had not listed 1939 as a national championship year; but in 2004, USC once again began recognizing the 1939 team as national champions after it determined that it qualified.
Ambrose "Amblin' Amby" Schindler went on to be the MVP in the 1940 College All-Star Game
College All-Star Game
The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played annually from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year...
. He was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions
San Diego Hall of Champions
The San Diego Hall of Champions is an American multi-sport museum in San Diego, California. Located in the Federal Building in Balboa Park, the facility recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments and traditions involving more than forty-two sports...
Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1973. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2002.
Tennessee player William "Bill" Barnes
William F. Barnes
-Post coaching:He resigned after the 1964 season after learning that Athletic Director J.D. Morgan was not going to renew his contract. After leaving UCLA, he became an NFL scout. He later became a Real Estate developer.-Death:...
would eventually coach the UCLA Bruins football team to the 1962 Rose Bowl
1962 Rose Bowl
The 1962 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1962, was the 48th Rose Bowl Game. The Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the UCLA Bruins, 21–3.Big Ten Conference champion Ohio State declined the invitation to play in the Rose Bowl...
.