We didn't have any of that stuff. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "Burson was always funny," says guard Bob Nowicki (EB52). And they were responsible, for the most part. Northwestern's fourth quarter lead in the Rose Bowl lasted three minutes and 52 seconds. He was one of the best in the world, so what he wanted to do to challenge himself was stretch a tight-rope across Niagara Falls. Chris Martin: I think I made a comment in the paper the week before about how we just don't like Iowa, and I guess it became bulletin board material for Tim Dwight and their locker room. 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. To this day, that still cheers me up. J.A. It made me realize that the seniors from that season who were trying to do right, it was unfortunate for them. For a half second, we thought, "Oh, you were going to leave?" And then to go full circle, the people were great when we went, they got me back on the Jungle Cruise. Regardless, their portrayal as the underdogs was neither a secret nor without effect. And I went back to the huddle and said, "holy shit.". The Northwestern Wildcats had a string of losing seasons stretching back to 1972, and had not appeared in the Rose Bowl for 47 years, a win in January 1949. Pat Fitzgerald: It was the best group of men that anybody could wish to be a part of in college. The Asher Golden Collection contains 29 audiocassettes and a small amount of paper documents relating to his coverage of Northwestern football during the 1995-1996 and 1996-1997 seasons, including their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1949 and their first Big 10 title in 60 years. Then, after spotting visiting Minnesota 16 points, Northwestern stormed back to win 19-16. Baseball Baseball: Twitter Baseball: Schedule Baseball: Roster Baseball: News Basketball Basketball: Twitter Basketball: Instagram Basketball: Tickets Basketball: Schedule Basketball: Roster Basketball: News Cross Country Cross Country: Facebook Cross Country: Twitter Cross Country: Instagram Cross Country: Schedule Cross . And I remember the ref coming up and saying, "Let him go, Ron." I looked over to the sideline, and we were only about two yards downfield. "We had to be in the three-point stance and not telegraph anything," says Tunnicliff, the right halfback at the time. / CBS Chicago. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository. One of the trainers had gone to the graduate assistant on the plane trip home from Iowa. June 5. But it's not the 500th hit that breaks it, it's all 500 of those leading up to that. And so now he's got millions and millions of people from all over the world coming to see him. When the 'Cats arrived and conducted their first practice before the watchful West Coast media, the Los Angeles Times reported initial impressions: "Onlookers were amazed by the speed, pep and streamlined appearance of the Wildcats, who had engaged in only five exam-hampered drills since the closing of their regular season.". "I said, 'Come through between Rudy [Cernoch (SESP51), a tackle] and me. But New Year's Day of 1949 seemed to portend the end of the trend, as undefeated and explosive California was the opponent for a two-loss team that got in on a technicality. Tell us what you think. Adande: I was covering the US Open when they beat Notre Dame. And I remember introducing Gary as "The coach of the 1995 Wildcats and the coach of your 1996 Wildcats," and the place goes crazy. The game resumed 14 years later and has been played at the Rose Bowl Stadium ever sincewith the exception of 1942, when the game was moved to Durham, North Carolina, because of fears of a Japanese attack on the West Coast in the wake of Pearl Harbor. The first Rose Bowl Game played between college football's top two teams was played in Pasadena, California, in 1902. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Northwestern University 1996 Rose Bowl Football Sweatshirt Men's Large at the best online prices at eBay! In fact, if Notre Dame is used as a compass, Northwestern should have its way in this Rose Bowl. "He was perhaps more relaxed in California for that game than I had seen him in other situations," Forman says. And he fired into me, and we're pushing against each other, and I'm blocking him, and Darnell makes a cut and gets tackled. Forman says the team's big-game experiences had the players very upbeat to begin with and Voigts reinforced that as New Year's Day drew near. And I lined up, and I dug in my cleats, and got my adrenaline rush, and I fired off into that defensive end with everything I had and I mean, everything that I had. Here are the highlights of what was said. We would say, "We can't tell you. Northwestern's own All-America at fullback, Art Murakowski (SESP51), got the call with the 'Cats on Cal's 1-yard line in the second quarter. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage Northwestern University Football Sweatshirt 1996 Rose Bowl Men's XXL at the best online prices at eBay! People were resigned to it. On a frigid November day, before 48,000 fans, halfback Frank Aschenbrenner (EB49) led Northwestern to victory over the Illini with 84 yards on 11 carries, including a touchdown. https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/repositories/6/archival_objects/470503 Accessed March 04, 2023. We come over to the sideline, and our offensive line coach comes up to us with the white board. None of them were guys that had phenomenal overall ability. "Dad, I can't tell you." And [my recruiter at Northwestern] said, "Yeah, sure, why don't you come out to Northwestern!" The rest of us were journeymen compared with those three. I'll tell anyone who will listen that I went to Northwestern because of a guy named Bill Koziel. Wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson was the game's most valuable player with two touchdown receptions. 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary Flashback #25: January 2, 1996 - Northwestern plays in the Rose Bowl We found a way to screw up 130 plays. Everybody loved us before, they were blaming us now. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. ", As Forman recalls, "I was a left tackle lining up outside the right end. After finishing 2022 with 11 wins, a top-10 ranking, and a Rose Bowl win over Utah, the Nittany Lions have some high expectations this fall. Aschenbrenner, the left halfback who had 11 carries for 119 yards and also excelled as the punter and a kick returner, says, "I was really winded, and we were closer to the sideline on my side he [Burson] called Tunny, and I was happy. Aschenbrenner took quarterback Don Burson's (SESP50, GSESP52) handoff on what started as a simple off-tackle run to the right. And the administration let us do it. He was on the 40-man roster and went to . 1996 Rose Bowl: Southern California - 41, Northwestern - 32 Between 1948 and 1995, NU football ranged from mediocre to terrible. Online Exclusive: Tunnicliff's Take on His Game-winning Touchdown, Tunnicliff's Take on His Game-winning Touchdown. So we had a lot of indoor practices. Especially the two or three preceding years. And he gave us a "Go Cats. Illinois whipped UCLA 45-14 in 1947 before Michigan's resounding '48 triumph. A long Trojan drive resulted in a field goal, and USC scored again with . "Because of the angle, it is possible part of his body may have been but the Cals will yelp about this one for a long time to come.". The Wildcats made big strides in 1994, but finished just 3-7-1. Fitzgerald reminisces about Northwestern's run to the 1996 Rose Bowl (2:11) Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald remembers the Wildcats' unlikely trip to the Rose Bowl in 1996, when he was a . Stewart Mandel: It really made me a college football fan for life. And I was a former quarterback so me catching and throwing was something I had done many previous times. The 'Cats rebounded with a 48-0 thumping of Syracuse, followed by triumphs of 21-7 over Ohio State and 16-7 at Wisconsin. But he adds, seconds later, "They published pictures of some of the men having a beer in a bar. Main Navigation Menu. Not everybody had bought into the idea that a winning football program could have wide-ranging benefits for the university. The 1996 Rose Bowl was the 82nd Rose Bowl Game.It was the 50th game in the series featuring the Big Ten Conference and the Pacific-10 Conference.The USC Trojans defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 41-32, on the strength of two touchdown passes from USC quarterback Brad Otton to wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson.Johnson was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. It was really hard, wasn't it? It wasn't really official until spring ball in 1995. Twenty years ago, Northwestern shocked the nation by winning the Big Ten and sending a purple wave to Pasadena, California, for the Rose Bowl in a season that changed the program forever. William Weinbaum (J82, GJ83) is a New York Citybased producer for ESPN-TV and contributor to ESPN.com. "We were proud of wearing dark jerseys that day because of the flip of a coin," Perrcione says, "and we always seemed to play better when we wore dark jerseys.". Northwestern's marching band was supposed to arrive in Chicago ahead of the returning players, but its train, which took a Northern route, was caught in a snowstorm in Cheyenne, Wyo. Darnell Autry: After 20 years, people still care. Starters are marked with an asterisk (*). And so as I was running, I was trying to think what Wisconsin would be, and all of a sudden, I realized it [would be] the sixth [win]. But that I think would be the most special year of my coaching career. It just really showed the power of college football. For most sports there is also a history file and/or an "all-time" statistics file to provide background information on the sport. Attendance: 100,102 Previous: 1995 Next: 1997 The 1996 Rose Bowl was the 82nd Rose Bowl Game. In response to the Wildcats earning a berth in the Rose Bowl, announcer Keith Jackson uttered the quote "We've had all the romance; now let's find out if she can dance.". "California was not in agreement," Nemeth says, "and I don't blame 'em. Video: March to the '49 Rose Bowl Four members of Northwestern's 1949 Rose Bowlwinning team share the story of the Wildcats' history-making win over California. Don Holmes (Sophomore linebacker): My birthday was December 11, and before I left town, I talked my parents into allowing me to get a Northwestern tattoo, with the mascot in the middle of the N. And I put a rose in its mouth, for the Rose Bowl. My family was a little bit suspect, they said, "Is this a done deal?" Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. And we had had Jay Hayes, the west coast regional recruiter, in my house, had dinner with my family. And I'm not shy about saying that. On my goal board, one of the things was to become a relentless team. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. on them. We actually slept on the dirty, filthy streets of Pasadena, with trash blowing in the wind. What do you have to say about that?" We knew if we were going to beat Iowa, we had to keep him bottled up. Somebody wrote on their window, one of the windows that faced Sheridan Road, "0-11. Tunnicliff had already been called upon 10 times, averaging six yards a carry. Ryan Padgett (Senior offensive guard): I will never forgive [the players who threw games], because when Barnett came in, that team was used to losing. I did not [have a speech prepared]. We did certain things to make sure they didn't go crazy, but one of the things about Northwestern kids, they're not smarter, they're more responsible. Adande: Basically every week, I would go to the game of the week. Rob Johnson: I'm more proud of being associated with the guys today because of who they are in their work lives, in their communities, in their families, than being proud of anything we did on the field. Autry ended up finishing fourth in the voting. But the rules were the rules. You look around and realize the people around you are high achievers, and many of them have never failed at anything they've done in their lives. The next play, Aschenbrenner, a halfback, completed Northwestern's only pass of the game in four attempts, an 18-yard reception by end Don Stonesifer (EB51). Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. But I had follow-up questions, and we actually shot the art for the story in the press box at Northwestern. That's the only way we got up there. Dave Eanet: Right before the game, we got word that the prime minister of Israel had been assassinated. Bob Voigts, left, and Alex Sarkisian savor the Rose Bowl victory over Cal. Department of Athletics and Recreation, https://www.library.northwestern.edu/libraries-collections/mccormick-library/index.html. The victorious Wildcats' Frank Aschenbrenner, Ed Tunnicliff and Alex Sarkisian prepare to board the train bound for Chicago. It's the grand finale. No. January 2, 1996 - Northwestern plays in the Rose Bowl. After finishing 2022 with 11 wins, a top-10 ranking, and a Rose Bowl win over Utah, the Nittany Lions have some high expectations this fall. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. (See "Benchmarks," winter 2006.). Record: 9-3 (16th of 111) (Schedule & Results), Bowl Game: Lost Citrus Bowl 48-28 versus Tennessee. [My friend] Adam Fox convinced us it was a thing in L.A. to camp out the night before the Parade to get your spot on the parade route. The Rose Bowl Stadium or "America's Stadium" is a National Historic Landmark that was built in 1922. Charles Bartlett's flowery Chicago Tribune game story began with: "Northwestern's Wildcats, a feline football tribe, suddenly turned into horticulturists, yesterday became posy fanciers of the Rose variety as they wrought a 20 to 7 victory over Illinois in the final Western Conference game of the season. "He didn't want us to spend any time reading the newspapers because of all the negativity toward little old Northwestern," says tackle Bill Forman (WCAS50). decision by design review farnam street; northwestern rose bowl 1996 roster; post mortem fingerprint equipment. Steve Schnur: When I completed the touchdown pass to Hartl, I can remember how open he was, and as soon as I let go of the ball, I thought, "Oh my God, I've underthrown him." "Before we went there (to the Rose Bowl), we were told, 'You'll remember this your whole life,'" says Day, "and you do, and it's a lot more pleasant because we won the game.". Do you have a sports website?