1969 Rose Bowl
The 1969 Rose Bowl was the 55th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Wednesday, January 1. The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference defeated the defending national champions - #2 USC Trojans of the Pacific-8 Conference, 27–16. Sophomore quarterback Rex Kern of Ohio State was the Player of the Game.
| 1969 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 55th Rose Bowl Game National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Rex Kern (Ohio State QB) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Ohio State by 3½ points | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | The Ohio State University Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Charles Moffett (Pacific-8) (split crew: Pac-8, Big Ten) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Spirit of Troy, The Ohio State University Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 102,063 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Curt Gowdy, Kyle Rote | ||||||||||||||||||||
Heisman Trophy winner O. J. Simpson rushed for 171 yards and an 80-yard touchdown run, but USC had five turnovers, including an interception and a fumble by Simpson. It was only the second #1 vs. #2 matchup in the Rose Bowl, the first was six years earlier. It was the first time in the history of the Big 9(Ten) – PCC/Big Ten – AAWU agreements that two unbeaten teams met in the Rose Bowl.
It was the first of four Rose Bowl matchups between the head coaches; Woody Hayes of Ohio State and USC's John McKay. It was the first of three with the national championship on the line for both schools.