Penn State’s First Rose Bowl
The LA Times has a neat article about Penn State’s first Rose Bowl appearance, which was incidentally against USC.
That first squad left for California on December 19, 1922, and was led by Hugo Bezdek. Heading into the Rose Bowl, they were 6-4-1 (ties were still allowed back then).
“They wanted to make it an enjoyable trip,” Penn State football historian Lou Prato said. “At long stops, they apparently got out and worked out a little, ran up and down and around the train station, did some exercises to get in shape.
It took them five days of travel to reach California.
When they got there, the team got its picture taken with Harold Lloyd, a picture that made it to the newspaper’s front page the following day.
The game started late because Penn State got stuck in traffic. The Nittany Lions did eventually lose the game 3-14 though.
Your ad blocker is on.
Please choose an option below.
Purchase a Subscription!
About the Author
‘There’s No Place Like Home’: Lizzie Palmieri’s Senior Column
“There were things that mattered and things that didn’t. Oftentimes, a quick peek behind the curtain was just enough to tell the difference.”
Chop Robinson Drafted No. 21 Overall By Miami Dolphins
Robinson joined offensive tackle Olu Fashanu as a first-round selection.
Olu Fashanu Drafted No. 11 Overall Overall By New York Jets
Fashanu became the fifth first-round pick drafted during the James Franklin era.
Penn State and the Process of Life
To paraphrase Mark Twain: The reports of higher education’s death have been an exaggeration. American universities produce more research and relevant knowledge for the world at large than any other institutions I know of. Tuition may be too damn high, but over the long-run, undergraduate degrees are definitely worth the cost. But Penn State could be so much more. It used to be, I think.