California vs. Ohio State

Monday, January 2, 1950, Rose Bowl

No. 5 Ohio State beat No. 2 California 17–⁠14. It was their second meeting; after it, the series stood even at 1–⁠1.

Neutral site2California10–⁠1 in 1949
14
Neutral site5Ohio State7–⁠1–⁠2 in 1949
17

FinalAttendance 100,963Referee: William Blake (Big Ten; split crew: Big Ten, Pacific Coast)

MVP Fred “Curly” MorrisonWikipedia

In the newspapers

  • The Minneapolis spokesman's story: SPORTS

    Minneapolis spokesman, Minneapolis, Minn., January 6, 1950, page 6

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    SPORTS Mechanics and Marshall are set to resume conference play on the hardwood this week. -. .ShAg Thomas and Roy Hamilton of Ohio State were In the hne-ups as the Buckeyes beat the Bears in the Rose Bowl game 17–⁠14 TO keep the Big Ten superiority over Pa cific Coast football intact. Z. . Len Jones was at tackle for the Gold en- Bears. Entee Shine, sepiR eager from South Bend Central high, was picked by q National Sport Publication for the pre-season all-state team. 80. BIN Garrett, Indlana’s Negro star, has averaged IL points per game In tho nOn-cOnference schedule, ~ Indiana has not dropped . pre-cOnferenCe game. The Sugar Bowl In New Orleans not only bars Bepia players, but spectators a. well. Charles Easter, Negro athlete from Albert Lea. MINI, IL one Of the most sought after boys In the state. -. II seems odd that the Chicago White Sox can’t find q Negro baseball player. with their parks In the middle Of the South Side -. With the large number Of Negro boxers on fight cards thru out the state, why not q Negro member OF the Minnesota Boxing Commission New York, Penn sylvania, Illinois, California have representation already. u. c. L. A. has Gene williams, a colored eager. on their squad this year. . 1t Is no wonder Southern football teams have to bring In Northern talent for foot ball. In that section Of the country. 40 per cent OF the population are Negros. who are automatically barred from participation. -. I undeFStand the Chicago Bears have had some CORES pondence with Earl Bowman. Herschell Garrett and LOuie Zachary, homo from North Gar OllnA. say that they will try some Minnesota College next fAll. ;. Jim Lee, popular sports official win call one Of Ham. lines games this month. Leo Durocher Of the New York Giants. plans to use Max Thompson at third base this coming season. -Four years ago this spring Jackie Robinson was going forth with the Montreal Royals to be the first Negro In organized base bah. Today. Jackie u synonymous with baseball. II anyone reading this column has any questions to ask about sports. send them to this paper or contact me at 6S7 Rondo Ave-, EL.khurst A7s7. and I win Try TO answer them.

  • The St. Paul recorder's story: SPORTS

    St. Paul recorder, St. Paul, Minn., January 6, 1950, page 1

    Read the text

    SPORTS Mechanics and Marshall are sci to resume conference play on the hardwood this week. Shag Thomas and Roy Hamilton OF Ohio State were in the line-ups as the Buckeyes beat the Bears in the Rose Bowl game 17–⁠14 to keep the Big Ten superiority over Pa | CifiC Coast football intact Len Jones was at tackle for the Gold en- Bears. Entee Shine, sepia eager from South Bend Central high, was picked by a National Sport Publication for the pre-season all-state team. Bill Garrett, Indiana’s Negro star. has averaged IA points per game in the nOn-cOnference schedule, as Indiana has not dropped a pre-cOnference game. The Sugar Bowl in New Orleans not only bars sepia players, but spectators as well. Charles Easter. Negro athlete from Albert Lea, MINI. is one of the most sought after boys in the state. . 1t seems odd that the Chicago White Sox can’t find a Negro baseball player, with their parks in the middle of the South Side .... With the large number of Negro boxers on fight cards thru out the state, why not a Negro member of the Minnesota Boxing Commission? New York, Penn sylvania, Illinois, California have representation already. -. U. c. l.. A. has Gene Williams, colored eager, on their squad this year. 1t is no wonder Southern football teams have to bring in Northern talent for foot ball. In that section of the country, 40 per cent of the population are Negros, who are automatically barred from participation. &c. I understand the Chicago Bears have had some CORES POndence with Earl Bowman. Herschell Garrett and Louie Zachary, home from North Car Ollna, say that they will try some Minnesota College next fall. Jim Lee, popular sports official will call one of Ham. lines games this month. Leo Durocher of the New York Giants. plans to use Max Thompson at third base this coming season. Four years ago this spring Jackie Robinson was going forth with the Montreal Royals to be the first Negro in organized base ball. Today, Jackie is synonymous with baseball. II anyone reading this column has any questions to ask about sports, send them to this paper or contact me at 587 Rondo Ave-, ELlIhurst 47s7. and I will try to answer them.

Public-domain newspapers from the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America, found through the American Stories dataset (Dell and Harvard, CC BY 4.0). The text is the machine reading of the page, mistakes and all.

On the newsreel

  • THE ROSE BOWLIn thrilling see-saw grid clash, the Ohio State Buckeyes score a field goal in the final quarter to topple the Golden Bears of California, 17-14, before a record crowd of 100,900Universal Newsreel, January 5, 1950. Catalog record at the National Archives

Universal Newsreel, National Archives (catalog record). Story titles and words as Universal’s release sheet gives them; the films themselves may still be under copyright, so we link to the record rather than show them.

Photos from the game

  • A 1950 Cal Rose Bowl plaque on display at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California.
    A 1950 Cal Rose Bowl plaque on display at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California.Photo: BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From the game’s category on Wikimedia Commons, free licenses only, each credited.

Before kickoff

Our ratings going in

Our ratings (scores only)

California 68% to win. Ohio State pulled the upset.

Ohio State leads 7–⁠1 in eight meetings, counting the six since this game.

Recent meetings
2013Ohio State 52, California 34
2012Ohio State 35, California 28
1972Ohio State 35, California 18
1971Ohio State 35, California 3
1954Ohio State 21, California 13
1953Ohio State 33, California 19

Around this game