northwestern rose bowl 1996 roster
Johnson was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. There were some guys that bought in from [former coach] Francis Peay's administration, and believed and really bought in, and that's hard to do, because he asked a lot of people. Trailing 14-13, the 'Cats' chances came down to a desperate drive from their own 12-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Played January 1, 1996. Dave Eanet: They had a rally at Welsh-Ryan Arena, and I was the emcee for that. From the Collection: 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. They had Jim Delaney, the mayor of Evanston, and some other political types. Read more about our data coverage. 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. The game was presided over by the 1996 Tournament of Roses Royal Court and Rose Parade Grand Marshal Kermit the Frog. These are the best of the rest. But the rules were the rules. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. "If Pee Wee Day hadn't intercepted [inside the 10-yard line]," Aschenbrenner says, "they could've won, as their fullback [Brunk] was raising hell. The official athletics website for the Wisconsin Badgers Badgers In that time, the Cats reached no bowls and from 1979 to 1982 . They were always sort of quiet and subdued. I think I had them at seven "winnable" games and four "miserable" games. 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. The second day he said, "Okay, I've accomplished the simple feat, now I'm going to walk backwards across the tightrope." And it was very easy to say, "Yeah, I want that too." I looked over to the sideline, and we were only about two yards downfield. Birthplace/Hometown: McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Attendance: 100,102 Previous: 1995 Next: 1997 The 1996 Rose Bowl was the 82nd Rose Bowl Game. The newspaper also said Northwestern had 3,000 alumni on the West Coast, and "all want to be inside the Rose Bowl.". They thought that was the coolest thing ever. ", Three players, says Perricone, made the '49 Rose Bowl champs special. The Ducks-Badgers' Rose Bowl audience is within 4% of last season's Ohio State-Washington Rose Bowl Game audience, which is the most-watched non-Semifinal New Year's Six matchup. Current NBA Status: Draft Eligible in 2023. 1996 Rose Bowl: Southern California - 41, Northwestern - 32 Between 1948 and 1995, NU football ranged from mediocre to terrible. 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. He saved me. Above the masthead on the Daily Northwestern's front page was "No School! There was a lot of doubt. 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary Flashback #25: January 2, 1996 - Northwestern plays in the Rose Bowl There are many talented players on this year's roster, though these players will be essential to the success to Penn State's 2023 season. Free shipping for many products! Northwestern University Archives. My parents had come down the following week, we had about five, six days left before the game, and I had just been interviewed by Channel 7 News, and I saw my parents so I went over to talk to them, and my mom says, Hey, your dad has a surprise for you.' Gary Barnett: I would go for a run every day, and that's when I would come up with my ideas. There's 95 guys in that locker room, and everybody had a hand in us losing that game." I gave everyone a shirt and told em what it was. And then run cold out, two weeks before signing day. ", Whenever it faced adversity, says Sawle, memories of experiences far more threatening unified and emboldened the team. It was one of those last little lessons that we had to learn. 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. That was the coolest. With only a home game left against archrival Illinois, the 'Cats had a 6-2 record and a chance for their first Rose Bowl because conference rules then prohibited teams from going to Pasadena in back-to-back years. Dave Eanet: Right before the game, we got word that the prime minister of Israel had been assassinated. The teammates were honored during halftime of Northwestern's 37-20 loss to Michigan State in October. Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. Sam Valenzisi: In 94, we got t-shirts that had the letters A.R.T. The game ended in a 2121 tie. For it to end up like that Ron Vanderlinden (Defensive coordinator): I've been to three Rose Bowls, three Orange Bowls, and a lot in between. Undefeated Northwestern hosting nationally ranked Michigan State. They all played very well within the system. We end up winning the game, and everybody's going crazy, and they're getting ready to leave coming down the stairs, and everybody's high-fiving, and my neighbor puts Makenzie on his shoulders, and Makenzie pats my wife on the shoulder and says, "Mom, mom, this is so cool, I can't wait till we tell dad that we beat Notre Dame today.". A former All-America tackle for Northwestern, Voigts was 31 years old when given the job. He said, "It's a done deal, coach Holtz is excited you're coming to Notre Dame, yada yada ya." "He had possession when he crossed. In October almost half of the 45-player roster from the 1949 Rose Bowl team, Northwestern's first bowl team and only bowl winner, returned to Evanston for a 60-year reunion and a halftime tribute. ", Tunnicliff told the L.A. Times: "When Don Burson called it in the huddle, I could have kissed him.". ROSE BOWL: USC 41, Northwestern 32 : Cinderella Beaten to Ball : Game: Otton and Johnson have a field day for Trojans, but they just barely outscore Northwestern, 41-32. . At that point, Northwestern was just like a running joke. He was a classmate of mine. Stewart Mandel: It really made me a college football fan for life. Nationality: United States. We got behind.". And we carried our games at that point on WBBM, which was all news. "There was total silence from this gigantic crowd," says Forman. Ben Bolch: The one thing that told me this was a huge deal was that the Penn State game was played in bitter cold, and I had some friends from my town, and I got them tickets. I'm out of the play, and he tries to cut block me. Main . ", "Everybody was out of their dorms," Day recalls. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Wildcats opened the 1995 season with a surprise 1715 win at #9 Notre Dame on September 3, 1995. ", The out-of-towners received celebrity treatment in other ways. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail the editors at letters@northwestern.edu. The full oral history if the 1995 season can be found here. Following a hard-fought short gain for Aschenbrenner, Northwestern had the ball on the Cal 43. "A lot of people didn't think we belonged in it," Nemeth recalls. The 1996 Rose Bowl was the 82nd Rose Bowl Game. 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. Schnur threw a lateral screen to D'Wayne Bates, who then threw down the middle of the field to Darren Drexler. 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 . Current Team: La Roche. 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. ", As Tunnicliff sprinted toward the goal line, "I knew Cal's Frank Brunk would hit me he jumped on my back at the 7-yard line," Tunnicliff says of the defender who significantly outweighed him. Are you willing to get in that wheelbarrow? I recently . I remember thinking, "Wow, I can't believe this many people care about watching the game.". "Waldorf came into the locker room after the game to congratulate us and he said, 'I knew that today I could not lose,'" says Sawle. As Lawrence "Fatso" Day (EB50), a WWII veteran and Wildcat lineman is quick to point out, junior end Al Thomas (CB50) was awarded a Silver Star, the third-highest honor bestowed by the armed forces. 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. / CBS Chicago. Gary Barnett (Head coach): The Monday after the Iowa game [the penultimate game of the 1994 season], one of the coaches came to me. Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA. You remember learning? And when coach Barnett called it, I was like, "Okay! It was devastating. To view additional football highlights and game programs, visit University Archives. Ray Robey (Sophomore defensive tackle): You get tips and reminders before a game, it's like a test. If I didn't trust them, and they weren't mature, I would've been different. On October 2, the Wildcats had another win that brought them back into national attention, a 1913 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor. We went to a hospital to see some kids, which was great, a couple people asked who I was, which was awesome. ", The Chicago Tribune paid tribute to Northwestern's relentless ground attack that compiled 273 yards: " remember the terrific running of the Wildcat backs, those lads were not stopping until stopped, period.". Word quickly spread in the press box, and there were a couple Northwestern grads up there, and we got all excited. "I would just like to hear someone from Northwestern admit it. In the end, it wasn't. I mean, that campus could not have been any less into sports before that season. It was going to be their breakthrough year. "I understood leadership by being around those guys," says Gaspar Perricone (WCAS50), a fullback who went straight from high school to Northwestern. In the opening quarter, the 'Cats struck first. He pulls his sleeve up, and he had the same tattoo. "One of the things I think about most often from that game is Frank's TD," says fellow halfback Tunnicliff. He decided instead to stay at Northwestern. Though they may be in different programs now, Brandon Joseph and Eku Leota will always remember the purple and white. So it was Kenosha. "I was two feet from it, and he scored, no doubt about it," says Sawle. stand for?" Records are organized alphabetically by the name of the sport, from baseball to wrestling. Near the end of the season, Northwestern won vs. Purdue on November 16, 1996 with a final score of 27-24 (tapes 10A-10D). Illinois Football All-Time Rosters - 1975-1999 1890s: 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 1990s: 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 I'll never forget the first play of the game, I'm on the opposite side of the field as Tim Dwight, and he comes running across the field. Drew Allar carries Penn State's 2023 season on his shoulders Tom Worthington (C50) had the other two no other team or game in Rose Bowl history has had two players with two interceptions. ), "I broke the linebacker's tackle after running left," says Aschenbrenner, who gives most of the credit to his blockers. The play remains one of the most controversial in Rose Bowl history. By the time he stopped, the speedy halfback had a 73-yard touchdown, setting a record that stood for 44 years as the longest run in any Rose Bowl. We'll move everybody out, he will be able to score,'" Keddie recalls saying in the huddle. They were very familiar with Tommy Frazier, really familiar with Eddie George. "This reunion's better than the last one," Sawle says. 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. stand for?" 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. The stadium is known for hosting the annual Rose Bowl Game, but it has also earned its world-class reputation by hosting five NFL Super Bowls, 1984 Olympic soccer matches, the 1994 Men's World Cup, the 1999 Women's World Cup, four BCS . However, Notre Dame set the record for largest drop in the rankings AP Poll in the Top-25 era when the next AP poll was released, dropping 16 spots to #25 (this record was beaten by Michigan after losing to Appalachian State during the first week of the 2007 season). I was back and forth at quarterback and receiver. The victory kept another Rose Bowl trip alive for Northwestern (4-1 . And that's not to say there weren't exceptions to that, I just never felt that the administration embraced athletics the way they do today. Coming into the UCLAUSC rivalry game, the Trojans already had the Rose Bowl berth by virtue of more non-conference victories than Washington, even though a loss to the Bruins would leave both teams with a 611 record. The Wildcats won the rest of their games with a perfect 80 record in the Big Ten Conference. Because I really thought the accuser was the guy that was wrong. Get into the end zone, Murakowski did, but he fumbled and Cal recovered. He played like three plays his freshman year. Vintage 90s Northwestern Wildcats 1996 Rose Bowl Crewneck Sweashirt. ", "I was right in the middle of the pile," Nemeth says. But it's not the 500th hit that breaks it, it's all 500 of those leading up to that. And he shared with us the reason why: "Because he showed very little evidence of being able to coach d-line effectively as evidenced by the product of his players." Search all Archival and Manuscript Collections, The Tale of the Wildcats, A Centennial History of Northwestern University Athletics, Records of the Athletic Media Services (25/6), Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.). Gary Barnett: I had a mature team, and I trusted them. So when the story ran, you can see the "N" on the field behind Keith Jackson. If they can sleep comfortably in air conditioning, and you can give them good food, you can do anything." The summer of 95, I actually took my MCAT the Sunday of Kenosha. Northwestern's 1995 regular season record (like you don't know): 10-1 overall, 8-0 conference. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Good luck today!" It was like, "Oh my gosh, they're in the top 10. The Trojans, however, would add a touchdown and a field goal en route to a 42-31 win. They didn't win the Big Ten: The Wildcats finished in second place in the Big Ten (then the Big Nine) in 1948, with a record of 8-2 (5-1 conference). But I thought it was really cool. Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository. Brian Kardos: In the first quarter, we called a sweep to my side, and I got a really nice block on the defensive end, and I pushed him out of bounds, and we were getting up off the ground, and somebody comes over and grabs my shoulder pad. But that doesn't diminish it at all. I didn't think about it at all. But I was too euphoric to feel it. on them. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection. It was up there all winter as a reminder of how bad that football team was. "We went down to the women's quad, and they put us up on the balcony and had a great time. It was the 50th game in the series featuring the Big Ten Conference and the Pacific-10 Conference. Pat Fitzgerald (Junior linebacker): Coach Barnett is a big part of who I am on a daily basis, and some of the things I really believe in as far as what it means to be a teacher and a coach. Northwestern defeated No. They were the punchline in sports, both football and basketball. The 1948 Wildcats were predicted to be pretenders after finishing 3-6 and eighth in the conference the year before under rookie head coach Bob Voigts . "We had great linebackers: Ray Wietecha [SESP51] played with the Giants for years and George Sundheim [C51], who was as good a tackler as I've ever seen and could hit harder than anybody, and of course, Sarkisian. But it was still a prestigious event, it was starting to catch on. Aschenbrenner was named MVP of the game and later inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. Darnell Autry: I know my father was like, "I think you can win." University Archives has more than 2,000 reels of film of Northwestern football games from between 1929 and 1989, including the 1949 Rose Bowl, in its collection. That is until running back Darnell Autry scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, putting Northwestern up 32-31 after a failed two-point conversion. It got us through tough times. "My reaction was, 'I'm going to get to that goal line if I have to carry the whole stadium.'". No School! So that was a big moment, but we thought that was going to be the highlight of the season, or even the highlight of my Northwestern-watching life. And I remember the ref coming up and saying, "Let him go, Ron." The Rose Bowl, the "granddaddy of them all," was first played on Jan. 1, 1902, at Tournament Park. 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. The train that carried the Northwestern band and many of the fans took a Northern route and got caught in a blizzard in Cheyenne, Wyo., where nearly 300 fans celebrated the Wildcat win for nearly a week. Not everybody had bought into the idea that a winning football program could have wide-ranging benefits for the university. "They followed us around a great deal, and I won't comment on what they caught us doing," says Forman amid guffaws. And the next morning the parade starts, and you're like, "Oh, it's a parade. If they weren't so good, and this wasn't such a big deal, I would've just left. And I turn around and look, and it's Joe Paterno. And it was Penn State, Ohio State and Notre Dame in my household. . 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. J.A. Northwestern University Archives. The Records of the Department of Athletic Media Services span the years 1871 to 2002, with the bulk of the materials dating from the 1950s through the 1990s. Here are 10 interesting facts about the 1948 Wildcats, who are still the only team in school history to win the Rose Bowl, on Jan. 1, 1949. Bowl Game: Lost Citrus Bowl 48-28 versus Tennessee. Of special interest are the tapes recording WNUR's live coverage of Northwestern football . We knew Michigan was playing so many people in the box to stop Autry, and when we threw it outside, those linebackers we're gonna flow, and Drexler would be wide open on the backside. Instead of the band welcoming back the team, players greeted the 144-member band after its unscheduled snow-driven holiday out West.