By Darin Every New Year’s Day marks a milestone in college football history. Explore how January 1st became the date for legendary games like the first Rose Bowl in 1902 and the pivotal 1926 “Game that Changed the South.” Meet gridiron greats—Hall of Famers like George Halas and Doak Walker—each linked to this historic day. Discover how January 1st stands as a showcase of iconic moments and players that shaped the college football legacy.
January 1 Football History Timeline
- January 1, 1902 – Tournament Park, Pasadena, California – The first bowl game was played. An NCAA.com article says it started as the centerpiece of the “Tournament of Roses,” a yearly festival by the Valley Hunt Club that began in 1890. Before the football game, the parade had tug-of-war, polo matches, and even greased-pig catching. The game became known as the Rose Bowl Game in 1923, when it moved to the new Rose Bowl Stadium. In the contest, the Michigan Wolverines blew out the Stanford Cardinal 49-0. Michigan allowed only 12 points all season, even including this game!
- Fast-forwarding to January 1, 1919, the 5th Rose Bowl saw Great Lakes, US Navy, defeat Mare Island, USMC, 17-0 per the Onthisday.com website. The game’s Most Valuable Player was a US Naval player named George Halas.
- January 1, 1925 – The game that would become the Rose Bowl was legendary as the Notre Dame Four Horsemen backfield of Knute Rockne would face Pop Warner’s star runner Ernie Nevers in an epic battle.
- January 1, 1926 – Pasadena, California – The first game officially called the Rose Bowl, when it entered its new stadium venue of the same name. Remember that the Rose Bowl was the only Bowl game back in this era, and it was a big deal for Alabama to get the invite; in fact, they were the first Southern team to play in the Rose Bowl. The University of Washington was a powerhouse under its star halfback, George “Wildcat” Wilson. In the game, Wilson’s dominant performance for much of the first half of the “Grand Daddy of them All” had the opponent, Alabama, on its heels and down by a couple of scores. The Crimson Tide finally got a break late in the second quarter when George Wilson left the game due to injury. The Tide rolled, led by Johnny Mack Brown, with 20 unanswered points, and were driving down the field to score again when the banged-up Wildcat Wilson re-entered the contest and was significant in stalling the ‘Bama drive at the Husky 12-yard line. Wilson then guided the Washington offense down the field and capped off the drive with a 20-yard scoring strike to John Cole. It was not enough, as the Tide held on to win 20-19. The stat line of the game showed that with Wilson on the field, the Washington Huskies gained 317 yards and put up 19 points; when he was out, they mustered a mere 17 yards and were shut out, while the Crimson Tide scored all 20 of their points in that 22-minute absence of Wilson from the contest. It really put Alabama football on the map as a prominent force in college football. The game was a good one as upstart Alabama defeated the favorites, Washington, 20-19. This game is often called the Game that Changed the South. Many gridiron history experts recognize it as the most crucial game in Southern football history.
- January 1, 1935, 1st Sugar Bowl: Tulane beats Temple, 20-14
- January 1, 1935, 1st Orange Bowl: Bucknell beats Miami (FL), 26-0
- January 1, 1942: Durham, North Carolina – Once, the Rose Bowl was played on the East Coast. Oregon State College surprised everyone by winning the Pacific Coast Conference championship. The Golden Rankings website details how the Beavers won their final five games and earned their first Rose Bowl trip. At the time, the PCC champion chose its opponent. Minnesota, ranked No. 1, could not play due to Western Conference rules, so Oregon State chose Duke, the next-highest-ranked team. Many Duke fans booked travel packages to California, including train fare, accommodations, tickets, and a stop at the Grand Canyon, all for under $182. However, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into World War II. Soon after, fearing attacks on the West Coast, military leaders shut down all major sporting events, including the Rose Bowl. The teams and Rose Bowl committee decided the game must go on and moved it to Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. This was the only Rose Bowl ever played outside Pasadena. The Beavers pulled an upset, winning 20-16 over the Blue Devils.
https://goldenrankings.com/interestingfootballgames6.htm
Continuing the Rose Bowl’s tradition of firsts, January 1, 1952, in Pasadena marked the first nationally televised college football game, with Illinois defeating Stanford 40-7. - January 1, 1962 – Pasadena, California – The Rose Bowl had another first: the first college football game nationally televised in color. Minnesota outlasted UCLA 21-3 in this milestone broadcast. Until that day, some East Coast fans may never have seen Bruin blue!
- Just one year after that, on January 1, 1963, Pasadena hosted an especially significant Rose Bowl. For the first time, the national champion was decided using the AP and UPI polls, bringing top-ranked Southern Cal against #2 Wisconsin. USC prevailed in a thrilling 42–37 win after a late Wisconsin rally.
- January 1, 1966 – The NFL Championship game was quite the doozy.
- January 1, 1970 – The Cotton Bowl had the Number one Texas Longhorns against the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a thriller.
- January 1, 1979 – Sugar Bowl had the National Championship on the line as No. 2 Alabama, led by Bear Bryant, faced No. 1 Penn State in a game so memorable it made ESPN’s top 150 College games ever in 2019.
- January 1, 1979 – Notre Dame’s fantastic story of the Joe Montana “Chicken Soup” game in the Cotton Bowl.
- January 1, 1983 – The Sugar Bowl featured pitting the No. 2 Penn State Nittany Lions against the undefeated, top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, led by Heisman Trophy winner and college football legend Herschel Walker.
- January 1, 1994 – The Orange Bowl listed the No. 1-ranked Seminoles, who faced Tom Osborne’s No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers in an unforgettable game of FSU Redemption.
- January 1, 2005 – The Rose Bowl had a historic battle unfold as the No. 6 Texas Longhorns clashed with the No. 13 Michigan Wolverines
- January 1, 2007- The Fiesta Bowl featured the No. 9 Boise State Broncos upending the perennial powerhouse No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners.
- Jumping to a more recent highlight, on January 1, 2005, in Tempe, Arizona, the Fiesta Bowl saw Utah become the first non-BCS Conference team to appear in and win a Bowl Championship Series Bowl game, defeating Pittsburgh 35–7. According to Utahutes.com, quarterback Alex Smith’s performance in this game helped him become the #1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. The Utes later joined the Pac-12 Conference in 2011.
- January 1, 2018 – At the Rose Bowl, the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs staged a historic and unforgettable comeback against the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners, resulting in a dramatic 54-48 double-overtime victory.
January 1 Football Hall of Fame Birthdays
- Vince Pazzetti
- Jackie Parker
- Mike McKeever
Conclusion
From the 1902 inaugural Rose Bowl and Alabama’s defining 1926 upset to Utah’s groundbreaking 2005 Fiesta Bowl victory, January 1st remains arguably the most important date in college football. Whether celebrating the births of Hall of Famers like Doak Walker and Derrick Thomas or commemorating the only time the Rose Bowl was played outside Pasadena because of World War II, this day is a treasure trove of gridiron greatness. The foundation of modern bowl season, from the Rose to the Sugar and Orange Bowls, was laid on this date, creating traditions that continue to define the sport every New Year.
Special thanks to our sources, including Pro-Football-Reference.com
