Definition
The 1956 Rose Bowl was the 42nd edition of the annual Rose Bowl Game, a post‑season college football contest played on January 2, 1956, in Pasadena, California.
Overview
The game matched the Ohio State Buckeyes, champions of the Big Ten Conference, against the Oregon State Beavers, champions of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). Ohio State won the contest by a score of 20–7. Because New Year’s Day fell on a Sunday in 1956, the traditional January 1 kickoff was moved to the following Monday, marking one of the few instances in Rose Bowl history when the game was not held on January 1. The event was attended by approximately 100,000 spectators and was broadcast nationally on television.
Etymology/Origin
The name “Rose Bowl” derives from the Tournament of Roses Parade, a New Year’s Day celebration in Pasadena that began in 1890. The affiliated football game adopted the “Rose Bowl” title in 1902 when the first postseason match was organized to complement the parade. The year identifier (“1956”) follows the convention of naming each edition by the calendar year in which the game is played.
Characteristics
- Date and Venue: January 2, 1956; Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California.
- Participating Conferences: Big Ten (Ohio State) versus Pacific Coast Conference (Oregon State).
- Final Score: Ohio State 20, Oregon State 7.
- Attendance: Estimated at around 100,000 spectators, consistent with the stadium’s capacity at the time.
- Broadcast: National television coverage, contributing to the growing popularity of college football on TV.
- Significance: The game reinforced the long‑standing Rose Bowl tradition of pitting a Big Ten representative against a West Coast conference champion and highlighted the adaptability of the event’s scheduling when New Year’s Day conflicted with Sunday observances.
Related Topics
- Rose Bowl Game (general history and tradition)
- Ohio State Buckeyes football program
- Oregon State Beavers football program
- 1955 college football season
- Tournament of Roses Parade
- Pasadena, California (venue and host city)