MVP | Ira McKee (Navy QB) |
---|
The 1924 Rose Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played between the independent Navy Midshipmen and the Washington Huskies, a member of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). The game took place on January 1, 1924, at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California, and closed the 1923 college football season. The game was played in front of a crowd of approximately 40,000 people and ended in a 14–14 tie. It was the first post-season bowl game for both teams. The 1924 game was the tenth edition of the Rose Bowl, which had first been played in 1902; between then and 1916, football was replaced with chariot races. The stadium had been constructed the year before, making this installment the second game played in the Rose Bowl.
The game's organizers selected a team from the east coast and the west coast, and asked the Washington Huskies to represent the west coast. Washington requested that the Navy Midshipmen be their opponents, and Navy accepted. Washington selected Navy in preference to several teams from the east which had amassed better records. Both teams had suffered only a single loss during the season, however Washington had won eight games compared with Navy's five; Navy had also amassed two ties. Predictions gave Washington a slight advantage in the game due to the weight difference between the teams; the Washington players were on average 10 pounds (4.5 kg) heavier than those of Navy.
The game kicked off in the afternoon; heavy rain showers had fallen the day before. The first quarter was scoreless but Navy scored on the first play of the second quarter. Washington answered Navy with a 23-yard touchdown run on the next drive. Near the end of the second quarter, Navy scored on a two-yard run, giving them a 14–7 halftime lead. The third quarter was a defensive stalemate, with neither team scoring. Navy fumbled the ball on their own ten-yard line later in the quarter. Four plays afterward, Navy tied the game on a 12-yard touchdown pass. Navy threw an interception at midfield, and Washington drove down to the Navy 20-yard line, before attempting a game-winning field goal. The kick missed and the game ended shortly afterwards.
For his performance in the game, Navy quarterback Ira McKee was named the Most Valuable Player. Navy led in nearly every statistical aspect of the contest. Washington would return to the Rose Bowl at the end of the 1925 season, falling to the Alabama Crimson Tide 20–19. Navy did not participate in another bowl game until 1955, when their squad, nicknamed the "team named desire", upset the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sugar Bowl. Since the 1924 Rose Bowl, Navy and Washington have met five additional times; the Huskies won three of the games.
Team selection
From its inauguration in 1902 until 1947, the Rose Bowl was played between a team from the east coast and a team from the west coast. Until the construction of the Rose Bowl stadium, which began hosting the game in 1923, it was called the "Tournament East-West football game".[7][8] Because the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was the only conference with teams located in the Western United States, schools from the conference had been chosen for every Rose Bowl game.[9] The tournament invited the University of Washington Huskies to participate in the 1924 game, and they accepted. Washington was then allowed by the Rose Bowl to select its opponent for the game—the first time a team was allowed to do so. Washington chose the Navy Midshipmen, who accepted the invitation.[7]
The Navy Midshipmen entered the Rose Bowl under coach Bob Folwell, with five wins, one loss, and two ties (5–1–2). Navy's sole loss in the 1923 season came in their annual game against Penn State, which they lost by 21–3. All five of Navy's wins came against eastern teams, including Colgate and William and Mary. Two of Navy's wins were shutouts against Colgate and Saint Xavier.[1][7] Navy tied 0–0 with Army in the 1923 Army–Navy Game; the last game of the season played on November 23 in front of nearly 70,000 spectators—including congressmen and high-ranking military officials.[10] Their other tie was a 3–3 game against Princeton. Navy was selected by Washington to participate in the Rose Bowl, although several teams with better records were eligible. Both Cornell and Yale finished the season with an undefeated 8–0 record.[11] Eleven teams finished with only one loss, including Furman (10–1), Notre Dame (9–1), and the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) (9–1).[12]
Washington
The Washington Huskies entered the 1924 Rose Bowl with a record of eight wins and one loss (8–1) under coach Enoch Bagshaw. Washington opened their season with victories over teams from the USS Mississippi and the USS New York; because these teams did not represent colleges, they were not considered an official part of Washington's schedule.[1] Washington's first official game ended with a 34–0 shutout of Willamette, which was followed by four straight shutouts. Washington's next game was a 26–14 victory over PCC opponent Montana—the first points Washington allowed all season. Washington's next game was their sole loss; a 9–0 shutout by conference opponent California. Washington finished the regular season with two straight wins over conference opponents, including winning the Apple Cup over Washington State.[1] Washington was selected by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses to represent the west in the Rose Bowl; Washington asked Navy to represent the east.[13]
Pre-game buildup
The 1924 Rose Bowl was the first meeting between Navy and Washington,[1] and was the first bowl game that either team participated in.[14] The competitors were announced on November 30, 1923,[13] and the teams arrived for the bowl in mid-December, holding practices until the evening before the game.[1][15] Heavy rain fell the night before the game; Washington coach Enoch Bagshaw said, "Wet weather will not bother us", and Navy coach Bob Folwell said, "My men will know what to do in the mud and will be there doing it".[1] Because of the wet conditions, several football critics predicted that Washington would have a slight advantage in the game.[1] It was estimated that 52,000 people would attend the game.[1] For the first time, the participating teams were responsible for ticket sales, and as a result only 40,000 people actually attended; a large number of tickets were sold to a navy fleet which was called to service on December 31, the day before the game.[3][16] The competition was the first Rose Bowl to be broadcast on radio, and was announced by a local Pasadena station.[17]
During the 1923 football season, the Navy Midshipmen outscored their opponents 133–43, led by quarterback Ira McKee, who threw several touchdown passes during the season. Navy's other offensive strong point was running back Carl Cullen, who ran for several hundred yards during the season.[1][18] The Navy defense was considered weak by football critics, with an average weight of 10 pounds (4.5 kg) less than that of Washington. Navy's defense had stopped running plays during the regular season, but had trouble defending pass plays.[1][18] Navy's special teams were considered by critics to be decent, about even with that of Washington.[1]
Washington
The Washington Huskies had outscored their opponents 203–37 during the regular season, excluding the games against the USS New York and USS Mississippi. Washington's running backs George Wilson and Elmer Tesreau led their offense during the season, each gaining several hundred rushing yards. However, Tesreau was suffering from boils on his knee and his coaches urged him to not play in the Rose Bowl.[1][3] The Washington defense was considered superior to that of Navy, being much larger. Washington's defense had been very effective during the regular season, holding five teams scoreless and only once allowing more than ten points to be scored against them. Washington's special teams were considered to be average, about even to that of Navy.[1]
Game summary
![A black-and-white image of a tall man with a mustache in a naval uniform](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Samuel_S_Robison.jpg)
The kickoff for the Rose Bowl was originally scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on January 1, 1924, but the night before the game, a meeting of the Rose Bowl organization rescheduled the kickoff time to 2:16 p.m. the same day. This was likely due to poor field conditions caused by the previous night's rain.[19] The opening ceremonies were the most elaborate at that time, with numerous events displayed. Navy admiral Samuel Shelburne Robison received an admiral's salute from Navy's band when he took his seat.[19] The navy band and the color guard of the marines performed the National Anthem, then the marine color guard hoisted the U.S. flag over the field. Both teams' mascots were walked around the field before the kickoff.[19] The Tournament of Roses predicted that tickets would be sold out by the day of the game, but actual ticket sales were much lower than they hoped.[19]
First half
The game began on time, with a temperature of 52 °F (11 °C) and the field still wet. Because of the playing conditions, running plays were ineffective, which caused problems for the Washington offense. Navy instead used passing plays, which the Washington defense could not stop. Navy had driven down to the 22-yard line of Washington when the first quarter ended. Navy controlled the first quarter, completing a perfect six of six passes, and holding the Washington offense to under 100 yards of offense.[3][4]
On their first play of the second quarter, Navy scored a touchdown on a pass play from Ira McKee to Carl Cullen. McKee kicked the extra point for Navy. In an attempt to trick Washington, Navy tried an onside kick on the next play, but Washington recovered the ball. After two short running plays, Washington quarterback Fred Abel completed a 23-yard pass to running back Kinsley Dubois, bringing Washington inside the 25-yard line. The next play, running back George Wilson ran the ball 23 yards for a touchdown. Washington's kicker completed the extra point. After several drives from each team, Navy completed a 57-yard pass down to the Washington eight-yard line. Two plays later, Ira McKee ran the ball in from two yards out. McKee then completed the extra point. The first half ended with Navy leading by 14–7, having completed all 11 passing plays.[3][4]
Second half
Both teams' defenses controlled the third quarter, allowing no points to be scored. Navy's McKee completed three more pass plays before his first incompletion, which came on his fourteenth attempt. Washington's offense had little success in the third quarter, being held to only a few yards gained and turning the ball over once. In the fourth quarter, after several unsuccessful drives by each team, Navy made a major error. After being stopped on their own 26-yard line, Navy improperly lined up in a punt formation, and the center snapped the ball over the punter's head. The ball was recovered by Washington on the Navy ten-yard line. Washington lost two yards on three plays, and faced a fourth down from the Navy 12-yard line. Washington stacked their offensive line, allowing their left guard, James Bryan, to become an eligible receiver. Fred Abel passed the ball to Bryan, who caught it just short of the goal line and walked into the end zone for the touchdown. Washington's kicker then completed the extra point, tying the game.[3][4]
Navy received the ball from Washington and began to throw it erratically. After gaining several yards, Ira McKee threw an interception near midfield. On the first play, Fred Abel threw a long pass to George Wilson, who was tackled on the Navy 20-yard line, gaining 30 yards. Washington brought out their placekicker, Leonard Ziel, to kick a 32-yard field goal, which would win them the game. Ziel kicked the ball about a yard short of the right upright, giving the ball back to Navy with the game still tied. A few plays later the game ended in a 14–14 tie.[3][4]
Statistical summary
NAVY | WASH | |
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 15 | 9 |
Total Yards | 362 | 202 |
Passing Yards | 175 | 65 |
Rushing Yards | 187 | 137 |
Passing | 16–20 | 3–8 |
Penalties | 2–10 | 4–20 |
Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
Punts–Average | 5–33.8 | 9–33 |
For his performance in the 1924 Rose Bowl, Navy quarterback Ira McKee was awarded with Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors.[22] McKee completed 16 of 20 passes for a total of 175 yards, including one pass for a touchdown. McKee also had 85 rushing yards on twelve attempts.[3] Washington running back Elmer Tesreau, although having little effect on the game, was given the game's Ironman Award. Against the urging of his coaches, Tesreau had played with boils completely covering one knee. He left near the end of the game, and was later discovered to have broken his leg in multiple places.[A 3]
Navy's McKee threw for a perfect 11 of 11 passes during the first half, but completed just five of nine attempts during the second half. Two of these incompletions were interceptions. McKee out threw Washington's Fred Abel by 110 yards. Carl Cullen was McKee's main receiver for the game, catching ten passes from him, one of which was taken for a touchdown. The other six passes were caught by other receivers. On the ground, Cullen rushed for the most yards of any player, gaining 102 throughout the course of the game. McKee was Navy's key runner, gaining 85 yards. Cullen, McKee, fullback Alan Shapley, and other team members rushed for a total of 187 yards during the game. McKee completed both extra point attempts, and the squad's punter kicked five times, for an average distance of 33.8 yards.[3][20]
Washington's Fred Abel attempted eight passes during the game, and completed just three for a total of 65 yards. Of Abel's five incompletions, two were interceptions. Kinsely Dubois caught two of Abel's completed passes, amassing 53 receiving yards. Guard James Bryan caught the other, a 12-yard touchdown pass. George Wilson led Washington in rushing yards, gaining 87 over the course of the game, and scoring Washington's only rushing touchdown. Kinsley Dubois came next, gaining 30 yards, followed by Fred Abel, with 20. The remainder of the team's 137 rushing yards were amassed by others, including Elmer Tesreau. Washington's kicker Leonard Zeil was two for two on extra points, but missed his only field goal attempt.[3][20] Washington punted nine times, averaging 33 yards per attempt.[20][24]
Aftermath
![A black-and-white aerial image of a dirt field with horseshoe shaped seating around it.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/RoseBowl-construction1921.jpg/220px-RoseBowl-construction1921.jpg)
The tie gave Washington a 10–1–1 record for the 1923 season; the second best in school history behind the 1916 season when the squad went 6–0–1.[2] Navy's record went to 5–1–3, a slight improvement from the previous year, when the team went 5–2. It became Navy's eighth straight winning season.[25]
Washington went 8–1–1 in the 1924 season, remaining under the direction of coach Enoch Bagshaw. The team would be invited to the 1926 Rose Bowl after completing an undefeated 11–0–1 1925 season. They lost the game to the Alabama Crimson Tide by a score of 20–19. Washington finished the 1920s with an overall record of 65–26–6; Bagshaw coached the team for every season except 1920, when it was under the leadership of Stub Allison.[2] Navy finished the 1924 season with a 2–6 record, ending their number of consecutive winning seasons at eight.[25] The Navy football team was not invited to participate in another bowl game until 1955, when the "team named desire", so named due to coach Eddie Erdelatz comparing the squad to the "Streetcar Named Desire", defeated the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sugar Bowl 21–0.[26] Navy finished the 1920s with a record of 55–22–8, with nine of the ten seasons ending in winning records. Navy's coach Bob Folwell would leave the team after the 1924 season, to be replaced by Jack Owsley.[25] Navy and Washington have since met five times; Washington currently leads the series 3–2–1.[25]
Because the 1924 Rose Bowl and several later Rose Bowls had very high attendance levels, the Tournament of Roses Association decided to close off the southern end of the Rose Bowl stadium and expand the seating from a horseshoe design to one which surrounded the entire field.[16] The 1924 game was the first in which the Tournament of Roses made participating schools responsible for ticket sales. The strategy has been used since, with only a small number of tickets allocated to the Tournament for each yearly edition.[3]
References
- Notes
- ^ Washington participated in eleven games during the 1923 season, amassing a record of 10–1. However, the first two games were against sailors from the USS Mississippi and the USS New York, and were not considered to be part of the team's official schedule.[1][2]
- ^ Most sources, such as the Pasadena Tournament of Roses,[3] and the Detroit Free Press[4] gave the attendance as 40,000, while the Boston Globe[5] and the Rochester Evening Journal[6] gave the attendance as 48,000.
- ^ Sources disagree over how many places Tesreau's leg was broken. Some, including those from the Rose Bowl, state that his leg was broken in two places,[3] while others, such as the Berkeley Daily Gazette say that his leg was broken in three places.[23]
- Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Washington in Jam with Navy". Evening Tribune. San Diego. January 1, 1924. p. 10. OCLC 37687666.
- ^ a b c "Washington Huskies". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2013. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Staff. "1924: Washington, 14 vs. Naval Academy, 14". Game Results/Recaps. Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e Eckersall, Walter (January 2, 1924). "Annual East-West Football Battle Ends In 14-14 Tie". The Detroit Free Press. p. 16. ISSN 1055-2758.
- ^ "New Year's Navy-Washington, East vs West Football Draw Battle at Pasadena Attracts 48,000". The Boston Globe. January 2, 1924. p. 9. ISSN 0743-1791.
- ^ "Navy Ties Big Washington Eleven". Rochester Evening Journal and Post Express. January 2, 1924. p. 14. OCLC 6548220.
- ^ a b c Staff. "The Granddaddy Of Them All". Historical Overview. Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Staff. "167 Facts About the Rose Bowl Stadium". America's Stadium. Rose Bowl. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Staff. "Game Results/Recaps". History. Pasadena Tournament of Roses. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Turkey Day Games to Tell Gridiron Champs of East". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, FL. November 27, 1923. p. 15. OCLC 2720408.
- ^ a b "Washington Eleven may be Opponents of Navy New Year's". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Associated Press. December 1, 1923. p. 8. OCLC 9248627.
- ^ Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records (Record book). National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 22, 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 15, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
{{cite report}}
: More than one of|at=
and|pages=
specified (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Washington Invited to Play Annapolis". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. December 1, 1923. p. 6. ISSN 0743-1791.
- ^ a b Turner, Michelle L; Pasadena Museum of History (2010). The Rose Bowl. Images of America. Mount Pleasant, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 29, 37. ISBN 0-7385-8058-9.
- ^ Hibner, John Charles (1993). The Rose Bowl, 1902–1929. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland and Company. p. XII. ISBN 0-89950-775-1.
- ^ a b Walsh, Davis J. (October 28, 1923). "Princeton Fights Against Big Odds". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 16. OCLC 2266185.
- ^ a b c d "Ceremonies Planned–University of Washington and Navy to Play Rugby". The Gazette. Montreal. Associated Press. January 1, 1924. p. 13. OCLC 44269305.
- ^ University of Washington Athletics Department (2013). "Bowl History". Huskies Football. University of Washington. Archived from the original on March 19, 2005. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Staff (December 8, 2004). "Rose Bowl MVPs". CBSSports.com. CBS Broadcasting Inc. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Navy, Huskies Play Great 14 to 14 Tie". The Berkeley Daily Gazette. January 2, 1924. p. 9. OCLC 27723946.
- ^ "East and West Stage Draw in Great Football Battle". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, FL. January 2, 1924. p. 12. OCLC 2720408.
- ^ Mulé, Marty (2012). "How Navy and Ole Miss Met in the 1955 Sugar Bowl". 1955 Sugar Bowl. Allstate Sugar Bowl. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)