The 1922 Rose Bowl was a college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 bowl game

Bowl game

In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

 played on January 2, 1922, between Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...

 and the University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...

. It holds several distinctions including being the only scoreless Rose Bowl game, the first tie in a Rose Bowl, the first African-American quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 to play in the Rose Bowl (Charlie West

Charles Fremont West

Charlies Fremont "Pruner" West was an American track star, football player, and respected medical doctor. He was the first African American to play quarterback in the Rose Bowl.- Personal :...

 from Washington & Jefferson), the first freshman to play in a Rose Bowl (Herb Kopf of Washington and Jefferson), the last Rose Bowl to be played at Tournament Park

Tournament Park

Tournament Park is a private park maintained by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. It was simply known as the "town lot" before renamed Tournament Park in 1900. It is best known for being the site of the first Rose Bowl Game in 1902, and the second to eighth Rose Bowl...

, and the smallest school (Washington & Jefferson College had only 450 students at the time) to ever play in a Rose Bowl.

Game summary

The Cal team was highly favored in this game, causing one sportswriter to say "All I know about Washington and Jefferson is that they're both dead."

The 1921 team, coached by Greasy Neale, went 10-0 in the regular season, defeating powerhouses Pitt

Pittsburgh Panthers football

Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...

, University of Detroit

Detroit Titans

The Detroit Titans are the NCAA Division I team of the University of Detroit Mercy . The school competes in the Horizon League.-Basketball :On April 12, 2008, UDM announced the hiring of Ray McCallum as Men's Basketball Coach...

, and Syracuse

Syracuse Orange football

The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...

. The 7-0 victory over rival Pitt was celebrated with a day of canceled classes and bonfire with inspiration speeches in front of the Washington County Courthouse

Washington County Courthouse (Pennsylvania)

The Washington County Courthouse is located in on Main Street in downtown Washington, Pennsylvania and is currently still in operation.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1974....

. As the best team from the east, W&J was invited to the 1922 Rose Bowl to play the best team from the west: the undefeated and heavily-favored California Golden Bears

California Golden Bears football

The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...

. The Red and Black could only afford to send 11 men on the cross-country trip and Robert "Mother" Murphy had to mortgage his home to pay his way. Thus, W&J would be the last Rose Bowl team to play the same 11 men the entire game. During the train ride to Pasadena

Pasadena, California

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...

, in which Greasy Neale continued to prepare his men, one player caught pneumonia and could not finish the journey. Luckily, another player had secretly stowed away on the train and was given the ill player's ticket and roster spot.

Cal had won their season 312-33, but the W&J defense held the Golden Bears' potent offense, led by Brick Muller, to no points and 2 first downs, no completed passes, and only 49 yards rushing. In one of the most disputed plays in Rose Bowl history, a W&J rushing touchdown was overturned for an offside violation. The game was notable as the last time a "small school" would be represented in the Rose Bowl. W&J's team featured two Rose Bowl firsts: Herb Kopf was the first freshman to play and Charlie "Pruner" West

Charles Fremont West

Charlies Fremont "Pruner" West was an American track star, football player, and respected medical doctor. He was the first African American to play quarterback in the Rose Bowl.- Personal :...

 was the first African American to play quarterback. W&J's Russ Stein

Russ Stein

Russell Frederick Stein was born in Warren, Ohio. After high school Stein attended Washington & Jefferson College. While in College he was the captain on W&J’s 1921 undefeated football team, which played to the only scoreless tie in the history of the 1922 Rose Bowl against the University of...

 was named Most Valuable Player. He inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1991. The Red and Black finished the season with a share of the "mythical national championship

Mythical National Championship

A mythical national championship is a colloquial term used to question the validity of national championship recognition that is not explicitly competitive...

," as determined by the Boand System

NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship

A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...

.

Records

• The only scoreless tie in Rose Bowl
  Rose Bowl Game
  The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
  
  history, and 1 of the 4 all time scoreless ties in major bowl games.
• Fewest Passing Yards: 0
• Tied the record for fewest total points