1983 Rose Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1983 Rose Bowl was a college football
bowl game
, played on January 1, 1983. It was the 69th Rose Bowl game. The UCLA Bruins
defeated the Michigan Wolverines
by a score of 24-14. Tom Ramsey
, UCLA quarterback and Don Rogers, UCLA defensive back, were named the Rose Bowl Players Of The Game. This was the first season that the UCLA Bruins played in the Rose Bowl stadium as their home stadium, where they were undefeated.
. Michigan won that game 33-14. The 1981 Bluebonnet Bowl
was the first Big Ten/Pac Ten bowl meeting outside the Rose Bowl. As such, it was labeled the "mini Rose Bowl".
On September 25, 1982, UCLA and Michigan would have a rematch of the Bluebonnet Bowl at Michigan Stadium
. Quarterback Steve Smith's six-yard run gave Michigan a 14-0 lead and after the Wolverines blocked a Bruin punt and took possession on the UCLA seven, Smith's five-yard pass to Anthony Carter made the score 21-0 with 12:57 remaining in the second quarter.
The Bruins scored two touchdowns and were behind 21-14 at the half in the game at Ann Arbor with one second left to play. The Bruin players headed for the locker room. They had to come back out because Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler
had called a time-out with one second left. Ali Haji-Sheikh kicked a 47-yard field goal to increase Michigan's lead to 24-14. When UCLA coach Terry Donahue
began to argue with the referees, Schembechler reportedly ran past and screamed, "That's three more points, Terry!" In the second half the Bruins topped off their greatest point deficit comeback in their history. The Bruins put 17 more points in the second half, while allowing Michigan just one more field goal. An interception by Don Rogers on the second play of the second half gave the Bruins the ball on the Michigan 22-yard line for their first possession of the half. Quarterback Tom Ramsey connected on a six-yard touchdown pass to JoJo Townsell to make it 24-21. Another Michigan field goal pushed the UM advantage up to 27-21 with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter. Dokie Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards and the Bruins took it in from there on a two-yard run by Kevin Nelson. John Lee's extra point put the Bruins in the lead at 28-27 with 2:50 to play in the third quarter. UCLA won 31-27, overcoming a 21-0 deficit, in what would stand as one of the greatest comebacks in Bruin football history until the 2005 Sun Bowl
.
, falling at Ohio State 24-14 after having already clinched the Big 10 title and Rose Bowl berth.
for the 1982 football season. Head coach Terry Donahue made a promise that UCLA would end their season in the Rose Bowl game. UCLA opened with 4 straight wins, was tied by Arizona 24-24, then won another 3 games before a seemingly crushing loss at Washington 10-7. That game gave the Huskies the Pac 10 lead and inside track to the Rose Bowl. UCLA recovered to sneak by John Elway
and Stanford 38-35, and went into their game with rival USC needing to beat the Trojans and have Washington lose to Washington State AND Arizona State lose to Arizona.
On November 20, the improbable happened. The Bruins beat the Trojans 20-19 in the UCLA-USC rivalry
game, when after USC scored on the final play of the game, Karl Morgan sacked Scott Tinsley
on the 2-point conversion attempt to preserve the win. That same day, Washington was upset by Washington State, 24-20. The story of the day that overshadowed these circumstances however, was The Play
, with Cal defeating Stanford in the Big Game
. One week later, Arizona knocked off Arizona State 28-18 and the Bruins were in the Rose Bowl.
Using a balanced attack led by QB Tom Ramsey
, UCLA took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. In addition, a hard hit by UCLA DB Don Rogers separated Michigan QB Steve Smith's shoulder and knocked him out of the game. But backup David Hall got the Wolverines on the board, making the halftime score 10-7. The key drive was early in the 3rd quarter when Tom Ramsey completed 7 straight passes, converted numerous 3rd downs, and led UCLA on a brilliant time consuming drive that was capped by Danny Andrews' 9 yard touchdown run to make the score 17-7. In the 4th quarter, UCLA got an interception inside the Michigan 20 yard line and scored again for an insurmountable 24-7 lead. Michigan got one last late touchdown for the final score of 24-14. UCLA played a nearly flawless game, with no turnovers and no penalties until taking an intentional delay of game penalty while running out the clock in the 4th quarter.
. The UCLA Bruins would appear again the next year in their new home stadium. The UCLA Bruins under Terry Donahue and the Michigan Wolverines under Bo Schembechler would meet one more time, and in the Rose Bowl Stadium. In a regular season game on September 23, 1989, #5 ranked Michigan defeated #24 ranked UCLA 24-23. This was the first win in a 10-game winning streak that propelled the Wolverines to the 1990 Rose Bowl
.
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 1, 1983. It was the 69th Rose Bowl game. The UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
defeated the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
by a score of 24-14. Tom Ramsey
Tom Ramsey
Tom Ramsey is a former professional American football quarterback, who played four seasons in the NFL for the New England Patriots. Earlier he played for the Los Angeles Express and the Oakland Invaders of the USFL....
, UCLA quarterback and Don Rogers, UCLA defensive back, were named the Rose Bowl Players Of The Game. This was the first season that the UCLA Bruins played in the Rose Bowl stadium as their home stadium, where they were undefeated.
Teams
The 1983 Rose Bowl would be the 3rd meeting between the UCLA Bruins and the Michigan Wolverines in a 366 day span. They met on December 31, 1981 in the Bluebonnet BowlBluebonnet Bowl
The Bluebonnet Bowl was an annual college football bowl game played in Houston, Texas. A civic group was appointed by the Houston Chamber of Commerce Athletics Committee in 1959 to organize the bowl game. It was held at Rice Stadium from 1959 through 1967, and again in 1985 and 1986. The game was...
. Michigan won that game 33-14. The 1981 Bluebonnet Bowl
1981 Bluebonnet Bowl
The 1981 Bluebonnet Bowl was a college football bowl game, played on December 31, 1981. It was the 23rd Bluebonnet Bowl game. The Michigan Wolverines defeated the UCLA Bruins by a score of 33-14. This was the first bowl game meeting of a Big Ten team and a Pac 10 team outside of the Rose Bowl Game...
was the first Big Ten/Pac Ten bowl meeting outside the Rose Bowl. As such, it was labeled the "mini Rose Bowl".
On September 25, 1982, UCLA and Michigan would have a rematch of the Bluebonnet Bowl at Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
. Quarterback Steve Smith's six-yard run gave Michigan a 14-0 lead and after the Wolverines blocked a Bruin punt and took possession on the UCLA seven, Smith's five-yard pass to Anthony Carter made the score 21-0 with 12:57 remaining in the second quarter.
The Bruins scored two touchdowns and were behind 21-14 at the half in the game at Ann Arbor with one second left to play. The Bruin players headed for the locker room. They had to come back out because Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...
had called a time-out with one second left. Ali Haji-Sheikh kicked a 47-yard field goal to increase Michigan's lead to 24-14. When UCLA coach Terry Donahue
Terry Donahue
Terry Donahue is a former American football, player, coach, and executive and, currently, a football analyst. He served as the head football coach at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. From 2001 to 2005, Donahue served as...
began to argue with the referees, Schembechler reportedly ran past and screamed, "That's three more points, Terry!" In the second half the Bruins topped off their greatest point deficit comeback in their history. The Bruins put 17 more points in the second half, while allowing Michigan just one more field goal. An interception by Don Rogers on the second play of the second half gave the Bruins the ball on the Michigan 22-yard line for their first possession of the half. Quarterback Tom Ramsey connected on a six-yard touchdown pass to JoJo Townsell to make it 24-21. Another Michigan field goal pushed the UM advantage up to 27-21 with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter. Dokie Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards and the Bruins took it in from there on a two-yard run by Kevin Nelson. John Lee's extra point put the Bruins in the lead at 28-27 with 2:50 to play in the third quarter. UCLA won 31-27, overcoming a 21-0 deficit, in what would stand as one of the greatest comebacks in Bruin football history until the 2005 Sun Bowl
2005 Sun Bowl
The 2005 Sun Bowl, known as the Vitalis Sun Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30, 2005 in El Paso, Texas. It was the 72nd Sun Bowl. It featured the , and the Northwestern Wildcats. UCLA overcame a 22-0 deficit to Northwestern in the first quarter to win 50-38. This is the...
.
Michigan Wolverines
Michigan started the season 1-2, losing 23-17 at Notre Dame, and losing at home to UCLA 31-27. The Wolverines would not lose again until the final regular season game in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalryMichigan-Ohio State rivalry
The Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry, also known as The Game, is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Wolverines of the University of Michigan and the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University...
, falling at Ohio State 24-14 after having already clinched the Big 10 title and Rose Bowl berth.
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins had moved to the Rose Bowl Stadium as their home stadium from the Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
for the 1982 football season. Head coach Terry Donahue made a promise that UCLA would end their season in the Rose Bowl game. UCLA opened with 4 straight wins, was tied by Arizona 24-24, then won another 3 games before a seemingly crushing loss at Washington 10-7. That game gave the Huskies the Pac 10 lead and inside track to the Rose Bowl. UCLA recovered to sneak by John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
and Stanford 38-35, and went into their game with rival USC needing to beat the Trojans and have Washington lose to Washington State AND Arizona State lose to Arizona.
On November 20, the improbable happened. The Bruins beat the Trojans 20-19 in the UCLA-USC rivalry
UCLA-USC rivalry
The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American college rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles and the USC Trojans sports teams of the University of Southern California ....
game, when after USC scored on the final play of the game, Karl Morgan sacked Scott Tinsley
Scott Tinsley
Scott Tinsley is a former American football quarterback who played for one season in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987. He was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 1984...
on the 2-point conversion attempt to preserve the win. That same day, Washington was upset by Washington State, 24-20. The story of the day that overshadowed these circumstances however, was The Play
The Play
The Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the and the Stanford University Cardinal on Saturday, November 20, 1982...
, with Cal defeating Stanford in the Big Game
Big Game (football)
The Big Game is an American college football rivalry game played by the California Golden Bears football team of the University of California, Berkeley and the Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University. It is typically played in late November or early December...
. One week later, Arizona knocked off Arizona State 28-18 and the Bruins were in the Rose Bowl.
Game summary
Tom Ramsey
Tom Ramsey is a former professional American football quarterback, who played four seasons in the NFL for the New England Patriots. Earlier he played for the Los Angeles Express and the Oakland Invaders of the USFL....
, UCLA took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. In addition, a hard hit by UCLA DB Don Rogers separated Michigan QB Steve Smith's shoulder and knocked him out of the game. But backup David Hall got the Wolverines on the board, making the halftime score 10-7. The key drive was early in the 3rd quarter when Tom Ramsey completed 7 straight passes, converted numerous 3rd downs, and led UCLA on a brilliant time consuming drive that was capped by Danny Andrews' 9 yard touchdown run to make the score 17-7. In the 4th quarter, UCLA got an interception inside the Michigan 20 yard line and scored again for an insurmountable 24-7 lead. Michigan got one last late touchdown for the final score of 24-14. UCLA played a nearly flawless game, with no turnovers and no penalties until taking an intentional delay of game penalty while running out the clock in the 4th quarter.
Second quarter
- UCLA — Lee kicks 39-yard field goal.
- Michigan — Eddie Garrett, one-yard pass from Dave Hall. Ali Haji-SheikhAli Haji-SheikhAli S. Haji-Sheikh is a former American football placekicker for the University of Michigan and for three National Football League teams. Haji-Sheikh spent three seasons playing for the New York Giants. He had a superb rookie season, kicking 35 of 42 field goals and setting a then NFL record...
converts.
Fourth quarter
- UCLA — Blanchard Montgomery 11-yard interception return. Lee converts.
- Michigan — Dan Rice, four-yard pass from Hall. Haji-Sheikh converts.
Aftermath
Don Rogers would go on to set an interception record the next year in the 1984 Rose Bowl1984 Rose Bowl
The 1984 Rose Bowl game, played on January 2, was the 70th Rose Bowl game. The UCLA Bruins defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini by a score of 45-9. Rick Neuheisel, UCLA quarterback, was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns...
. The UCLA Bruins would appear again the next year in their new home stadium. The UCLA Bruins under Terry Donahue and the Michigan Wolverines under Bo Schembechler would meet one more time, and in the Rose Bowl Stadium. In a regular season game on September 23, 1989, #5 ranked Michigan defeated #24 ranked UCLA 24-23. This was the first win in a 10-game winning streak that propelled the Wolverines to the 1990 Rose Bowl
1990 Rose Bowl
The 1990 Rose Bowl was the 76th Rose Bowl Game. The game was a rematch of the 1989 Rose Bowl, won by Michigan, 22-14. Gaining a measure of revenge, the USC Trojans defeated the Michigan Wolverines 17-10. USC running back Ricky Ervins was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game...
.