Rose Bowl
1920
Harvard 7
Oregon 6
On January 1, 1920, Harvard met Oregon (5-1) in the Rose Bowl at
Pasadena, capping a brilliant season for Coach Bob Fisher and his
All-American back Eddie Casey. This was a team that posted a 7-0-1
record and outscored its opposition 217-19 in nine regular-season games.
The only blemish was a 10-10 tie with Princeton. Harvard's first, and
last, postseason appearance preceded by three years an agreement between
the president's of Harvard-Yale and Princeton that prohibited teams from
their institutions from participating in bowl games in the future.
Charlie Chaplin sat on the Harvard bench. So did Douglas Fairbanks. This
was the big time, the Rose Bowl. And Harvard made the most of its first
and only Rose Bowl appearance. Arriving in California on Christmas Day,
the team had a week to prepare for Oregon. Harvard would enter the game
without full contact work since defeating Yale in Harvard Stadium, 10-3,
on November 22.The Ducks, coached by the school’s 1917 Rose Bowl hero
Shy Huntington, were led by Skeet Manerud and second team All-American
Bill Steers. They entered the game with a 5-1 record, the only loss
coming at the hands of Washington State, 7-0.
Intrigue marked the pre-game and almost called off the affair as
Harvard’s trainer, Bill Hayward raised a protest when he discovered that
both team benches were located on the same side of the field just in
front of the partisan Oregon section. He demanded from game officials
that the Harvard bench be relocated to the other side of the field in
front of the Harvard fan section. The trainer for Oregon argued that
this was merely superstition and that an announcement would be made to
the fans and the press that Harvard had elected not to play for such an
absurd reason. This threat did nothing to dissuade Harvard, who
eventually won the argument and the bench was relocated.
The 1920 Rose Bowl was a physical game, played almost entirely on the
ground. Harvard threw just five passes, Oregon only two. Harvard won the
toss and elected to receive. They immediately fumbled and Oregon
recovered. The “Indians” (newspaper accounts of the day refer to Oregon
as Indians, as opposed to webfoots or ducks) drove deep into Harvard
territory, but missed a drop kick. On the next Harvard possession, Ralph
Horween's attempted drop-kick field goal from the Oregon 45-yard line
was blocked and rolled free. Horween later said, "It was the first and
only time I had a blocked kick...that goes for about 45 or 50 punts and
about 10 or 15 drop-kicks. The ball kept rolling toward the sideline.
There was a scramble near the grandstand, where Jack Dempsey was
sitting, and I hurt my shoulder and passed out." Horween sustained a
chipped collarbone and dislocated shoulder.
Steers got Oregon on the scoreboard early in the second quarter on a
three pointer from the 25-yard line. But the Crimson came roaring back
behind quarterback Billie Murray, who first returned an Oregon punt 25
yards and Harvard drove to the Oregon 12 on a pair of passes to the
Bowl’s player of the game, Eddie Casey. The drive stalled and Fred
Church dropped back to attempt a drop kick. But, faked the kick and
froze the Oregon defense. He raced around right end and into the endzone
for a touchdown, just beating a Steers tackle. Horween's brother Arnold,
kicked the extra point. Late in the second, Oregon drove 50 yards and a
15 yard Harvard penalty played a major role. Manerud’s successful
30-yard kick completing the day’s scoring. The first half had seen
Harvard drives thwarted by “two or three” fumbles. This was a surprise
to Eastern observers who noted Harvard’s impressive turnover ratio
during the regular season.
The second half was promising for Western observers and Oregon squad
because the history of the rose Bowl had been oe of the Westerners
dominating the Easterners in the second halves. This was attributed to
climatic conditions.The Ducks’ third-quarter field goal attempt fell
short before both teams had attempts blocked in the final 15 minutes.
Oregon still possessed a golden opportunity to take the lead when it
started its final drive on Harvard’s 18-yard line.
In the fourth quarter, Manerud attempted a 25-yard drop kick to give
Oregon the lead. The kick was ruled no good, allowing unbeaten Harvard
to hang on to a 7-6 victory in the sixth-annual Tournament of Roses.
Accounts of the game described the kick being so close that the
scoreboard had already given Oregon credit for the successful attempt as
Harvard players banged their helmets to the ground over the impending
setback. The Crimson, which accumulated only nine first downs all
afternoon, was then able to run out the clock before the final gun.
The lack of a passing threat enabled Harvard to keep the offense out of
the end zone en route to Oregon’s final ill-fated drop kick. The team
amassed 272 yards on the ground, Hollis Huntington rushing for 122 yards
in his third Rose Bowl in four years (he played for Mare Island in the
1918 contest.). Harvard's defense saved the day. Only the clock
prevented Harvard's one bowl victory from being more convincing. Harvard
drove 79 yards with Arnold Horween carrying for 67 on a drive that ran
out the clock. The gun sounded with the Crimson on the 1-foot line."
It was noted at the end of the game that their were flowers everywhere
in the stands, which was a Rose Bowl tradition in 1920. The mountains in
the distance glowed a pink hue at dusk and the great telescope of Mt.
Wilson could be clearly seen in the distance. For Oregon, the game was a
heartbreak, but the near upset was huge news nationally. The Crimson had
been heavy favorites entering the game. Eddie Casey was awarded the
game's MVP honor. Harvard was voted the national champions fro 1919. The
choice was based on the Helms Athletic Foundation from 1889-1923.
Harvard's win in the Rose Bowl was its last bowl appearance and its last
of seven national crowns.
Rose Bowl trophy, 1920
Jack Dempsey with Murray and Casey
Attendance: 30,400
Scoring Summary
Second Quarter
UO- DK Steers 25
HU- Fred Church 13 run (Horween kick)
UO- DK Manerud
Individual Statistics
Rushing
UO- Huntington 29-122, Steers 15-75
HU- Horween 19-75
Passing
UH- Murray 2-2-40, Felton 3-2-19
Receiving
UH- Casey 4-59
