1961: Washington, 17 vs. Minnesota, 7

This was a game remembered more for what happened off the field at halftime than for what happened on it during the game.

With Washington holding onto a 17-0 lead against the nation’s No. 1 team, the sold-out Rose Bowl Game audience and an estimated 30 million more tuning in from home on NBC watched as the Washington marching band readied for an elaborate flip-card routine.

But instead of the picture of Washington’s mascot, a Husky, what they saw instead was something resembling a beaver, with buck teeth and round ears. It got worse. Instead of the word “HUSKIES,” the next word spelled out was the reversed: “SEIKSUH”.

And finally, the name “CALTECH” appeared, giving away the group affiliated with the stunt, students from the nearby school in Pasadena who felt slighted each year the big game was played in their backyard without any attention given to them.

From one writer: “Few college pranks can be said to be more grandly conceived, carefully planned, flawlessly executed, and publicly dramatic than the Great Rose Bowl Hoax.”

Once the game resumed, Minnesota scored its only touchdown in the third quarter after one of Washington’s three fumbles. The Gophers scored on an 18-yard option play as halfback Bill Munsey took a pitch from quarterback Sandy Stephens for the score with James Rogers adding the PAT.

Stephens was the first black quarterback named All-American and finished fourth in the Heisman voting the following season when Minnesota would avenge its Rose Bowl Game loss beating UCLA 21-3 for the national title. Stephens came from Uniontown, Pa., the same area in western Pennsylvania that would later produce quarterbacking greats John Unitas, Dan Marino and Joe Montana, among many others.

Washington quarterback Bob Schloredt was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, the first player to be named the game’s best two consecutive years although he completed just two passes for 16 yards but ran for 68 more on five carries. Schloredt, known for being blind in one eye, had missed the entire second half of the season with an injury and actually entered the game in the first quarter replacing starter Bob Hivner.

Washington (9-1) scored the game’s first points on halfback George Fleming’s 44-yard field goal, the longest in Rose Bowl Game history.

Using mostly outside tosses to earn big yardage, Washington again threatened in the second quarter with Schloredt hitting Brent Wooten with a 3-yard toss for the game’s first touchdown with Fleming adding the extra point.

After Minnesota lost the ball on downs on the next possession, Schloredt went to work, gaining 31 yards on one quarterback sneak. He added a 1-yard sneak and with Fleming’s extra point the Huskies’ scoring was complete.

With the 17-0 lead intact going into the infamous halftime session, all Washington and fourth-year coach Jim Owens had left to do was watch as the Huskies’ defense kept stopping the top-ranked Gophers with their dominating defense.

Attendance
97,314

Weather
72 degrees

Scoring
First quarter
Wash – Fleming, 44-yard field goal, 9:10

Second quarter
Wash – Wooten, 4-yard pass from Schloredt (Fleming kick), 13:35
Wash – Schloredt, 1-yard run (Fleming kick), 4:14

Third quarter
Minn – Munsey, 18-yard run (Rogers kick), 9:15

Coaches
Washington: Jim Owens
Minnesota: Murray Warmath

Fun Fact
The Great Rose Bowl Hoax by nearby Caltech will go down as one of biggest pranks in college football history.

Individual Stats
Rushing
Wash: Schloredt, 5-68; Jackson 13-60
Minn: Stephens 10-51

Passing
Minn: Johnson 3-8-0, 30; Stephens 2-10-3, 21
Wash: Schloredt 2-4-0-16.

Receiving
Minn: Hadberg 1-18; Hall 1-15
Wash: Jackson 1-12.