First and foremost, Happy 39th Birthday today to our son Andrew!!!
How is that even possible?
Our final stop on the Bowl Game tour for this football season occurred in Pasadena, California on Tuesday at the 99th Annual Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio courtesy of our long time friends Susan and Michael D'Antuono.
Wisconsin Badgers
8 Wins - 5 Losses - 0 Ties
Big Ten Conference Champions
vs.
Stanford Cardinal
11 Wins - 2 Losses - 0 Ties
PAC-12 Conference Champions
The Wisconsin record was a bit deceiving as three of their losses came in overtime games with Michigan State (13-16), undefeated Ohio State (14-21) and Penn State (21-24).
Additionally, the difference in each of their other two losses was a mere field goal as they took it on the chin against Oregon State (7-10) and Nebraska (27-30). That is five losses by a grand total of only 19 points!
Stanford lost an overtime game itself to undefeated and currently #1 ranked Notre Dame (13-20). The Cardinal's other loss you ask? Why to none other than those pesky Washington Huskies (13-17)!
Both teams featured bruising, ground oriented offensive attacks and very physical defenses. It looked to be old school, big boy football at its finest.
I would not be disappointed as the day unfolded.
Not Disappointed but
DEFINITELY Shocked
Throw in the $10 souvenir program that I bought as I drove into Pasadena's famed Arroyo Seco and I had dropped $50 USD before we even got out of the car.
Lets see, $40 x how many cars?
The announced attendance at this Rose Bowl game was 93,359. It is easy to thus speculate that parking alone brought in close to $500,000!
"The Granddaddy of Them All"
Wisconsin Fans Dressed to Kill!
With Michael and Susan D'Antuono
before the game
The Rose Bowl Stadium
The view from Club Level E,
Section 208, Row A, Seat 18
WOW!!!
Badgers getting FIRED UP!!!
The Most Beautiful Setting in
ALL of College Football
The VERY Impressive Wisconsin Band
led by mascot Bucky Badger
The Unorthodox Stanford Band
led by mascot The Tree
Stanford Band Up Close
Note the young lady on the 45 yard line playing a Stop Sign.
A STOP SIGN???
The lady at the 48 yard line to the right is playing the kitchen sink!
Unorthodox is the right word indeed!
The Stealth Bomber did a
VERY quiet flyby
Here come the Cardinal!
On Wisconsin!
REVERSE!!!
Drew Terrell, #4, would throw a pass on this play to set up Stanford's first TD.
Wisconsin Cheerleader Stunts
Wisconsin Fly Sweep
Badger Workhorse Montee Ball
Ball won the 2012 Doak Walker Award given annually to the nation's best collegiate running back. He entered the game with 1,730 yards rushing and 21 TDs.
He is the NCAA's all-time leader in rushing TDs (76) and total touchdowns (82).
He would add to those totals in this, the Badgers third straight Rose Bowl appearance, when he scored on an 11 yard scamper in the second quarter.
The Stanford Defense
held on Fourth Down!
At Halftime with Stanford ahead 17-14
Stanford Running Back Stepfan Taylor
He had rushed for 1,442 yards in 2012 and would also score a TD in the Rose Bowl game from three yards out.
It was a HARD HITTING game
to say the least
I think that a Cardinal just earned
a Dying Cockroach helmet decal
No Spread Offense, no up-tempo pace, just a good old heavy weight title fight. The two teams combined for 405 rushing yards on 70 plays. They added another combined 240 yards as they completed 23 for of their 37 passes.
Both defenses played inspired football in the second half as only Stanford could score. Even that was a mere 22 yard, fourth quarter field goal.
A Water Color of the Rose Bowl
FINAL SCORE
Stanford 20 - Wisconsin 14
What a GREAT day!!! We can not thank Susan and Michael D'Antuono nearly enough for the incredible experience that we thoroughly enjoyed.
MERCI D'ANTUONOS!!!
50th Anniversary
I still have this 1963 program
This year's souvenir program included a retrospective on the 1963 #1 Southern California vs. #2 Wisconsin Rose Bowl Game. This was special for me because I was in attendance at that game with my friend John Walsh. We walked from our homes in Pasadena and San Marino both to and from that historic 42-37 Trojan victory. It was the first Rose Bowl Game that I ever attended. The combined 79 points scored still ranks as the third highest total of the 99 Rose Bowl Games.
For more on the 1963 Rose Bowl Game, click on this link:
It's been 50 years? Really?
We finally took down
our Christmas Tree today
You know that you are a Washington fan when you take NINE of the Danbury Mint's annual porcelain Husky Christmas ornaments off of the tree. Our collection started in 2004 with the balloon in the upper left and concludes with this this year's big drum in the foreground.
A big THANK YOU to Paul and Joanne Sabolic for gifting most of these cherished possessions to us over the many years!!!
It is good to have GREAT friends!!!
How in the world can Andy be 39 years old???
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