1955 Rose Bowl game was a muddy mess but a legendary win for Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State University will play Utah this Saturday, Jan. 1, in the 108th Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Interestingly, the team has played Utah only one other time, in 1986 in Columbus. The Buckeyes beat the Utes by a lopsided 64-6.

This Saturday’s game will be the 16th time Ohio State has played in the Rose Bowl.

Its 1955 game was a memorable one. The Buckeyes, both Big Ten and national champions, were the only unbeaten college football team in a major postseason game and were favored by two touchdowns. Seventy million people were expected to watch the New Year’s Day game on NBC. (Fun side note: Tickets were only $5 plus tax.)

Coach Woody Hayes had been worried because nine of his players suffered upset stomachs and were feeling below par just two days before the big game. Despite this, they recovered, and the team sloshed its way to a 20-7 triumph over Southern California on a field that was described by The Dispatch as a “quagmire” after an all-day downpour. The Buckeyes, covered in mud, celebrated as their fans tore down the goal posts.

Dean Dugger, an All-American end in 1954, vividly recalled the day’s muddy field at a reunion of the championship team 30 years later. He said the rain had mixed with sand on the field, got under their equipment and gave most players severe sandpaper-like skin abrasions.

The Buckeyes have an 8-7 all-time record in the Rose Bowl. Wins were in 1950, 1955, 1958, 1969, 1974, 1997, 2010 and 2019. Losses were in 1921, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, and 1985.

Contributor Linda Deitch was a Dispatch librarian for 25 years.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football: 1955 Rose Bowl was a muddy mess but a legendary win