1944 Rose Bowl
| 1944 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 30th edition | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1944 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1943 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||
| Player of the Game | Norman Verry (G) – USC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Washington: 5 to 2 odds | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | T.M. Fitzpatrick (PCC) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 68,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1944 Rose Bowl was the thirtieth edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday, January 1. This was the first Rose Bowl game featuring teams from the same conference (Pacific Coast), with the only other occurrence taking place during the 2025 game. This was due to the travel restrictions imposed by the war effort. It determined the champion of the PCC for the 1943 season, and the USC Trojans shut out the Washington Huskies 29–0 in a one-sided game.
USC backup quarterback Jim Hardy threw three touchdown passes to lead the Trojans to their seventh Rose Bowl victory and eighth PCC championship.
For the first time, the Rose Bowl was broadcast on the radio abroad to all American servicemen, with General Eisenhower in Western Europe allowing all troops who were not on the front lines to tune in and listen.