1954 Rose Bowl
| 1954 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 40th Rose Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1954 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1953 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Billy Wells (Michigan State HB) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Michigan State by 7 points | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | UCLA Band and Michigan State Marching Band combined | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | George Rennix (Big Ten; split crew: Big Ten, Pacific Coast) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | UCLA Band, Michigan State Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 100,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Mel Allen, Tom Harmon | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 1954 Rose Bowl was the 40th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Friday, January 1. The third-ranked Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference defeated the #5 UCLA Bruins of the Pacific Coast Conference, 28–20. Michigan State halfback Billy Wells scored two touchdowns and was named the Player of the Game.
This was the first year that Michigan State was counted in the Big Ten football standings, having been a member since 1950. This Rose Bowl had the first color television "colorcast," viewable on 200 sets across the United States.