1973 Rose Bowl
| 1973 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 59th Rose Bowl Game National championship game | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1973 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Sam Cunningham (USC RB) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | USC by 14 points | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | The Ohio State University Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Paul Kamanski (Pac-8) (split crew: Pac-8, Big Ten) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Spirit of Troy, The Ohio State University Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 106,869 (Bowl game and stadium record) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Curt Gowdy, Al DeRogatis | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 30.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
The 1973 Rose Bowl was the 59th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Monday, January 1. It matched the undefeated and top-ranked USC Trojans of the Pacific-8 Conference with the #3 Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference. The game was a de facto national championship game, as both teams would compete for the Associated Press (AP) title.
USC running back Sam Cunningham scored four touchdowns in the second half and was named the Player of the Game, as the favored Trojans won 42–17. They were unanimous national champions in both major polls, the first time in college football history. (The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in early December.)
The attendance of 106,869 set the stadium record, as well as the NCAA bowl game record.