When Ohio State fans think of the Rose Bowl, they likely picture sunshine, warmth and postcard-worthy sunsets. The 1955 Rose Bowl offered the exact opposite.
In Woody Hayes' fourth season leading the Buckeyes, Ohio State was picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten and started the season unranked.
OSU went 9-0 during the 1954 regular season, with five wins over ranked opponents, including a 21-7 win over No. 12 Michigan. With that, the Buckeyes were set to play USC in the 1955 Rose Bowl.
In what many consider the sloppiest Rose Bowl ever played, rain fell throughout the entire game, turning the field into a muddy mess, hence the "Mud Bowl" nickname. By the second quarter, jersey numbers were nearly unrecognizable.
After Ohio State kicker Tad Weed missed a field goal on the opening drive, USC's Jim Contratto recovered a fumble by USC's Jim Parker at the OSU 31-yard line. Future Heisman Trophy winner Howard "Hopalong" Cassady and Jerry Harkrader then alternated every carry of the ensuing drive until Ohio State got to USC's 3-yard line. Dave Leggett, the eventual MVP of the game, then scored to give the Buckeyes the first points of the game.
Following another USC fumble, which was recovered by Leggett, he delivered again, this time throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Watkins to give Ohio State a 14-0 lead.
The Buckeyes punted on their next drive, one in which USC tailback Aramis Dandoy returned for an 86-yard touchdown, a Rose Bowl record, to cut OSU's lead to 14-7. But that was the closest the Trojans ever got to Ohio State.
| Statistic | Ohio State | USC |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 22 | 6 |
| Rushing Yards | 295 | 177 |
| Passing Yards | 65 | 29 |
| Passes Attempted | 11 | 8 |
| Passes Completed | 6 | 3 |
| Passes Intercepted By | 0 | 1 |
| Punts | 4 | 5 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 3 |
| Penalty Yards | 40 | 60 |
Then, at halftime, both Ohio State and USC's bands performed on the field, making it even muddier. Hayes wasn't happy, to say the least.
"I think we've got the greatest band there is. But they should have kept them both – USC's band, too – off the field," Hayes said following the game. "They let 'em come out at halftime and cut our football field into a quagmire between the 30-yard lines. It just doesn't make sense.
"It was the worst field we've played on in four years. They should have had a tarp on the field, even if they had to send San Francisco to get it."
USC almost tied the game following a 70-yard run by Jon Arnett, but the Trojans then stalled at OSU's 26-yard line, turning the ball over on downs four plays later.
Ohio State took a two-touchdown lead thanks to a 12-play, 77-yard touchdown drive, as Jerry Harkrader ended the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run. The Buckeyes missed the extra point, giving them a 20-7 lead, which became the final score.
The conditions were more than just inconvenient. With sand layered beneath the field, the rain created a gritty mixture that worked its way into players’ uniforms, rubbing their legs raw. Seven Ohio State players required hospital visits, with a couple staying overnight.
An excerpt from The Plain Dealer described the "Mud Bowl":
"Through mud, slime, murk and driving rain, Ohio State's dauntless Buckeyes today reached the all-time zenith of the University's football history. Ploughing through muck in the fog and semi-darkness, the Buckeyes vanquished Southern California, 20 to 7, in the worst weather conditions of Rose Bowl history.
"Before 89,191 fans huddled under umbrellas or soaked to the skin, the Buckeyes won their 10th straight victory of the season and established their clear claim to the mythical National Collegiate Championship of 1954. It is the third perfect season in Ohio State's history, and a tremendous achievement for Coach Wayne W. (Woody) Hayes and his gallant warriors.
"Old reliable power football, the kind that licked bad weather, did the job. Despite slippery treacherous footing, Ohio gained 295 yards rushing."
The Columbus Dispatch also looked back at the "Mud 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.
Ohio State’s opponent could have been different. UCLA, which won the 1954 Coaches Poll national championship and outscored opponents by an average of 40-4, was ineligible due to the Pacific Coast Conference’s “no-repeat” rule. That opened the door for USC, despite the Bruins’ 34-0 win over the Trojans that season.
But while UCLA won the Coaches' Poll national title, Ohio State proved to be national championship-worthy, taking home the AP Poll title, the Buckeyes' first national championship since 1942.
As a sign of the times, three Buckeyes flew to Mobile, Alabama, to play in the Senior Bowl following the game, while the rest of the team — including some married players traveling with their wives — returned to Columbus by train.
The 1955 Rose Bowl marked the first of five national championships under Hayes, who would also lead Ohio State to titles in 1957, 1961, 1968 and 1970.
