In 1942 , the Rose Bowl secret plan between Oregon State and Duke was transfer from California to North Carolina in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor . Here ’s a brief look back at one of the greatest upsets in Rose Bowl chronicle .
Oregon State vs. Duke
Led by tailback Don Durdan and a suffocating defense , Oregon State College won the Pacific Coast Conference title in 1941 . As was the custom at the time , the Beavers got to pick out their antagonist for the Rose Bowl plot to be defy on New Year ’s Day in Pasadena , California . Oregon State pay for Duke , the undefeated and unlaced champions of the Southern Conference , and the Blue Devils , led by fabled head coach Wallace Wade , happily accept .
Pearl Harbor Attack
concisely after the Rose Bowl matchup was set , Japan assail Pearl Harbor . The biz , it seemed , would take on a much different spirit , but the Blue Devils had no intentions of canceling their stumble to the West Coast . “ Heck , no ; we ’re not frightened to go out there , ” one Duke player told the Associated Press . “ The war situation puts a little more glamour into the biz . ” Indeed , the need for tickets increased in the days that keep up . Duke planned to leave for Pasadena via train on Dec. 20 , making one stoppage for praxis on Dec. 22 in Lubbock , Texas , and arriving in Pasadena on Dec. 24 . fan could buy a first - division roundtrip slate with stops in New Orleans , San Antonio , El Paso , Mexico , and the Grand Canyon , on a special train called “ The Duke ” for $ 126.74 . A calendar week before the team was schedule to depart , however , the armed services announced that it was canceling the secret plan out of care of another flak on the West Coast . biz organiser start looking into alternative internet site . Chicago ’s Soldier Field was considered , as was New York City . A third possibility was Durham , North Carolina .
Wallace Wade’s Invitation
Before the biz in Pasadena was officially canceled , Wade sent the following telegram to Oregon State acrobatic director Percy Locey : “ We regret that conditions have develop that have shape the military authorities to suggest cancellation of the Rose Bowl game . Duke is ready to have the decision of Oregon State and the Tournament of Roses commission . We wish to suggest for your consideration the theory of playing the game at Durham in the Duke Stadium , either with Rose Bowl sanction or otherwise . We can suit about 50,000 spectators . Our climate at New Year ’s is usually friendly for football game . ” The military allot its blessing to relocate the game and the Rose Bowl Committee afford its approving as well . Oregon State accept the invite . “ From a football game standpoint , it is a tough assignment , ” Beavers head charabanc Lon Stiner said . “ But we ’ll be in there doing our good even with these add betting odds against us . ”
Duke Heavy Favorites, Home for the Holidays
Duke was a 12 - to-5 favorite when the biz was first announced and the betting odds increase to 3.5 - to-1 after the game was move to Durham . “ I do n’t quite understand why my boys should be give away so low for this game with Duke , ” Stiner said . “ They may be light , but they are poised and knotty and not upset at the prospect of meeting gamey scoring Duke . ” Despite its two loss , Oregon State was the first team to quit Stanford ’s unconventional MT attack . The Beavers ’ 10 - 0 profits over Stanford was the first of its five shutouts that season . Still , Oregon State did n’t get much respect from the media . As one East Coast Augustin Eugene Scribe drop a line , “ The Oregon entry is doubtlessly a strong , steady ball gild , but it ’s in question if it has struck anything with the impact of Duke . ” As Robert Coleman , a sophomore guard on Oregon State ’s redshirt squad in 1941 ( and my girlfriend ’s granddad ) told me , “ The Beavers of OSU were often the wuss of the league , and to be going to the Rose Bowl was consider a certain prospect of failure . ”
Duke ’s participant were so unhappy that their slip to the West Coast was canceled that they ab initio vote against hosting the game in Durham . To appease his team , Wade pass the players time off to go home for Christmas . Oregon State ’s redshirt squad was equally disappointed with the change of locale , which crush their hopes of move around to the game with the starters .
Preparations
Image credit : Duke University Archives
Duke ’s bowl usually only held 35,000 , which was much less than the Rose Bowl in Pasadena . North Carolina , North Carolina State , and Wake Forest loan portable bleachers to serve increase the content to 55,000 . The plot would draw the large crowd since 52,880 tamp down the stadium for the Duke - UNC secret plan in 1939 . ticket , priced at $ 4.40 each , trade out in three days . One newsman noted that “ hotel way are scarcer than candid camera shots of J.P. Morgan . ” Duke received more than 120 requests for working insistency , which was double the capacity of the bowl ’s pressing box . “ The sonny who will be most frustrated are those who usually see the Duke games on free ticket , ” another newsman wrote . “ There will be no Annie Oakleys except for the cultivate press and radio set . ”
Durham Hospitality
Two thousand looker and the Durham High School band recognise Oregon State at the train station travel along their grouchy - country trip-up . Lampposts along Main Street in business district Durham featured electrically dismount Santa Clauses with “ Welcome Oregon State ” scrawled across Santa ’s waistline . poster in the team ’s breakfast room at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill read , “ A merry Christmas to the Oregon State football squad – with reservations about the happy New Year . ” Oregon State ’s players received talent fabricate in North Carolina factories and call for golf game lesson one sidereal day at the Pinehurst Country Club . Duke ’s player returned to campus to get going preparing for the game on Dec. 26 .
Tournament of Roses President Robert McCurdy , a quartet of committeeman , and 25,000 football game programs print in Pasadena made the head trip East . Dolores Brubach , the Tournament of Roses Queen , was in the first place scheduled to attend to the plot with her Royal Court , but the plan precipitate through . “ I guess it just could n’t be coif , and since we did n’t really contrive on going , we ’re not disappointed , ” Brubach said .
The Buildup
Oregon State certainly had fun , but the trip was primarily business . “ We feel that a lot of people around here are going to be mighty surprised , ” Oregon State captain Marion Chaves enounce . There was a lot of buzz about the secret plan , both topically and across the nation . A few reporters dub it “ The Pine Bowl . ” Another wrote , “ Tobacco town turned into Times Square with a southerly emphasis today . ”
The Game
Wet weather in Durham slowed Duke ’s vaunted offense and the Blue Devils never led . Oregon State ’s Gene Gray catch a 68 - yard touchdown pass from Bob Dethman in the third after part that proved to be the conflict in the Beavers ’ 20 - 16 profits , which is still considered one of the greatest overturn in Rose Bowl story . Oregon State varied its defensive looks , from a 6 - 2 - 2 - 1 to 5 - 3 - 2 - 1 and occasionally a 7 - man line , according to the game recaps . The Beavers also recovered three Duke fumbles and intercepted four mountain pass . “ I estimate everybody knows now that we play in a mighty tough league , ” said Stiner , who received a 4 - class contract for $ 7,000 a yr .
The War
According to Coleman , nearly the entire Oregon State team was in the ROTC or National Guard at the time . One newspaper account statement indicated that at least a yoke Oregon State actor engage after the plot in Pasadena was canceled and were persuaded by Stiner to devolve to shoal to become eligible for the plot in Durham . “ We all knew we were going to be involved , ” Oregon State tailback Bill McInnis toldUSA Todayin 2001 . One Oregon State participant ( Everett Smith ) and three Duke participant ( Walter Griffith , Al Hoover , and Bob Nanni ) pass in the state of war .
This level originally appeared in 2011 .
