Ahh, the Rose Bowl ““ that shimmering diamond in the rough. (Literally. The Rose Bowl is right next to a golf course.)
From the two-hour drive through game-day rush hour to the $5 lemonade, the stadium hosts not only the granddaddy of all college football games, but the UCLA Bruins. The arena has its flaws, but players and fans will agree that there’s plenty of character and history in the 87-year-old stadium.
Secrets of the Rose Bowl
Before UCLA’s Westwood campus even broke ground, the Tournament of Roses Association in Pasadena built a stadium in the Arroyo Seco area in 1922. The organization needed a football stadium where it could hold a game at the conclusion of the association’s annual parade down Colorado and Orange Grove Boulevards.
Originally constructed in the shape of a horseshoe, leaving the south end open and seating just 57,000 fans, the south end was closed off in 1929, adding 19,000 more seats. The seating capacity of the stadium today is listed at 92,542.
The stadium’s wooden seats were replaced with reinforced concrete in 1931. The change allowed approximately 10,000 more seats, but the high sound absorption of concrete makes the Rose Bowl one of the quietest college football stadiums in the country.Today, the Rose Bowl remains the home of the Bruins. UCLA football players Rahim Moore and Taylor Embree talked about their experiences in their home on Saturdays.
“The Rose Bowl, definitely, because it’s our home stadium. It has a little special place for us, you know just because of the fact of all the great games that have taken place there,” Embree said.
Moore agreed: “It’s like, man, better than money can buy, man. It’s the best feeling there. When you’re there, you’re reborn. It’s a whole new life, a whole new aspect of what you’re seeing.”
For Moore, Saturdays just are not long enough.
“But the Rose Bowl, it’s the best thing I’ve ever played in. It’s just fun, so much going on. I don’t ever want to leave it when I play,” he said.
Favorite moments:
Moore’s came during halftime of a UCLA game where he had ““ surprise, surprise ““ an interception … in 1999. The safety has been dominating the secondary averaging about a pick per game this season.
“A lot of people don’t know my story, but at a young age I played for the Baldwin Hills Bruins and I wore No. 3,” he said.
The real Bruins were hosting the Washington Huskies and Moore played during the halftime show for his Pop Warner squad.
“I went in there, and I made some hits and had a pick,” Moore said. “Some fan told me “˜You’re going to be a Bruin one day, you’re going to be a Bruin one day!’ and I’m like, “˜Yeah, whatever.’ Come to find now that I’m here.”
Embree’s best memory comes at the expense of UCLA’s crosstown rival, USC.
“One of my favorite all-time games ever took place there: the Texas “˜SC game when they beat USC,” said Embree, referring to the 2006 Rose Bowl game in which Texas quarterback Vince Young led the Longhorns to a 41-38, denying USC a three-peat national title.
That moment and many other history-making occasions make the Rose Bowl a special place for Embree.
“Just knowing that you played in the stadium that some of the greats have played in some of the great games that have happened there, it’s unique to know that you get to call that home your home stadium,” he said.
Turn up the volume
Built mainly of concrete, the Rose Bowl is known to absorb sound more and be one of the quieter stadiums in the conference.
“There’s a special kind of noise to it. It’s not loud but it’s kind of like the perfect noise level,” Embree said.
“When you score the touchdown, it’s just loud enough that you can celebrate and everything, but it’s not overwhelming or anything.”