Because we always joked about them. No School!" If anybody asks you what it was, you can't tell em, and if you told em what it was, you'd have to kill em. But that I think would be the most special year of my coaching career. The potent Bears, whose roster had but five non-Californians, had reason to feel supremely secure as they took the field against the Wildcats, who represented 10 states none on the West Coast, with 18 players from Illinois and 10 from Indiana. It was just how it was. . J.A. One was to Derrick Mason. Shortly after midnight on New Year's Day 1996, Northwestern football coach Gary Barnett walked into the Rose Bowl. Northwestern then took on powerhouse Notre Dame in South Bend, and the visitors fell, barely, 12-7. According to Sam Valenzisi, one of the reasons that team was able to have that belief without evidence was that they had all been successful in the past. There are many talented players on this year's roster, though these players will be essential to the success to Penn State's 2023 season. Barnett's team would take the field hours later, punctuating a season no one saw . ", "I don't think that California was looking for any sort of razzle-dazzle from the Northwestern team," Forman says. Twenty years ago, in 1995, Northwestern football produced one of the greatest underdog stories that college football and the world of sport have ever seen. Brian Kardos: In the first quarter, we called a sweep to my side, and I got a really nice block on the defensive end, and I pushed him out of bounds, and we were getting up off the ground, and somebody comes over and grabs my shoulder pad. Keyshawn Johnson was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game. With the kick, it was 42-21. ", "Art's feet were not in the end zone," stated the Jan. 2 L.A. Times about its Page One photo of the play in question. Thanks coach. On October 5, 1996, Northwestern faced Michigan, winning 17-16 (tapes 5A-5C). Northwestern University Archives. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail the editors at letters@northwestern.edu. There we go!" He had almost like a skeleton facial art. I haven't seen 'em in 10 years, but we still have all these great memories, funny jokes. I got in touch with ABC, and I left a message for him, and left my dorm phone number, and everybody was like, "Oh my gosh, what if Keith Jackson calls and leaves a voicemail." And in all my life previously, when I expended that much energy, I'd push a guy 10, 12, 15 yards downfield. It's almost like part of becoming what we wanted to becoming meant that you had to take this stuff at face value. The next play, Aschenbrenner, a halfback, completed Northwestern's only pass of the game in four attempts, an 18-yard reception by end Don Stonesifer (EB51). "But they brought in somebody who played a great game.". My most vivid memory is standing in front of all these guys interviewing me, and somebody threw a soda can that was about half-full from up in the stands, and it hit me right in the back. They thought that was the coolest thing ever. Twenty years ago, in 1995 . I've been very fortunate. It was a much different feeling. Nationality: United States. We had the lead, and unfortunately we had just had to punt. The great Penn State defenses I've been a part of, the Colorado defenses, they had a lot of great draft picks and NFL football players, but at Northwestern, we didn't have a lot of them. Trailing 14-13, the 'Cats' chances came down to a desperate drive from their own 12-yard line late in the fourth quarter. One of the key plays in the game that extended Northwestern's lead to 19-13 was a double-pass. $8.99. At that point, Northwestern was just like a running joke. "When Art took the ball and hit the line, it looked to me like he'd just crossed. It's an exercise in drawing a team together based on a promise and a commitment. We knew if we were going to beat Iowa, we had to keep him bottled up. College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. The 1948 Wildcats were predicted to be pretenders after finishing 3-6 and eighth in the conference the year before under rookie head coach Bob Voigts (WCAS39), who had succeeded his mentor, Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf. Prior to his time at Northwestern, Limegrover served as the offensive assistant for his alma mater, the University of Chicago (1991-92), where he was promoted to offensive . Stewart Mandel: It really made me a college football fan for life. ", "Big Bill Forman left his feet," back Johnny Miller (C51) says, "and that block was the key to the win. The newspaper also said Northwestern had 3,000 alumni on the West Coast, and "all want to be inside the Rose Bowl.". That's what I was always taught by coach Brown. The 'Cats rebounded with a 48-0 thumping of Syracuse, followed by triumphs of 21-7 over Ohio State and 16-7 at Wisconsin. On the drive's first play, Tunnicliff fumbled and Cal recovered, but Tunnicliff was ruled down before losing the ball. "I led his interference, but he cut back. "Even the national media felt we didn't have a prayer and were pretty upset we were selected. Twenty years ago, in 1995, Northwestern football produced one of the greatest underdog stories that college football and the world of sport have ever seen. It's a really special place because of the people it attracts. Well, it wasn't. It was a weird Kenosha that year, because there were tons and tons and tons of lightning storms. ", "I was right in the middle of the pile," Nemeth says. I knew I wanted to be a sportswriter, and I knew Northwestern had a good journalism school, and I thought it would be cool to get to cover Big Ten sports, and see Michigan, and Ohio State, Penn State, these big name teams. The Northwestern Wildcats had a string of losing seasons stretching back to 1972, and had not appeared in the Rose Bowl for 47 years, a win in January 1949. Northwestern University's official athletics site: http://nusports.ocsn.com/index-main.html (the page for each sport includes an archives link that lists letter winners and team results). He shows up Sunday morning, and there's brunch at his house, and we're sitting down, and it's me and both of my parents, and my step parents, and he says, "Um, I'm sorry, there's no offer for you." Every little milestone they reached, the more people got into it. "We went to a play one night and arrived late," says end Burton Keddie (EB51), "so they started the play over.". When the Wildcats entered the stadium filled with 93,000 fans, the atmosphere was "pretty electrifying," says Nemeth. The Rose Bowl, the "granddaddy of them all," was first played on Jan. 1, 1902, at Tournament Park. was obliterated in October at South Bend, 38-10, whereas the Wildcats shocked the Irish, 17 . So I'd go around the country. And it was great to be a representative of the team. As for the challenge Northwestern faced, Fatso Day says, "We weren't a bit afraid. "Oh God, that was a blast," Sawle says of the train trip home. We got behind.". "They followed us around a great deal, and I won't comment on what they caught us doing," says Forman amid guffaws. What a feeling. Excellent play design, perfect time to call it. So when I think of the Rose Bowl season, I think of a guy like Bill Koziel. 203: Index . Ron Vanderlinden: I'd have to say that was the best [defense I've coached.] As halfback Ed Tunnicliff (C50) recounted in a recent phone interview, "Sarki [Wildcat center Alex Sarkisian (C49), a future College Football Hall of Fame inductee] rallied us. And so on the cover of our scouting report, it said, "Wisconsin is Big Six." So when the story ran, you can see the "N" on the field behind Keith Jackson. Draft Entry: 2023 . I do. And so I was taken aback, as you can imagine. Good luck today!" And he's the best in the world, so people were coming out to see this event. In that time, the Cats reached no bowls and from 1979 to 1982 . Ray Robey: For the first time, I noticed the crowd at Northwestern. The man who transformed the Northwestern University Wildcats into a championship-winning team--the top story in college football in 1995--and who was named Coach of the Year discusses his leadership philosophies, his coaching techniques, and his winning year. ", As Tunnicliff sprinted toward the goal line, "I knew Cal's Frank Brunk would hit me he jumped on my back at the 7-yard line," Tunnicliff says of the defender who significantly outweighed him. The time is precious.". On my goal board, one of the things was to become a relentless team. I recently told that story inan extensive oral history of the season, which culminated in Northwestern's second ever trip to the Rose Bowl, and first since 1949. And I kinda snapped at him and said, "Look, there's not one person that's responsible for that loss. Kevin Willard also briefly spoke with the media following the Terrapins' loss. Field judge Jay Berwanger, winner of the first Heisman Trophy in 1935 (read more about Berwanger in our "'49 Rose Bowl Trivia"), saw it the same way and ruled it a touchdown for Northwestern, which missed the extra point but took a 13-7 lead. See more videos from Northwestern News. College Football HQ on SI . Well, it was the Michigan booster club alumni association, and the bus stops, and they open up the door, and the guy who was the president came onto the bus, and he said, "I just want to tell you guys, if you can beat us in the Big House, we're cheering for you guys to go all the way to Pasadena." University Archives has more than 2,000 reels of film of Northwestern football games from between 1929 and 1989, including the 1949 Rose Bowl, in its collection. For our Saturday scrimmage, we actually came back to Northwestern. Wildcat history was about to change forever with a call that drew on the military discipline of its participants and dramatic flair befitting Northwestern's acting program. And Rob looks at him, and about three of us held out our hands and said, "we got this." But I had follow-up questions, and we actually shot the art for the story in the press box at Northwestern. ", When the Wildcats opened their season with the blanking of UCLA, their roundtrip was by plane. Later that month on October 26, 1996, they defeated Illinois in a 27-24, documented in tapes 6A-6C. The 1995 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University in the 1995 NCAA Division I-A college football season.The 1995 season was a highly memorable one for the Northwestern program, as the Wildcats went 10-2 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten Conference, earning their first winning season since 1971, their first conference championship since 1936, and their first 10 . For it to end up like that Ron Vanderlinden (Defensive coordinator): I've been to three Rose Bowls, three Orange Bowls, and a lot in between. We were laughing among ourselves at how they were calling us so lousy. Gary Barnett: I would go for a run every day, and that's when I would come up with my ideas. We can't tell you what it is." The band plays for a large crowd assembled for a pep rally in the women's quad after Northwestern topped Illinois to earn a trip to the Rose Bowl. It was ridiculously cold, but I wouldn't have left for anything. "California was not in agreement," Nemeth says, "and I don't blame 'em. And Wisconsin's All-American tight end goes across the middle, and Geoff Shein just put a hit on him that just reverberated through the stadium. I'll tell anyone who will listen that I went to Northwestern because of a guy named Bill Koziel. Down 210 in the fourth quarter, the Trojans scored three straight touchdowns, with the final coming with 33 seconds remaining. Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository. We present them here for purely educational purposes. $11.99 (25% off) More colors. And the notion that he sold that we were gonna take Northwestern and turn it into a Big Ten championship squad he was already there. In the end, it wasn't. "And the silence was overwhelming. Northwestern University Archives. Southwest Minnesota State University Athletics. "We weren't in their eyes very intellectual, and they wanted to make sure we knew that.". A Washington loss to Oregon on November 4 put USC in the lead in the Pac-10 race. The 35th Rose Bowl pitted one team that averaged 28 points against another that exceeded 21 only once all season and totaled just seven points in road losses to its two toughest opponents. And I'm not shy about saying that. And then run cold out, two weeks before signing day. northwestern rose bowl 1996 roster. "Dad, I can't tell you." ", As Forman recalls, "I was a left tackle lining up outside the right end. "When we came to Northwestern we connected almost automatically. So I go over to him, and I'm like, What's the surprise mom's talking about?' I was really excited that my parents got to be there for it. And I lined up, and I dug in my cleats, and got my adrenaline rush, and I fired off into that defensive end with everything I had and I mean, everything that I had. The rest of us were journeymen compared with those three. These are the best of the rest. If they can sleep comfortably in air conditioning, and you can give them good food, you can do anything." He fumbled too late for it to be called.". It just really showed the power of college football. And we were practicing at the Citrus Bowl in California, and we had already been down for about a week. There were plenty of great memories that didn't make it into our oral history. Bob Voigts, left, and Alex Sarkisian savor the Rose Bowl victory over Cal. Chris Martin: I loved that horn that they had up there. We had practiced that play for months, going all the way back to camp. He slips, but maintains his balance, and gets all the way across. I'll never forget the first play of the game, I'm on the opposite side of the field as Tim Dwight, and he comes running across the field. After finishing 2022 with 11 wins, a top-10 ranking, and a Rose Bowl win over Utah, the Nittany Lions have some high expectations this fall. I don't think you can say that about most top level football programs. But New Year's Day of 1949 seemed to portend the end of the trend, as undefeated and explosive California was the opponent for a two-loss team that got in on a technicality. He demanded a lot of people. So fast forward to my senior year, it was a personal challenge. As of 670 The Score's 20th Anniversary on January 3rd, the station has begun to reveal (in chronological order) the Top 100 Chicago Sports Stories that have occurred since they first went on the air 20 years ago. But they listened to me, so we got away with it. So that's the way it was, I had an automatic transmission car, and it was running. Casey Dailey (Sophomore defensive end): [In 1994, offensive lineman] Matt O'Dwyer tried to punch me through coach Barnett. "We had great linebackers: Ray Wietecha [SESP51] played with the Giants for years and George Sundheim [C51], who was as good a tackler as I've ever seen and could hit harder than anybody, and of course, Sarkisian.