Rose Bowl

A New Year's Day rain in southern California ruined a great deal more than the Tournament of Roses pageant at Pasadena. For 30 hours it came down in silvery sheets--eight inches of it in Los Angeles, a whole foot in Pasadena. From fire-scarred hillsides the water spilled down in yellow torrents into every gully, inundating roads, washing away bridges, flooding towns. When the storm subsided, at least 31 persons were dead, scores were missing. In La Crascenta, a 25-ft. wall of water struck a building where the Red Cross was giving first aid, milled the building and its 25 occupants into a dirty mass of debris. But despite this shocking catastrophe, 200,000 Californians turned out for the Tournament. What happened in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day when Columbia's football team defeated Stanford 7-to-0 did not raise their spirits.

The storm had made the Bowl a lake, drained just in time for the game by three fire engines pumping all night. Even with a soggy field and wet ball as equalizing factors, Stanford started a 2 1/2-to-1 favorite. Pacific Coast fans had been loud in their contempt of Columbia, derisive of Stanford for ever inviting Columbia to play. Easterners who conceded Columbia a chance were regarded as provincials whose enthusiasm had blinded their judgment. One who was not bothered by such talk was Louis Little, the big-framed, booming-voiced coach who in four years at Columbia had built its football stature up from puniness. He worked his team hard for the Rose Bowl game, diligently guarded them from ballyhoo, banked on Stanford's overconfidence.

There was nothing in the final statistics to show why Columbia should have won. The play was in Columbia territory most of the time. Stanford outrushed Columbia 242 yd. to 70 yd., made 16 first downs to Columbia's six. But Stanford made eight fumbles and Columbia recovered four of them. The touchdown came in the second period, when Columbia's Halfback Al Barabas cut around Stanford's right end and loped across the line standing up. Center Newt Wilder kicked the extra point. From then on Columbia's job was to dig into the slime and hold against Stanford's inexhaustible reserves. Columbia not only held, but turned Stanford back from the 1-yd. line where Halfback Ed Brominski scooped up a Stanford fumble. In the last few minutes the rain again helped Columbia. Stanford tried to catch up with a furious forward-passing attack but could not handle the slick ball.

Weak with joy, Coach Little managed to sputter into a radio microphone: "If there's a happier man in this world, he must be in Heaven."

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