Referred to in sports as the “Granddaddy of Them All” because of its prestige and tradition, the Rose Bowl is most famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day. However, this iconic stadium in Pasadena, California, has also been the home of the UCLA Bruins since 1982.
In the late 1800s, the City of Pasadena began searching for land on which to build a stadium. In 1897, a parcel of land was purchased, and two decades later, the Tournament of Roses Association decided it was time to build a permanent stadium. Before the Rose Bowl was constructed, the annual Rose Bowl Game was played at Tournament Park, where temporary stands were built each year for the game. Construction on the Rose Bowl began in the early 1920s and was completed in 1922. Built primarily for football, the first game played at the Rose Bowl took place on October 28, 1922, when Cal defeated USC. The stadium originally had a seating capacity of 57,000 and featured a horseshoe configuration. On January 1, 1923, the first Rose Bowl Game was played at the new stadium, with USC defeating Penn State.
The first of several expansions to the Rose Bowl began in 1929, when the stadium was enclosed on the south end, increasing the capacity to 76,000. Three years later, the capacity increased again to 86,000 and reached just over 100,000 in 1949. In 1982, the UCLA Bruins made their debut at the Rose Bowl after moving from the Los Angeles Coliseum. Since then, the stadium has remained the home of the Bruins while continuing to host many other major events.
Over the years, the Rose Bowl has undergone numerous improvements, including the installation of new lights, a three story press box and a video scoreboard. In 1998, individual seats replaced the bleachers between the end zones. In October 2010, the Pasadena City Council approved plans for a $140 million renovation of the Rose Bowl. The project included a new 30 by 77 foot video scoreboard, expansion of the seven level Terry Donahue Pavilion, renovation of the iconic entrance, improvements to the concourses and restrooms, and the removal of a section of seating near the field to allow for the addition of hedges along the west sideline.
Today, the Rose Bowl has a seating capacity of 90,888. The main single tier grandstand completely encloses the playing field. In addition to hosting countless college football games, the Rose Bowl has also been the site of the Super Bowl and World Cup matches. Of course, the stadium remains most famous for hosting the Rose Bowl Game each year on New Year’s Day.
