Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
1939 and 1940 Rose Bowl Games
1995 Inductee
Listed as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, Doyle Nave would not have even played in the 1939 Rose Bowl Game had it not been for a supposed trick played on head coach Howard Jones. Legend has it that student aide Nick Pappas faked a phone message from assistants in the press box telling Jones to get Nave in the game. Pappas had watched Nave and Al Krueger work on a series of passing plays called “No. 27” for hours after practice.
With less than two minutes to go and hope waning, Nave entered the game. Starting from Duke’s 34-yard line, Nave and Krueger went to work. Nave completed three straight passes to Krueger, moving the ball to Duke’s 19-yard line. With time running out, Nave sent Krueger toward the corner of the end zone and lofted a pass over his shoulder. The touchdown destroyed Duke’s unbeaten, untied and unscored upon season
and gave USC a 7–3 victory.
After one more year at USC, Nave was drafted in the first round by the NFL’s Detroit Lions, but he declined to play football. Nave died in 1990.
