Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
1964 Rose Bowl Game
1997 Inductee
Fullback Jim Grabowski made the Washington Huskies’ defense look “dog tired” in the 1964 Rose Bowl Game. The Player of the Game rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in the Illini’s 17–7 victory. Grabowski was a tremendous natural athlete who could have starred on both sides of the ball that day, but his services on defense weren’t needed with teammate Dick Butkus plugging the middle.
Grabowski went on to earn All-America honors in 1965. He would eventually break every Illinois and Big Ten rushing record during his three-year career, and he was the number-one draft pick of the NFL- champion Green Bay Packers in 1966.
Grabowski was a “student” athlete before the term became a catch phrase. He earned the top GPA on the team as a finance major and was first team academic All-Big Ten in 1964 and 1965. He also won the Coca-Cola Golden Helmet Award for football ability, scholarship and leadership, and in 1993 was inducted into the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame. Grabowski remained an important figure in Illinois football, serving as an analyst for the Illini radio broadcasts for nearly 30 years before retiring after the 2006 season.
