Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
1984 Rose Bowl Game
1998 Inductee
Unranked UCLA entered the 1984 Rose Bowl Game with the unfortunate distinction as the team with the worst record in Rose Bowl Game history. Needless to say, the Bruins were underdogs to 10–1 Illinois, and any hope of an upset rested firmly on the shoulders of quarterback Rick Neuheisel.
Neuheisel responded to this “David-versus-Goliath” challenge in grand fashion. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 198 yards and a Rose Bowl Game record-tying four touchdown passes in a 45–9 upset victory. Neuheisel earned Player of the Game honors for his effort.
Neuheisel went into coaching following a brief professional career. After climbing the coaching ranks at UCLA, he held the head-coaching job at Colorado from 1995 to 1998, then at Washington from 1999 to 2002. Neuheisel returned to UCLA as the head coach from 2008 to 2011.
