From the Archives: Duke’s Rose Bowl History
During World War II, Durham hosted the famous bowl game
As Duke prepares for its appearance in Tuesday's Chick-fil-A Bowl, it'll be the first time the Blue Devils make back-to-back trips to a bowl game.
However, this season's climactic matchup may not be the most unique in program history. That title could very well go to a 1942 game between Duke and Oregon State University, when the Rose Bowl, the oldest bowl game of them all, was played in Durham instead of Pasadena, Calif.
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt urged extra caution for a potential second attack along the West Coast, prompting the Rose Bowl to get canceled - until Duke stepped in. With nowhere else to play, Duke offered to host the game on campus, the only time the Rose Bowl has ever been played outside of Pasadena. The Oregon State football team hopped on a train and took a nearly 3,000-mile trip to Durham from Corvallis, Ore.
In a video produced by Oregon State last year, Andy Landforce, a 1942 Oregon State graduate and football team member, recalled the importance of being able to play the game, even though it was at a different location:
"Coach [Wallace Wade] from Duke University called [Oregon State coach] Lon Stiner and asked him 'if you want to play the game would you be willing to come back here?' Everybody was enthused because this is a moment in life that you'll never forget - to play in a Rose Bowl."
A rainstorm muddied the football field for the game on Jan. 1, 1942, but that didn't stop fans from showing up.
Duke needed to borrow bleachers from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University to allow for 55,000 spectators to fill Duke’s stadium.
Even though Duke was favored to win, Oregon State scored 13 points in the third quarter en route to a 20-16 victory.
Interested in seeing highlights of the game? Check out this archive footage of the 1942 Rose Bowl: