Washington once voted Oregon out of the Rose Bowl. Here's how the Webfoots got the last laugh
Washington may have turned its back on the North and sent Cal to the Rose Bowl, but Oregon lined its pockets with a record-setting payday anyway.
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The 1948 Oregon Ducks
Every few years during Washington week, the various sites around town will post stories looking back at the top moments of the 100-plus year rivalry between the Ducks and Huskies.
Jason Quick had one a few years ago that included a paragraph about the battle on Nov. 6, 1948. Oregon, behind two touchdown passes from Norm Van Brocklin, won that game 13-7 in a season where UO would go a perfect 7-0 in Pacific Coast Conference play.
But while Oregon got the win, Quick wrote that Washington got the last laugh when the Huskies voted for the also-undefeated California Bears to represent the conference in the Rose Bowl, not Oregon.
I’ve seen this story mentioned in similar fashion a few other times, but have never actually seen the full details. After paging through newspaper archives this week, Quick got everything right — though I’d challenge his thesis that Washington got the last laugh.
To set the stage, let’s talk about that Oregon team.