1919 Rose Bowl

The 1919 Rose Bowl, known at the time as the Tournament East-West Football Game, was a bowl game played on January 1, 1919, at Tournament Park in Pasadena, California. It was the 5th Rose Bowl Game. With the war just over, the game was played with players from the Mare Island Marines of California and the Great Lakes Navy from Great Lakes, Illinois.

1919 Tournament East-West football game
5th Rose Bowl Game
Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets Mare Island Marines (6–0–2) (10–0) Independent Independent 17 0 Head coach:  Clarence J. McReavy Head coach:  Lone Star Dietz
1 2 3 4 Total Great Lakes Navy 3 7 7 0 17 Mare Island 0 0 0 0 0
Date	January 1, 1919
Season	1918
Stadium	Tournament Park
Location	Pasadena, California
MVP	George Halas (E) – US Navy
Attendance	25,000

Teams

With college football teams depleted due to World War I, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses decided to stage the game with military personnel. With approval from President Woodrow Wilson, they invited the team from the Marine detachment at the Mare Island Naval Base for the second consecutive year, while it was the first appearance by a Navy team from the Naval Station Great Lakes.

Scoring

	1	2	3	4	Total
Great Lakes Navy	3	7	7	0	17
Mare Island	0	0	0	0	0

Qtr.	Team	Scoring play	Score
1	GL	Driscoll 30 yard FG	GL 3–0
2	GL	Reeves 3 yard rush, Hugh Blacklock kick good	GL 10–0
3	GL	Halas 32 yard pass from Driscoll, Blacklock kick good	GL 17–0
Source:

Game notes

Game MVP and future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and Chicago Bears owner George Halas holds the Rose Bowl record for the longest non-scoring pass interception return of 77 yards. Halas would comment that he coached players to "dive across the goal" upon reaching the three-yard line, in reference to his interception failing to result in a score, and that "anyone who can't dive three yards should play Parcheesi."