Relive the 1994 Rose Bowl

Quarterback Darrell Bevell made the biggest — and unlikeliest — play. Jeff Miller

Thirty years ago, the Wisconsin Badgers returned to the Rose Bowl after a three-decade drought and three prior winless appearances. They clinched the bid after defeating Michigan State at the Coca-Cola Classic in Tokyo and securing a 9–1–1 record. In just four years, head coach Barry Alvarez had miraculously transformed the floundering program he inherited. There was just one thing left to do.

If you were too young to watch the 1994 Rose Bowl (like this author) or simply want to relive the glory, you can find a video on YouTube. Badger fans who invaded Pasadena coined the phrase “Camp Randall West” as they turned Rose Bowl Stadium into a sea of red — despite playing the UCLA Bruins on their home turf.

The video transports you back to the ’90s: the less-than-high-definition footage; the players’ comically large shoulder pads; the UW’s starting quarterback, Darrell Bevell ’96, also serving on special teams as the holder. But on the whole, the game action — grinding yet thrilling — wouldn’t feel entirely out of place as a Big Ten slugfest today. (And welcome to the Big Ten, UCLA.)

Before there was Ron Dayne ’17, there was Brent Moss x’95. And the Badgers rode their MVP running back in the first half, amassing more than 100 rushing yards and taking a convincing 14–3 lead. But in the second half, the Bruins seized the momentum with long drive after long drive. They likely would have taken the lead if not for six turnovers, including four costly fumbles in the final two quarters.

The game’s defining play came with 10 minutes left and the Badgers clinging to a 14–10 lead. With the pocket collapsing around him, the normally slow-footed Bevell scrambled to his left, juked a defensive back to the ground, and shuffled 21 yards along the sidelines into the end zone. Not even the TV announcer could contain his laughter on the unlikely call, as Bevell threw his arms into the air in celebration: “That blazing speed takes him into the end zone!”

Still, the Bruins pulled within five and returned to the red zone with a chance to steal the game. Inexplicably, with 15 seconds left and no time-outs, UCLA quarterback Wayne Cook dashed up the middle for a few yards, allowing the clock to expire. Camp Randall West erupted. The final score: 21–16.

For a long-suffering fan base that had just endured 23 losing seasons in 29 years, the 1994 Rose Bowl marked a proud new era of Badger athletics that lasts to this day.

Published in the Fall 2024 issue