In which city is the annual Rose Bowl Game typically held?

Few college football traditions capture America's imagination like the "Granddaddy of Them All." Each New Year's Day since 1902, the Rose Bowl Game has brought together top teams to compete in a sun-soaked California setting. But which city has hosted this iconic sporting event for over a century?

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The answer is: Pasadena

Pasadena's romance with the Rose Bowl Game began in 1902 when the Tournament of Roses decided to add a football game to its New Year's festivities. The first game took place at Tournament Park, with Michigan crushing Stanford 49-0 so badly that organizers replaced it with other events like chariot races and ostrich racing for the next 14 years.

Football returned in 1916, and by 1923, the growing crowds demanded a bigger venue. The city built the now-iconic Rose Bowl stadium and modeled after Yale's bowl-shaped arena. The stadium's massive scale made it the largest football venue in America at the time. Since its initial opening, the stadium has undergone several renovations, with seating reaching a supersized peak of just over 104,000 in 1972. Today "only" 89,702.

The game has left Pasadena only twice in its century-plus history. In 1942, just weeks after Pearl Harbor, fears of a Japanese attack on the West Coast forced the game to relocate to Durham, North Carolina. Oregon State beat Duke 20-16 in what became known as the "Displaced Bowl." And then in 2021 it was relocated to Arlington, Texas due to Covid restrictions.

Today, the Rose Bowl Game remains in Pasadena, where it anchors a full day of festivities including the famous Rose Parade. The stadium sits nestled in Arroyo Seco, a natural bowl surrounded by the San Gabriel Mountains. On game day, the late afternoon sun hits the field just right, creating what sportscasters call "that magic hour in Pasadena" a golden moment that's become synonymous with college football's most celebrated bowl game.