1969 Rose Bowl The 1969 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1 , 1969 . It was the 55th Rose Bowl Game . The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the USC Trojans , 27 – 16 . Rex Kern , the Ohio State quarterback , was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game . Heisman Trophy winner O . J . Simpson rushed for 171 yards and an 80 - yard touchdown run , but USC had five turnovers , including an interception and a fumble by Simpson . It was only the second # 1 vs . # 2 matchup in the Rose Bowl , the 1963 Rose Bowl being the first . It was the first time in the history of the Rose Bowl Big 9 ( 10 ) – PCC / Big 9 ( 10 ) – AAWU agreements that two unbeaten teams faced each other . It was the first of four Rose Bowl matchups featuring Ohio State coach Woody Hayes and USC coach John McKay . It was the first of two with the National Championship on the line for both schools . Teams . This was only the second time in the Rose Bowl where the # 1 and # 2 teams in the AP Poll played and only the third time in a bowl game : the 1963 Rose Bowl was the first and the 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic was the second . It was the 12th time overall that the # 1 and # 2 team faced each other since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936 . The Bowl Championship Series was created later to make at least one matchup of the top two teams in the nation . Ohio State Buckeyes . The Buckeyes featured a group called " The Super Sophomores " playing in their first varsity season : John Brockington , Leo Hayden , Rex Kern , Jim Otis , Jim Stillwagon and Jack Tatum . USC Trojans . The Trojans finished undefeated with one tie at the end of the season against # 9 - ranked Notre Dame . They had been ranked # 1 since October 19 , but the 21 – 21 tie put Ohio State in the top spot . They were captained by Heisman Trophy winner O . J . Simpson . Game summary . The 1969 Rose Bowl was also the beginning of a celebration of a century of college football . Later during the 1969 college football season , many teams would wear uniform patches or helmet stickers with " 100 " to signify the anniversary . A number of celebrities were present , including 1968 President - elect Richard Nixon , Bob Hope , and Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson . First Lady Pat Nixon was a graduate of USC , but President Nixon spent time on both sidelines . Richard Nixon called the Rose Bowl Game , " the prize game of all bowl games . " A USC fumble at the Trojans ' 21 - yard line set up a Rex Kern pass to Leo Hayden for the final four yards , then a fumbled reception cost Southern Cal the ball again at its own 16 . USC had five turnovers , including two by O . J . Simpson . Simpson , besides having a fumble and interception , also underestimated the speed of Jack Tatum , the Ohio State cornerback . This happened on a swing pass that should have been a touchdown , and then on the same series when Simpson overthrew a touchdown pass to Ted DeKraai . Ohio State had one fumble , but managed to keep possession . Aftermath . The super sophomores would be stunned in defense of their national title in the 1969 Michigan vs . Ohio State football game , one of the most notable in the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry . They would appear in their senior season in the 1971 Rose Bowl where they lost to a Stanford team led by Jim Plunkett . The 2002 Rose Bowl was the third Rose Bowl game matchup between the # 1 and # 2 teams .