10 college football coaches to play and coach in Rose Bowl ft. Jim Harbaugh

The Rose Bowl dates back to 1902 when it was still called the Tournament East-West football game. That game pitted the University of Michigan versus Stanford University. However, it wasn’t until 1923 that the current Rose Bowl venue hosted its first game.

Top-ranked Michigan will be back at the hallowed college football venue a hundred years later. This time, they face the fourth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, who sneaked into the College Football Playoff semifinal after beating Georgia in this year’s SEC Championship Game.

Jim Harbaugh played in the 1987 Rose Bowl, where he and the Wolverines lost to the Arizona State Sun Devils. However, he’s not the only collegiate coach who has played this historic game.

Here are 10 football lifers who have participated in the annual game in Pasadena as a player and as a mentor.

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College football icons who played and coached in the Rose Bowl

Stepping into that sacred football ground on New Year’s Day 2024 will bring back memories for Jim Harbaugh, who ended his collegiate playing career in California.

Now that he has led his alma mater as a coach, he will join an exclusive group of people who have played and coached for a Rose Bowl participant.

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1) Wallace Wade

William Wallace Wade participated as a guard for the Brown University Bears in the 1916 Tournament East-West game but lost to Washington State, 14-0. As a coach, he led Alabama to the 1926 Rose Bowl and beat Washington, 20-19.

A year later, Wade returned to the game but settled for a tie with Pop Warner’s Stanford squad. He led Alabama for the third time in 1931, completing an undefeated national championship season after beating Washington State.

After that season, Wade left Alabama for Duke. Despite the university not being known as a traditional football powerhouse, he still led them to the 1939 and 1941 Rose Bowls.

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2) Charles A. Huntington

While his nickname is “Shy,” there’s nothing to be shy about his credentials in this annual football clash.

In 1917, he and Oregon beat Pennsylvania 14-0. Two years later, he led Oregon to the Rose Bowl after winning the 1919 Pacific Coast Conference championship. However, they lost to Harvard, 7-6.

It’s still a victory of sorts, considering that he was also coaching Oregon’s baseball and basketball teams in the same season.

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3) Chuck Taylor

Charles Albert Taylor played in the 1941 Rose Bowl for the Stanford Indians squad tagged as the “Wow Boys.” They beat Nebraska in that game two years before he became an All-American offensive lineman.

He would return to the game in 1952 as Stanford’s coach. Unfortunately, Illinois dominated that contest, 40-7. However, he became one of only two men to participate as a player, coach and athletic director when Stanford beat Ohio State in the 1971 edition.

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4) Jess Hill

Jesse Terrill Hill is the first individual to participate in the Rose Bowl as a player, a coach and athletic director. He played in the 1930 game when he and the USC Trojans beat the University of Pittsburgh. He also coached the Trojans in the 1953 and 1955 Rose Bowls.

As an athletic director, Hill helped the Trojans participate in five Rose Bowls from 1963 to 1970, including four consecutive appearances from 1967 to 1970. The Trojans went 3-2 in those games.

Hill also coached USC’s track and field team and had a brief Major League Baseball stint with the New York Yankees, Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics.

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5) Tommy Prothro

James Thompson Prothro Jr. played for Oregon State in the 1942 game but lost to Duke, 20-16.

He led the Beavers to the 1957 and 1965 Rose Bowls as a coach but lost both games to Iowa and Michigan, respectively. He finally got a well-deserved victory in the 1966 edition when he guided UCLA over Michigan State.

After his collegiate coaching career, he also coached the Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers in the NFL. He also served as Director of Player Personnel for the Cleveland Browns from 1979 to 1981.

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6) Pete Elliott

Peter Elliott played quarterback for the Michigan squad that dominated the USC in the 1948 Rose Bowl, 49-0. As a coach, he participated in the big game twice. Unfortunately, California endured a 38-12 blowout against Iowa in the 1959 edition.

He would get his victory as a coach in 1964 when Illinois beat Washington, capping off a season where Elliott also guided the Fighting Illini to the 1963 Big Ten title. While he did not play in the NFL, he served as Pro Football Hall of Fame Executive Director from 1978 to 1995.

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7) Bump Elliott

Chalmers William Elliott was teammates with his younger brother, Pete, as mentioned above, in the 1948 winning team. Interestingly, he often lined up at his brother’s back as a halfback and became an All-American in 1947.

As a coach, he led his alma mater to victory over Oregon State in the 1965 edition. He left the Michigan coach job three years later to become the university’s associate athletic director.

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8) Terry Donahue

Terrence Michael Donahue suited up as a defensive tackle for the UCLA Bruins, helping beat Michigan State in the 1966 Rose Bowl. He led the Bruins to the prestigious game four times as a coach. He won in 1977 and 1979 against Michigan and in 1980 versus Ohio State.

Donahue returned to the game in 1994 but suffered a 21-16 loss to Wisconsin. He left UCLA in 1995 and became a coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 1998. He became the San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel a year later.

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9) John Robinson

John Alexander Robinson is tied with Donahue for most Rose Bowl appearances among the people on this list, with five. In 1958, he played for the Oregon Webfoots in a losing effort to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Conversely, he's unbeaten in four Rose Bowls as a USC coach. He guided the Trojans to victory over Michigan in 1977 and 1979, Ohio State in 1980 and Northwestern in 1996. Sandwiched between two stints as USC coach is his coaching stint with the Los Angeles Rams.

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10) Jim Harbaugh

Barring any grave circumstance that will force him out of the 2024 edition, Harbaugh will become the 13th individual to participate in the game as a player and coach. He was the quarterback of the 1986 Wolverines team that lost to John Cooper and Arizona State.

On the first day of 2024, he will coach unbeaten Michigan against Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Harbaugh guided Michigan to nine wins this season, including the shutdown of Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game.

He will hope to continue their unblemished run against Alabama and whoever they face between the Longhorns and the Huskies in the National Championship.