USC, UCLA Greats Elected to Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on Sunday

As the USC Trojans battle Monday against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Rose Bowl Game, USC celebrates another achievement in sports, in the induction of former USC running back Ricky Ervins into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.

Ervins was inducted Sunday, along with the late Tommy Prothro, who coached UCLA to its first Rose Bowl Game victory in 1966, a report on City News Service said.

The other inductees Sunday, according to the report, were former Minnesota defensive lineman Bobby Bell, and San Francisco sports columnist Art Spander.

Former UCLA coach Terry Donahue, who played defensive tackle in the 1966 Bruins team that upset top-ranked Michigan State, accepted the induction on behalf of Prothro, who died in 1995 at the age of 74.

Prothro also coached Oregon State in the 1957 and 1965 Rose Bowl Games and was Duke’s quarterback in the 1942 Rose Bowl Game, which was played in Durham, North Carolina due to fears the Japanese could attack the West Coast, after Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Ervins was selected MVP in the 1990 Rose Bowl Game, when the Trojans won over Michigan, 17-10. He ran for 126 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries in that victory.

Ervins also played in the 1988 and 1989 Rose Bowl Games.

Bell anchored the Golden Gophers in the 1962 Rose Bowl Game. Minnesota’s defense limited UCLA to 107 yards in their 21-3 victory, its only Rose Bowl Game victory.

Bell also played for Minnesota in the 1961 Rose Bowl Game when they lost to Washington, 17-7.

Spander started his reporting career with UPI Los Angeles in 1960 after graduating from UCLA. He began covering sports in 1963 for Evening Outlook in Santa Monica in 1963, as the beat writer for the Los Angeles Rams and LA Dodgers.

Spander has attended 63 consecutive Rose Bowl Games and covered the last 53, according to City News Service.

The Rose Bowl Hall of Fame was established in 1989 to honor individuals connected with the game. With the new inductees, the Hall of Fame now has 121 members.