Is the Rose Bowl Stadium used for anything else? Taking a look at UCLA's home field in college football

The Rose Bowl is college football’s most historic venue. The first game was played in 1902, and the stadium was built in 1922. It is renowned for its bowl-shaped design and the stunning view of the San Gabriel Mountains at sunset next to the stadium. The Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide are matched up in the 2024 Rose Bowl for the College Football Playoff Semifinal.

Is the Rose Bowl stadium used for anything else?

The Rose Bowl Stadium is used for many football-related events. It is the home stadium for UCLA football. The Pasadena Turkey Tussle is a high school football matchup played there. From 1946 to the 1970s, the Junior Rose Bowl was held, where Junior College Football games were played. Most notably, the Rose Bowl has hosted multiple Super Bowls in 1977, 1980, 1983, 1987, and 1993.

The Rose Bowl has also hosted a number of men’s and women’s soccer events. It hosted the men’s FIFA World Cup final in 1994 and the women’s in 1999. It was also utilized for the Olympics when it hosted track cycling in 1932 and the 1984 Gold Medal Soccer match. It will be a key venue for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The stadium is also no stranger to musical performers from the likes of Journey, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, U2, Beyonce, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, BTS, and many more.

Does UCLA use the Rose Bowl stadium?

The UCLA Bruins have used the Rose Bowl stadium for their home games since 1982. Before then, the Bruins had played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 1928.

There was a proposal to build a 44,000-seat stadium on the UCLA campus at the site where the now recreational Drake Stadium is built. However, at the time, the proposal was blocked by influential elitist Westwood area residents, as well as some politicians.

This has proven problematic, at least for students and fans, as the school’s campus is located over in Westwood, while the stadium is in Pasadena, California. They are just 26 miles apart, but with the bustling traffic of Los Angeles in between them, it is not the ideal situation.

Who owns the Rose Bowl stadium?

The Rose Bowl Stadium is owned by the city of Pasadena. The Rose Bowl Operating Company manages the stadium as well as the golf course. The council members of the city select the board.

UCLA and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses also have one member on the company board. They commissioned the stadium back in 1922. The company runs the bowl game and the Tournament of Roses Parade.

This committee slowed the process for college football expanding the College Football Playoff because they worried about how the Rose Bowl game would be utilized.