Duke entered the 1939 Rose Bowl undefeated and did not allow a point entering the game. USC trailed 3-0 with two minutes left when fourth-string quarterback/tailback Doyel Nave (bottom) entered the game.
Nave threw four straight passes to “Antelope” Al Krueger, who made the game-winning TD catch (above) by putting a move on Duke’s future College Football Hall of Famer Eric Tipton to score with 40 seconds left. Those were the only points Duke allowed all season and USC fans tore both goal posts down after the game.
Maybe the best part is how Nave entered the game. USC assistant coach Joe Wilensky manned the telephone on the sideline to assistant coaches Sam Barry, Julie Bescos and Bob McNeish in the pressbox. The trio started down to the field so Wilensky pretended he was on the phone and they suggested Nave enter the game. “Send in Nave and have him throw it to Krueger,” Wilensky shouted.
Coach Howard Jones agreed and the rest is history.
Wasn’t the following year UCLA’s most recent Rose Bowl victory?
Actually, the plan was “Send in Nave and throw the Bubble Screen”
Todd Marinovich’s grandpa played in that game – I visited with him at his house in Newport Beach one time and he has treasure chests of Trojan memorabilia – true Trojan thru and thru
Merry Christmas and FIght On!
That was my dad’s first football game. He was 16. He told me the fog was so thick you could barely see the players.
Antelope Al Krueger was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1995.
I heard that story every year from my grand father ,in the 50’s.