Whether regarding Georgia’s postseason appearance on January 1, 1943, against UCLA, or 75 years later pitting the Bulldogs versus Oklahoma, it might be difficult to fully comprehend what it means for a team from the Southeastern Conference to earn a berth in the renowned Rose Bowl, “The Granddaddy of Them All.” At his home in Athens a couple of days ago, I visited with the only Bulldog who could acknowledge as much—96-year-old legend Charley Trippi, the lone living Georgia player from the last, and only other time the Bulldogs ventured to Pasadena.

Of the 12 schools in the SEC in 1942, only four had been to the Rose Bowl prior to Georgia, two of which are no longer in the conference: Alabama five times, and Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Tulane each for one occasion. The game usually matched the best team from the West (Pacific Coast Conference) and the bowl’s pick of an at-large team from another conference; therefore, the Rose Bowl routinely hosted two of the top teams in the country.

“Then and now, you have to have a good record to go to the Rose Bowl—a top team to participate,” Trippi said. “It’s not easy to get there.” For the Bulldogs in 1942, it wasn’t easy indeed.

After an undefeated Georgia team had lost to Auburn on November 21, its hopes for a bid from the Rose Bowl seemed dashed. However, when top-ranked Boston College appeared interested in going to the Sugar Bowl, and No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Wisconsin would not be bowling since the Big Ten Conference believed it was above postseason “exhibition” games at the time, it was determined the winner of the regular-season finale between No. 2 Georgia Tech and No. 5 Georgia would go to the Rose Bowl. The Bulldogs would go on to blow out the Yellow Jackets, 34-0, earning a trip to Pasadena to face Pacific Coast Conference champion, UCLA.

Since World War II had been raging for just over a year, Georgia didn’t fly to California for safety precautions. Instead, five special Pullman cars carried the team by train beginning on December 18 for a trip scheduled to last three days. A day or so into the trip near Springfield, Mo., the team stepped off the train to pick up a small brown “mongrel” dog. The players would eventually name the stray “Bottle Neck” because it always stayed in the middle of the aisle. Not long afterward, head coach Wally Butts stopped the train again.

“I’m not sure exactly where it was—maybe around Kansas City, Mo.—the train stopped, we got off and scrimmaged,” Trippi recalled. “Coach Butts was big on scrimmaging and he was not about to go two or three days without one.”

During the trip, Butts approached Trippi indicating all-everything halfback Frank Sinkwich, who would be playing in his final collegiate game, had aggravated two ailing ankles. A significant contributor, yet a mere first-year varsity member, Trippi would likely have to play nearly the entire game.

“I later got a letter from the Rose Bowl, saying I had played 58 minutes in that game against UCLA,” Trippi said. “But, if you played for Coach Butts, 58 minutes was no problem.”

According to Trippi, a significant reason why the Rose Bowl was such a special occasion was not only the contest itself but the arrangements made for the team while it was out in California—both before and after the game. From a luncheon arranged by Paramount Studios with several movie stars, to sight-seeing, to going to nightclubs, the Rose Bowl Committee held nothing back in accommodating the Bulldogs.

“None of us had ever been to California prior to that trip—there’d been no reason for any of us to go except to play in the Rose Bowl,” Trippi said. “And here, we’re suddenly hanging out with Hollywood movie stars.”

The movie stars weren’t the only thing eye-opening to the majority of the team.

“We had played in front of some good crowds at Sanford Stadium (an average of roughly 25,000 to 30,000 per game—at the time, one of the better attendance averages in the South) but nothing like the number of spectators at the Rose Bowl (approx. 93,000). Of course, when I played, I never really cared how many people were watching the game—just cared about performing.” And perform Trippi did.

Against the Bruins, Trippi rushed for 113 yards on 24 carries, threw for 83 yards on 5-of-10 passing, punted three times for a 43-yard average, and intercepted a pass on defense. Still, Georgia led only 2-0 in the fourth quarter before advancing the ball inside the UCLA 10-yard line. On first down, Trippi ran an end reverse for seven yards when Georgia called timeout facing second and goal on the 1-yard line.

“The team had discussed that we really wanted Frank [Sinkwich] to score if we got close to UCLA’s goal line—even if he was injured,” Trippi said. “Replacing me at halfback, he was given the ball, and he cracked through right tackle into the end zone.”

In helping defeat UCLA by a final 9-0 score, Trippi says he actually hated it—hated that the Rose Bowl had ended.

“Then and now, it's such a great event, an affair—it’s ‘The Granddaddy of Them All,’” Trippi asserted. “I actually got an opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl, and I wanted to stay there—didn’t want it to end. I would have gladly played a second game right after the first. But this time, I would have wanted to play all 60 minutes (laughing).”

The Most Valuable Player of the 1943 Rose Bowl, Trippi said Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity had invited him to accompany the Bulldogs to Pasadena 75 years later. However, according to Charley’s wife, Peggy, because of some issues he was having with his leg and walking, she didn’t think he could make the trip.

So, what are his plans for watching the Rose Bowl tomorrow?

“I’m just going to sit here and watch it—and that’s okay,” Trippi said from his couch. “Although you may go a lifetime without playing in or visiting the Rose Bowl, you only get one chance a year to even watch it on television.”

But, what about if Georgia wins the Rose Bowl? Any chance Trippi makes an appearance in Atlanta to watch the Bulldogs play for the national championship?

“Greg [McGarity] told Charley, ‘If we win [the Rose Bowl], we can take you to Atlanta,’” Peggy said, to which Trippi added, “And, if I do need help to get to Atlanta, I think we may have enough grandchildren to assist with that.”