Football and War

AFTER THE ATTACK on Pearl Harbor, fear that Japan would invade the West Coast forced the 1942 Rose Bowl to relocate from Pasadena to Durham, N.C., where Oregon State beat Duke 20--16. A new book, Fields of Battle, based on a story in SI (War and Roses, Aug. 19, 2013), recounts the game and the ensuing exploits of the players—many of whom enlisted within weeks of the game. Here are some numbers from the book that look at the game and the war.

7,384

Miles Oregon State covered by train, round trip, from Corvallis to Durham.

1

Japanese-American, Oregon State defensive back Jack Yoshihara, who was prohibited from traveling with his team to Durham.

$4.40

Cost of a ticket, although scalpers were getting up to $15 a seat.

56,000

Fans who saw the only Rose Bowl played outside of Southern California.

29

Number of the 31 Oregon State players to serve in the military.

49

Age of Duke coach Wallace Wade when he enlisted for WWII weeks after the game.

17

Hours that Duke's Charles Haynes lay bleeding on a hillside in Italy in 1944 before Oregon State's Frank Parker saved him.

4

Players from the 1942 Rose Bowl who were killed in World War II.

94

Age of Duke end Jim Smith, the only living starter from the game.