When the Rose Bowl Was Played in Durham, NC-- Part 2

Before Pearl Harbor was attacked, a four-day train excusrion was arranged from Durham, NC, (home of Duke) to Pasadena, California, called "The Blue Devil Special" and "The Duke." First-class accomodation aboard a Pullman coach was $125.59 round trip. Duke was playing in the Rose Bowl that year.

The 1942 Duke yearbook, the Chanticleer, said, "Duke students are rabid football enthusiasts and are eager to follow their team all over the country."

In 1941, the winner of the Pacific Coast Conference was Oregon State College, and they got to choose their opponent. Spurning Texas, the Beavers chose Coach Wallace Wade's 9-0 Blue Devils from the much-disparaged Southern Conference (before the ACC). That selection was partly based on Duke defeating the Tennessee Volunteers saddling them with their first regular season loss since 1937.

No Big Ten? --GreGen