Roy Riegels wrong way run in the Rose Bowl

"Roy "Wrong Way" Riegels (April 4, 1908 -- March 26, 1993) played for the University of California, Berkeley football team from 1927 to 1929. His wrong-way run in the 1929 Rose Bowl is often cited as the worst blunder in the history of college football.

On January 1, 1929, the Golden Bears faced the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, USA. Midway through the second quarter, Riegels, who played center, picked up a fumble by Tech's Jack "Stumpy" Thomason. Just 30 yards away from the Yellow Jackets' end zone, Riegels was somehow turned around and ran 65 yards in the wrong direction.
Teammate and quarterback Benny Lom chased Riegels, screaming at him to stop. Known for his speed, Lom finally caught up with Riegels at California's 3-yard line and tried to turn him around, but he was immediately hit by a wave of Tech players and tackled back to the 1-yard line. The Bears chose to punt rather than risk a play so close to their own end zone, but Tech's Vance Maree blocked Lom's punt for a safety, giving Georgia Tech a 2-0 lead.
Riegels was so distraught that he had to be talked into returning to the game for the second half. Riegels turned in a stellar second half performance, including blocking a Tech punt. Lom passed for a touchdown and kicked the extra point, but Tech would ultimately win the game—and their second national championship—by a final score of 8-7. The example of how the distraught Riegels was persuaded to pick himself up, return to the field and play so hard during the second half is sometimes used by motivational speakers to illustrate overcoming setbacks."

• Category

  Sports

[TrackballVoiceActor]

This is taken from ESPN's VHS release "College Football Funnies," isn't it?

I lost that tape years ago...

[Róbert Horváth]

yes it is

[BorntoRocknRoll95]

C'MON MAN!

[TheRamblinReck]

THANK YOU! I am a lifelong GT fan that has always wanted to see this play!

[df demi]

shaqtin' a fool

[hadmiar8]

i thoght he meant 40 to 50 yrs before THIS.

[David Smith]

The Green Bay Packers were 1929 NFL Champions with a 12-0-1 record

[David Smith]

The 1928 Georgia Tech team were 1928 National Champions.

[hadmiar8]

this video is very creepy

[hadmiar8]

the nfl did not exist 40-50 yrs before this. this happened in 1929. Jim marshall did do it vs the San Fransisco 49ers in 1964.

[blacsouljah]

This man's story has a lesson for us all, especially me! Even the bible says that you should forget past mistakes and move on with your life.

[Alan Leake]

A followup. Jim Marshall was the fellow who did the goof up in 1964.