Three Legends Inducted Into Rose Bowl Hall of Fame

PASADENA (CBSLA) - For the 108th time, two college football teams will meet up to play in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. In preparation for the big game, three legendary football icons were added to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on Thursday.

USC running back Anthony Davis, not to be confused with current NBA-star of the same name, Michigan All-American Linebacker Ron Simpkins and former Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany were all inducted into the Hall of Fame in Pasadena. The occasion was celebrated with a ceremony and luncheon that took place outside of the Rose Bowl stadium.

Each inductee will receive a plaque in the stadium's "Court of Champions," as well as recognition in both the Rose Bowl game and the Rose Bowl Parade on Saturday.

They join 133 other members of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.

During his time at the University of Southern California, Anthony Davis helped lead the team to two national championships (1972, 1974), and three Rose Bowl game berths - two of which they won (1973, 1975). In those three Rose Bowl games, Davis earned 342 yards and three touchdowns. During his time as a Trojan, Davis scored 46 touchdowns, with 3,999 yards from scrimmage. He held the college football record for most kick return touchdowns until 2008, and finished second in the 1974 Heisman Trophy voting. It is worth noting that Davis also helped the Trojans to three college baseball national championships as well. He would go on to play football in four separate professional leagues, including some time in the NFL, when he played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1978.

Simpkins played in three-straight Rose Bowl games with the Michigan Wolverines from 1977 to 1979, setting a record for tackles in the 1978 game with 16, a record that stood until 2012. He also made 12 tackles in the 1979 game, a Michigan loss to USC. Simpkins was drafted in 1980 and played in the NFL for eight seasons.

Delany, who retired in 2020, was a college football revolutionary, helping with the implementation of the college football replay system, the creation of the Big 10 Network and the Bowl Championship Series and College Football Playoff. He was also an outspoken advocate for gender equality in not just the game of football, but college sports as a whole.

The Rose Bowl game on Saturday, a matchup between Big 10 and Pac-12 teams, is slated to kickoff at 2:00 p.m. between the Utah Utes (10-3) and the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2).

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)