July 3, 2026

As His Parting Gift, Urban Meyer Gives Ohio State a Rose Bowl Victory

PASADENA, Calif. — A colleague once advised Urban Meyer to find a moment amid each game to savor. At Ohio State, the regimented coach customarily would remove his headset between the third and fourth quarters to soak in the university marching band blasting the vintage rock tune “Hang On Sloopy.” The better the Buckeyes were playing, the longer he would listen. On Tuesday, as Meyer’s dominant squad built what appeared to be an irreversible lead over Washington in the 105th Rose Bowl, the coach was able to take in every last note. “This has been on the bucket list,” Meyer said of winning his first Rose Bowl. “I love all the other bowls, but being a Big Ten guy from Ohio and watching the Rose Bowl in the ’70s with Archie Griffin, it’s everything everybody says it was.” In what Meyer maintains was a football coaching farewell that came as…

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