The 2023 Rose Bowl forever marks a change in how we view The Granddaddy of Them All. Once a long-standing tradition on its own, the Rose Bowl is now a part of the rotation of games that make up the College Football Playoffs.
However, that doesn’t mean the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame is any less significant. Just ask the cast of Hall of Fame members for the Class of 2023, headlined by Kirk Herbstreit.
Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2023
The Rose Bowl Hall of Fame exists to honor those who contributed to the illustrious history of the Rose Bowl Game itself. Those who ’embody the highest level of passion, strength, tradition, and honor associated’ with the game are enshrined by the Tournament of Roses.
The Class of 2023 includes many memorable faces and voices.
Kirk Herbstreit
Though Herbstreit didn’t play in a Rose Bowl Game himself, he’s become the most recognizable voice of the game since Keith Jackson coined the game’s official nickname. Herbstreit will call his 16th Rose Bowl Game from the announcer booth with the 2023 iteration.
From 2007 to 2010, Herbstreit called the game as an analyst for ABC. He has since called the game on 11 of the last 13 ESPN telecasts.
Herbstreit is the face of ESPN’s college football coverage and one of the most recognizable voices across the sport of football itself. He played for Ohio State, captaining the team in 1992 and earning the Buckeyes’ MVP honors that same season.
Lincoln Kennedy
Starting at tackle in three different Rose Bowls, Lincoln Kennedy is a two-time Morris Trophy winner and National Champion. In fact, Kennedy won the national title with the Washington Huskies by defeating the Michigan Wolverines in the 1992 Rose Bowl.
He was drafted ninth overall in the 1993 NFL Draft and played 11 seasons. He’s been inducted into both the Washington Hall of Fame and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, and will now add to that with his selection into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
Cliff Montgomery
A posthumous election into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, Cliff Montgomery played for Columbia in the 1934 Rose Bowl. The Lions upset Stanford, 7-0, in 1934, and Montgomery was named Player of the Game.
After playing one season of professional football, Montgomery served in the United States Navy during World War II and returned to become a college football official for over 25 seasons. He passed away at the age of 94 in 2005.
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