Former Ohio State football coach John Cooper is heading back to the Rose Bowl to be honored for his success in “The Granddaddy of Them All.”
Cooper will be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on Dec. 30, along with former Michigan quarterback Brian Griese and former USC lineman Ron Yary, according to a Rose Bowl release. Cooper remains the only coach to lead Big Ten and Pac-12 schools to Rose Bowl Game victories.
In 1997, Cooper’s Buckeyes defeated Arizona State, 20-17, and he led the same ASU program to a 22-15 win against Michigan in the 1987 installment of the game.
Cooper led the Sun Devils to a 25-9-2 record before coming to OSU where he posted an 111-43-4 mark. His 111 victories are second on the Buckeyes all-time career victories list behind Woody Hayes (238-72-10).
In addition to serving as a scouting consultant for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, Cooper remains involved with OSU football as a coach emeritus.
Cooper, Griese and Yary will be honored during the 99th Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1, which will see Stanford play Big Ten Conference Football Championship Game winner, Wisconsin. Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 5:10 p.m.