A couple of notable streaks came to an end in Pasadena on Wednesday. Oregon suffered its first loss in a calendar year, falling 41-21 to Ohio State at the Rose Bowl. Wednesday’s result marked the Ducks’ first loss since the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Championship Game.
That said, an even more remarkable streak quietly concluded off the field.
For the first time in 70 years, legendary columnist Art Spander did not attend the Rose Bowl.
Spander’s absence was keenly felt as fans settled into their seats and reporters settled into the press box. A fixture at the game for seven decades, Spander missed this year’s edition due to a health issue, as noted by The Athletic‘s Stewart Mandel.
“While still sharp as ever, he’s dealing with a medical issue that will preclude him from covering it,” Mandel wrote.
According to Brian Murphy, Spander’s health issues related to his eyesight would have made Wednesday’s Rose Bowl “difficult.” The good news is that he’s still writing and plans to be in Pebble Beach in just a few weeks.
As CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd pointed out, a placard saved his seats in the press box, but as Ohio State rolled to a dominant win over Oregon, Spander’s chair remained empty.
It’s unclear if the placard was placed there as a ceremonial gesture or if his seat was genuinely reserved, but it seems Spander’s absence wasn’t widely known until just a few hours before kickoff.
Inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2016, Spander’s connection to the Rose Bowl runs so deep that Dwight D. Eisenhower was the President of the United States when he first started attending “The Granddaddy of Them All.”
“Hard to believe the game can happen without him,” retired sports columnist Mark Purdy wrote. “The Rose Bowl has Spander DNA, not vice versa. A record that will never be broken.”
“Respect for sportswriter Art Spander who will miss his first Rose Bowl in 70 years(!) today,” added Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel. “Hope he can get back for another.”
As do we.
[SF Gate]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.