Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)

The Indiana Hoosiers’ 1968 Rose Bowl team will be honored and recognized by the university during this Saturday’s game in Bloomington against Rutgers. 50 years ago, Indiana’s football team earned themselves a trip to the 54th annual Rose Bowl game against the USC Trojans. Back then, the Hoosiers referred to Memorial Stadium as Seventeenth Street Football Stadium. Not much else was different regarding Indiana football. This accomplishment was just as miraculous as it would be if it were to happen today. IU football was in a very undesirable position in the mid-1960’s, and the Big Ten’s powerhouse teams we know today were still prominent at the time. To understand how impressive this Hoosier team was, some context and a history lesson is required.