1940 Rose Bowl game ticket stub: USC Trojans vs Tennessee Volunteers

Description: Own an extraordinary monument of college football history with this authentic, original 1940 Rose Bowl game ticket stub. Played on New Year's Day, January 1, 1940, at the world-famous Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California, this historic classic featured a legendary clash of undefeated powerhouses between the USC Trojans and the Tennessee Volunteers. Led by legendary head coach General Robert Neyland, Tennessee entered the game completely unscored-upon for the entire 1939 season. In a legendary display of gridiron dominance, Howard Jones's USC Trojans put on a masterclass, shutting down the Volunteers 14-0 to snap their streak and cement the Trojans" status as the 1939 National Champions. This beautifully preserved ticket stub is a premier piece of pre-war gridiron ephemera, complete with crisp vintage typography, original gate-check perforation, and clear stadium tunnel/seating text. It represents an elite, museum-grade addition for sports artifact collectors, college football historians, or proud alumni of the University of Southern California and the University of Tennessee.

Game & Historical Specifications:

• Event: 26th Annual Rose Bowl Game (1940)

• Matchup: USC Trojans vs. Tennessee Volunteers

• Date: January 1, 1940

• Venue: The Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)

• Historical Significance: Culmination of USC's historic National Championship season; documents the legendary victory that broke General Neyland's famous unscored-upon regular-season streak.

• Item Type: Genuine Souvenir New Year's Day Game Ticket Stub

Detailed Condition & Flaw Report: This item is explicitly sold as-is. please read the following structural details carefully before purchasing:

• Overall Condition: This 85+ year-old paper item is in good Used Condition.

• Creases: The cardstock remains remarkably flat with no heavy or severe center fold lines. A faint, soft vertical handling wave is visible near the left-central section under close inspection, but the ticket body completely avoids deep, destructive structural creasing.

• Edges & Corners: The left margin features a rough, uneven hand-tear from where the stadium gate attendant separated the stub at the entrance, displaying typical vintage paper fraying and a tiny perforation notch at the very top edge. The remaining three corners show mild softening and light corner tip wear from historical handling.

• Surface & Markings: The front face features a beautiful pinkish-tan chevron pattern background with palm trees, mountain graphics, and a red Rose Bowl emblem. The typography for Tunnel 19, Row 10, and Seat 15 is printed in crisp, bold red ink. A faint, large circular stadium stamp is lightly visible in the center background. The cardstock shows very clean, uniform vintage age-toning and is free of modern pen ink markings or pencil notations.

• Reverse Side: The back of the stub features a complete, highly detailed illustrative stadium map of the Rose Bowl and surrounding Pasadena streets by Dillingham Printing Co., alongside the original 1939 legal terms block. The printed map lines and disclaimer text remain fully crisp and legible, showing standard clean vintage paper aging with no major staining, paper loss, or adhesive glue remnants from past scrapbook mounting.

• Photo Reminder: Please examine all high-resolution listing photos closely to verify the exact creases, edges, and cosmetic flaws before placing your order.

Shipping & Store Logistics:

• Rigid Shipping Protection: To prevent further bending, creasing, or edge damage during transit, this vintage ticket stub is enclosed in a protective sleeve and placed between heavy cardboard reinforcement panels inside secure packaging.

• Combined Shipping: Purchasing multiple collectible items or pieces of vintage ephemera? Add them all to your shopping cart to receive bundled shipping rates automatically.

• Tracked Delivery: All orders are packed securely and shipped quickly with tracking numbers with Notifications sent directly via email.

Secure this monumentally historic 1940 Rose Bowl treasure today! If you have any questions or need a specific close-up photo of the card edges, please click the "Have a question?" link above to message us directly.