Ameche to Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
July 19, 2004 | Football
Alan Ameche, the 1954 Heisman Trophy winner and one of the legends of Wisconsin football, will be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on Dec. 31, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Selection Committee announced.
The induction will take place at the Rose Bowl Kickoff Luncheon the day before the 91st Rose Bowl game. Ameche will join fellow former Badgers Ron Vander Kelen and Pat Richter in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
Ameche, a native of Kenosha, Wis., was a consensus All-American and Big Ten MVP in 1954. The Big Ten rushing champion in 1951 and 1952, Ameche led the Badgers to the 1953 Rose Bowl, rushing for 133 yards in a 7-0 loss to Southern California. A three-time, first-team All-Big Ten selection, Ameche set the NCAA career rushing mark with 3,345 yards. A two-time Academic All-American, he is a member of the College Football, National W Club and Wisconsin State Athletic Halls of Fame. He was an NCAA Silver Anniversary Award winner in 1979.
Ameche was the second overall selection (Baltimore Colts) in the 1955 NFL Draft. He played in Baltimore from 1955-60, earning four Pro Bowl appearances. He scored the winning touchdown in overtime in the famed 1958 NFL championship game between the Colts and New York Giants.
Ameche passed away in August of 1988.
