Michigan State turned the Big Nine into the Big Ten when it entered the conference for the 1953 season. Clarence "Biggie" Munn's 8-1 squad won the championship and defeated UCLA in the Rose Bowl 28-20.

The following season, Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty took over and suffered through a 3-6 maiden season. However, the Spartans rebounded in 1955 to post an 8-1 record. The only loss came in the second game of the season at archrival Michigan 14-7. That was enough to cost MSU the conference championship, which went to 9-0 Ohio State. However, because of the conference's no-repeat rule, Duffy's bunch traveled to Pasa­dena to once again play the Bruins (8-2), champions of the Pacific Coast Conference.

When UCLA lured Henry "Red" Sanders from Vanderbilt in 1949, he was so little known in Los Angeles that one of the newspapers introduced him to its readers as a "male Caucasian, aged 45." Another newspaper asked if Sanders, a Southerner, was prejudiced against Negro players. Red replied, "I'm prejudiced in favor of any boy who can play football." When someone suggested his single wing offense was old-fashion­ed, he said, "Maybe it's a horse-and-buggy offense, but I like to think we have a TV set on the dashboard."

Sanders was a four-year letterman both in football and baseball at Vanderbilt, where his football coach was the legendary Dan McGugin. McGugin later said, "Red Sanders has one of the best football minds I have ever known."

Through the 1955 regular season, Sanders compiled a 51-15-1 record at UCLA, including an appearance in the 1954 Rose Bowl—a 28-20 loss to Munn's last Spartan team.

As they had done two years earlier, the Bruins jumped out to a lead over the Spar­tans. MSU QB Earl Morrall threw a pass on his first play from scrimmage that DB Jim Decker intercepted at the 20 and returned to the 16. Four plays later, FB Bob "Pogo" Davenport leaped into the end zone from the two. UCLA 7 Michigan State 0

Early in the second quarter, UCLA drove into MSU territory far enough for Decker to miss a field goal from the 28.

Michigan State finally mounted a drive starting from their 20. A key play was a 5y UCLA penalty that gave MSU a second chance to keep the march going after a quick kick. A 36y run by sophomore HB Walt Kowalczyk and a 13y completion from Mor­rall to Jim Hinesly were the big gainers. Morrall hit TB Clarence Peaks for a 13y touchdown to tie the score in the second quarter. UCLA 7 Michigan State 7

The closest to scoring either team came in the third period was a missed field-goal try by K-FB Gerry Planutis.

Peaks had completed only one pass during the season. But early in the fourth quar­ter, he surprised the Bruins with a pass from his 33 to E John "Thunder" Lewis, who took the ball on the run at the UCLA 30 and eluded Bruin star runner Sam Brown to give MSU a 14-7 lead. Brown suffered a mild concussion on the play. So Ronnie Knox, playing for the first time since breaking an ankle on November 12, took over at tailback. Knox, whom Sanders called "the best tailback I've ever seen," immediately got the Bruins' single-wing offense moving.

Knox led the Bruins 55y to paydirt in just five plays to tie the score at 14. The big gain was a 47y strike who ran to the seven where Kowalczyk pulled him down. Knox smashed to the two, then to the one before Doug Peters vaulted over for the score. The conversion made it 14-14.

With 5:00 showing on the clock in the fourth quarter, the Spartans began a march into enemy territory. However, star K-FB Gerry Planutis missed a 40y field goal try with just 1:34 left to play.

Rules of the day prohibited signaling plays or formations from the sidelines. Officials caught UCLA assistant coach Jim Myers making a passing motion as a Bruin player looked to the bench from the huddle. The 15y penalty backed UCLA to its seven. Try­ing to pass from his end zone, Knox threw the ball to a tackle to avoid a sack. There was no safety awarded for intentional grounding in the end zone, but the Bruins were now on their one.

Knox quick-kicked to the middle of the field but another penalty, for knocking down the receiver, gave MSU a first down on the 25 with less than 2:00 left.

But the comedy of errors continued as the Spartans went backwards, recovering their own fumbles twice and getting a delay of game penalty. On fourth down, Daugh­erty surprised everyone by turning to inexperienced K Dave Kaiser, a sophomore end, to try a 41y field goal with 0:07 on the clock. Kaiser had transferred from Notre Dame after his freshman year in 1955 because he didn't think he'd get a chance to play. He had missed his only two tries during the season.

To make matters worse, the ball was snapped while Kaiser was in the middle of a prac­tice kick. However, he adjusted and nailed the winner. Because he was near-sighted and had forgotten to bring his contact lens to the Rose Bowl, Kaiser had to turn to the referee.

"I wasn't sure I made it until the official near me raised his arms, and then (guard) Buck Nystrom swarmed all over me," said Kaiser.

Pandemonium reigned as the PA announcer told the crowd that Jerry Planutis kick­ed the winning field goal. No, it was Kaiser who kicked Michigan State's first field goal of the season.

In 1999, Kaiser became the first Spartan inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.