Washington quarterback Bob Schloredt returned from a mid-season injury was named the Player Of The Game for the second straight year.

[4] The Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), from which the "West" representative was historically selected, dissolved in early 1959 following a pay-for-play scandal.

A new conference, the AAWU, commonly referred to as the "Big Five", formed in 1959 with the four California schools (Cal, Stanford, USC, and UCLA) and Washington.

The PCC agreement with the Rose bowl was dissolved for the 1959 season, but former member Washington was invited to the game and demolished Wisconsin.

Washington lost 15–14 to Navy at Husky Stadium, ending a seven-game winning streak.

[6] The Huskies beat the Cal Bears 27–7 at home to win the AAWU (or "Big Five") championship outright, undefeated in conference play.

The final AP poll of November 29 was one of the closest ever: Minnesota with 17½ first-place votes, Mississippi 16, and Iowa 12½.

The ceremonial pregame coin toss to determine first possession employed a souvenir gold dollar minted for Alaska's statehood in 1959.

The Washington card section was on the east side of the Rose Bowl stadium, facing the press box and television cameras.

The 14th card stunt design displayed "CALTECH" instead of "HUSKIES" in big block letters on a white background.

Minnesota was still the AP and UPI national champion, as those final polls were released in late November and did not consider the bowl results.

[13] Iowa, Missouri, Ole Miss, and Washington have all been recognized as national champions for the 1960 season by various organizations.