1986 Rose Bowl

On Thursday, October 24, the Coronation occurred at the Wrigley Mansion, when the 1985–86 Tournament of Roses President, Frederick D. Johnson, Jr., placed the Queen's Crown on Miss Richelieu's head and a dozen roses in her arms to start her year-long reign.

Members of the court are: Princesses Shannon Guernsey, Altadena; Christine Huff, Altadena; April Lake, Arcadia; Tracey Langford, Pasadena; Julene Penner, Pasadena; and Loreen Weeks, Sierra Madre.

After much consideration, Chuck Long delighted Iowa Hawkeye fans by declaring that he would return for his senior season.

Long drove Iowa the length of the field, and the Hawkeyes faced fourth and goal from the two-yard line with just 27 seconds remaining.

His fake had fooled the Spartan defenders, and Long ran into the endzone, holding the ball high above his head as he crossed the goal line to give Iowa a 35–31 victory.

Long led Iowa on a 66-yard drive against the nation's top-ranked defense, twice converting third-and-eight situations by completing passes to tight end Mike Flagg.

Long drove the Iowa team to the 12-yard line with two seconds remaining to set up kicker Rob Houghtlin's game-winning field goal as time expired.

Their only loss, at Ohio State in early November, cost Iowa the #1 ranking, but the Hawkeyes still won the Big Ten title outright for the first time in 27 years.

Finally, Long was the runner-up in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy to Bo Jackson of Auburn in the closest margin to date, losing by just 45 points.

UCLA was leading in the fourth quarter 13–10 when Eric Ball fumbled at the USC 1 as he was about to score what would have been the clinching touchdown.

[12] Freshman quarterback Rodney Peete led USC on a drive, converting a key fourth down along the way.

The Iowa Hawkeye helmets bore a sticker with the letters "ANF" for "America Needs Farmers".

Coach Hayden Fry had the players wear these stickers to bring attention the plight of American farmers.

[18] Houghtlin tied the record for longest field goal made in the Rose Bowl.

Long holds the best completion percentage of any college quarterback all-time who has attempted more than 1,000 career passes.

[23] In the post game interview, Harmon stated,[24] "You know, I think you have to give UCLA some credit for causing the fumbles ...

Coach Hayden Fry commented on the issue in his 2001 book High Porch Picnic:[25] "Harmon took a lot of heat because he lost four fumbles, all in the first half.

The game film reveals that every fumble he lost was caused by a UCLA defender making a hard hit.

[26] An investigation of sports agents Norby Walters and Lloyd Bloom revealed that college football players, including Harmon, had signed contracts and received payments.

[28] Drafted by the Buffalo Bills, Harmon is one of five NFL running backs ever to gain more than 10,000 all-purpose yards with fewer than 20 fumbles.

The Iowa Hawkeyes were scheduled to play UCLA at the Rose Bowl in November 2024, their first re-match in 38 years.