2006 Rose Bowl: 20th Anniversary

2006 was filled with exciting moments in sports: Kobe Bryant's 81-point game, the Pittsburg Steelers winning Super Bowl XL, and the St. Louis Cardinals winning the World Series. However, there was one sporting event people were occupied to and that was the 2006 Rose Bowl, which took place in Pasadena, California. On the evening of January 4, 2006, two unbeaten teams battled it out for the coveted National Championship: Number 1 USC Trojans vs Number 2 Texas Longhorns. The Trojans were seven-point favorites prior to this matchup. Also, this game featured two of the best quarterbacks and Heisman Trophy winners: Matt Leinart and Vince Young. Finally, this game featured two legendary coaches: Pete Carroll and Mack Brown. It was and still is the greatest college football game of all time.

I turned 18 nearly two months prior and a junior in high school. Wearing my Longhorns hoodie, I enjoyed watching the game from start to finish. At times, I got nervous, especially as the end of the last quarter was winding down. With four minutes to go, good things were about to happen for the Longhorns. Vince Young ran for 17 yards, scoring a touchdown, making the score 38-33, with the extra point. Young sealed the deal by running for eight yards, scoring one last touchdown and with the extra point, the score was 41-38. That happened to be the final score, and Vince Young was named the Rose Bowl's MVP. This was Texas's 800th victory in the school's history. At school the next day, everyone, especially my friends were talking about this game. I slept like a baby the night before and glad that I watched the best game in college football history. Did I mention that I was a Longhorns fan? According to Nielsen, the aforementioned matchup was ranked as the most watched college football game with 35.6 million viewers. Now, let's get to know the two quarterbacks and what they're up to today.

Vince Young

Born on March 18, 1983, Vincent Paul Young, Jr. was not only the quarterback for the Texas Longhorns (2002-2006) and named the Rose Bowl MVP in 2006 but was selected third overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He would play for four more NFL teams until his retirement in 2014. His accolades and accomplishments include his Number 10 being retired by the Longhorns, induction into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2018, and being a two-time Pro Bowler. As of 2026, Young is 42 years old and has been the Longhorns special assistant since 2021.

Matt Leinhart

Matthew Stephen Leinart was born on May 11, 1983, in California. He was USC's quarterback from 2001-2005. His accolades include having his Number 11 retired by USC, winning a National Championship in 2004, and a recipient of the Manning Award, also in 2004. During his time in the NFL, Leinhart played for three teams: Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, and the then Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) before retiring in 2013. As of 2023, Leinhart is an analyst for the show Big Noon Kickoff on Fox Sports. He's 42 years old as of January 2026.

What is your favorite National Championship game of all time? Also, did you root for the Longhorns or Trojans in the 2006 Rose Bowl? If you enjoyed this story, please give it a like. Make sure you follow me on my socials. Finally, please leave a generous one-off tip. It'll be found at the end of this story. Big or small, your tips will support creators like me so we can keep publishing new stories and share them with everyone.