Master of Ceremonies Announced for the Rose Bowl Party of the Century

The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation announced four-time Sports Emmy Award Nominee Rich Eisen as the Master of Ceremonies for the Rose Bowl Party of the Century presented by Western Asset set to take place on April 18, 2020 at America’s Stadium. Eisen, who just finished coverage of the NFL season and Super Bowl LIV in Miami, is a host on NFL Network and continues to host the aptly named Emmy-nominated “The Rich Eisen Show.”

Eisen, one of television’s most visible anchors and personalities over the past decade, will host the celebration to benefit the future preservation, protection and enhancement of the Rose Bowl Stadium as a National Historic Landmark. It is scheduled to welcome approximately 1,200 guests to the famed turf for a party that will kick-off the official countdown towards the venue’s 100th birthday in 2022. Limited tickets still remain for the event with more celebrity announcements expected in the coming weeks.

Rich Eisen is no stranger to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Stadium, which is known for its rich tradition and historic past. “Big time memories for me. That building will always have a special place for me,” he said in an interview with the Legacy Foundation in 2018.

As a graduate of the University of Michigan, Rich covered the Wolverines football team during his time as a student on campus in Ann Arbor. As it ended its season in Pasadena’s famed Rose Bowl Game in 1990, Eisen was in the venue’s famed press box as iconic Wolverine Coach Bo Schembechler stood on the sidelines for his final game and a record tenth Rose Bowl Game appearance during his leadership of Michigan.

A friend of the Stadium and the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, Eisen was the first on-air talent added to NFL Network’s roster in June 2003, five months before the network’s launch in November 2003. Since 2020, Rich has served as host of the Emmy-nominated NFL GameDay Morning on NFL Network, the most comprehensive NFL pregame show on television. Eisen also anchors NFL Network’s special on-location coverage of the NFL Draft, NFL Scouting Combine, Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Weekend and Super Bowl. He was a mainstay on ESPN’s SportsCenter from 1996 to 2003.

“Growing up, the Rose Bowl meant the Tournament of Roses Parade, it meant sitting there on a freezing New Year’s Day in the basement of my house watching the Rose Bowl, The Granddaddy of Them All,” said Eisen. “And just looking on the screen and seeing what was, more often than not, a beautiful Southern California day and thinking to myself – that looks like heaven, heaven on earth…”

The Rose Bowl Party of the Century will celebrate the life and moments of the venue’s global history, while generating support to protect, preserve and enhance its future as a National Historic Landmark. Ten honorees will be recognized as part of the celebration, including the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, UCLA, the City of Pasadena, RG Canning, Western Asset, Honda, Wescom Credit Union, Alan I. Rothenberg, Mickey and Lee Segal, and Tod and Cathy Spieker.

“Having a respected friend of football and a valued friend of the Rose Bowl like Rich as a key part of this big event is so exciting for us,” said Stadium Chief Development Officer Dedan Brozino. “He’s got a story about this great place, as we all do, and we appreciate him helping us recognize the importance of protecting the future of this iconic stadium for this special celebration.”

For more information on the Rose Bowl Party of the Century presented by Western Asset, please visit www.PartyOfTheCentury.org. Limited tickets are still remaining.

About the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation

Formed in 2010, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation is a 501(c)3, tax-exempt organization whose primary goal is to financially ensure the protection, preservation and enhancement of the future of the Stadium as a National Historic Landmark. The Foundation has established funding for key capital improvement initiatives, educational programming and heritage protection due to the generosity of supporters from around the world who are invested in its premier future.

About the Rose Bowl Stadium

The Rose Bowl Stadium is the proud home of the Tournament of Roses’ Rose Bowl Game, UCLA Bruins football, AmericaFest Fourth of July Celebration, concerts including Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Taylor Swift and U2, international and Premier League soccer matches and the World’s Largest Flea Market.

A National Historic Landmark built in 1922 and known around the world, the Rose Bowl Stadium has earned its world class reputation by hosting five NFL Super Bowl games, the 1984 Olympic Ssoccer matches, the 1994 Men’s World Cup, the 1999 Women’s World Cup, four BCS National College Football Championship Games and the College Football Playoff Semi-Final game.