Rose Bowl by the numbers

By now, most people have heard that roughly 25,000 Badger fans purchased $110 tickets for the 85th Annual Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1999. But here are a few lesser-known Rose Bowl numbers:

16,000 — The number of Johnsonville bratwurst that will be served at the pre-game Badger Huddle sponsored by Wisconsin Alumni Association.

2,500 — Pounds of potato salad to be doled out at Badger Huddle.

3 — Number of UW–Madison students who will rotate shifts as Bucky Badger, providing a round-the-clock mascot for Rose Bowl events.

10th — UW–Madison’s national rank in sales by the Collegiate Licensing Company, for all trademarked, licensed merchandise.

3 — Number of mobile University Book Stores in Pasadena that will be selling $250,000 worth of Badger merchandise, from sweat pants to sippie cups. Also available will be a special-edition Sesquicentennial Collection of merchandise.

2,000 and 600 — The number of red and white balloons that will be dropped — and champagne bottles popped — at the UW alumni New Year’s Eve celebrations sponsored by WAA.

10 — Time of the New Year’s toast for WAA partygoers (that’s midnight in Wisconsin).

2nd — The highest season-end national ranking in Wisconsin football history, by the 1962 Badgers. The team finished fifth in the nation after its 1994 Rose Bowl victory.

56 — Number of floats in the Tournament of Roses Parade.

125 — Number of charter buses carrying members of WAA’s tours from hotels to the game.

10,000 — Red and white pom-pons to be given away by WAA before game time.

Mid-70s — Average temperature in Pasadena around kickoff time.

45 — Recommended sun protection factor (SPF) for use by fair-skinned Midwesterners during the week.

12 — Number of planned performances (so far) of the UW Marching Band, including a West-Coast version of the “Fifth Quarter” celebration.