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Pomona
alumnus Richard N. Frank puts some meat into Rose Bowl
rituals with 50-year "Beef Bowl" tradition.
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All those flower petals are pretty, but restaurateur
Richard N. Frank '46 has
found a way to put some beef into the festivities
surrounding the Tournament of
Roses.
Before they risk broken ribs on the gridiron, the football teams competing in the Rose Bowl feast on prime rib in a tradition started by Frank, chairman of
Lawry's Restaurants, Inc.
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Lawry's Beef Bowl, started by Pomona alumnus Richard
N. Frank '46, is one of only two officially sanctioned events in the week
leading up to the Rose Bowl. |
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It was 50 years ago that Frank began the "Lawry's Beef
Bowl," serving the two
competing Rose Bowl football teams food from the flagship
Lawry's The Prime Rib
in Beverly Hills. The beef bowl began as a relatively small affair,
but the press quickly
became fascinated with the ritual.
Today, the beef bowl is one of the major media
events preceding the Rose Bowl. The competing teams are hosted in
two separate meals in
the week leading up to the big game. About 250 people attend
each meal, and the
restaurant closes for about an hour to accommodate them.
The meals consist of a pound of prime rib, potatoes, salad,
bread and creamed corn,
topped off with apple pie for dessert. "They
don't go away hungry
-- that's for sure," said Frank.
Texas players take part in the 2006
Lawry's Beef Bowl just days before
defeating USC 41-38 in the Rose Bowl. |
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The event doesn't just fill players' bellies, it helps
satisfy sports reporters'
hunger for copy in the week leading up to the big game. And
while the
beef bowl is sometimes cast in the media as a carnivorous
competition, Frank sees it as a way to honor the two
teams.
Frank has attended every beef bowl for the past 50 years. A
band plays, and cooks and servers applaud the athletes as they
walk the red carpet into the famous restaurant, first shaking hands with Frank.
During the festivities, Frank receives a signed ball from
the players, which goes on display at the restaurant. A book
about the ritual, Road to the Rose Bowl: 50 Years of
Lawry's Beef Bowl, recently was published by Silverback
Books.
The day
before the game, Frank, along
with sportscaster Curt Gowdy, was inducted into the Rose
Bowl Hall of Fame. Led by quarterback Vince Young, the
University of Texas Longhorns went on to beat USC 41-38.
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