 |
| · · · · · · · · · |
|
Pomona College Magazine is published three times a year by Pomona College
550 N. College Ave, Claremont, CA 91711
Online Editor: Mark Kendall
For editorial matters:
Editor: Mark Wood
Phone: (909) 621-8158
Fax: (909) 621-8203
PCM Editorial Guidelines
Contact Alumni Records for changes of address, class notes, or notice
of births or deaths.
Phone: (909) 621-8635
Fax: (909) 621-8535
Email: alumni@pomona.edu
|
|
| · · · · · · · · · |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here's the beef
Richard N. Frank '46 carries on a meaty
media tradition.
By Mark Kendall
Another New Year’s Day has passed, and with
it another Beef Bowl, but this story dates back
to December 2005, when we squeezed our way
onto the guest list as Richard N. Frank ’46
celebrated 50 years of hosting this annual
pre-Rose Bowl event at Lawry’s The Prime Rib.
With a highway patrol escort,
the busloads of brawn known
as the University of Texas
Longhorns arrived at the Lawry’s Beef Bowl
to great fanfare. The band played Texas’ fight
song and cameras flashed as these hungry
football players were corralled along the red
carpet between rows of cheering cooks and
servers. Waiting at the entrance with a beaming
smile was restaurateur Richard N. Frank
’46, who shook the hefty hand of each and
every player. “I’ll be sore tomorrow,” Frank
later quipped about his grip.
 Raising their index fingers and pinkies in
the teams’ trademark “hook ’em horns”
salute, a handful of hardcore Longhorns fans
gathered outside the invitation-only event to
watch their guys file in for the feast. One of
those fans, Texas transplant Jacquie Banks,
had a dream—or was it a premonition?—a
few nights earlier in which she sang “The
Eyes of Texas” at the top of her voice in the
Rose Bowl after her team triumphed. In real
life, she realized the Beef Bowl offered her
the best chance of seeing her heroes up close,
and she wasn’t disappointed: “Just to see
them eyeball to eyeball, that was wonderful.”
That’s how big a deal the Beef Bowl has
become. For 50 years, Frank and his family
have hosted the two opposing Rose Bowl
teams for feasts at their famous Beverly Hills
restaurant, Lawry’s The Prime Rib. The
annual ritual doesn’t just fill players’ bellies; it
helps satisfy reporters’ hunger for images and
copy in the week leading up to the big game.
Frank began the event in 1956, shortly
after becoming president of the company his
father started. He had grown up attending
the Rose Bowl year after year, and thought it
would be fun to host the teams to a real
meal. Players and coaches had a good time,
too—and the press ate it up as well. In time,
the Beef Bowl became an officially-sanctioned
Tournament of Roses event.
Media interest was particularly intense in
the 2006 game because the top-ranked USC
Trojans, the hometown favorite, were playing
the No. 2 Texas Longhorns, meaning the
Rose Bowl winner would be national champion.
Along with drawing TV news crews from
Los Angeles and Austin, the Beef Bowl
earned ink in publications ranging from the
Boston Globe to The Sporting News. And players
met the press in front of a backdrop bearing
the Lawry’s logo.
The publicity comes with a price for
Lawry’s. The busy restaurant must close for
at least an hour to accommodate the two
teams on separate evenings. With teams’
entourages swelling to 250 people, there isn’t
room to host both at the same time.
Before the meal, Frank accepted a football
from Texas coach Mack Brown signed
by the team, which went on display in a
glass case in the lobby of the restaurant.
The beef arrived on Lawry’s signature,
domed stainless-steel carving stations, and
each player was served a 16-ounce slab (and
seconds). Add to that potatoes, salad and
creamed corn, topped off with apple pie for
dessert. “They don’t go away hungry—that’s
for sure,” said Frank, who was inducted into
the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2006.
Over the years, the event has been cast in
the media as a carnivorous competition,
with the mythical notion that the team that
eats the most meat typically goes on to win
the bowl. Frank has tried to dampen that
idea. But it hasn’t been easy, and some players
can’t resist extra portions of prime rib.
Even the guys from cattle-crazy Texas
were impressed with the beef. (Thankfully,
the team’s mascot steer, Bevo, did not
attend the event.) Longhorns’ star quarterback
Vince Young indulged in double portions
of the prime rib. “I had two,” said
Young. “I was shocked.”
A few days later, Young went on to lead
Texas to a 41-38 victory over USC, and to
be named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Maybe it was the beef. Or maybe it was the
fact that Texas had extra time to work off
this meaty meal. USC’s turn at the Beef
Bowl came two days closer to the big game.
Amid the big-school pageantry, the
Franks didn’t forget their Pomona pride. At
the center of the family’s table at the Beef
Bowl was a gingerbread replica of the Rose
Bowl, created by Frank’s son, Lawry’s
President Richard R. Frank ’78. The edible
edifice carried the names of USC and Texas,
but the scoreboard read: 47-47.
.
|
|
|
|
