Rse Bwl Glry

PASADENA, Calif.--The greatest football season in school history ended here as the rosy twilight gleamed off the San Gabriel foothills. Michigan's 118th team won the 84th Rose Bowl, 21-16, and finished No. 1. Nothing can spoil it. Not a controversy about how the game ended, with Washington State begging for one more second, one more play and one more gasp of life. Not a split decision among the voters, who awarded half of the national championship to Nebraska by a miniscule margin.

"I will cherish this game, this university, for the rest of my life," said senior quarterback Brian Griese, who was named the game's most valuable player. "You have the opportunities in life, and those who stand out are the ones who take advantage of those opportunities. It's just sweet for us to capitalize on an opportunity to make history."

"Nobody gave us a chance to be in the Rose Bowl, let alone win the national title," said all-purpose star Charles Woodson, who this season became the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy.

"We won all the major awards, the Heisman Trophy, coach of the year," said senior co-captain Eric Mayes. "We're undefeated, ranked No. 1 ... this may be the single greatest season ever in college football history."-Michigan Daily, Jan. 7, 1998