Gift Idea: Road to the Rose Bowl

Like a good offensive scheme, Todd Erickson's "Road to the Rose Bowl" is well-balanced. It's chock-full of interviews, stories, photos, and, for good measure, a few recipes. Even if you only read the USC parts, you can tell that a lot of research went into this book. There are over 450 photos and 125 recollections from people who have played a part in The Granddaddy of Them All®.

The current edition, subtitled "50 Years of Lawry's Beef Bowl," uses the popular Rose Bowl pre-game tradition as a running theme. For those unfamiliar, the Beef Bowl is a large dinner party hosted by Lawry's The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills. Each school attends on separate nights the week before the game, and there's all sorts of lore behind the significance of who eats the most (both individually and as a team). The book has great anecdotes about the festivities.

As for gridiron anecdotes, Erickson said one of his favorites is about USC coach John Robinson and Michigan coach Bo Schembechler and a controversial call in 1979.

"It seems to epitomize these two legendary coaches and the storied college football programs they helmed. They represent the best of the Big Ten and Pac-10, making it through the gauntlet of their respective conferences to be able to match wits with each other in the greatest bowl game of college football. I love how they became great friends off the field, and the sense of humor they shared about one of the most controversial officiating decisions ever made in the history of the game."

That game is celebrated with a two-page spread, as are all the others from 1957-2005. With the most Rose Bowl appearances, the Trojans earned the most ink in the book.

To stay up-to-date, you can get a special insert covering the 2006 game (though it's one that Trojan fans might rather forget). High-definition copies are available for pickup at the restaurant, or you can download and print everything from the book's website. Future editions (scheduled for 2009 and 2013) will include more years (in both directions), but for now this volume is sure to please.

As promised, the book can also fill your belly. Original recipes for Lawry's prime rib, whipped cream horseradish, creamed spinach, and creamed corn are included in the back.

This gift is good for: Any college football fan. Historians. Foodies. Coffee tables.

This gift is bad for: Backpackers. OCD statisticians. Dieters (if you make the creamed spinach).

Price: Listed at $29.95 but you can often find it for less (try Amazon, but they might be out of stock at the moment).

Where to find it: Most major booksellers, including online retailers. Some may be out of inventory. If so, check with Lawry's in Beverly Hills (310-652-2827) and see if they can hold a copy for you.

Add-on ideas: Need to make this gift a little more meaty? Lawry'€™s sells bottles of their Vintage Sherry Salad Dressing, CC Brown's Hot Fudge and Seasoned Salt and Pepper in the restaurant and on their website. They also have gift certificates available for the restaurant. If you want to be really creative, memorabilia from the Beef Bowl (gifted to participants, never sold to the public) occasionally makes it onto eBay. While none of the traditional pins are currently listed, they do have one of the recent trading cards.