Don Leis holding two heavy discuses (File Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net)
As the sun peeks through the clouds at Don Leis’ Pasadena home, the vibrant colors of the Rose Bowl tickets splayed out across the backyard table still shine brightly. It’s as if no time has passed since these tickets were first printed decades ago.
By Reina Esparza
This pile of tickets represents more than 70 years of Rose Bowl Game history for Leis, now 93, who is preparing to attend his 77th Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2025.
With the exception of 2021, due to COVID, Leis has officially attended every Rose Bowl Game since he was 16. However, his first glimpse of the historic college bowl game was in an unofficial manner.
A Young Fan’s First Encounter
“The very first [Rose Bowl Game] I got in [was] when I was like fourteen, that was 1946, I believe,” Leis said. “We went under the fence, me and my buddies, we were juvenile delinquents. They threw us out right away.”
The following year, Leis was working as a newsboy, which gave him the chance to sell newspapers inside the stadium. Afterward, he took a seat in the end zone to watch the game unfold. In 1948, his father bought him his first official Rose Bowl Game ticket, to watch Michigan State and USC face off in the New Year’s Day showdown. Since then, he’s kept every ticket.
Don showcasing one of his latest medal (File Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net)
Born and Raised in Pasadena
Leis was born in 1932 in Lamanda Park in East Pasadena and has called the city home ever since. He credits his lifelong residency in Pasadena as the key reason he has maintained such a long-running tradition with the Rose Bowl Game.
“I’ve gone to every game, except for last year, that would’ve been my 74th continuous Rose Bowl Game. There’ll probably never be anybody that’ll come close to being there, even 74,” he said. “Nobody will come close to it…I’m born and raised here and I’m still here, Pasadena Boy.”
A Familiar View of the Rose Bowl
Over the years, Leis has seen many teams compete in the Rose Bowl Game, including Wisconsin, TCU, Michigan, and Ohio State. One year, while sitting in the grass behind the goal line in the end zone, Leis had a near collision with Heisman Trophy winner Alan Ameche from Wisconsin.
“He came busting into the endzone, almost ran into me,” Leis laughed, recalling the close call.
Beyond the annual game, the Rose Bowl also offers Leis a place to jog twice a week, something that continues to keep the Senior Olympian athlete and Southern California Striders track and field club member in top shape. He uses the stadium’s hilly terrain as a marker of his continued devotion to track and field.
“I Just Got the Rose Bowl in My Blood”
“After the Rose Bowl Game, I stay around for all the festivities. It’s dark, and I walk out with the crowds of people and I go right out by the clubhouse and there’s a hill to go up…up towards Washington,” Leis said. “And I always go nonstop up that hill. I tell people ‘if I don’t make it to the top, I’m done with track and field.’”
Leis explained that while others are slowly walking up the hill after the game, he’s weaving between them to reach the top as fast as he can.
Once again this year, Leis will be the guest of Councilmember Gene Masuda, a gesture that highlights the lasting connection between Leis, his city, and the Rose Bowl Game.
Despite the brief interruption to his tradition in 2021, Leis is eager to return to the iconic Pasadena stadium that has been such a significant part of his life for over seven decades.
“I just got the Rose Bowl in my blood. I’ve been there since I was a kid,” Leis said. “I’m always excited to be there. I was born and raised here, and I’ll continue going until my dying day.”
Some of Don Leis’ tickets and awards (Photo – ColoradoBlvd.net)
This article has been updated from its original publication in Dec. 2021.
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