The stadium is notable for being the site of the 1942 Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Duke had won the invitation to the game as the eastern representative. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, just weeks after the end of the 1941 season, led to fears of a Japanese attack on the West Coast. General John L. DeWitt, commander of the Western Defense Command, advised the Tournament of Roses Association not to hold the game at the Rose Bowl in southern California, since he was not willing to take a chance on the Japanese choosing to stage a bombing raid on a stadium with over 90,000 people in attendance. Soon afterward, the government banned all large public gatherings on the West Coast, which ruled out Bell Field in Corvallis, Oregon, the on-campus venue of Oregon State, the host team from the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). The Tournament of Roses Association originally planned to cancel the game, but Duke officials invited the Rose Bowl and Oregon State to Durham to play the game, and the offer was accepted.