A Legendary Hack Turns 40
Image: Caltech Archives
In this moment of Caltech mischief that required months of planning, students Ted Williams, PhD (BS ’84) and Dan Kegel (BS ’86) manipulated the scoreboard during the January 2, 1984, Rose Bowl game between Illinois and UCLA. The acronym “DEI,” prominently displayed here, references Dabney Eats It. Earlier messages like “Go CIT” and a matrix image, initially went unnoticed. But the Techers’ ambitious plans to rename the event the “1984 Beaver Bowl” were thwarted when the scoreboard abruptly powered down in the final minutes. The prank featured sophisticated remote technology that allowed Williams and Kegel to control the scoreboard from a distant hill—a feat that astonished spectators and confounded Rose Bowl officials.
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