Roses are in bloom at the The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden on Monday, April 20, 2020. The Tyler Municipal Rose Garden is comprised of 14 acres with 35,000 rose bushes and more than 500 varieties of roses. The Rose Garden is open from dawn until dark, seven days a week, and admission is free.

Even the most casual fan of sports knows the Rose Bowl and the New Year’s Day Rose Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

Many also know Tyler is the “Rose Capital of America” and every TV in America talked about “The Tyler Rose,” Earl Campbell, the Tyler native who was one of the most decorated football players of all time in college and professionally.

When it was announced this past weekend the Rose Bowl was moving from Pasadena to Arlington for one year because of restrictions in California, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had the perfect response to his 1.3 million followers on Facebook and on Twitter.

“EVERYTHING is moving to Texas. Now the Rose Bowl. We can send them some Tyler roses,” Abbott said.

(Watch our video here)

Tyler Mayor Don Warren agreed and said the Rose Bowl is getting close to the “true” Rose City.

“Pasadena didn’t adopt the rose until 1961 and the city of Tyler started the Rose Festival in 1933. That’s 87 years. So as far as I’m concerned, we are the city that is about the rose,” Warren said. “Gov. Abbott’s mention means a lot. It’s something we are about, it’s our history. In the Rose Garden there are 35,000 rose bushes and 500 different varieties over 14 acres. This is what Tyler is all about. When you talk about the Rose Bowl coming to Dallas, it’s getting closer and closer to the ‘true’ Rose City.”

Cindy Smoak, executive director of SPORTyler, works with Campbell for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, given out annually to the best college football player in the nation with Texas ties.

“We travel all over the state with our convention visitors bureau. People recognize Tyler for roses or Earl Campbell,” Smoak said. “To have him as someone who represents our city is super exciting and something not every city has. For him to have that as his nickname ties it all into one package.”

Shari Lee, president of Visit Tyler, said everyone associated with promoting Tyler and the chamber of commerce were texting each other after the announcement.

“I flipped open my phone and saw the tweet from the governor. Immediately, we were all excited. All of us texted each other asking, ‘How do we highlight Tyler and get them roses?’ That’s what we are known for,” Lee said. “When you have roses and you talk about Tyler, you talk about Texas. I’m not sure there is anyone who doesn’t put that together. As a young girl growing up, you knew what all the cities were known for. When you get to the city of Tyler and learn about the roses, you want to go there.”

(Above: watch as M. Roberts Digital and the Tyler Morning Telegraph presented the CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Festival Virtual Presentation. This documentary was with the Texas Rose Festival and the Tyler Rose Museum)

Lee added, “When the governor gives you emphasis and notices what you stand for it’s a fine thing for people to hear.”

Tyler City Manager Ed Broussard said it’s more than exposure for Tyler.

“It goes a long way toward the branding we’ve had for Tyler. Being the Rose Capital of America, of the world, is something we’re very proud of. It’s in our emblems. Last year, we were able to get it marked as the U.S. Register of Historical Places,” Broussard said. “For the governor to recognize us in that tweet about the Rose Bowl and, just the potential of what we could do with some kind of interaction with that and show off that we here in Tyler, Texas, we know how to do roses right is something we are very proud of and excited about.”

“It definitely creates more exposure. In terms of the economy, the Rose Garden, the Rose Festival, the Rose Queen and her coronation, those are all things that put us on the map and keep us on the map and bring thousands and thousands of people here each year to take part in seeing the Rose Garden and seeing all the festivities, so it’s something that definitely has a major impact on our community,” Broussard continued. “People are used to the roses and the Tournament of Roses. But when you come here to Texas, and especially to Tyler, you can come here and see roses beyond compare to anything else you are going to find in the world.”

Broussard grew up in Texas and knew “The Tyler Rose.”

“Growing up in the Gulf Coast, in a little town called Winnie, our team was the Houston Oilers, and you knew Earl Campbell,” Broussard said. “He was one of our heroes. We had the posters on our wall, we knew ‘The Tyler Rose’ and what he could do. Coming here to Tyler gave me the opportunity to learn there is a major Rose Garden that goes along with it.”

Lee notices that as well. The Visitor Center, at 110 College Avenue on the square in the Plaza Tower, is not only a destination to learn about Tyler and purchase unique items, it’s a place to tell stories why someone is visiting or moving to the Rose City.

“They come for a lot of reasons, and they come because we are known for roses. When the Rose Bowl comes to Texas, the next migration is to think of Tyler,” Lee said. “It’s a pleasant city. You see we have the nation’s largest Rose Garden Center, and you drive around town and see roses strategically placed around town and people greet others with a rosy manner, the whole idea of ‘Keeping Tyler Rosy’ is not just something we say, it’s how people are treated. We are sure when people come in, this rosy disposition makes them feel it’s a place they want to be. When the nation hears this story, they will want to go where roses are grown and shown and it sounds like those people are pretty rosy people!”

Lee points out “Gov. Abbott loves the fact we have roses from Tyler planted at the state capital in Austin.”

Smoak said the Rose Bowl is a family tradition no matter where you live.

“It’s super exciting to have Gov. Abbott mention us, our icon, our brand, the Tyler roses, but as a sports fan, it’s also exciting to have the Rose Bowl coming to Texas,” Smoak said. “It’s called the Granddaddy of them all, started in 1902. When I was little, it was a tradition, every Jan. 1, we got together with family and watched the Rose Bowl and then the Orange Bowl. It’s so exciting to know we have the opportunity to have this in our backyard.”

Warren points out the only other time the Rose Bowl moved out of California was 1942 when it moved to North Carolina. There were concerns it would be a target after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Smoak’s committee will be announcing finalists for the Earl Campbell Award this week. She said what he stands for also helps.

“I think he’s really proud of that nickname because it ties him to his hometown. He’s really proud of Tyler,” Smoak said. “He wants to give back and through the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, he is recognizing top athletes in the nation, but the most important part for him is the scholarship he gives out annual to a Smith County resident to further their education. It is very important to him and his family to give back to the community where they grew up and their family and history is.”

“It seems everyone has a favorite story, whether it was at UT or as a Houston Oiler, and those who don’t remember him as a football player say they have tried the Earl Campbell Sausage!” Smoak continued. “He focuses more on giving back than on his accomplishments and without a doubt, he is one of the greatest to ever play.”

On Sunday, Vanessa Salgado, a senior at Marshall celebrated her 18th birthday with an elegant photoshoot at the Tyler Rose Garden. It was her first trip to the garden and said she felt it was a special place and the perfect setting for her birthday photo shoot.

“I think it’s amazing idea to have roses from Tyler at the Rose Bowl,” Salgado said. “It’s beautiful here. It’s very pretty and has a lot of nice views. I was so pleased with having the shoot here, the photos will be amazing.”