

### THE USC TROJANS

### COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S ALL-TIME GREATEST DYNASTY

By STEVEN TRAVERS

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

www.rowman.com

Copyright by Steven Travers (2010)

FRONT INSIDE COVER

Praise for Steven Travers

Steve Travers is the next great USC historian, in the tradition of Jim Murray, John Hall, and Mal Florence!

\- USC Head Football Coach Pete Carroll

Steve Travers combines wit, humor, social pathos and historical knowledge with the kind of sports expertise that only an ex-jock is privy to; it is reminiscent of the work of Jim Bouton, Pat Jordan and Dan Jenkins, combined with Jim Murray's turn of phrase, Hunter Thompson's hard-scrabble Truths, and David Halberstam's unique take on our nation's place in history. His writing is great storytelling, and the result is pure genius every time.

\- California sports media personality Mike McDowd

Steve Travers is a great writer, an educated athlete who knows how to get inside the player's heads, and when that happens, greatness occurs. He's gonna be a superstar.

\- Dave Burgin/Editor, San Francisco Examiner

Steve Travers is a phenomenal writer, an artist who labors over every word to get it just right, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of sports and history.

###### \- StreetZebra magazine

Steve Travers is a Renaissance man.

\- Jim Rome Show

He is very qualified to continue to write books such as this one. Good job.

\- Marty Lurie/"Right Off the Bat" Oakland A's Pregame Host

Steve's a literate ex-athlete, an ex-Trojan, and a veteran of Hollywood, too.

\- Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton/XTRA Radio, San Diego

You've done some good writin', dude.

\- KFOG Radio, San Francisco

[Travers is] one of the great sportswriters on the current American scene.

\- Joe Shea/Radio Talk Host and Editor

Travers appears to have the right credentials for the task.

- USA Today Sports Weekly

A very interesting read which is not your average...book.... Steve has achieved his bona fides when it comes to having the credentials to write a book like this.

\- Geoff Metcalfe/KSFO Radio, San Francisco

Travers...established himself as a writer of many dimensions...a natural.

\- John Jackson/Ross Valley Reporter

Steve Travers is a true USC historian and a loyal Trojan!

\- Former USC football player John Papadakis

FRONT AND BACK DUSTCOVER

On the morning of January 1, 2000, the dawn of the New Millennium, an Associated Press-style "Top 25" of the all-time greatest collegiate football programs of the 20th Century ranked the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the top. Six football seasons have passed since then. A monumental, heretofore never-seen-before dynasty has taken shape, altering the very historical structure of the college grid landscape.

This book argues in convincing and meticulously researched fashion that now, at the beginning of the 2006 season, the University of Southern California Trojans have surpassed Notre Dame as "history's greatest all-time collegiate football program." Named "Collegiate Athletic Department of the 20th Century," USC continues to hold off cross-town rival UCLA for the top spot in that category. The Trojans under John McKay and John Robinson (1962-81) represent the most dominant 20-year period. In addition, Pete Carroll's Trojans of the 2000s have also surpassed Bud Wilkinson's 1950s Oklahoma Sooners as the greatest dynasty ever. The case is herein made that the 2005 Trojans have replaced the 1972 Trojans as the greatest single-season team of all time. Additionally, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush represent the finest same-team combo since Army's "Mr. Inside" and "Mr. Outside," Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard. Lastly, the two-time Heisman winner Leinart is hereby anointed "best college football player who ever lived."

There is no doubt that author Steven Travers's premise will spur lively debate from fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Alabama Crimson Tide, Oklahoma Sooners, and other storied programs. While there is no "answer" to the question of, "Whose number one?" the author nevertheless uses statistics, analysis, common-sense and drama to arrive at a conclusion that may be disputed but is not without considerable merit.

_The USC Trojans: College Football's All-Time Greatest Dynasty_ details the fabulous record of Southern California football from its inception in 1888 **right on up to Travers's eyewitness account of its** **third straight national championship in 2005, followed by their present attempt to break Oklahoma's record 47-game winning streak of the 1950s.** Within these pages, read about USC's **most-ever 12 national championships and (tied-for-most-with-Notre Dame) seven Heisman Trophy winners**. Written in the non-narrative, reads-like-a-novel style of Tom Wolfe-meets-Jim Murray, Travers brings to vivid life the fabulous moments that make Trojan football the most exciting, dramatic and glamorous of them all.

Read all about the nation-shaping 77-year rivalry with Notre Dame and its ageless, titanic struggle for national supremacy. Herein is the story of the incredible series with UCLA, which has captivated a country, excited a great city, and formed a backdrop for social change. The history of the Rose Bowl is the history of USC and a country through two World Wars and beyond. This books tells the inside details of Sam "Bam" Cunningham and the mythic 1970 USC-Alabama game in Birmingham, which paved the way for the ending of segregation in the American South. It proudly tells the tale of a school and a football program that provided equal opportunities for African-American athletes long before most of the country did.

Here are the great legends, All-Americans, colorful and controversial figures: Brice Taylor, Morley Drury, Erny Pinckert, Cotton Warburton, Ron Yary, Tim Rossovich, Mike Battle, the "Wild Bunch" and the "Cardiac Kids," Charles Young, Richard "Batman" Wood, Lynn Swann, J.K. McKay, Pat Haden, Anthony Davis, Ricky Bell, Brad Budde, Paul McDonald, Ronnie Lott, Junior Seau, Tony Boselli, Keyshawn Johnson, Mike Williams, "Wild Bunch II," and "The Four Horsemen of Southern California": Leinart, Bush, LenDale White, and Dwayne Jarrett.

Heisman winners: Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, and the incredible Leinart. The iconic coaches: Howard "Head Man" Jones, McKay, Robinson, Pete Carroll. Dark days: the O.J. case, losing streaks to Notre Dame and UCLA, the "curse of Marv Goux" and the "fall of the Trojan Empire." Highlights: Johnny Baker's 1931 field goal to beat Notre Dame; Doyle Nave's pass to "Antelope Al" Kreuger to upset unbeaten, untied, unscored upon Duke in the 1939 Rose Bowl; Frank Gifford leading the 1951 upset of Cal at Berkeley; C.R. Roberts' 251 yards in a racially hostile environment at Texas in 1956; beating Wisconsin's Ron VanderKelen in the 1963 Rose Bowl; Craig Fertig-to-Rod Sherman to upset Notre Dame in 1964; O.J.'s mad dash to beat UCLA in 1967 with a national title on the line; Anthony Davis's two superhuman games against the Irish, including 55 straight points to beat Notre Dame in 1974; Pat Haden-to-J.K. McKay to beat Ohio State in the 1975 Rose Bowl; Frank Jordan's field goal to beat Joe Montana's Irish in 1978; Fred Cornwell's catch to defeat Oklahoma in 1981; and Todd Marinovich-to-Johnny Morton to beat UCLA in 1990.

The "greatest football game ever played": a miracle comeback at South Bend in 2005. The "resurrection" of the Trojan Empire: routing Oklahoma in the 2005 BCS Orange Bowl **and beating Texas in the 2006 national championship Rose Bowl game.**

In addition to the stirring memory- and quote-filled details of this most storied history, Travers ends each 20-year period with a summary of USC's dominance in other sports: Rod Dedeaux, named "College Baseball Coach of the 20th Century" and the Trojans' 12 NCAA championships, earning them the title "College Baseball Program of the Century"; Dean Cromwell and a track program with 26 NCAA titles; along with UCLA, the most Olympic gold medals of any university.

_The USC Trojans, College Football's All-Time Greatest Dynasty_ , is the most thorough, comprehensive, dramatic telling of the Southern California football story yet told, filled with Hollwood endings that are a must-read for all Trojans and football fans alike!

BACK COVER

ABOUT STEVEN TRAVERS

Steven Travers is a USC graduate and college football historian. He has written for the _Los Angeles Times_ and was the lead sports columnist for the _San Francisco Examiner_. Steve also authored _September 1970: Two Teams, One Night and the Game That Changed A Nation_ (www.rowman.com), the true tale of how Sam "Bam" Cunningham and USC's 1970 victory over Alabama at Birmingham helped pave the way for the ending of segregation in the American South. That tale is soon to be a major motion picture.

Travers is the author of the best seller _Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman_ (www.sportspublishingllc.com), which went into multiple re-print and is now available in paperback. It was nominated for a Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of 2002. He also was the beat writer for Trojan athletics and was the star columnist for _StreetZebra_ magazine in L.A., where he specialized in a monthly "distant replay" of great events in Southern California sports history. **Travers is also writing a book with USC head football coach Pete Carroll that will detail the inside story of modern USC football, titled** _"It's A Good Day to Be A Trojan!"_ **This is scheduled to be made into a reality TV series.**

Travers attended the same suburban California high school as Carroll. After helping to lead his prep baseball team to the mythical national championship in his senior year, he attended college on a baseball scholarship, where he was an all-conference pitcher. The 6-6, 225-pound Travers played professionally for the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was a teammate of Danny Cox. Travers once struck out 1989 National League Most Valuable Player Kevin Mitchell _five times_ in one game (he K'd 14 that night). With the Oakland Athletics organization, he played alongside Jose Canseco. Steve later coached at USC, Cal-Berkeley and managed a team in Berlin, Germany.

Travers interned in the USC sports information department and studied in the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. At USC, he was a classmate of Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson. Travers also went to law school and is a product of the UCLA Writers' Program. He served in the U.S. Army during the Persian Gulf War.

Travers wrote a novel, _Angry White Male_ ; a compilation of his work over the years, _The Writer's Life_ ; and _God's County_ : _A Three-Volume_ _Conservative,_ _Christian Worldview of How History Formed the United States Empire and America's Manifest Destiny for the 21_ st _Century_. He covered prep football for the _Los Angeles Daily News_ and was a sports stringer on San Diego's XTRA 690 AM radio station.

"I have encyclopedic knowledge of history," Steve says. "I am truly versatile as a writer, able to use my knowledge of the past to understand the present." Steve was a political consultant and also a sports agent, before embarking on a full-time writing career in 1994.

Steve has also written screenplays, including _The Lost Battalion_ (the true story of an American army unit forging victory in the Argonne during World War I), _Wicked_ and _Baja California_. His writing awards are for _Bandit_ , an America's Best quarterfinalist; _Once He Was An Angel_ (the story of ex-Angel pitcher Bo Belinsky), a Quantum Leap quarterfinalist; _Rock 'n' Roll Heaven_ was a Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction quarterfinalist. He appeared in the film _The Californians_ , starring Noah Wylie and Illeana Douglas.

A fifth-generation Californian, Travers still resides in the Golden State. He has one daughter, Elizabeth Travers.

Also written by Steven Travers

_September 1970: One Night, Two Teams, and the Game That Changed A Nation_ (soon to be a major motion picture)

Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman

_"It's A Good Day to Be A Trojan!"_ (soon to be a reality TV series)

_God's Country: A Conservative, Christian Worldview of How History Formed the United States Empire and America's Manifest Destiny for the 21_ st _Century_

Angry White Male

The Writer's Life

To Terry Marks,

who recited the Lord's Prayer

and became a noble Trojan!

Fight on and win

For ol' SC.

Fight on to victory.

Fight On!

_\- "Fight On!"_ USC's official fight song

" ' _Fight On!'_ meant no matter the conditions, no matter the opponent, you always played your best."

\- Mike Garrett, speaking at the Marv Goux Memorial, August 2, 2002

CONTENTS

Foreword By Charles "Tree" Young 13

Introduction THE UNIVERSITY OF THE 21ST CENTURY 14

1 DYNASTY: THE NEW CENTURIONS OF TROY 35

All-Time Greatest College Football Teams 84

**PART ONE** **THE WILD, WILD WEST 1880-1918** 94

  22. THE METHODISTS LEARN TO "FIGHT LIKE TROJANS" 95

**PART TWO** **A NATIONAL GAME 1919-1940** 113

3 THERE IS A THERE THERE 114

4 THE THUNDERING HERD 140

The "noblest Trojan of them all" 158

The Greatest College Football Team of All Time (1928 edition)

166

Nate Barrager 176

The Duke 179

USC and UCLA: a tradition of equal opportunity 193

Johnny Baker and the comeback at South Bend 209

1932: unbeaten, untied, back-to-back national champs 224

5 THE FALL AND RISE OF TROY 230

Other sports 1900-1939: Like Troy taking Athens, the Trojans take

the Olympics 272

**PART THREE A BLOOMING ROSE 1941-1959** 281

6 THE WAR YEARS 277

  6. MIDWESTERN DOMINATION 290

The Giffer: everybody's All-American 308

8 MR. TROJAN 316

Out of The Giffer's shadow: Jim Sears 341

Here come the Bruins 350

"Jaguar Jon" Arnett: local kid makes good 358

C.R. Roberts make a statement at Austin 369

Scandal 375

9 DON CLARK AND AL DAVIS 380

Other sports 1940-1959: the College World Series and Hall of

Fame Trojan Hoopsters 391

**PART FOUR CONQUEST! 1960-69** 387

10 THE "LITTLE WHITE-HAIRED MAN" 388

"I want to beat Stanford by two thousand points." 409

Legend: A Conversation With John McKay By Steven Travers

410

He Was A Legend Of the Old School Variety By Steven Travers

422

Rich McKay By Steven Travers 427

USC Loses One of Its Legends With the Death of McKay By Jim

Perry 430

Cast a giant shadow 437

11 THE PERFECT SEASON 443

The shootout with VanderKelen 447

Fertig-to-Sherman adds to the Trojan heritage 471

  12. MIKE GARRETT: POET-WARRIOR 483

13 "1966: A BILLION CHINAMEN COULD CARE LESS WHO

WON..." 499

14 JUICE 528

South Bend 1967: slaying the dragon 542

"The USC-UCLA game is not a matter of life or death. It's more

important than that." 558

The Promised Land 576

  15. AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY 590

16 THE "CARDIAC KIDS" WERE A "WILD BUNCH" 610

PART FIVE THE TURNING OF THE CRIMSON TIDE SEPTEMBER 1970 612

17 THE UNIVERSITY OF SPOILED CHIDLREN VS. DIRT POOR

613

18 ORANGE COUNTIFICATION 664

A press box Shakespeare and L.A.s "Knights of the Keyboard" 665

Pattonesque 671

19 THE WAR OF NORTHERN AGGRESSION 678

"Black is beautiful." 680

20 CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS 686

21 STUDENT BODY RIGHT 695

22 THE TIPPING POINT 708

  22. "THIS HERE'S WHAT A FOOTBALL PLAYER LOOKS LIKE."

710

24 THE SOUTH RISES AGAIN 715

Other Voices: John Mitchell 754

Other Voices: Art Spander 759

Other Voices: Clarence Davis 764

Other Voices: Pat Haden 766

Other Voices: Rod Martin 769

Other Voices: Dwight Chapin 772

Other Voices: John Robinson 773

Other Voices: John Sciarra 778

Other Voices: Sam Dickerson 783

Other Voices: Coach Dave Levy 789

Other Voices: Bud "The Steamer" Furillo 794

Other Voices: Winston Groom 798

Other Voices: Tom Kelly 799

Other Voices: Mike Walden 803

Other Voices: Dave Brown 811

Other Voices: Manfred Moore 815

Other Voices: Coach Clem Gryska 817

Other Voices: John Vella 822

Other Voices: Dr. Culpepper Clark 828

Other Voices: Keith Dunnavant 832

Other Voices: Coach Jack Rutledge 838

Other Voices: Allen Barra 845

Other Voices: John Hannah 848

Other Voices: Jim Perry 855

Other Voices: Coach Craig Fertig 862

Other Voices: Coach Christ Vagotis 867

Other Voices: Scott Hunter 870

Other Voices: Wilbur Jackson 873

Other Voices: Sylvester Croom 876

Other Voices: Jeff Prugh 881

Other Voices: Wendell Hudson 885

Other Voices: John Mitchell 890

Other Voices: Rod McNeill 895

Other Voices: Coach Willie Brown 898

Other voices: J.K. McKay 900

Other Voices: Charles "Tree" Young 903

Additional articles and excerpts about the 1970 USC-Alabama

game 911

The Eternal Trojan By Steven Travers 911

The Traditon of Troy By Steven Travers 914

Alabama Goes Black 'N White By Jim Perry 918

Two Black Students Had Enrolled Before Wallace Showdown By

Jeff Prugh 922

Excerpt from _The Herschel Walker Story_ By Jeff Prugh 929

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down By Jeff Prugh 933

George Wallace Was America's Merchant of Venon By Jeff Prugh

936

Anger boiled within Gerald Ford Before This Football Game By

Jeff Prugh 940

Orange Countification: The True Story of How the GOP Helped the

South Rise Again By Steven Travers, 2005.

PART SIX HERITAGE 1970-82 1

25 TEAM OF DESTINY 2

The Hallowed Shrine 2

  26. THE GREATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM OF ALL

TIME (1972 EDITION) 16

27 A.D. 1973 48

28 THE MOST EXCITING TEAM EVER 68

It Wasn't A Football Game. It Was A Sighting! By Steven Travers

78

29 TAILBACK U. 91

The Tradition of Troy 101

The green jerseys 117

30 "CAMELOT" 121

Alabama redux: When Legends Played By Steven Travers 123

The best football game ever played (1978 edition) 130

1979: the best team ever not to win the national championship 138

31 LEGENDS: RONNIE LOTT AND MARCUS ALLEN 150

1981 vs. Oklahoma: Mazur-to-Cornwell 161

"Young Juice" 164

32 1982: THE LAST HURRAH 172

Other Sports 1960-79: Jess Hill presides over the greatest athletic

department of all time 180

**PART SEVEN THE FALL OF THE TROJAN EMPIRE 1983-2000** 195

33 PRIDE GOETH BEFORE THE FALL 196

The "curse of Marv Goux" 205

34 FALSE GLORY 228

1987 UCLA game: Peete chases down Turner 229

1988: Almost a Heisman, almost a national title; "close but no

cigar" 231

35 BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR 240

1990 vs. UCLA: Marinovich-to-Morton beats Tommy Maddox

251

Problem child 248

36 YESTERDAY U. 251

37 J.R. REDUX 258

38 THE PAUL HACKETT ERA

Other sports 1980-2006: "Big Mac," the "Big Unit," the Boone

Brothers, and the legendary Dedeaux retires 287

**PART EIGHT RESURRECTION** 304

39 "WIN ONE FOR THE GOUX." 305

40 SAVIOUR 325

Turning point: 2001 at Arizona 356

Shutting out the Bruins 357

41 TRADITION RESTORED 360

2002: no longer too early to hype Palmer for the Heisman 379

42 "IT'S A GOOD DAY TO BE A TROJAN!" 382

43 KINGS OF L.A. 392

Leinart goes into the desert and emerges a man 423

At the Rose Bowl: 2003 national champions 429

44 "LEAVE NO DOUBT!" 455

Goin' Hollywood: believe the hype 481

45 DYNASTY! 491

Dominating Notre Dame: "Thunder and Lightning," Leinart

secures the Heisman 507

USC 55, Oklahoma 19: "It's the greatest performance I've ever

seen." - Lee Corso 511

Glory days 523

Re- _Pete_ 541

46 THREE-PETE 556

"The greatest college football player who ever lived." 561

"You don't know Matt." 571

"The President" 576

Mr. White: future Heisman winner? 585

  47. THE GREATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM OF ALL

TIME (2005 EDITION) 588

Empire 623

America's team: the Trojan Nation 632

  47. THE GREATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME EVER

PLAYED (2005 EDITION) 650

49 THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 683

Lion heart 685

"GO FOR IT, MATT!!" 691

Trojan men 693

The tall grass of autumn 699

"It's like USC vs America." 719

50 TEAM OF THE CENTURY 730

  51. _"FIGHT ON!"_ : THE MIGHTY EMPIRE OF TROY REACHES

THE HEIGHT OF ITS POWER 732

Dictatin' and dominatin': Troy SIXTY-SIX, Bruins 19 764

52 MAKING HISTORY

FOREWORD

By CHARLES "TREE" YOUNG

Marv Goux and the University of Southern California recruited Charles "Tree" Young out of Fresno's Edison High School in 1969. He was a member of USC's famed 1970 team, which traveled to Birmingham, defeated all white Alabama, and thus helped to effectuate integration in the American South. He was a consensus All-American on USC's 1972 national champions, considered by many to be the greatest collegiate football team of all time. A member of the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame, Young was a first round draft choice of the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in the 1980 Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, and was a member of the 1981 World Champion San Francisco 49ers. Young's three daughters ("Charle's angels") all ran track at USC. He is an ordained minister in the Seattle, Washington area.

My friend Manfred Moore e-mailed me about Steve Travers, the author of Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman, wanting to do a story about the 1970 USC football team that played Coach Bear Bryant's Alabama football in Birmingham. 36 years ago, I was blessed to be an important member of that team. As I look back on the canvas of time, the main hero would be none other than my friend, Sam "The Bam" Cunningham.

Hollywood's star maker and rule-breaker, USC grad John Singleton, and his production company, New Deal Productions, shouldn't have any problems finding financing to make this into a movie. I was quite honored when Steve called and we set a time to discuss this historical event. That book, September 1970: One Night, Two Teams, and the Game That Changed A Nation, will be a must read from Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Subsequently, Steve and I became friends. He asked that I write the foreword to this book, which details the entire history of USC football. Steve's books deal with historical events that expose paradigm shifts, cultures and philosophical changes through the world of athletics. Most people are aware that the University of Southern California builds leaders in all disciplines. USC is on the cuttting edge of history and that is why the great historical human right event that I was a part of - the 1970 game between USC and Alabama that helped end segregation - unfolded in our time, and is emblematic of the importance of my alma mater and her football history.

In 1875, the Rev. John R. Tansey, then presiding Elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church, proposed the organization of a college in Southern California and in 1880, that Methodist College became what is now known as the University of Southern California. I mention this to let you know that some of the early abolitionists were Methodist and it was only natural that the University of Southern California would be part of this this great event.

So, what does it mean to be a true Trojan? In God we trust and Fight On! USC was founded on that tradition. Despite the odds, you Fight On! Despite your financial or economic situation, you Fight On! So having this glorious history, it was predestined that this great team would have its beginning in times such as these.

Predestination is to foreordain by divine decree or purpose. It is true that the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Voting Act of 1965 provided a framework for significant changes in American Civil Rights policy. There were two major aspects of these laws; the adoption of the law and the implementation of the law.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued it's ruling in the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson and established the doctrine of "separate but equal." I told you that the University of Southern California was and is on the cutting edge of historical events. This is History 570 and History is a branch of knowledge that deals with His-Story of past events.

On April 11, 1968, the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed with opposition from Southern Democrats. This nation's cities were ablaze, and political leaders were being assassinated. Two years later USC would be playing football in Birminghan, Alabama. A strong hold of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a city that bombed and killed four little girls in church, and had the infamous Bull Connor. What Congress and marching took years to do, USC and the University of Alabama did in a season.

Scripture says, where there is no Vision, the people perish. Coach John McKay and Coach Paul Bear Bryant had vision. They set out to change the cultural landscape of a nation. This debate or difference of opinion wasn't acted out on the battlefield of Gettysburg, but on the gridiron of Legion Field. I am an eyewitness and I know what it is to "Fight On!" At USC, we have many great traditions, but the greatest of these is to trust God and Fight On! What does that mean? Regardless of the situation you Fight On! The odds may be against you, but you Fight On! You may be down to your last dime, but you Fight On! There isn't any "greatest" without a great trial. Greatest is born out of a great trial and because we Fought On! the 1970 Trojans soon became national champions and one of the greatest teams in the history of college football.

A few years later in 1972, if you examine the members of that team you would find at least five ministers. Offensive lineman Dave Brown helped to organized the coming together of the faithful believers in God. In my opinion that turned our team around. We were undefeated, untested and untied; we were national champions! Some of the leading sports experts believe that the 1972 USC football team was the greatest team in college history. But, the debate continues.

Coach John McKay said, " It isn't just the players that make a team great, but the mix of those players. How well do they get along? Do they respect each other?" Coach Pete Carroll did a great job of assembling and putting together a great mixture of players: Matt Leinart, LenDale White, Reggie Bush ("Thunder and Lightning") and a plethora of outstanding players.

In 1972 we not only had tremendous talent, we had the perfect blend of personalities. We had the original "Thunder and Lightning," Sam "The Bam" Cunningham and Anthony "A.D., I can do it " Davis. But, no matter how sophisticated your offense is or who is playing quarterback or tailback, if you don't have a great defensive team, it's hard to be a champion. In my humble opinion, that was where the 2005 team fell short.

Over the last hundred years, the USC Trojan football program is recognized as one of the greatest dynasties in the history of college football. USC builds leaders. I'm sure other programs such as Notre Dame, Texas, Ohio State and UCLA build their share of leaders also. Leaders like Joe Montana, Vince Young, Troy Aikman and Jack Tatum. But USC has leaders all over the NFL. I'm uncertain, but I think that every Super Bowl played had a Trojan in the game. Lynn Swann and Ronnie Lott have won four each. In the last seven straight years a Trojan has been inducted into the NCAA Hall of Fame.

A wise man once said, "What you do, speaks so well, I need not hear what you say."

Most generations in our times know of the greatest of the Trojan football program.

Charles "Tree" Young

(Trust God and Fight On!)

USC '73; USC 1972 national champs; Super Bowl XVI Champs; NCAA Football Hall Of Famer

Left page title: _"FIGHT ON!" USC's Trojans, College Football's All-Time Greatest Dynasty_

Right page title: _Steven Travers_

INTRODUCTION

**THE UNIVERSITY OF THE 21** ST **CENTURY**

"You're a Bruin for four years. You're a Trojan for life!"

When I entered the University of Southern California, my next-door neighbor remarked that I "would be able to call my own shots," a reference not only to the first-class education I would receive at USC, but also to the fact I would have access to the school's legendary "old boy" alumni network.

Opportunity is what we make of it, and USC's extraordinary recent success in football, which has made the school hotter and more glamorous than ever, has increased the opportunity for me to write a trilogy of books about my alma mater.

Following _"FIGHT ON!" USC's Trojans, College Football's's All-Time Greatest Dynasty_ , will be _September 1970: Two Teams, One Night and the Game That Changed A Nation_. This is the true story of Sam "Bam" Cunningham and the 1970 USC-Alabama game, which helped pave the way for the end to segregation in the South. USC alums Ron Howard and Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment entered into discussions regarding the development of the story into a motion picture.

Allan Graf, a lineman on that 1970 USC team, became a second unit director, well respected for his action sequences on football movies such as _The Program_ , _Any Given Sunday_ and _Friday Night Lights._ A screenplay was written, and Graf has been working to develop it.

In addition, discussions have begun with ESPN to tell the story of the 1970 USC-Alabama game in a _Sports Century_ feature.

I am also working on writing a book with Pete Carroll, modeled on Michael Lewis's _Moneyball_ , that will dissect how Carroll's approach to coaching is creating a paradigm shift in college football. ESPN Hollywood has been in discussions regarding the turning of the book into a reality TV show called _"It's A Good Day to Be A Trojan!"_

The publication of _"FIGHT ON!" USC's Trojans, College Football's All-Time Greatest Dynasty_ **kicks off USC's unprecedented 2006 effort at a fourth straight national championship, as well as its quest to match Oklahoma's record 47-game winning streak of the mid-1950s. Ranked number one in the pre-season polls, the Trojans can attain the record by winning all 12 regular season games in 2006.**

My old neighbor was certainly right. My USC connections have paid off, but my love of USC and appreciation for its history had been implanted long before I was a student. The seeds for this book started when I was eight years old.

I was a USC fan from the time I was old enough to _be_ a fan. My father, Donald E. Travers, taught business law at City College of San Francisco when O.J. Simpson set all the California junior college rushing records there from 1965-66. After his freshman year, Simpson wanted to play at a four-year school, but his grades were inadequate for admission to USC. Arizona State and Utah would let him in, and he was ready to go when USC assistant coach Marv Goux flew to San Francisco. Goux told Simpson that "great things are worth waiting for." This story is a well known one in Trojan circles, but what is not known is that a coterie of "wise men" at CCSF also counseled Simpson to stay and hold out for Southern California. The group included school president Louis "Dutch" Conlan and my father.

O.J. went to USC, and my dad followed him closely. When _I_ "came of age," it was the age of the Trojans; national champions, Heisman Trophy winners, All-Americans. To borrow a Rick Pitino phrase, USC was "the Roman Empire of college football."

My dad gave me Don Pierson's book, _The Trojans: Southern California Football_ for Christmas. I read it until I had committed all of it to memory. I was an older student at USC. I had wanted to play baseball for Rod Dedeaux's Trojans, but despite helping to pitch my high school team to a mythical national championship my senior year, the scholarship was not offered. I was ready to walk on, but another college offered me a baseball scholarship. I set a number of pitching records and earned all-conference honors, then played a few years professionally in the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland A's organizations. I still needed two more years to earn a Bachelor's degree in communications. I decided to transfer to the school of my hopes and dreams, USC.

My grades were not quite up to SC standards, but with the help of two great counselors, Dr. Arthur Verge and Delores Homisak, I was admitted under the proviso that I maintain a B average. Ms. Homisak heard in my voice the conviction and love I had for the school. She knew how much I wanted to be a part of the Trojan Family, and she took a chance on me. I am eternally grateful. I was able to skip the kind of "red tape" that is wrapped around most public institutions. I strove for excellence and found a home where I could achieve just that.

By the time I finally matriculated at the University, I felt like those old-time war vets going to school on the G.I. Bill. I also felt like an art student walking around the Louvre. Strolling the tree-lined lanes of the USC campus; studying in Doheny Library; attending events at Bovard Auditorium; and sitting in class, surrounded by fellow Trojans, being taught by top-notch USC professors; all of it was extraordinary. I had to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming. It was an honor and a privilege to be there. To this day, it is a thrill just to walk on that beautiful campus. Driving on the Santa Monica or Harbor Freeways through downtown L.A., getting off at the USC exit; each time I approach USC and see its architecture hovering in the distance, I get a sense of anticipation. I love less USC less than my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but He _does_ have an apartment on West Adams Boulevard!

I made lasting friendships at USC, and have all kinds of wild memories from the times I spent at a dilapidated sports bar. Located at the corner of Jefferson and McClintock, next to the Bank of America in the University Village shopping center, the California Pizza & Pasta Company, also known by the unfortunate moniker 502 Club, was a hangout for athletes and beautiful Trojan girls. It is only a memory now. A Yoshinoya Beef Bowl sits where the "Five-Oh" once raged.

Being at USC was very exciting. The actress Ally Sheedy was on campus. I was a classmate of Jennie Nicholson, the daughter of Jack Nicholson, as well as James Garner's daughter. Laker owners Jerry Buss, a Trojan, had his daughter, Jeannie, on campus around this time. One rumor had it that Tom Cruise was enrolled at USC. Then _Risky Business_ became a big hit. Supposedly Cruise withdrew from school to pursue his now-red hot acting career on a full time basis.

There were many exotic students from faraway lands at USC. I befriended one fellow who claimed to be a member of Sudan's royal family; a crown prince, I believe.

Having played professionally, I naturally gravitated to the USC baseball team. When I graduated, I went to work for a company located in the Wells Fargo Building in downtown Los Angeles. My friends Phil Smith and Terry Marks were coaching USC's junior varsity baseball team, known as the Spartans. They asked me to be a volunteer coach. What a treat!

Every day, I could not wait to make the five-minute drive from the 7th and Flower office to the USC campus. I would change from my suit and tie and wear the glorious Cardinal and Gold baseball uniform that I had wanted to don since high school. I got to know legendary former coach Rod Dedeaux, who just called me "Tiger" as he did everybody else, as well as his replacement, Mike Gillespie, who I stay in regular contact with. Afterwards Terry, Phil and sometimes other baseball Trojans would knock it all off with a couple of beers at the Five-Oh. Great days!

****

Football, particularly the rivalry with Notre Dame, is what put USC on the national map after World War I. There is so much more to USC than just gridiron greatness, however. Hollywood and USC have always had a symbiotic relationship. The school has produced countless actors, directors, screenwriters, producers and agents.

The University itself has long been used for many scenes of campus life. The 1967 classic, _The Graduate_ , was supposed to feature Dustin Hoffman pursuing Katharine Ross up at Cal-Berkeley. In truth, it was shot at USC. Ironically, _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ was filmed not at Notre Dame (either the Paris or South Bend versions), but at USC. The Academy Awards have been held at various locations throughout Los Angeles, often at the Shrine Auditorium, located across the street from USC. On a clear day, the Hollywood sign can be seen from the SC campus.

Famous show biz Trojans include ex-Trojan football player John "Duke" Wayne; _Star Wars_ director George Lucas; actor-director Ron Howard; former _Three's Company_ star John Ritter; _The Breakfast Club_ co-star Ally Sheedy; _Boyz N the Hood_ director John Singleton; former All-American Aaron Rosenberg, producer of countless 1960s and '70s television shows; ex- _Magnum P.I._ star Tom Selleck, who played baseball, basketball and volleyball at SC; _That Girl!_ star Marlo Thomas; producer David L. Wolper; _Forrest Gump_ director Robert Zemeckis; _Dirty Harry_ and _Magnum Force_ screenwriter John Milius; musicians Herb Alpert and Lionel Hampton; and opera star Marilyn Horne.

Many Trojan sports heroes have made their mark in broadcasting. They include: Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, a former _Baseball Game of the Week_ partner of Vin Scully as well as the voice of the Yankees and Mets; Hall of Fame running back Frank Gifford of _Monday Night Football_ fame; Trojan and Ram quarterback, Rhodes Scholar, attorney and national college football announcer Pat Haden; Hall of Famer-turned-sideline-analyst (and possible political candidate) Lynn Swann; Olympic Gold Medallist John Naber, a national swimming broadcaster; ex-big leaguer Ron Fairly, who became an Angels and Giants broadcaster; quarterback and Fox Sports football analyst Craig Fertig.

Legendary sportswriters from USC include John Hall and Mal Florence of the _Los Angeles Times_. National media figures: Kathleen Sullivan and Sam Donaldson of ABC News. Leading politicians, jurists and statesmen are former Secretary of State Warren Christopher; ex-Congressman and current Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Christopher Cox; former California Assembly Speaker Jesse "Big Daddy" Unruh, whose name graces USC's political science school; Congressman and former California Attorney General Dan Lungren; U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher; All-American John Ferraro, a longtime Los Angeles City Councilman; and California Supreme Court Chief Justice Justice Malcolm M. Lucas.

In the 1960s, NASA created what came to be known as "The Bubble," a device that tested the manufactured atmosphere of space. Because of this, many well-known astronauts of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs earned advanced degrees at USC. The most famed of these American heroes is Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.

Other distinguished alumni include architect Frank Gehry; Persian Gulf War commander General Norman Schwarzkopf; syndicated columnist Art Buchwald; as well as top-ranking executives, including Coca-Cola's Terry Marks and Guy Carpenter & Companies' Peter Cooper.

Just like the Trojans of Homer's _The Iliad and the Odyssey_ , the modern day version fights harder, has more moral fiber and better character than representatives of most colleges. USC has always been a traditional school that has extolled the patriotic values of God and country. Countless Trojans have fought with valor, and many have died for our freedom, on the fields of our nation's battles.

From its earliest days, USC has been a place of equal opportunity. The first black professionals in medicine, architecture and other fields were trained at USC prior to World War I. Women have prepared for meaningful careers at USC since its earliest days in the 19th Century. The ridiculous moniker "University of Spoiled Children" was given to a great, conservative university that was opening its doors to all when those hypocritically deriding it were still cloistered all-white boys clubs.

USC was once falsely described by its jealous detractors as a "football school," despite the fact that the ranks of judges, lawyers, doctors, dentists, and other professions in Greater Los Angeles have long been been dominated by "Southern California men and women." At USC the famous phrase, "There are two kinds of people; those who are Trojans and those who wish they were Trojans," may have been uttered with a touch of arrogance but also with a touch of truth.

Current President Steven Sample carried forth the work done by previous chancellors. Already considered the leading film school and dental school, and among the top business schools, MBA programs, law schools and medical schools in America, USC under Sample has become one of the top 20 academic institutions in the nation. USC was named "College of the Year 2000" by the _Time/Princeton Review College Guide_ , and America's "Hot School 2001" by the _Newsweek/Kaplan College Guide._

"More institutions might do well to emulate USC's enlightened self-interest," read the _Time/Princeton Review_. "For not only has the 'hood dramatically improved, but so has the University..."

"Just as East Coast students go for New York and NYU, the West Coast is gravitating to USC in Los Angeles," wrote the _Newsweek/Kaplan College Guide_. "USC has morphed from a jock school to a serious contender for top students."

From the 1960s until the early 1990s, the top four film schools in America were NYU and Columbia in New York, and UCLA and USC in California. Over the past 15 years, the USC School of Cinema-Television has emerged head and shoulders above the competition. One of the ways they have achieved this is by instituting a producer's division into their curriculum. Instead of simply educating writers, directors and actors in the art of film (but not the business of it), USC has created a real-world model for Hollywood success.

Directors, writers and actors network and connect with fellow-Trojan producers and agents. The result is that USC alumni at every level of the business now dominate the film industry.

The School of Cinema-Television has benefited tremendously from its many successful alumni. George Lucas has donated countless millions to the program he graduated from in 1966, and one of the school's buildings bears his name. Johnny Carson donated money and has a building housing the study of television production in his name. Steven Spielberg actually was _turned down_ for admission to USC, but he bears no hard feelings. He has contributed his time, money and name to numerous causes benefiting the film school.

The music school and the drama school have reaped natural ancillary benefits of a great film school. Former Ambassador to the Court of St. James Walter Annenberg donated $120 million establishment for a world class communications program, which has produced graduates skilled in advertising, public relations, political campaigns, and Hollywood publicity, just to name a few areas of expertise.

Undergraduate applications doubled over the last few years, as the school led a citywide revival following the 1992 riots and a large 1994 earthquake. Bold political leadership under Mayor Richard Riordan helped decrease crime and clean up the streets. Enlightened corporate and auto industry responsibility resulted in a major decrease in L.A. Basin air pollution from the 1970s and '80s to the 2000s.

USC has made a fabulous, bold outreach to its community. Located in one of Los Angeles' oldest (once one of its best) neighborhoods, the University never ignored its responsibilities as that South-Central neighborhood deteriorated. They have been the driving force behind gentrification projects that have created new housing and shopping in the area. Faculty housing has invested USC professors in the neighborhood many of them now live in. New schools and day care centers have been built and run by USC. Excellent outreach programs have provided deserving African-American, Latino and other minority students from L.A.'s inner city a chance to matriculate at a school that otherwise would only be a "so close and yet so far" dream. Freshmen in local high schools enter a program in which, if they maintain high grades in academic coursework, they are given full scholarships to USC.

USC has one of the highest tuition, is among the richest colleges in the nation in terms of private endowments, and among the top three in athletic financial donations. It is a university that has managed to seamlessly combine social responsibility with American capitalistic principles, in a manner not unlike the way Olympic President Peter Ueberroth was able to make the 1984 L.A. Games the most successful before or since.

Trojan football reached an 82 percent graduation rate, an all-time high, and more than 20 percentage points higher than the average Division I college football average. In 2001, 14 members of the team had 3.00 G.P.A.'s. USC ranks in the top 10 in the number of NCAA post-graduate scholarship recipients (49 as of 2004) and has had 26 first team Academic All-Americans. Three Trojans have earned Rhodes Scholarships. USC athletes are universally recognized for their approachable, media-savvy demeanors. They are considered unusually articulate and intelligent by sports journalists in Los Angeles and nationally. Sportstalk host Jim Rome has repeatedly expressed amazement at how outstanding interviews with USC athletes on his program are.

The University reached 29,000 students, including the Health Sciences Campus to the northeast of downtown L.A., known to soap fans as _General Hospital._ It is the West's oldest private university, with a student-to-faculty ration of 13 to 1. The USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer is among the finest of its kin in the world.

In 1994, the most academically talented class in USC history entered the University; the same year that professor George Olah won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Academic standards and achievements of students and faculty alike have only gotten more impressive in the decade-plus that followed.

40,000 people work for USC, making it the largest private employer in Los Angeles. It has one of the most substantial foreign enrollments of any college in America. Because so many USC students hail from the Pacific Rim, the Middle East, Africa and other exotic locales, it proudly claims the largest non-white population in U.S. higher education. Countless foreign dignitaries - political figures, statesmen, business leaders - learned to love California and America at USC. In turn they have helped foster this nation's international friendships with its global partners.

In its early days, USC offered Methodist religious instruction, but quickly became a private, non-denominational institution serving the needs of the broader world community. In 1912, its athletic nickname was switched from the Methodists to the Trojans. In 1929, a statue dubbed "Tommy Trojan": "faithful, scholarly, skillful, courageous, and ambitious," was erected and stands as a campus landmark for time immemorial.

In the late 1940s, bandleader Tommy Walker also kicked field goals for the football team, leading the music in between! According to legend, he may or may not be one of the inspirations for The Who's rock opera, "Tommy." In the 1950s, the band began the tradition of playing the stirring battle cry, "Conquest," originally heard in the 1947 motion picture, _Captain from Castile_. In 1961, Traveler I, a magnificent white horse, made his first appearance. Traveler I's progeny have been riding the sidelines at USC football games ever since.

The fabulous Heritage Hall, housing USC's countless trophies and the offices of its athletic department and sports teams, was built in 1971: half office building, half museum. In 1974, Dedeaux Field became _the_ state-of-the-art collegiate baseball stadium in the country. Cromwell Athletic Field, a first-rate track and field facility, was built next to Heritage Hall. The McDonald's Swim Center was created for the 1984 Olympics.

In 1923, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was built, along with the adjacent Rose Garden, in Exposition Park across the street from USC. The Coliseum and the University have together hosted the 1932 and 1984 Games. TheColiseum has been home to USC football ever since. In 1959, the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena was built next to the Coliseum. It was used for the 1984 Olympics, has hosted national political conventions, Final Fours, professional basketball, and Trojan hoops for over 45 years. A new on-campus basketball facility is scheduled to open for the 2006-07 season.

****

While I majored in communications at USC, and put those skills to work in political public relations, I had also taken a number of classes in USC's famed School of Cinema-Television, including fabulous courses taught by the legendary Andrew Casper. I learned the fine art of screenwriting, and after a number of years pursuing politics, the law and sports representation, I decided to pursue my first passion: writing.

This led to the UCLA Writers' Program and several years working in Hollywood. I also started covering prep football for the _Los Angeles Daily News_ and the _Los Angeles Times_. Trojan football and the phraseology of "conquest" inculcated my thoughts, my speech and my writings. At a meeting of prep stringers at the _Times'_ Orange County offices, however, assistant sports editor Bob Rohwer, a Trojan in his own right, warned us not to use flowery language.

"Just give it to us straight," said Rohwer. " 'Mater Dei High defeated Long Beach Poly last night at Veteran's Stadium in Long Beach, 30-something to 20-something, behind the passing of Matt Leinart, who completed 20-something passes in 30-something attempts for 300-something yards.' "

"You mean," I piped up, "if I see any 'Thundering Herds' outlined against a 'blue, gray October sky,' I'm not supposed to report what I see?"

Rohwer laughed because he understood the reference to Howard Jones's dynasty and Grantland Rice's 1924 classic about the "Four Horsemen of Notre Dame." The rest of the 20-somethings in the room looked at each other like Dumbellionites.

I mostly covered Villa Park High School, and would sometimes call in reports of Redondo Union and Mira Costa High games to downtown main sports editor Gary Klein, who later became USC's football beat writer.

That was 2000. Paul Hackett was in charge at USC. Carson Palmer was a disappointing, overrated quarterback from Orange County. There was no threat of any "Thundering Herds" at USC. However, on the horizon was the future of the University of Southern California. Like Palmer, he was another quarterback from Orange County.

That year, I saw Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana take on De La Salle High School of Concord, California. This was a battle of titans, played at Edison International Field of Anaheim (now known as Angels Stadium) before approximately 20,000 fans. De La Salle was at the height of their glory, which all things considered may be the greatest dynasty in sports history; pro, college or high school. They would go undefeated from 1991 to 2003, 151 comes, good for four national championships. De La Salle had taken some criticism from "experts" who said they played a "soft" schedule, so in the late 1990s and early 2000s they decided to show everybody. They scheduled games against major powerhouses: Long Beach Poly, Honolulu Punahou, Cincinnati Moeller...and Santa Ana Mater Dei.

The 2000 De La Salle-Mater Dei game has been described as the "greatest high school football game ever played." I could not disagree. De La Salle upheld their streak (they would not lose until 2004), 31-28, but Mater Dei's quarterback put on the finest prep performance I have ever witnessed. He was 31-of-47 for 447 yards and four touchdowns. He rallied Mater Dei from a huge fourth quarter deficit, and it was only a failed field goal attempt after he had led the Monarchs down the field with no time left that saved De La Salle.

Those who saw Joe Montana lead Notre Dame in a desperate fourth quarter comeback that fell just short against USC at the L.A. Coliseum in 1978 walked away saying, "I don't care where he is drafted, he's going to be one of the greatest quarterbacks who has ever played the game."

Just as Southern California football fans had seen the future in 1978, and his name was Joe Montana, I had seen the future in the 2000 Mater Dei-De La Salle game, and his name was Matt Leinart. The "disappointing, overrated quarterback from Orange County," Carson Palmer, would come under the tutelage of new coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Norm Chow and win the Heisman Trophy two years later. Carroll had observed the prep landscape in 2000. There were other quarterbacks rated as highly as Leinart, despite his performance against the national champions from Northern California. It was Leinart, however, along with Shaun Cody of Los Altos, who was the centerpiece of Carroll's first recruiting class. He got Leinart to join his Mater Dei teammate, linebacker Matt Grootegoed, and they would form the nucleus of the greatest dynasty in college football history.

In the context of Trojan football lore, he was stepping into a situation whereby any glory or accolades that might come his way had been paved for him by decades of legendary athletes.

My father had been watching USC football since Howard Jones's "Thundering Herd." As a child, he enjoyed playing the "Howard Jones Football Board Game."

"What a great, great legend are the Trojans of yesterday I remember so well. Enjoy them all," my dad had inscribed to me in Pierson's book _The Trojans: Southern California Football_. This is USC football in a nutshell. It is a history of excellence, passed down from generation to generation; stories of winners, tales of legendary games that shaped America. In the years since my dad had written those words, USC has added countless more stories and tales to their legend. This book chronicles what they have done leading into the 2006 season, but I am entirely confident that they will add many, many more chapters to their glorious history. Future scribes will no doubt always be kept busy describing those chapters to many more generation of people who know that the University of Southern California is synonymous with American excellence!

Over the years, great announcers have described great teams. Chick Hearn, Mike Walden, Tom Kelly and now Pete Arbogast have lent their considerable radio talents to USC broadcasts. The venerable Keith Jackson has called so many incredible Trojan moments that he is our _de facto_ TV announcer.

A book like this is the product of many things coming together, and I would like to hereby acknowledge some people. I would like to first thank my agent, Craig Wiley. Also, thank you to Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., my editor, Rick Rhinehart, and his assistant, Dulce Wilcox.

I want to thank former Trojan football players John Papadakis, Sam "Bam" Cunningham, and Allan Graf. Further thanks to Mark Houska and Petros Papadakis of Fox Sports and movie producer/attorney David Dizenfeld, USC '71.

I wish to thank former University of Southern California sports information director (SID) Jim Perry, who also co-authored legendary Trojan football coach John McKay's successful 1970s autobiography, _McKay: A Coach's Story._ Perry has been an institution for years at Heritage Hall. He was the SID when I worked alongside Tim Tessalone during my brief student internship in the USC sports information office. My gratitude goes out to Tim, who after succeeding Perry has maintained the high standards that Jim set for the office. A further shout-out to Jason Pommier and Paul Goldberg of USC's football media relations, plus Chris Huston, who has helped me many times over the years.

Thank you to the University of Alabama sports information office, in particular Barry Allen and Larry White. Also, thank you to Jan Adams at the Paul W. Bryant Museum, and particularly Ken Gaddy. Thanks go to Winston Groom, author of _Forrest Gump._

I extend my gratitude to former _L.A. Times_ sportswriters Jeff Prugh and Dwight Chapin, two real pros; to current USC beat writer Gary Klein; and _Times_ sports editor Bill Dwyre. I also thank the widow of the great Jim Murray, Linda McCoy-Murray; to Tony McEwing; as well as Gene Collier of the _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette._ Thank you to Allen Barra and Keith Dunnavant, who have written extensively on Bear Bryant and Alabama football.

I thank USC head football coach Pete Carroll. Coach Carroll and I went to the same suburban California high school. I grew up hearing stories about Carroll, who was a classmate of the comic actor Robin Williams. Thanks also to others in that circle, who include Skip Corsini, Jim Peters, Bill Peters, Bob Troppmann, Ken Flower, Phil Roark, and Jess Payan.

Coach Carroll's former assistant, Mark Jackson, and USC athletic director Mike Garrett are in line for acknowledgments as well. Also, thanks go out to Lloyd Robinson of Suite A Management in Beverly Hills. He is an honest man and, in what is also probably not a coincidence, a loyal Trojan. I would also like the opportunity to honor the memory of the late baseball writer Tony Salinn, whose passion and purity, despite what he may have thought, are not forgotten.

Thanks to all the interviewees. I also wish to mention Dale Komai, Bruce Seltzer, Joe Enloe, Brad Wong, Melanie Neff, Lindsay Lautz, Melanie Pedrick and everybody else with the USC Alumni Association; Barry LeBrock of Fox Sports, John Wooden, Dave Daniel and Matt Derringer of _USC Report_ , Loel Schrader, Gary Paskiewitz of www.wearesc.com, Andy Bark of _Student Sports_ , Bob Rowher of the _L.A. Times,_ the late Sam Skinner and Kathy Pfrommer of the _Oakland Tribune_ , John Underwood, Wayne Fontes, Dennis Fitzpatrick, Donavon McNabb, Joe Gibbs, the Washington Redskins, Joe Gibbs Racing, Charlie Evans, Rod Sherman of the Trojan Fantasy Camp, Rich Burg, Stu Zanville, Craig Long and the Oakland Raiders, Sharon Gould of the Eagle Rock High School Alumni Association, San Clemente High School, Charlie Weaver, the Detroit Lions, Richmond High School athletic director Roy Rogers, Arizona Western JC, Ray Butcher, Jimmy Jones, the Harrisburg Boys Club, Joe Namath, the African-American Registry, Ken Hall, Mal Moore, Ken Stabler, Kim Bush, Simon & Schuster, Nancy Covington and Mike Neemah of Mississippi State University, Vigor High School, Suzanne Dowling and Chris Bryant of the University of Alabama media relations department, Alabama Booksmith, the University of Alabama Press, Reid Drinkard, Fred Kirsch of the New England Patriots, Mr. and Mrs. Hannah of Albertville, Alabama, the San Francisco 49ers, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gene Upshaw and the NFL Players Association, the K Club, the University of Alabama Alumni Association, Richmond Flowers Jr., the University of Tennessee sports information office, Jeff Dubinsky of ESPN Classic, Liz Kennedy and Jose Eskenazi of USC, Daniel Hopper and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Alabama, University of Alabama head football coach Mike Shula, John Sciarra, John Robinson, J.K. McKay, Pat Haden, Art Spander, Don Andersen, Mike Walden, Tom Kelly, Dave Levy, Rod Martin, Johnny Musso, B. Green of the Paul W. Bryant Museum, Shirley Ito and Wayne Wilson of the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, and Howard Schnellenberger.

Additional thanks to Art Spander, Clarence Davis, Sam Dickerson, Bud "The Steamer" Furillo, Tom Kelly, Clem Gryska, John Vella, Dr. Culpepper Clark, Keith Dunnavant, Jack Rutledge, John Hannah, Craig Fertig, Christ Vagotis, Scott Hunter, Wilbur Jackson, Sylvester Croom, Wendell Hudson, John Mitchell, Rod McNeill, and Willie Brown. I would like to make special mention of three extraordinary Trojans, who not only gave tirelessly their time, intellect, memory and support, but also formed a bond of Christian fellowship with me: Charles "Tree" Young, Dave Brown, and Manfred Moore. God bless you.

I would like to remember the late Tody Smith and to thank his brother, football Hall of Famer Bubba Smith.

I also thank Cherie Kerr, Earle Self, Bruce H. Franklin, plus Neal McCready and Randy Kennedy of the _Mobile Press-Register._ Thanks also to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Since this book is in about the University of Southern California, I want to thank everybody in the extended Trojan family. As it is often said, "You are a Bruin for four years but a Trojan for life!" These are true words. In that spirit, thanks to the late John McKay and the late Marv Goux, who granted me interviews shortly before their respective passings. Thank you also to Goux's lovely widow, Mrs. Patricia Goux, his daughter Linda (who I had a class with at USC) and his granddaughter Kara (who created the inspiring phrase, "Win one for The Goux," at his memorial service).

I would like to extend my gratitude to the past and present pastors, as well as all of my fellow members, at Christ Lutheran Church.

My most sincere thank-yous are reserved for the end. This includes my parents, who gave me encouragement and support, as they always do, and to my sweet daughter, Elizabeth Travers. No acknowledgments are complete without naming my cousin, Bill Friedrichs, and his wife, Jean, whose great help and support over the years can never really be repaid. I also want to thank seven close friends. Terry and Cecile Marks, and Kevin McCormack, are true Trojans. Jake Downey roots for the Bruins but possesses the nobility of a Trojan. Mike McDowd and Don Rasmussen have provided fellowship over the years. Bradley Cole (who comes from a true USC family) and I go back a long way.

Finally, my biggest thank-you is reserved for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is the source of all that is good, decent, and true!

I welcome feedback, positive and negative, from Trojan fans. I expect to hear the legitimate arguments of Fighting Irish, Crimson Tide, Sooner, Hurricane, Wolverine, Buckeye, Nittany Lion, Bruin and other college football fans. My opinions are mine. I have well thought-out reasons for them, and offer them with respect. Please offer yours in the same manner.

Steven Travers

February 1, 2006

(415) 455-5971

USCSTEVE1@aol.com

CHAPTER ONE

DYNASTY: THE NEW CENTURIONS OF TROY

USC football is now history's all-time greatest college football and athletic tradition

Towards the end of the Year of Our Lord A.D. 1999, every organization imaginable came up with its "lists," "best ofs," "man of the century," "coach of the century," "team of the century," and every other offshoot of our effort to determine greatness. It is the nature of Mankind, and it is particularly true of Americans, that what is "best" be separated from what is second best.

**This author was no different. I created the "L.A.-Orange County All-Time Prep Dream Teams," a compilation of the greatest high school baseball, basketball, football and track athletes in the history of Southern California. It ran in the January 2000 edition of** _StreetZebra_ **magazine.**

_Student Sports_ **magazine came out with their all-time national high school athletes edition. Long Beach Poly was named "High School of the Century," having produced a plethora of Major League baseball players, All-American and NFL football stars, NBA standouts, tennis players, gymnasts; male and female heroes past and present.**

**Major League Baseball unveiled its "All-Century" team, allowing Pete Rose back on the field to be a part of it. Discussions about baseball's best players of the 20** th **Century had the effect of shedding light on such Negro League stars as Josh Gobson and Satchel Paige, generally accepted as being as good at their positions as any of the white players who previously occupied "all-time all-star teams" of past years, such as the 1969 Centennial.**

ESPN made a huge production of its choosing the century's "greatest athlete." In the end, Michael Jordan won out over Babe Ruth.

_Time_ **magazine passed over the work of Dwight Eisenhower, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan and Franklin Roosevelt, picking instead Albert Einstein.**

**The** _Los Angeles Times_ **ran an extensive feature on the Southland's century of sports highlights: Trojans, Bruins, Dodgers, Angels, Rams, Raiders, Lakers, Clippers, Kings and Sharks. Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, Magic Johnson, Pete Sampras, Billie Jean King, O.J. Simpson; the list of great teams, and athletes who had played, grown up and gone to college there, was astounding. Los Angeles had earned the title "Sports Capitol of the World."**

_Collegiate Baseball_ **magazine chose USC baseball coach Rod Deadeaux as its "College Baseball Coach of the Century," and the Trojans as "College Baseball Program of the Century." USC also was named "Collegiate Athletic Program of the Century."**

**On January 1, 2000, the unquestioned "College Football Program of the 20** th **Century" was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.**

In 1900, an attempt to determine the best college football power of the past 31 years, which covered the time since the first football game was played in 1869, most likely would have quickly narrowed down to Ivy League stalwarts Harvard, Yale and Princeton.

In 1920, colleges were beginning to take to football like never before. A determination of the best programs of the previous 20 years likely would have come down Michigan, whose "point a minute" team under coach Fielding Yost had won the first Rose Bowl game over Stanford, 49-0, in 1901, and possibly Washington, who had racked up a huge 63-game winning streak before the game "modernized." On the West Coast, the best football was being played in the Pacific Northwest, not in California, and definitely not in Southern California.

Notre Dame had recently emerged when quarterback Gus Dorais threw the first "legitimate" forward pass to Knute Rockne to beat Army in 1913. The Ivy League was still a powerhouse.

Much changed over the next decade. California coach Andy Smith hired an assistant named Nibs Price from San Diego, for the purposes of using his Southern California connections to recruit high school players. This was the first time that players from outside a college's geographic area were recruited to play football, instead of taking on whoever showed up for try-outs. The "Wonder Teams" of the early 1920s are considered one of the greatest dynasties of all time.

Red Grange, the "Galloping Ghost" running back from Illinois, electrified huge crowds, and his entrance into the fledgling National Football League assured its success. Alabama and the South took to football with great passion.

There was no place where football was played better than in California. After the Wonder Teams came Pop Warner's reign at Stanford. Elmer "Gloomy Gus" Henderson won almost 90 percent of his games at the University of Southern California from 1919-24. His tenure saw the building of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, both built very much because of his team's success. Enormous stadiums were also erected at Cal and Stanford in those years. But Henderson was fired because he could not beat California.

Knute Rockne, the young chemistry student who had devised the forward pass while working as a summer lifeguard with Gus Dorais and then used it to be beat mighty Army, had taken over as Notre Dame's coach after World War I.

By the mid-1920s, Notre Dame was the king of the collegiate grid world. Catholics from Paris to Prairie View identified with the small school in South Bend, Indiana. Rockne invented larger-than-life stories like the manufactured death bed desires of a 1919 quarterback named George Gipp, who never said, "Someday Rock, when the boys are up against it, tell 'em to win one for The Gipper."

But Rock told these stories when the team trailed at the half, and it inspired the Fighting Irish to victory. The press became utterly enamored with them. At a time when parts of the country were prejudiced against Catholics, they were viewed as gritty underdogs. Grantland Rice described four of their star players as "The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame" after a stirring Yankee Stadium win over Army in 1924, and America was captivated. At the end of that season, Notre Dame traveled to the Rose Bowl and defeated Pop Warner's Stanford Indians, which further built on the coach's legend and his team's national reputation.

After Henderson was fired, USC tried to hire Rockne to replace him. Rock remained loyal to his alma mater, but recommended Howard Jones. Jones was an immediate hit. In the second half of the 1920s, Jones and the Trojans replaced California and Stanford as the dominant power on the Pacific Coast.

A rivalry with Notre Dame began, played in front of huge crowds at Chicago's Soldier Field and the L.A. Coliseum. By 1930, the question as to what program was the century's best came down to these two schools: Notre Dame number one, followed by USC (the 1928 national champion) at number two. Alabama, a two-time national champion according to the varied polls and formulas used to determine such a "mythical" thing, would have made a strong argument. However, they played a mostly regional schedule. The Irish and Trojans, feeding of each other's notoriety, were indeed recognized national powers.

By 1940, the "number one" question was more convoluted. USC had been dominant in the 1930s. So had Minnesota. California and Stanford had re-emerged after down years. Alabama and the South - Tennessee and Duke, in particular - rose again. Notre Dame and USC were in a dead heat.

**By 1950, Notre Dame had re-asserted its position as** _the_ **collegiate football power after an incredible four-national title decade. The Midwest in particular was the new football capitol. Ohio State and especially Michigan were juggernauts. Army was unbeatable for several years. The West dropped precipitously, with Pacific Coast Conference teams losing to the Big 10 in the new Rose Bowl arrangement. The Southern schools became more inward, choosing to play mostly each other, often to avoid increasingly obvious racial situations.**

Despite a down decade in the 1950s, Notre Dame still would have emerged as the top dog, but by a slim margin. Oklahoma dominated the decade. Southern teams - Tennessee, Louisiana State and Auburn - made their bid. Ohio State replaced Michigan as the Big 10s powerhouse. Out west, UCLA was every bit USC's equal, if not its better. Eastern football made its presence known at Syracuse. USC was no longer number two and probably not number three... or four.

Everything changed in the 1960s; in America, in society, in race relations; and with a new breed of athlete playing with new equipment under modernized training methods, in college football. The two strongest programs were the two most disparate: Southern California and Alabama.

The Trojans were free, California easy, and thoroughly integrated. Alabama was old school, resisting racial change and clinging to archaic practices. The two coaches? John McKay and Paul "Bear" Bryant were the best of friends.

Notre Dame under Ara Parseghian regained its place, if not at, then near the top. Southern California rivalries with the Irish and UCLA became blood feuds. Texas and Ohio State crowded near the top, as well. By decade's end, USC had put itself back in the century's number two slot. They were essentially "tied" with Alabama, but the edge would go to the Trojans because they played a more national schedule, were segregated, earned two Heisman Trophies, and one of Alabama's "national championships" had been awarded prior to a bowl loss to Texas on January 1, 1965. Notre Dame was still king of the hill.

The 1970s were basically a replay of the 1960s: USC and Alabama, followed by Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Nebraska. The Trojans' games with Notre Dame and UCLA were every bit as ferocious as they had been in the '60s. Alabama had finally integrated, along with the rest of the South. It opened a floodgate, to the benefit of Dixie in every way, on and off the field.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, USC was beginning to establish dominance over Notre Dame. Having won three national championships (and they easily could have won five), the Trojans under new coach John Robinson defeated the Irish five consecutive times from 1978-82. After the fifth straight win, with Marcus Allen having won the school's fourth Heisman Trophy the previous year, and their record vs. Notre Dame almost at the .500 mark, an assessment of the century's best traditions still would have favored Notre Dame, but this time by the narrowest of margins over USC and Alabama.

It was a strong bid but it would not be sustained. In 1983, USC entered the longest down period in its history, lasting through the 2001 season. They would lose 11 straight games to Notre Dame and eight straight to UCLA.

In the mean time, Lou Holtz returned Notre Dame to the heights of glory, firmly re-establishing South Bend as the Mecca of college football. In the eyes of many, Michigan would be their greatest rival, not Southern California. Oklahoma, Penn State and Miami (twice) won national championships.

By 1992, if not before that, Alabama would have replaced USC for the number two position behind the Irish. They had beaten USC in the 1985 Aloha Bowl, an insignificant game except for the fact that by so doing, the Crimson Tide passed the Trojans as the winningest bowl team ever. When 'Bama's unbeaten team won the '92 national championship, that sealed the deal.

The rest of the decade was just grist for the mill at SC, where fans of this once-proud tradition watched the collegiate game taken over by the Florida schools; the Southeastern Conference; the new dominance of Nebraska; and Johnny-come-latelies like Virginia Tech. Penn State had maintained its high position in the early part of the '90s. In their own conference, Washington reached for the pinnacle but could not sustain it. UCLA was good but not great. An apparent shift of power moved seemed to have eventually center itself in the state of Oregon, where the Beavers and the Ducks were the best hope of a conference and a region that the rest of the nation derided as "soft."

USC's alumni satisfied themselves that while they would never again dictate and dominate in football, the University had under President Steven Sample developed into one of the finest academic institutions in the country. That, it seemed, was the trade-off, and most could live with that.

**Notre Dame, who had started the decade riding high, fell off somewhat, its reputation shaken by revelations in Don Yaeger's book,** _Under the Tarnished Dome_ **. Other traditional powers that had fallen were on the rise, Texas, Michigan, Ohio State and Oklahoma, among others. USC just observed it all in spectator mode.**

**By 2000, Notre Dame was still the "College Football Program of the 20** th **Century." USC may only have hoped they were still third. By season's end, after Oklahoma completed its return to prominence with an unbeaten national championship season, the Sooners could lay claim to USC's old poll position. Troy was lucky to still be in the top five, derided as "Yesterday U.," its glory days relegated to old clippings and grainy pre-video footage. They were like aging rock stars who were unknown by the young girls who preferred Korn and Eminem.**

****

The 2006 college football season is right around the corner. Pete Carroll's University of Southern California Trojans completed the most perfect season in collegiate football history in 2004 and followed that up with an even more perfect one in 2005. They enter the new campaign having attained four "titles": (1) Greatest single-season college football team of all time in 2005; (2) Greatest college football dynasty of all time, 2002-2005; (3) Greatest historical college football tradition of all time; and (4) Greatest collegiate athletic department of all time. Lofty titles, to be sure. Controversial and worthy of argument? You bet. Justifiable hype? You got that right, too.

USC also enters the 2006 season one 12-game regular season away from Oklahoma's all-time modern record of 47 straight wins, set in the 1950s. They have been ranked number one a record 34 straight weeks in the Associated Press poll, and likely will enter the new campaign holding that spot.

There have been many "perfect" teams; that is, teams that went undefeated and untied en route to a consensus National Championship. USC itself has enjoyed their fair share of these kinds of wire-to-wire perfect seasons. But the stars were never aligned for any team quite like the 2004 and 2005 Trojans. First of all, they were the sixth and seventh teams to be ranked number one in the nation from the pre-season polls through the bowl games. USC is the only team to do it three times. The 1972 Trojans, considered by many to be the greatest team of all time, accomplished the feat. But SC was also ranked number one from the end of the 2003 regular season through the bowls, carried that right through 2004 and 2005 without interruption, and are likely to be ranked number one in every pre-season 2006 collegiate football publication in America.

The 2004-05 Trojans boasted the second two-time Heisman Trophy winner, three-time senior All-American quarterback Matt Leinart. His teammate, two-time All-American running back Reggie Bush, was a New York finalist for the award in 2004, finished second in 2005 and is favored to win it in 2006. USC became the first team in history to win three consecutive national championships and are favored to win a fourth. They have a national-longest 35-game winning streak. They annihilated Oklahoma, 55-19 in the 2005 BCS Orange Bowl, a game that was previewed as the greatest game in college football history. No less an expert than Lee Corso said the Trojans' performance vs. the Sooners was the best he has ever seen. Period.

Possibly, Nebraska's thrashing of Florida in the National Championship game of January 1996 was as impressive. Possibly. USC followed that up with a victory over Texas in the 2006 BCS Rose Bowl national title game.

The 1944-45 Army Cadets featured a similar winning streak and two Heisman winners, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. There are other teams that compare, but nobody has done it quite the way Carroll's team is doing it. A few came close. The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers featured an undefeated regular season that included winners of the Heisman and Outland Trophy's. They lost to Miami in the Orange Bowl. The 2003 Oklahoma Sooners looked to be on a similar path, but their Heisman winner, Jason White, faltered in the Big 12 championship game as well as the Orange Bowl.

**In light of USC's recent dominance, it is worth considering their place in history. Not just the current Trojans, but USC's football program going back to the beginning of the 20** th **Century. It is time to take the mantel of "greatest program in the history of college football" away from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and lay it squarely with the deserving new champions from USC. Furthermore, USC continues to lay claim to the greatest historical** _athletic program_ **in college history, as well.**

The three-time defending national champions are the greatest dynasty ever assembled. Leinart returned for his senior year, having turned down a for-sure number one draft selection in 2005. The team may or may not have been "better" than they were in 2004, or even when they won the first of Carroll's national championships in 2003. Other teams have had more dominating defenses, run the table by wider margins of victory, and had fewer close calls (the Trojans had their share). But considering their offensive prowess, their winning streak, the pressure of going for history, the accumulation of their awards, records and honors; and finally the sheer hype attached to them in Hollywood fashion - all of it totally lived up to - no team from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Alabama, Miami or even from USC's storied past can legitimately call themselves better than the 2005 Trojans.

Leinart walked away from his career with more honors than any player ever: three national championships, two Heismans, the Johnny Unitas Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Trophy, and the Davey O'Brien Award, et al. As of this writing, he is the most likely number one pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He is now generally accepted to be the greatest college football player who ever lived!

Leinart's top competition for the Heisman, the '06 number one draft pick (and team MVP) was the 2004 team MVP, Bush. The 2005 Heisman and national title races mirrored the 2004 edition. In 2004 it was Leinart and Bush of USC vs. Jason White and Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma, with Leinart winning the Heisman, then Bush/Leinart and SC winning the national title game over White/Peterson and OU.

It 2005 it was again Leinart and Bush for the Heisman, this time principally opposed by Texas quarterback Vince Young, with Leinart winning the award again, and Bush/Leinart again winning the national title over their Heisman competition, Young and the Longhorns.

In 2006, history looks to repeat itself in one form or another. The senior Bush figures to be the odds-on Heisman favorite, with his competition again coming from a teammate (LenDale White) and two old contenders (the junior Peterson and the senior Young), with a potential national championship re-match against Young and UT. The Longhorns and the rest of college football enter any matchup with heavy psychology working against them.

Bush made the same decision in 2006 as Leinart made in 2005. Bush will be the NFL's top pick in 2007. He has been favorably compared to the Raiders' Hall of Fame-to-be wide receiver Tim Brown, an all-purpose superstar in the Bush mode when he starred at Notre Dame in the 1980s. Bush was compelled to stay in school for the same reasons Leinart did, only more so: a fourth straight national championship, Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak, a third straight All-American season, the Heisman Trophy, and all the other bells and whistles that go with such greatness. His number one draft selection in 200 would make him USC's third number one pick in five years (Carson Palmer, 2003; Leinart, 2006; Bush, 2007).

The 2003-04 Trojans are very possibly the greatest two-year dynasty ever. The 2003-05 Trojans undoubtedly are the best three-year run ever. It puts them in the rarefied air of Barry Bonds's 73 homers in 2001; the Yankees' five straight World Series victories from 1949-53; and other all-time feats. A 2006 title might require a new set of superlatives: the Americans beating back Hitler's Germany, or landing a man on the moon perhaps?*

***** Just kidding.

They return key defensive players, plus Bush, LenDale White and fifth-year senior Herschel Dennis. Talented, experienced tight ends and receivers (Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith) are back. Sophomore Jeff Byers was the nation's best lineman coming out of high school and could win the Outland Trophy before graduating. Junior linebacker Keith Rivers may garner a Butkus trophy some day. Defensive lineman Jeff Schweiger will be a Lombardi Award candidate.

**USC will re-tool at quarterback with one of two blue chip recruits. Junior John David Booty was the top prep quarterback in America at Louisiana's Evangel Christian High School. His competition? Mark Sanchez, the top prep quarterback in the U.S. (and** _Parade_ **magazine's National Player of the Year) at Mission Viejo High (the nation's number two team) in Orange County, California in 2004. USC has had the number one recruiting class in the country for five years in a row. The 2004 class was considered the greatest of all time. The 2005 class was almost as good. The pipeline is endless. In light of the fact that they enter this season ranked number one, favored to win their fourth National Championship in a row, they are worthy of continued hype. Consider that if Troy runs the table in '06, their winning streak will probably surpass Oklahoma's 47 (a perfect season would make it 48). With either Booty or Sanchez living up to the challenge, maybe with senior running back Bush winning the Heisman and starring with a cast headlined by juniors Rivers and Byers, the 2006 Trojans could are looking at four national championships in a row, but wait, there is more. Booty could quarterback the team in 2006 and 2007. Sanchez would be a red-shirt junior and senior in 2008-09. Considering that the last two SC quarterbacks (Carson Palmer in 2002 and Leinart in 2004-05) won the Heisman, USC could conceivably come away with three more of the trophies before the end of this decade. The scenario could be:**

2006: Senior running back Reggie Bush, USC.

2007: Senior USC quarterback John David Booty, USC (Oklahoma running back Adrian

Peterson will be a pro by then).

2009: Senior quarterback Mark Sanchez, USC.

**Sorry, Bruin, Irish, Sooner and Longhorn fans, but there** _is_ **more.**

Jake Downey has been covering high school football in the Southland for the better part of the past decade. He has hosted prep sports shows for Fox Sports Net West as well as Fred "Roggin's Heroes" on KNBC/4. Downey is very likely the leading authority on high school sports from Ventura north to Riverside east to San Clemente south to Long Beach west.

"Jimmy Clausen as a sophomore in 2004 was the finest high school quarterback I have ever seen," stated Downey, not a man prone to such hype. Downey saw Leinart in the 2000 Mater De-De La Salle game. He saw Carson Palmer at Rancho Santa Margarita, Sanchez at Mission Viejo, and all the other great L.A. area signal callers of recent years.

The younger brother of Tennessee quarterbacks Casey and Rick Clausen, Jimmy Clausen in 2005 was the all-everything junior quarterback at Oaks Christian High School in Thousand Oaks. Also in 2005, he gave a verbal commitment to USC. He would be an Oaks Christian senior in 2006, meaning that as a USC freshman in '07 Clausen could be red-shirted, or challenge Booty and/or Sanchez for the most competitive position in college football...history?

Frankly, things are starting to get out of hand with Pete Carroll and USC. Number one NFL draft picks? Aside from Leinart and Bush, consider White, Rivers, Byers, Booty, Sanchez...these are just the obvious possibilities. Let's go back to Carson Palmer and the 2002 Trojans. Palmer won the Heisman and was the NFL's number one draft choice. He is currently starting for the Cincinnati Bengals after signing a multi-million dollar bonus. The 2002 Trojans finished 11-2, were Co-Pacific 10 champs, and won the Orange Bowl. They finished fourth in the nation, but the pundits were in agreement that by season's end, they were the best team in the country, even though Ohio State defeated a lackluster Miami squad in the BCS title game. Had their been a play-off, SC probably would have won.

In 2003, USC won the national championship following a victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Considering that they had a spectacular wide receiver, Mike Williams, a comparison of the 2003 and 2004 teams may very well favor the '03 squad. The '05 team, however, was better than anybody - ever!

**How good is SC? Consider that the All-American Williams had his NCAA eligibility taken away prior to 2004. Had he played, he would have been in New York instead of Bush, and he may well have won the Heisman. Bush just took his place and the beat went on. Speaking of first round picks, Williams was the top selection of the Minnesota Vikings despite being out of the limelight for one year. Future drafts promise to be SC highlight films. Every year. But wait, there's** _still more_ **.**

Coach of the Year? In 2003 year it was Carroll. The only reason he does not win it every year is because they like to spread those kinds of things around. Give it to him every second year. This guy has gone through Troy's old nemeses, UCLA and Notre Dame, like Patton's Army charging through the Low Countries. In five years, he has presided over (through January 4, 2006) a record-setting three-Pete national titles, two Heisman winners, (probably) two NFL number one draft picks, two Orange Bowl wins, two Rose Bowl victories, five bowl appearances, four Pac 10 championships, five national-best recruiting classes, two wire-to-wire number one perfect seasons, a 35-game winning streak, a number one poll ranking for a record 34 weeks running (and still counting), four straight undefeated Novembers and (take your pick) records of 38-1 (2003-05), 49-3 (2002-04) or 46-1 (since October, 2002). Those are the facts. After that comes the speculation, the predictions, the hype. Has any coach ever done more in his first four years? Probably not.

By the end of 2006, the line on Carroll (who has not lost a home game since September 29, 2001 vs. Stanford) could be: in six seasons, a re-Pete turned into a three-Pete turned into a fourth consecutive national championships, four Heisman winners, three NFL number one draft choices, two Rose Bowl wins, six bowl appearances, five Pac 10 titles, six national-best recruiting classes, three wire-to-wire number one poll rankings (48 weeks and counting), five straight undefeated Novembers, and records of 51-1 (2003-06), 62-3 (2002-06), 59-1 since October of 2002, 48 straight wins since October 2003, and 68-9 in his career. When does it end? A 49-game streak could be on the line on September 15, 2007 at Nebraska. A 54-game streak could face a stiff challenge at Notre Dame on October 20, 2007. Arrogant? Absolutely. But Pete Carroll has raised the bar so high at USC that such talk is not out of the realm of possibility.

That does not even count the full promise of his last couple national-best recruiting classes reaching the fruition of their senior years, led by the likes of Booty, Sanchez and Clausen adding to the list of Heismans, national titles and NFL number one picks. Nobody has ever been this good.

When a team is this incredible, however, watch not just for undefeated seasons and national championships, but watch out for college kids reading their press clippings and being shot at from all sides by a nation of teams out to beat them. It happened to the aforementioned Cornhuskers and the Sooners. Carroll's team had had their share of off-field problems over the last few winters. Offensive coordinator Norm Chow split. A few players ran into problems with grades and the law.

Legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant won three national championships in the 1960s, including back-to-back titles from 1964-65. In 1966, Ken Stabler led the Crimson Tide to an undefeated season, but the "Catholic vote" gave the title to Notre Dame. In the next couple of seasons, amid social change in the South and throughout the nation, Bear's program faltered. What happened?

"We won national championships with underdogs," recalls former Bryant assistant coach Clem Gryska. "The talent was not the best, but we played as a team. When we started winning on a national level, everybody wanted to come here; kids from Florida, California, the Midwest. They were stars but brought prima donna attitudes, and we lost because of that. We only started winning again when we went back to the basics." That meant integrating the program and winning two national titles in the 1970s.

**In 1969, Ohio State beat Northwestern, 62-0, prompting** _Sports Illustrated_ **to say the defending national champion Buckeyes might be the best team ever, their young team having a chance to add two or three more. Instead, Michigan beat them at season's end, and had their 1970 title hopes ended by Jim Plunkett and Stanford in the Rose Bowl.**

**In 1979, USC entered the season as the consensus number one. Experts were saying** _that_ **team could contend for the title "greatest college football team ever." They were the defending co-national champions and heralded that season's Heisman Trophy winner, Charles White, and Lombardi Award winner, Brad Budde, along with other stalwarts like Anthony Munoz. Not quite mid-way into the season, they took on Stanford at the Coliseum. At halftime the Trojans led 21-0 en route to another stomping. In the second half, the Cardinal scored three touchdowns, SC's offense stalled, and that 21-21 tie (before the advent of overtime) was just enough to deny them the national title along with the "greatest ever" label.**

In 1983, Nebraska looked to have what it took to make history. Tailback Mike Rozier won the Heisman Trophy. Offensive guard Dean Steinkuhler won the Outland and the Lombardi Trophies. They were heavily favored over upstart Miami, but the Hurricanes held off their courageous comeback in the Orange Bowl to deny Tom Osborne the national title he would not win until 1994.

In 1980, the best prep quarterback available was Escondido, California's Sean Salisbury. SC legend Sam Cunningham told his alma mater about his brother, Randall, in Santa Barbara, and asked if he would start. He was told Randall would be offered a ride but the job was Salisbury's. Randall went to UNLV and then made millions with the NFL's Eagles. Salisbury was a bust. SC lost coach John Robinson to the Rams, went on probation, and took 20 years to recover fully.

Troy thought they were back when, in 1987-88 under Larry Smith, they went to back-to-back Rose Bowls, were 10-0 going into the '88 Notre Dame game, featured Junior Seau, and recruited the all-time prep passing leader, Todd Marinovich. By 1990, Marinovich was a problem child and in '91 they lost to Memphis State!

Notre Dame under Lou Holtz won it all in 1988, and seemed on the verge of a real dynasty. Then came Ron Paulus, who never won any of the "two or three Heismans" Beano Cook predicted of him.

In January, 2003, defending national champion Miami rode a 34-game winning streak into the BCS Fiesta Bowl. Had they won, they would have achieved the rare back-to-back championship and been a team for the ages. So close, yet so far. Ohio State beat them, and in the last few seasons the Hurricanes have been human.

In 2003, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jason White was engineering a juggernaut at Oklahoma. Had the Sooners won the title, people would have compared them favorably with most of the best teams of all time. Instead, they failed miserably in the Big 12 title game and in the Sugar Bowl.

These are just some of many examples that USC avoided in winning three national championships in a row, yet they remain enduring cautionary tales in the endless quest for more and more and more. After all, sportstalk host Jim Rome has proposed that he sees "no reason why Carroll and USC can't win or five or 10, just like John Wooden did." USC lives in the pressure cooker of ultimate expectations in that most pressurized of atmospheres, Los Angeles. Still, Carroll has insisted that he and his team "embrace" it.

It does not take much to derail a team when they are riding in the clouds. Bad recruiting (will Booty and Sanchez be another Salisbury and Paulus?), drugs (Marinovich), coaches leaving for the NFL (Robinson did and some say Carroll considers his pro work undone), NCAA violations (their first-half '80s teams), or just a slip against great competition ('79 SC, '83 Nebraska, '02 Miami, '03-'04 Oklahoma) can be enough to derail a team and separate the great from the legendary.

Unlike the NFL, a single loss (or tie) can upset the apple cart. USC is the hottest ticket in America's hottest town, the toast of Hollywood, the biggest thing in a media hothouse that does not have a pro football franchise and whose NBA team is yesterday. They set the all-time USC attendance record in 2003 and continued to brake that in 2004 and again in '05. For 20-year old student-athletes, this is a major challenge, but they overcame it and, under Carroll, appear capable of continuing their focus.

It is fun to talk about, and at SC, a school that went through a long (13 years or 20 years, depending on your standards) down period, it is especially fun. Their fans are about as giddy as the Republicans when Dwight Eisenhower saved that party after 20 years of the New Deal in 1952.

Entering the 2004 season, USC had more players on NFL rosters than any other college in 17 of the previous 29 years. In 2005, 42 Trojans were on 19 rosters, the most of all programs. 12 USC rookies were on pro rosters at the beginning of 2005 training camp.

419 USC football players have been drafted, the largest number of any college. Many others have made NFL rosters as free agents. 28 were drafted by the old AFL, and numerous others drafted by the All-American Football Conference. USC has produced the most pro football players.

USC has had three of the most highly drafted classes in history. The 1953 class produced 15 draftees, while both the 1975 and 1977 drafts produced 14 each. Entering 2005, USC had the most first round selections (65 to Ohio State's 58, followed by Notre Dame, 57; Miami, 53; and Michigan, 38), which does not take into account their 2006 first round selections and the number one pick (Leinart? Bush?). USC had the most players selected in the first round since1990 (10). USC had the most first round selections in the 1980s (16). USC's five first round picks in 1968 were an NFL-college record. USC passed Notre Dame for the most number one draft choices (Ron Yary '68, O.J. Simpson '69, Ricky Bell '77, Keyshawn Johnson '96, Carson Palmer '03... and Matt Leinart '06?). USC is the only school to have the first pick in two straight drafts (Yary and Simpson, 1968-69).

**USC has had the most players play in Super Bowls. Trojans have appeared in all but two of them (90 overall) with two earning MVP honors (Lynn Swann in 1976, Marcus Allen in 1984). The 1977 Super Bowl between Oakland and Minnesota featured nine ex-Trojans. 195 Trojans have been selected for the Pro Bowl, also the record. In January of 1999,** _ESPN the Magazine_ **stated, "One of the best ways to win a Super Bowl is to have (a USC player on the team)." USC has had players on the most winning Super Bowl teams (45 to Notre Dame's 38 and Penn State's 35).**

**USC is tied with Notre Dame for most players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (10). These include Allen, Swann, Simpson, Red Badgro, Frank Gifford, Ronnie Lott, Ron Mix, Anthony Munoz, Willie Wood and Ron Yary. Three ex-USC assistant coaches have been inducted at Canton: Al Davis, Joe Gibbs and Mel Hein. Munoz and Lott were picked for the NFL's All-Century Team in 2000.** _The Sporting News_ **chose four USC players among the 100 Greatest Pro Football Players: Munoz (17** th **), Lott (23** rd **), Simpson (26** th **) and Allen (72** nd **). Munoz was chosen as one of the "NFL's top 10 players of the 20** th **Century" by** _SPORT_ **magazine. The Dick Butkus Football Network also named Munoz and Lott to its NFL All-Century first team.**

**In 1999, the** _San Diego Union-Tribune_ **examined all the Pro Bowl selections, and determined that at 162, USC led Notre Dame (135) and Ohio State (122) in producing the most players from one school. They also led in producing the most running backs and safeties. Entering the 2004 season, USC's total number had increased to 193.**

**A 1999** _SPORT_ **article determined that in the 1990s, arguably the weakest decade in SC football history, the Trojans had the most Pro Bowl selections (14). "The most measurable sign of a player's success - and thus his pedigree - comes in the form of the NFL's highest honor: the Pro Bowl," the article read. "It's not enough to make to the league, you've gotta make it** _in_ **the league."**

"USC is a football factory," said Keyshawn Johnson. "Every kid in L.A. grows up wanting to play there, and the coaches know how to translate that into elite athletes."

**A 1994** _College Sports_ **study rated USC first among running backs, offensive linemen and defensive backs, and third among linebackers, using a rating system of top sources to determine combined college and pro success. A 1985** _Sports Illustrated_ **poll of NFL player personnel directors ranked USC first in preparing college players for the NFL, particularly at the running back, offensive line and tight end positions.**

Former Trojan players, coaches and assistants who have become head coaches in the NFL include Seattle's Mike Holmgren, Tennessee's Jeff Fisher, Maimi's Dave Wannstedt, Detroit's Steve Mariucci, Jacksonville's Jack Del Rio, Oakland's Norv Turner, the Rams' John Robinson, Tampa Bay's John McKay, and Detroit's Wayne Fontes. Other assistant coaches and head coaches of note include R.C. Slocum, Ted Tollner, Bob Toledo, Bruce Snyder, Ed Orgeron, Ken O'Brien, Ricky Hunley, Paul Hackett, Norm Chow and Jerry Attaway.

Entering the 2006 season, USC's all-time won-loss record stood at 733-297-54, the best in Pacific 10 Conference history (going back to the days of the Pacific Coast Conference). They had a conference-best 388-153-29 record against Pac 10 foes. USC was 23-6 vs. Arizona, 13-9 vs. Arizona State, 58-30-5 vs. Cal, 35-15-2 vs. Oregon, 57-8-4 vs. Oregon State, 57-24-3 vs. Stanford, 41-27-7 vs. UCLA, 46-26-4 vs. Washington, and 53-8-4 vs. Washington State. USC has had the most All-Pac 10 selections.

USC is 63-27-2 vs. the Big 10 Conference, which includes 10-2 vs. Illinois, 4-0 vs. Indiana, 7-2 vs. Iowa, 5-4 vs. Michigan, 4-4 vs. Michigan State, 4-1-1 vs. Minnesota, 5-0 vs. Northwestern, 11-9-1 vs. Ohio State, 4-4 vs. Penn State, 3-1 vs. Purdue, and 6-0 vs. Wisconsin.

They are 30-42-5 vs. Notre Dame, 1-0-1 vs. Nebraska, 6-2-1 vs. Oklahoma, 4-0 vs. Texas, 3-0 vs. Texas A&M, 2-5 vs. Alabama, 3-0 vs. Georgia, and 4-0 vs. Tennessee.

USC is 386-122-27 at the Los Angeles Coliseum, and 45-28-16 in all games played at the Rose Bowl. With the Rose Bowl game on the line for one or both USC and UCLA, the Trojans are 21-11-2 and 14-4 since 1976. When both teams are playing for it, they are 16-6-1 (11 of the past 12). With only one team playing for the Rose Bowl, SC is 6-5-1. USC is 3-0-1 when only they are playing for it, UCLA 5-3 when only they are.

In 2005-06, USC finally caught Alabama to regain the title "America's winningest bowl team" with 29 (they had relinquished the title after losing the 1985 Aloha Bowl to the Tide). Their bowl percentage of.... based on a 29-15 record is the best in the country. USC won nine straight bowl games when they played in them between 1923 and 1945. They have appeared in the most Rose Bowls (30), with the most wins and the best percentage (22-8). It is the most victories by any college in a single bowl.

There have been various polling services and statistical calculations that have ranked USC number one in the nation at the end of 17 seasons, but the school only recognizes 12 of them as legitimate national championships (1928, 1931-32, 1939, 1962, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003-04-05). Howard Jones won four national championships between 1928 and 1939. Knute Rockne of Notre Dame won three national championships in his tenure from 1918 until his untimely death in a 1930 plane crash.

Notre Dame has won 11 national championships. Since the so-called "modern era" beginning in 1960, USC has won seven to Notre Dame's three. During this period, Notre Dame has won two Heismans to USC's seven.

Alabama claims 12 national championships, but at least two of them are illegitimate. In 1964 the polls voted before the bowls. The Tide lost to Texas. In 1973, United Press International voted before the Orange Bowl, which 'Bama lost by a point to the legitimate national champion, Notre Dame. Their legitimate back-to-back national championships came in 1925-26 and again in 1978-79, although USC has a strong argument that the split 1978 title should have gone to them since they beat Alabama, 24-14, at Legion Field that year. On the other hand, Alabama has an equally strong argument that the 1966 team (unbeaten, untied, bowl winner) was denied the title by the "Catholic vote," which voted Notre Dame number one despite a tie to Michigan State. USC also boasts seven Heismans to Alabama's zero.

USC became the first team to ever win three straight Associated Press national championships in 2003, 2004 and 2005, with a shot at a fourth in 2006. USC is 4-2 in games played between the number one and number two teams in the nation. In the 1963 Rose Bowl, number one USC beat number two Wisconsin, 42-37. In the 1969 Rose Bowl, number one Ohio State defeated number two USC, 27-16. In 1981, number one USC beat number two Oklahoma, 28-24 in Los Angeles. In 1988, number one Notre Dame upended second-ranked Troy, 27-10 at the Coliseum. In the 2005 BCS Orange Bowl, top-ranked SC devoured number two Oklahoma, 55-19, and in the 2006 BCS Rose Bowl, number one USC beat number two Texas.

When ranked number one vs. Notre Dame, USC has never lost to the Irish (1962, 1967, 1972, 2004, 2005). USC tied Nebraska in 2005 for fifth place among the most-frequently ranked teams in the Associated Press polling going back to its inception in 1936, which of course does not count the fact that they would have been ranked in the Top 20 of the vast majority of AP polls conducted since World War I had there been one.

USC tied Oklahoma in 2005 for the second most times ranked number one with 86. Should they be ranked number one at the beginning of 2006, they will pass the Sooners. Should they be ranked number one in the first four polls of 2006, they will have 90, moving them past Notre Dame (89) for the top slot.

In 2005, USC (35 from 2003-05) passed Miami (20 from 2001-02) for most consecutive weeks ranked number one in the AP poll. Again, if ranked number one at the beginning of 2006 as expected, they can extend this record beyond any reasonable hope of ever being caught, like Cy Young's career 511 wins in baseball and other lofty records. Notre Dame (19 from 1988-89) is third, with another USC team (17 from 1972-73) in fourth place.

**The 2005 USC team is only the third team ever to be ranked number one in the AP pre-season poll and hold it until after the bowls. The others are Florida State (1999) and USC (2004). Four other teams: Notre Dame (1943), Army (1945), Nebraska (1971) and USC (1972) were not ranked number one in the pre-season, but** _were_ **ranked first in each regular season poll and the final post-bowl poll.**

Prior to USC's two-time national championship run of 2003-04, the only repeat AP winners were Minnesota (1940-41), Army (1944-45), Notre Dame (1946-47), Oklahoma (1955-56), Alabama (1964*-65), Nebraska (1970-71), Oklahoma (1974**-75), Alabama (1978-79), and Nebraska (1994-95).

*Alabama lost its bowl game after the polls closed.

**Oklahoma was on NCAA probation.

Back-to-back champions prior to the AP polling also included California (1921-22), Alabama (1925-26), USC (1931-32) and Minnesota (1934-35). Other Pacific 10 Conference national champions include California (three: 1921-22, 1937), UCLA (1954, one Heisman), Washington (1991), and Stanford (two; one under Pop Warner in 1926, "tied" with Alabama after they tied them in the Rose Bowl; Clark Shaughnessy's unbeaten 1940 team "tied" with Minnesota; plus one Heisman; some "unofficial" analysts have said Stanford's "Vow Boys" of the 1930s were "national champs.).

**Other traditional football powers with national championships include Oklahoma (seven: 1950-55-56-74-75-85-2000, with four Heismans), Michigan (four:** 1923, 1933, 1948, 1997 **, with two Heismans), Ohio State (five: 1942-54-61-68-2002, with six Heismans), Miami (five: 1984-87-89-91-2001, with two Heismans), Nebraska (five: 1970-71-94-95-97, with three Heismans), Penn State (two: 1982-86, with one Heisman, although the Nittany Lions could easily have won three more: 1968-69-94), Texas (two: 1963-69, with two Heismans), Florida State (two: 1993-99, two Heismans), Florida (one: 1996, two Heismans), Tennessee (two: 1950-98, no Heismans), and Auburn (one: 1957, two Heismans).**

USC ranks in the top 10 among all-time college football victories, but this is a skewed statistic since Michigan, the leader, was a major college program for decades before USC shed its rugby image after World War I.

USC is also in the top 10 in all-time winning percentage, surpassing the impressive .700 mark in 2005. This is an amazing statistic, since USC has traditionally played the strongest conference, non-conference and inter-sectional schedule in the nation since the 1920s. USC has subjected itself on a yearly basis to death matches with Notre Dame and UCLA, and a host of national powers in the Rose Bowl and other bowls.

When trying to determine the greatest program ever, another factor in USC's favor is the fact that they have the most bowl wins and the best bowl winning percentage. They have achieved this playing in that most competitive of historical games, the "Granddaddy of 'em all," the Rose Bowl. They have also competed in most of the best bowls, including two Orange Bowls, the Fiesta Bowl and the Cotton Bowl. Each of their national championships have come with victories in the Rose Bowl, except for one Orange Bowl win and one year in which they did not play in one. There are numerous other teams that lay claim to national titles despite having lost bowl games. Seven of Notre Dame's national championship runs came in seasons in which they did not play in a bowl. Obviously, had they played in bowl games, they may well have lost some of those games, and with it national titles. Their "bowl game" in those seasons was USC, who also could have won a few more had they not subjected themselves to the yearly game with the Irish (and vice versa).

Since USC has the most impressive bowl record, it stands to reason that had there been a play-off system in place throughout all those years, they may have won more national championships than the 12 they have. They also probably would have had more undisputed titles instead of sharing a few with other teams of dubious merit. The Trojans have been accorded "national championship" status by varying polls, rankings and formulations in five additional non-title seasons. It is not hard to conceive that, with a play-off format in place, they may have beaten either Miami or Ohio State in 2002; Alabama in 1979; Pittsburgh in 1976; Texas, Penn State and Arkansas in 1969; and maybe a few others.

Entering the 2006 season, USC had 135 (as of 2005) All-Americans, the most of any school in the nation. From 1962 to 1990, USC placed at least one player on the All-American first team. From 1972 to 1987, at least one was a consensus All-American. 27 offensive linemen have made first team All-American since 1964. Entering 2005, 106 USC players (leading the nation) have made unanimous, consensus and/or first team All-American, and many of them were chosen in two and even three seasons.

USC, of course, has seven Heismans, which tied Notre Dame and has been well documented, but several Trojans on the 2006 roster could make up the school's eighth and ninth Heisman winners before the decade is over. USC has also placed five runners-up (O.J. Simpson '67, Anthony Davis '74, Ricky Bell '76, Rodney Peete '88, Reggie Bush '06). 10 Trojans have finished in the top 10 of the balloting without winning.

Offensive tackle Ron Yary won the Outland Trophy in 1967. Offensive guard Brad Budde won the Lombardi Award in 1979. Free safety Mark Carrier won the Jim Thorpe Award in 1989. Middle linebacker Chris Claiborne earned the Butkus Award in 1998. 27 Trojan players (the most) have been elected to the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame, in addition to two head coaches (Howard Jones and John McKay), three assistant coaches, and former athletic director Mike McGee.

Five USC players have won the Walter Camp Award, three the Maxwell Award, two the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and 16 the Glenn "Pop" Warner Award. Nine have won the Voit Trophy. Three coaches have been named American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year (Carroll in 2003), two the Football Writers Association of America Coach of the Year, and six the Pac 10 Conference Coach of the Year. 15 Trojans have been named the Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Year (the most), and 10 the Morris Trophy. 24 (the most) have won the Rose Bowl Player of the Game award. 18 (also the most) have been inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.

**O.J. Simpson was named the "50** th **greatest athlete of the 20** th **century" by ESPN. Simpson, Yary and Lott were named as starters on the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-Century Team, with Brad Budde and Tim McDonald named as reserves.** _Football News_ **ranked Simpson the 10** th **greatest player of the 20** th **Century. Yary and Lott made the Scripps Howard News Service College Football All-Star Team of the Century. Swann, Yary and Lott were first team and Tony Boselli second team on the Dick Butkus Football Network College Football All-Century Team.**

**13 USC players made first team and 15 second team on the** _L.A. Times_ **All-Century Southern California College Football Team.** _Football News_ **ranked the 1974 USC-Notre Dame game the sixth greatest "moment of the century." The** _Times_ **ranked their "moments of the century":**

  51. 1967 USC-UCLA game.

  52. 1974 USC-Notre Dame game.

  12. 1975 USC-Ohio State Rose Bowl game.

  12. 1990 USC-UCLA game.

  13. 1939 USC-Duke Rose Bowl game.

The L.A. Sports Council picked the 1974 USC-Notre Dame game as the third greatest athletic event of the century, followed by 11 other SC football contests. Collegefootballnews.com chose Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Ron Yary, Ronnie Lott, Lynn Swann and Tony Boselli among its "150 greatest college football players."

Since joining the Pacific Coast Conference in 1922, USC has won the most conference titles and had the most all-conference selections. USC has had the most players in the post-season bowls: the Hula Bowl (128), the East-West Shrine Game (98), the Senior Bowl (52), the College All-Star Game (72), the Japan Bowl (40), and the Coaches All-America Game (26).

**They have also landed the most players on the prestigious** _Playboy_ **pre-season college All-American team. Since 1957, when the magazine first started selecting teams, 63 Trojan players as well as three Coaches of the Year and one Scholar-Athlete have been picked. Prior to 2005, the school with the next-most picks is Michigan (45), followed by Notre Dame (40, plus one Coach of the Year), Oklahoma (36, two coaches), and Nebraska (33, one coach, two Scholar-Athletes). From 1972 to 1987, USC was represented. On six occasions (1970-76-79-80-04-05), there were three Trojan players. In '05, Coach of the Year Carroll accompanied the three players (Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Tom Malone).**

11 times, USC has played against that season's Heisman Trophy winner. They defeated Notre Dame's Paul Hornung (1956) and John Huarte (1964); UCLA's Gary Beban (1967); Ohio State's Archie Griffin (1974); and South Carolina's George Rogers (1980).

USC's media guide bills the Trojans as the true "America's team" because they have played on television 308 times going into the 2004 season. At one point, 111 straight games were televised. They were on a record six national telecasts in 1987. From 1972 to 1981, USC had the highest average viewer rating in America. Sports Inc. ranked five of the USC-Notre Dame telecasts among the 12 highest-rated games ever. The 2005 USC-Notre Dame game was the most-watched regular season college football game in 10 years.

The Trojans have played in front of more than 100,000 fans in the Coliseum on six occasions, with the 104,953 for the 1947 game with Notre Dame holding the record. The biggest road crowd was 100,741 at the Rose Bowl for the 1988 Rodney Peete-Troy Aikman battle with UCLA. The biggest crowd ever was 120,000 at Soldier Field, Chicago for the 1927 Notre Dame game, with 112,912 watching the teams play at the same site in 1929. The biggest Rose Bowl game crowd was 106,869 for the 1973 national championship-clinching win over Ohio State.

"Hollywood Trojans" who have appeared in films and TV: John Wayne (1925-26 under the name Marion Morrison), Ward Bond (1928-30), Cotton Warburton (All-American, 1933), Marv Goux (1954-55), Tim Rossovich (1967 All-American), O.J. Simpson (1967-68), Anthony Davis (1972-74), Allan Graf (1970-72) and Shane Foley (1989-90), just to name a few.

On top of all this, USC has the greatest overall men's and women's collegiate athletic tradition in the nation. Its closest competition comes from UCLA. Entering the fall of 2005, USC had the most men's national championships (85). UCLA has won 68 NCAA titles (Stanford has won 57 prior to the 2004 season). USC has won 105 combined men's and women's NCAA titles. From 1959 to 1985, USC won a national championship for 26 straight school years. They won five each in 1962-63 and 1976-77. USC also has won 294 NCAA men's individual championships (followed by Michigan with 244). In 2000, USC was named "Collegiate Athletic Program of the Century."

**AUSC athlete has graced the cover of** _Sports Illustrated_ **92 times prior to the 2004 season, which may not be verified but is probably another record. 31 Trojans (prior to '04) have been named the Amateur Athletic Foundation Southern California Athlete of the Year.**

**While it may be a question of debate as to whether or not USC boasts the greatest football tradition in America, no debate exists when it comes to baseball. USC won 11 national championships under Rod Dedeaux, and a 12** th **under Mike Gillespie in 1998. Texas is second with five. When Dedeaux retired after the 1986 season, his 1,332 wins were the most of any coach. He was named "College Baseball Coach of the Century." USC was named "College Baseball Program of the Century" by** _Collegiate Baseball_ **magazine. USC has had the most baseball Olympians and the second-most members of the USA National Team. USC ball players have graced more** _Sports Illustrated_ **covers than any school.**

USC has had the most All-American baseball players, the most players drafted (263), the most players drafted in the first round, the most professional players and the most Major League baseball players. They boast the most baseball Hall of Famers, the most All-Stars, and the most Cy Young Award winners (nine). In 2002, Barry Zito and Randy Johnson both won the Cy Young Award. Fred Lynn won the 1975 American League MVP award. Trojans have been Rookie of the Year three times, one has been the All-Star Game MVP (Lynn), and in 2001 Johnson was the World Series MVP.

In 1997, Johnson, Mark McGwire and Jeff Cirillo were in the All-Star Game. In 2003, Jenkins, both Boone brothers, Aaron and Bret, Zito and Mark Prior were there.

In 2004, USC had 15 players in the big leagues, including the Boones, Cirillo, Morgan Ensberg, Geoff Jenkins, Johnson, Bobby Kielty, Jacque Jones, Jason Lane, Eric Munson and Zito. Mark McGwire set the all-time big league record for homers in a single season with 70 in 1998.

While only Trojan (Tom Seaver) is in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, it is a safe bet that Johnson and McGwire will make it three: again, the most of any college. Arizona State has Reggie Jackson, and eventually Barry Bonds will be their second.

Despite not being known for basketball, a disproportionate number of Trojans from the 1940s and '50s are considered hoops pioneers. The "triangle offense" was invented by Hall of Famer Sam Barry (Tex Winter was on that 1947 team) at SC. Such stalwarts as Bill Sharman and Alex Hannum played at USC before Hall of Fame induction in Springfield. Standout Trojans include Ken Flower, Mack Calvin, Paul Westphal, Gus Williams, Cliff Robinson, Harold Miner and Sam Clancy. Six ex-Trojans became NBA coaches, including Hannum, the coach of the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers, who were a then-NBA record 68-14 and, led by Wilt Chamberlain, won the World Championship. Sharman, a star on the great Boston Celtics teams of the 1950s, coached Chamberlain and the 1972 Lakers to a 69-13 mark, breaking the Sixers record. They won a pro sports record 33 straight games and the NBA title. Paul Westphal later was a standout coach of the Phoenix Suns.

**USC also boasts (along with UCLA) the most Olympians (340), the most Olympic Gold Medallists (104), and if they had been a country in 1976, they would have placed third in total medals at the Montreal Games. A Trojan has medaled in every modern Olympics Games (beginning at St. Louis in 1904) of the 20** th **and now 21** st **Centuries, including the boycotted Moscow Games of 1980.**

USC's track and field teams have won an unprecedented 26 national championships. The men's tennis teams have won 16. The swimming and diving teams have won nine. The women's tennis teams have won seven.

**Academically, USC ranks in the top 10 of all collegiate programs in the production of NCAA post-graduate scholarships. Three Trojans have earned Rhodes Scholarships, 27 have been named first team Academic All-Americans (22 for football, rating ahead of Cal, Stanford, UCLA and all other Pac 10 schools, sixth best in America), eight have earned the prestigious NCAA Today's Top Six scholar award, 12 are National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes, and 10 have won the NCAA Silver Anniversary Awards. In 1994, a** _Sports Illustrated_ **study found that, out of the relative strength of the nation's top 25 football teams, USC's players were ranked second nationally in high school G.P.A.s, sixth in SAT scores, and third in ACT scores.**

**It is not all that hard to understand why USC is the greatest football and all-around athletic tradition ever. They are a product of their environment: in particular, Greater Los Angeles and in general, the state of California. They are the biggest and the best in a part of the world that has always produced the biggest and the best, at every level of sports. They are the proverbial "big fish in a** _very_ **big pond." There are many reasons why the Golden State produces so many outstanding athletes, but the two biggest and most obvious are the weather and the population.**

The best high school sports in the world are played in the L.A. area, particularly in the Orange County/Long Beach corridor, but also in the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley, and the Inland Empire. Beyond that, great high school sports are played year-round in San Diego County; the Sac-Joaquin Section (stretching from Bakersfield to Fresno north to Sacramento); the Central Coast Section (Catholic schools in San Francisco, extending down the peninsula south to San Jose and beyond); and the North Coast Section (the Golden Gate Bridge north to the Oregon border, and in the East Bay from the Concord-Benicia area to Fremont).

Traditionally, the city of San Francisco was at one time considered the best place in the country when it came to producing big league ball players (Joe DiMaggio, Frank Crosetti). Los Angeles city proper was its equal. Fremont High has produced more big league ball players than any school. Other inner city players include Eddie Murray and Ozzie Smith, among so many. Great prep baseball traditions also include Lakewood, San Diego Rancho Bernardo, San Diego University (Barry Zito), Fresno Clovis West, San Mateo Serra (Barry Bonds) and Larkspur Redwood (Pete Carroll). Santa Monica has a long baseball and American Legion tradition. Blair Field in Long Beach has probably hosted more great high school, American Legion and Joe DiMaggio League greats than any other locale.

L.A. is still a prep hoops powerhouse on par with New York City and Philadelphia, with Crenshaw and Verbum Dei among the most storied traditions. Santa Ana Mater Dei developed into a top program beginning in the 1980s. Berkeley, Oakland McClymond's and Oakland Tech are longtime East Bay Area powers.

California football tradition is dominated by Concord De La Salle, Clovis West, Bishop Amat, Santa Monica, San Fernando, Los Angeles Loyola, Huntington Beach Edison, Rialto Eisenhower, Banning, Carson, Santa Ana Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly. De La Salle, winners of 151 straight games and four national championships between 1991 and 2003, might be called the "USC of high school football."

The Oakland area produced an unbelievable plethora of superstars in the 1940s and '50s: Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Joe Morgan, Willie Stargell, Bill Russell, Jackie Jensen and many others.

California has produced the most Olympians, the most Major League ball players, the most pro basketball players and the most pro football players. After USC, the best college track tradition is UCLA's. Cal boasts a long track history. The Golden Bears' Brutus Hamilton was the U.S. Olympic track and field coach.

In baseball, UCLA has produced a comparable number of big leaguers to SC. Cal State Fullerton and Stanford are two of the all-time great programs. Fresno State has produced many stars.

UCLA has also produced a large number of players in the NFL over the years. So, too, have San Diego State and Fresno State.

The greatest college basketball program ever is unquestionably UCLA. The dynasty they replaced? The University of San Francisco, winners of 60 straight and two national titles with Russell from 1955-56. Cal won the 1959 NCAA title.

It does not stop there. USF's soccer program was for many years the best in the U.S. The Mission Viejo Aquatic Club has developed the most Olympic champions. Al Scates's volleyball tradition at UCLA is perhaps second in dominance only to Dean Cromwell's in track at Southern Cal. Southern California beach volleyball is the be-all and end-all of the sport. Surfing was perfected and mythologized in the SoCal.

****

Below is the All-Time College Football Top 25 rankings, followed by the Top 25 Greatest Single-Season teams in college football history. The greatest college football teams are listed chronologically; the best team for each decade; the best single-season team each decade, followed by great programs in back-to-back, three-year, five-year, 10/15-year and 20/25-year periods; the most prominent dynasties and the coaches behind them; and for good measure the Top 25 Collegiate Athletic Programs of All-Time, the Top College Basketball Programs, and the Top 20 College Baseball Programs ever. A few prep dynasties are mentioned for good measure.

It is subjective and opinionated. It is meant to stir debate, controversy and argument. It is not written in stone. Extra credit goes to the more modern powers. Miami's success in the 1980s is more impressive than Cal's Wonder Teams after World War I. Oklahoma's early 2000s run, while only resulting in one national championship instead of three, is in the modern context almost as impressive as what they accomplished in the 1950s. The game has changed. Competition, money, television, scholarship limits, NCAA rules, recruiting violations and parity all play a part in this evaluation. To the extent that the so-called "modern era" began, trace it to 1960, which is subjective, yes, but as good an embarkation point as any. It was in the 1960s when the players starting getting bigger, the equipment up to speed, the coaching techniques improved, and the color of the player's skin became increasingly something other than white.

**Based upon history, one is increasingly impressed with USC. Overall, Notre Dame's ranking as the greatest college football program of all time has to take a back seat to their biggest rivals from the West Coast. In light of USC's** **tradition and, basVP award. ThreTVhe most-watched regular season college football game in 10 years.he Century" by re.P. jenkins,** **new status - the dynasty that Pete Carroll built on top of their previous tradition - it is time to officially acknowledge that it is the Trojans, and no longer Notre Dame, who have risen above all other historic college football programs.**

**In 2005, USC passed the Irish for the most national championships (12 to 11), and tied them for the most Heisman Trophy winners (both with seven). Notre Dame still holds the lead over the Trojans in their inter-sectional rivalry, and trace their glory days back to when Knute Rockne invented the forward pass in time to beat favored Army in 1913. However, while Charlie Weis** _appears_ **to have righted Notre Dame's listing ship, they have struggled too much in the modern decades to hold the title any longer. Call the Men of Troy the New Centurions of the Millennium; the dynasty of all dynasties!**

Notre Dame was the best college team under Rockne in the decade of the 1920s and under Frank Leahy in the 1940s. They had another major "era of Ara" (Parseghian) in the 1960s and '70s, and are listed among the top two-year dynasties (1946-47), 5-year dynasties (1943-47, 1973-77) and have three dynasties that are included among the 10/15-year period. Furthermore, they are Notre Dame, and all that that stands for: "Win one for the Gipper," the Catholic Church, "Touchdown Jesus," Ronald Reagan, "Rudy," "subway alumni," the Four Horsemen "outlined against a blue, gray October sky," "wake up the echoes..."

Notre Dame's fans are the most intense and loyal. They are the team that played in Yankee Stadium, in Soldier Field, at the Coliseum. Many of their historic games were against SC. The tradition of these two teams are the best and the oldest.

For decades, the number two team was Southern California. This was not a coincidence. No rivalry in sports (or politics or war, probably) has done so much to elevate both sides as the USC-Notre Dame tradition. It put both schools on the national map. It pits, as SC assistant coach Marv Goux put it, "the best of the East vs. the best of the West." It matches the Catholic school with their Midwestern values against the flash 'n' dazzle of Hollywood, and it has never failed to live up to expectations.

Beginning in the 1980s, however, SC dropped while Notre Dame stayed at or near the top throughout the Lou Holtz era. Other contenders emerged. Miami and Florida State ascended to the top. Nebraska left opponents in the dust. Programs like Alabama and Oklahoma had, like SC, faltered, but regained their footing. Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and other teams, many in the South, rose in prominence. This was a direct result of integration and its impact has been very positive, but a school like Southern California could no longer lay claim to black athletes that were spurned by the SEC or the Southwestern Conference.

SC began to win awards and recognition for its academic excellence, and it became an article of faith that this was the trade-off; great football teams and great students are not mutually compatible. All of it was B.S. Pete Carroll proved that.

Six years ago, a Top 25 listing of the Greatest College Football Programs of All-Time would have shown USC to have slipped. However, in light of their national championships and continuing favored status, Troy is now ahead of Notre Dame and in the top spot.

Long dynasties are hard to come by in college football, but as the following lists show, SC has a long history of doing just that. It is for this reason, combined with the glow of being Notre Dame's biggest rival, its great inter-city tradition with UCLA, and a history that goes back farther than almost any program (Michigan and Notre Dame are the only schools that go back as far and are still powers) that Southern California is not just first all-time in football but first among all athletic programs (and first by a wide margin in baseball).

The Greatest College Football Team in history was generally considered to be John McKay's 1972 Trojans. Just ask Keith Jackson, who ought to know. In addition, SC claims the best single-season team in the 1920s (1928), '30s (1931) and 2000s (2005). They are considered the best team of the decade of the 1930s, 1960s, 1970s, and now the 2000s.

Further proof of SC's ability to maintain a tradition is their consistency. The top dynasty period in history was the John McKay/John Robinson era lasting from the early 1960s until the 1980s. The Howard Jones "Thundering Herd" teams of the 1920s and '30s also ranks highly.

The best back-to-back teams ever? How about USC (2003-04), USC (2004-05), Oklahoma (1955-56), Nebraska (1994-95), Notre Dame (1946-47), Army (1944-45), Nebraska (1970-71) and Alabama (1978-79)?

Among the best three-year periods ever, none is better than SC's run from 2003-05, followed by their teams of 1972-74. Oklahoma deserves mention from 1971-73, or 1973-75. Among 5/6-year periods, consider three of Troy's eras (1967-72, the best of anybody, followed by 1974-79 and 1928-32). Also, Minnesota from 1934-36.

The best 10/15-year period? USC from 1967 to 1979, but that is not all. Also ranked is the period 1962-72 and 1928-39. Among great long-term dynasties (20/25 years), nobody beats Southern California from 1962-81, when they won five national championships and four Heisman Trophies. Alabama might argue that they won six national titles. Two of them are bogus (1964 and 1966, bowl losses after the polls closed), they had no Heisman winners, and no where's near as many All-Americans or first round draft picks. Their complaints about losing the 1966 vote are no more legit than USC saying they should have won the '78 vote outright. SC is undisputedly a football factory. The empirical evidence cannot be argued against.

**Aside from Bear Bryant's great run from 1961 to 1979, Alabama fans certainly have the** _right_ **to argue against Trojan football hegemony, and they have plenty of ammunition. They were a national power as far back as the 1920s and '30s, when Don Hutson starred there. However, they slipped (as did USC during the same years) until the Bryant era. Bryant's dominant period parallels John McKay's (and John Robinson's) and is as impressive as any ever. However, the Tide was all white until SC's Sam "Bam" Cunningham showed them, in Bear's own (alleged) words, "what a football player looks like" in 1970. After SC's 42-21 victory at Birmingham,** _L.A. Times_ **sports columnist Jim Murray welcomed 'Bama "back into the Union." If everything else** _was_ **equal \- legit titles, Heismans, All-American selections, draft picks - the fact that USC was integrated and Alabama was not for the first 10 years of the comparable Bryant-McKay period would be enough to give Southern Cal the nod.**

The Crimson Tide experienced a down period after Bear departed, regained its place with the 1992 national title, but inexplicably fell from grace for another decade after that. Their recent embarrassment in hiring Mike Price only to fire him for cavorting with strippers was indicative of their malaise, but in 2005 Mike Shula looked like he was ready to lead them out of the wilderness.

Oklahoma's teams in the 1950s dominated as thoroughly as any in history, and Bud Wilkinson is to be commended for integrating the Sooner program, but that is a long time ago. They were not a major power prior to that decade. The Chuck Fairbanks/Barry Switzer teams of the 1970s and '80s were as impressive as any that have ever taken the field (and pockmarked by scandal and probation), but they became downright mediocre after Brian Bosworth's departure. Bob Stoops, however, brought right back where they were before, and then some.

Miami is rated highly based purely on unreal dominance in the 1980s and early '90s, and a 34-game winning streak accompanied by 20 straight AP number one rankings from 2001-02. They maintained an 18-year run from 1983-2002 that approaches SC's 1962-81 dynasty. However, until Howard Schnellenberger (by whatever means he did it) made them a power in '83, they were a college football lightweight, plus their championship rosters too often resembled police reports.

**Ohio State is sixth and could be higher. However, until Woody Hayes came along, Michigan, not Ohio State, was the dominant Big 10 team. Woody's long tenure is very impressive, lasting from his 1954 national championship (split with UCLA) until Archie Griffin's second Heisman campaign (1975). The 1968 Buckeyes are one of the most storied teams in history, good enough to dominate O.J. Simpson and defending national champion USC in the Rose Bowl. But Woody's teams always fell short after that. They would go undefeated, average 40-plus points a game, and make** _Sports Illustrated_ **covers, but in Pasadena every New Year's Day, it seemed, their "three yards and a cloud of dust" offense was no match for Pat Haden, John Sciarra, or whoever SC or UCLA threw at them.**

Penn State (seventh) has been a consistent national power under Joe Paterno since 1968, when they were in the middle of a 30-game winning streak. Their "weak" East Coast schedule cost them a couple of national titles, but the 1980s were Joe Pa's time. They had fallen precipitously in later years (rebounding in 2005), and while they have played football in Happy Valley a long time (the Lions lost to USC, 24-3, in the first game at the modern Rose Bowl stadium in 1923), they do not have a tradition that goes back like SC or Notre Dame, either.

Nebraska is a relative Johnny-come-lately. Nobody knew much about the Cornhuskers until Bob Devaney's mythical 1970-71 national championship squads (Omaha's Gale Sayers spurned the program because they "weren't that good"). The Devaney/Tom Osborne era is unbelievable, starting with a long winning streak in the early '70s, but not devoid of criticism. Osborne may be just below Jesus Christ in Nebraska today, but Big Red fans took the Lord's name in vain aplenty when he consistently lost big games in the 1970s and '80s. Still, the 1971 and '95 squads rank as two of the top four teams in history, and Cornhusker dominance from 1993-97 was extraordinary (60-3, three National Championships).

Michigan has a hallowed tradition. They were college football's first powerhouse, beating Stanford in the first Rose Bowl, 49-0 in 1902. When the Big 10 started playing the Pacific Coast Conference after World War II, Michigan (and the Big 10 overall) laid waste to the "soft" West Coast teams, which included pastings of some very good Pappy Waldorf teams from Cal in the Rose Bowl games of the late '40s. However, the Wolverines lost their place to Woody until Bo Schembechler came along. The Michigan teams of the 1970s mirrored Woody's - often unbeaten with gaudy stats until a pick-your-choice Pac 8 team (Stanford, USC, Washington) would dismantle them in Pasadena. In 1997 they finally won a national championship and are a program of the first rate, but not number one.

Texas is a bit of a mystery. Darrell Royal's Longhorns won two national championships (1963 and 1969, the last all-white title holder), and had a big winning 30-game streak that ended against Notre Dame in the 1971 Cotton Bowl, but Earl Campbell's team lost to Joe Montana when the Irish "stole" the 1977 national championship (going from fifth to first on January 2, 1978). Texas had never repeated despite occasionally being favored, but they usually were slightly disappointing until the Vince Young team of 2005 got off the porch and tried to run with the "big dog" from Los Angeles.

Florida State was a girl's school until Burt Reynolds broke the gender barrier in 1952. Tennessee has a great tradition, and they won the title in 1998. LSU and Florida have made bids for supremacy, the latter under Steve Spurrier, but they seem to lose the big games more often than not.

Michigan State under Duffy Daugherty from 1965-66 broke color barriers and challenged for greatness, but Gary Beban and UCLA beat them in the 1966 Rose Bowl, and they tied Notre Dame in the 1966 "game of the century." Georgia's fans are nuts, and the team is darn good most of the time. Auburn and UCLA are two of a kind. They each have won one national championship, and have all the advantages - weather, facilities, recruiting, talent - only to labor in the shadow of historical behemoths (USC over UCLA, Alabama over Auburn).

**The Arkansas Razorbacks are always fun. The 1991 Washington Huskies were the 22nd** **best single-season team ever, the Don James era was terrific, but they usually only go so far. Cal is so yesterday. Brick Muller's memory died an ugly death when the school became the** _de facto_ **staging grounds of American Communism circa 1964-70. The Pitt Panthers were great in the 1930s and in Tony Dorsett's 1976 Heisman season. Minnesota is forgotten except for a great stretch prior to World War II. The Golden Gophers of Bernie Bierman were a power in the mid-1930s, again from 1940-41, and the school took their last national championship in 1960. The Army Cadets once dominated whenever there was a world war being fought (?), and Stanford has Pop Warner, Ernie Nevers, Jim Plunkett, John Elway, Bill Walsh and the "Vow Boys." BYU won the 1984 national championship and sports a long tradition of "bombs away" quarterbacks, led by Jim McMahon and Steve Young.**

All-Time Greatest College Football Teams

All-Time Top 25

1. Southern California Trojans

2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

4. Oklahoma Sooners

5. Miami Hurricanes

6. Ohio State Buckeyes

7. Penn State Nittany Lions

8. Nebraska Cornhuskers

9. Michigan Wolverines

10. Texas Longhorns

11. Florida State Seminoles

12. Tennessee Volunteers

13. Auburn Tigers

14. Louisiana State Tigers

15. Florida Gators

16. Michigan State Spartans

17. Georgia Bulldogs

18. UCLA Bruins

19. Arkansas Razorbacks

20. Washington Huskies

21. California Golden Bears

22. Pittsburgh Panthers

23. Minnesota Golden Gophers

24. Stanford Indians/Cardinal

25. Brigham Young Cougars

Greatest single-season teams

1. 2005 Southern California Trojans

2. 1972 Southern California Trojans

3. 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers

4. 2004 Southern California Trojans

5. 1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

  26. 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers

  27. 2001 Miami Hurricanes

  28. 1945 Army Cadets

  29. 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide

  30. 1956 Oklahoma Sooners

  31. 1999 Florida State Seminoles

  32. 1989 Miami Hurricanes

  33. 1986 Penn State Nittany Lions

14. 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes

15. 1969 Texas Longhorns

16. 1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

17. 1932 Southern California Trojans

18. 1975 Oklahoma Sooners

19. 1921 California Golden Bears

20. 1973 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

21. 1948 Michigan Wolverines

22. 1928 Southern California Trojans

23. 1991 Washington Huskies

24. 1985 Oklahoma Sooners

25. 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers

26. 1962 Southern California Trojans

27. 1987 Miami Hurricanes

28. 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

29. 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide

30. 1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

31. 1996 Florida Gators

Chronological

1902 Michigan Wolverines

1919 California Golden Bears

1922 California Golden Bears

1924 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1928 Southern California Trojans

1930 Alabama Crimson Tide

1932 Southern California Trojans

1936 Minnesota Golden Gophers

1945 Army Cadets

1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1948 Michigan Wolverines

1956 Oklahoma Sooners

1962 Southern California Trojans

1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1968 Ohio State Buckeyes

1969 Texas Longhorns

1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers

1972 Southern California Trojans

1973 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1975 Oklahoma Sooners

1976 Pittsburgh Panthers

1979 Alabama Crimson Tide

1985 Oklahoma Sooners

1986 Penn State Nittany Lions

1987 Miami Hurricanes

1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1989 Miami Hurricanes

1991 Washington Huskies

1992 Alabama Crimson Tide

1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers

1996 Florida Gators

1999 Florida State Seminoles

2001 Miami Hurricanes

2004 Southern California Trojans

2005 Southern California Trojans

By Decades (single year)

1900s: 1902 Michigan Wolverines

1910s: 1919 California Golden Bears

1920s: 1928 Southern California Trojans

1930s: 1932 Southern California Trojans

1940s: 1947 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1950s: 1956 Oklahoma Sooners

1960s: 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes

1970s: 1972 Southern California Trojans

1980s: 1989 Miami Hurricanes

1990s: 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers

2000s: 2005 Southern California Trojans

By Decades

1900s: Michigan Wolverines

1910s: California Golden Bears

1920s: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1930s: Southern California Trojans

1940s: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

1950s: Oklahoma Sooners

1960s: Southern California Trojans

1970s: Southern California Trojans

1980s: Miami Hurricanes

1990s: Nebraska Cornhuskers

2000s: Southern California Trojans

Dynasties

1. Southern California under John McKay & John Robinson (1960s-80s)

2. Miami (1980s-2000s)

3. Alabama under Bear Bryant (1960s-80s)

4. Ohio State under Woody Hayes (1950s-70s)

5. Oklahoma under Bud Wilkinson (1950s)

6. Nebraska under Bob DeVaney & Tom Osborne (1970s-'90s)

7. Penn State under Joe Paterno (1960s-90s)

8. Oklahoma under Chuck Fairbanks & Barry Switzer (1970s-'80s)

9. Notre Dame under Knute Rockne (1920s)

10. Notre Dame under Frank Leahy (1940s)

11. Southern California's "Thundering Herd" under Howard Jones (1920s-30s)

12. Notre Dame under Ara Parseghian (1960s-70s)

13. Florida State under Bobby Bowden (1990s)

14. Texas under Darrell Royal (1960s-70s)

15. Michigan under Bo Schembechler (1960s-80s)

16. California's "Wonder Teams" under Andy Smith (1918-22)

17. Army under Red Blaik (mid-1940s)

18. Minnesota under Bernie Bierman (1930s, early '40s)

19. Stanford under Pop Warner (1920s)

20. Michigan's "point-a-minute" teams under Fritz Carlisle (1900s)

21. Southern California under Pete Carroll (2000s)

Best two-year period

  12. Southern California (2004-05)

  13. Oklahoma (1955-56)

  14. Nebraska (1994-95)

4. Notre Dame (1946-47)

5. Army (1944-45)

6. Alabama (1978-79)

7. Oklahoma (1974-75)

8. Southern California (2003-04)

Best three-year periods

1. Southern California (2003-05)

2. Southern California (1972-74)

3. Miami (1987-89)

4. California (1920-22)

  15. Southern California (1930-32)

  16. Oklahoma (1954-56)

  17. Army (1944-46)

  18. Alabama (1964-66)

  19. Minnesota (1934-36)

  20. Oklahoma (1974-75)

Best 5/6-year periods

  26. Southern California (1967-72)

2. Notre Dame (1943-47)

3. Miami (1987-91)

4. Notre Dame (1973-77)

5. Southern California (1974-79)

6. Alabama (1961-66)

7. Penn State (1982-86)

8. Southern California (1928-32)

9. Minnesota (1936-41)

10. Oklahoma (1971-75)

  15. Nebraska (1993-97)

Best 10/15-year periods

1. Southern California Trojans (1967-81)

2. Miami Hurricanes (1983-91)

3. Southern California Trojans (1962-72)

4. Oklahoma Sooners (1950s)

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1920s)

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1940s)

7. Nebraska Cornhuskers (1990s)

8. Penn State Nittany Lions (1982-91)

9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1966-77)

10. Oklahoma Sooners (1974-85)

11. Florida State Seminoles (1990s)

12. Southern California Trojans (1928-39)

13. Alabama Crimson Tide (1964-79)

Best 20/25-year periods

1. Southern California Trojans (1962-81)

2. Miami Hurricanes (1983-2001)

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1964-88)

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (1961-79)

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (1954-75)

"Close but no cigar"(honorable mention)

1913 Army Cadets, 1938 Duke Blue Devils, 1939 Tennessee Volunteers, 1947-49 California Golden Bears, 1954 UCLA Bruins, 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans, 1967-69 Southern California Trojans, 1969-75 Ohio State Buckeyes, 1969-78 Michigan Wolverines, 1971-73 Oklahoma Sooners, 1978-1979 Southern California Trojans, 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 1979 Ohio State Buckeyes, 2003-04 Oklahoma Sooners

Longest major college football winning streaks

47 - Oklahoma Started 10/10/53 at Texas, snapped 11/16/57 vs. Notre Dame.

35 - USC (ongoing) Started 10/4/03 at. Arizona State, continues at beginning of 2006...

34 - Miami Started 9/23/00 at West Virginia, snapped 1/3/03 vs. Ohio State (2 OT -

Fiesta Bowl).

31 - Oklahoma Started 10/2/48 vs. Texas A&M, snapped 1/1/51 vs. Kentucky (Sugar

Bowl).

30 - Texas Started 10/5/68 vs. Oklahoma State, snapped 1/1/71 vs. Notre Dame

(Cotton Bowl).

29 - Miami Started 10/27/90 at Texas Tech, snapped 1/1/93 vs. Alabama (Sugar

Bowl).

28 - Alabama Started 9/21/91 vs. Georgia, snapped 10/16/93 vs. Tennessee (tie).

28 - Alabama Started 9/30/78 vs. Vanderbilt, snapped 11/1/80 at Mississippi State.

28 - Oklahoma Started 10/6/73 vs. Miami, snapped 11/8/75 vs. Kansas.

28 - Michigan State Started 10/14/50 vs. William & Mary, snapped 10/24/53 at Purdue.

25 - *USC Started 10/3/31 vs. Oregon State, snapped (tie) 10/21/33 vs. Oregon

23 - **USC Started USC 10/23/71, snapped 10/27/73 at Notre Dame

*Extended to 27-game unbeaten streak, snapped 11/11/03 by Stanford's "Vow Boys"

**Unbeaten streak (tied UCLA 11/20/71)

Toledo started a 35-game winning streak on 9/20/69 vs. Villanova, snapped 9/9/72 at Tampa.

A winning streak consists of consecutive games, regular season and bowl games, with no ties or losses.

An unbeaten streak consists of consecutive games played without a loss, including ties.

Records are sketchy, but Washington had a 63-game unbeaten streak, which included 39 straight wins between 1908-14, but it is not considered the modern record due to rules changes and the playing of rugby instead of football.

Georgia Tech had an unbeaten streak of approximately 36 games in the 1950s, probably with at least one tie, which was ended by Notre Dame in 1953.

Penn State had an unbeaten streak of approximately 30 games from 1968-70.

Nebraska also had an unbeaten streak of 32 games, begun after an opening-game loss vs. USC in 1969, interrupted by a 1970 tie at USC, and ending in a season-opening 1972 loss at UCLA.

Miami had a 36-game regular season winning streak from 1985-88, ending at Notre Dame, but they had lost the 1987 Fiesta Bowl to Penn State.

Division III's Mount Union College did not lose a game in four years, reaching a 46-game winning streak.

Mount Dora (Division III) won 54 straight from 1996-1999.

In Division II, Hillsdale College posted victories in 34 straight games between 1954-57.

Morgan State had the longest unbeaten streak in Division II, winning or tying 54 straight games between 1931-38.

National Champions By Year

1869 Princeton

1870 Princeton

1872 Princeton

1873 Princeton

1874 Princeton

1875 Princeton

1876 Yale

1877 Princeton

1878 Princeton

1879 Princeton

1880 Yale

1881 Princeton

1882 Yale

1883 Yale

1884 Princeton

1885 Princeton

1886 Princeton

1887 Yale

1888 Yale

1889 Princeton

1890 Harvard

1891 Yale

1892 Yale

1893 Princeton

1894 Yale

1895 Pennsylvania

1896 Princeton

1897 Pennsylvania

1898 Harvard

1899 Princeton

1900 Yale

1901 Harvard

1902 Michigan

1903 Princeton

1904 Minnesota

1906 Yale

1907 Yale

1908 Harvard

1909 Yale

1910 Harvard

1911 Princeton

1912 Harvard

1913 Auburn

1914 Texas

1915 Oklahoma

1916 Pittsburgh

1917 Georgia Tech

1918 Michigan

1919 Texas A&M

1920 Notre Dame

1921 California

1922 California

1923 Michigan

1924 Notre Dame

1925 Alabama

1926 Stanford, Alabama

1927 Illinois

1928 Southern Cal

1929 Notre Dame

1930 Alabama

1931 Southern Cal.

1932 Southern Cal.

1933 Michigan

1934 Minnesota

1935 Minnesota

1936 Minnesota

1937 Pittsburgh

1938 Tennessee, TCU (Heisman: Davey O'Brien)

1939 Southern Cal, Texas A&M

1940 Minnesota, Stanford

1941 Minnesota (Heisman: Bruce Smith)

1942 Ohio State, Georgia (Heisman: Frank Sinkwich)

1943 Notre Dame (Heisman: Angelo Bertelli)

1944 Army

1945 Army (Heisman: Doc Blanchard)

1946 Notre Dame

1947 Notre Dame (Heisman: John Lujack)

1948 Michigan

1949 Notre Dame (Heisman: Leon Hart)

1950 Tennessee, Oklahoma

1951 Michigan State, Tennessee

1952 Michigan State, Georgia Tech

1953 Maryland

1954 UCLA, Ohio State

1955 Oklahoma

1956 Oklahoma

1957 Auburn, Ohio State

1958 LSU

1959 Syracuse

1960 Minnesota, Mississippi

1961 Alabama

1962 Southern Cal

1963 Texas

1964 Arkansas

1965 Alabama

1966 Notre Dame

1967 Southern Cal

1968 Ohio State

1969 Texas

1970 Nebraska

1971 Nebraska

1972 Southern Cal

1973 Notre Dame

1974 Southern Cal, Oklahoma

1975 Oklahoma

1976 Pittsburgh (Heisman: Tony Dorsett)

1977 Notre Dame

1978 Southern Cal, Alabama

1979 Alabama

1980 Georgia

1981 Clemson

1982 Penn State

1983 Miami

1984 Brigham Young

1985 Oklahoma

1986 Penn State

1987 Miami

1988 Notre Dame

1989 Miami

1990 Colorado, Georgia Tech

1991 Washington, Miami

1992 Alabama

1993 Florida State (Heisman: Charlie Ward)

1994 Nebraska

1995 Nebraska

1996 Florida (Heisman: Danny Wuerffel)

1997 Nebraska, Michigan (Heisman: Charles Woodson)

1998 Tennessee

1999 Florida State

2000 Oklahoma

2001 Miami

2002 Ohio State

2003 Southern Cal, LSU

2004 Southern Cal (Heisman: Matt Leinart)

2005 Southern Cal (Heisman: Matt Leinart)

Most Post-World War I National Championships By Team

1. Southern Cal (12): 1928, 1931, 1932, 1939, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003, 2004,

2005 (seven Heismans)

NOTE: Each USC national championship included victory in the Rose Bowl, except for 1928 (did not play in a bowl) and 2004 (BCS Orange Bowl)

  26. Notre Dame (11): 1920@, 1924, 1929@, 1943@, 1946@, 1947@, 194@9, 1966@, 1973, 1977, 1988 (seven Heismans)

@Did not play in a bowl game

  51. Alabama (9**8 considered legitimate): 1925, 1926, 1930, 1961, 1964*lost bowl game, 1965,

1978, 1979, 1992 (zero Heismans)

4 . Oklahoma (8, post-WWI: 7): 1915, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974***NCAA probation,

1975, 1985, 2000 (four Heismans)

5. Minnesota (7, post-WWI: 6): 1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960 (one Heisman)

6. (tie) Michigan (6, post-WWI: 5): 1902, 1918, 1923, 1933, 1948, 1997 (three Heismans)

6.(tie) Miami (5): 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001 (two Heismans)

6.(tie) Ohio State (5): 1942, 1954, 1957, 1968, 2002 (six Heismans)

6.(tie) Nebraska (5): 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997 (three Heismans)

Other National Championships Won by Traditional Modern Powers

Arkansas (1): 1964

Auburn (2, post-WWI: 1): 1913, 1957 (two Heismans)

Brigham Young (1): 1984 (one Heisman)

Florida (1): 1996 (two Heismans)

Florida State (2): 1993, 1999 (two Heismans)

Georgia (2): 1942, 1980 (two Heismans)

LSU (2): 1958, 2003 (one Heisman)

Penn State (2): 1982, 1986 (one Heisman)

Tennessee (3): 1938, 1950, 1998

Texas (3, post-WWI: 2): 1914, 1963, 1969 (two Heismans)

Washington (1): 1991

National Championships by Other Teams

Army (2): 1944, 1945 (three Heismans)

California (3): 1921, 1922, 1937

Chicago (1, post-WWI 0): 1905 (one Heisman)

Clemson (1): 1981

Colorado (1): 1990 (one Heisman)

Georgia Tech (3, post-WWI: 2) 1917, 1952, 1990

Harvard (6, post-WWI 0): 1890, 1898, 1901, 1908, 1910, 1912

Illinois (1): 1927

Michigan State (2): 1951, 1965**lost bowl game

Mississippi (1): 1960

Pennsylvania (2, post-WWI: 0): 1895, 1897

Pittsburgh (3, post-WWI: 2): 1916, 1937, 1976 (one Heisman)

Princeton (19, post-WWI 0)): 1869, 1870, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1878, 1879,

1881, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889, 1893, 1896, 1899, 1903, 1911 (one Heisman)

Stanford (2): 1926, 1940 (one Heisman)

Syracuse (1): 1959 (one Heisman)

TCU (1): 1938 (one Heisman)

Texas A&M (2): 1919, 1939 (one Heisman)

Yale (12, post-WWI 0: 1876, 1880, 1883, 1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1894, 1900, 1906, 1907,

1909 (two Heisman)

National Champions By Conference Since World War I

Pacific 10: 19

**USC, 12:** 1928, 1931, 1932, 1939, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003,

2004, 2005

California, 3: 1921, 1922, 1937

Stanford, 2: 1926, 1940

UCLA, 1: 1954

Washington, 1: 1991

10 Heismans

Big 10: 18

Minnesota, 6: 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960

Michigan, 5: 1918, 1923, 1933, 1948, 1997

Ohio State, 5: 1942, 1954, 1957, 1968, 2002

Illinois, 1: 1927

Michigan State, 1: 1951

13 Heismans

Southeastern: 18

Alabama, 8: 1925, 1926, 1930, 1961, 1965, 1978, 1979, 1992

Tennessee, 3: 1938, 1950, 1998

Georgia, 2: 1942, 1980

LSU, 2: 1958, 2003

Auburn, 1: 1957

Florida, 1: 1996

Mississippi 1: 1960

8 Heismans

Independents: 15

Notre Dame, 11: 1920, 1924, 1929, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977,

1988

Penn State, 2: 1982, 1986

Army, 2: 1944, 1945

11 Heismans

Big 12: 13

Oklahoma, 7: 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974***NCAA probation, 1975, 1985, 2000

Nebraska, 5: 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997

Colorado, 1: 1990

8 Heismans

Southwestern: 6

Texas, 2: 1963, 1969

Texas A&M, 2: 1919, 1939

Arkansas, 1: 1964

TCU, 1: 1938

5 Heismans

Big East: 8

Miami, 5: 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001

Pittsburgh, 2: 1937, 1976

Syracuse, 1: 1959

4 Heismans

Atlantic Coast: 4

Florida State, 2: 1993, 1999

Clemson, 1: 1981

Georgia Tech, 1: 1952

2 Heismans

Western Athletic: 1

Brigham Young, 1: 1984

1 Heisman

All-Time USC Football Team

OFFENSE

POS. FIRST HONORABLE MENTION

QB Matt Leinart

Pat Haden, Carson Palmer, Paul McDonald, Rodney Peete

TB O.J. Simpson

Charles White, Mike Garrett, Ricky Bell, Frank Gifford

FB Marcus Allen

Sam "Bam" Cunningham

WR Lynn Swann

WR Mike Williams

Keyshawn Johnson, Erik Affholter, Bob Chandler, Dwayne Jarrett

TE Charles "Tree" Young

OT Anthony Munoz

OT Ron Yary

Tony Boselli, Ernie Smith, Don Mosebar, Pete Adams,

Keith Van Horne, John Vella

OG Brad Budde

OG Bruce Mathews

Aaron Rosenberg, Roy Foster, Johnny Baker

C Stan Williamson

DEFENSE

POS. FIRST HONORABLE MENTION

T Marvin Powell

John Ferraro

DT Shaun Cody

DT Ron Mix

Mike Patterson, Tim Ryan

DE Tim Rossovich

DE Willie McGinest

Mike McKeever, Charles Weaver, Keneche Udeze

LB Junior Seau

LB Richard "Batman" Wood

LB Clay Matthews,

Dennis Johnson, Chip Banks, Adrian Young, Charles Phillips, Chris Claiborne

DB Ronnie Lott

DB Tim McDonald

DB Troy Polamalu

Dennis Smith, Dennis Thurman, Joey Browner, Mark Carrier

SPECIAL TEAMS

KR Reggie Bush

Anthony Davis

P Tom Malone

PK Frank Jordan,

Ron Ayala

OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Matt Leinart

DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Ronnie Lott

COACH: John McKay

Pete Carroll, Howard Jones, John Robinson

All-Time Greatest Collegiate Athletic Programs

1. Southern California Trojans

2. UCLA Bruins

3. Texas Longhorns

4. Miami Hurricanes

5. Michigan Wolverines

6. Alabama Crimson Tide

7. Ohio State Buckeyes

8. Florida State Seminoles

9. Stanford Indians/Cardinal

10. Oklahoma Sooners

11. Louisiana State Tigers

12. Tennessee Volunteers

13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

14. Penn State Nittany Lions

15. Arkansas Razorbacks

16. Florida Gators

17. Indiana Hoosiers

18. Georgia Bulldogs

19. Texas A&M Aggies

20. Oklahoma State Cowboys

21. Arizona State Sun Devils

22. Auburn Tigers

23. Duke Blue Devils

24. North Carolina Tar Heels

25. Syracuse Orangemen

26. California Golden Bears

27. Brigham Young Cougars

All-Time College Basketball Programs

1. UCLA Bruins

  26. Indiana Hoosiers

  27. North Carolina Tar Heels

  28. Duke Blue Devils

  29. Kentucky Wildcats

  30. Kansas Jayhawks

  31. Michigan Wolverines

  32. Ohio State Buckeyes

  33. Virginia Cavaliers

  34. Michigan State Spartans

  35. Nevada-Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels

  36. Louisville Cardinals

  37. Arizona Wildcats

  38. Stanford Cardinal

  39. West Virginia Squires

  40. San Francisco Dons

  41. Syracuse Orangemen

  42. Maryland Terrapins

All-Time College Baseball Programs

  47. Southern California Trojans

  48. Texas Longhorns

  49. Cal State Fullerton Titans

  50. Arizona State Sun Devils

  51. Miami Hurricanes

  52. Stanford Indians/Cardinal

  53. Louisiana State Tigers

  54. Florida State Seminoles

  55. Oklahoma State Cowboys

  56. Florida Gators

  57. Mississippi State Bulldogs

  58. Texas A&M Aggies

  59. Arkansas Razorbacks

  60. Arizona Wildcats

  61. Georgia Bulldogs

  62. Oklahoma Sooners

  63. California Golden Bears

  64. Fresno State Bulldogs

  65. Michigan Wolverines

  66. Clemson Tigers

Prep football

De La Salle H.S. (Concord, Calif.)

Mater Dei H.S. (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Poly High School (Long Beach, Calif.)

Moeller H.S. (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Highland Park H.S. (Dallas, Texas)

Hoover H.S. (Alabama)

Punahou H.S. (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Mission Viejo H.S. (Calif.)

Clovis West H.S. (Fresno, Calif.)

Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.)

St. Thomas Aquinas H.S. (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida)

Jenks H.S. (Oklahoma)

Prep basketball

Verbum Dei H.S. (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Crenshaw H.S. (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Mater Dei H.S. (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Cardinal Gibbons H.S. (Baltimore, MD.)

De Matha H.S. (Hiattsville, MD.)

Power Memorial Academy (New York, N.Y.)

McClymonds H.S. (Oakland, Calif.)

New Trier H.S. (Winnetka, Illinois)

Prep baseball

Lakewood H.S. (Calif.)

Redwood H.S. (Larkspur, Calif.)

Sharpstown H.S. (Houston, Tex.)

Rancho Bernardo H.S. (San Diego, Calif.)

Fremont H.S. (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Serra H.S. (San Mateo, Calif.)

Clovis West H.S. (Fresno, Calif.)

### PART ONE

### THE WILD, WILD WEST 1880-1918

The growth of California, the need for a first class university in Los Angeles, and the popularity of football in the West

CHAPTER TWO

THE METHODISTS LEARN TO "FIGHT LIKE TROJANS"

Competition from Cal and Stanford spurs USC

A Methodist, a Catholic and a Jew founded the University of Southern California in 1880 as a private institution near downtown Los Angeles. It was a non-denominational university, but became identified with the Methodist Church. Los Angeles was, up until that time, a sleepy pueblo surrounded by the sea, desert vistas, canyons, mountains and valleys where oranges and other "exotic" fruits and vegetables grew in wild abundance. The Spaniards dominated the political and social influence of Southern California. Father Junipero Serra, who traversed the state founding Catholic missions, had led them. Catholicism was the dominant religious ethic, and the citizenry was heavily Hispanic. The Mexicans who lived in the area and owned much of the land considered themselves Americans, for the most part. Over time, however, white Americans had populated the area in large numbers. By 1880 the need for a top-notch university was fulfilled by USC. As the whites moved in, emboldened in part by the U.S. victory over Mexico in the 1847 war, more and more Spanish and Mexican land barons moved out, sometimes by force. A seething resentment on the part of the Hispanic community began. It still lives, to some extent, to this day.

The "big city" in California was not Los Angeles. It was San Francisco. Next came Sacramento, which was the hub connecting the Trans-Continental Railroad to San Francisco in the west and the Sierra Mountains in the east. Historians have often asked why the railroad was built over the Sierras. The safer, easier route was to the south, then across the deserts that could have by-passed both the Rockies and Sierras, through Arizona and on into Southern California to L.A. Connecting rail lines to San Diego in the south, San Francisco and Sacramento in the north would have been easier to construct over the Tejon Mountains, or along the Pacific Coast, than the treacherous Rocky and Sierra passes that were constructed.

The answer to the question as to why the "Southern route" was not chosen: Abe Lincoln and the Civil War. Lincoln was a huge supporter of the railroads, who in turn supported his candidacy with money and favors. When the slavery question threatened War Between the States, it was decided that the lines would not be built through Confederate states. Slaves likely would have been conscripted to perform the labor that actually was handled, in large part, by Chinese immigrants.

When the line finally was built, and the war eventually ended, people in the Midwest and South could come to California. Before the Trans-Continental Railroad, San Francisco was the "civilized" city that was populated by people from the East Coast. They favored the Union. The City was populated by Europeans, many from England, and Orientals. The first settlers had come via covered wagon, but this was a perilous journey. "Sophisticates" preferred ships, which made their way via the Cape of Good Hope or from Asia.

With the creation of the railroad, men and women from America's heartland came to California. 400 miles separate San Francisco from L.A., but those 400 miles represent (and today is no different) a psychological divide between north and south, or to use political terms, Northern California and the Southland. Southerners did not "cotton" to the East Coast Yankees who made up San Francisco's power structure. They tended to find their way to L.A. Midwesterners, up to their ankles in frozen winters, chose the year-round sunny climes of the Southland over the oft-foggy Bay Area. San Francisco's "elite" tended towards ribald Barbary Coast hedonism, and less towards traditional Christianity. The new Los Angelenos were more conservative and churchgoing.

Over time, many changes would occur. Los Angeles and environs would became more populated, its vast expanses and weather providing an enormous attraction. The population expansion would become possible when, in 1904, L.A.'s "city fathers," led by chief engineer William Mulholland, cut a controversial deal with the Owens River Valley in the southern Sierras. An aqueduct was created to divert precious water to L.A. Many more canals, aqueducts and dams would be built over the years to quench the seemingly insatiable thirst of a continually growing populace.

World War I showed L.A. off to servicemen passing through for training. The Rose Bowl drew Midwesterners to L.A., too. But the original mindset, in which San Francisco and the north was viewed as liberal, while Los Angeles and the south was seen as more politically conservative and Christian, has never truly gone away.

While the University of Southern California was indeed founded by members of different religious backgrounds, in its early years its sports teams were known informally as the Methodists.

In 1880, Los Angeles was home to about 10,000 residents. Approximately 1,000 of those citizens arrived by horse and buggy to dedicate the university, which consisted of little more than a small frame building in a mustard field, surrounded by wild cockleburrs. The school was erected some two miles south of what is now known as downtown L.A., and approximately the same distance from the city's Spanish origins on Olvera Street. At the time, its residential surroundings were the finest neighborhood in the city; Victorian mansions, palm trees, gauzy and exotic with exquisite views of the Santa Monica Mountains to the northwest and, in the winter, the San Gabriels capped with snow. It was then, and on clear winter days still is, nothing less than a spectacular sight.

Los Angeles was, until World War I, a very quiet pueblo. From 1880 to 1915, the city center consisted mostly of downtown businesses and the University. Western Avenue, located a few miles from the campus, marked the end of the city. To the west were open fields; farms and orange groves. The famed Hollywood Hills were empty canyons, home to coyotes and numerous other wildlife. A small town was growing about seven miles northwest of USC. It was called Beverly Hills. Beyond that lay virgin lands in what is now known as Westwood, and still further west was a thriving beach resort, Santa Monica, where the wealthy and the fun-loving sought summer fun.

Outlying suburbs such as the San Fernando Valley and Orange County were still essentially frontier outposts.

In 1888, the university fielded its very first football team.

"Perhaps it was the invigorating country air of the lane known as University Avenue or maybe it was just the rugged stock of those pioneer students," recalled former athletic information director Alfred Wesson. "At any rate, the desire to win athletic championships along with scholastic honors was revealed early in the history of the University of Southern California. Within a few years after the founding of the University, 11 sturdy young men sporting handlebar moustaches and padded vests drew lines on a vacant lot, erected wobbly goalposts and challenged all comers to contest in that 'new-fangled push-and-tug' business called football."

The sport, while popular with participants, was not an immediate draw with the general public in Los Angeles. USC did not have any major natural rivals, whereas the two Northern California universities, California and Stanford, quickly lined up against each other like the Hatfields and the McCoys. Football thus entered the consciousness of Californians.

In the late 19th Century, principally Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers played the best football in the Ivy League. The game, which had morphed from the English sport of rugby, had become extremely violent and dangerous in the 1880s. The infamous "Yale wedge" had caused numerous injuries and even deaths, prompting rules changes.

Prior to 1895, the official school color was gold. The color of the College of Liberal Arts was cardinal. A marriage between the colors was entered into, and ever since Troy has fought under Cardinal and Gold. Years later, USC's famed assistant football coach, Marv Goux, would say: "Gold is what every man wants. Cardinal is the color of blood, which he will shed in order to attain it."

According to the late, great _Los Angeles Times_ sportswriter Mal Florence's 1980 book, _The Trojan Heritage_ , much of USC's early football history was compiled by Harry C. Lillie, a Los Angeles attorney, was a "125-pound end on the first rag-tag USC team," wrote Florence.

"The only available opposition was a club team which carried the name of Alliance," said Lillie. "Our first game was November 14, 1888, right at the University and we won by a score of 16-0."

In the 1890s, the so-called "Athletic Association" at Southern Cal was underfunded. Baseball was more popular than football, but all sports took a back seat to such Gay '90s fads as eating contests, according to _The Rostrum_ , a school newspaper. The paper reported that girls participated in these contests as enthusiastically as boys.

During years in which USC did not even field a football team, crowds of 50,000 were watching Harvard, Yale and Princeton play in the Ivy League. Stanford had more luck attracting interest, and in 1892 drew a crowd of 9,500 to a football contest played in San Francisco. Crowds approaching 20,000 showed up for the "Big Game" with California.

The weather in Northern California is excellent, but it is more Mediterranean in the Southland on a year-round basis. In the San Francisco Bay Area, where California and Stanford are located, the football season is played during its best time of year. The "Indian summer" months of September and October usually offer warm sun, little rain, and a cessation of wind and fog. Late October and November can be unpredictable, with climes ranging from moderate to chilly.

In any given year in the Southland, however, the divide between fall and winter sees little seasonal change. In modern years, comedians like Johnny Carson have joked about Santa Clause figures wearing Bermuda shorts on Hollywood Boulevard. December and January occasionally brings rain to Northern California. One song says, "It never rains in Southern California." While sometimes, as the song later intones, "it pours," it more often does not. Warm sun often marks the holiday season.

Around the turn of the century, business leaders in the Los Angeles area began to see the advantage of their weather and decided to actively try and "catch up" with San Francisco as a major hub of Pacific commerce. The plans that would eventually result in the building of the aqueduct that brought water to its desert basin from the Sierra Mountains were put into place.

Nearby Pasadena is a beautiful town which had seamlessly combined Victorian sensibilities and Greek architecture with Spanish tradition. It had grown early on as a railroad and horse stop, with a growing upper class. It was a town with Southern, Christian and military roots. One prominent family, the Pattons, occupied a large tract of land in nearby San Marino. Young George Smith Patton Jr., the scion of Revolutionary and Civil War heroes, grew up riding and hunting in the wilds of the San Gabriel foothills. He would eventually lead American forces to victory at the Battle of the Bulge, splitting the Third Reich into pieces as the commander of American forces driving the Nazis to defeat in World War II.

Pasadena was eager to draw business and tourism. The Chamber of Commerce decided that football would be a big draw. A Tournament of Roses committee was formed, resulting in a popular downtown parade and New Year's Day celebration on the grounds of Tournament Park. Located in the Arroyo Seco, in the shadow of the spectacular snow-topped San Gabriel Mountains, it is currently the home of the prestigious Cal Tech University. A football game began there in 1902, when Stanford journeyed from the north and Michigan from the Midwest to play each other. Michigan won going away, 49-0.

Stanford's plastering soured the idea of football against "Eastern teams." The game was put on hold for a number of years. The Tournament of Roses and the attendant parade, however, continued to grow in popularity.

In the 1900s Michigan took to football and developed into a major power, on the strength of its great victory over Stanford in the first Rose Bowl. The Far West was still considered a football backwater, although natural rivalries between California, Stanford and later Southern California were heated. The railroads and weather made travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco pleasant, so the games often were the impetus for adventurous vacations.

Despite Stanford's loss to Michigan in the first Rose Bowl (chariot races replaced football on New Year's Day for 14 years), early recognition came to the Northern California schools. The first Walter Camp All-American was Lawrence Kaarsberg of California in 1889. Frank Slater of Stanford earned the same honors in 1900.

The importance of football at USC began to grow.

"The time was when a graduate would return to his own college and coach the team purely out of loyalty and love or he would go to another college and teach the rudiments of the game just for glory," read the _Los Angeles Times_ of September 6, 1897. "Those times are past now; a football professor in these days draws a bigger salary than the average professor in chemistry or any other sciences."

Under coach Clair Tappan in 1901, USC played only one game - a 6-0 loss to Pomona. Tappan was either too embarrassed to return, or the loss was too galling for the University to request him to.

In 1904, USC lost to the Sherman Indians, 17-0, but the game was considered a moral victory because Sherman had played Carlisle to a 6-6 tie. Carlisle, an Indian college back East, would feature the great Jim Thorpe and Coached Glenn "Pop" Warner, who would go on to become a legend at Stanford.

In the mid-1900s, it could be argued that the best football team on the West Coast was not Stanford, California _or_ Southern California, but rather Los Angeles High School. Ken Rapaport's _The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football_ , described them as "brawny" and "pugilistic." Southern Cal defeated the "six-foot lads from the prep school on the hill" 34-6. L.A. High was a team which had broken "the back of California's Golden Bears as well as a number of other universities and colleges which tramped across their path," wrote _Pigskin Review._ USC's victory signaled a major rise in the school's grid fortunes.

Ivy League coverage continued to overshadow press reports of USC football. Fielding Yost's Michigan powerhouse had earned the sobriquet "point-a-minute" Wolverines. Opponents often consisted of Pomona, Whittier, Occidental, Los Angeles High School, and various military teams. In 1905, coach Harvey Holmes, a Wisconsin graduate, took Troy to five victories by a combined 205-0 score. However, when Southern California ventured north to play Stanford, they met their match and then some, losing 16-0. It was the first "major college football game" in USC history. A year later, though, Southern Cal won a big contest from Occidental by a 22-0 tally. Shortly thereafter they became independent of any conference affiliation. They wanted a more regular rivalry with the northern schools as well as greater recognition than just the Los Angeles area.

In 1909, Dean Cromwell took over. Despite USC's feeling that they deserved to big more than a "big fish in a little pond," local rivalries and conference affiliation would not die easily over the next few years. Cromwell was an Occidental man himself. He was constantly being courted by his alma mater to return and bring them glory.

"The coach became convinced," read the 1909 USC yearbook, "that to cement the team into a unit which should possess an invincible spirit it would be necessary to have a training table where the men could eat their meals and sleep and enjoy each other's companionship, where football was the only subject of discussion from morning to night."

Schools like Pomona and Occidental considered USC to be strong rivals. In 1909, USC's campus experienced a " 'jolly up' before the big Occidental-USC football game," according to local newspaper accounts. "A huge bonfire in the middle of the field, around which students waved in the serpentine dance, lighted up the scene, where for more than an hour prophecies were made as to the outcome of this afternoon's game."

"Oxy" was burned in effigy. 3,500 fans saw the two teams play the next day at Occidental's Bair Field.

"Never did those crowds see a finer, cleaner, faster game," wrote sportswriter Chester Lawrence. "It was the apotheosis of Southern California's greatest amateur sport." The game ended in a 3-3 tie.

By 1910, Southern California's enthusiasm for football was at such a pitch that charges of professionalism permeated the exchange between supporters of the Bay Area schools and those of USC.

"The football team was being accused by the _Los Angeles Times_ of certain 'irregularities' in technical features of the game and criticized by Pomona College for not meeting eligibility requirements," wrote Manuel P. Servin and Iris Higbie Wilson in _Southern California and Its University_. "Then the _University Advocate_ reported that a check for $25 had been made out to the football team captain, Dan Calley, for 'services rendered.' "

"Has professionalism been present in our school and no one the wiser?" asked USC's school newspaper.

Money was already an important factor in collegiate sports. After Cromwell came on board, his demands for athletic dormitories were accompanied by a $3,500 outlay for new playing facilities. Victories over Occidental and Pomona resulted in wild street celebrations resulting in police intervention. As USC began to assert its football supremacy, heated words between Southern California and the "lesser" schools, mostly involving accusations of bribery and academic miscreancy, created heated rivalries; at least on the part of Occidental and Pomona. USC was looking for bigger fish to fry. Thus was born the famed USC "arrogance," in which their beaten foes yearned to get the better of them, and they would pay little heed.

Cromwell also contended with "fraternity cliques."

"Demoralizing to consistent training and team spirit, so essential to athletic success, is the influence of the clique spirit on the athletic squads," said Cromwell. "I have had all kinds of troubles with certain players on the football team, and I could not at first discover the reason for the dissatisfaction until I found out the players giving the most trouble were members of the college fraternities."

These "frat players" were peeved at Cromwell's disciplined ways. They found sympathetic ears among their fraternity brothers. A greater allegiance was felt to the frats than to the football team, at the cost of good sleeping and living habits, which had a detrimental effect on their performance.

In 1910, 5,000 people attended the Southern California-Occidental game at SC's Bovard Field. After USC's 6-0 win, the newspaper reported, "New and open football triumphed over the old, close formations Saturday afternoon at Bovard Field. The game was close and hard fought all the way and the superiority of the open game as played by Cromwell's Puritans <a nickname of the time> was manifest at every stage of the contest."

On November 17, 1910, USC played what up to that time may have been their biggest football game. Pomona had beaten Occidental 28-0. The resulting 9-9 tie was called "the hardest fought gridiron contest staged in this vicinity..." according to Spaulding's _Football Guide._

In 1911, however, the violence issue which had emerged some 20 years earlier again reared its head. Former President Theodore Roosevelt had threatened restrictions, and in 1911 Southern California went to English rugby for three years.

At a track meet between Stanford and USC in 1912, _L.A. Times_ sports editor Owen R. Bird wrote that USC's athletes "fought like Trojans." USC's unofficial nicknames, the Methodists and sometimes the Wesleyans and even the Puritans, officially became the Trojans.

"The term 'Trojan'; as applied to USC means to me that no matter what the situation, what the odds or what the conditions," Bird later recalled, "the competition must be carried on to the end and those who strive must give all they have and never be weary in doing so."

This was a calculated decision, spurred on by University president Dr. Warren Bovard, who according to Bird had decided that USC's athletics would "enter the big league." At the time, this certainly seemed to be a daunting task. The northern schools, California and Stanford, whether playing rugby or football, were still considered to be advanced in this arena. They were not yet nationally-recognized programs such as was found in the Ivy League, at Michigan, and at Army.

In 1913, a game was played that would have an effect on the game, the nation, and eventually the University of Southern California. A tiny Catholic school from South Bend, Indiana, Notre Dame University, did battle with the powerful Army Cadets. Up until this time, the so-called "forward pass" was either not used or used only in times of desperation. But Notre Dame quarterback Gus Dorais and end Knute Rockne had been working on it in secret. They unleashed the pass not as a desperation measure but as part of their regular game plan against Army. Caught off guard, the Cadets could not stop it. The Dorais-Rockne heroics led the Fighting Irish to an upset victory. This put Notre Dame on the map. Over time their fortunes became intimately intertwined with that of the USC Trojans.

One year later, events in Europe would have an effect on West Coast football. California, because of its fair weather and wide open spaces, was home to numerous military bases and training camps. Many soldiers would come to the state and fall in love with it. In 1917, the U.S. entered World War I. America's involvement pushed the balance of power in France. Fresh U.S. troops would spur the Allies to victory in the Argonne Offensive. In November 1918 the Germans capitulated. Young men, hardened by war and disciplined by military service, would enter colleges shortly thereafter.

Under Ralph Glaze in 1914, Southern Cal had returned to American football, and a 28-10 whipping of California demonstrated that USC was a team to be reckoned with.

"The Trojans have the only chance they have ever had to win a football game from California," read pre-game prognostications. "If they let this slip by, the chances are 100 to 1 that they will ever have another." USC proved that they could "come back" after three years of rugby with the win over the Golden Bears.

In 1915, USC's Cromwell, considered by many to be the greatest track coach in history, took over football duties again. Over the next three years he led USC to an 11-7-3 mark.

"Cromwell was a fine gentleman and particularly kind," recalled Chet Dolley, who would play for Cromwell in the 1920s. Cromwell was the archetypal "father figure" to his players. He would encourage them, put his arms around them, and spur them on to efforts above and beyond their normal playing abilities. Players would walk the campus with their sweethearts and beam when Cromwell would meet them with the cheerful appellation "champ."

Up at Berkeley, the California Golden Bears were determined to move to the next level in football, which after a few years of rugby they had returned to. In 1917, however, Southern California played them to a highly significant scoreless tie. That was the highlight of Cromwell's football coaching career, and signaled that the Trojans would be a program to be reckoned with.

Cromwell's first love was track, however.

"Cromwell had Charlie Paddock, who was billed as the 'the world's fastst human;' Fred Kelly, an Olympic high hurdles champ; and Bud Howser," recalled Dolley.

Kelly became a pilot; the first to fly airmail from Salt Lake City, over the Rockies to the West Coast.

"Cromwell was an excellent coach, but his main idea was to make you feel as if no one could beat you," recalled longtime sports information director Al Wesson in _The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football_ by Ken Rappoport.

In the history of college sports, there have been many great dynasties and coaches to go with them. Among the great champions, in football Notre Dame experienced the eras of Knute Rockne (1920s), Dick Leahy (1940s) and Ara Parseghian (1960s-70s). Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma (1950s) and the 20-year run at Southern California under John McKay and John Robinson (1962-81) rank highly, along with powerhouses under Bear Bryant at Alabama, Woody Hayes at Ohio State, Tom Osborne at Nebraska and Bobby Bowden at Florida State.

In basketball, terrific, longtime dynasties were established at Kentucky under Adolph Rupp in the 1950s, UCLA under John Wooden in the 1960s and '70s, and at schools such as Indiana (Bobby Knight), Duke (Mike Krzyzewski), and North Carolina (Dean Smith).

Dick Leach built Stanford into a tennis power, and Peter Daland did the same thing with USC's swimming program. The Tennessee Lady Vols are a modern women's basketball dynasty of the first order. _L.A. Times_ sports columnist Jim Murray once wrote that UCLA coach Al Scates, "Is to volleyball what Napoleon was to artillery."

Rod Dedeaux at USC and Cliff Gustafson at Texas developed collegiate baseball juggernauts.

However, in the entire history of college athletics, men's or women's, no coach and no program has ever been as dominant as track and field at the University of Southern California under Dean Cromwell.

In 40 years at the helm, he produced champions in each Olympic Games from 1912 to 1948, and eventually he would become the American Olympic coach. His teams won 12 national championships in 19 years. His legacy helped launch the Trojans to seven more national titles after he left. The 26 national championships won by Southern California track is so far and above all other competition as to render a sense that there are, for all practical purposes, rules for the Trojans and then rules for the also-rans. By comparison, Notre Dame has won 11 football national championships and USC has won 12. USC baseball has won the College World Series 12 times. UCLA has 11 NCAA basketball titles.

In 1915, the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (PCC) was established. Within a few short years, membership included California, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, and Washington State. The conference champion automatically went to the Rose Bowl game. After a period of years in which the New Year's celebration featured chariot racing, Tournament of Roses officials decided to give football another try. The result was an enormous boon to West Coast football. It also officially replaced the last vestiges of rugby in the West.

The Washington Huskies had run up an incredible 63-game winning streak playing against mostly Northwest competition. Most football historians, while noting the greatness of this record, do not consider it the "modern" record, which is held by Oklahoma, winners of 47 straight in the mid-1950s. The "modern era" of West Coast football is roughly seen as the period when the PCC was formed, the old rugby rules were done away with, and World War I ended.

The post-war era that followed would be one in which Americans pursued leisure activities with money to spend; transportation improved, thus allowing fans to travel to sporting events; equipment and medicine improved; stadiums would be built to accommodate large crowds; and radio made it possible for millions of fans to thrill to the games.

The emergence of the West as a major sports power was swift, and entered the public consciousness with great force in a short period of time. On January 1, 1916, Washington State shocked the Eastern establishment by humbling Brown, 14-0 in the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, rare bad weather kept the crowd to 8,000, causing the Tournament of Roses to lose money, but they were not deterred. The future was now plainly revealed.

On New Year's Day, 1917, Oregon shut out Penn, 14-0, causing the _New York Sun_ to rank Western teams in their final polls.

Southern California had enhanced their schedule in a big way. Beginning in 1915, they began to play California on a yearly basis. That same season, they took on such "big time" programs as St. Mary's, Oregon and Utah. In 1918, they played Stanford for the first time since being shut out by the Indians in 1905. They held their own, but were not considered the "best of the West" by any stretch of the imagination. USC drew good crowds and were turning handsome profits from football. Efforts to modernize Bovard Field, however, ate up much of the budget. The ball park, which was suited for baseball (and would host Trojan diamond champions until 1974) never would be suitable for the kind of football environment USC was engendering.

In 1917, USC won four games and tied the Golden Bears of Cal. Colorful nicknames were given to Southern Cal's star players: "Rabbit" Malette, "Tank" Campbell, "Turk" Hunter, and "Duck" Miller. Dan McMillan starred without appellation.

Malette was called "the greatest backfield man the University of Southern California ever produced" up until that point in time. His play was furthjer decsribed as "grand... spectacular... brilliant." Frank "Rabbit" Malette was a broken-field runner with great footwork and tackle-dodging talents. He was an all-purpose man who ran back kicks and was said to "as slippery as an eel."

A number of players dropped out of school to sign up for military service, thus missing the 1918 season and causing an abbreviated schedule. Some, like McMillan, would return not at USC, but at rival California. He would be a star on what, up until then, was the greatest college football team ever assembled.

The war would make a big difference in a million ways, but in Los Angeles another factor was coming into play. The Hollywood film industry had putting the city on map.

Film was an invention that had emerged from the great work of Thomas Edison, a New Jersey inventor who had created electricity. It had been "perfected," as it were, by Lumiere, a Frenchman. It had become an art form in Hollywood.

The great weather in Southern California, combined with virginal landscapes of mountains, oceans, deserts, canyons and all other form of natural environment, meant that any kind of setting could be created at any time of the year. A snow scene could be captured at nearby Big Bear or in the Sierras. Biblical desert scenes could be found in Palm Springs. The San Fernando Valley resembled the Wild West - because it still was!

The _wanderlust_ that had propelled Easterners to find a new life in their search for gold was replaced by a desire to re-make ones' self in the movies. Aside from the rugged, hearty types who had long come to California, a new breed of _artiste_ \- sometimes of European descent - found their niche in this fantasy world. They were accompanied by the cigar-chomping New Yorkers who saw business opportunity and would make up a fair number of the agents, producers and moguls who made dreams happen, sometimes honestly and sometimes not. A racial egalitarianism began to take shape, too. Movies needed a diverse group of people to fill the screen, resembling exotic locales. Many Jews found that their talents were welcome in this new place. Women, particularly beautiful young girls, discovered new powers in this medium. By 1920, women had turned their powers into the right to vote.

Movie studios began to pop up throughout the city. The industry spurred growth. Hollywood, a sleepy ranch community a few miles northwest of downtown L.A., became the hub of the movie industry. Just west of Hollywood, the gauzy, palm-dotted Beverly Hills expanded with mansions on its hill for the new "stars" to live in. With the growth of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, real estate west of Western Avenue took shape, connecting the resort town of Santa Monica with Beverly Hills. Houses alongside a tract of farm land began to be built, in a place called Westwood.

In 1915, Hollywood produced a blockbuster called _Birth of a Nation._ D.W. Griffith's classic is studied to this day in film schools, not just because of its artistic merits but because of its controversial political message. The notion of film as a socio-political tool took shape. The film made huge box office and spurred the industry, which by the end of the 1910s was L.A.'s biggest business.

The growth of Hollywood and Los Angeles would coincide with that of the University of Southern California. The school and its football program were about to embark on the quest for, and achievement of, glory beyond anything that could have been imagined.

### PART TWO

### A NATIONAL GAME 1919-1940

Notre Dame and USC put college football on the map: Rockne, Jones and the two glamour schools

CHAPTER THREE

THERE IS A THERE THERE

_The Trojans and college football after World War I_ _: "Gloomy Gus" Henderson's team was no Lost Generation_

"Once they seen Paree," one possibly apocryphal American general is supposed to have said, "you won't be able to keep 'em on the farm anymore."

Indeed, many young Americans did see _Paree_ \- Paris - during and after World War I. When President Woodrow Wilson entered the U.S. into the war, on the heels of Russia's Communist Revolution and pull-out from the allianace, General John "Black Jack" Pershing announced that no U.S. troops would fight under any flag or command other than America's. This caused some consternation with the British and the French, and also meant that from April of 1917 until early 1918, large numbers of American personnel lived the café life in Paris while Englishmen and Frenchmen died in the killing fields just down the road. This indeed caused great resentment with the local male population.

All of that was forgotten when the U.S. engaged the enemy with full force. It was this engagement that proved decisive in victory. It also ended the idealism of many young, fresh-faced American soldiers. In the years after the war, a large number of Americans stayed in Europe, particular Paris. An ex-patriate literary commuinity developed. Giants of this "Lost Generation" were Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry Miller, and Gertrude Stein.

Stein once visited Oakland, California and wryly remarked, "There's no there there." Had she traveled just a few miles to the north, to Berkeley and the campus of the University of California, she would have seen that there was most definitely something _there_ , and in the post-war years that was the greatest collegiate football juggernaut seen in America up to that time. They were the "Wonder Teams."

The rise of the California Golden Bears under coach Andy Smith totally revolutionized college football. It symbolized a Westward shift in the nation's sensibilities, and created various theories. It was felt that great sports teams in the West were the result of a form of genetics. Hardy settlers had come by covered wagon to mine for gold in the late 1840s. Women who made and survived the trip had to be physically fit in order to survive the perils of sickness. Children of these people were naturally strong.

As Hollywood rose up, a new breed of attractive men and women came to California to pursue their dreams. These handsome men and women naturally found each other's arms, and they would produce still more physical, attractive and athletic kids.

"Maybe it's the sunshine," wrote famed New York sports columnist Grantland Rice. "Maybe it's the abundance of fresh fruit available for the picking on the trees. For whatever reason, the California athlete is bigger, stronger than his Eastern counterpart. He's a superman of sorts, a hybrid."

At California, Rice's theory seemed to have some validity. The Bears picked up where Washington State and Washington had left off. With the Rose Bowl gaining in popularity every year, their rise came with considerable national attention.

Naturally, when judging college football dynasties, many factors are considered. The Cal Golden Bears did not have or compete against black players. Many of large stadiums were not yet built. The game was still in the growing stage. However, the growth of college football was coming about in large part because of what they achieved. Certainly the Notre Dame, USC, Alabama and Oklahoma dynasties of later years might overshadow them in the historical context, but Smith's teams were groundbreakers.

Smith was the first coach to truly recruit players, particularly from outside the school's geographic area. Up until the post-World War I period, by and large college football programs fielded a roster made up of players already in school who tried out for varsity play.

Smith hired an assistant from Southern California named Nibs Price. Smith was aware of the shifting demographics of California. The population was growing in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. Great athletes were emerging from the sun-kissed playing fields of the Southland. Smith knew that it was only a matter of time before USC, a natural rival, would benefit from all these players entering their school, and he was determined to countermand this.

Smith also had to compete with Stanford for playing talent in the Bay Area. San Francisco and Oakland were hotbeds of sports talent, too, but unlike Los Angeles, these prospects had not one but two top universities to choose from.

So Smith put Price to work. He had numerous contacts with Southern California prep football coaches, and through these connections was able to bring in a gold mine of football stars to Berkeley. The result was nothing less than a powerhouse, above and beyond anything yet seen at Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Army, Notre Dame or Michigan.

The recruitment of high school stars created a series of prescient problems. The great young athletes at Cal were much like prima donnas who make up the college football scene today. Incensed by Smith's hardnosed attitude and demanding practice regimen, they threatened to leave school despite having won the mythical national championship of 1919.

A summer meeting was arranged in Fresno, half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Price took a train and met with the Southern California contingent. An agreement was hammered out in which Price agreed that Coach Smith would tone down the brutal nature of his practices. If Cal's player were prima donnas, it did not curtail their effectiveness on the field. Led by All-American Brick Muller and Dan McMillan, who had transferred from USC, the Wonder Teams dominated college football through the 1922 season. Their success and popularity would lead to the building of new stadiums in the West.

In Berkeley's Strawberry Canyon, the marvelous Memorial Stadium was erected. Down on The Farm, Stanford Stadium was built. Pasadena erected the Rose Bowl to accommodate their New Year's Day game, and a few miles away, across the street from the USC campus, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum went up. The Coliseum was built by the city to house their Trojans, and also to entice the Olympic Games, an event that would announce to the world that Los Angeles had "arrived."

In 1919, a small college opened for business on Vermont Avenue near downtown L.A. It was an "extension" of the University of California. The state education system had decided to expand beyond its Berkeley base. Originally, the L.A. extension was called "Southern Branch." They did not immediately field a football team, but they did play baseball and tennis. Pretty well, in fact. Good enough to beat the Trojans. In 1920, "Southern Branch" changed its name to the University of California at Los Angeles. At around the same time, USC decided to cancel sporting matches with UCLA. They were expected to win, and to lose to the upstarts was embarrassing. A rivalry was bornb.

The rise of football in the West, which coincided with the "arrival" of the region in general, was not lost on the University of Southern California. They went after Elmer Henderson, who had compiled a glittering record as a player and coach in the Northwest. After a Navy commission in 1918 he was brought in to put the Trojans on the map with schools like California and Washington.

Henderson knew football, and he also knew psychology. He quickly earned the moniker "Gloomy Gus" because he regaled the writers with tales of his team's woes.

"Pomona will mop us up," he announced prior to Troy's 6-0 win.

"Did you ever see a rottener college outfit than that one of mine?" he asked rhetorically before taking on Poly High School.

"Nope, it isn't possible," Poly's coach said tongue in cheek.

When asked about his "star" player, Charles Dean, Henderson skoffed, "Stars? Why I haven't a man on the team who could make a first-class high school eleven. Someone told me when I came here that Charles Dean was a star. I never suffered such a surprise in my life when I beheld him in action. He's a joke. I'll have to start him Saturday, because my squad is limited in size. He's a good fighter, that's all I can say about him."

Dean took affront to his coach's assessment of his abilities and was seen stomping off the practice field shortly thereafter. A reconcilitaion was effectuated, and Dean led the team's win over Pomona.

"It was our only chance," said Henderson. "Fight, that's what did it. I knew if I could instill the spirit of fight in my team USC would be returned the victor."

Henderson's style of putting down his own team and building up opponents became a tradition that coaches like Lou Holtz and others would incorporate to this day, although a savvy media has long ago recognized the fallacious nature of such tactics.

"Therein lies the secret of Gus's freak nickname - as well as its fallacy," said Leo Callan, who played for him. "Whenever the newspapermen approached Henderson concerning the ability of his team, he told them the truth. But the gods of fate were unkind, and invariably 'Gloomy's' trick squad came through by winning the game and giving the newspapermen a chance to disprove Henderson's pessimism."

The name "Gloomy Gus" was based on a popular cartoon character of the era. There was nothing gloomy about the Trojans' performance on the football field, however. Henderson coached from 1919 to 1924. His teams twice won 10 games in a season, won the first Rose Bowl played in the new stadium that stands to this day, and compiled an overall 45-7 record.

But Henderson's tenure was a harbinger of the future, and not just in terms of his negative assessment of his teams. He was hired to beat Cal. He failed in this endeavor (0-5). Despite the greatest winning percentage in USC history (.880), he was fired because of it.

Henderson introduced revolutionary spread and T-formations. Henderson also was a "mercenary" coach, of sorts, in that he was hired after a major search was embarked upon to find a successor to Cromwell. The _Los Angeles Examiner_ had been campaigning actively for the "upgrade" of USC football. It was felt that the school and the city itself needed the national recognition that came with a top-rated football team. In the days prior to commercial airlines, theWest Coast was not "eligible" for a Major League baseball team or even a team in the brand new NFL.

_Examiner_ sportswriter Harry Grayson was given the assignment of bringing in Henderson, who was a recognized talent from his playing days at Oberlin College and his subsequent prep coaching career. The clincher came when Henderson promised that he could "deliver" all the stars from his team at Broadway High School in Seattle.

In 1919, the Trojans defeated Stanford handily but lost to Cal by one point. In 1920 they chose not to schedule the Golden Bears, and managed its first perfect season. Cal Tech, Stanford, Occidental, Pomona, Nevada and Oregon fell. A loss to Cal was the only scar on the 1921 schedule. In 1922, their 12-0 loss to Cal was played in the brand new Pasadena Rose Bowl. Cal chose not to go through the expense of another trip to Southern California representing the Pacific Coast Conference. Thus, USC was chosen to play in the first actual Rose Bowl game played in the stadium, when on January 1, 1923, they handed Penn State a 14-3 loss.

It was around this time that Stanford and Cal began to accuse Henderson of recruiting improprieties. In truth, Henderson had stanched the flow of Southern California high school stars that had previously flowed to Andy Smith in Berkeley. The population of Los Angeles was growing by leaps and bounds. In 1880, 1,000 of Los Angeles' 10,000 residents had shown up to see 53 students enter USC's first class. By 1923, they were in the process of going from that 10,000 residents to 1 million by 1930. This was the fastest rate of growth in world history. The high schools of the L.A. Basin were filled to overflowing and great athletes made the area a recruiting bonanza.

"He was a good recruiter," recalled Chet Dolley. "He got the best boys from local high schools. He also got his players to recruit. One of my 'assignments' was to bring in Morley Drury to the school."

The advantage of good weather and great talent attending nearby high schools was something no other school in the nation could match, then or now. Most coaches must expand their recruiting base to well beyond the nearby confines of the campus in order to find players. Not so at USC. Of course, as USC gained in stature, many, many stars from other geographic vicinities also expressed a desire to go to college in Los Angeles and be Trojans.

Henderson was known as a clean liver, very fair and approachable. He opened up the passing game and was innovative. The fledgling National Football League picked up on his approach to offensive football. Stanford and Cal became fearful of a juggernaut at USC that would steal their thunder.

Stanford had hired Glenn "Pop" Warner, the great Carlisle coach who had once mentored Jim Thorpe. In 1924, the Indians dominated with Ernie Nevers and went to the Rose Bowl, where Knute Rockne's Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated them. Warner was frustrated at his inability to beat Henderson's Trojans, though. It was said that his continuing inability to establish dominance over USC when Howard Jones took over was the driving motivation behind Warner's eventual decision to move back to the East. Despite never having lost to Henderson, Cal joined Stanford by "banning" the Trojans from their schedule after 1924. After that season, however, it was Henderson who lost his job because he could not beat Cal.

In that 1924 season, Henderson's nine wins included victories over Syracuse, Missouri, Idaho, Oregon State, Nevada and Arizona, a truly modern schedule that would be considered difficult by modern standards.

Following the 1925 Rose Bowl, when Notre Dame beat Stanford, Rockne was in a jocular mood.

"I'll have to come out and coach USC to show them how to beat the California teams," he told the writers.

This statement was seen as an overture on Rockne's part to come west and take over at USC. In a move that was _not_ USC's finest hour, school officials decided to fire Henderson and negotiate with Rockne. Records are sketchy, and the official mythology has it that Rockne never seriously considered the Southern Cal offer. His great loyalty to his alma mater is part of the legend.

However, Rockne's success vs. Stanford did have Southern Cal officials thinking that, despite Smith's Wonder Teams, there was something superior about the Midwestern football style. Rockne did eventually say no to Southern California, but he offered up the recommendation of Iowa's Howard Jones, who did come west. The story may be different from the Pat O'Brien version, though.

"Rockne came to USC for a football seminar and we saw a lot of him," said Gwynn Wilson, USC's student manager of the era. "We didn't have a coach and we talked to Rock about the job. He agreed to come, subject to getting a release from Notre Dame. Mrs. Rockne had fallen in love with Southern California. We had hopes but they <Notre Dame> talked him into staying. Maybe it was better that Rock stayed there and we got Jones."

Jones would benefit greatly from the program that Henderson had developed, which included recruitment of SC's first All-American, Brice Taylor. Henderson would go on to Tulsa, where he turned that program into a Southwestern power. He eventually returned to L.A. as coach of the professional Los Angeles Bulldogs, later the Detroit Lions, and finally a stint at Occidental.

A plaque at USC's Heritage Hall proclaims Henderson to have been, "A courageous competitor who inspired his men to fight like Trojans."

"He was a thoroughly principled and clean man," recalled one of his players, Leo Calland. Calland himself was one of those star players who came to USC with Henderson from Washington. Calland became a star guard, although he was versatile and played various positions.

"I played every place," he said. "In my sophomore year we didn't have a center, so I played center. In my junior year I played running guard, and in my senior year I played tight end and sometimes defensive center."

In his first year at SC, 1919, only 26 players showed up for fall practice (although they were a quality group that included many of the Broadway High stars). After winning the 1923 Rose Bowl, Henderson had his pick of Southern California talent.

"About 100 turned out for the freshman team the following year," Calland recalled.

Calland coached on Howard Jones' staff after his playing career ended, and rated Henderson the equal of the great Jones. He coached a USC freshman team that included Gus Shaver, Jim Musick, Johnny Baker, Ernie Smith and Erny Pinckert. The group would go on to win the 1931 national championship.

Henderson's "failure" to beat Cal, which was the purported reason for his firing, certainly was not a failure. Andy Smith's team beat everybody. After losing to Washington, 7-0 in 1919, Cal went undefeated for the next few seasons. They won by unheard of scores during a defensive era; 127-0, 79-7. They scored 514 points one season vs. 14 for their opposition. After trouncing Ohio State, 28-0 on January 1, 1921, the Big 10 refused to return to Pasadena until 1947, when the Big 10 and the PCC contracted to play every year.

Despite the fact that Cal beat almost everybody by huge margins, Henderson played them tough. The 1919 game saw the Bears rally late for a 14-13 win. After losing to Cal, 38-7 in 1921 and 12-0 in 1922, subsequent defeats were close: 12-7 (1923) and 7-0 (1924). But close was not good enough for "Gloomy Gus" or the Trojans.

Henderson's tenure, however, saw the rise of USC from being a "neighborhood school" of sorts to an elite institution. In 1919, work began on the administration building at a cost of half a million dollars. The Italian-Romanesque structure stands today. Although neither the Rose Bowl nor the L.A. Memorial Coliseum were built by USC, the popularity of football in the Southland, which USC was responsible for, did give rise to those monumental structures. The fact that the Coliseum was built across the street from the campus was no accident.

USC's yearbook, _El Rodeo_ , said that Henderson's first year of 1919 produced success "beyond all hopes..."

Some of Henderson's "men of might," as _L.A. Times_ sports editor Braven Dyer Sr. described them, were fullback Charley Dean; linemen Swede Evans, Andy Toolen, Ken Townsend, John Fox, Deacon Beale, Jimmy Smith, Lowell Lindley, Eddie Simpson, Orrie Hester, Bill Isenhour, Johnny Leadingham, and back Dan McMillan (who would transfer to Cal)

USC did not play Cal's "Wonder Team" of 1920, and despite an undefeated record were denied the Rose Bowl berth. Cal destroyed Ohio State in front of 42,000.

In 1922, USC sold 850 season tickets and drew 9,000 for the Cal game. That was USC's first year in the PCC. Sports hyperbole described the Trojans.

"At a late hour last night, Dr. Sivens, popular and well-known veterinary surgeon, announced that the Occidental Tiger would live but there was little hope that it will ever look the same," read one account of Henderson's wide-open offensive attack vs. Occidental.

"Though the score reads USC 10, Stanford 0," read another report, "the true status of the beating is not at all revealed by the figures...the score (could) have read more like a city census than a respectable ball game. Never was the Trojan goal in any danger and but twice in the game was the ball in Trojan territory in the hands of the enemy."

After USC had beaten all six opponents by a combined score of 170-21, then gone 10-1 in 1921 (outscoring foes by 362-52), two criticisms reared their head. Losing to Cal, 38-7, their only loss, seemed a bigger deal than all the victories. The weakened schedule, which in 1921 included several service teams (now that the war was over military football was unimpressive) provided little lustre. The obvious task at hand was to join the PCC, to beat Cal, and gain Rose Bowl invitations.

Henderson was a tough taskmaster who did not tolerate mental errors. When Charley Dean fumbled no less than three times in an otherwise easy 35-7 win over Pomona, "Gloomy Gus" ordered Dean to carry an inflated football with him at all times for a week; to the class room, to bed, everywhere.

"Take it with you to your class rooms, to training quarters, to your meals and take it home with you at night," Henderson ordered him. "Everywhere you go, that football must be under your arm. Maybe you'll learn to hold it by the time we play California."

The fumbled football incident has been repeated numerous times over rthe years, and was depicted in a college football movie called _The Program._

"If I could smear Dean's arm with glue that might help," Henderson said prior to the Cal game. "Or maybe I might persuade California to let my backfield men carry the ball in a sack. I'll have to invent something to stop that fumbling."

Andy Smith was the opposite of "Gloomy Gus". He predicted his teams to win.

"Bet the bank roll on California," he announced prior to the 1921 game. Rumor had it that Smith and Henderson made a $2,500 private bet in those pre-NCAA days.

When asked about the bet, Henderson was his usual pessimistic self, stating to the writers that he predicted a three-touchdown loss and that, besides, he did not have that kind of dough.

Hundreds of USC alumni took the ship _Yale_ from Los Angeles on a 400-mile coastal trip north to San Francisco Bay for the game, which drew 26,000 to California Field (Memorial Stadium was under construction). It was, up to that time, the biggest football game ever played, with scalpers getting $15 for tickets.

While Rockne was already in the process of turning Notre Dame into a major power, the Midwestern teams were down and Eastern football, in the aftermath of the war, no longer was what it once had been. California was the new superpower and their biggest rival was Southern California. The game would be for the supremacy of the college gridiron. USC was desperate to take that mantel, but it was not to be.

Smith took a page from Henderson's aerial playbook and passed the ball up and down the field.

"Perfect forward passing let California beat Southern California, although USC made many more yards than USC in line plays," read one news report. "Andy Smith's chief scoring strategy was a forward pass on a fake punt end run play, which brought the ball down to within scoring distance repeatedly."

That day, the Cal rooting section and their colorful marching band put on a display. Whether it was the first such display is not known for sure, but on the West Coast the demonstration of card stunts of blue and yellow spelling C-A-L was unique. On the field, the blood ran hot, but Henderson prevented his team from starting fights. When the Cal rooters hurled lemons at the USC bench, Henderson quelled trouble by having Charley Dean make a display of handshaking sportsmanship with a Cal player named Stephens.

Despite the loss, USC, along with Nevada, was invited to join the PCC. This would put them in a position to earn Rose Bowl berths.

"He took a small Methodist college and put it into a strong Pacific Coast Conference," Leo Calland recalled. "It was quite an achievement."

1923 saw USC's entrance into the PCC. By that year, USC, California and Stanford were three of the top programs in the U.S. Alabama was building a power. Illinois was a Midwest up and comer. Notre Dame was wildly successful. But the state of California was quickly showing itself to be the center of college football, and this caused jealousy. A Seattle newspaper, unnerved that their place in the gridiron world was being usurped, accused all three California schools of unethical conduct.

"Let us restore the conference to the northern part of the Pacific Coast and let <California> shift for itself in the future," they editorialied.

"Washington hasn't taken any too kindly to California's domination of what Washington believes its own," replied _L.A. Herald Examiner_ sportswriter Mark Kelly.

On October 28 35,000 fans arrived to see the first football game ever played at the Pasadena Rose Bowl (built for $272,000). Unfortunately, the new stadium failed to produce a different result for the Trojans. Cal won, 12-0. It was SC's only loss of the year. Andy Smith's Bears chose not to make the second trip to the Southland, so the invitation went out to USC to play Penn State on New Year's Day.

With the building of Stanford Stadium, there had been strong efforts to play the "Rose Bowl" not at the Rose Bowl, but in Palo Alto. History may have been changed by virtue of the fact that Stanford had scheduled a regular game at their stadium on December 30 vs. Pittsburgh, making it problematic.

Further controversy came from USC president Rufus Von KleinSmid, who decried the "commercialism" of college football in the wake of Cal's snub of the Rose Bowl and tickets ($5.50) priced beyond the ability of most students to purchase them.

Furthermore, the building of new stadiums demonstrated a heretofore unheard-of problem. Football teams wore numbers, but in large stadiums most fans and writers, no longer sitting in cozy, small settings, could not see them. This would lead eventually to larger uniform numbers, and many years later (mainly with the rise of television) actual names on their backs.

The Rose Bowl game was scheduled for 2:15 p.m., but by 2:30 Penn State was no place to be found. Finally, Nittany Lion coach Hugo Bezdek walked through the tunnel. The excuse for his team being late would be used many times over the years in L.A. They were caught in traffic.

The building of the Pacific Electric Railway and the popularity of the Model T, combined with good roads to downtown L.A., had helped turn Pasadena into a major city of 300,000 people. A crowd of 43,000 showed up for the game, and the sun was hot. Henderson and Bezdek entered into an argument. Henderson stated that the Penn State coach had stalled because his team was not used to playing in the heat, especially in the winter. After Henderson called Bezdek a liar, the Penn State coach told "Gloomy Gus" to remove his glasses so they could enter a proper fight - at midfield! Henderson declined, stating that it would be "wiser if the two teams decided the issue." The fact that Bezdek had fought professionally in Chicago helped tilt Henderson's decision, too.

Bezdek had already stirred trouble by barring photographers from his practices. He would not be the last visiting Rose Bowl coach to find trouble with cameramen, as Woody Hayes would show some 50 years later. An enterprising _Examiner_ lensman managed to surreptitiously capture the Penn State practices. They were splashed all over the paper's pages.

Stanford coach Pop Warner, who had coached in the state of Pennsylvania before venturing west, built the Lions up. By game time, when running back Harry "Lighthorse" Wilson made several long gains leading to a field goal by Mike Palm, it looked like the concept of California superiority, espoused in part by Grantland Rice, was based on a false premise.

"This early score prompted us to change our defense," said Leo Calland. "Immediately after that scoring drive, I pulled our tackles and ends in and drifted wide myself from my center position. We found that Penn State's main power was inside from a shift either way. So we switched from a seven-man diamond defense to a six-man line with me playing a sliding center. I filled when a hole opened or drifted with the wide stuff."

The adjustments made, USC developed their running attack, managing a drive to the Penn State one, but lost the scoring chance by fumbling into the end zone. They did come back, however, and Gordon Campbell scored on fourth down from the one to give Troy a 7-3 lead.

Campbell and Roy Baker fueled a third quarter drive that ended with Baker also scoring from a yard out to cap Southern Cal's 14-3 win. Because Penn State had shown up late, thus delaying the game in the middle of the winter, the game ended in near-darkness with writers lighting matches in order to complete their game stories.

Henderson compared good coaching to cigarettes, "because the effect...always tells in the long run." It was a thinly veiled critique of Bezdek. Then he made an unveiled assessment of the Penn State coach.

"Hugo Bezdek is no gentleman," Henderson said. Certainly it was USC which had made the adjustments after Penn State had driven on them early. Bezdek had obviously not enjoyed his time in the winter California sun. His surliness, like his trouble with cameramen, would start a longstanding tradition of disgruntled Eastern and Midwestern coaches at the Rose Bowl. It was as if, unless the weather was fowl and the conditions miserable, they could not be happy. Certainly, the near-perfect West Coast climate _must_ offer some reason for their teams losing.

"The best team lost," Bezdek stated after the game. He said USC was lucky, intimated that the cross-country travel was the reason his team failed to win "by 40 points," and polished off his classless act by saying, "I wish Elmer Henderson had left his glasses on," in reference to the pre-game near-fight.

The 1923 Rose Bowl was also the very first college football game ever broadcast in L.A., carried by KHJ. The 1922-23 seasons were monumental in building up football at the University of Southern California, what with the team's entrance into the PCC, the building of the Rose Bowl and their appearance there, which was their first-ever bowl game, period.

But the 1923 season saw what was the most important single landmark event in the school's gridiron history. That was the erecting of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 1923 was the year that the two most famous stadiums in American history were built. In New York, the "House That Ruth Built" - Yankee Stadium - went up in the Bronx.

The impact of the Coliseum cannot be overstated. It turned USC into a major national football power. It would do the same for UCLA, in time. It attracted the 1932 (and later 1984) Olympics to Los Angeles. It can be compared with the building of the Aqueduct in its impact on the city's growth.

Built in the style of the Roman Colloseum, L.A.'s version would also be the home of the Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Dodgers for three years, one World Series, an All-Star game, the Pro Bowl, L.A. City and CIF-Southern Section championships, the North-South Shrine all-star high school game, and international soccer matches. It would be the site of major music concerts, revivals and speeches, including George Patton's famous homecoming after winning World War II. It would be depicted in numerous movies and TV shows. It would spawn the neighboring L.A. Memorial Sports Arena, the home of USC basketball for 45 years; the NBA's Clippers and the ABA's Stars; and the 1960 Democratic National Convention, just to name a few highlights.

The Coliseum is old now, but in its heyday it was the _crème de la crème_ of sports stadiums, equaled in grandeur only by Yankee Stadium. It would set and re-set many attendance records, and its distinctive look - peristyles and urban landscape - make it one of the most recognizable TV sports arenas on earth.

Over the years, many Trojans would play high school, college and professional football at the Coliseum.

One of the early Trojans stars who played on that 1923 team was quarterback Chet Dolley, who had come to SC from Long Beach.

"The good teams started at this time," he said. "Henderson had some fine players, and he actually built the nucleus that Howard Jones inherited. Jones later came in and had national champions with the material that Henderson left him.

"It was single wing in those days. We had a fatter football, and it was harder to pass because you couldn't hold the ball so well."

The rise of SC football continued to strain relations Stanford and Cal, who seemed to feel - as did Washington \- that it was their inherent birthright to dominate in football.

"There were strained relations with Stanford and Cal when they canceled games because they were jealous of our good teams," said Dolley. "They always used to beat USC, and the Trojans came back and started to beat them. They charged under-the-table dealings, said we must have been subsidizing athletes. But we couldn't do it - we were too poor.

"In those days, players didn't get anything. Kids didn't even own cars. It was a different life. And when we worked we worked for 40 cents an hour. Heck, even the football looked like a basketball before we could buy a new one. By the time we through kicking it around, it really got tattered on the ends and just ballooned out of proportion."

Dolley's tale of poverty was exaggerated. The accusations of payoffs led Cal's student body to bastardize USC's fight song, which led with, "Fight On! For ol' SC, our men fight on, to victory." Cal's version was, "Fight On! For ol' SC, our fullback needs, his salary."

Further aggravating the situation, the groundskeeper at USC's Bovard Field, their home before the Coliseum and also site of SC's freshman games, had flooded the field with water despite 90 degree temperatures - whenever Cal came to town with a strong running atack!

SC had many advantages which they used to induce players to come to their school. College football was a big time deal by the mid-1920s, but it was sour grapes on the part of Cal, Stanford or Washington to accuse the Trojans of improprieties above and beyond what they or schools in other parts of America were doing.

Henderson went for good people, on and off the field. Dolley was one of them. He was president of the student body and later forged a successful law practice before striking it rich in the oil business.

USC's first game at the Coliseum, a 23-7 win over Pomona, drew a sparse crowd of 12,863, but 72,000 were on hand a few weeks later to observe a 13-7 loss to Cal. Henderson earned a $1,000 bonus for his contributions, which were a financial boon to the school once the Coliseum was built, but frustration over losing to the Bears mounted.

"If Henderson ever succeeds in bowling over the Golden Bear," one sportswriter wrote, "the Trojans will make him a present of a couple of miles of Broadway frointage."

At Palo Alto, 20,000 were on hand to see SC's 14-7 victory over the Indians.

The Coliseum made for large enough crowds to begin card stunts in 1923. The motion picture industry also began to get involved. Actress Carmel Myers offered two free tickets for the Motion Picture Directors' Association costume ball to the USC player who scored the first touchdown vs. Arizona. USC won, 69-6.

USC's 9-0 win over Idaho also ushered in the era of night football.

"Powerful arc lights played from the parapets of the vast Los Angeles Coliseum and the phantom shapes of red and blue-jerseyed athletes carried their battle into the fast descending darkness," read one account.

In 1924, things started going downhill for Henderson. The dispute with the northern schools came to a head. Cal and Stanford both canceled games with USC. While Cal beat Troy, 7-0, before 60,000 fans at Memorial Stadium, the Bears decided to cancel the 1925 game. In the mean time, Stanford had already threatened to cancel the 1925 game, so USC retaliated by not playing them in 1924.

This of course led to accusations that USC was avoiding Stanford because the 1924 team may have been Pop Warner's best. Led by the great Ernie Nevers, Stanford would go on to the Rose Bowl, where they lost to Notre Dame.

Henderson's squad was successful, finishing 9-2 with a 16-0 homecoming win over Syracuse and a 20-7 victory over Missouri in the Christmas Festival. However, they tied for a disappointing fourth in the PCC.

1924 was the year that Grantland Rice penned his story about the "Four Horsemen of Notre Dame," which elevated the Fighting Irish to national status, much of it fueled by a "subway alumni" of Irish and Catholic football fans. Red Grange emerged as a star at Illinois, so the myth that was being spread was that Midwestern football was superior.

Despite the questions surrounding his team (and the PCC in general), many feel that 1924 was Henderson's best team. If his job was in jeopardy, then there were few outward indications. The school upgraded his salary to $7,000, making him one of the highest-paid coaches on the West Coast. School officials stated that Cal and Stanford were spreading rumors about Henderson's demise.

Beating Syracuse and Missouri provided the Trojan program with further national respect. The team was led by Dolly, Mort Kaer, and Jeff Cravath.

Eventually, an amicable agreement was reached with Stanford and Cal, which was based on agreed standards for entrance requirements and eligibility rules. However, the damage was done regarding Henderson.

The rise of the Wonder Teams, entrance into the PCC, the building of great stadiums in Berkeley, Palo Alto, Pasadena and Los Angeles, the popularity of the Rose Bowl, and Henderson's 45-7 (.865) record over six years had made college football a nationally recognized success at SC and on the West Coast. However, the hiring of Howard Jones in 1925 would have the effect of a major California earthquake. Its effects are being felt to this day.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE THUNDERING HERD

The "Head Man," the rivalry and a great tradition

It is true that Red Grange, the "Galloping Ghost" of Illinois, was a phenomenon in the mid-1920s. Crowds at Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State and throughout the Big 10 Conference were huge. But Grange's greatest impact is felt on the professional game. It was his presence which translated the enormous crowds of his college career to the young National Football League, thus ensuring the NFL's success.

The college game, however, was turned into a truly national game by the rivalry between USC and Notre Dame, and that rivalry was marked from the beginning by the two coaches, Knute Rockne and Howard Jones.

"SC wanted to get Knute Rockne," said Ambrose Schindler, the quarterback from 1936-39, "and he said 'no, but a young man who just beat me is Howard Jones.' He beat Notre Dame 7-6 and Rockne recommended Howard Jones to the University."

Carl Benson, an offensive lineman from 1939-40: "He was unique, very straightforward, not saying too much, not asking too much, you never questioned what he said. He was the kind of fella who'd walk down the street and he'd go his way and you'd you go your way."

"Howard Jones was always described as taciturn, granite-faced," said USC historian Joe Jares. "He loved golf, and maybe he was personable with his golfing buddies, but players and those who covered him said he was taciturn, and obsessed with football."

"I think this year we'll play and have an opportunity, with the toughest schedule of any team in the country, why, to do something, it's up to you," Jones told team one year:

"Howard Jones was to USC what Pop Warner was to Stanford, what Knute Rockne was to Notre Dame," said Art Spander, an _Oakland Tribune_ columnist. "He was basically; they just took the program and pushed it to the next level. He made SC football what it later became. The tradition was started, the Thundering Herd, what people have always expected of USC started under him. Now they always expect them to be a great football team."

"He was the toughest taskmaster I ever knew," stated Nick Pappas, who played for the "Head Man" in the 1930s.

Players who "hated his guts" grew to love him because he made them great. He made athletes go above and beyond themselves.

"Jones was the kind of guy who would tell you to run through a wall - and you'd ask him, how high?" said Pappas.

Jones took over at a time in which the rules were not clear. Players took advantage of inconsistent officials, often cheating and playing dirty. Jones would have none of it.

"He taught me to play it clean," said lineman Gene Clark.

Descriptions of Jones - "impeccable integrity," honesty", "dignity" - remind one of the superlatives used to describe UCLA baseball coach John Wooden in a later era.

Jones had a brother, TAD, who was also a coach and who was considered more colorful. According to Allison Danzig in his book _Oh, How They Played The Game_ , it was Jones's lack of flair that prevented him from getting the full measure of credit he deserves. Danzig pointed out that "systems" were named after his contemporaries, Rockne and Warner, but not after him, even though he was one of "the most ingenious and progressive minds of the game."

The naming of a still-popular national youth league after him immortalized Warner. Rockne was depicted by Hollywood in glowing fashion. Jones had to settle for a highly popular football board game and the eventual naming of USC's practice field after him.

He had greater success against Rockne than any other coach. His team outclassed Tennessee, coached by the great Bob Neyland. He coached at the same time as Amos Alonzo Stagg, Bernie Bierman, and Jock Sutherland. His USC record stacks up with anybodys. He won four national championships, five Rose Bowl games (without a loss), and eight PCC titles, with a record of 121-36-13 (.750, ironically lower than Henderson's).

In many ways, the style of Jones's teams, which was straightforward without a lot of flamboyance, mirrored later Trojan teams under John McKay and John Robinson, not to mention the Browns of Paul Brown and the Packers of Vince Lombardi. USC's reputation as "Tailback U." really began under Jones.

"His team had more straight power than deception," recalled Nate Barrager, captain of the 1929 squad. "He always believed that if the men did their individual jobs, the play should go. There was nothing fancy. We'd actually tell the other team where we were going to run the ball - and then just ran it through that spot."

Jones's philosophy mirrored the "power" game espoused by Woody Hayes, which has often been compared to military tactics.

"Football to me means power - massed power, functioning smoothly, driving forward relentlessly," Jones said. His words could easily have described those of Patton.

Longtime USC sports publicist Al Wesson is credited with calling Jones "The Head Man." One photo of Jones directing his team in practice speaks to the nickname. Jones towers over linemen gasping for breath, arms gesticulating, each players' eyes (including a young John Wayne's) on him with rapt attention. When he spoke, his players listened.

Jones had been born in Ohio. He and TAD took to football, which led both of them to Yale, which was the pinnacle of the college game at the time. In 1906 and 1907, Jones was named to Walter Camp's prestigious All-American teams.

Jones immediately went into coaching. His 1909 Yale squad was, along with the 1901 Michigan Wolverines, the greatest team ever, up to that point. Yale produced an undefeated, untied season, six All-Americans, and never allowed opponents inside their 30.

Jones also coached single seasons at Syracuse and Ohio State. His second stint at Yale began in 1913. Then he retired, only to take the job at Iowa in 1916. He compiled a 42-17 record with the Hawkeyes over an eight-year period. His teams were known as offensive juggernauts, and were undefeated in 1921 and '22.

In 1921, Jones set the wheels in motion for his future by leading the Hawkeyes to a 10-7 victory over Rockne's Irish, ending Notre Dame's 21-game winning streak. This laid the groundwork for the SC-Irish rivalry.

"Now, don't forget," Rockne told Jones at mid-field after the game. "You owe me a game.

"You'll get it," Jones replied.

There would be four of them between Rockne and Jones, and 77 between the schools as a result of that handshake.

Rockne averaged a loss a year, so any coach who could beat him earned his admiration. Jones was a wanderer. He was one of the first coaches to take different jobs at different schools, not just for the career opportunities but out of a sense of professional challenge.

Despite winning at Iowa, Jones moved on to Duke, where he was 4-5. After the 1924 season, when Henderson was fired at USC, school officials went after Rockne. Rockne had made a side remark about coming to Southern Cal and showing them how to beat the other California schools, since he had just knocked Stanford around in Pasadena.

Unlike Jones, Rockne was no mercenary. No matter what his motivations, he is credited with staying at his alma mater even though he had opportunities, at USC and elsewhere, to make far more money at institutions that probably would have made it easier to succeed in football than an academically strict Catholic school. The fact that he stayed, and despite those restrictions won in glorious fashion, separates Rockne from the field of legendary coaches.

Despite Jones's losing year at Duke, Rockne remembered the man who had engineered Iowa to victory over his squad in 1921. He recommended Jones to USC. Jones fit the profile of the tough Midwesterner, which thanks to Rockne (and the "Four Horsemen" image) was the "flavor of the day," so to speak.

It is often as important to be lucky as it is to be good. Jones was both. He was lucky in that Henderson had taken over the Southern California recruiting game, which Andy Smith and Nibs Price had dominated a few years earlier in building Cal's dynasty. Jones's first team was star-studded.

"It was among one of the best Southern Cal teams in standpoint of material," recalled Leo Calland.

The Rockne-Jones connection meant everything; first in Jones getting the USC job, and second in starting the USC-Notre Dame rivalry. Prior to 1926, which was the first year the game was played, Notre Dame was already mythologized. They had played to enormous crowds at Yankee Stadium, upending strong Army teams, taking on all comers (actually, playing an extensive road schedule), including Pop Warner's Stanford Indians in the Rose Bowl.

The "Four Horsemen" story, which was written by Grantland Rice in October 1924, is considered one of if not the most influential sports columns ever written. In the years after World War I, during the age of Prohibition, conservative, Christian revivalism swept the nation. There were some who thought the rise of Notre Dame football to be an act of God.

Prior to the 1926 game, USC was an emerging power, but no more than that. Cal was the dominant team in the West. Stanford had a longer tradition (although they were as frustrated at not being able to have their way with SC as SC was in not being able to beat Cal). Army was still a national power. The Ivy League was still fairly strong. Red Grange was helping to put the Big 10 on the map. Alabama won national championships in 1925-26. USC was the new kid on the block.

In the beginning, at least, it was Notre Dame who put them on the map by scheduling them, but the rivalry very quickly evened out and became something that elevated both programs, very evenly, to the very highest perch of college football. They are still the two leading contenders for that perch to this day.

The first game, in Los Angeles, drew 74,378 fans. The 1927 and 1929 games were played at Soldier Field in Chicago, drawing unbelievable throngs of 120,000 and 112,000. This is the best evidence that USC held their own as a rival right from the get-go. They were seen as the "best of the West," which no doubt annoyed Cal and Stanford. The games drew interest above and beyond any possible Notre Dame opponent, thus effectuating the scheduling of the games at the biggest stadium in America. With the eventual expansion of the Coliseum, L.A. crowds would top the 100,000 mark

In 1925, Jones's team was 11-2. The Cal-Stanford dispute still had a hangover effect, with the Bears left conspicuously off the schedule. Stanford gained a measure of revenge for the slights felt at Henderson's hands, beating Southern Cal 13-9 before 70,000 at the Coliseum. Washington State, who had been a Rose Bowl representative a decade earlier, when football in the Pacific Northwest was, in fact, the "best in the West," was more than happy to teach the Trojans that there were still plenty of good teams on the coast. Before a paltry crowd of 12,000, which may have contributed to the Trojans' taking the Cougars lightly, Washington State prevailed, 17-12.

USC beat St. Mary's, 12-0, to finish the 1925 campaign 11-2. The St. Mary's contest was not a cakewalk. When Stanford had threatened to cancel the 1925 game, USC canceled the 1924 game - one week before the game. They invited little St. Mary's, a Catholic school in the Bay Area, to Los Angeles. The Gaels won, 14-10. This began a fairly serious rivalry between USC and St. Mary's, who played off and on for two decades, both teams giving as well as they got.

The 1925 Trojans featured the "Red Bluff Terror," Morton Kaer, and the school's first-ever All-American. Brice Taylor was a man ahead of his team. He was black, part Cherokee Indian, and had only one hand!

The story of how the USC-Notre Dame rivalry began is rife with the kind of storytelling myth that permeates its history. Jones had surveyed the landscape, nationally and locally. He saw that Notre Dame was the kingpin of college football, replacing the old champ, California.

Jones knew, of course, that under Henderson the Trojans could not beat the Bears, and that both Cal and Stanford, while worthy opponents, were capable of classless acts of jealousy that he wanted his team to rise above. Jones understood that weather and demographics now favored USC over Northern California teams in the recruiting wars, but he wanted that higher profile.

He yearned for Southern California to achieve prestige over and beyond the other powers and wanna-bes of the 1920s, whether that be Illinois, Michigan, Army, Yale, or Alabama. The challenge in achieving that, as Jones saw it, would come by overcoming two huge obstacles. The first would be to get Notre Dame not just to schedule USC, but to schedule a series of games. The second would be to actually _beat_ the Irish.

The nature of this way of thinking, which has always been a hallmark of USC's competitive nature, was embodied years later by USC coach and athletic director Jess Hill.

"There was a period when we were having trouble beating them and people would ask me, 'Why do we schedule Notre Dame?' he said. "I would answer, 'How are we going to beat one of the finest institutions in the country if you don't schedule them?' "

The beauty of the USC-Notre Dame rivalry is that there were periods when the shoe was on the other foot (such as has been the case for the last few years), and Notre Dame would answer the query exactly as Hill did.

Getting Notre Dame to agree to play his team was the task that Jones gave to USC student manager Gwynn Wilson in November 1925. Notre Dame was in freezing cold Lincoln, Nebraska for a season-ending game with the Cornhuskers. Wilson and his young wife took the Sunset Limited to Lincoln to ask Rockne for the game.

Wilson could not get to the busy Rockne at the stadium or anywhere in Lincoln. Notre Dame's loss had Rockne in a less-than-jovial mood, anyway. He boarded the train Notre Dame was taking back to Chicago. With Rockne "captive" in the train, and able to relax with the game now over, Wilson approached him, got the audience, and made his pitch.

Rockne was respectful and told Wilson the Trojans had gotten a great coach in Jones, but that the administration at Notre Dame was already giving him a hard time about putting the team on the road so much. Notre Dame Stadium was not yet built, and the audience demand to see them play required that they travel. Wilson may have gotten Rockne to agree had he painted a vivid picture of the enormous crowds that would see the teams play at the new Coliseum and at Soldier Field, but Wilson was unable to make the sale. He returned to his compartment, wondering how he would explain his "failure" to Jones.

Enter _Mrs. Marion Wilson_ and Mrs. Bonnie Rockne. On a train filled with football players, football coaches, football writers and football fans, they found in themselves women and kindred spirits. Gwynn found his wife engaged in excited conversation with the coach's wife, and was delighted at what they were talking about: shopping.

Yes, shopping, for it was shopping that started the USC-Notre Dame game. Mrs. Rockne liked to shop. She liked to travel. She liked to travel to warm weather places. She had just spent the day freezing her you-know-what off in a town that had no shopping! Mrs. Wilson, bless her, painted a colorful picture of Rodeo Drive, the emerging boutique boulevard of Beverly Hills where the _nouveau riche_ and famous of Hollywood were buying all those fabulous fashions that she saw in the movie magazines. Mrs. Rockne had already gotten a taste of the Hollywood lifestyle when she had accompanied Rock to L.A. for a coaching clinic.

If Notre Dame would travel to Los Angeles and play the Trojans, Mrs. Wilson explained, Mrs. Rockne would have the chance to spend a few days in sunny California - shopping on Rodeo Drive.

At some point, Mrs. Rockne departed and went to see her husband. Her powers of persuasion were certainly better than Gwynn's. She talked Rockne into scheduling the game.

Wilson had achieved his goal after all. Of course, this story has been hyped in the traditional USC-Notre Dame manner. Rockne certainly recalled the promise of a game with Jones that the two had made after Iowa beat him in 1921. No doubt Rockne gave some further, serious thought to the gate receipts at the Coliseum and Soldier Field. He certainly thought about the recruiting value of playing such a national game. It would be a huge publicity boost. This was Jones's feeling, that the game would allow the Trojans to rise above all Western teams in the recruiting battles, compete with the Irish for other players across America, and use the PR value to boost the program and the school, with all the attendant financial value inherent therein. If indeed these were the hoped-for expectations of Rockne and Jones, their expectations came true in wildly successful fashion.

"He told me that he couldn't meet USC because Notre Dame was traveling too much," Wilson once recalled. "I thought the whole thing was off, but as Rock and I talked, Marion was with Mrs. Rockne, Bonnie, in her compartment. Marion told Bonnie how nice Southern California was and how hospitable the people were.

"Well, when Rock went back to the compartment, Bonnie talked him into the game. But if it hadn't been for Mrs. Wilson talking to Mrs. Rockne, there wouldn't have been a series."

Despite the serendipitous nature of the Gwynn Wilson story, it was later revealed that Rockne wanted a game in a big cosmopolitan city on the West Coast, in order to bookend their games in New York. It has even been suggested that the game was a favor offered not by Rockne to Jones, but vice versa, since it was Rock who had recommended Jones to USC. Either way, to quote Vince Vaughn, it's "worked out pretty well for everybody."

In 1926, USC opened the season with a 74-0 thumping of Whittier. Talk of a national championship, capped by a season-ending home win over the Irish, filled the air. The Associated Press would not begin its polling until 1936, but there were various organizations, systems and formulas used to determine who was, in fact, number one. The Parker H. Davis ratings were devised by a former player from Princeton and coach from Wisconsin. The Dickinson System (1924-40) was based on a point formula devised by an Illinois professor. The "winner" was awarded the Rissman Trophy. The Eck Ratings System, in place since 1897, was a mathematical formula devised by Steve Eck. The Dunkel System, started in 1929, would be a power ratings index that has been maintained by Dick Dunkel's heirs to this day. There was also the College Football Researchers Association, which went by a vote system.

The Helms Athletic Foundation named their choice for the national championship. The Football Thesaurus began awarding champions in 1927, and the Williamson System came into place in 1931. In subsequent years, various other organizations, systems and polls were created to "determine" national champions, which in the absence of a "March Madness" or College World Series type play-off system relies on "mythical" rankings.

By and large, between the systems in place, media attention, "people's choices" and common sense, national champions were generally agreed upon, with varying regional differences. **Over the years, USC has been named "national champions" 17 times, but the reality is that they can consider themselves a true, legitimate national champion 12 times**. Some of those are shared, or co-national championships. In recent years, the BCS has failed college football in general, but again, common sense and history accord legitimacy to the **school's claim on 12 titles.**

So it was that in 1926, with Notre Dame on the schedule and a Rose Bowl waiting at season's end, Trojan fans felt that "this was the year." Interestingly, the creation of the USC-Notre Dame rivalry had the effect of ending Notre Dame's participation in bowls. The criticism of the school's schedule, which resembled a barnstorming crew, had helped to dissuade their administration from approving bowl trips after the 1925 trip to Pasadena. The Southern Cal game, to be played at season's end and in California every even year, would be their "bowl game." When Notre Dame Stadium was finally built in 1930, the school was able to schedule their big games at home instead of traveling to New York or Chicago to play in stadiums that accommodated enormous crowds. They would play in Yankee Stadium and other neutral sites in future years, but not in any post-season games until the 1970 Cotton Bowl. Thus, the SC game would take on enormous importance to Notre Dame in their quest for national supremacy.

After the Whittier game, Troy confidently advanced to a 5-0 record. On October 23, they exorcised their greatest demon by defeating Cal, 27-0, before a crowd of 72,000 at Berkeley. Jones's confident team returned to Los Angeles to read their press clippings and think about the future, which looked like a trifecta of victory over Notre Dame and a Rose Bowl opponent, capped by the elusive national championship.

Along came their old whipping boys, Stanford. 78,500 fans came to the Coliseum and were stunned to see Stanford win by a 13-12 margin. It was SC's only loss heading into the Notre Dame game, when 74,378 came to see the first-ever game between the new rivals. If the Trojans could win, they would lay claim to a national title with one loss. Notre Dame denied them, winning by the same one-point score as Stanford, 13-12. USC did not get the Rose Bowl invite, having finished second in the PCC. Notre Dame maintained its status as the elite team in America, although legitimate ranking systems also recognize Alabama as back-to-back national champions of 1925-26. Certainly the uncertainty of a non-play-off system was leading more and more in the media towards the conclusion that a more "legitimate" poll system be devised. It was very important to colleges to be able to raise their fingers in the air and shout, "We're number one!" As for USC, they were confident that they would be able to do just that in 1927.

The 1926 USC-Notre Dame game was, up to that point, the most ballyhooed college game ever played. It overshadowed Notre Dame's previous encounter with Army at Yankee Stadium which produced the "Four Horsemen... outlined against a blue, gray October sky," as well as the Rockne-Warner Rose Bowl struggle of 1925. Notre Dame's train stops to Los Angeles engendered headlines at every stop. Rockne had learned from the "Gloomy Gus" playbook, lamenting to a Tucson writer that the 1926 Irish were terrible. This may or may not have been the first time Jones's USC team was referred to as the "Thundering Herd." The _Daily Trojan_ had earlier written that "...long years of submitting to an oppressive yoke were avenged at Berkeley...when the thundering hoofs of Troy's galloping Herd crushed the Bear of California into the turf of Memorial Stadium," and "the Thundering Herd crashed on its way to everlasting fame."

The game attracted what was said to be the greatest array of coaching talent ever assembled in one place. Jones' brother, TAD (the Yale "head man") attended along with Red Grange's Illinois mentor, Bob Zuppke and Pop Warner.

In the end, it was a Notre Dame reserve, Art Parisien, who lofted a pass to Johnny Niemec with a mere four minutes left on the clock to give his team the win, despite early heroics from Don Williams and Mort Kaer. Morley Drury and Brice Taylor, both Trojan legends, failed in extra point attempts in the one-point defeat.

"It was a football battle that has never been excelled for brilliance, thrills and pulsating drama and the Irish won because Harry O'Boyle kicked one goal after touchdown while both Brice Taylor and Morley Drury failed in their attempts to shoot the ball between the uprights," read one reporters "tearful" account.

"It was the greatest game I ever saw..." Rockne told Jones afterwards. "See you in Chicago."

The game was great in part because it was so cleanly played, a factor that, with very few exceptions, would mark the rivalry to this day. It differentiated it, in some ways, from the rancorous attitudes of Cal and Stanford towards the Trojans. Clean play was Jones's trademark.

"He was highly intense, clean, had great moral values, and was ethical as the devil," said Nick Pappas. "There was no way anybody was going to play dirty football for him."

Jones was extremely intelligent as well as honest. He devised a brilliant system for the card game of bridge, and taught himself to shoot scratch golf. He was innovative when he needed to be as a football coach, but of course was smart enough to let his team's power take over. His off-field personality was somewhat introverted. Unlike Rockne, the media darling, Jones disliked banquets or press conferences. On the field, however, Jones was dynamite, in his element.

"You could always sense the electricity when he came onto the field," recalled Pappas.

Like a later Los Angeles legend, John Wooden, Jones never took a drink and his greatest expletives were "gol darn" and "by gad," with one exception. The Cal Bears took to such dirty tactics and foul-mouthed, unsportsmanlike conduct that Jones, at halftime, said, "These people, are you going to let them come down here and son of a bitch you!?"

Erny Pinckert, a star player, turned around and just smiled at Pappas.

Despite a thick-skinned reputation, Jones could get sentimental. Stanford made such malicious remarks at a pep rally once that, when Jones heard of them, he teared up. On another occasion, he chewed a player out. When the young man cried, Jones was compelled to cheer him up for an hour.

He did have one true vice, however. He was a chain smoker, which probably led to his heart attack and death in 1941. He also was a bit of an absent-minded professor when confronted by non-football activities, at least during the season. He dressed with mis-matched socks and stranded his family, missing appointments. Perhaps it was for this reason that he kept a low off-season profile.

Jones was an aggressive coach who valued mental quickness, and once stated that Morley Drury exemplified these qualities the best of all his stalwarts. He was also a man of Christian charity who, despite his strong aversion to alcohol, was known to come to the aid of drunks in need.

Despite his love of the rough-and-tumble of football, he enjoyed the solidarity of fishing in the high Sierras.

"He was a perfect gentleman to strangers," said Al Wesson. "But he never said a kind word to his closest friends. He always told the athletic director that he couldn't prepare a decent schedule, his assistant coaches that they didn't know how to scout, the publicity boy that he couldn't write English, and the team doctors that they were quacks. But they liked to hear the Head Man talk like that, for they knew it was his good-natured, rough kind of ribbing and that out of their presence he swore by them.

"He would hardly glance at a boy coming off the field after playing his heart out. But when the game was over, in the privacy of the training quarters, he'd hunt out every boy who had played, thank him for what he had done, and be sure that any injuries, no matter how trivial, were immediately cared for.

"He never 'treated,' never carried enough money to buy anyone lunch, and always figured on plucking his golf opponents for enough petty cash to almost any charity that sought him out.

"He didn't belong to a church. But he lived every minute of his life according to the Golden Rule."

The "noblest Trojan of them all"

Great coaches are only great because they coached great players. One of the greatest was a man called "the noblest Trojan of them all," Morley Drury.

In 1927, when Drury ran off the field for the last time in front of 60,000 at the Coliseum, the standing ovation lasted four minutes. Drury "bawled like a baby."

In that last game, a sweeping win over Washington, Drury rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

"It was a nice way to finish," said Drury. Drury had asked Coach Jones to replace him with a backup with the game in hand, but Jones ordered him to the dressing room, via the playing field, knowing that the crowd would give him the kudos he deserved.

"I crossed the Coliseum floor and the ovation lasted until I reached the tunnel," he recalled, "I knew I couldn't hold back my tears."

Drury was a West Coast "golden boy" from 1925-27, and Jones's favorite player. He was aggressive, courageous and durable. In the pre-specialization days, Drury did everything, which included running, punting, tackling, passing and blocking. In the 13-0 history-shaping victory over Cal, he scored both touchdowns. In 1927 Drury rushed for 1,163 yards.

"He was omnipresent, smart, powerful, and positively brutal in the way he banged and whanged at Stanford's line," read one account of his skills on the other side of the line. "His defense against passes was phenomenal, his generalship above reproach."

Drury had moved to Long Beach with his family from Canada at a young age, and had worked in the shipyards to put himself through prep school before coming to USC.

"He was more matured, more settled, and better adjusted," recalled center Nate Barrager. "He was superb under pressure."

Drury was 21 when he entered school after being "recruited" by Chet Dolley. Despite his "advanced" age, his high school records were fresh, as he had earned 10 letters at now-legendary Long Beach Poly High School. In his three years at SC, the Trojans were 27-5-1. It was an injury to Drury, forcing him to the sidelines on crutches, which cost SC the loss to Stanford in 1925.

Like another, later Trojan great, Mike Garrett, Drury was an All-American who longed to play in a Rose Bowl but was denied. It looked like he would get his wish in 1927, but a 13-13 tie with Stanford cost them the Pasadena invite. In that game, Drury gained 163 yards on the ground and intercepted no less than five passes.

Mark Kelly, sports editor of the _L.A. Times_ , called him "the noblest Trojan of them all," out of respect for his work ethic, on-field versatility, tireless stamina, and strong character.

"I did everything - the kicking, the punting, and the kicking after touchdowns, as well as carrying the ball," he said. At "Tailback U.," he is also the school's first 1,000-yard rusher.

Drury's nobleness comes also, in part, from the fact that he came "so close and yet so far." In addition to not going to the Rose Bowl, he never beat Notre Dame, losing to them twice by a point each time.

"There must have been 17,000 people in Soldier's Field," he recalled. "That was quite a highlight. I had never seen that many people before in one place."

Drury was part of the transformation of Trojan football to the big time.

"When Jones got there, he started to cut the smaller colleges from our schedule and began scheduling really big-time schools," he said. "Jones felt it was bad to play against weak teams because it gave you false confidence. Jones wanted to change all that."

Drury had been part of the Trojan program when they played a _doubleheader_ against Whittier and Santa Clara, beating both by large shutout scores. After football, he went into real estate, living near Santa Monica Beach with his wife, Louise. He went to USC games well into the modern era, lamenting the "free substitution" of today's game. Drury passed away in 1989.

While Drury was an old-fashioned player in the sense that he played offense and defense, and was a back who also passed, the fact is that Howard Jones was one of the first coaches to introduce "specialization" to football.

"Jones' system is unique in that no two men on the team have exactly the same duties," one sportswriter remarked. "On most elevens the duties of the two men playing a like position, for instance, tackle, have the same general duties. Not so under Jones' regime. There is a left and right tackle on a Howard Jones team, and it is rare that a man is trained to play both positions. The same is true of the ends, the guards, and the halfbacks. And, of course, the other men, center, fullback, and quarterback is a fast man who carries the ball off-tackle and around end, the fullback being used primarily as a line-bucker."

Pop Warner credited Jones with inventing the "trap play" in 1928. Jones enjoyed the long run, which resulted in a "hole smashed open," and after some stiff-arming, "matching of skill and courage and wits between a swerving, dashing ball carrier and his flying pursuer."

His offenses, despite the "stodginess" of their power sweeps, were also described as having a "kaleidoscope" effect, making use of patterned blocking, screens and power to create confusion in the enemy. Linemen like Jesse Hibbs, John Baker and Ernie Smith helped pave the way.

Nine of the 23 All-Americans under Jones were running backs, however. The vaunted SC ground game was a tradition that he most definitely had a large role in starting.

Brice Taylor was the blocker most responsible for opening the holes that Mort Kaer ran through in 1925, when Southern California outscored the opposition, 456-55. Taylor was a 1925 All-American. Kaer earned his honor in 1926.

Howard Jones would usher USC into the era of great rivalries, first with Notre Dame but also with UCLA. However, it was Cal and Stanford who were their fiercest competitors when he arrived, and indeed success (or failure) against them was why he was brought in to replace Elmer Henderson.

Andy Smith passed away from pneumonia and Pop Warner left Stanford, right around the time that USC was reaching a point of dominance. This caused the old ill feelings to come out, and the northern schools began to infer that USC was not a great academic institution, but rather a "football school." This charge was, over the years, continually difficult to back up in light of the fact that USC consistently produced leaders in politics, the law, medicine, science, the arts, Hollywood, and all other forms of human endeavor. Some of those leaders were ex-football players, but the carping continues to this day.

In 1927, USC fans among the crowd of 52,385 found themselves given the worst seats at Stanford Stadium, and they swore that the time keepers' shenanigans allowed the clock to tick minutes too long in order to give the home team time to tie the game in the fourth quarter.

That 1927 season was a breakthrough year, in that USC played both Cal and Stanford and did not lose to either. At the time, it was considered a big deal. For Jones, who had lost to Warner as Henderson had lost to Smith, it was a very big deal. While Stanford and Cal supporters were often venomous, in fairness the Bay Area scribes recognized USC's qualities, and it was glowing reports from San Francisco that helped elevate Drury and Hibbs to All-American status, while laying the groundwork for later All-American honors for Francis Tappaan.

USC truly felt that 1927 would be their national championship. They were an absolute juggernaut, but ran into just enough trouble to deny them the ultimate prize. They shut out four opponents, including Cal, 13-0 before 76,500 in L.A. The tie against Stanford could be overlooked, but it all came down to the Notre Dame game, and what a game it was.

If the 1926 game was "the greatest ever played," then the 1927 game might been the "second greatest," or even better than that! 1927 was a special year in American history; a year of peace and prosperity, of conservative political values mixed with Christian revivalism and a speakeasy mentality, the sort of mix that only happens in America.

It was the year Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs and the "Murderers Row" Yankees fielded their most legendary team. It was the year Jack Dempsey fought Jack Tunney, and the year Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic. It was the year USC played Notre Dame in front of 120,000 fans at Soldier Field in Chicago.

It was the most highly-anticipated football game played to date. Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson ordered the city to clean itself up and welcome Southern California, calling the "attention of the citzenry to the fact that a football game of consequence was about to be perpetrated and that the town should arise to the occasion.

"I request that the people of Chicago decorate their buildings by displaying the flag and the collegiate colors of the Universities of Notre Dame and Southern California."

When Walter Eckersall, the Beano Cook of his day, proclaimed the game the "greatest inter-sectional football game ever played in the country," he foreshadowed what people have said of the rivalry in all the years since.

USC was expected to avenge the one-point loss to Notre Dame in Los Angeles and win their initial national title. It was not to be.

Morley Drury passed to Russ Saunders for a touchdown, but the extra point was not converted. Later, a touchback that the L.A. writers groaned should have been a two-point safety in favor of Southern Cal did not get called.

"We were robbed," was Drury's assessment. As great as Drury was, it was his two missed extra points in 1926 and now in 1927 that cost his team two defeats at the hands of the Irish. Notre Dame scored on a 25-yard pass from Charlie Riley to Bucky Dahman. Dahman made his kick and that was that. Final score: Notre Dame 7, USC 6.

The Rockne-Jones battles, covered by legions of adoring writers, produced its fair share of headlines and anecdotes. When USC arrived in Chicago, they were met by the words, "Knute To Start Shock Troop."

"If he does," Jones told the media, "we'll score in the first minute of the game." Naturally, this led to the next day's headline: "Jones Says Will Score In First Minute Of Play."

USC did score in the first minute.

Rockne continued to feed the "woe is me" line to the reporters, pleading with USC through the papers not to "humiliate us." Jones replied, "What do you say we play the game and find out?"

Rockne is credited with being one of the few who could bring some color out of Jones. When Rockne told the "Head Man" he looked nervous, Jones noted that Rockne's cigar "looks like a shredded rope."

Great players from Jones's early USC teams included Frank Anthony, Nate Barrager, Charles Boren, Henry Edelson, Howard Elliott, Bert Heiser, Cecil Hoff, Lawrence McCaslin, Don Moses, Russ Saunders, Albert Sheving, Tony Steponovich, Francis Tappaan, Lloyd Thomas and Don Williams.

The 1927 season ended in disappointment. The Trojans had to endure the agonizingly long train trek back from Chicago, their National Championship hopes dashed again. Furthermore, despite having lost to St. Mary's and Santa Clara, PCC co-champion Stanford was for some reason chosen ahead of the Trojans for the Rose Bowl.

Still, 1927 was indeed a year in which college football went big time - financially. The sellout at Soldier Field had grossed $250,000. USC's income from football that year was an extraordinary $300,000.

Prior to 1928, Jones had three All-Americans. Taylor would be inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. A descendant of American Indian chief Tecumseh, he became a teacher in the L.A. City School District and later coached football at Southern University.

Kaer was a member of the 1926 national championship track team, performed at the 1924 Paris Olympics, was an All-American halfback in 1926, and played professional football for a year. "The Red Bluff Terror" returned to his hometown, where he coached and taught at the local high school for 27 years. He went into SC's Hall of Fame in 1997.

Drury, the "noblest Trojan of them all," did not have his rushing records broken until Mike Garrett came along, was inducted into SC's Hall of Fame in 1997 after having been elected to the National Football Foundation College Hall of fame in 1954.

The Greatest College Football Team of All Time (1928 edition)

By 1928, it was obvious to the nation that a major power shift had occurred, with the West having overcome the East. Hollywood began to make a big deal over the Trojans, and after Stanford beat Army, the _Evening World_ proclaimed that the victory "had demonstrated the futility of the Eastern one-man offense against Western team play."

Oregon State took care of NYU, leading Ed Sullivan in the _Graphic_ to write that, "We learned about football from them."

Grantland Rice announced after the Stanford and Oregon State wins that these were the two best teams in America. The _New York Mirror_ took exception to that, stating that Southern California was the best since they had beaten Stanford 10-0 and Oregon State, 19-0.

"In view of what happened to New York U. and Army," wrote _Mirror_ sports editor Dan Parker, "I propose the following choices for All-America teams:

"First team - University of Southern California.

"Second team - Stanford.

"Third team - Oregon State."

While it may be difficult to get Cal, Stanford, Oregon or Washington loyalists to admit it, the new prestige accorded the region's grid teams had come about thanks to USC, and much of that because it was the Trojans who were playing those monumental contests with Notre Dame.

Rockne had wanted to upgrade his schools prestige by staging major inter-sectional games, which had included contests at Yankee Stadium, Soldier Field and the Rose Bowl. Two of those games were against Western teams, Stanford and USC. He had indeed succeeded in building up his school's prestige, but indeed had helped build up that of USC and the West, too.

In so doing, Rockne and USC were part of something even bigger. Most colleges were in small towns. The Eastern teams in or around New York City had fallen drastically. Pitt was a "big city" power, if one calls the Smoky City a big city. The Southern and Midwestern schools were for the most part in rural America.

Stanford and Cal, however, were intertwined with glamorous San Francisco, and of course L.A. was the fastest-growing city in the country, already a major metropolis. In staging games in cosmopolitan cities and enormous arenas, Rockne not only developed the Notre Dame fan base, which included every blue-collar Irish, Italian and Polish Catholic in cities large and small. He was taking a game which only a decade before had been not just a college event, but a rich college event, a fraternity ritual of "sis-boom-rah" played before crowds of fur-coated preppies, turning it into a popular pastime whether it be in a rural or urban setting.

Combined with Red Grange, who by the late 1920s was a dazzling star in the ever-growing National Football League, Notre Dame (and USC), were responsible for the growth of football at a time when Babe Ruth and baseball was far and away the dominant pastime.

The fact that it was USC who was developing into Notre Dame's rival was part luck (Jones's association with Rockne, Mrs. Wilson talking shopping with Mrs. Rockne). Rockne could have decided his West Coast rival would be Cal, whose Wonder Teams had started the whole craze after the war, or Stanford, their great rival and the school that had brought Warner out West. But of course Jones had wanted the game and went after it. Luck is the residue of design.

In 1928, USC stepped it up a notch, growing beyond the role of Notre Dame's West Coast rival. They firmly planted themselves at the apex of the football world. Up until that season, the Wonder Teams were thought to be the best squads ever assembled, but a poem written after the USC-Stanford clash told the new story:

They whip the end, they buck the backs, the line begins to yield

And the "greatest team in history" backs slowly down the field

And finally comes the whistle as a seal to Stanford's fate

And the "greatest team in history" goes staggering through the gate.

The "greatest team in history" was a fan favorite in Los Angeles long before the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers or UCLA. Jones began to receive fan mail from the likes of Oliver Hardy of the Laurel and Hardy comedy team, Gary Cooper, Vilma Banks, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Harold Lloyd, Norma Talmadge, Richard Dix, Hoot Gibson, Ronald Coleman, Nancy Carroll and Reginald Denny.

"Is the quarterback's value greater today than it used to be?" asked Hardy.

"Yes," was Jones's written reply, "because the introduction of the forward pass broadened the field for the employment of strategy."

Gary Cooper was interested in what constituted a penalty and why some were more severe than others.

Vilma Banks wanted to know who the best football player ever was. Jones's surprising answer was Tom Shevlin, Yale's captain in 1905, because he was "powerful physically" with "great mental characteristics."

Jones's reply to Miss Bank's query may have hearkened to a quaint time and place that still reverberated sentimentally in Jones's Yalie dreams. However, the idea that Shevlin or any Ivy Leaguer from the Teddy Roosevelt era could compete at the level of Morley Drury, Ernie Nevers or Red Grange was preposterous. The two decades that separate football from the 1900s to the 1920s are a period of great growth. Possibly in later years the separation between the 1940s, when the players were mostly white and the equipment still archaic, with the 1960s, when integration was taking full force and the game had become one of gladiators, was a more shocking contrast.

Wins over Utah State, Oregon State and St. Mary's set up the famed "mud bowl" at Berkeley. No rain had befallen San Francisco, but the field was a swamp, obviously hosed down to create a quagmire to stop the Thundering Herd. In later years, USC would retaliate, but at the freshman level at Bovard Field, not at the Coliseum. It was, in all honesty, a typical Cal stunt from a school that had become sore losers over the loss of their "empire" to the Trojans. Cal watched with envy while Southern California gained the plaudits of Hollywood and the national recognition that came with the Notre Dame game.

Injuries further hampered Troy. Charlie Boren, Harry Edelson and Lowry McCaslin were out.

The players found themselves ankle deep in mud, according to Arnold Eddy, a former player who became executive director of USC's alumni association. Frustration was the order of the day.

"With the advantage of the heavy turf and Benny Lom's brilliant spirals, the Bears were saved from serious trouble on more than one occasion," recalled Eddy. "Don Williams and Russ Saunders of Southern Cal spent most of the afternoon trying to dig the ball out from the California end of that wet field. Williams went out of the game early with injuries, not to return until the Stanford game two weeks later."

There is little doubt among honest observers that had the field not been muddied, USC would have won handily, as they did with all other 1928 opponents. Still, the 0-0 tie left some doubters, who installed Troy as the underdog when Stanford ventured south.

"Early games had the football public believing that 'Pop' Warner had one of his greatest teams at Stanford," wrote Braven Dyer in _Top Ten Trojan Football Thrillers._

"I have more good material than I ever saw before," Warner stated. Obviously, he was not of the "Gloomy Gus" Henderson school of pre-game predictions. Stanford officials were saying the Indians, coming off a 47-0 pasting of Fresno State, would knock SC around by as much as four touchdowns.

"Pop had concocted a new formation - called Formation B - to distinguish it from what he had been using," said Dyer. Warner gave his quarterback more room to maneuver and weaved in a variety of reverses and double reverses, plays that were anathema to "Head Man" Jones.

Stanford had great size for the 1920s. Herb Fleishacker weighed 220 pounds, Biff Hoffman 195, and their blockers were men named Artman (240) and Sellman (205). Injury reports from Los Angeles combined with a flu epidemic on campus (a highly serious danger 10 years removed from a worldwide Spanish Influenza epidemic that killed millions) further buoyed Stanford's hopes.

The game may well have been in danger because of it, but Jones "quarantined" his men at the Beverly Hills Hotel, avoiding catastrophe. Betting was big already in football, as it had been in baseball for years. The oddsmakers made Stanford 3-1 favorites.

However, a USC scout by the likely name of Clifton B. Herd (nicknamed "Thundering?") had watched the Indian. He was convinced that on a dry field the real Thundering Herd would create a "quick mix," which might be called a blitz today. The idea was to get into the Stanford backfield and disrupt the reverses before that could develop behind Stanford's average 10-pound blocking weight edge.

"When the ballcarrier poked his head beyond the line of scrimmage," said Dyer, "he had been stripped clean, or nearly so, and hard-hitting secondary tacklers thus got a clear shot."

Stanford fumbled five times and USC missed no tackles. A Jesse Hibbs interception set up a touchdown pass from Saunders to McCaslin. A Stanford drive late in the first half was disrupted when Thomas chased Chuck Smalling down and tackled him on the SC 10. Stanford never moved the ball in the second half, and Hibbs's 15-yard field goal was enough to give Southern California a 10-0 win that was easier than it looked. Beating the vaunted Warner put USC in a position to win a national championship.

Braven Dyer spared no hype in describing how the "battling sons of Troy scaled the heights of the Coliseum" to "(turn back) the Red Horde...in the most stunning upset ever recorded in these parts." He stated that it was the "most powerful team in Stanford history" at a time when they were one of the top programs in the nation. Ed R. Hughes called it Warner's "Waterloo" in the _San Francisco Chronicle._

Warner called USC the "perfect eleven," and many of the SC players said the game was their biggest thrill, which considering the other events of that season alone is quite a statement.

"Yes, even greater than my 95-yard return of a kickoff against Notre Dame at Soldier's Field" the next year, stated Saunders years later.

Still, the hurdle of Notre Dame still stood in the Trojans' way. The Irish were down that year, at least compared to their usual standards. Furthermore, Rockne's son was ill in South Bend, Indiana, so the coach's mind was understandably troubled.

The Irish never had a chance. Russ Saunders scored on what was called "the old 21 play," Williams tosed a touchdown to Marger Apsit, and after Johnny Niemec's pass was intercepted by Tony Stepovich, USC led 20-0. Williams later hit Harry Edelson for a score. Hibbs and Williams sustained minor injuries, but their strong play earned them All-American recognition.

With the 27-14 victory came further analysis of the American football scene. Considering the earlier victories of Stanford and Oregon State over Eastern opponents, the question was no longer whether the best football was played in the West or the Midwest. It was definitely _not_ played in the East. If Notre Dame was the epitome of Midwest football, then their loss to Southern Cal seemed to cede supremacy to the West, namely to the Trojans. Alabama was the kingpin of Southern football, and to be fair it was the lack of media coverage in that section of the country that cost the region its share of glamour more than any deficiencies on the field of play.

"Southern California all but hugged the life out of the South Bend Irish, and made it harder than ever for the folks back over the Great Divide to forget Los Angeles," intoned the _L.A. Times._ "The tang of the sea and the heart of the desert do not make sissies. Men are not debilitated into softlings in the great open spaces."

Perhaps there had been some talk that warm weather, comfortable surroundings and the glamour of the movies made football players in L.A. "go Hollywood," but in reality Americans understood the rugged nature of Western individualism, which had manifested itself in the settlers who had forged a nation against obstacles made by man and nature. The more pertinent question may have been whether that "individualism" would lend itself to a team game like football. It was obvious by now that it did not disrupt from it, and that good weather not only made for the best playing conditions, but the best year-round training, as well.

Football was not the only sport being played better in California than anyplace else. The state (and USC) was producing the best track stars and baseball players, as well as swimmers and tennis stars.

The Rissman rating system awarded the national championship to the University of Southern California, based on their 9-0-1 record and 4-0-1 PCC mark, earning them the conference title. The glory of the season, however, was disrupted by a season-ending controversy.

Despite their obvious designation as the conference representative in the Rose Bowl, USC turned down the January 1 invite. Officially, they gave the lame excuse that it was based on a policy that "frowned on any games after the closing date of the Pacific Coast Conference season." Supposedly, they would not play any games after the Saturday prior to Christmas.

In reality, a feud with Rose Bowl officials had caused the impasse, for reasons that have never been explained. In the history of USC, it was one of the very few times that they failed to meet an obligation or a challenge, which has always separated the Trojans from various other unimpressives dotting the landscape. It would seem implausible that Jones avoided the game because he had his undefeated season and national title, and chose not to sully it with a potential defeat. However, absent better explanations, it seems to be a possible answer. That said, it does not square with anything Jones ever did, before or after 1928. He thrived on challenges, met them head on at every opportunity. He created a tradition at the school that has always led the team to risk rankings and records in search of greater glory. No team in America has this record, but 1928 is the exception.

If the nation now saw the West as the best, USC's decision diluted this view and gave the South a chance to rise. California, with a loss and two ties, was picked to face the "Ramblin' Wrecks" of Georgia Tech. Fate seemed to enter the picture, because in this game Cal's Roy Riegels was misdirected and ran the wrong way on a play that proved decisive in Tech's 8-7 win. Riegels has forever endured the moniker "Wrong Way" Riegels.

Nate Barrager

Still, the glory of the number one ranking was one worn proudly by the Trojans. One of those stars was Nate Barrager, who who would go on to a film career with John Wayne and pro football, too.

Barrager's hard tackling earned him a spot on Walter Eckersall's All-America team for 1929. Also on the team was the great Minnesota running back, Bronco Nagurski. Barrager was Jones's seventh All-American and one of two in 1929. Coming out of San Fernando High School, Barrager had earned a scholarship to USC after turning down other offers. Under Jones, Barrager blossomed.

"He was an outstanding fundamental coach who taught young men how to handle themselves," he said. "He was a taskmaster, a strictly dedicated football coach. Personality-wise, he wasn't a man who had a lot of things to say. He was just very quiet and very dedicated to his work. There was nothing funny about Jones. He was serious as anything. Chewing gum sometimes bothered him."

Jones switched Barrager from fullback, where he had starred in high school and on the SC freshman team.

"But they needed a center in my sophomore year, and they made me a center," said Barrager. Jones was innovative, and had Barrager backing the line on defense, which made Barrager one of the first linebackers.

Barrager starred in the 10-0 win over Stanford in 1928, and in his senior year Jones turned him into a running guard, defensive fullback and team captain.

"Being captain of the team and playing defensive fullback, you are into an awful lot of things," said Barrager. "You have to be a leader. All the boys on the team are pretty smart, but you have to keep after them."

In the 1930 Rose Bowl game against Pitt, Barrager and Russ Saunders put the clamps on the Panthers' All-American halfback, Tony Uansa, which made the difference in Troy's lopsided 47-14 victory. The score was exceptional, for in those days strong teams usually played defensive struggles.

"We won, and on that particular day we could have beaten anybody," said Barrager.

His final game was one of the few times that Barrager was able to "laugh and enjoy" football under the taskmaster Jones. With Southern Cal winning handily, Jones was ready to bring in his second team, but Barrager was having too much fun. He and guard Clark Galloway purposely knocked a Pitt player into Jones's lap as he sat on the bench. Jones, impressed, told his subs to sit down because, "If anyone can play like that, they're on my team."

The Pitt team that had their hats handed to them had five All-Americans on it. This was an obvious example not necessarily of "East Coast bias," but rather because the concentration of media was congregated in this part of the country. USC's plastering of them made up for Cal's embarrassing "wrong way" loss of 1929. Along with SC's beating of Pop Warner and Stanford, along with Knute Rockne's Irish in 1928, it played a big part in further cementing the Trojans' place in the football hierarchy.

Barrager played professional football, eventually ending up with the fabled Green Bay Packers. He was able to add three NFL titles to his national championship at USC. Barrager was a teammate of the great Don Hutson, who had starred (alongside teammate Bear Bryant) at the University of Alabama.

Barrager also parlayed his football career into acting. He befriended Paramount contract star Richard Arlen whil filming _Salute_ , which lead to Arlen inviting Barrager to be a part of his New York stage show. They were scheduled for an appearance after a Packers' game against the New York Giants. After winning a close one, Barrager, along with teammates Russ Saunders and Marge Apsit (former Trojans), had to herd Arlen out of the Polo Grounds and into a cab - without changing from their game clothes. The show was a big success and, despite being Packers, the uniformed players were given a big ovation.

The Duke

Nate Barrager went to work for RKO Pictures and became a top production manager on such hits as _The Greatest Story Ever Told_ and, of course, John Wayne films like _Hondo, The Fighting Seabees_ and _The Sands of Iwo Jima._ He also worked closely with Bob Hope on television specials.

Barrager was part of a long tradition of ties between USC, their football team, and Hollywood. As big a reason as any for this, aside from the geographical proximity, is the fact that John Wayne played football for Howard Jones.

"He had all the football ability in the world," said Leo Calland. "He had savvy, a great build and the equipment."

"Duke was a good guard," said Normel C. Hayhurst, his coach at Glendale High School. "He played a big part in our winning the Central League and the Southern California championship. He was one of seven players selected for a football scholarship at USC. Our 1924 team was a good one."

Others, however, said that Wayne was not as dedicated to football as Howard Jones required them to be. Photos of Wayne at USC reveal a big, good-looking guy with black, curly hair and a great built who "had to fight the girls off."

The Wayne visage is one of a rough 'n' tough military man or cowboy, more ruggedly macho than handsome, but many film fans are only familiar with movies he made in his 40s and beyond. In his 20s, the man was nothing less than an Adonis.

Wayne's teammate at USC was Ward Bond, who would go on to a long film career. His typical roles were of Irish priests or sidekicks, fighting with and against Wayne, usually winding up sharing a shot of whisky as a conciliatory gesture. Bond had great desire but lacked Wayne's physical abilities. Observers of the two said that if Wayne's talent and Bond's desire could be morphed, the result would have been an All-American.

Gene Clarke, a lineman who played for Jones, claims to have had a hand in making Wayne a picture star. By accident. Wayne was looking forward to being the starting right tackle in his sophomore year.

"Duke and I used to go down to Balboa Beach and ride those big waves," said Clarke. Balboa Beach is in Newport, and those "big waves" are part of the notorious "Wedge," which has produced injured surfers for decades. It is not uncommon to observe wistful men in wheelchairs staring at the ocean wearing t-shirts that read,"Victim of the Wedge."

"One day we're all on the sand with pretty coeds all around. You know how everyone likes to show off, particularly Duke and me.

"These big waves started to come in. We called them, 'butt-busters.' I mean, they were BIG! They were washing the bottom of the pier. Duke says, 'Come on, let's go and ride them.' I said, 'You gotta be nuts, they'll kill us.' He said, 'Come on, you've got no guts!' And I said, 'Dammit, if you're crazy enough, I'll go.' "

15 minutes later, Clarke and Wayne were out past the breakers.

"I warned Duke that the breakers cup hard," said Clarke, but Duke was caught in one. The last he saw was Duke going down.

"He hit the sand," said Clarke, "and if he hadn't pulled his head to one side he probably would have busted his neck. As it was it dislocated his shoulder."

The body surfing adventure had occurred three weeks prior to the beginning of fall football practice.

"He was playing right tackle in the old Howard Jones power plays," said Clarke, "and in this system you used your right shoulder blocking all the time."

Wayne was injured and unable effectuate the blocking patterns

""The old man would give him hell for it," said Clarke. "With Jones you slept, ate, and drank football 365 days a year. He wouldn't understand anyone getting hurt in a foolish accident like that. Well, what happened was the old man thought Wayne didn't have any guts. He didn't know about the shoulder injury, of course. So he put him down on the fourth or fifth team. Took Wayne off the training table, and he had to scrounge for his own meals. He owed the fraternity house so much dough that they had to ask him to move out until he could pay. He dropped out of school and went to Fox Studios."

Born Marion Michael Morrison on May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa, the son of a druggist and a mother of attractive Irish pioneer stock, young Marion moved to the California desert with his family when he was six. "Doc" Morrison had lung problems and improved in the warm climate.

In that environment, Morrison often fantasized that he was a cowboy on a dangerous mission. He rode a horse every day just to get groceries and run errands. He would scare himself into believing he was chasing or being chased by outlaws.

When Doc Morrison's health improved he moved the family to the Los Angeles area. Glendale in those days was still open country, and Marion lived a perfect boys life, fishing and swimming. Morrison got the nickname "Duke" from a local fireman because his dog's name was Duke and the fireman did not know Marion's real name. At first he was "Little Duke," but when he grew to 6-4 it was just Duke. At Glendale High, Duke did not only star in football, but he performed Shakespearean dramas. He was an honor student, president of the Letterman Society, senior class president, and a top debater. He loved to dance and girls went for him.

Despite his football scholarship at USC, he needed to earn extra money and became a top scalper. His scalping took him to the Hollywood Athletic Club, and he also did work for the phone company on movie lots. It was Howard Jones, however, who got him started in Hollywood, so to speak, when he arranged for Morrison and Don Williams to "train" actor Tom Mix for a cowboy movie called _The Great K And A Train Robbery._ They conditioned Mix and moved sets for $35 a week.

Morrison met famed director John Ford, who made him a prop man and liked his rugged film presence enough to cast him in 1928's _Hangman's House._

Ford later made a football movie about the Naval Academy, _Salute_ , and wanted USC players for it. He needed them full-time before the end of the semester, and made Morrison his go-between. Morrison overcame major administrative hurdles in granting permission from school officials, which impressed Ford. He led a delegation that trained east in May, 1929, amid much fanfare. The players included Clark Galloway, Russ Saunders, Jack Butler, Tony Steponovich, Jess Shaw, Frank Anthony, Al Schaub, Marshall Duffield, and Nate Barrager. The trip did cause some concern that the work constituted professionalism, since the players benefited financially by virtue of the fact that they played football at USC.

Director Raoul Walsh gave Morrison the name John Wayne when he starred in a $2 million spectacular called _Big Trail_ in 1929. In 1939 he broke through with John Ford's _Stagecoach_. He was nominated for an Oscar as Sergeant Stryker in _The Sands of Iwo Jima_ , and by 1949 was the top box office attraction in the world. His visual appearance, however, was significantly different by then than it had been in the 1920s, when he was more pretty and handsome than rugged. Wayne liked to pull a cork in real life just as his screen characters did, which may explain this.

Other classic Wayne films include _The Quiet Man_ and _The Longest Day_. In 1969 he finally earned a Best Actor Academy Award for his role as Rooster Cogburn in _True Grit._

Even though he left school early without making a mark on Howard Jones's football team, and never graduated (although he was awarded an honorary doctorate), Wayne is inexplicably tied to the school and its football tradition. Through Wayne, Jones arranged for USC players to work as extras on movies. Aside from _Salute_ , extravagant Hollywood productions of the era often featured Trojan players in the roles of Roman Legionnaires, Napoleon's _Grand Armee_ , or Biblical flocks. This was prior to the NCAA, and while there was grousing about "professionalism," there never were repercussions.

The Hollywood connection was an enormous recruiting advantage that Jones made use of. Not only did the players make much-needed extra money, but they were introduced to the beautiful actresses. As any recruiting coordinator could tell you, no inducement is greater than pretty girls.

One story that made the rounds and was written about in a late 1990s issue of _Los Angeles_ magazine concerned Clara Bow, the "it girl" of the silent film era. A gorgeous brunette, Bow apparently had an insatiable sexual appetite, and allegedly used Duke Wayne to arrange wild orgies at her Hollywood Hills mansion. This was the kind of extracurricular activity that schools such as Iowa or Duke, where Jones had toiled previously, could not offer.

Wayne maintained a strong association with USC until his death in 1979. When he visited his friend Gene Clarke at the Sigma Chi fraternity house, he noticed a derby that had been given Clarke as a member of Southern Cal's 1931 team.

"Don't you wear it?" asked Wayne.

Clarke thought it was silly, but Wayne was so taken with the memento from SC's stirring victory over the Irish that he "wore that derby for the longest time, hardly ever took it off."

Nick Pappas developed a very close relationship with Wayne, and used Duke many times in his role as director of Trojans' Athletic Support Groups.

"He's a fraternity brother of mine, and the night before a big game with Texas in 1966 we were having cocktails together," Pappas said in Ken Rappoport's book _The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football Football_. The interview took place prior to Wayne's 1979 passing.

"This is in Austin, see, and he had come in just for the game," said Pappas. "We drank until about four in the morning - Wayne's drinking scotch and soda all this time. All the guys at the party had gone to dinner and come back and then gone to bed, and we're still in there drinking.

"In the course of our conversation, he says, 'Pap, I want to talk to the kids at breakfast tomorrow.'

"I told him, 'You're in, Duke,' without thinking. I hadn't asked anyone whether it would be all right for Wayne to talk to our football team on the morning of the game. It was a big one, a season opener with Texas ranked number one and us number two.

"But I remembered that Coach John McKay loved John Wayne movies. He used to talk about his big evening - sitting home with a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk and watching a John Wayne movie. And he never met him. I also remembered that McKay would awaken early on the day of games, he was always up by six o'clock, and read the papers. Have breakfast, and go over his diagrams. He was constantly working on football.

"So I call McKay and tell him I had a problem. 'Look, John,' I said. 'I was with John Wayne last night. He asked me if he could talk to the kids, and I said, yeah.' And before I could finish, McKay says, 'Geez, great...bring him down.'

"The kids are all assembled in the locker room at 10 in the morning, and in walks Wayne. Damn, he was fantastic. He walks in with this white 20,000-gallon cowboy hat and black suit - he looked just beautiful. The kids look up, and their eyeballs pop. Here's the REAL John Wayne. And Wayne walks over to the coach and gives him a big hello and squeezes him - you'd think he and McKay were long lost buddies. They had never met before.

"It was beautiful. A former player and all, Wayne gives one of the greatest fight talks you've ever heard - and the kids got all fired up. We win the ballgame 10-6, and back in the locker room after the game, McKay says, 'Hey, guys, how about it? Let's give the game ball to John Wayne.'

"For a moment Wayne stands there - nonplussed. It was probably the first time in his life that he couldn't think of anything to say. Then he looks at the ball for a minute and pumps it like a quarterback. Then he puts the ball under his arm, and the kids break into a cheer, 'Hooray, Hooray.' All the guys joined in. He's still a Trojan."

Mike Walden was the USC play-by-play announcer, and recalls that 1966 Texas game, and Wayne's unique role in the events of that weekend.

"My first game in 1966 was on the road vs. Texas," said Walden. "There'd be a press gathering in Austin, what they called 'smokers' down there, where everybody got together. Well, Wayne was down there making _War Wagon_ in nearby Mexico, and he shows up with Bruce Cabot.

" 'I'm gonna have some whisky,' Wayne says to the bartender, who pours it, and Wayne just looks at it, shoved it back, and said, ' _I said WHISKY_!'

"Texas had a quarterback they called 'Super Bill' Bradley who was supposed to be outstanding, but SC just controlled the ball and won, 10-6. Afterwards, <assistant coach Marv> Goux came in and said wasn't it great, we 'didn't get anybody 'chipped off.' Well, Wayne and Cabot were somewhere, and someone got in an argument the next morning and their make-up artist was dead of a heart attack. It was confusing, I don't know for sure what all happened. Wayne and all of 'em were out drinking all night and came in at seven in the morning, maybe it was too much for this guy, but this make-up artist died.

" 'Well,' Cabot said, ' _We_ got somebody 'chipped off,' after Goux said 'we didn't get anybody 'chipped off.' "

Wayne was an absolute Republican and a superpatriot, traits that were fairly common in Hollywood when he was in his prime, but towards the end of his career he found himself increasingly isolated from his fellow actors. In 1968, Alabama's segregationist Governor, George Wallace, ran for President as an independent. He asked Wayne to be his Vice-Presidential running mate. Wayne agreed with Wallace when it came to states' rights and fighting Communism, but could not stomach racism. He declined.

Tired of the liberal media spin of the Vietnam War, he made a highly jingoistic film, _The Green Berets._ It was propagandistic in nature and lacked gritty realism, but viewing it today, the film does emphasize military heroism that cannot be denied. It was a huge box office success. That and three 1970 war films, _Patton, Tora! Tora! Tora!_ , and _Midway_ , all succeeded artistically and financially, showing that the American public was not as widely anti-war as the popular misconceptions of the era.

Wayne's conservatism earned him plenty of critics, but even in 1969, when he won the Oscar for _True Grit_ , Hollywood opened its hearts to him without reservation. Others found him to be a celluloid hero who had not served in wars while real war heroes like Ted Williams were thought to be "the real John Wayne."

Jeff Prugh, the _L.A. Times_ beat writer for USC football in the 1960s and '70s, recalls a story from that 1966 weekend in Austin.

"Well, there was this one L.A. sportswriter writer whose name shall remain anonymous," said Prugh. "Everyone is gathered at the bar, and John Wayne's holding court. This old writer is off in the corner getting drunker and drunker. He's liberal and Wayne's an outspoken conservative Republican. Finally, this old writer has had enough, and he approaches Wayne, interrupts him in mid-sentence with all Wayne's pals staring at him."

" So......" the old drunk writer says, "they tell me, uh...... they call ya... _The Duke!"_

"'Yeah, what of it?" says Wayne.

"This writer just gathers himself," continued Prugh.

"Waaal... _Duke_...... You ain' _s--t!"_

"Well, it was almost a full brawl right then and there but his pals held Wayne back," said Prugh.

Craig Fertig was a star quarterback at USC and a graduate assistant in 1966.

"One time, the players wanted to go see _Easy Rider_ ," Fertig recalled, referring to a "hippie" movie of the 1960s. "Duke Wayne says, 'Don't let the kids see that crap!' So he arranged for 'em to see _War Wagon_ instead.

"I'm low man on the totem pole in '66, so I gotta chaperone the team and do bed checks. Now McKay's hosting a party for Wayne."

(This contrasts with Nick Pappas' assertion that Wayne and McKay had not met prior to the morning of the next day's game, but considering that alcohol, old alums and memories were involved, the discrepancy is a minor one.)

"I finally put the kids to bed, so I make it up to this party, see," continued Fertig. "I see John Wayne and introduce myself to him, and he's like, 'Oh, I saw you beat Notre Dame,' and he's just like my best friend.

"Well, he has Bruce Cabot with him, and this make-up artist, too. This make-up artist's mixing drinks - vodka one time, Bourbon, scotch, right? He's gettin' hammered.

"The next day, I'm assigned to Duke Wayne, 'cause he's gonna speak to the team. Wayne's mad as hell, 'cause his make-up guys' not there.

" 'Son of a bitch's never around when you need 'im,' he says. It turns out the man's died during the night, maybe 'cause he mixed drinks and it was too much for his heart. Anyway, I gotta get Duke ready, the job this dead make-up guy usually does."

Apparently, Wayne had not yet learned of the make-up artist's demise.

" 'Whadda I wear?' asks Duke. I tell him, 'Everybody knows you as a cowboy, so dress like that.' 10-gallon hat, cowboy boots, brass belt buckle; I got him lookin' good.

"We're scared sh-----s, Texas is number one in the country. So at the stadium he fires up our team. Then he's introduced to the crowd. He comes out and he's in this cart with my dad."

Fertig's father, "Chief" Henry Fertig, was the longtime head of the Huntington Park, California police department in L.A. County, and a tremendous USC booster.

"He's being driven around the stadium in this cart, and the whole time my dad's pouring whisky into a cup and Duke's drinkin' out of it," continued Fertig. "Now, the Texas fans, they see The Duke, and he's wearin' this cowboy hat, and most of 'em don't know he's a USC football player. Duke's givin' 'em the hook 'em horns sign with his fingers, and the Longhorn fans are cheering.

" 'Duke's a Texas fan,' their sayin'.

"All the time, Duke's sayin' to my old man, 'F--k the 'horns.' "

All things considered, Duke Wayne cut a swath across the entertainment industry like very few others. In terms of longevity and impact, perhaps only Clint Eastwood has played a greater all-around role in show biz.

USC continues to be integral to the film industry to this day. The USC marching band actually bills itself "Hollywood's band." They have appeared in numerous movies and even helped cut a gold record, Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk". USC athletes have made a disproportionately large number of careers in the media.

"Going to school in L.A. is a big advantage," explained former USC football coach John Robinson. "It's a big difference being interviewed by major media there than it is to say, 'yes, sir,' or 'no, sir' to a local sportscaster in Alabama."

Many major movers and shakers in Tinseltown are part of the "Trojan Family." John Wayne would be proud.

USC and UCLA: a tradition of equal opportunity

When one looks back at Howard Jones's tenure at Southern California, it is impossible not to be struck not just by his astounding success, but at how much better it could have been! In his first four years, Jones's teams were 36-5-2. The five losses were by _12 points!_ In 1925, the Trojans lost to Stanford, 13-9 and Washington State, 17-12. In 1926 they fell to Stanford and Notre Dame by one each (13-12 and 13-12, respectively). In 1927 it was by one again at Notre Dame, 7-6. Both Notre Dame losses came when Morley Drury missed extra-points. The ties were against a great Pop Warner-coached Stanford eleven and cheating Cal on a muddy Memorial Stadium field.

With a little luck, Jones could have been riding a 43-game winning streak, or at least a non-losing streak (add to that three straight wins to close out Elmer Henderson's last season in 1924). It is with this in mind that one considers that, while Jones would win three more national championships in the 1930s, his 1929 squad is thought by some to be his best.

They scored 492 points, a school record that stood well into the modern era, and destroyed Pittsburgh in the Rose Bowl, 47-14.

Braven Dyer, in _Top Ten Trojan Football Thrillers_ , felt that the team might have been Jones's best. They were not perfect, however, and it cost them the national championship. Cal beat them fair and square this time, 15-7. The fact that Rockne's Irish had what it took to defeat USC, 13-12 in front of 112,912 at Soldier Field, tells much more about Notre Dame's greatness than it does about any failure on SC's part.

The Thundering Herd took care of UCLA, 76-0; Washington, 48-0; Occidental, 64-0; Nevada, 66-0; Idaho, 72-0; and Carnegie Tech, 45-13, to finish 10-2, good for first place in the Pacific Coast Conference. These opponents (with the exception of UCLA), while some are not considered top football schools any more, were all strong opponents at the time.

Writers gave colorful nicknames to the Trojans, such as "Field" Marshall Duffield and "Racehorse" Russsell Saunders. According to Braven Dyer, the Thundering Herd appellation stuck in 1929, but as noted, the _Daily Trojan_ and other sources had made use of the phrase in earlier seasons. There may have been multiple sources, which include Maxwell Stiles and PR man Al Wesson. Wesson denied it (although he did write the school song, "All Hail") because he was Jones's mouthpiece. Jones always downplayed his team in order to lull opponents. There is no doubt that part of the nickname's origin comes from the Noah Beery film of the time called _The Thundering Herd._

"Those 'Thundering Herd' teams didn't throw the ball around much," said Dyer. "They thought that was the sissy way to play the game."

The starting backfield consisted of Saunders, Erny Pinckert, Harry Edelson, and Jim Musick. Their subs were Duffield, Jess Mortensen, Marger Apsit, and Jess Hill. Sophomore Gus Shaver was a quarterback/fullback. Nate Barrager and Francis Tappaan were All-Americans. Jones was sparing in his compliments. Grantland Rice was researching his All-American picks, and Jones wired only that Tappaan is "the best end we have." Wesson insisted on replying to future telegrams.

Pinckert was a bit of a court jester, a favorite of writers looking for quotes. Lord knows Jones was tightlipped about things. Pinckert also had a propensity for playing in great pain - muscle tears, bad ankles. But novacaine was available and it took just enough of the edge off to play hard.

"I've heard him hit guys in a game and make them squeal," one friend said of him. "He just knocked the wind out of them."

When Southern Cal beat Georgia, 60-0 in 1931, Gene Clarke and Gus Shaver visited their All-American end, "Catfish" Smith, in the locker room afterwards. His body revealed criss-cross marks and deep, dark bruises, courtesy of Pinckert.

"Man, I ache all over," said Smith.

"We have a pretty tough system here," Clarke told him. "Jones has this power play where we have two of our linemen taking you out of the play most of the time."

"Man, there were only _two_?" was Smith's dazed reply.

Cal's All-American guard, Ted Beckett, was blind-sided by Pinckert, leaving him doubled up like Smith. Pinckert just picked him up, slapped him on the back and said, "Nice going, kid."

Players like Pinckert belied Cal's insinuations that USC's players were thugs and academic rejects. Tough as nails on the gridiron, Pinckert had the soul of an artist. He painted beautiful murals and invented football pads, which brought him a small fortune. In 1930 and 1931, he made All-American.

Famed Pitt coach Jock Sutherland brought his unbeaten, untied team to Pasadena for a repeat of the 1928 Rose Bowl, when they had lost to Stanford, 7-6. Both Knute Rockne and John W. Heisman (another famed coach and namesake of the award) pick Pitt to win. Running back Tony Uansa was a breakaway threat who had ran for long touchdowns of 70 yards or more twice against Duke and once against Ohio State, in addition to a receiving TD against the Buckeyes and three scores vs. West Virginia.

Heisman said they were clearly the "class of every other Eastern team." They were playing for a national championship, since both they and Notre Dame were 9-0 prior to New Year's, 1930. By beating the Panthers and knocking them out of the picture, SC was helping themselves, in a sense. The success of each team's rival, making the other look better in the process, would be the unique aspect of the USC-Notre Dame series.

Those "fans" who say, "My favorite team is USC and my second favorite is whoever beats Notre Dame," are adhering to a Chinese maxim that the "enemy of my enemy is my friend." It may apply in war, but usually not in football, and is no more valid (unless conference titles are at stake) with regards to the UCLA rivalry.

The Pitt game swung early when Uansa broke for what looked like one of his long touchdown runs. Saunders, "knocked on his rumble seat," according to Dyer, then picked himself up and gained eight yards on his man, nabbing him at the SC 14.

A Pitt star named Montgomery summed it up to the reporters later.

"What the hell...we broke our fastest runner into the clear," he declared, "knocked down your safety man, and then he got up and caught our man!"

Pittsburgh failed to capitalize on deep possession, with Pinckert swatting away a pass. Then Jones really foiled Sutherland. Despite Braven Dyer's assertion that the Trojans felt passing was for "sissies," that was what Saunders did, tossing a 55-yard beauty to Harry Edelson and a 25-yarder to Pinckert.

USC's 26-0 halftime lead was so thorough that re-capping it in 2006 reminds one of their equally stunning demolition of Oklahoma in the 2005 BCS Orange Bowl.

"The ease with which the Trojans amassed 26 points in the first half left the capacity crowd (of 71,000) stunned with astonishment," read one report.

The second half was more "showtime"; perfect passes, leaping catches, glittering runs. The Rose Bowl crowd and assembled literati had to be scratching their heads, wondering how Cal and Notre Dame had beaten this team. All the pre-game predictions left egg on the faces of Rockne and Heisman, but they were not alone.

"Saunders is the greatest back I have seen since Glenn Presnell," said Sutherland. "They rate with the great backs of all time."

Saunders, never an All-American, rates as one of the most underrated players in USC football annals.

"The outstanding lineman on the field was <Garrett> Arbelbride," read one game account, going on to speculate whether the man "had wings the way he came flying through the air."

"The Trojans are the equal of any team in the country," Sutherland said afterwards. The Pittsburgh media found a convenient excuse, however, stating that the Panthers were "seduced by Hollywood glitter." It would not be the last time L.A. glamour would be trotted out as a reason a team from the "heartland" had lost, and indeed if the "stars in their eyes" could make football teams lose, it would indeed be repeated many, many times over the years.

Grantland Rice's theory about California athletes being a "hybrid" of "supermen" now gave rise to further analysis, with one reputable man of science declaring that "sunshine and vitamins' " ultraviolet light - California-grown oranges, fruits and vegetables - provided USC players with "more energy."

While hard to prove, this theory seems to have some validity even to this day, but whatever advantage is gained by the environment, Walter Eckersall nailed it best when he stated, "Better football is played on the Pacific Coast than in any other section of the country."

Walter Eckersall was referring to USC first and foremost; beyond that, California and Stanford seemed to be the only teams other than Notre Dame and Alabama, worthy of taking the field against Southern California. Little could anybody recognize that still another football power would rise up out of the land of "sunshine and vitamins."

The Southern Branch of the University of California educational system opened for business on a Vermont Avenue storefront in 1919. After a while they took to calling themselves the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Southern California was not enamored by their neighbor. They paid little attention to them, but the newcomers were a feisty lot, demanding some recognition. They took to sports, started calling themselves the Bruins, an apt "baby bear" nickname spun from Cal's majestic Golden Bear moniker. UCLA grew quickly. The city was so dynamic that it indeed needed more than one school - a public one at that. USC may have worried that UCLA would siphon enrollment and tuition money from them, but there was more than enough to go around in Roaring '20s L.A.

UCLA started fielding sports teams. They challenged USC, already a top college baseball program, to games. They started beating the Trojans. USC decided to cancel the series instead of suffering such embarrassments. UCLA took their sports seriously, and after a while it was obvious that many of L.A.'s fine prep athletes were opting to matriculate there. Therefore, ambitious plans were made to start up a football program.

At first, it looked to be a laughing matter, but when UCLA made all the right moves - to Westwood - there was no denying that the little public school had big plans. At first, people thought nobody would venture west of Western Avenue. Westwood was farmland; "sunshine and vitamins." But the film industry had expanded into these hinterlands. The connection between Los Angeles and Santa Monica had created well-worn traffic lanes. Nearby Beverly Hills was now the home of mansions lived in by the rich and famous. The studios liked the open spaces of ocean, beach and mountains, using these as film backdrops.

UCLA, in many ways, has had the last laugh. While USC's South-Central neighborhood became an urban blight (in recent years, University-orchestrated and -funded building revitalization has created a Renaissance of sorts in the neighborhood), Westwood became a glitzy, happening Mecca of Westside money. Beverly Hills expanded to Century City and Bel Air, a hillside community across the street from the UCLA campus. A strong-armed baseball player, standing on the far east side of the campus, might be able to hit Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion with a great throw.

Like a persistent kid who keeps pushing to become a member of a fun club, UCLA managed, on January 1, 1928, to gain admittance to the Pacific Coast Conference. They immediately lobbied Southern Cal for a game, and USC reluctantly agreed to give them one in 1929. It was not unlike the scene in _Cool Hand Luke_ in which Paul Newman insists on fighting George Kennedy, who reluctantly but doggedly pummels Newman with one hard shot after the other.

USC knew they would destroy the Bruins, and despite some grudging respect for their pluckiness, were determined to teach the newcomers a lesson. Still, the _L.A. Times_ was prescient in both their pre-game and post-game coverage.

"Opening the season for the first time in local history with a Pacific Coast Conference game, the Trojans of Southern California and the Bruins of UCLA clash on the Coliseum gridiron this afternoon," read the report. "In years to come this game will probably be one of the football spectacles of the West."

After USC's 76-0 slaughter of UCLA, they wrote, "What this proves, if anything, is not certain." That writer might have said of Custer's "last stand" that defeat at the hands of Sitting Bull was a "setback" that did not "prove anything." He would ultimately have been right. While UCLA has not "come back" to avenge defeat as thoroughly as the Americans did in eventually "winning the West," the big early loss was not a "certain" predictor of the future by any means.

UCLA failed to win a single game in their initial season in the PCC. Jones was by this time a major football figure whose book, _Football for the Fan_ , was a best seller. But UCLA had hired a good coach, a contemporary of Jones at Minnesota when the "Head Man" had been at Iowa. Spaulding had been building his program patiently since 1925.

40,000 showed up for that initial game. USC _rushed for 753 yards._ The loss did not deter the plucky Bruins from playing USC the next year. The Southern Campus yearbook of 1930 declared that "the seige of Troy has began."

Over the years, various analogies and metaphors based on the USC nickname, "Trojans," have tried to compare the events of ancient Greece with modern football, creating various confusing interpretations. UCLA may have wanted to effectuate a "seige of Troy," such as when the city of Troy fell to the Greeks under King Agamemnon in 1184 B.C. Of course, Homer's _Iliad and Odyssey_ describes the Trojan Army laying seige on Greece. Further references to the Battle of Thermopylae fail to account for the fact that the Trojans were not involved; rather this was a fight between the Persians and the Greeks. The Peloponnesian War is a more appropriate comparison, although this was a fight between Greece not with Troy, but rather with the Spartans. "Spartans" is the name given to USC's freshman or junior varsity teams over the years.

The sports comparison does gain some credence in light of the fact that the first Olympic Games were held in Athens, in part to celebrate the peace following the Trojan Wars. The good feelings of the Games did not prevent the Peloponnesian War (possibly because they were not open to non-Greeks), although that war did spawn the philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Their attempts to create professional politics and diplomacy as a substitute for war led to democracy.

Despite historical confusion, the two schools again played on opening day of 1930. It was obvious from the beginning that sharing the Coliseum was a disadvantage to UCLA. Against USC, it meant an away game. During other home games, it meant a 10-mile drive to their rival's campus, where their fans were forced to walk across the "hallowed shrine" that was the University of Southern California, replete with all the splendid monuments to the all-conquering Trojans!

40,000 Los Angelenos showed up to see "Field" Marshall Duffield score three times and Orv Mohler add two more in a 52-0 route. Whether giving up 128 points in the first two games or being shut out twice was more devastating was a problematic conundrum for UCLA. Either way, USC looked at UCLA much the way New York Giants' manager John McGraw had looked at the American League. In 1904, his Giants were National League champions, but he refused to play the American League title holders because he considered the upstart junior circuit a "busher league." In 1905, when his team repeated, he did agree to play Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's. His haughtiness was justified in an easy win. However, McGraw would be proved wrong, and quickly, since the American League indeed caught up to the senior circuit.

So it was with USC, who decided after the 1930 game that UCLA was not worthy of their schedule. This despite the fact that the Bruins managed to win three games after the 52-0 loss. USC was big business; their games drew huge crowds and everybody wanted a part of it. There was disagreement over whether to play UCLA early or late in the season, and USC felt neither. They replaced UCLA with St. Mary's.

However, coach Bill Spaulding made UCLA perfectly respectable from 1931-33. His teams were 15-12-1 with wins over Montana, Stanford and Washington State. When USC struggled to a 4-6-1 mark in 1934, talk revived about renewing the game, and when UCLA had a better season in 1935 than Southern Cal, they decided to start up again, this time in earnest.

The creation of the USC-UCLA rivalry is far more than a series of great sporting events that have created excitement and pride for millions of sports fans over the years. It mirrors something far more important than that, and the pride engendered by these non-sports factors outweighs the value of championships.

California has always been a trendsetter. Two World Wars brought veterans, ship workers and families to its warm suburbs. This created important political demographics and turned it into a Presidential electoral juggernaut. These factors led to the choice of California Governor Earl Warren being chosen as the Vice-Presidential running mate on the 1948 Republican ticket. In 1952, California's GOP Senator, Richard Nixon, was elected V.P. on Dwight Eisenhower's coattails. The state was strongly anti-Communist, and this sentiment was the driving force behind the rise of Nixon (President from 1969-74) and California Governor Ronald Reagan (President from 1981-89).

California already had a major Spanish influence, having been under Mexican dominion until statehood in 1848. Opportunity, political and racial moderation, in addition to the defense industry, brought in blacks from the South. Former USC All-American Charles "Tree" Young likes to point out out that USC is the University of _Southern_ California. He has a point. The years between the Civil War and World War I saw a large population shift to the state in which, to some extent at least, "Yankees" from the North tended to move to the San Francisco Bay Area while "rebs" from the South preferred the L.A. environs.

The state was conservative by nature, but that conservativism had its strongest base in the Southland, where churches prospered with Christian constituencies. San Francisco tended more towards labor movements and unionization.

While there is no question that racism existed in California in the 1920s and '30s, it may be said that life for black people in the Golden State was probably more pleasant there than any other section of the country. Part of this is because California, unlike the East, was not comprised of "ghettoized" ethnic neighborhoods, with Jews, Italians, Irish and blacks living separately. In California, people tended to live together. Blacks tended to attend schools and play on sports teams with white classmates.

What is somewhat telling is that the two universities of the conservative Southland, USC and UCLA, provided more opportunities for blacks than the supposedly enlightened liberal institutions of the north, Cal and Stanford.

Thus, it is fair to say that both USC and UCLA can point with considerable pride to their role in racial progress. In 1907, Jamaican-born Alexander Somerville became th first black graduate of the prestigious USC School of Dentistry. He earned the highest grade point average of the class of 1907, and passed the state dental boards early. His wife, Vada Watson Somerville, became the first black woman graduate in 1918. She also became California's first black woman to practice dentistry. Aside from their practices, the Somervilles developed property. Mr. Somerville became a member of the L.A. Chamber of Commerce and served on the Police Commission from 1949 to 1953.

Ralph Bunch attended UCLA when it was still the Southern Branch. He graduated from the then-Vermont Avenue campus in 1927, and was a starting guard on their Southern Conference championship basketball teams for three years. He also played football and baseball while writing for the school paper, engaged in campus politics, and ascended to valedictorian of his graduating class.

He went on to earn a Master's and a Doctorate from Harvard. Later, he was tasked by Swedish sociologist Gunnar Myrdal with researching American racial conditions as part of the U.N. charter.

In 1948, Bunche made a risky peacekeeping mission with Count Folk Bernadotte's mediating delegation. Count Bernadotte was assassinated, leaving Bunche to negotiate an armistice agreement between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. He was awarded the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize, and became the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. In 1969, UCLA named Bunche Hall in his honor.

At USC, two-way black star Brice Taylor earned All-American honors in 1925 despite standing only 5-9. 185 pounds, with no left hand. This did not stop him from also competing in track. He was a member of SC's world record-setting 1925 mile relay team.

In the late 1930s, two black stars, Kenny Washington and Jackie Robinson, propelled UCLA to parity with USC. In the 1950s, C.R. Roberts endured taunts in Austin to lead USC to a huge victory over the Texas Longhorns. Also in the 1950s, Rafer Johnson starred in basketball and track at UCLA. In 1970, USC's integrated team beat the all-white Alabama Crimson Tide in Birmingham, helping to end segregation in the South. These were just highlights of the two schools' excellent racial record.

While Taylor's All-American record is stunning when considering he did what he did as early as 1925, the truth is that UCLA held a slight edge over Southern Cal in this category over the next 30 years. They truly provided wonderful opportunities for people of color, and in fact it was the recruitment of the many great black stars dotting the L.A. prep landscape that allowed their teams to catch up and _surpass_ USC within a very short period of time. By the 1950s, under the leadership of a Southerner, coach Red Saunders, UCLA became the dominant football power of the West Coast, winning the 1954 national championship. In large part because he recruited great black stars while the South was still segregated, basketball coach John Wooden created the all-time best hoops dynasty a decade later. It was John McKay who did much the same thing in building Troy into a football power of similar success over those same years.

Harlem in New York City was a place of black opportunity, while towns such as Chicago and New Orleans were cultural centers of jazz and black artistic expression, it was Los Angeles - conservative, and this is the key, _Christian_ \- where average blacks had the best standard of living, mingling more closely and easily with their white brethren. The Baldwin Hills and Ladera Heights, located not far from USC on the east side of the Fox Hills area known as the Jefferson/Crenshaw corridor, is to this day considered the "black Beverly Hills." Its spacious, ranch-style homes offer swimming pool views of the L.A. Basin. Its residents consist of numerous doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, political figures and entertainers who graduated from USC and UCLA.

In assessing all-time great college sports programs, whether it be football, basketball, track or other sports, the "racial factor" cannot be ignored, just as historical assessments of Babe Ruth invariably lead to the conclusion that his record is tempered by the fact that he did not compete against black players. Certainly, in judging USC, they gain some considerable edge by virtue of the fact that they had blacks on their teams, and competed against them. Their great rival UCLA was the leading integrated sports program from the beginning of the rivalry, so the Trojans were competing against as open a playing field as was available in America over these times.

In comparing USC with Alabama, other Southern schools, and even Midwestern programs (including Notre Dame), this is a factor that allows one to say that where the record is close, the edge goes to the Trojans.

Johnny Baker and the comeback at South Bend

Late 1920s Trojan All-Americans included tackle Jesse Hibbs (1927-28), quarterback Don Williams (1928), and end Francis Tapaan (2929).

Hibbs also played basketball, and was team captain. He played for the Bears in 1931, and eventually became a movie director.

Tappaan, who came out of Los Angeles High School, later coached at USC before becoming a judge and then a top executive at Rockwell, a major defense industry contractor.

The 1930 Trojans, in addition to pasting UCLA, 52-0, took the fight out of California. The 74-0 whipping was payback for the slights about academics and the accusations of cheating. It was revenge, a dish best served cold. The score carried with it an inherent message, which was that USC had declared themselves a dynasty and wanted Cal to stop pretending they were in their league. The 82,000 who witnessed it at the Coliseum (with the exception of the Cal rooters who always made the trip) relished every second of it. Unfortunately, the Trojans had let their guard down against Washington State at Pullman, losing 7-6. In the history of Washington State football, the 1930 squad was probably the best they ever had, at least until Mike Price and quarterback led Ryan Leaf led the Cougars to the 1998 Rose Bowl.

In the season finale at home, Knute Rockne coached what proved to be his last game. He died in a tragic plane crash in a Kansas corn field the following spring. He was warned of impending weather, but hated to fail on a commitment he had made. It was a blowout, 27-0 over USC before 73,967 at the Coliseum.

"Rockne used great psychology with all the newspapermen," USC's star tackle, Ernie Smith recalled. "He told them they had nothing with <fullback Joe> Savoldi out of the lineup." Savoldi had been kicked off the team...for getting married???

USC believed what they read in the newspapers, which was that Notre Dame had very little and were unbeatable.

"I don't feel that we were ready for them that day, though, not taking away from Notre Dame," continued Smith. "I don' think our team consciously let down, but they didn't subconsciously build themselves up for that game like we did for the others."

The rest of the 1930 season stands out as a very odd on in the Howard Jones era. In their eight victories, Southern California dominated in a manner rarely seen in the annals of college football. They did not go to the Rose Bowl or win the national championship, but on eight Saturdays that year, the Trojans may have bean Jones's best team. On the other two, they were ordinary, especially on offense.

USC beat Utah State, 65-0; Hawaii, 52-0; and Washington, 32-0. Further blowouts came over Oregon State, Stanford and Denver.

Aside from the loss to Notre Dame, 1930 was a year of upheaval. The enormous victory over Cal had given everybody the impression that USC was a professional team overmatching their opposition. One USC player had to be kicked off the squad for falsifying his entrance information.

In addition, the 1930 season was played under the cloud of the Carnegie Report, which after visiting 130 campuses found enormous corruption in the practice of awarding scholarships.

The genie was out of the bottle, however. Neither USC or any other college had any intention of stopping the recruitment of big-time football players, who helped attract enormous crowds and create big revenues that ultimately would build law schools, medical schools, and all the other accoutrements of _academe_.

As if to snub their nose at the Carnegie Report, Southern Cal commissioned sculptor Roger Noble to erect a statue in the center of campus. "Tommy Trojan" was said to be modeled after Russ Saunders.

It had been 11 years since Elmer "Gloomy Gus" Henderson had taken over at USC, thus taking the Trojan program from that of a glorified "club team" to a big-time program in a new, big-time sport. The 1920s had seen enormous growth; the building of the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum, with huge crowds to fill them. There was the firing of a coach with an .865 winning percentage because he could not beat rival Cal, and the hiring of a man who led the Trojan empire over the old Cal dynasty in the manner of Caesar humiliating Pompey. A national championship, the spectacular Notre Dame games. But in 1931...

In 1931, all the previous highlights of USC football paled in comparison with the spectacular, dramatic events of that season. It is possible that the game played between SC and Notre Dame that year is to this day the most significant in school history.

Gus Shaver, Garrett Arbelbide, Johnny Baker, Erny Pinckert, Stan Williamson, Ernie Smith and Robert Hall, all Trojan legends, made up that team's incredible roster. A first-year player, Aaron Rosenberg would make All-American.

The season opener was a scheduled blowout of St. Mary's at the Coliseum before 70,000 on hand for round one of the coronation. Taps were blown for the death of Rockne

"This may have been an expectant championship year for the Trojans, but they looked anything else but," wrote Paul Lowry in the _Times._

St. Mary's had good teams and would continue to field excellent ones for more than 20 years after that season. However, their 13-7 victory over SC may be the biggest upset the Trojans have ever suffered, especially considering that 70,000 fans, flush with expectation, were on hand at the Coliseum.

From there, however, USC went on a winning streak. Oregon State, Washington State, Oregon, Cal, Stanford and Montana fell like Italy, Austria and Poland under Napoleon. After the St. Mary's game, USC won six straight, five by shutout (Washington State lost, 38-6). On November 21, the Monster lay in wait. The Siegfried Line. The Atlantic Wall. Hannibal staring at the Alps.

"Notre Dame is so good that <new coach> Hunk Anderson could lick any team he has played, Northwestern excepted, with his second string," USC scout Aubrey Devine told the reporters. "It is impossible to set a fool-proof defense for the Irish because they are such a versatile squad. Just when you think you have them stopped, they break out in another direction."

Notre Dame had beaten USC four out of the first five times they had met. Jones amped up his practice sessions, and did it in secret.

"There is every reason to believe that the team we buck up against Saturday is much stronger than the one which trounced us 27-0 last year," Jones said. "On the better hand, there is nothing to indicate that my boys are any better than they were that day Kunte Rockne's eleven made us look bad."

_L.A. Examiner_ : "ABOARD THE TROJAN SPECIAL, Bound For Heaven Knows What," by Maxwell Stiles (November 17, 1931):

That big noise you heard down there at the Southern Pacific depot was not a bedlam of Southern California rooters cheering a Trojan victory over Notre Dame. The noble 600 hundred were merely seeing the gang off. Everybody seemed to be taking a good, long look at most of us. As if they never expected to see us again - after Notre Dame's team, those on Notre Dame, and perhaps one of those Midwestern blizzards got through with us.

A special section of the Golden State Limited pulled out of downtown L.A. at night, carrying the team and a small group of die-hard rooters who would be there to withstand the roars of a capacity crowd at the new Notre Dame Stadium. It was SC's first trip to South Bend proper, and of course the first game in this new arena...

The big push starts tonight. El Trojan of Southern California starts eastward in quest of victory over Notre Dame, generally recognized throughout the Middle West and East as the greatest American football team of the generation. Quite a mouthful to bite.

Notre Dame was indeed the "greatest American football team of the generation" under Rockne, but USC was right on its tail. If USC had beaten the Irish four of five instead of vice versa, the Trojans' record would have put that "title" on them. If the teams had "split," 3-2 or 2-3 either way, the "greatest" description may well have been a split decision. But the Irish had earned the moniker and USC knew it.

The train pulled into Tucson, Arizona. USC held a practice there in the airid desert. Johnny Baker, recovering from a bum knee, had a mental lapse on his defensive assignments. Jones came down on him hard.

"I remember quite distinctly the bawling out which Howard gave Baker," said Braven Dyer, who seemingly was covering the Trojans, on and off the field, day and night, in those years. ""Johnny was quite mad about it. Later he told me that he came within a whisker of quitting the team right then and there and heading back to Los Angeles."

(Dyer indeed seemed to be "everywhere" throughout his career with the _Los Angeles Times._ In 1964, while traveling with the Los Angeles Angels, he got into a drunken fight with playboy pitcher Bo Belinsky at four in the morning at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. Belinsky punched the then-elderly sportswriter, knocking him out. Despite the fact he was a star at the time, Belinsky found himself traded to Philadelphia faster than he could say, "Braven Dyer.")

The newspapers in South Bend were much more provincial than the Chicago papers. They gave USC very little respect, despite their fabulous record over the past years, and the pounding they had given opponents since the St. Mary's game. Notre Dame was the big time, and when it came to that test, 1-4 said it all! Certainly, playing at South Bend would prove to be an atmosphere that, combined with the talents of the Irish, could not be overcome. The Irish were riding a 26-game winning streak. USC entering the 2005 season with two straight national titles and the imprimatur of invincibility only had a 22-game streak at the time.

55,000 (a capacity audience, 50,731 were considered paid attendance) let USC know what they were in for from the moment they took the field. The Trojans were intimidated by the surroundings. The Irish had them off-balance early when Steve Banas finished off a drive with a four-yard touchdown run. 7-0, Irish.

USC stiffened on defense but could not push the ball at all. They felt lucky to be trailing only by seven at the half, but all seemed lost when the great quarterback Marchy Schwartz took it in from three out in the third quarter to make it 14-0.

"The score looked as big as the population of China," wrote Dyer. "In fact it looked a darn sight larger than that, if possible, because of the consummate ease with which the Irish scored those touchdowns.

"In other words the Irish were in command of the situation, and everybody, apparently, but the Trojans knew it. Schwartz had been whizzing around his own right end repeatedly for long gains. Banas, on a twisting, 32-yard run which ended up on Troy's three-yard line, had made the Trojans look positively silly. And the ease with which Schwartz went over for the touchdown presaged others to come."

USC fullback Jim Musick broke his nose. Orv Mohler replaced him at the position, and it was a Godsend for the Trojans. He and Gus Shaver started making gains in the fourth quarter. Jones's hard practices and conditioning in the California heat began to pay off in the chill of an Indiana November. USC got it to the one, where Shaver bulled in. At that point, a tie seemed the best they could hope for, but when Baker missed the extra point, a 14-6 deficit in the fourth still looked insurmountable.

But USC held Notre Dame, got the ball back, went to the air, and when the Irish were called for pass interference (a brave call from an official in South Bend), they had a first-and-10 on the Irish 24. Shaver and Mohler, fighting for every yard, pushed it to the nine. Mohler lateralled to Shaver, and he went around the left end to score. Baker made the conversion, and at 14-13 the crowd was silenced, the USC cheers rising above their silence. Momentum was in USC's favor, and all that was left was the famed "luck of the Irish." It was not to be.

"The fury of Troy's attack in the second half astounded evrybody," wrote Dyer. "No man, unless it be Gus Shaver, stood out. Morley's choice of plays was almost perfect, and the way the 162-pound Orv rammed into the Irish line inspired his mates immensely."

Possessions were exchanged and the clock, Notre Dame's only remaining ally, wound down to four minutes. USC had the ball on its own 27 with time left for one dramatic drive.

Two plays failed, but Shaver made a daring pass after being forced to retreat from Notre Dame tacklers, spotting and hitting Ray Sparling with a diving grab for a first down at the Notre Dame 40 (Dwayne Jarrett, anyone?). This gave life to the Trojans and created a sense of foreboding in the Irish rooters, who by this time were counting on Baker's inconsistency if he lined up for a field goal.

Bob Hall caught a pass and got the ball down to the 18. A penalty moved it to the 13, and Sparling ran into the middle, putting the team into good field goal position while the clock wound down. Some confusion reigned when Jones sent Homer Griffith into the fray with instructions to go for the kick, but Mohler waved him back.

"Cold sweat broke out on his <Jones'> brow, and his assistant coach groaned in anguish," read one report.

(Again, the "confusion" near the goal line in '31 eerily pre-cursors what happened in '05.

But Mohler did call for a field goal. The team caught Notre Dame off guard and lined up for the kick, but it was Baker, he of the missed conversion who had come "within a whisker" of quitting in Tucson, who stood at the ready.

It was in God's hands now.

Baker was straight and true from 23 yards out, and now it was 16-14, Trojans. USC celebrated as if it was Armistice Day in 1918. With a minute and three seconds left, they would have been wise to consider the magic of Notre Dame. USC kicked off, but they were so enthused and Notre Dame so shocked that they simply smothered the Irish on their side of the field until the cannon roared.

"Great. Boy, great! But why did you do it?" Jones yelled at Mohler.

"Baker and I have been practicing that play all year," said Mohler. "I knew if it failed I'd be the goat and we would be licked, but old 'Bake' doesn't miss on those short ones. I knew he wouldn't fail me. Wasn't it a beat?"

Jones restrained himself from punishing Mohler for winning the biggest game of his career; indeed in USC annals and certainly in football history up to that point!

"Notre Dame was far from the Fighting Irish type when Howard Jones' Trojans got hitting on all 11 cylinders in the last period of play," wrote Tom Thorpe of the _New York Evening Journal._ "No one would have thought it possible for any team to tally at a greater rate of speed than a point a minute against a Notre Dame squad. This Southern California did without much trouble.

"Notre Dame has no excuses. The Trojans simply outplayed them during the last 15 minutes in a manner that left no room for alibis. 'Old Rock,' looking down from up above, must have wept with tears of genuine sorrow when he saw his former Irish playmates being pushed around. It has been seven years since any team has been able to manhandle the Irish as Southern California did."

Of course, assuming 'Old Rock" is with the Lord, it does not seem likely he "wept" over the loss of an earthly game.

Dyer seemingly lost much of his "journalistic integrity," morphing from colorful sentimentalist to wordy fan in his game story.

"Noah Webster's diction book does not contain enough adjectives to describe the way the Trojans refused to be licked," he wrote. "Until the Trojans get home, you can paste this in your hat for future reference. Nobody ever saw a gamer battle than that which the Southern California players staged against supposedly insurmountable odds this afternoon. It did not seem humanly possible for them to win, but thanks to the indomitable fight of a great gang of kids, plus the cool nerve and steady hoof of Johnny Baker, the Trojans today achieved the greatest athletic triumph in Southern California history.

"Yours truly has run out of paper, his typewriter has broken down completely, and it's getting late. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for more about the stunning achievement of a bunch of boys who were rated no better than a two-to-five bet to upset the mighty Irish."

Dyer's further commentary included the following gem:

NOTRE DAME STADIUM (South Bend, Ind.), November 21

_(Exclusive) - When Howard Jones is old and a darn sight grayer than now he will tell his grandchildren about the heroic fight his 1931 Trojans made against the undefeated Irish of Notre Dame. He will tell them how his boys, with the odds hopelessly against them and with a sound thumping staring them in the face, came back to do the impossible and score sixteen points in the last quarter to bring to an end the sensational winning streak of the greatest team in Irish history. (Braven Dyer,_ L.A. Times _)._

In addition, the game was broadcast nationally by Ted Husing on radio. Millions of Americans could recall for years afterwards being huddled around their radios, listening to the wild descriptions of this event.

Tears of sadness were shed in the Notre Dame locker room; tears of sadness on the USC side. Gordon Clark held the game ball for all it was worth.

"I knew they couldn't stop us," Pinckert shouted. "I've waited for two years for this day - but boy, what revenge."

Indeed, it may have been revenge, but the atmosphere was totally different from the cold calculus of Total Victory that had enveloped the 74-0 thrashing of the "poor sport" Cal Bears. A sense of mutual respect pervaded. After losing three times by a point, USC now had the respect of the Notre Dame fans, players and allies in the sporting press. They were looking at an open road towards Howard Jones's second national title in four years, and were sitting firmly on top of the college football mountain.

USC alumni actually crashed into the locker room to congratulate Baker - in the shower! Trojan fans dance with the naked, dripping Baker.

Jones was beside himself, disheveled and totally beyond his normal reserved persona. He just went about shaking hands and declared that he was too "flabbergasted" to be eloquent.

"But I'll tell you that it was the greatest team in the world," he stated of his club.

Jones had a little time to compose himself when the team boarded the train, but he continued to stay out of character, acting like a "kid let out of school," according to Jack James of the _L.A. Herald._ "The strain and worry of past weeks all fell away from him like a discarded garment the moment the gun ended that game on the Notre Dame greensward Saturday afternoon. From that moment he 'unlaxed' as the saying goes..."

At stops, Jones was seen throwing snowballs at the athletic director and his assistants. He brought snow into the train, committing acts of hi-jinks in order to "get" various players, sneaking into their compartments amid great laughter.

The "special train" was "a regular madhouse" for the three-day, three-night trip back to Los Angeles. Jack James admitted that he preferred "sanity," but if he thought he would find it in the City of Angels, he was wrong.

300,000 fans met the "...men of Troy, conquering football heroes," said the _Examiner._ The cheering came from the rooftops and all about.

"I never saw anything like it in my life," said Ernie Smith. The team all wore bowlers, a style of the day, which was purchased for them in Chicago. Dressed in their best finery with the bowlers, the team was loaded into waiting cars, two per car, for a ride down Fifth Street to Main, then on to city hall.

"There seemed to be a half-million people lining the streets," said Smith. "When we left city hall and started down toward the school, ticker tape came flying out at us. We rode down Spring Street, I remember, and people had torn up telephone books, and they were throwing all this paper out of windows. It was a real thrill - it was unbelievable. For a football team to get this type of reception, I mean it was REALLY something."

In the mist of the Great Depression, Los Angelenos had found escape in the exploits of their beloved Trojans. On this day, USC became a tradition in the city. Perhaps the Dodgers would equal the intensity of fan enthusiasm and loyalty a few decades later, but other than that, in the history of Southern California, no team - not UCLA, the Angels, Rams, Raiders, or Angels - would establish greater tradition than what USC started, and over the years proudly continued to live up to!

"I think Ted Husing's national radio broadcast of the game had a lot to do with that welcome," recalled Al Wesson. "He had built up the last quarter to such a dramatic extent that Los Angeles people were running out into the streets during the game and screaming.

"It was the wildest sports demonstration that the city of Los Angeles ever had. 300,00? I don't know, there were at least 200,000 in the line of march to see the Trojans riding in their cars. Everyone got a helluva cheer."

The team rode "fancy touring cars," open on a mild L.A. November day. People leaned out of office buildings. Streamers and confetti were hurled out of the sky. It was a ticker tape parade that observers said could compare to the one Charles Lindbergh had received on Broadway in New York City after his trans-Atlantic flight in 1927.

"A reception never before equaled for athletic stars turned downtown Los Angeles into a half holiday as the triumphant Trojans rode through the city at the head of a three-mile parade beneath a barrage of confetti and flowers," the _Examiner_ went on. "At the first cry of 'Here they come' and the first notes of Harold Roberts' Trojan band, playing 'Fight On!' men and women poured from every building on Spring and Broadway and Hill....

"...Bankers and laborers...industrial kings and clerks...merchants and typists...For a day USC was the adopted alma mater of the city. Through the jammed lanes of humanity, the Trojan warriors who fought the Battle of Notre Dame rode as heroes ride. Police sirens screamed to clear the congested traffic."

The paper went on to state that the team had left as college students and returned as heroes. The cheers of the populace were only the beginning. The student body received them like Caesar returning from victory over Gaul. An "arch of triumph" was fashioned out of chrysanthemums and poppies in Cardinal and Gold colors. Flowers, serpentine, blossoms and confetti reigned.

Mayor John C. Porter presided over a city hall welcome with 40,000 filling the area in front of the building, made famous in the 1950s TV police series, _Dragnet._ Bishop John J. Cantwell of the Roman Catholic diocese of L.A. and San Diego certainly seemed to favor the locals over Notre Dame despite the religious conflict. Howard Jones stood before a cheering crowd that would not let him speak for several minutes.

The applause could be heard for many, many blocks.

In Los Angeles, writers who had not made the trip got many further recollections, such as captain Stan Williamson saying that Jones had kissed him in the locker room. Williamson kissed the man right back before he realized "it was the 'Head Man' himself."

Garrett Arbelbide had been sidelined and was in the locker room. All he heard was "racket" when the team came in. A movie camera had captured the game, and it was replayed as a full-length feature in L.A. by M-G-M for a long while, with Dyer providing narration.

It played at Loew's State Theater, the top downtown movie house at the time. It began as the first of a double-bill, but was so popular it ran over and over, breaking all the house records at Loew's.

A strange twist became public when it was revealed that third-string center William Hawkins had been imprisoned, allegedly for leaking team secrets to Notre Dame. Hawkins had missed some practice time, and upon his return inquired of the plays the team was practicing in his absence. Assistant coach Gordon Campbell suspected that something was amiss. Apparently Hawkins had friends at Notre Dame, and this fact concerned the coaches. After being "grilled" by the rest of the staff, he was placed under the custody of detectives, and spent the week of the game at a mountain lodge in Topanga Canyon, away from his team and his classmates. He missed a week of school and did not even hear the game on radio.

A subsequent investigation exonerated him. His home was searched, he was shadowed, and his Notre Dame friends questioned. In the end, he was found innocent, prompting a genuine apology from Jones to Hawkins and his enraged parents.

USC had gone from football players to movie stars, but it did not go to their heads. Washington fell, 44-7 and when they beat Georgia, 60-0, it stamped the team and the West as the kingpins of the game. It most certainly did not improve the image of the South as it related to gridiron prowess. Alabama's back-to-back national titles and Georgia Tech's "wrong way run" win over Cal two years later (following the 1928 season) had elevated Dixie.

Georgia guard "Red" Mattox got into it with Baker on the field, but the thrashing wore him out.

"All I want to know," Maddox told Baker in those Prohibition days, "is where can a guy get a gallon of corn liquor after the game?"

USC went on to play another Southern school, Tulane, in the Rose Bowl. The Green Wave was a very tough challenge, very well coached and the best team in their region at 11-0. Jones's brother, TAD, predicted a close contest. Their end, Jerry Dalrymple, was acclaimed to be the best in the nation.

An overzealous L.A. sports editor misquoted Dalrymple, headlining a story with, "Dalrymple say's he'll stop Trojan attack." The article was great bulletin board fodder for the Trojans, who did not know the Tulane man had not said it. The player was distraught, as was coach Bernie Bierman.

The Southern sportswriters had heard tales of the Notre Dame drama, Grantland Rice's 1920s exclamation that California produced "supermen," scientific theories that the sun, the weather and maybe the gene pool of settlers and Hollywood hopefuls further created "perfect" football players. They expected he-men, brutes, animals, but were surprised at what they found.

"You never saw such quiet, boyish looking chaps...polished gentlemen all," wrote Bill Keefe of the _New Orleans Times-Picayune._ "Williamson, a great big kid with a baby face, looks as if his feelings could be hurt with a frown. We expected to see gangs of ferocious, cruel, and twin-headed monsters, but find only a band of fine young chaps. No university ever boasted a more gentlemanly or clean-cut set of boys. Barring Pinckert, Shaver, and Williamson, they are not much bigger or tougher-looking than Tulane."

A great deal of film obviously existed of USC, however, and the more Bierman observed it, the more he realized his team was overmatched. He predicted a four-touchdown USC win. Six Trojans made All-American. Pinckert was named for the second time, and honors went also to Shaver, Mohler, Williamson, Baker, Rosenberg, and Smith.

The Associated Press declared USC the "outstanding sports team of the year" over the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Rose Bowl parade had a distinctly international theme, and with the Olympics scheduled for that summer, there was a distinct feeling in the air that Los Angeles was now the "sports capitol of the world." Radio broadcasts of the game delivered it across the Fruited Plain.

Once the game began, Pinckert took charge, sweeping through Dalrymple to score from 30 and 23 yards out. USC led by 21-0. Tulane rallied but it was too little, too late.

"Southern California had more power than any team I ever saw," said Bierman after the 21-12 defeat before 84,000.

"These players accomplished more throughout the season than any team I ever coached," stated Jones. USC was an undisputed national champion, and the new Knute Rockne Trophy was awarded to the "Head Man" and his team.

Indeed, despite the observation by the _New Orleans Times-Picayune_ , USC had a powerful team of 200-pounders-plus. Pop Warner made note of this, assessing that the Trojans had no weak spot and were as strong as any club he had ever seen, which was saying something. Players of that era, when questioned in the 1970s, when the game had modernized in terms of player size and equipment, were still convinced that they could have adapted; diet, weight training, equipment.

"The guys I played with had good athletic ability - and guts," said Gene Clarke.

Chief among those was Pinckert, who often played the full 60 minutes and was given the Douglas Fairbanks trophy as the nation's most valuable player.

Clarke also offered an amusing anecdote, describing some near-fisticuffs involving Tom Mallory and an opposing player in a game USC was winning by five touchdowns.

"What's the matter with you guys," the referee says to them, "don't you know how to play football?"

"Don't we know how to play football?" Mallory retorted. "For Christ sakes, look at the scoreboard, buddy."

Greatness also followed the Trojan players in the years after the 1931 season. Ernie Smith went from All-American to All-Pro and then the NFL Hall of Fame. Without his USC teammates, however, "I never would have achieved what I did," he said.

He and Aaron Rosenberg were the great off-tackle blocking combination that fueled The Thundering Herd. Smith also had the utmost respect for Jones.

"He was called the 'Head Man' and he was that in all respects," said Smith.

Smith, who hailed from Gardena, a small community a few miles south of the USC campus, was an all-around person who played the trombone. He had grown up a USC fan, attending Trojan games, and had seen the Four Horsemen play in the 1925 Rose Bowl when his Gardena High band played at the game. At USC he performed in dance orchestrations. Smith was a good example of why Cal's "professionalism" charges had no merit. He had come to school on a music scholarship!

Once in, Smith worked many jobs to make ends meet, further negating the myth. He did get work through his football connections, however. Smith was a football player, cowboy and singer in 55 movies.

"I worked in all of Will Rogers' pictures through that era," he recalled. "I was a waiter in Charlie Chaplin's _Modern Times_."

In 1932, a movie was made called _The Spirit of Notre Dame_. It was filmed at Loyola College in Los Angeles, and the football sequences were shot using Trojan and Loyola players.

That fall, defending national champion USC played Loyola, and despite their great reputation, the game was a close one, 6-0 Troy. It turned out that the close proximity of the players on the movie had made USC familiar to Loyola; they knew their plays and techniques, and lost their intimidation of them.

In Smith's 1930-32 career, USC won two national titles, two Rose Bowls, averaged 30 points a game to four for the opposition, shut out 16 teams, and compiled a 28-3 record.

Smith was also one of those gentlemen that the New Orleans writer had made note of; a true credit to the Trojans and an example of the sense of elan, _esprit de corps_ and happiness that often marked Trojan football over the years.

A tradition at USC in his day was the "haircut." A player would take to the barber's chair, the barber would give him the "works," a shave, hot towel, and haircut. His teammates would stand around an give all manner of advice to the barber. One day, a USC man was in the chair, his face covered by a towel, with Trojans surrounding him. Smith arrived to give his teammate the once-over. Rubbing his hands together, Smith gave the man a lunge against the solar plexus, then proceeded with a full body massage making extremely rough use of his huge hands and fingers that no doubt was leaving black-and-blue marks on the poor guy. Shampoo tonic ensued, followed by a hand massage through the towel on the man's face, with the affect that the guy had trouble breathing through the hot, wet towel. As much to get air as to discover his tormentor, Smith's teammate rose and pulled the towel off his face.

"There was a sudden emptiness of people in that shop of the former occupants who had been standing along the sidelines," recalled Orv Mohler. "The man in the chair was Coach Howard Jones."

Smith, who had of course thought it a teammate worthy of a prank and not the "Head Man," was left literally holding the towel. His great on-field abilities saved him from the perils such adventures might otherwise have cost him.

Smith seriously considered a musical career, but his graduation came in the middle of the Depression. Pro football was steady work, so he went on to star for the Green Bay Packers. Later, he was the player-coach of a pro team in L.A. called the Hollywood Stars until his insurance business developed. His clients would include Bing Crosby.

In 1970, Smith was inducted into the College Hall of Fame along with the great Notre Dame coach, Frank Leahy. His work with the Tournament of Roses Committee led to the foundation memorializing Howard Jones. Out of that grew sholarships for deserving USC students, leading to a number of football players going on to dental and law school.

"There's a tendency to shove the greats of the past into the past," said Smith, but not on this author's watch.

1932: unbeaten, untied, back-to-back national champs

1932 was the height of the Depression, and Los Angeles was hit as hard as most American cities. However, when it came to the world of sports, and especially college football, L.A. was "fat city." Dean Cromwell's magnificent track program was at full throttle, making the Games, held at the Coliseum, resemble a USC home meet of sorts. A Trojan had earned a Gold Medal in every games since 1904 at St. Louis. The great Fred Kelly had taken Gold in the 110-meter high hurdles at Stockholm in 1912. Charles Paddock, the "fastest man alive," had competed in the famous _Chariots of Fire_ Paris Games of 1924, where he came up empty after having earned Gold in the 100 meters and four-by-100-meter relays. Frank Wykoff had earned Gold in the 1928 4-by-100 meter relays, and Buster Crabbe had won a Bronze in swimming.

The L.A. Games were a Trojan extravaganza, with SC trackmen taking five Golds. The great Frank Wykoff took two of those, and Crabbe went for the Gold and got one in the 400-meter freestyle swimming event.

Fresh off the glory of the Olympics, which by virtue of its being held at the Coliseum turned the campus into the Olympic Village, showing off the school, the city and the greatness of its athletes as well, defending national champ USC and Los Angeles itself was flush with success as the 1932 football season got underway.

The participants and fans in L.A. simply had decided not to participate in the Depression. USC become not just a great football school, but a world famous institution, in large part because it was showcased at the Games with Hollywood as its backdrop.

The 1931 team, number one and bathed in glory after beating the Irish and winning the Rose Bowl, were the epitome of college grid excellence. The 1932 team was even better, if that can be believed, than the '31 squad.

A new superstar emerged, the All-American defensive guard who powered one of the greatest defensive juggernauts of all times. Eight opponents were shut out (after six had gotten goose eggs in 1931). In 1938, Duke would be unbeaten, untied and unscored upon in the regular season. So, too, would Tennessee the following year. Both those teams were beaten and scored on...by USC in the Rose Bowl. In light of that, the '32 Trojans must rank as one of the truly great defensive teams ever.

"Aaron Rosenberg is still considered Troy's mightiest guard - on defense he stopped everything that came his way and charged viciously on offense," was one appraisal of the era.

Smith was "headline material," a "hammer-'em-down 200-pounder..."

"I give credit to Rosenberg for playing a big part in the success of the team's defense against Notre Dame and Stanford in 1931 and 1932," Coach Jones said. Of the fullbacks he was assigned to tackle, he "cracked him and messed him up."

"The 1932 team was the strongest defensive team that USC ever had," stated Al Wesson. "There were only two touchdowns scored on us all season - and they were both by passes. No one could move, no less score on the ground against us. Smith was one of the greatest tackles we ever had. Rosenberg was a smart, fine athlete. You couldn't buy a yard against this team. I'd say without qualification that the offense of the 1931 team and the defense of the 1932 team were the best produced by Jones."

Captain Tay Brown was an All-American tackle. Left end Ray Sparling made huge plays in crucial situations. New recruits of equal strength, an indication of Jones's enormous recruiting ability, replaced the players from the 1931 champs who had graduated. There is little doubt that USC had gotten to the point where they enjoyed a huge advantage in attracting players to their school, for reasons that went well over and above football. It was also obvious that the modest but steady success of UCLA was not preventing the great stars from wanting to be Trojans.

",,,If any of these players of prominence show signs of lagging," wrote one football magazine, "Jones will have somebody else in there in a hurry."

Jones knew that team competition was a very good thing that pushed everybody. "Players get one or two chances to make good, and if they fail it is a long time before they land on the first string again," the magazine continued. Shaver was thought to be the player most likely to be missed, and the backfield might "lack cohesion" early.

A new superstar emerged in the USC backfield. Cotton Warburton quickly became a Trojan legend. He was only 140 pounds, but the sophomore from San Diego was a scatback, a term that applied to a number of great runners of the decade. Ted Williams, the great baseball star who also grew up in San Diego, had seen Warburton as a high schooler, would follow his career at USC, and later in his life counted Cotton as one of his all-time favorite athletes.

Warburton scored a touchdown in a 9-6 win over Washington and scored in the 13-0 defeat of Notre Dame. He scored twice in a 35-0 pasting of Pitt in the Rose Bowl.

"I was responsible for the one and only blemish on our undefeated, untied and almost unscored on record," Warburton did admit. He slipped in the Cal game and let the Bears score. Against Stanford, Warburton knocked down multiple Stanford passes.

"The USC defensive power was absolutely astounding; their ability to out-dazzle Mr. (Pop) Warner's razzle-dazzle was uncanny," wrote Mark Kelly of the _Los Angeles Examiner._

USC opened the year with five straight shutouts before Warburton slipped and Cal broke the string in SC's 27-7 victory. Cal was said to be desperate to win, or at least show, against the Trojans, so perplexed were they by their loss of football prestige over a decade against the team that they wanted to beat more than any. Stanford of course is their biggest rival, but USC is the top of the mountain. Perhaps they took some solace in that they ended USC's scoreless record, but the loss was hardly a "show." USC no longer even looked at the Bears as anything more important than the rest of the schedule. Oregon and Washington fell, and Notre Dame came into town.

Warburton returned a punt 39 yards to set up a touchdown pass, and USC recovered an Irish fumble to create another score. The game was not the dramatic extravaganza of 1931, but the Trojans faithful of 93,924 were happy to observe a good old-fashioned whuppin'.

The Pacific Coast Conference champions returned to Pasadena, where Pittsburgh came in hoping for some measure of respect after their 47-14 loss three years earlier. They should have stayed in the Steel City for the holidays.

Colgate was left home. The papers remarked that they were "unbeaten, untied, unscored on and uninvited."

Sophomore quarterback Homer Griffith out of Fairfax High had mostly handed off to Warburton, but towards season's end he came into his own against Notre Dame and Pitt. He hit Ford Palmer for a 50-yard first quarter touchdown in front of 78,874. Warburton starred on both sides of the ball. He scored twice late.

Pitt went home with their tales between their legs, 35-0. USC was the back-to-back national champion, and at that point if a poll were taken to determine the greatest program of the century up to this season, it would very well have been a tie between USC and Notre Dame, with a slight edge to SC.

Four years later, Pitt returned to Pasadena to play Washington. Coach Jock Sutherland ordered the bus to a stop on the hill overlooking the Arroyo Seco and announced, "There it is. There's the place two Pittsburgh teams were beaten by a total of 68 points."

Some of the greatest legends in USC football history played for Howard Jones's Thundering Herd teams of 1930-32. Halfback Garrett Arbelbride was an All-American in 1930 who also played on the baseball team. Inducted into SC's Hall of Fame in 1999, he was an educator and rancher.

Quarterback Orv Mohler came to USC from Alhambra High School, made All-American in 1930, also played baseball, was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame (1995), and became an Air Force colonel. He died when his jet crashed in 1949.

Erny Pinckert came out of San Bernardino High School, was a two-time All-American (1930-31), won the Davis-Teschke Award, is a member of USC's and College Football's Hall of Fame, and played professionally for the Washington Redskins.

Guard Johnny Baker from the Central California valley town of Kingsburg, earned All-American in 1931. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, he later was the head coach at Iowa State and the athletic director at Sacramento State.

Quarterback Gaius "Gus" Shaver of Covina High earned All-American in 1931, made SC's Hall of Fame and was a Trojan assistant coach.

Center Stan Williamson, from the Sacramento Delta hamlet of Pittsburgh, was an All-American in 1931 (as well as team captain), and eventually the athletic director at U.C.-Santa Barbara.

Tackle Tay Brown came to USC from Compton High School and made the 1932 All-American team. A College Hall of Famer, he became the basketball coach at the University of Cincinnati and the athletic director at Compton J.C.

"I'd have to say that that all of us hitched our wagon to a star, and Howard Jones was that star," athletic director Willis O. Hunter, who had hired Jones in 1925, said of this golden era of USC football. "He made all of USC's later success possible."

CHAPTER FIVE

THE FALL AND RISE OF TROY

Stanford's "Vow Boys" and UCLA make their bid; the "Head Man's" Trojans return to glory

1932 was a high point in the history of USC football and Los Angeles. The Trojans were the preferred school of all the great athletes who went to the high schools in and around Greater Los Angeles, an enormous metropolitan swath that is unequaled anywhere in the world. New York City has more people than L.A. city proper. Chicago did until the 1960s. London and Calcutta, just to name a couple of large cities, have comparably high populations. But in terms of geographic size, weather, good high school programs and economic prosperity, "L.A.," which of course means much more than just the city limits, is the largest goldmine of sports talent by a very wide margin.

Greater L.A. basically extends from Camarillo or Thousand Oaks, on the 101 Freeway in Ventura County to the north, about 100 miles or so to San Clemente, on the Interstate 5 in Orange County to the south; then from the ocean strands that run from Malibu to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, making up the South Bay, and again from Long Beach to Newport Beach, extending to all points east, into the Inland Empire of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, communities that lie some 50 to 80 miles from the USC campus. These suburbs were quite developed as early as the 1930s, more so than most city outgrowths in the West at that time. In the Bay Area, for instance, a large number of students were coming from San Francisco proper. Suburbs in Marin, Sonoma, Contra Costa and outlying areas were not as developed as in the Southland.

Furthermore, the term Greater L.A. may be extended even beyond the aforementioned boundaries. There is an argument that Palm Springs, indeed all of San Bernardino County, the largest county in the country extending all the way to the Nevada border, is part of Greater L.A. Ventura and even Santa Barbara, some 100 miles north of the city, is thought to be connected in the same way. Despite efforts to create a separate civic identity, San Diego has always been overshadowed by Los Angeles.

As time went by, and television extended fan bases even further, communities as far away as San Luis Obispo; Bakersfield and northern Kern County; and even Las Vegas, Nevada found themselves part of L.A.'s orbit. USC has always benefited from its geographical vantage point, as if Manifest Destiny had been orchestrated to create a single center of sporting greatness on its campus. They also were never afraid to go into Northern California and pluck athletes who otherwise might have been destined for Cal and Stanford, not to mention the out-of-state players attracted to the school.

Of course, its rivals had always tried to get top stars from the L.A. area who, for whatever reason, chose to leave. Indeed, Cal's Wonder Teams had been built on a talent base from the Southland. By the 1930s, the rest of the PCC, despite the negative ramifications of the Carngie Report, were actively engaged in the high-stakes game of recruiting. College football was very big business. Cal and Stanford were determined to get back in the game, and there were plenty of fine athletes to go around. USC could not get everybody.

Indeed, UCLA was created because there was so much to go around. Howard Jones found himself competing every year against the forces of attrition. While the two Northern colleges had to fight amongst themselves for the smaller talent base of their region, USC had the bigger talent base to themselves. This was to end.

The first fissure in the Trojan Empire germinated in the 1932 USC-Stanford freshman game, which the Spartans, the unofficial name given to the lower classmen, won. Stanford's freshmen surveyed the landscape. The Indians' varsity had been shut out twice in a row by USC (1931-32), was beaten five straight times, and had not won over Southern Cal since 1926. Those freshmen got together and vowed never to lose to USC in their varsity careers. It was a daunting task. Truth be told, it was the kind of pact many teams and players make but are unable to attain. Stanford's "Vow Boys" are remembered because they actually did fulfill their promise. It was not the end of USC's period of greatness. Howard Jones would take the Trojans to the Promised Land again, but it was the first steps down from the highest mountaintop that they had climbed in 1931-32.

The 1933 Trojans were re-tooled. They opened with an astounding for straight shutout victories. Then Oregon State tied them, 0-0, ending their 25-game winning streak. At Berkeley, USC's 6-3 win had none of the Caesarian pomp of the 1930 74-0 pasting.

95,000 filled the Coliseum the following week when Stanford came to town. Troy still has a 27-game unbeaten streak, and the Northern papers said it all when it was over:

_San Francisco Examiner_ : "The King Is Dead... Monarch Who Reigned Since 1931 Crashed to Earth."

"Across the nation's football front the right phrase echoed this afternoon as Stanford University crushed, and I mean crushed, Southern California 13 to 7," read the article.

"These words fell with a resounding crash. Unbelievable, but 90,000 pairs of eyes witnessed the feat.

"It was a strange sight. Not since 1931, when a little band of St. Mary's Gaels turned the trick, has the old Trojan warhorse showed any signs of slowing down..."

13-7 was certainly no "crushing," but no matter. There was literal dancing in the Palo Alto streets. It was a chink in the armour, and arguably the greatest three-year run in Stanford football history. The Indians went on to three straight Rose Bowls in addition to their victories over Southern California. Remarkably, it was all under new coach Tiny Thornhill, who replaced Pop Warner. Warner left ostensibly out of frustration that he could not beat Jones.

"You can never hope to beat USC with the kind of material that comes to Stanford," Warner whined to Thornhill.

Warner goes down in history as a great coach, but much of his legend is because of the youth leagues named after him. Thornhill is a blip on the college football screen, but it would certainly seem that at Stanford he should rate at least as high as Warner for his feats. Being nicknamed "Tiny" might have been his problem.

Monk Moscrip, Bob Reynolds, Frank Alustiza, Bones Hamilton, and Bobby Grayson made up the Vow Boys. USC still had stars in 1933, of course. Their All-Americans, Warburton and Rosenberg, were the biggest. Warburton suffered a tremendous hit that knocked him into "never-never land" during the Cal game, affecting his performance the following week vs. Stanford. However, in that Cal contest, despite the knockout punch, Warburton re-entered the game and ran for a game-winning touchdown.

"I don't know what happened," Warburton said.

Warburton was described as the "platinum blonde speedster" and "the most sensational ball carrier since the halcyon days of Red Grange." Warburton was a true game-breaker, in many ways the Reggie Bush of his era. In 1933, he was the difference in a majority of USC's games. He was "the most feared runner in these United States."

It is really a testament to the greatness that Jones and his team ascended to that 1933 goes down as a disappointing season. Following the Stanford loss, Southern California took care of Oregon, Notre Dame, Georgia and Washington. The team managed _eight shutouts_ , outscored the opposition 257-30, and finished 10-1-1. However, they did not go to the Rose Bowl or win the national championship. Anything less than that was below standard. This standard, for right or wrong, would remain what Trojan fans would expect of their team in all the years since.

USC thoroughly dominated Notre Dame, 19-0 on the road, evening up the series at four games apiece. Despite the Depression, which had cost Babe Ruth a major reduction in salary despite his assertions that he should be paid more money than the President because "I had a better year," Jones' saw _his_ salary increased to $15,000.

Unfortunately, the Trojans declined badly in 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937. Attendance, the lifeblood of the program and a huge moneymaker when the Coliseum was filled up, declined. The Coliseum had been expanded to accommodate 100,000 for the Olympics, but its cavernous expanses just accentuated crowds when they were small. It also exposed the peculiar nature of the Los Angeles sports fan: he is a front runner!

645,000 saw the mighty Trojans of 1933, but the next three seasons attendance continued to drop to 435,000 by 1936. In 1934, Troy was 4-6-1, was shut out by Notre Dame at home, 14-0; by Stanford, 16-0 in Palo Alto (Vow Boys, part two); lost to Cal, 7-2 (major revenge for the Bears); and gave Jock Sutherland's Panthers a chance to redeem themselves when USC traveled to Pitt, only to lose 20-6.

In 1935 USC went 5-5. Cal beat them 21-7 at Berkeley in front of 48,000 ecstatic Bear backers. Stanford shut them out again, 3-0 at the Coliseum. Only 50,000 came out to see the Vow Boys complete their sweep. On to South Bend: disaster, 20-13 Irish. Pitt came to L.A. and beat them _again._ USC did manage to beat the _Kamehameha High School alumni_ in Honolulu on Christmas Day! Oh, how the mighty had fallen!

So it was that the "mighty" Trojans now _needed_ UCLA on their 1936 schedule in order to draw a large enough crowd to make ends meet. This period of Trojan history should serve as a cautionary tale for the current powerhouse, and all other great sports dynasties. The Romans had always worried about the kind of _hubris_ that USC had succumbed to. Jones', like Roman dictators, should have assigned an assistant (the Romans gave the duty to a slave) to trail him, whispering in his ear, "You are mortal! All glory is fleeting!"

In that 1936 season they ended the humiliation against Stanford, 14-7 at 'The Farm," as their campus is called. Cal maintained firm control of the newly invigorated rivalry with a 13-7 victory before a disappointed 65,000 in L.A. The Washington Huskies shut out SC, but the last two games were the final straw.

90,000 came out to see UCLA and USC play to a 7-7 tie. With six years, parity had been established! Notre Dame came to town and Troy "escaped" with a 13-13 tie before 71,201.

How did such a great team fall so fast?

"Howard had a lot of fine stars who spent three years on the bench when they could have played at some of the other schools," said Paul Zimmerman of the _L.A. Times._ "The high school players figured that out for themselves, and many decided to go elsewhere."

In analyzing how Pete Carroll has put together a successful run at USC in the 2000s, it might appear that Carroll learned lessons from this. With freshmen eligible, he has given his underclassmen every chance to compete with the seniors for playing time, thus keeping his recruits interested.

Jones's team went down while UCLA and other schools were on a recruiting drive. Also, Jones saw the game changing drastically. Sammy Baugh and Davey O'Brien were two great quarterbacks of the era who were in the process of revolutionizing the passing game. Jones had not adapted.

In 1937, USC barely escaped against the Bruins, 19-13 before 75,000. Kenny Washington, the Bruins' splendid black halfback, helped pass UCLA to two scores late before succumbing. According to newsreels, he passed the ball from his own 15 to the USC 23. The Bruins would have won, except Woody Strode dropped a smoker from Washington, who had an arm comparable to Bob Feller.

(Strode would later play professionally and then enter the movies. He played a significant role as a black gladiator who sacrifices himself so that Kirk Douglas may lead a slave rebellion in the Stanley Kubrick classic, _Spartacus._ Marv Goux, who also played, appropriately, a gladiator, represented USC in the film.)

UCLA Coach Bill Spaulding entered the USC locker room afterwards, knocked on Jones's closed door, and heard somebody ask, "Who's there?"

"Bill Spaulding."

"What do you want?"

"Tell Howard he can come out now," responded Spaulding. "We've stopped passing."

To Los Angelenos, at least, the USC-UCLA game was a great rivalry by the mid-to-late 1930s.

"The youngest 'traditional' football game in the country was...a honey," the _L.A. Times_ stated. "To those fuddyduddies who point to the half century of tradition behind the Yale and Harvard game we, like the chap who said his railroad was not as long as some but just as wide, wish to state that while the Trojan-Bruin rivalry may not be as old as some, it certainly is just as hot."

Nick Pappas, who would go on to be an alumni leader, friend and "chaperone" of John Wayne, played on those Jones teams of the mid-1930s. He had grown up in Seattle a Washington fan, but when he saw Morley Drury play he told his mother, "I'm gonna be a Trojan."

Without a scholarship he arrived in Los Angeles and started following Cotton Warburton around campus. Warburton weighed 158 pounds but the man running the scales wrote on his chart that he weighed 175. When Pappas interjected, Warburton asked him how much he weighed. Pappas said, "140."

"Do you want to play for Howard Jones?" asked Cotton.

Pappas said yes.

"Then you weigh 175."

Despite the reputation of a clean rivalry based on respect, Pappas recalled that Notre Dame used every trick to gain an edge. In 18-degree weather at South Bend, they waited until USC took the field, then played _Ave Maria_ in memory of Knute Rockne - twice. The song required everybody to stand at attention in the freezing chill, while the Irish players were warm in their locker room. Another year, they tried the same trick to honor a local Catholic man who had died in a traffic accident, but Jones kept his troops inside until the song was done.

Pappas described on-field play against the Irish in which both teams engaged in illegal tactics - violent elbows, bloodied tongues, punches, shredded shirts, tobacco juice spit in the eyes. Jones, however, would not condone his players playing dirty.

"We were playing Washington one year in the Coliseum - that was the year Jimmy Phelan was coaching the Huskies," recalled Pappas. "And they called us every name in the books, SOBs, the whole works. They were not only badmouthing the hell out of us, but playing dirty as well. During the half, one of our assistant coaches came to us and said: 'Are you going to let those so-and-sos beat you up like that? Go out in the second half and give it back to them. Give them what they're giving you!' "

Jones heard it and kicked the other coaches out of the locker room.

"He was madder than hell," recalled Pappas. Jones proceeded to dress down the assistant in front of the team.

"I want to tell you something," Jones told his team. "If anybody goes out there in the second half and does anything dirty or illegal, he's coming out of the game. He'll never play another goldarn minute for Southern Cal."

Jones's honor, particularly during Pappas's career, which coincided with SC's down years, sheds some very illuminating light on the program and the coach.

"We played our best and we played our hearts out," stated Pappas.

Pappas also said that playing at Notre Dame was extremely difficult because 55,000 or 60,000 fans maintained a constant racket, making the calling of signals problematic for the visitors, whereas the wide spaces and the more laid-back approach of fans at the Coliseum never created that kind of volume.

Pappas, who went on to law school after graduation, was an extra in the film _Knute Rockne: All-American_ , starring Pat O'Brien as The Rock and Ronald Reagan as George Gipp.

"Every summer, (we) used to make three or four football movies a year," said Pappas. "O'Brien had the voice down pat."

O'Brien was so convincing that he fired up the mostly-Trojan football players now playing Notre Dame guys. So enthused were they by his "Rockne" that they charged out of the room onto the field, even though it was not in the script.

"They had to shoot that scene three times before they could use it in the movie," said Pappas.

Pappas saved three lives in World War II combat, earning the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

There were great players on the teams in between Jones's' third (1932) and fourth national champions (1939). Guard Aaron Rosenberg was a two-time All-American out of Fairfax High. A USC and College Hall of Famer, Rosenberg became one of Hollywood's most successful TV producers ever.

1933 All-American guard Larry Stevens won the Davis-Teschke Award. Quarterback Cotton Warburton earned All-American in 1933, made it into the College Hall of Fame, and won an Oscar for his editing of the film _Mary Poppins._

The first pro draft was held in 1937. The Brooklyn (football) Dodgers chose Gil Kuhn.

Knute Rockne and Gus Dorais kind of "invented" the forward pass in 1913. One could throw the ball, of course, but in a football game it was not a very good idea. Even after they used the new technique to beat Army in 1913, the pass was a bit exotic. The traditional quarterback was not instituted yet. Various backs were used as all-purpose players who could run, maybe catch, sometimes throw.

The fat football, which was difficult to throw, was slimmed down, and in the 1930s the quarterback position began to evolve into its modern incarnation. Coaches like Howard Jones disdained the pass to some extent because they had huge blockers who could lead fast running backs. Why risk going to the air? As Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler would later say, "Three things can happen, and two of 'em are bad."

But the game was developing. The Trojans could not afford to be left behind. First Stanford's Vow Boys sapped all their previous arrogance away. In 1937 the Vic Bottari-led California team that beat them 20-6 up at Strawberry Canyon rolled all the way to a 13-0 Rose Bowl win over Alabama and the national championship.

So in 1938, Jones would let his quarterback go to the air. By the end of the season, it would be a pass that earned USC not just a Rose Bowl win, but eternal glory for the passer and the receiver.

Doyle Nave became a national hero for winning the Rose Bowl game against Duke. He was named honorary Mayor of Gordo, Alabama. Women wrote love letters from many states. Sick children wanted autographs. An organization of deaf people tried to adopt him as hard of hearing even though he was not.

Nave's touchdown pass rivaled Johnny Baker's field goal. Years later, a magazine poll determined that the Rose Bowl game he won was the most thrilling of all holiday bowls - ever.

"I was nervous when I went in," Nave confessed. Oh yes, he was not a starter. He had played all of 35 minutes in the regular season. He was a last-gasp hope against a team that stamped out all hope.

Grenville Lansdell, Mickey Anderson and Ollie Day had tried their hand as USC's quarterback on January 2, 1939. Their opponents: the Duke Blue Devils. 1938 record: unbeaten, untied... _unscored on_. Unlike Colgate a few years earlier, the Blue Devils were not uninvited. The Associated Press had begun their poll in 1936. USC, at the top of college football's mountain top, had not been ranked in the first two years of the poll. Bernie Bierman, now at Minnesota, had led the Golden Gophers to the pinnacle in 1936, followed by Jock Sutherland's Pitt Panthers in '37 (who won the AP version, Cal was number one in alternate rankings). In 1938, Duke looked to be a shoo-in. Number one.

When the Trojans upended them, 7-3 on January 2, 1938, it knocked them off-kilter. Davey O'Brien and Texas Christian would win it, followed by Bob Neyland and Tennessee. USC was back in the hunt, finishing seventh on the strength of an 8-2 campaign. They would knock a Southern school out of a "sure" national title two years in a row. In so doing, they would return Howard Jones to the heights of glory.

Duke featured Eric "The Red" Tipton, a terrific punter who constantly kept opponents pinned deep in their own territory, from whence thy never got out. In fact, so good was Tipton, he sometimes punted prior to fourth down because the Duke defense was more likely to make breaks deep in the other team's territory than they were to sustain long drives.

In the Rose Bowl, both teams held the other to zero until Tony Ruffa's 23-yard field goal made it 3-0, Duke in the fourth quarter. The previous quarterbacks were ineffective. Nave was known as a good passer, but lacked experience, knowledge of the first team offense, and technical ball-handling ability. What he did not lack was heart.

Duke fumbled in their own territory, but USC's field goal for a tie missed on a close official's call. It gave them some hope, though. When they got the ball back, they made it to the Duke 34 with two minutes remaining. At this point, Jones made a decision that was either a gamble or a calculated risk, depending on the perspective. He could have tried to stay conservative and play for a game-tying field goal. However, two things dissuaded the "Head Man" from this. First, he was the kind of coach who played to win, not to tie. He had played to ties in the past, with Cal and Stanford. In 1936 the 7-7 deadlock with UCLA was a moral defeat for Troy and a victory for the upstart Bruins.

Furthermore, USC's kicking game was not strong. The kick could miss. Unlike the 1931 Notre Dame game, a kick was not a winner. So, Doyle Nave's name was called.

"Jones gave me a few minutes to warm up," Nave stated, "and I was nervous, I'll tell you." 89,452 voices filled the air with a cacophony of sound.

Because Nave was not first string, the receiver he was most comfortable with did not start either. He schemed to pass one to "Antelope Al" Kreuger, in the game to replace the ineffective first string and because he was Nave's partner.

"I completed the first pass and made 12 yards on a button hook," recalled Nave. He followed that up with a "27," a flair in which Kreuger went down, pivoted, then broke to the outside. The catch went for a first down.

In 1988, announcer Tom Kelly narrated a video called _Trojan Video Gold: 100 Years of USC Football 1888-1988._ Nave and Kreuger were interviewed together. Nave claimed every ball was "right on the numbers" while Kreuger rolled his eyes behind his back, indicating spectacular dives. In truth, the passes were not perfect and Kreuger indeed made excellent grabs, albeit not totally sprawled out. It was a moment of great humor and camaraderie.

"Was I havin' a good time?" Kreuger asked rhetorically. "Why, of course, I was goin' to _SC!_ "

With the ball on the far left side of the field in those pre-hashmark days, Nave needed to devise a way to get Al some maneuver room. Nave worked a play towards the center of the field, but his pass was picked up on and Kreuger dropped for a loss after snaring it.

On second-and-12, Nave told Al to go for the end zone; there was little time left for anything but heroics. On a "27 down-and-out" Kreuger got away from Eric Tipton while Kreuger faded deep into the pocket. According to Doyle, he unloaded the ball when Nave was on the "seven or eight," which had to be an exaggeration. Nevertheless, the ball was thrown for the back of the end zone. With 40 seconds left, Kreuger clutched the pigskin to his chest and "we went berserk."

According to Maxwell Stiles of the _L.A. Times_ , "strange events" led to the play. Stiles heard of it from Joe Wilensky, a former Trojan guard-tackle who was on Jones's 1938 staff. Stiles and Joe Hendrickson wrote a book together called _The Tournament of Roses_ :

Wilensky was manning the telephone on the bench, relaying the messages of assistant coaches Sam Barry, Bob McNeish, and Julie Bescos, who had been observing the action high above in the press box. Suddenly Wilensky got an idea. He decided to take a chance to do something to pull out victory. He knew that the coaches above had already left the press box and were on their way to join the team. Nobody had scored a point all season against the great Duke line.

"Our only chance is to get Nave in there to pass," thought Wilensky. "He has the arm to hit Kreuger and dent this great Duke defense." Wilensky snatched the phone. "Yes," he shouted so everybody on the bench could hear. "Yes, yes - I get it. I'll tell him right away." Wilensky slammed the receiver on the hook and excitedly nudged assistant coach Bill Hunter.

"The word is to send in Nave and have him throw to Kreuger," said Wilensky to Hunter, who in turn passed it on to Jones. Nick Pappas, who helped Jones with the coaching and today is a member of the USC athletic administration staff, verifies that this is the true story of how Nave got into the game.

Duke had gone into a "prevent," defense, which seemingly to this day consistently prevents the team that uses it from winning the game! With the defenders playing back, Kreuger used his clever breakaway ability to find the seam he needed.

Wallace Wade was Duke's coach. He had led Alabama to two straight national championships in the 1920s, but he had no scouting report on Nave or Kreuger. It cost him this one. Trojan scout Clifton B. Herd would later say that if they had known the scrub quarterback actually had the best arm on the team, they would have rushed him, getting him to hurry. Wade also had to contend with a running play and the possibility that Jones would not go for broke, instead "settling" for a field goal.

Wade showed no Southern courtesy afterwards, prompting criticism that TCU should have been the invitee. He never congratulated Nave even though he had the chance, and slammed the whole atmosphere.

Nave, who was gracious, pointed out that Wade's wife was ill back in North Carolina. During World War II, they exchanged gracious letters and Nave, now serving in the military, was able to visit with him.

Nave actually had not "earned" a varsity letter with 100 minutes of playing time, but Jones waved that rule.

Jones's analysis of the game did not include the Wilensky story. Instead, Jones said that while Lansdell might have gained rushing yards in a final drive, he knew his "only chance was to pass, and Nave is the best passer..." He stated that he "knew" that Nave alone was the only hope, "so I sent him out there and told him to get at least one of them off to Kreuger."

Southern Cal Chancellor Dr. Norman Topping was quarantined in a hospital with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, running a 105-degree temperature.

"I was dying, they had given up one me," he recalled. "No visitors, not even my wife."

Barely aware of his surroundings, he had the presence of mind to request a radio.

"They said it was impossible," he said. "I insisted, demanding that they grant my last request."

When Nave hit Kreuger "something remarkable happened. A miracle. It did more for me than any medicine. My temperature immediately started going down."

Dr. Topping did indeed recover to collect on a $50 bet. God works in mysterious ways.

Braven Dyer had actually been advocating that Nave be used throughout 1938. He wanted USC to upgrade its offense to accommodate the passing game. To fail to modernize, Dyer insisted, would set the program back.

"Give my boy Doyle Nave a chance," Dyer had written in an open letter to the coach.

Dyer actually _missed the play_ because of a deadline: "somebody has to get out the paper." Apparently, he needed to beat the always-brutal traffic jam that, to this day makes getting not just out of the Arroyo Seco, but out of Pasadena proper, a nightmare. He heard it on the radio along with several colleagues as they drove back to the _Times'_ downtown offices.

Rumor has it that he fainted at the wheel, but Dyer called that a "dastardly report." What he did do was "let out a yell which all but shattered the windshield and promptly began jabbering like an idiot. The 'gridirony' of it all practically slays me."

Dyer noticed when he saw the newsreels just how great Kreuger's catches were, too.

As a Naval officer assigned to an aircraft carrier in the Marianas during World War II, Nave ran into former Duke center and captain Dan Hill.

"When I came into the game," Nave asked him, "did you have any idea that I was going to pass?"

"Hell, no," Hill replied. "we didn't even know who you were."

The 1939 Rose Bowl completed a season in which Troy rebounded from a four-year down period, but it did not start well at the hands of a great Southern school. Alabama put the wood to SC, 19-7. 70,000 Los Angelenos came out to see the fabled Crimson Tide, already a power at least the equal of Troy. 'Bama was eager to represent the South after having lost to Cal in the previous season's Rose Bowl. The game would be the first of seven, to date, between two of the most storied programs of all time. Both teams would give as well as take, and to date the Tide, along with Notre Dame, is one of a tiny, select group of schools with a winning record over USC (5-2).

Sportswriters painted a dismal picture of 1938 after the opener, stating that the 19-7 score did not represent the true mediocrity of the team. Two weeks later, though, USC earned a very important win for the program when they made the trip to Columbus, beating the Ohio State Buckeyes, 14-7 in front of 62,778. The season turned in their favor when they defeated Stanford at The Farm, 13-2. Two weeks after that they overtook defending national champion Cal, 13-7, in a defensive struggle before a packed Coliseum audience.

A tremendous downturn occurred in a place that would always be difficult for Troy. The state of Washington tends to get cold and rainy in November, and when USC plays in the Northwest late in the season, it is always difficult. On November 12 in the mud, the Huskies beat them, 7-6, throwing the PCC race into a tizzy.

But in 1938 USC took advantage of their schedule, an opportunity they would get many times in the future, especially in even years. While Cal and Stanford grab the spotlight and would play their Big Game at the end of each season, USC would get _two_ big games. In 1938 that meant UCLA and Notre Dame at the Coliseum.

The Bruin game was already an "instant classic," with memories of the two lopsided shutouts of 1929-30 a distant memory, but in '38 they were no match for USC, 42-7.

97,146 came out for a titanic struggle with the Irish December 3. This was a game that would truly define the program, and answer any lingering questions over whether Jones's team was a major power again.

Elmer Layden, one of Rockne's "Four Horsemen," was the coach of a team riding an 11-game winning streak with national title hopes. One report stated that the Irish did not know if it was an "earthquake or a shock" in a game in which they were "outclassed in almost every department of play."

It was Al Kreuger, portending things to come at Pasadena, who hauled in the touchdown pass with little time left in the first half to basically win it for USC. The13-0 shutout was sweet revenge for a four-year winless skein, eliminating number one-ranked Notre Dame's hope-for national championship aspirations. It also was enough prestige to land the Trojans in the Rose Bowl despite a 6-1 first place conference tie with the Golden Bears. Having beaten Cal in addition to wins over the Bruins and Irish, plus the natural tendency of those years not to send repeat champions to Pasadena, helped USC.

TCU lobbied ferociously for the invite, probably too zealously. In the end, Duke got the nod. While Texas Christian was bitterly disappointed at the financial hit that came with the loss of invite, they gained by not having to face the buzz saw that was Troy on New Year's Day. In the end were named the AP national champions.

Germany's Blitzkrieg had devastated Eastern Europe in the fall of 1939. England alone stood up to them. France, figuring "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," collaborated with the Nazis with the exception of a few brave resisters. America debated whether to fight with their ally, Great Britain. Franklin Roosevelt's Ambassador to the Court of Saint James, JFK's father Joseph P. Kennedy, advocated the the French way, stating that democracy had little future, nobody could Germany, so they might as well "do business with them." In the mean time, a strange "quiet war" enveloped Europe, with England and Germany mobilizing, trying to figure where to strike next.

Life went on in the United States.

The hallowed tradition that is Southern California football has elevated many teams to the status of "legend." Perhaps it was because World War II started right at the beginning of the season, thus engendering grave concerns for other things, but the 1939 Trojans are in many ways a "forgotten" team in Trojan lore. In truth, they are one of the best teams the school has ever produced.

Howard Jones's teams sometimes started slowly. Some of his better squads suffered strange defeats early, or in this case a strange tie (7-7 at home against Oregon). But the juggernaut picked up steam after that, cruising in the style of the Thundering Herd to four shutout wins in five games. Washington State fell, 27-0; Illinois, 26-0; Cal, 26-0 at Strawberry Canyon; Oregon State, 19-7; and Stanford, 33-0.

The Trojans were balanced with the likes of ends Al Kreuger, Bill Fisk and Bob Winslow; tackles Phil Gaspar and Howard Stoecker; guard Ben Sohn; center Ed Dempsey; and quarterback Doyle Nave. In 1939, Nave demonstrated more all-around ability than in '38.

Cal coach Stub Allison, who had led the Bears back to glory after the death of Andy Smith in the 1920s, called it the "best Southern California team I have seen."

Oregon State coach Lon Stiner stated that he had competed as a player for Nebraska against the Four Horsemen and "seven mules," as well as against the great Red Grange, but Southern California was "better than all these other great ones - the greatest team I ever saw."

Indeed, Stiner saw what Jones had taken some time to finally develop, which was a balance between the pass and the run, thus fully "modernizing" his team's offense. Stiner pointed out that defending the Trojans was in 1939 much more difficult than figuring out how to defend the great-but-predictable 1933 club that the Beavers tied, 0-0.

Howard Jones made what would be his visit to South Bend, pinning the second loss of the season on the Irish. With the score 6-0 USC entering the fourth quarter, both teams traded touchdowns, but the Irish could not converts PATs. With three minutes to go, Ambrose Schindler made a tremendous 41-yard touchdown run to ice the 20-12 USC win.

USC suffered a scare in barely beating Washington, 9-7 at home, setting up a huge showdown with UCLA before 103,303 fans. The Bruins had built themselves into a major football power by fully integrating their program. Even though the Trojans had starred Brice Taylor in the 1920s, they had not kept up with their cross-town rival's social progress. It cost them athletically. UCLA had the likes of Kenny Washington and future baseball great Jackie Robinson in the late 1930s. Largely through their heroics, UCLA had created parity with USC. In no prior year was this more apparent than in 1939. On December 9, Washington and Robinson led the Bruins into the Coliseum.

"I really was worried," stated Nave, who also played safety. "I was trying to figure what I'd do if they tried a pass to Woody Strode, the big end. He was the man I was assigned to cover. Woody stands about six-five, you know, and I'm under six feet. I couldn't figure any way I could stop him from catching a high pass if they threw to him. Well, I was lucky. They didn't throw at him at all. I sure breathed a sigh of relief when it was over."

Indeed, so did the entire Trojan team. They were lucky to come out of it with a 0-0 tie. UCLA totally blundered the game by not going for a field goal with the ball on the USC five with 10 seconds left. Instead, quarterback Kenny Washington passed to Bob MacPherson in the end zone, but Bobby Robertson managed to knock it down. It cost UCLA a $120,000 invite to their first Rose Bowl. Coach Babe Horrell's Bruins had driven 76 yards, but play-caller Ned Matthews chose to try for six when three would do. With the ball just a few yards from the goal line, USC's defense stiffened and held the Bruins to a fateful fourth down situation.

In a strange twist of democracy gone too far, five UCLA players _voted_ for a field goal try, while five wanted the touchdown. Matthews opted for the latter course and came up snake eyes. The smart play not only would have been to try the kick on fourth, but to try it on third in case it missed, giving the team another crack at it.

Coach Horrell deferred the blame from Mattews, stating that he supported the decision. USC had also missed scoring chances of their own in a game that while slow in terms of defensive dominance and lack of movement, built to a crescendo of pressure in front of the mammoth throng. In the first quarter, Grenny Lansdell, suffering from a hand injury that made it hard for him to grip the ball, fumbled at the Bruin goal. Lansdell fumbled again at UCLA's 22, and a Trojan drive that died at the UCLA 25 was their only other threat. After the game he abjectly apologized to Coach Jones.

USC had their hands full boxing in Jackie Robinson, especially on UCLA's almost-successful final drive. The greatest criticism of Horrell came not from the decision not to kick, but his inexplicable choice not to get the ball into Robinson's or Washington's hands once inside the USC five.

"It was one of the cleanest, yet most bitter struggles in Coliseum history," wrote Paul Zimmerman of the _Los Angeles Times._ After the game, in what has become tradition, players from both teams, acquainted with each other from high school, four years of rivalry and sharing the same city, mingled in "the finest display of sportsmanship anyone could ask for," wrote Zimmerman.

USC was out-played by Robinson, Washington and the Bruins. There was no haughtiness left, no returning to the days of yesteryear in which they looked down upon the public school from Westwood. They were lucky to be going to the Rose Bowl and they knew it.

UCLA felt no consolation, as they had in 1936 when they were still feeling their oats. They had blown it. Jones offered in his post-game commentary that the Irish and Husky games had drained his team, but to a man Kenny Washington's "hip-wiggling" running style, which portented a revolutionary change in the running back position over the next decades, elicited praise from USC.

Jones made a point to console Lansdell over his fumbles. Grenny had given him all he had. Statements like "those Bruins are a fine bunch" and "give 'em credit" lent to the general feeling that Southern Cal welcomed a true conference rivalry on par with what Cal and Stanford had up north.

The two teams oddly were, and would finish, undefeated. USC was 8-0-2, while UCLA sported an unusual 6-0-4 record. Tennessee was invited to Pasadena in a true national championship game.

Whereas the 1938 game had engendered controversy over the selection of Duke over Texas Christian, with USC coming in as the underdog, the 1940 game promised to be the national battle America longed to see.

Bob Neyland, the Volunteers' coach, may not have been a legend at Jones's historic level, but in his "neck of the woods" you could not win that argument. The Vols, riding a 23-game winning streak, came in with the same credentials as Duke in 1939: unbeaten, untied, unscored on. Unlike the Duke game, which had been a donnybrook, the USC-Tennessee Rose Bowl affair was all Trojans from start to finish. They were bigger, stronger and faster. Ambrose Schindler had a terrific day. Southern California prevailed by 14-0.

"We weren't stale or off form," Neyland announced. "We were outclassed. We were badly beaten by a superior team, and my hat is off to Howard Jones."

Tennessee quarterback George Cafego had to be removed when he suffered an injury, but offered that he would not have made any difference "against those big guys anyway."

"I remember they <Tennessee> had two All-American guards, a guy named Sutheridge and a guy named Belinsky," recalled Carl Benson in _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "These guys just said to me, 'you guys are something else.' I said, 'I can't even make the first ball club, and we're coming right through ya.' And by God we did."

"I said, this is the Rose Bowl and I'll give these people something to think about," recalled Schindler. "It was the perfect play. I lobbed the ball out to Al Kreuger and he turned and there it was. It was real neat."

Newspaper headline: "Tennessee Unable to Cope With Might of Southern California Grid Machine."

"I believe it played the heaviest schedule and accomplished the most of any team I ever coached," Jones said (in archival footage that still exists) when he accepted the national title trophy from Professor Frank G. Dickinson, a respected analyst whose system was considered one of the arbiters of national championship status.

"The Trojans were the best team in the best section...and the nation's other top teams did not play as strong schedule as USC," stated Professor Dickinson.

The win improved Jones's Rose Bowl record to 6-0. Their victory also re-started the talk of a decade earlier, when pundits were saying that the best football was played on the West Coast, particularly in the Golden State. Loses by Alabama (1938), Duke (1939) and Tennessee (1940) tarnished the Southern football reputation, especially considering that Duke and Tennessee had looked impregnable playing their regular schedules, only to be exposed by Southern Cal. The South still had its supporters, who pointed out that Texas at least was maintaining standards, what with Texas Christian's and A&M's strong years in 1938-39. But Alabama had been soundly beaten by California in 1938, the West's supporters pointed out.

"They raise them rugged out here," wrote Henry McLemore, which was an interesting side of the double argument: one that says Californians are indeed "raised rugged" and the other that says they have "gone Hollywood...soft," the warm sun creating a population of loafers who had never "walked a mile to school in the snow."

McLemore theorized that "nature" made for a tougher athlete who could "withstand earthquakes." He said it was the water that made for men who were bigger and even had to shave more often!

Jones was back on top, to be sure, but it was his final reach for greatness. If indeed California was the football capitol of America in January of 1940, it would not last for long.

In 1940, his team was depleted. For whatever reasons - age, failure to go the extra mile? - Jones had failed to recruit the usual replacements who had fueled his team's long, dominant run. They won only three times. Jones would die of a heart attack on July 27, 1941, making 1940 his last year at SC. Against tough odds, the Trojans played Notre Dame to the wire before going down in his last game.

"With his passing, there ended an era of football in the West," wrote Max Stiles. "No man ever brought so much gridiron glory to the southern section of California. No man ever gave more of himself to the game he loved. To him, football was the first bright rays of dawn, the noonday sky, and the stars that shine by night. To him, football was a creed and he kept it clean and pure. Good sportsmanship and perfect execution of assignments on the field of play were sacred, and woe to any player on his team who failed to measure up to the field degree of either standard."

From 1934 to 1937, no Trojan had earned a first team, consensus or unanimous All-American selection, but in 1938 they had two. The first was left guard Harry Smith out of Chaffey High, out in the Imperial Empire, as it is called. Smith, a member of the USC and College Hall of Fame, played for the Detroit Lions. He later coached at Missouri and in the Canadian Football League.

Quarterback Grenville "Grenny" Lansdell was USC's f'irst "modern" signal-caller and an All-American in 1939. He had played previously at Pasadena High and Jackie Robinson's "other" school, Pasadena City College. Grenny could and did run as well as pass, and later played for the New York Giants before the war.

In 1939, Ray George and Tony Tonelli were drafted by Detroit; Bob Hoffman and Boyd Morgan by Washington. In 1940, Doyle Nave was a first round selection by Detroit, Lensdell a first rounder by the Giants. Bill Winslow went to the Lions. Hoffman, chosen the year before, had his eligibility re-instated, played another season, and was again picked by the Redskins along with Howard Stoecker. Phil Gaspar and Ambrose Schindler both were selected by Green Bay.

Jones's last team produced four 1941 NFL draft picks: Al Kreuger and Jack Banta to Washington; Ben Sohn and Bobby Peoples to the New York Giants.

The death of Jones, on the heels of a losing season, ushered in a new era for USC, Los Angeles, and college football - not to mention the world. Within a short period of time, UCLA had achieved a level of close competition with USC. The two schools would compete on a fairly equal footing in the next decade, and in the 1950s UCLA would be the higher-rated program! Cal would also be a West Coast power.

Their would be a paradigm shift in college football back to the Midwest, with the exception of the mid-'40s, when Army would field some of the best teams ever assembled. Other than that, however, the heartland regained its footing.

Minnesota under Bernie Bierman would attain extraordinary, repeating as the AP national titleholders in 1940-41 after having won the initial poll of 1936.

Michigan's Tommy Harmon would win the 1940 Heisman Trophy. He was the first "media star" among the ranks of college players and Heisman winners. His Wolverines had an exceptionally strong decade, regaining the glory of their pre-World War I "point a minute" teams. The Rose Bowl would eventually contract an annual game between the Big 10 and the Pacific Coast Conference. In the first years of this arrangement, the Big 10 would dominate. Michigan would be the most dominant, but Ohio State was close.

Notre Dame under coach Frank Leahy would have an unbelievable decade. In South Bend, they argue to this day whether the Irish were greater under Rockne in the 1920s or under Leahy in the '40s. Considering the increased national competition of the modernized game, the Leahy supporters have a good argument.

In light of Notre Dame's and the Big 10's strength, the old saw that California produced the better players and teams because of vitamins, ultra-violet rays or hearty stock, was replaced by an unfair new "conclusion" that the boys out west were not as tough or as dedicated. Eventually, a post-World War II population shift to the California suburbs would create another power block on the West Coast, but it would take some time to happen. The first beneficiaries of these changes would not be the University of Southern California.

Other sports 1900-1939: Like Troy taking Athens, the Trojans take the Olympics

The 1930s saw the creation of the USC-UCLA rivalry not just in football, but in other sports, and with that the rising popularity of sports other than football. Certainly, the huge economic gains of football allowed the "minor sports" to thrive; scholarships, better facilities and coaching.

Sam Barry is an unsung name in USC history, but in many ways, certainly if one takes diversity of expertise into account, he may be the school's all-time best. Barry would coach baseball, basketball and football at USC! He took over the basketball program prior to the 1929-30 season. Games were played at the old Olympic Auditoreum in front of good crowds. The games with UCLA were hard-fought affairs, although in the 1920s and '30s the Trojans held a big edge over UCLA, 35-7.

In track, of course, USC was in the 1920s and '30s the unquestioned powerhouse of America, filled with Olympic champions. By 1934, when UCLA was finally "ready" to compete against Troy, USC had earned three NCAA team titles and 13 individual titles. USC would win 32 straight meets against UCLA.

Lou Zamperini, the top American miler, would become a national hero when, during the war, the plane he was piloting would crash in the Pacific. He survived on a rubber raft for 47 days, was captured by the Japanese, tortured, and released when the war ended.

Dean Cromwell's teams would capture eight PCC titles and 12 national championships in 19 attempts, while finishing second five times. From 1935 to 1943, the Trojans won nine straight NCAA titles. Overall, USC athletes under his tutelage earned 33 national collegiate championships and set 17 individual world records.

From 1912 to 1948, USC track stars won 24 Olympic Gold, five Silver and three Bronze medals. At Berlin in 1936, USC scored 37 points, placing them, if they had been a country, in the top five in the world. Cromwell indeed coached the Olympic team in those 1936 Games, and again in 1948.

His legends included sprinters Charles Paddock, Frank Wykoff, and Mel Patton; jumpers Al Olson and John Wilson; throwers Bud Houser, Jess Mortensen and Kenneth Carpenter; vaulter Bill Graber; and miler Lou Zamperini.

In baseball, many people are not aware of the fact that Elmer "Gloomy Gus" Henderson also coached the Trojans in the 1920s. Interestingly, UCLA took to baseball in a big way in the 1920s, beating their new rivals and establishing themselves as a strong program.

In the 1930s, USC traveled to Japan to play games promoting the sport to a people who were quickly taking to it. Football star Garrett Arlbelbide was a USC baseball hero playing for Sam Barry in the early 1930s. Barry led the team to at least a share of five conference titles in the decade. In 1935, he led his best team ever, led by captain Raoul "Rod" Dedeaux, a talented infielder, and ace pitcher Joe Gonzalez. Dedeaux would play briefly in the Major Leagues for Casey Stengel and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

USC, led by coach Fred Cady, was almost as dominant in swimming and diving in the 1930s as they were in track. Over 33 years, Cady would coach 39 Olympians, including Clarence "Buster" Crabbe (who went on to Hollywood stardom) and Johnny Weismuller ( _Tarzan_ in the movies). Cady also coached Esther Williams, and was the U.S. Olympic diving coach in the 1928, 1932, 1936 and 1948 Olympics.

He coached water polo, producing 12 Olympians in that sport. The Cady-coached Wallace Wolf, a three-time USC All-American, swam for the U.S. in the 1948 and 1952 Games, then played on the Olympic water polo teams of 1956 and 1960. Wolf earned Gold at London. Cady was inducted into the Swimming Hall of Fame in 1969.

### PART THREE

### A BLOOMING ROSE 1941-1959

The "best of the East vs. the best of the West": the Big 10 comes to the Rose Bowl and the post-war California population boom changes America

CHAPTER SIX

THE WAR YEARS

The Victory Bell and putting a mere game into perspective

The Victory Bell was what UCLA trotted out when they won football games. In 1941, USC students stole the bell. The bell would be hidden in the Hollywood Hills and then in Orange County. In that season, still another tie ensued between the two teams, emblematic of the closeness and fierceness of the rivalry. Eventually, a high-level "conference" of student body presidents brought a "peace treaty" that resulted in the bell's return. The bell would become the iconic prize that went to the winner of the Southern California-UCLA football game.

No sooner had the arrangement been made, USC lost to UCLA for the first time in 1942, 14-7. The bell was back in Westwood. Pranks, thefts and vandalism would mark the intense rivalry in all the decades after that. Humiliations, head-shavings, imprisonments, kidnappings, bombings, wild rodents; the painting blue of USC's horse, Traveler as well as Tommy Trojan, and fertilizer drops from helicopters, marked some of the hi-jinks. Spies were sent out. Card stunts disrupted. The other school's fight songs would play on campus loudspeakers. Bogus students newspapers were printed.

The UCLA game now represented just as much importance to USC as the Notre Dame contest. To the local citizenry of the city overall, it would be more important.

"You have to beat UCLA," said Nick Pappas. "It's better for us to live in this town if we do."

When America entered World War II, exceptional security measures had to be devised in case of Japanese attack on the Pacific Coast. It had a major effect on USC's football schedule. USC and UCLA played two games, the opener and the season-ender, in 1943, 1944 and 1945. Huge crowds paid little heed to the possibility of a Japanese aerial attack, packing the Coliseum. In many ways, it was a morale victory for America, just as a packed Yankee Stadium for the World Series weeks after 9/11 had taught Osama Bin Laden that destroying the American way of life is an exercise in futility. The fact that America was able to defeat two mighty empires, Germany and Japan, on two front, while continuing to run its colleges, its industries and all of its sports enterprises, from college football to Major League baseball, probably says as much about the power, might and abundant strength of this nation as any other fact!

Sam Barry was a great baseball coach and a great basketball coach. His football efforts, however, came up short in his only year at the helm. The once-mighty Trojans won a mere two games, but there was light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a 13-7 upset over Rose Bowl-bound Oregon State. USC also played a thrilling game against the Irish before losing, 20-18.

Barry had been thrown into the mix with little preparation. Jones died in the summer prior to the season, leaving no real time to find a replacement, certainly not a national search. The war was on and that made football a light priority.

Barry hailed from the Midwest, where after graduation from Wisconsin he got into coaching and teaching. He befriended Howard Jones. It was through this connection that he came west. While coaching baseball and basketball, Barry was on Jones's football staff, specializing in scouting and defense. With USC shutting out opponents as if it was going out of style in the 1930s, he gained a reputation in this area.

Barry gained head coaching experience by taking over the Spartans. He called his guys "Tigers," a name that his protégé, Rod Dedeaux, would make famous. Barry took a beating in the L.A. press, which has certainly never let up in succeeding years. Comedian Bob Hope used them in one of his skits, stating that they lost because they did not "want to fight the traffic to Pasadena" and the Rose Bowl. Despite the failures of his team, the '41 Trojans were said to be courageous and full of fight, with stalwart character. The fans stuck with them. 86,305, the largest attendance in the nation that year, attended their home game vs. Stanford.

After the season, Barry joined the Navy. He had co-coached the baseball team with Rod Dedeaux, who took over the diamond reigns upon his departure.

USC replaced him with Jeff Cravath, who came out of Santa Ana High School in Orange County to star for Jones in the mid-1920s. Cravath coached at the junior college level and on Howard Jones's staff. In on year at San Francisco University in 1941 he developed one of the nation's most high-powered offenses. Cravath was cut out of the Jones mold in terms of character, courage and dedication, but he was determined to introduce the new speed and passing game that was in vogue. In 1942, Ohio State kept the national championship in the Big 10, succeeding the back-to-back champs from Minnesota. SC fans felt that such accomplishments were their birthright, but in that year they faced more rude awakenings in the form of the loss to UCLA.

Don Clark, who would later coach at Southern Cal, played for Cravath. He played for him before joining the service, then again afterwards. Perhaps because he was hardened by experience, Clark looked at the coach in an entirely different way after he got back.

"I think he changed," Clark said, but considering the events Clark lived through it was probably the other way around. Either way, Cravath was one of those coaches who instill fear, intimidates young players, and demands to be worshipped. It works with 18-year olds. It does not work with guys coming back from the European Theatre.

Cravath had tried to get into the service but was not accepted. This had the effect of making him self-conscious, a little resentful of the service members on his team, and took away from the respect they had for him. Rod Dedeaux, the baseball coach who did not join the military, overcame any lingering doubts this may have caused through the force of his gregarious personality, but Cravath did not have that going for him.

"It just wasn't fun after the war," stated Jim Hardy. Hardy did not think it was all Cravath's fault, though. The returning veterans mixed with the regular incoming recruits created a glut of talent; not everybody could play; so the older guys resented the situation. But Hardy found Cravath to be dedicated - "he loved USC" - an "old school type" who helped players away from the game.

Cravath's nine-year record was quite impressive: 54-28-8 with four Rose Bowl appearances. It was not up to Jones's record, of course, and included Rose Bowl _losses_ , which never happened under the "Head Man." Some said that Cravath's tendency to belittle players was a detriment to the program. In some ways, the attitude towards Cravath began to take a regional shape. Hard-nosed coaches who gave their players verbal drillings would be more likely to succeed in the Midwest or the South, while the Western coach became more of a personality, like John McKay or Pete Carroll.

Not everybody disliked him, though. Frank Gifford and John Ferraro were two of his best players, and they credited their success to him. Gifford went so far as to name his first son after him, while Ferraro, who would become a top Los Angeles political figure, said Cravath was "a great person...a good psychologist."

Tough as he was on the field, Cravath was not that way off it. In this respect he differed from Jones, the task master who never opened up off the field (except after the 1931 Notre Dame thriller).

Partly because of the war, the 1942 schedule included mostly home games, but it was a tough one that included Tulane and a trip to Ohio State to take on the eventual national champion Buckeyes. USC lost, 28-12, incurring Cravath's wrath. He stopped the train in El Paso, Texas and ran the team through grueling drills that were said to be so hard word spread in Texas that USC was not a place to play, therefore taking any small chance they had of getting players from that part of the country.

A number of Trojans did succeed in the NFL, lending credence to the theory that Cravath's martinet approach may not have been popular at the time, but toughened his guys up for the future.

"I matured more at USC than anything," said one top player, George Davis.

When the war ended and Barry returned, there was talk of giving Sam his old job back, but Cravath was retained. Barry did not return to baseball, either, although he did coach during a golden era of SC basketball. When Cravath died in an auto accident, his former players stepped up and accorded him great respect.

Some could not give Cravath his due one way or the other. USC had a large Naval training program, which served as an advantage to his program in that players who otherwise would not have been Trojans played for them while going through flight school. On the other hand, the advantage was one that critics thought he did not take advantage enough of.

Wartime rules changes that allowed for transfers and more flexible eligibility were instituted, but Cravath favored the younger players over the "vets," creating division on his roster. Cravath preferred the players who had chosen USC to those who found themselves on campus out of military orders. The war also created circumstances by which some players as young as 16 and 17 played. Freshmen were eligible and this made the age differentials more pronounced.

For the record, Cravath's Trojans were 5-5-1 in 1942. They were shut out by Notre Dame and lost to UCLA. In 1943, they were 7-2, undefeated in conference, and 29-0 winners over Washington in an all-West Coast Rose Bowl. However, the Notre Dame game was called off. Frank Leahy's Irish finished number one. "Trips" were relegated to Stockton and San Diego against a Navy team. The Bruins fell twice in one year, including by shutout in the opener.

In 1944, Cravath's greatest team was undefeated with another shutout over Tennessee. The wins included various games with military outfits. Against UCLA they won and tied. The war situation created an atmosphere in which it is difficult to accord real "greatness" on their record, although that year's Army Cadets, coached by Earl "Red" Blaik and led by "Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside," Don Blanchard and Glenn Davis, are considered one of the top ever.

The Cadets won the national title in 1944 and 1945, with Blanchard and Davis both earning the Heisman. This unique accomplishment is one that nobody else approached until Pete Carroll's Trojans of 2003-05.

The 1945 Trojans played a schedule that had been devised with the war still on but was played in peace. UCLA fell twice. Notre Dame was not on the schedule. St. Mary's had great teams in those days, led by running back Herman Wedemeyer, who would later star in _Hawaii 5-0_. They smoked Troy, 26-0 before 76,378 at the Coliseum. USC beat Cal twice but did not play Stanford. Alabama brought their great second-ranked team to Pasadena and beat Cravath's 11th-ranked squad handily, 34-14.

George T. Davis of the _L.A. Evening Herald_ called Cravath's offensive schemes a "double T" or "tease formation," filled with fakery and stunting presaging the Norm Chow offenses of modern times. Cravath split the duties; passing and running a multiple spread of skill players getting touches. Despite his Bill Walshian innovations, Cravath sounded more Vince Lombardian, stating that coaching was not complicated and that winning was accomplished by blocking and tackling better than the other team.

Cravath's offensive mindset is partly the reason why USC had an unbelievable number of players play professionally after leaving his program.

Ralph Heywood earned All-American in 1943. A guard from Huntington Park, he would play through the 1949 season with several NFL teams.

Bobby Robertson had been a first round pick by Brooklyn in 1942, with Bob DeLaur going to the then-Cleveland Rams. In 1944, Norm Verry, Ron Thomas, Ken Roskie (Packers), and Bill Bledsoe (Brooklyn) were drafted.

Nine Trojans were chosen in the 1945 draft. Quarterback Jim Hardy was the first pick of the Washington Redskins. The 'Skins also chose Eddie Saenz and Milford Dreblow. Quenton Klenk went to the Eagles, Joe Wolf to the Giants, and the Brooklyn (football) Dodgers picked three USC seniors from the '44 squad: Wally Crittenden, Jerry Whitney and Hal Finney.

The 1945 Trojans had 10 NFL draftees, including first rounder Leo Riggs to Philadelphia and sixth rounder John Ferraro to Green Bay. The Eagles took Gordon Gray, the Packers also selected Joe Bradford, Bon Hendren, George Callanan, John Pehar and Harry Adelman were picked by Washington, the Giants went for Bob Morris, and the Los Angeles Rams selected Jay Perrin.

While Frank Gifford was later drafted after playing his senior year for Don Clark, he thought of Cravath as his college coach.

While Cravath may have been an offensive guru, he took his greatest pride in instilling character in his players. None exemplified this better than quarterback Jim Hardy, who came out of L.A.'s Fairfax High to star for Troy on Cravath's best teams; serve on a battleship; then star for seven years in the pros with the Rams, Chicago Cardinals and Detroit Lions. Hardy, after being made the eighth overall pick of the 1945 draft by the Redskins, never played in Washington; he was dealt back home to Los Angeles, making him one of those fairly numerous people who played high school, college and professional ball in the Coliseum.

Hardy was a multiple threat who led the team in passing and total offense in 1943 and 1944. He was named the Helms Player of the Year in 1944, the outstanding player in the UCLA game, and MVP of the Rose Bowl.

"It meant something to me to represent Southern Cal," said Hardy. "In a corny sort of way, I got turned on by the Trojans' fight song. I felt chills when I heard it. I still do."

Hardy was considered a little "corny" by his teammates, but in a loving way. In terms of the way he played, his attitude and even his name, he was a throwback. Jim Hardy could not help but remind people of the fictional All-American boy, Andy Hardy.

Hardy was a Heisman hopeful who did not garner the first of USC's six trophies, but he accomplished much. His father was a telegraph operator who operated the machine in the press box at USC games. He brought his son along with him to work. Later while in high school Hardy was a Coliseum usher. Incredibly, he was a walk-on at USC. He earned his spurs as a single wing tailback and T-formation quarterback. Like many stars of his era, he played both ways and led the conference in interceptions with 11.

Hardy saw the transformation of offensive football from Jones - "they never passed" - to his teams that put the ball in the air "about 15 times a game," to the 25/30-pass teams that followed. On the other hand, Hardy said that Cravath stuck to Jones's basic defensive schemes.

His were the UCLA years when the team did not play Notre Dame, so "everything hinged" on the game with the Bruins. Hardy called his most "gratifying" game his last one against UCLA in 1944, when in front of 90,000 fans he scored twice, threw for two more, intercepted two, and had the Bruins down 40-0 entering the fourth quarter.

"I loved every minute of it," he stated.

Hardy said that because of war transfers, players from Oregon State, Washington State and Catholic schools played on his teams. In a sign of the times, service teams gave Troy their biggest trouble in 1943. March Field's team blanked USC, 35-0 with pros. Hardy played with two All-Americans, end Ralph Haywood and tackle Ferraro.

Hardy was probably giving his 1944 team a little extra credit when he compared them to the Blanchard/Davis Army Cadets, but then again their relatively isolated schedule did not allow them to fully flesh out their potential. Shutting out 12th-ranked Tennessee was nothing to sneeze at. It is hard now to think of the military teams as being exceptional, but they were. In 1944 USC defeated San Diego's Naval squad.

"Hardy was the greatest T-formation quarterback I have ever seen in action," said Cravath.

"Hardy must be rated with the all-time Rose Bowl greats," was Al Wolfe's assessment in the _Los Angeles Times_.

Syracuse coach Chuck Meehan said Hardy compared to Chicago Bears' star quarterback Sid Luckman.

Tennessee coach Jim Barnhill said the exact same thing that Bob Neyland said in 1940: "We were outclassed" by Hardy's team.

Another terrific star of the 1940s was Ferraro, who aside from his All-American record played in three Rose Bowls and the East-West Shrine Game. He was a classroom _wunderkind_ , too, who would put it to use as a city councilman and mayoral candidate in L.A. Ferraro turned down an offer from Redskins' owner George Preston Marshall and went into business instead. He got bit by the public service bug in 1966, became a police commissioner, and was an institution at city hall until recent years.

"The things I've learned from football I apply daily to my political life," Ferraro told Ken Rappoport in the 1970s. "Football disciplines you and teaches you that you must learn to give as well as take. Another thing I've learned from football is that you can drop out of the limelight in a hurry, and you must be prepared for it. I was pleased by the adulation and enjoyed the fact that people were nice to me, but I knew it would be gone as soon as I stopped playing football. It's the same situation in politics. I always try to give my best and not worry about anything else."

At 6-4, 240 pounds, Ferraro came to Southern California from Bell High in Maywood, a small community just south of L.A. that today might be described as "urban sprawl," but in his day was still fairly rural. He was attracted to two Catholic schools, Notre Dame and Santa Clara (a strong program in those years), but stayed close to home because his best friend was a "dyed-in-the-wool USC fan."

Ferraro "looked" like a football player. He had big, dark, bushy Italian eyebrows and a shock of black hair, with the swarthy face of a bulldog, which would swell up in contortions as he muscled his way into the line. He gained an inch and 35 pounds in college. He was part of that group of players allowed to play as freshmen, and a blip in the rules allowed him to call that a "red-shirt" season. He served in the military, then came back, earning All-American honors in 1944 and 1947.

Ferraro earned his initial media notice when he played well in a loss to March Field, and secured his reputation in the Rose Bowl win over Washington.

"We went in prepared," he stated, adding that he was nervous ahead of time but was "all right once we got a few plays in."

Playing in front of throngs at the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum was "a terrific thrill." Another great moment came when the Trojans made a road trip to the football Mecca of Columbus.

"That's a madhouse up there," he said.

Like Alabama, Ohio State got their licks in during early, regular season games with SC in Columbus and L.A. But in Ferraro's senior year, USC got their revenge, 32-0 before 76,559.

"They appreciated what we had done," he said. The local papers called them the "Magnificent Trojans."

Ferraro also noted as a particularly tough contest the 1944 game with St. Mary's Pre-Flight, played in Fresno. The Rose Bowl against Michigan capped his career, and it was unfortunately a tough way to go down. The number two Wolverines annihilated USC, 49-0, the same score they had laid on Stanford in the very first "Granddaddy of 'em all," as the game is known.

"That was the year that Michigan used the platoon system and really beat us badly," Ferraro said. "It was really a shock seeing them come in and out of the game while we stayed in there for the whole time. And I was so tired after playing the full game. The platoon was new, and I think that Michigan was the only major school which understood it correctly."

Ferraro confirmed the other assessments that Cravath did not get the most out of his team because the returning servicemen were hard to discipline, although he was one of those returning servicemen.

"A lot of us found out there were other things than football," he said. "And some didn't adapt."

USC had highlights and lowlights: Highight: beating Cal, 39-14 in 1947. Lowlight: losing to the '47 Notre Dame team that is one of the best of all time, 38-7.

"Notre Dame had a really great team," he said. "They were superior."

Ferraro could have played in either the NFL or with the Los Angeles Dons of the old American Football Conference, but he was older, tempered by the experience of military service in a post-war world, and chose to move on to other endeavors. There is little doubt that with his size and intelligence he could have been a fine pro football player.

CHAPTER SEVEN

MIDWESTERN DOMINATION

The Big 10 and Notre Dame make life miserable for USC

The resumption of the Notre Dame series brought excitement but no prestige to USC football. Cravath's Trojans were a solid college program. Leahy's Irish enjoyed one of the greatest decades ever, one that compares with Rockne's Irish in the 1920s, Bud Wilkinson's Oklahoma Sooners in the 1950s, and...Pete Carroll's Trojans of the 2000s.

The 1946 national champion Fighting Irish hosted number 16 Troy before 55,298. They had ended Army's winning streak in a monumental 0-0 tie, a game that is considered a true classic. USC came in after having lost to UCLA, 13-6 before 93,714. By the time Notre Dame played USC, the Irish were into one of the great winning streaks ever themselves. They dismantled USC, 26-6.

The Irish, ranked number one coming in, would be one of only 11 back-to-back national champions when they beat Ferraro's third-ranked Trojans, 38-7, in 1947 in front of Coliseum 104,953 fans. Rose Bowl-bound USC had legitimate hopes, or at least so they thought, having dispensed the 18th-ranked UCLA Bruins, 6-0, before a crowd of 102,050 two weeks before that. It was the fourth consecutive USC-UCLA contest, now called the City Game, which decided the Rose Bowl representative. The game's only score came when Jack Kirby hit Jim Powers from 33 yards out. A Gordon Gray end zone interception saved the day for the Trojans after UCLA drove to their four with 35 seconds left on the Coliseum clock.

Up until 1947, only Minnesota (1940-41) and Army (1944-45) had done won repeat national championships, but of course prior to the AP, Alabama, USC and Minnesota had done it. It is further instructive to note that AP national championships must be taken with a grain of salt up until the early 197os. The vote was sometimes taken prior to bowl games (although it was not always consistent, varying between the AP and UPI, adding to the confusion) Therefore, Alabama (1964-65) claims one in '64 despite losing a bowl, as does Texas (1969-70). Absent a play-off system, a more complete picture came into focus with the 1950 creation of the United Press International poll, and after that other polls have come and gone, sometimes confusing the issue and sometimes creating some fairness.

When USC lost to Michigan, 49-0, in the Rose Bowl, two debates emanated from it. The first was whether Michigan or Notre Dame deserved to be number one. The Irish still clung to their no-bowl policy. Since USC had played both teams, their opinion was sought out.

"Cravath and most of the Trojans claimed Notre Dame hit harder and was better than Michigan," wrote Joe Hendrickson and Maxwell Stiles in their book, _The Tournament of Roses._ Notre Dame was considered a power team, while Michigan, using the platoon, was a team of "deception, a whirling fullback at its ball handler - and the forward pass."

The second debate was not really a debate. In 1946, the Big 10 and the Pacific Coast Conference contracted to play the Rose Bowl every year. For years, the Big 10 adhered to a no-repeat policy. The PCC tried it for a while but scrapped the socialist concept with the realization that fairness cannot be legislated in sports or anywhere, for that matter.

The 49-0 thrashing of USC had people asking if the PCC was worthy of this yearly match-up. Combined with Notre Dame's dominance, the West was said to be lucky to get such a game, but of course the location of it more or less mandated a representative from the region.

Other bowl games, the Sugar and the Orange, were rising in popularity but with controversy occasionally cropping up over the invitation of integrated teams. In the more egalitarian world of post-war America, especially in light of former Bruin football star Jackie Robinson signing with the Dodgers and expected to break into the Majors in 1947, the invitation of Jim Crow football programs from the Deep South, while not stirring a drumbeat of protest, did engender some minor protest.

At least the Big 10 and the PCC would bring together opposing teams that sometimes were and sometimes were not integrated, but at least they were not segregated. Progress crawls slowly.

While USC could be said to have not lived up to Trojan standards in the Cravath years, UCLA was moving up the ladder. Jackie Robinson's last game in 1940 had not been a winner, as he was handled surprising well. But the 1942 Bruins were strong, beat USC, and went to the Rose Bowl. UCLA was now a "glamour" team in Los Angeles, with Hollywood showing interest in the team previously reserved for USC. Famous fans included comedian Joe E. Brown and radio crooner Rudy Vallee. A UCLA war bond drive earned a cool $2 million.

It was also the era of Jane Russell. The busty star of Howard Hughes notorious _The Outlaw_ was the girlfriend of Bruin quarterback Bob Waterfield, one of the all-time greats in Westwood and with the Los Angeles Rams. Russell's presence was not enough to distract Georgia in the Rose Bowl, however. UCLA failed to continue the PCC's consistent success against the South. Georgia won, 9-0.

UCLA was getting better and better players. In 1945, lineman Al Sparlis made All-American. The end of World War II was a boon to UCLA's athletic success, just as it was for USC.

The 1947 Trojans were a team at a cross-roads, in the middle of a decade that was somewhat similar to the Larry Smith era of 1987-92. They competed, some times at a very high level. They went to Rose Bowls, won some, lost some. They beat teams that appeared to be major powers, but it proved to a bluff. Just as Smith's teams beat good UCLA, Ohio State and Penn State teams, they could not beat great Notre Dame and Washington teams.

When the 1947 Trojans beat Ohio State, 32-0 at Columbus early in the season, they were highly confident. They were third in the country with a chance to play and beat number one Notre Dame at home, followed by number two Michigan (almost at home, in Pasadena). Had they won those games, they would have been national champions. The program would have been completely back to form, and likely would have led to great glory in the 1950s.

_Instead,_ they lost both games. They would represent in the 1950s, but not dominate. UCLA was better. Notre Dame would drop a notch, too. A new coach would eventually return USC to Mt. Olympus. Sound familiar?

The 1947 Notre Dame loss would be a precursor to the 1988 USC-Notre Dame game in Los Angeles. Number two USC was two wins away from their first national title in 10 years (1947 would have been eight since Jones's 1939 team). They needed to beat...number one Notre Dame and then Michigan in Pasadena. They lost both.

Into the 1990s, they would represent, but UCLA was better. Pet Carroll would take over 13 years later, just as John McKay had in 1960. In McKay's third year, they would be number one. Pete Carroll? Third year: number one.

As some experts say, history does not repeat itself, it rhymes.

But Braven Dyer, who had seen it all, saw it comin'. He was unimpressed with the "need breed" of Southern California football player, was not enamored with the war vets and their lack of dedication to a mere game, and groused about it. On the train back from Columbus he tried to fire his beloved Trojans up with a challenge.

"I doubt if you can beat California," he told the celebrating players.

Dyer made a bet with the players, which if it did not break NCAA rules then would now, even though it was not for money, but rather for $5 sports shirts. When the Trojans indeed beat the legendary Pappy Waldorf's very good, fourth-ranked Cal team, 39-14, before more than 80,000 in the Strawberry Canyon, Dyer was out $185 on $5 sports shirts.

"It took a long time to make that up on my expense account," he wrote, thus revealing the questionable bet in the _Times._ Subsequent wins over Washington, Stanford and UCLA were a bluff; they were not prepared for the Irish and the Wolverines, although there was probably no amount of preparation that could have gotten them into their league, so to speak.

Dyer wrote in _Top Ten Trojan Football Thrillers_ that Cal was probably not as good as the polls indicated they were. Indeed, California would consistently rate higher than they deserved, possibly because Coach Waldforf was so highly respected. In the following three years, they went to three straight Rose Bowls. In those games, they played well and they played poorly. What they never played was: to win. With the prestige of the conference on the line, an opportunity to redeem the West, they just fueled the argument that the Midwest was better and they were not in the Big 10's class.

"Kids from the Big 10 figured the Rose Bowl was a reward," said longtime USC announcer Tom Kelly, "a chance to go to the beach and meet pretty girls."

The post-war Trojans were entertaining. Crowds were tremendous. Optimism and victory were American themes of those triumphant times. At Southern California and UCLA, the rivalry was intense. Having fallen consistently to Notre Dame, USC wanted at least to gain the upper hand in the City Game. More hoaxes and pranks emerged in these frivolous days. Before the 1946 game, SC students were reported using fire hoses to flood the Coliseum turf the night before in an effort to slow UCLA's fast runners. UCLA students heard of it and came to stop them. A melee occurred. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how one looks at it, the story was a hoax. The papers that reported it were forced to apologize. Should happen more like that in modern politics.

At USC, a school surrounded mostly by single-family dwellings, domestic animals often roamed about. A mongrel dog was found by a group of war vets attending USC on the G.I. bill. The dog would chase after cars and bite the tires, at great risk to his life and limb. His scrappiness impressed the soldier-students. They adopted him and named him "George Tirebiter."

The dog became a campus favorite. Quickly, the unofficial mascot was being rolled into the Coliseum via shiny convertible to a great roar. Tirebiter would bark into the public address system. Naturally, UCLA's frat boys "dognapped" the animal, but a "daring raid" saved the canine. He was scarred from captivity, however. U-C-L-A had been shaved onto his back.

Wearing an old-style leather helmet, Tirebiter appeared at the game with a blanket to hide the offending letters. His greatest "feat" came in 1947, when he made the trip to Berkeley. With USC winning, Cal's famed mascot, a man in an adorable Bear suit that kids fell in love with, called Oski, who would traipse about the sidelines in a clumsy, lovable manner. Oski made the mistake of taunting Tirebiter. Oski lost his moral favor, however, when he flipped Tirebiter "the bird."

It was as if Tirebiter "knew" what it meant. He "knew" the "number one" sign from Notre Dame students indicating another national title. He "knew" the "V for Victory" gesture of the SC crowd. Before the assembled Cal fans, he chased Oski about, biting and nipping at his heels. USC fans, who always make up a large portion of the crowd at Cal and Stanford games because it is an annual pilgrimage, went into an uproar.

Tirebiter was enshrined in the USC "All-American Row," his paw prints included alongside cleat prints of Trojan legends. Tirebiter became a true _cause celebre_ until he was killed (predictably, since he was allowed to bite tires of moving vehicles) by an auto in 1950. A more "attractive" dog was found, "Tirebiter II." He roamed the sidelines in the early 1950s.

Before the 1947 Notre Dame game, USC students, with the original Tirebiter in tow, almost caused a riot, snarling traffic as they made their way to nearby downtown, converging on the Biltmore Hotel and Pershing Square. Then things got ugly when, no doubt fueled by drink, they moved to the famed Hollywood and Vine. Bonfires on the busy boulevard created havoc. Finally, it was on to the Ambassador Hotel, the location of the famous Coconut Grove night club, and a hangout of celebrities, mobsters and politicos (later the hotel would be the site of Robert Kennedy's 1968 assassination).

John Ferraro was receiving telegrams every day from a Notre Dame tackle with the somehow-appropriate named Zygmont Czarobski. Somehow, players do not have those names any more. At every stop on Notre Dame's train trip to Los Angeles, a telegram would be sent to the USC All-American.

"I'm coming, Ferraro...

"Are you ready for me, Ferraro?"

Czarobski and his mates lived up to their _hubris_ in a big win that secured their second straight national title.

Losing to the Irish was tough enough, but the Michigan game had the effect of focusing attention on the program. Cravath and USC had to analyze where they were and where they planned to go. A fair amount of critics thought the first part of this "analysis" involved sending Cravath back to junior college.

After the annual Rose Parade on January 1, 1948, featuring the theme, "The Golden West," the Wolverines set out to devour the Trojans. Fullback Jack Weisenburger scored in the first quarter, adding two more later. All-American halfback Bob Chappuis added an Anthony Davis-like five scores. Jim Brieske converted all seven PATs. Michigan was effective from the air, too. On defense they stuffed USC totally, holding them to a mere 91 yards on the ground and 42 passing.

"The Trojans stood up on one play - the playing of the National Anthem," wrote Bob Hunter in the _Los Angeles Examiner._

Ned Cronin of the _L.A. Daily News_ noted that USC needed plasma because "somebody (will) get killed..."

Michigan was said to be a "football squad that just about defies comparison," wrote the _Examiner's_ Vincent X. Flaherty. "They threw the Trojan to the Wolverines in full view of 95,000 horror-stricken onlookers. It will go down in history as the most macabre spectacle ever beheld since they fed the Christians to the lions rare."

While Flaherty may have been guilty of over-hyping the historical comparisons (Jim Murray in later years learned how to make these kinds of statements in a more refined manner), he did describe what many fans felt was the "fall of the Trojan Empire."

The Michigan juggernaut that devastated USC, 49-0 on New Year's Day of 1948 had finished second in the polls. Frank Leahy's team was legendary, but so were the Wolverines. Michigan writers decried the "Catholic vote," but the team was determined to capture the crown in 1948.

Two Pacific Coast Conference schools would figure on their achieving that goal. The first team was Southern Cal. It was one of those "representative" Trojan squads of the Cravath era. Nobody quite knew what to expect. The general feeling was they could beat anybody on a given Saturday, but could also disappoint. Reaction see-sawed from satisfaction over their many strong showings to dissatisfaction over their occasional weak ones. But when Leahy's mighty Irish came to the Coliseum again in 1948 (a back-to-back L.A. trip to make up for the scheduling anomaly of the war years), Cravath's team stepped up and tied them, 14-14. It was one of the biggest upsets in the history of the rivalry, a true "victory" for Southern California.

Michigan was unable to return to Pasadena because of conference rules barring repeat appearances. Pappy Waldorf's California Golden Bears, who had come to L.A. and beaten USC, 13-7 before 90,890, were unbeaten, untied, featured one of college sports greatest players, All-American baseball/football stud Jackie Jensen, and had national title aspirations of their own.

If Cal could beat Northwestern, they would make the argument that they should be number one, a ranking they had not finished with since 1937. It promised to be a nightmare scenario for Michigan, forced to sit home and possibly see their hopes dashed by the voters again.

Instead, Northwestern stepped up for the honor of their conference, and helped their rival win the title by beating Cal, 20-14. The 1948 Michigan Wolverines go down in history as one of the greatest teams of all times. The Fighting Irish would look back on that season as a blemish that may have prevented them from winning four straight national titles. The PCC was still a "joke" as far as Rose Bowls were concerned.

Two-time defending national champion, number two-ranked Notre Dame had not lost for 27 straight games coming into the Coliseum. 100,571 came out to see All-American guards Bill Fischer and Marty Wendell, end Leon Hart, and running back Emil Sitko. USC had not beaten them since Howard Jones did it nine years earlier. Between the Rose Bowl debacles and the Notre Dame record, USC was suffering in the prestige game.

Notre Dame had beaten Washington, 46-0. USC's 20-13 win over a 3-6 UCLA team impressed nobody. When USC fumbled early, recovering the ball but losing eight yards, the route appeared to be on. Notre Dame quarterback Kelly Tripucka hit end Leon Hart, who would win the 1949 Heisman, and he seemed to just knock Trojan defenders away en route to a score and a 7-0 lead.

Notre Dame squandered opportunity by fumbling after that, however. The tide turned when Tripucka suffered a broken bone. Defense took over. With Troy down by a touchdown, running back Bill Martin started to find holes, eventually barreling in from a yard out to break a gain, making it 14-7 USC late in the game.

Notre Dame was less desperate now for another national title and just hoping to get a tie. Bill Gay took the ensuing USC kick up the sidelines to the SC 13 with about two minutes to play. Notre Dame ran and passed, hoping for a touchdown, praying that a tie game would win over the Associated Press voters! Second team quarterback Bob Williams's pass to Gay misfired, but USC defensive back Gene Beck was called for pass interference, putting the ball on the Trojan two with less than a minute to play. John Panelli gained one yard. Then Sitko scored, the extra point was good, and the stadium went quiet. Even Notre Dame fans could not find real solace. With no bowl to play, they would just have to wait it out. After Cal's loss to Northwestern, they were forced settle for number two behind Michigan.

It was really Gay's incredible kickoff return that saved Notre Dame.

"That these Trojans had enough stuff to tie these babies speaks volumes for their fighting hearts...and their coaches," said one writer.

Other commentary played on the metaphorical Hart of Notre Dame vs. the "heart" of USC. It was enough to keep Cravath in favor at University Park, but he did not build on it.

In 1949, the eighth-ranked Trojans tied number 11 Ohio State, 13-13 before 62,877 in Los Angeles, but lost to the 10th-rated Golden Bears in front of 81,500 at Memorial Stadium. Oregon and Washington fell handily, but a crowd of 70,041 were disappointed at the SC homecoming when Stanford won, 34-13.

UCLA fell when USC's sophomore quarterback, Dean Schneider, engineered a 21-7 victory. The game against the unranked Bruins vaulted USC back into the Top 20, but was otherwise a pedestrian affair. However, it marked the beginning of a major period in the history of UCLA football and, by consequence, the City Game.

Henry R. "Red" Sanders took over in Westwood that year. At first, it seemed an odd match. For one, Sanders was a Southerner. UCLA was the most open of all major sports programs to minorities. This fact did not sit well with certain liberals in academia and the media. Sanders had been recommended by Army's legendary coach, Earl "Red" Blaik (maybe because they shared the same nickname), as well as Michigan's Fritz Crisler and sportswriter Grantland Rice.

Sanders was colorful. He liked to drink and he liked women. He would die _en flagrante delicto_ in a Sunset Strip cathouse in 1958. He came to UCLA shortly after the school had hired his polar opposite to coach basketball.

"We were different kinds of people," was John Wooden's assessment of Sanders.

Sanders immediately made one of the most famous statements in college football history.

"The USC-UCLA game isn't a matter of life and death," he said. "It's more important than that."

In the 57 years since Sanders made that outlandish comment, it has nevertheless held up as somehow appropriate to the passions and intensity of the rivalry.

A week after defeating UCLA, Southern California played at Notre Dame Stadium for the first time since 1941. It was cold in South Bend. Notre Dame was number one again, still unbeaten, carrying one of the longest unbeaten streaks ever (although marred by ties). The Irish were unrelenting in getting revenge for the 1948 tie, winning by 32-0.

Third-ranked California was also undefeated when they took on number six Ohio State at the Rose Bowl. With Notre Dame sitting out the bowl season, as was their custom, Cal had a very outside hope of getting to the top spot by beating the Buckeyes, the team tied by USC, by an impressive margin in the Rose Bowl. They led, 7-0 at the half, but the PCC fell _again_ when Ohio State pulled out the 17-14 win. Waldorf's team was 10-1, but they had done nothing to dissuade the nagging commentary that was still persisting about the "toughness" of the Midwest as opposed to the "soft" West Coast teams.

USC's only All-American (1947) of the late 1940s was right end Paul Cleary, who had grown up Orange County and transferred in from Santa Ana Junior College. He played for the Detroit Lions and the New York (football) Yankees before induction into the USC and Orange County Sports hall of Fame.

In 1947, Mike Garzani was drafted by Washington, Green Bay drafted Jim Callanan, while the Los Angeles Rams went for both Gordon Gray and Don Hardy.

The next year, Ed Henke and Ollie Fletcher were selected by Washington, with Lou Futrell going to Philadelphia and John Kordich to Green Bay.

The Giffer: everybody's All-American

Frank Gifford came to USC in 1949, and while in many ways he would come to symbolize and be the glamorous face of the University of Southern California, in other ways he would indirectly be responsible for the firing of the man he admired, Jeff Cravath.

Gifford was a 6-1, 193-pound all-purpose halfback. He was born in Santa Monica, but had grown up in an "oil family" in Bakersfield, a dusty town about 80 miles north of L.A. Today, Interstate 5 winds over the mountain passes, known as the "grapevine," between the San Fernando Valley and Bakersfield. Descending from the higher altitudes, an entirely different world presents itself before the motorist; a seemingly endless stretch of highway along hundreds of miles of relatively barren farmland known as the San Joaquin Valley. Distant mountain ranges are visible: the coastals that shadow the spectacular coastline and strands of Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Monterey to the west. The Sierras - the fabulous Yosemite and Mt. Whitney (the highest peak in the contiguous U.S.) - barely visible in the smoggy agricultural air to the east. But in the middle is the valley. It is hot in the summer with "toolie fog" in the winter. The towns have none of the Golden State panache: Bakersfield, Fresno, Stockton, and Sacramento are more like Iowa minus the harsh weather. Political and religious attitudes are similar, though. Today, it is reliably Republican in an otherwise "blue state."

Oil is a fairly plentiful resource in Southern California. There are rigs off the coast, but a major spill near Santa Barbara sent environmentalists into apoplexy, shutting down operations ever since. Derricks still pump like Quixoteesque windmills in the Fox Hills of L.A., the surfer town of Huntington Beach, and of course, in Bakersfield.

Gifford's family worked the rigs. It was hard work and people who did it were not considered the higher classes, in a fairly "classless" place like Bakersfield. But Gifford was a "different breed of cat." He did not have good grades in school and had to go to Bakersfield Junior College before transferring to Southern California, but the man America came to know; the "golden boy" from California, the New York Giants' "man about town" and sex symbol, the "Monday Night Football" icon, and husband of Kathie Lee Gifford - _that man_ is erudite, articulate to a tee, the very picture of the All-American gentlemen. He remains a class act all the way.

When Frank Gifford would survey his life's achievements, however, trying to explain how he got so lucky and had so much, he would more often than not look back at his school and his first college coach when it came time to explain it all.

Gifford would earn All-American honors in 1951, induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. He played on offense and defense. He was a triple-threat who could run, pass and catch the ball. Make that a quadruple threat. His 22-yard field goal vs. California in 1949 was - according to SC's football media guide - the Trojans' _first since 1935!?_

A first round draft choice, Gifford joined the New York Giants in 1952. He played for them in the greatest glory days of their franchise history (1952-60, 1962-64). At first, the grizzled vets put him down. Gifford may not be the most handsome athlete of all time, but he is probably in the top five. His big contract, dazzling visage, caramel rich voice and Hollywood flair did not sit well, until he started carrying the ball and proved to be one of the toughest, hard-nosed football players of a particularly hard-nosed era.

After proving himself, he was idolized by his teammates and the fans. He was far more at ease with fame and the limelight than his counterpart, the Oklahoma country boy Mickey Mantle. Gifford's experience at USC most likely was the best preparation he could have.

In the annals of American iconography, aside from Mt. Rushmore level political figures, perhaps a few astronauts and war heroes, nothing equals the New York sports star. Marilyn Monroe discovered that when she married Joe Di Maggio.

"Joe," she gushed upon returning from Korea, "you never heard such cheering."

"Yes I have," deadpanned the Yankee Clipper.

Gifford heard those cheers. In the Big Apple, there is Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Di Maggio, Mantle, Tom Seaver, _maybe_ Derek Jeter. Gifford is in this elite company. He did advertisements. He was a Manhattan socialite. He appeared on TV and in movies. When "Monday Night Football" became a sensation, he was the star of the show. He aged as gracefully as a man can hope to.

Gifford's talents were obvious in 1949 and 1950, but when the Trojans failed to produce a winning record in his junior year, Cravath found himself on the hot seat. Once thought to be an innovator, Cravath now was thought to be a coach who had seen the game pass him by, all the while wasting the athletic genius of Gifford.

Cravath continued to have his supporters, especially among the student body. Rallies were held to support him, but they would be drowned by the drumbeat of criticism. Some years later, _Sports Illustrated_ did a story on Gifford.

"A strong case could be made that Gifford was the most ill-used college player of all time," it read. "Cravath put Gifford on the defensive unit throughout most of his career, although he was probably the best all-around offensive player on the squad. He was its best runner and passer, he punted and he placekicked, and yet Cravath rarely gave him a chance to do these things. It wasn't until well into Gifford's pro career with the New York Giants that he was able to prove his full potential on offense. It might be argued that if Gifford had played before the free-substitution rule and under a coach who knew hot to utilize the full measure of his ability, he would have to be named the finest player the West ever produced, maybe the best anywhere."

Certainly, Gifford would have to wait until Cravath was gone and Jess Hill was in before experiencing real glory at USC.

In a book titled _The Fifth Down_ , ex-Trojan George Davis and co-writer Neil Amdur (now sports editor of the _New York Times_ ) described the case of Don Burke. Burke was a junior college sensation out of Hartnell J.C. in Salinas, near Monterey. O.J. Simpson would break some of his juco records. He was a 225-pound fullback who ran the 100 in 10-flat and had every skill needed. For reasons that were never explained, he never made it past the third string under Cravath, but the San Francisco 49ers saw his talent and turned him into a top NFL player, albeit at linebacker.

Cravath had actually signed a $14,000 extension in 1949, but USC, unlike Notre Dame (until Tyrone Willingham) has never stuck to keeping a coach around until his contract is up. In 1950, Braven Dyer discovered that player dissension and alumni unhappiness had become too much.

Previous criticism was "a mere zephyr compared to the hurricane of howls which arose" when Cravath's team went 2-5-2 after pre-season prognosticators had forecast a Rose Bowl season.

It was not a good year, even though their were highlights, namely a 9-7 win over Notre Dame that spawned some stories about how it had saved Cravath's job. They lost to Washington and tied Stanford, though. What was galling and hurtful for Cravath was the rise of the U.C. schools: California under Waldorf was recruiting stars from the Southland otherwise ticketed for USC. UCLA beat the Trojans, 39-0.

The Bruins outgained SC, 423-79, behind tailback Ted Narleski's three scores. This was a major event. Nobody doubted that UCLA was on a par with Southern Cal, but to _dominate them?_ That was hard to stomach, especially after Sanders had promised the win. Gifford was hurt and on the sidelines.

Media and alumni criticism can be absolutely brutal at USC. There are very, very few sports programs, professional or amateur, that are in the confluence of such a pressurized situation. The manager of the New York Yankees has a similar job. Even great college football and basketball programs around the country, programs on a par with USC, do not come with this same level of intensity. Not even the Notre Dame job, the coaching positions at Alabama, Oklahoma, Penn State, Nebraska, or basketball hot spots like North Carolina, Duke, Indiana and Kentucky are like this. True, some of those schools have had coaches whose longevity and success put them above the fray, but the fact that USC is uniquely located in a huge city dominated by print, TV and radio media with major national outreach probably is the reason.

Ted Tollner experienced a similar heat in the 1980s. Don Clark and Larry Smith did, but to some lesser degree. UCLA basketball coaches who followed Wooden met the same kind of expectations and pressure; again the combination of the program the Bruins developed combined with the L.A. glare. Steve Lavin was excoriated during his tenure at Westwood even though his teams usually competed at a high level.

Cravath, despite the criticism, went out with class amid plenty of grudging praise for his high moral standards, which is a backstory that really does not flatter the image of college sports, then or now. He won, but did not dominate. He produced many fine young men who succeeded on the field, the classroom and in life; most of them credit him for that. Still, he was "crucified," said broadcaster Robert Kelly.

USC went after Frank Leahy, Fritz Crisler and Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown. They ended up with Jesse T. Hill. Whether the other "name" coaches might have had more success is not known. Probably not. What is probably true is that none of them would have been figures more intimately associated with the "Trojan family" than Hill.

CHAPTER EIGHT

MR. TROJAN

Jess Hill, a coach of great dignity with a unique place in USC history

Jess Hill grew up in Corona. Located on what is now the 91 freeway, about half an hour east from the Anaheim hills, it is a hot, small town with surrounding canyons, rock formations and desert plateaus that looks as much like Arizona as California. When Hill was a kid, it was a time when it still seemed like Geronimo might lead a war party from around the next bend.

In 1926, Hill used his earnings from employment at the Corona Ice Co. and the Union Oil Station to attend the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Washington. Hill, a baseball fan, became a football aficionado, too. At Corona High School, he earned 10 varsity letters; was salutatorian and president of his senior class, earned a prize as the extemporaneous speaker of Riverside County; and became a member of the California Scholarship Federation. He starred in basketball, football, baseball and track at Riverside Junior College. His broad jumping earned him notice from Dean Cromwell.

After his recruiting visit, he felt USC was "just too big for me."

Cromwell's assistant, Tommy Davis, persisted until Hill accepted a $300 scholarship and a part-time janitorial job. His original athletic ambitions were track and baseball. When he showed interest in football, Cromwell tried to dissuade him from going out for Howard Jones's team for fear of injury.

Hill told him that he planned to go into teaching and coaching; that this would probably mean coaching football; and that the experience of being a college player would make him more marketable as well as a better coach.

The prizewinning extemporaneous speaker and salutatorian of Riverside County made logical arguments, and Cromwell had to let him do it. Thus did a protégé of Howard Jones emerge.

"He was the fastest man I have ever seen on Bovard Field," stated Jones of the player he called "Hula Hula" Hill, because he swiveled his hips to evade tacklers. Hill starred on great Trojan football and track teams. He set the Intercollegiate Athletic Association record in the 1929 long jump at 25 feet, 7/8 inches.

Hill subbed for Jim Musick and starred in a route of Washington, but the equipment manager had forgotten his shirt. Wearing Cliff Thiede's number 32 instead (a number retired after O.J. Simpson won the Heisman but before his wife was murdered), Hill remained anonymous to radio listeners in L.A. who instead heard what a great game _Thiede_ had.

The announcer went so far as to state that "Thiede" was the "greatest open field runner we've seen" and in what was may rate entrance into the Hyperbole Hall of Shame, "maybe better than Red Grange."

(This situations is slightly reminiscent of the 1971-72 NBA season, when fans of Lew Alcindor, unaware that he had Islamicized his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, looked at the Milwaukee box scores and thought, "Alcindor must be hurt, whose this guy Jabbar? He scores 35 every night with 20 rebounds!")

Playing on teams with great depth, Hill shared playing time, but Jones knew how to use him. When he carried, he averaged 8.2 yards. Hill played in that 76-0 first game vs. UCLA in 1929.

"We had tradition and we had heritage behind us and they didn't," he said.

Hill was still a fine baseball player who signed with the vaunted New York Yankees after graduation in 1930. In his first game with the Hollywood Stars, a Pacific Coast League team that had an arrangement with the Yankees, he homered against the L.A. Angels at the old Wrigley Field, a classic minor league park on Avalon.

As he rose through the Yankee organization, he found himself playing alongside Babe Ruth, but by the time he made it to the Major Leagues in 1935, The Babe had been dealt to the Boston Braves.

Hill was known for his base running with New York, but eye problems forced a trade to the Washington Senators. He hit .306 for the legendary Cornelius "Connie Mack" McGillicuddy and the Philadelphia A's in 1936, but when he dropped to a still-respectable .273 in 1937, Mack dealt him back to the Pacific Coast League. After playing for the Oakland Oaks, he decided to retire and pursue coaching.

His first stop was coaching baseball and football at his alma mater, Corona High, followed by a stint coaching track and football at Long Beach City College. In 1942 Hill joined the Navy, where he became associated with USC athletic director Bill Hunter.

After the war, his connection with Hunter led to his taking over the USC frosh football team and a spot on Cromwell's track staff. Cromwell retired in 1949. Hill took over without missing a beat: two national titles and immediate recognition as the "best track coach at any American college."

The only better American track team than USC's was the U.S. Olympic squad, and half of those guys were Trojans, anyway. To Hill's way of thinking, the athletes were so good anybody could succeed with them.

"I didn't do much coaching," he said modestly.

Hill, still youthful and coaching his alma mater, had his dream job and may well have gone on to win the 12 national titles that Jess Mortensen and Vern Wolfe went on to win, plus some Olympic Gold.

Instead, Bill Hunter chose him to replace Jeff Cravath as the football coach in 1951. Certainly names like Leahy, Crisler and Brown, while bandied about, would have made a big splash. But the choice of a great Trojan satisfied the faithful. Hill was as qualified as a rookie major college coach could be, at least in terms of varied experiences: ex-football, track and baseball star at USC; big league ball player; excellent scholar; Navy veteran; head track coach of national champion track teams; head football coach in high school and assistant college experience at SC.

Hill was worldly, loyal, smart and disciplined. His record is not among the all-time greats, his star not as bright as others, but he was a truly great Trojan. After coaching in the 1950s, he became the school's athletic director, hired John McKay and presided over USC athletics over a period that has never been remotely approached by any other athletic program in the history of American sports!

Hill graciously gave credit to Cravath for the recruiting he had done, leaving him "in great shape" in 1951. His first decision was to get Gifford on his offense. Using a single wing and T-formation, Hill turned Gifford into the star everybody expected him to have become.

He also coached Jim Sears, "one of the finest small backs I've ever seen," who played offense, defense, returned punts and kicks. Hill was the coach of one of USC's all-time superstars, the legendary Jon Arnett.

Hill's teams from 1951 to 1956 were 45-17-1 (.725). He said he found a sense of "defeatism" when he took over and certainly set that back. He went to two Rose Bowls, but in what was a truly major accomplishment, never lost to Pappy Waldorf and California.

Michigan had instituted the platoon system to great effect. Hill modernized with the times despite the Jones influence, although the Trojans depended on good, old-fashioned power running attacks.

"We had men in motion, flankers and split ends - just like today," he told Ken Rappoport for his excellent 1981 book, _The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football._

The "G.I. problem" that plagued Cravath was not a factor during Hill's tenure. The freshman eligible rule of the war years was also in effect in his day, as well. Like Pete Carroll 50 years later, Hill told incoming high school phenoms that they could compete for playing time.

His greatst moment came in his rookie season, 1951, when USC traveled to Berkeley to take on Waldorf's number one-ranked Cal Bears. They were undefeated and had won 30 straight conference games. This would be the year they would win the national championship, or so it seemed.

"They had us 14-0 at the half," said Hill, "and we beat them 21-14" in what he further stated was "my most satisfying victory."

That game ranks with the 16-14 Johnny Baker game at South Bend as one of the all-time greats, although of course Trojan lore is filled with many equally exciting victories in the succeeding years.

The USC-Cal rivalry is an odd one. Hill oversaw a period of time as a coach in which USC firmly re-established itself, once and for all, as the better football program. As athletic director, he saw a chasm between the prestige of USC's and Cal's programs open as wide as the Grand Canyon.

Nevertheless, while to this day USC ranks as the greatest collegiate football dynasty ever, and Cal has seen endless years of mediocrity, the Bears have always proven to be the occasional thorn in their side. There are Pacific 10 Conference teams that just seem to lose and lose to USC over the years, but not Cal. Oddly, some of Cal's most vexing upsets of USC have come in years in which the Trojans enjoyed otherwise-perfect or near-perfect years on their way to national championships.

All of that was in the future when Hill took over. Cal was the conference standard, something to shoot for. Hill was proud of the fact he maintained an even psychological strain despite the high stakes of big time football. His religious views helped moderate him.

"I hate to lose," he said, but he also was bound and determined that his charges get a good education and succeed in life.

"He treated me like a father," Jim Sears said of him. "He's the only person I know who remembers anyone he ever talks to."

Hill did not "bring his work home with him" in the emotional sense - win or lose he was a calm man - but he was indeed dedicated and _did_ bring his work home with him, watching film in his den, studying and preparing. He was a perfectionist and a fatalist, a rare combination.

Since Hill had been an accomplished athlete himself, starred in multiple sports, and had played in the bright lights of New York City, he was keenly attuned to the mental make-up of good athletes. Film was readily available in his day, but he did not rely on it. He took a chance on some players who rewarded his faith, and turned down a few high school superstars.

One player who did not play for Hill was Ronnie Knox, one of the most bizarre athletes in Southern California history. Knox seemed to be a story that could only happen in Hollywood; or Beverly Hills, or Santa Monica; or Inglewood; or Westwood; or...

Knox's father was a rocket scientist who divorced his mother, a beautiful wannabe actress. Ronnie Knox looked like Troy Donahue, the 1950s teen heartthrob. His sister was a beautiful wanna-be actress like their mother.

Their mother married a successful Jewish businessman. They lived in Beverly Hills. Ronnie was not enthusiastic about football. He was one of those "soft" California kids the Big 10 fans made fun of. Nevertheless, he possessed extraordinary talent. He could fly and he could throw.

Ronnie's step-father was no athlete with no coaching experience. He had ego, though, and fancied himself an offensive genius. In four years, Ronnie played at four high schools: Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood and Venice. He was the star quarterback on every team. Ronnie's sted-dad argued with every coach, claiming their offense did not suit Ronnie's special talent. Transfers ensued.

He was the best player in Southern California, and highly recruited, but Hill passed on him. He did not want a flake; at least not one with a stage father. Ronnie took his show up to Berkeley. The old man clashed big time with the hardcore Pappy Waldorf, so it was back to "La La Land," where Red Sanders took a chance on him. There were problems with eligibility, with the father and with Ronnie, who told the media he did not like football, did not like to hit or be hit, did not like discipline, football practice, pressure or much anything else having to do football.

Normally Red Sanders would have had nothing to with him, but he had _talent_. Hall of Fame football talent. Despite his attitude, and all the problems that kept him off the field, Knox did play for one season. In 1955, he was one of the brightest stars in the Pacific Coast Conference, passing and running the high-powered UCLA offense that finished with a 9-2 record, a win over USC, a Rose Bowl berth, and a number four ranking.

Ronnie was of course drafted and offered good money to play in the National Football League. He told the press he was signing an exclusive studio contract to be a movie star with M-G-M. His sister was trying her hand at acting. The step-father would buy every ticket in the theatre, then pass them out to assure a full house. He would bribe, coerce and threaten the critics, who derided her "talent." The sister was beautiful and willing to use her sexuality. According to rumors, she at one time may or may not have done so in and around the Sunset Strip (although she was _not_ the one who gave Red Sanders his 1958 heart attack), but she "landed on her feet" by marrying a multi-millionaire and moving to Hawaii.

Ronnie had no more work ethic as an actor than as a football player, so he went to the Chicago Bears. George Halas suffered him badly. He played for a few other teams, and enjoyed some success in the Canadian Football League. When the American Football League started up in 1960, Sid Gilman knew just who he wanted to power his genius offensive schemes with the brand new Los Angeles Chargers.

It took private investigators, but they found Ronnie living on the beach. As in _on the beach_ , although Gilman maintained that he also had a hovel with some clothes. Gilman offered considerable bonus money, but Ronnie had no interest. Gilman signed Jack Kemp out of Occidental College instead, the team moved to San Diego, and Kemp rode football stardom to Congress.

Ronnie Knox? He became an institution at Venice Beach, the funkiest of funky ocean communities in L.A., a kind of cross between Sausalito, Greenwich Village, Cannes and Harlem. Ronnie wrote poetry that was discovered by literary types who found genius in its wistfulness, but Ronnie never allowed them to be published for money, preferring to either give them to strangers on the boardwalk or read them to passers-by. He became known as the "Poet of Venice." People who knew him for 30 years never knew he had starred at UCLA.

The opposite of Ronnie Knox was a man Jess Hill found to have desire to "work, willing to sacrifice, willing to perspire." His name was C.R. Roberts. Even USC football fans, unless they have taken the time to learn the team's great tradition, often say, "Who?" Roberts is a great Trojan who may very well have changed the world. He did not, because the time was not right, but not because his accomplishments were anything less than outstanding.

While Brice Taylor had starred in the 1920s, USC was still behind UCLA when it came to recruitment of black players when Hill came in. Hill endeavored to change that.

"We hadn't many black football players at USC, I guess, until I had four or five," said Hill. "I brought in Addison Hawthorne in 1952, and we had C.R. Roberts."

Black football players elevated USC's program. They helped power UCLA to national prominence. They helped make the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1940s and '50s a team of destiny, and made champions out of the New York Giants.

In Oklahoma, Bud Wilkinson had taken over as the coach of a team in a part of the country not exactly known as a bastion of liberal racial progress. In the 1950s, Wilkinson turned the Sooners into one of the truly great dynasties in collegiate history. They won the AP and UPI national championships in 1950, 1955 and 1956. They were undefeated in 1954, but so were UCLA and Ohio State, who split the national championship. They won 47 games in a row until Notre Dame ended the streak in 1957.

Wilkinson courageously integrated the Sooner program long before any forces of society pressured him to do so. Hill never talked up his role in racial progress. He certainly never painted himself as a pathfinder. Hill was a moral Christian man who just did what was right. Luckily he operated in a part of the country where to do so was not met by great protest, although to suggest everything was just peaches and cream is a refutation of the truth.

Roberts did not get as many touches as he might have because he shared the backfield with Arnett. With combinations like Gifford and Sears, Arnett and Roberts, it ios easy to see why it may well have been Hill, not John McKay, who started "Student Body Right," "Tailback U." or whatever moniker one chooses.

Another Hill favorite was linebacker Pat Cannamela.

"You're bound to have a lot of good player at Southern California over all those years," Hill said. "I don't know how people can select an all-time USC football team...You just can't do it."

Hill was "moved upstairs" to take over as SC's athletic director in 1957. Again, his diverse background made him the perfect choice. From 1957 to 1971, USC won 29 NCAA championships and twice that amount of conference titles. He was named "Athletic Director of the Decade" by the Columbus Touchdown Club in 1969.

"You don't accomplish these things only with outstanding coaches, or even with superb athletes on the field," Hill said. "Athletic success, as with everything else that has made USC a great institution, also comes from friends and alumni across the nation who gave this campus unparalleled support."

Hill pointed out the achievements of Bill Hunter, Gus Henderson, Howard Jones and Sam Barry. It was what these men created that gave him and those who followed him a chance to build on greatness.

The USC-California rivalry was at its peak in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Pranks similar to the ones SC and UCLA pulled on each other ensued, such as the "bearnapping" of poor Oskie, already quivering from "George Tirebiter's" attacks.

"Weather is fine. Think I will stay - Oskie," read the telegram from L.A.

Peace talks resulted in the return of Oskie in exchange for a stolen USC banner.

By the time Coach Hill took over in 1951, Cal was still the class of the Pacific Coast Conference, but a paradigm shift was about to occur. Three major demographic factors, combined with politics, would elevate the conference back to its old glory, but with a decided tilt towards the two teams in Southern California. The first was a huge population swing to the West, particularly to California, and most particularly to Southern California.

Mob boss Bugsy Siegel had virtually "invented" Las Vegas, leading to the growth of "Sin City" just a five-hour ride from Los Angeles. The popularity of the automobile and affordable post-war housing helped create a mobile society. Los Angeles, San Diego and environs; Orange County, Long Beach, Torrance, the South Bay, Santa Monica, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley; plus Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties - all of these cities and communities became part of a larger metropolis. Young families, often headed by soldiers eager to start life anew, moved in. This population shift created even more of a gold mine of high school sports talent and political power. As the Cold War heated up, with extra emphasis on science and technology as the "space race" developed, huge amounts of money were poured into the schools.

The second major demographic was the influx of black families. The coastal towns of San Diego, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sausalito and Seattle all had shipbuilding facilities operating at full capacity during the war. Southern blacks moved to these areas to work in the shipyards. They settled in and their families followed. They were quickly integrating into society. There was no more seamless way to integrate than through sports.

The third demographic was the "return" of Mexicans to California. Once the dominant ethnic group, they had been made into a minority by white settlers. Now, with the state becoming a huge economic powerhouse of industrial and agricultural might, they were coming in droves, some joining relatives who had stayed. They worked in the factories, the fields and the professions. As they assimilated, their children would add to the mix of athletic greatness - baseball, football, other sports - in California.

According to the mythology of the day, all of this was happening in blissful harmony amid the building of ranch style homes with swimming pools; rosy neighborhoods teeming with smiling citizens in a new paradise. Of course, as the book and movie _L.A. Confidential_ somewhat cynically pointed out, all was not as it seemed, but compared to the baggage of the rest of the U.S., the post-war American West pretty well got it right. For the most part.

The 1940s and '50s were still a boom time for Hollywood. The studio system was still in place. Writers, actors, would-be directors, and film crew people looking for work were finding it in the entertainment industry, which was expanding with the popularity of television. Aside from the indispensable need to own a car, jet travel made cross-country movement convenient. That unique hybrid of Los Angeles life, the transplanted New Yorkers, became more commonplace.

In addition, President Dwight Eisenhower federalized highway building programs that would do for the West what Franklin Roosevelt's federal works projects had done for the1930s South. Los Angeles benefited from the best, most comprehensive and modern highway construction. This turned disparate communities into one giant metropolis called Greater L.A. Richard Nixon had grown up in Whittier in the 1920s, and his daily trips to L.A.'s Farmer's Market to buy fruits and vegetables for the family grocery store had been a major haul. With the new highways, the once arduous trip is now a half-hour commute.

Students from outlying communities would find USC and UCLA to be within easy hailing distance. Their parents could attend their games. Kids could go home on weekends and get their laundry done in the new washing machines that every family now owned.

Because the L.A. Basin is essentially a large desert valley surrounded by mountains and foothills, like Las Vegas it had the room to expand and expand and expand. The Oakland/San Francisco/San Jose area, on the other hand, has a huge body of water in the middle of it. Therefore, the Bay Area could not accommodate the kind of population that L.A. could. It has nice weather, but not as "perfect" as the Southland. It could not produce the same crop of ball players.

It was a political time, too. This had some effect on sports. With the Korean War raging and the conviction of the Rosenbergs for giving the Soviets Atomic secrets, Communist espionage became a huge issue. It was the wedge being driven by U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (R.-WI.). Communism in academia and Hollywood became an issue.

California had been socially divided from the beginning. Socially liberal and moderately religious Northerners and Europeans tended to populate San Francisco. When the railroads and aqueducts were completed, and connections with Los Angeles made, social and religious conservative Southerners and Midwesterners favored the Southland.

The University of California-Berkeley, the home of Manhattan Project scientist Robert Oppenheimer, became radicalized. Oppenheimer had given Soviet scientists Atomic secrets because he felt that America should not be the only superpower. Sides were taken, with the result that Cal went to the Left. USC maintained its reputation as a conservative, patriotic, Republican-leaning private institution.

The USC-Cal rivalry began to reflect this, with sports mirroring society. A sometimes-nasty social edge, class envy with liberal vs. conservative tendencies, entered the dynamic. This would prove to be the ultimate downfall of Cal football which they have never really recovered from. It would get worse in the 1960s.

Stanford was still a relatively conservative private institution. They maintained their commitment to football, and it paid off in the 1950s, 1960 and 1970s, when they had pretty good decades. When the Vietnam War became a major issue, they would liberalize, to the detriment of their football team, but theresults were not as disastrous as what occurred at Berkeley.

So who benefited? USC, UCLA, and Washington. UCLA, a school that is to the political Left of USC but only moderately so, became a major college football power in the 1950s and held that level of success, with a few bumps in the road, for half a century.

The 1950s would see Notre Dame experience a down period. Michigan would cede its superior rating to ultimate rival Ohio State. Oklahoma would dominate. The South would be somewhat down, only to rise again.

It was an important decade in the history of college and professional sports, politics and America. Much of what we are is influenced by events of those times. Leisure activities became a mantra of American life. Sports became exceptionally important, rivalries formed, legends made.

But it is looked upon as an age of innocence, too. Racially, it was a time of breakthroughs but not true accomplishment. While baseball records, teams and players of this decade are considered part of the modern era, it would seem less so in football and basketball. Integration, even in the West, was not yet at full commitment. Equipment (consider the face mask, for example), training methods (and even later, diet) seem to have made their big advancements in the 1960s - when players looked bigger, faster and faster - not the '50s. In assessing college football history, accomplishments of that era are duly noted and given weight, but not as much as in the succeeding decades.

USC entered the mid-20th Century with the all-time best athletic department in the nation, but their football program, while definitely a collegiate power, was not the all-time best. Notre Dame, the dominant team of the 1920s and '40s, was. If an AP-style Top 25 poll of college football teams from 1900-49 had been held, USC would have been in the top five, possibly as high as second or third in competition with Alabama, Michigan and possibly Army or Minnesota. Cal would have been close.

Michigan had been the top team (along with old line Eastern schools like Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, Rutgers and Army) of the 1900s.

The 1910s saw a hodge-podge of good programs in a decade interrupted by war and rugby. Washington put together a 63-game winning streak. Army was strong. Notre Dame emerged along with the forward pass. But the first truly great football dynasty was Cal's Wonder Teams. While Brick Muller's and Andy Smith's star ascended to their greatest heights in the early 1920s, enough of the team's record was established in the prior decade to say they were the best program of the '10s.

Cal certainly looked to be a dominant power, but ceded over successive years to rivals Stanford and USC, and Notre Dame. Rockne's team ultimately dominated the 1920s. Alabama made their bid, but Southern California was so strong after Howard Jones's hiring in 1925 (not to mention Elmer Henderson's .800-plus winning percentage) that the Trojans must be considered the second or at least third best team of the '20s.

Jones's Thundering Herd, with their three national titles, competes with Minnesota for domination of the 1930s. Runners-up are, not necessarily in this order, Alabama and Notre Dame.

The 1940s was a golden age of college football despite World War II. Notre Dame was a juggernaut. So was Army and Michigan. Ohio State and Minnesota were Midwestern powers.

The longterm question facing Jess Hill in 1951 was whether he was going to take Trojan football forward, maintaining its high historical level, or continue on the slight downward trend of the previous 10 years. He cannot be compared with John McKay, but the program did move forward. Among those other major programs, Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, and Washington would also move forward.

The Ivy League was already irrelevant. Cal and Army would step way back. Minnesota would have one more shot but then fade. Stanford would get better but find a ceiling to their success. UCLA would be a great program but become something of an enigma.

Oklahoma and Nebraska would burst onto the national stage. The Florida schools - Florida State, Florida, Miami \- virtually not spoken of in the American football conversation of the 1950s, would cast giant shadows. Eastern football would find prestige again at Syracuse, Penn State and Pitt.

Alabama would ascend to the very top, perfectly eligible to enter the "who's the best?" debate with Notre Dame, USC and others. With integration, the rest of the SEC would get better and better and better.

Utilizing Frank Gifford, Hill had USC fans fantasizing about a national championship at best, and a semi-return to glory at worst. To quote Charles Dickens, "it was the best of times and the worst of times"; a tale of four schools, really: SC, Cal, UCLA and Notre Dame.

The Trojans started unranked, but when they won their first four games they found themselves at number 11 on October 20. 81,490 fans waited for them at Cal's Memorial Stadium. The "Oppenheimer mindset" had not yet set in. Fans in Berkeley had their minds on football, not psuedo-Communism. The Bears were unbeaten and rated number one. Notre Dame was down. The Midwest did not look as strong as in previous years. Was the West back, and would California be its lead blocker?

Looking at the events of October 20, 1951 from the perspective of the years that followed, this can be seen as a turning point. One team would use it to move up, the other would ask, "What happened?"

Pappy Waldorf's teams had not lost a regular season game since 1947, covering 38 contests, but this record, despite being impressive, hung like an albatross around heir necks. They had also lost all their Rose Bowl games. They were always "close but no cigar."

In 1951, Cal surveyed the landscape and said, "This is our year." They were the football version of the Brooklyn Dodgers, National League champions over many years, World Champions over none. Dodger fans just said, "Wait 'til next year." When Southern Cal went to Berkeley, it was 17 days removed from the Dodgers' devastating loss to the New York Giants on Bobby Thomson's "shot heard 'round the world."

Brooklyn would wait until 1955. Cal would wait forever.

It did not look good at halftime, with California leading 14-0. Shades of South Bend, 1931.

"We thought all along we'd win," Gifford said at the time. "No, we didn't have any doubt, even at the half."

Half way through the third quarter, the triple-threat tailback Gifford broke for 69 yards and a touchdown. With the momentum shifted to USC, the Cal fans, never known for an abundance of class, decided their teams failings could only be explained by the "dirty Trojans," a chant they built up with no effect on the Trojans. They just pressed on in the abundant knowledge that the Truth, when witnessed in an American arena, is never misunderstood.

That Truth included the unmistakable fact that they outclassed California the rest of the way. Early in the fourth period, Gifford found team captain Dean Schneider with a six-yard touchdown pass. To the Bears, it was like a mini-version of the Dodger season, with the "creeping terror" Giants replaced by the ominous Trojans.

The rest of the fourth quarter held the promise of deciding the conference, the Rose Bowl and the national title. One out of three ain't...bad. Gifford made perfectly placed punt that set Cal back on their eight. Waldorf was afraid to get too aggressive, fearing a turnover. Cal could not dig out of their hole. They were forced to punt. Johnny William made a 20-yard return to the 22.

By this point, USC was like Patton's Army closing in on Germany: relentless. With Gifford gaining tough yards they conquered and gained real estate until, with a little more than two and a half minutes left, Leon Sellers pummeled his way in for the winning score. Gifford's kick made it 21-14.

"Heart, spirit, morale - that's what did it," said Hill. "Determination won it for us."

Cal knew this was true, but their jealous fans would offer a myriad of reasons for this and many future losses at the hands of the University of Southern California: "dirty Trojans," academic misconduct, recruiting violations, professionalism, thuggery, overemphasis on winning, along with varying other excuses, lies, moral equivocations and like garbage.

USC would just react with class, above the fray. Other national rivals would replace Cal as the important games on their schedule.

Cal's 1951 team was indeed talented, and it is also true they had some wonderful young men playing for them. Johnny Olszewski was a great runner, Les Richter an All-American backing up the line. But 205-pound linebacker Pat Cannamela was their erqual at Strawberry Canyon. The writers accorded him equal praise along with Gifford.

Now 5-0, Southern California moved up to number six in the polls. They could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hill was the toast of the town. Southern California found itself on magazine covers with fancy nicknames like "Murder, Inc."

Texas Christian fell. Then USC ventured to New York City. It was an attempt to revive the hallowed memory of the Army-Notre Dame games; the inter-sectional duels at Yankee Stadiu and Soldier Field.

In reality, it was cold on November 3. Army had quickly slipped from their lofty perch, and a mere 16,508 curious on-lookers saw USC improve to 7-0 with the 27-6 victory. 96,130 greeted Troy one week later for the homecoming game against Stanford. The Indians were making a revival in the 1950s, spurred in large part by their 27-20 win, ending USC's highest hopes.

All the rest of their hope came crashing down when Sanders' UCLA Bruins beat them, 21-7, followed by a 19-12 defeat to the Irish at South Bend. The season ended in a dull thud: 7-3, no Rose Bowl, not even a Top 20 ranking. They had read their press clippings and been seduced by their own myths.

After the UCLA loss, Braven Dyer wrote, "If things like this keep up it won't be long before Sanders and his lads have won all four legs on the Trojan horse."

The best news of the year had been Gifford, considered the top all-around running back in the nation with 1,144 yards in total offense. This included 841 on the ground and 303 yards passing.

Gifford grew as a player and as a man at USC. In later years, he admitted that he doubted that he would even break into the starting lineup. When he did and intercepted three passes he was in. Off the field, his looks carried him only so far with the ladies and the well-heeled fraternity crowd, but he was dead broke all the time. Trying to live up to the "rich kids' school" atmosphere of USC was difficult.

Nick Pappas put him up in his garage, which today would probably be an NCAA violation. Gifford remembered his old friends and his school. He regularly mentioned and praised Troy in long sojourn alongside Howard Cosell and "Dandy Don" Meredith of "Monday Night Football" fame.

While Gifford remained faithful to the memory of Jeff Cravath, there is little doubt that Cravath's T-formation did not suit his talents like Hill's single wing. Gifford is one of those all-time Trojan greats, like Mike Garrett after him, who never played in a Rose Bowl. Also like Garrett, though, he was part of something that succeding teams could build on.

Jess Hill had two All-Americans in his first season, 1951. Aside from Gifford, linebacker-guard Pat Cannamela earned the honor and then went on to play for the old Dallas Texans (who were not associated with the later AFL team that became the Chiefs, nor the Cowboys).

In 1950, seven USC seniors were drafted: Jay Roundy and Jim Bird (Rams), Don Burke, Jack Nix and Jim Powers (49ers), and Bill Martin (Eagles).

In 1951, Paul Salata went to the Steelers, Bill Jessup to San Francisco, Volney Peters to the Chicago Cardinals, Hal Hatfield to Philadelphia and Johnny Williams to Washington.

The dark clouds at the end of 1951 had a silver lining that would come to light in 1952. Five Trojans were drafted by the NFL, including first round pick Gifford to the New York Giants. Hill's first team also saw Cannamela go to Dallas, followed by Bob Hooks (Los Angeles), Al Baldock (San Francisco) and Dean Schneider to the little-remembered Boston Yanks.

Out of The Giffer's shadow: Jim Sears

"It's kind of funny," Jim Sears said. "I came to USC as an offensive back and became an All-American defensive back. Gifford, who came to USC with me, began as a defensive back and ended up as an All-American offensive back."

While Gifford wore the "golden halo," Sears was actually the "master of the big play," according to Ken Rappoport in _The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football._

In 1950 he ran back a kickoff 44 yards to lead USC's 9-7 squeaker over Notre Dame. Two years later against California his punt return set up Troy's only touchdown in a defensive struggle over the Bears, 10-0. That same year against the Bruins, he scored and passed for both touchdowns in the thrilling 14-12 victory.

Sears was not a big man. He came to Southern Cal despite advice that he not get mixed into such a competitive situation. The 5-9, 164-pound left halfback was a Los Angeles native who prepped at Inglewood High School, where the Lakers' longtime home, the Forum, and adjacent Hollywood Park Race Track are located.

His coach at Inglewood was a USC man who encouraged him, against most of the other opinion, to try for USC. He gave him a good game plan. Instead of getting lost in the shuffle with the USC freshmen, Sears spent a year at El Camino, a longtime California junior college football hot spot. His accomplishments at El Camino attracted the notice of Southern California recruiter Ray George, resulting in the invitation to University Park.

Jeff Cravath admired his pluck. While others wilted during his four-hour practice sessions in the SoCal heat Sears, who called himself a "prune picker" because he was used to the conditions, stuck on the roster. Like the Allies at Normandy, Sears had his "beach head." Next would be his "breakout."

Sears made his presence known in both the 39-0 1950 loss to UCLA and the redeeming win over Notre Dame. After running for a touchdown against the Irish, Sears just wanted to make sure there were no thrown flags. The 70,000-plus fans made _their_ presence known, just as he had.

"Then, after it's over, you feel the people," he said.

Sears journeyman approach served him well when Hill replaced him with Gifford in 1951. Sears adjusted, learned Hill's system, and in 1952 made himself a potent pass/runner, earning All-American honors and finishing seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Sears did it all on special teams and as a defensive safety, too. Unfortunately, he was injured in USC's 7-0 Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. Sears did recover in time to earn the MVP award in the College All-Star Game. He coached the SC frosh, played professionally for the Chicago Cardinals, and served in the Army. After that, he was on Don Clark's staff at USC, then came back to play for Sid Gilman when the Los Angeles AFL franchise played briefly at the Coliseum. He is one of those "three-timers": high school, college and pro football games played in that stadium.

Sears helped lead the L.A. Chargers to the 1960 American Football League title game. The Chargers under Gilman were extremely exciting, and one of the main reasons the league thrived until it merged with the National Football League (effectively becoming the American Football Conference) in 1970.

When the Chargers moved to San Diego after one season of poor crowds in L.A., Sears injured his shoulder, was traded to Denver, then retired. His youngest son's name? Gifford Troy Sears.

Sears bridged a gap of true greatness that included Frank Gifford, himself, and the legendary Jon Arnett. In 1952, he spearheaded one of those "close but no cigar" teams that reach for greatness and have immortality elude their grasp.

The 1952 Trojans gave every indication that they could win the national championship, just as the previous year's squad had until the end. This time, they were a major force. With the loss of Gifford, USC's sports information office promoted Sears as an All-American. Ranked 16th to open the season, they put on a run reminiscent of the defensive juggernauts of the Thundering Herd. Four teams fell by shutout. Four others scored either six or seven.

The demographic changes of a new America were at play. Cal was expected to be strong again, but they could not score against USC. Stanford was no match, falling 54-7. USC benefited from a strong recruiting base. Midwestern football was slowly ceding power back to the West.

That no longer meant Cal and USC. It was UCLA and USC. Sanders had experienced a rough patch in Westwood, but with his recruits firmly in place, he was bound and determined to extend Bruin football well beyond the confines of regional notoriety. His goal was a national championship, nothing less. He had ushered the program into a golden age, and with it a golden age of rivalry in the City Game.

96,869 football fanatics arrived to see two 8-0 teams on November 22, 1952. The teams split the two polls (AP and UP) between third and fourth. Competition was fierce for number one, with Michigan State, George Tech and Notre Dame also jockeying like thoroughbreds heading down the backstretch.

The "rules" of 1952 forbade the kind of final showdown fans yearned for. Michigan State would not be allowed to return to Pasadena. Notre Dame of course still did not go to bowls, so the last two games of the regular season offered the promise of being _de facto_ national championship games for USC against its two main rivals.

The UCLA contest mirrored the season, in that it was mostly a game of defense won by a team with a great one. USC had outscored opponents, 233-26 coming in, but the Bruins had only allowed more than one touchdown once. Sanders was looking for a third straight victory over their cross-town rivals.

Furthermore, television was now in vogue. The 1951 Notre Dame game had been USC's first-ever TV broadcast. The nation watched the 1952 contest against the Bruins with rapt attention. USC's marching band gave them something other than the game to watch by introducing new uniforms that set the current style: the Trojan helmet outlined by a traditional, military-pageant style outfit. The helmets were replicas of those worn by Trojan warriors in the battles with Greece made legend by Homer's _Illiad and the Odyssey._

The creation of TV would prove to be one of the true wonders promoting both USC and UCLA football. Eastern audiences, sitting in cold, often snowy or rainy conditions, three hours later and in the dark, would observe a stadium washed in sunshine. It was like postcards from an island paradise. When color TV became popular, that really did it. The sight of those Cardinal and Gold jerseys mixing with the baby blue; celebrities, pretty girls in the stands and cheering on the sidelines, world class marching bands, the sky the color of the Pacific Ocean; the image of USC-UCLA games, along with the Rose Bowl, would fire up America with the "California Dream."

Further pranks and Hollywood hi-jinks accompanied the game. Former child star Shirley Temple loaned UCLA an eight-foot teddy bear, which USC promptly stole from a Westwood movie house. A wild chase ensued from Westwood to South-Central L.A. on surface streets in the days preceding the Santa Monica Freeway.

In the '52 game, SC took an early lead on Jim Sears's toss to Al Carmichael, who after seeing Bruins closing in pitched it back to Sears, who then took off for 70 yards, making it 7-3, SC. A safety and a touchdown gave UCLA the halftime edge, 12-7. When they opened the third quarter by marching to the USC 18, it was Elmer Willhoite's interception that turned the tide for Troy. Sears hit Carmichael for the go-ahead score and it held up, 14-12.

"The play separated the men from the boys and the heads from the shoulders," wrote Jack Geyer in the _Los Angeles Times._

At 6-2-1, Notre Dame found itself playing underdog against Southern California, a role in which they have consistently shown a dangerous bite. Southern California rolled into South Bend ranked number two, but strategizing that a win over the Irish followed by a Rose Bowl victory would elevate them over number one, stay-at-home-for-the-holidays Michigan State. It was not to be.

Notre Dame's fans, coaches and media went into full Rockneesque psychology mode. Gasps were heard all around town about the _size_ of the Trojans, and all the old Grantland Rice saws about "California supermen," ultra-violet rays and vitamins were brought up. USC's players were not buying any of it. They knew the Irish could play with anybody, because they could.

The connection between Sears and Carmichael, honed to a fine pitch against UCLA, ran off-kilter at Notre Dame Stadium when Sears' lateral on a punt return combo hit the ground instead. Notre Dame recovered and it led to a touchdown. The Irish added a field goal, and thwarted USC with a goal line stand. Their defense picked five passes. The freezing November weather gave Notre Dame an additional advantage.

The 9-0 shutout was a thud felt in Los Angeles like dead weight.

Southern California trained back to L.A., but all hope was not lost. A Rose Bowl date with the Wisconsin Badgers awaited them. Jut as it was USC football that would provide the Pacific Coast with its greatest source of prestige, it would be USC that would restore integrity back to the conference with this game. The Big 10 had signed a 10-year deal to play, beginning with the New Year's Day game of 1947.

In the first six years, it was popular. It was a financial success. It was all Big 10 all the time. As Slim Pickens might have said, "What in the wide, wide world of sports is goin' on here?"

Illinois and Michigan had won twice. Ohio State and Northwestern each had a victory. Big 10 6, PCC 0. They call that the "donut." Scoreboard. What was to be made of this? It was the PCC's party, but they did not seem to be invited. The Big 10 could not come out and play non-PCC teams, not in Pasadena, California. They could disengage from the contract when it ran out, but the crowds of 100,000 and now the TV revenue made it a game they needed. Furthermore, it was helping to solidify them as a conference of champions and Heisman Trophy winners.

It most certainly was proving to be a setback for the PCC. Every time they would field a "great" team, whether it be California or USC, leading the media to state that the power shift was a done deal, the Midwestern brutes had pricked the air out of the bubble.

Richard Nixon was the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade the morning of the contest. A huge sports fan, Nixon's wife, Patricia, had graduated from USC. Because Nixon had a car, he had chaffeured her on dates with other men before they had gotten serious. Some of those dates had been USC football games in the Howard Jones era. Nixon was a big Trojan fan who had represented a Congressional district that extended from northwest Orange county, into southern L.A. County (Artesia, Whittier) and into parts of L.A. city proper. In 1950 he was elected to the U.S. Senate. A little less than two months prior, he lent his popularity to President Eisenhower's winning ticket. Now he was the Vice-President-elect, a young man with a future. He symbolized the post-war political and social importance of the ever-growing electoral juggernaut of California.

Things looked untenable for the Trojans when Sears broke his leg on the ninth play of the game against Wisconsin. Enter Rudy Bukich. His third quarter touchdown to Carmichael was the game's only score

It was a hard-fought game. Willhoite, who got married that day, was tossed out for using his fist. USC's defense earned its moniker, the "Wrecking Crew," winning this as they had in a season in which they allowed a mere 47 points. Alan Ameche, who would go on to win the Heisman and score the winning touchdown in the "greatest football game of all time," the 1957 televised NFL title game between Baltimore and Gifford's Giants, gained 133 yards. Outside of a 54-yard burst, though, he was contained by the "bend but don't break" Trojan D.

"USC was as potent on the ground as an airplane," wrote Geyer in the _L.A. Times_. "Victory came to the Trojan in the third quarter when they forgot what laughingly can be called a running attack and struck by air. Nixon's party won this year, too, after a long wait - 24 years to be exact."

Nixon visited both team's locker rooms afterwards, basking in the glory of politics and sports, a world of strange bedfellows. He preferred the manly football heroes to Hollywood celebrities, who more often than not voted Democrat.

An amateur photographer managed to _fall out of his airplane_ trying to take pictures of the game. He landed outside gate nine and was, remarkably, not seriously injured.

Hill, who played in the 1930 Rose Bowl, became the first man to play and coach in winning Rose Bowls. The team finished 10-1, good for fifth in the Associated Press and tied with Oklahoma for fourth in the United Press International polls.

Most of Hill's greater 1952 squad had been recruited by Jeff Cravath, which further strengthens the argument that he deserves a higher place in Trojan grid annals than many would grudgingly accord him. Left halfback Sears was a consensus All-American, living up to the hype. He earned the Voit and Pop Warner Awards, ostensibly given to the best player on the Pacific Coast.

Right guard Elmer Wilhoite had come out of the dusty Central California town of Merced to make All-American in 1952.

No less than _15 Trojans_ were drafted in the spring of 1953, including Carmichael as the seventh overall pick to Green Bay. Aside from Sears, the Cleveland Browns chose Wilhoite. Second round selections were back Jim Psaltis to the Chicago Cardinals and quarterback Rudy Bukich to Los Angeles. Washington selected Ed Pucci, Walt Ashcraft and Bob Buckley. Charlie Ane (Detroit), Bob Van Doren (Cleveland), Jim Sears (Baltimore), Bob Peviani (New York Giants), Lou Welsh (L.A.), Don Stillwell (San Francisco) and Al Barry (Green Bay) rounded out the bumper crop of talent. By 1952, the great tradition of USC, breeding grounds of professional football - indeed, pro sports and Olympic competition - was firmly established.

Here come the Bruins

1953 saw the end of the Korean War, and while many soldiers took advantage of the G.I. Bill, it did not produce the influx of "football vets" that World War II, or even World War I, had. But it was a time of peace and prosperity. The California "good life" became more coveted than ever. The building of the highways and the expansion of the suburbs continued at a feverish pace.

Number eight USC began with very high hopes. When they beat two Big 10 teams and opened 3-0, expectations were quite glorious. A trip to Seattle, where Husky football was getting better and better, left with that old "kiss your sister feeling" - a 13-13 tie. They stepped it up to shut out Oregon State, 37-0, before making the trip Berkeley.

Ranked number 11, they took care of the unranked Golden Bears, 32-20, but fell victim to the sense of expectation and resultant letdown. The next week, Southern California went to Oregon, a place where rain, drizzle, fog, or mud must sometimes be contended with. The Trojans were non-plussed before a small crowd of 17,772 at an off-campus site, Multnomah Stadium in Portland. The 13-7 defeat might have taken the air out of their tires, but Jess Hill was not the kind of coach to let his charges lose their will for very long.

79,015 Coliseum fans made a homecoming appearance to see Stanford, ranked 11th; a program back on the rise, "replacing" California as the Bay Area's best. Over the years, USC and Stanford have played some of the most exciting, dramatic games on the West Coast. Come-from-behind wins, last-second touchdowns, game winning fields; these are traits that have made USC colorful and have often marked the Stanford Indians/Cardinal too. The two programs have played many of these kinds of games against various opponents, but they have played their fair share against each other.

Stanford has always been on the margins of college football power. The Vow Boys were legends. They would be known for great quarterbacks, ranging from Frankie Albert and John Brodie to Jim Plunkett and John Elway. They would also have great coaches. Pop Warner elevated them. Bill Walsh put them on a national stage.

While they have never been the equal of USC, they do not seem to know it. They come to play every time. _L.A. Times_ sports columnist Jim Murray would call them "the opponent," a boxing phrase referring to a fighter who is not as good as the champ, but beating him is always a high profile.

The 1953 USC-Stanford game was called by a sportswriter of the day, "one of the greatest gridiron games ever played." SC won by virtue of five-foot, seven and one-half inch Sam Tsagalakis's field goal with 35 seconds on the clock, 23-20. The _Times'_ story reported that fans first knew it was good because Tsagalakis jumped "eight feet off the ground and waved his arms to the Heavens."

Ranked number 11 prior to the SC game, Stanford still had a shot at Pasadena, but they tied the Big Game, 21-21. Red Sanders' number five Bruins were a great defensive team with three shutouts under their belt prior to the game vs. ninth-ranked USC. The game had all the flavor of a "changing of the guard" event. Sanders was determined to see to it that his team was the new conference power, replacing the "old order": Cal and Southern California.

He and his team succeeded.

Southern Cal could not pass on the athletic Bruins. 38 yards in the air was as they got in a 13-0 washout. UCLA headed to the Rose Bowl, but lost to Michigan State in Pasadena. Maryland captured the 1953 national championship.

UCLA fans never would have guessed it, but 1954 was the zenith of their program. In all the years since, they won conference titles, Rose Bowls, All-American honors and the Heisman, but they never finished number one again.

For USC, the distressing new landscape demonstrated that UCLA continued to recruit more and better black players. They were faster and more athletic. In the sense that California was growing and producing more and better high school heroes, it was UCLA and their shiny campus next to Bel Air - not USC in their increasingly-rundown neighborhood - that was ahead of the curve.

The 17th-ranked Trojans started impressively again; 39-0 over Washington State, a 27-7 win over visiting Pittsburgh, and a road win over Big 10 foe Northwestern. Texas Christian upset them, but the rest of the league fell.

102,448 filled the Coliseum to see a game, played on November 20 in 100-degree heat (kind of putting a crimp on 21st Century global warming arguments) for all the marbles. The seventh-ranked Trojans were 8-1, but UCLA was undefeated, in a battle with Ohio State and Oklahoma for poll position. The AP and the UPI could not decide. The Bruins tried to make the point crystal clear for them.

The temperature seemed to affect USC and 51 fans treated for heat prostration (including two who suffered heart attacks). UCLA was as cool as a cucumber. In the third quarter, with the Bruins ahead, 7-0, USC's Jim Contratto threw an interception that Jim Decker returned 98 yards for a touchdown. The score was nullified by a clipping call, but the floodgates were open. The rest of the day was a Bruin pageant, 34-0. There was nothing more that Sanders' team could do to impress the voters, except to beat Ohio State for the national title in the Rose Bowl.

The powers that be, in their infinite stupidity, had taken a bad idea and made it worse. Things worked out for Ohio State, who had not gone in 1954, so were free to meet UCLA in '55. Except that "creeping fairness" of the athletic variety inculcated itself into the Pacific Coast Conference. They decided to institute a no-repeat rule of their own. It all makes the people who came up with the BCS system in the 1990s look like geniuses.

USC, humiliated by UCLA, would go to play in their place. First they had to play at Notre Dame. Hill had lobbied to move that game up in the schedule in order to get better weather, but these kinds of things take years because of scheduling. In the rain, Southern Cal played for pride against the fourth best team in the nation, but it was not enough. The Irish prevailed late, 23-17.

Enter Woody Hayes. Controversial, combative, opinionated, blustery; these are all accurate descriptions of Ohio State's legendary coach, and they were all on display at the Rose before, during and after the game played January 1, 1955. First of all, since Ohio State was locked in a mortal struggle with UCLA for the hearts and minds of two sets of pollsters, Hayes made it his duty to _inform_ them that the Buckeyes were, indeed, the best team in America; therefore worthy of an undisputed national championship ring. Off to the side, unable to effectuate the outcome on the field, the Southerner Red Sanders, who could bluster a bit himself, lobbied for the Bruins.

Caught in the middle, to some extent, was the mild-mannered Jess Hill. On the one hand, he wanted to beat Ohio State and give UCLA the title. It would be good for conference prestige. On the _other hand_ it would give his cross-town rival a big upper hand. The prestige would be theirs, not USC's. It would be a recruiting coup.

Hayes was still a relatively young coach in 1954. He wore a white, short-sleeved shirt with a tie and a baseball cap with the school logo "O" on it. The Buckeye marching band was famous for spelling out O-H-I-O through formation. Dotting the "I" is considered one of the biggest honors at the school.

Hayes, as some wags have said, "was about as conservative as Attila the Hun" (a common expression that makes little sense, as Attila never advocated tax cuts or empowerment zones). He made no bones about his preference for Republican Presidents. Democrats had no stomach for war, in his view, and it was war that tested America's meddle, made young men great, and differentiated us from Godless Communism.

The term "field general" was created to describe Woody. He kept the ball on the ground, thinking in terms of an infantry officer or a tank commander like his hero, George Patton. Hayes probably thought that Patton being from San Marino, little more than a stone's throw from the Rose Bowl, was a conspiracy. His hero could not be one of these Socialist Californians. Real men came from sturdy Midwest stock. They could not emanate from the loins of Hollywood or its morally questionable "beach and bungalow" communities. San Marino is not Hollywood, is about 40 minutes' freeway drive from the nearest beach, has mansions, not bungalows (and votes about 70 percent GOP), but Hayes's mind was set on the matter.

Further descriptions of Woody will have to be put off for now, but he would be inextricably linked over the next 25 years with the rivalry between his conference and the Pacific 8; with John McKay and Southern Cal; and with the _L.A. Times_. He would become a symbol of the cultural difference between California and the Midwest, a pre-cursor of the "red state vs. blue state" divide, if you will; between old fashioned values and the 1960s, which he blustered through, giving as well as he got.

Woody would be venerated, but he and his Bucks got their licks in. They could be counted on for that. Hayes seemed to have made a deal with God before the USC Rose Bowl. No 90-degree sunshine for him. No girls in skimpy outfits or heat-addled ninnies wasting themselves on conspicuous consumption. He could not summon forth snow or animals to "creepeth the Earth," other than the "Buckeyes" who made up his talented squad, but he seemed to bring some good ol' fashioned Midwestern mud and rain. The Bucks, led by running back Hopalong Cassidy (a Hollywood appellation Woody probably discouraged) indeed manhandled Troy in these familiar conditions, 20-7. When it was over Hayes had no humility to show.

"My coaches who sat in the press box said we would have beaten USC by a higher score on a dry field," said Woody. "They thought our men would have gone a little farther on every play. There are about four, possibly five, teams in the Big 10 that could beat USC... Big 10 teams are better in the Rose Bowl because they are raised on tougher conditions."

Obviously, Woody was not an advocate of the "ultra-violet rays and vitamins" theory. Woody had further criticism for USC's band before stating unequivocally that, "Ohio State definitely is number one in the nation." The fact that a Southern California school was his competition stuck in his craw like John McGraw's disrespect for the upstart American League in the early 1900s.

Jess Hill maintained supreme calm and class when the remarks were relayed to him. He agreed that Ohio State was as good as Woody said they were, although he did state that he would like a shot at them on a dry field. But he defended UCLA and the conference while disputing that half the Big 10 could beat his team. After all, he had shut out Wisconsin two years prior to this.

Exactly where Woody was trying to go with these comments is a little confusing. No doubt he wanted to influence the polls, but it was a double-edged sword. If SC was not as good as the lower score might indicate, then the lack of competition would not make Ohio State look good. On the other hand, if he said the Trojans were a fine club, then UCLA's more-impressive 34-0 victory over them would be all the more influential.

In the end, Woody was just Woody. The AP went for the Buckeyes, the UPI chose UCLA. Oklahoma, who might have beaten either of them, had to settle for third. Further fallout resulted in more self-examination of the PCC and why they did not "hit harder" than the Big 10. The no-return rule would be rescinded. UCLA began to question why they were traveling to SC's campus for home games. Talk of an on-campus football stadium went for a couple of decades without resolution.

USC had six seniors picked in the 1954 draft: George Timberlake (Packers), Tom Nickoloff and Charlie Weeks (Rams), John Skocko (49ers), Des Koch (Packers) and Jim Gibson (Giants).

The following season, seven players went. Back Lyndon Crow was a second round choice of the Chicago Cardinals, followed by Ed Fouch to the Rams, Mario DaRe to the Chicago Cardinals, Aramis Dandoy to the Browns, Frank Clayton to the Rams, Frank Pavich to the Eagles and Bing Bordier to Washington.

"Jaguar Jon" Arnett: local kid makes good

Jon Arnett is _another_ one of those Los Angelenos who played in the L.A. City play-offs (for Manual Arts High), in college with USC, and in the pros with the Rams; all at the venerable Coliseum. He is also another example that refutes the jealous assertions of lesser lights and unimpressives that the University of Southern California does not produce excellent stucent-athletes.

Arnett was a Renaissance man; an All-American who may have won SC's first Heisman but-for unfortunate events beyond his control. After football he would lead the life of a gentleman-by-the-ocean, a connoisseur of fine wine, writing poetry, quoting Emerson, and enjoying lively debate.

Arnett would stay in shape playing volleyball on Manhattan Beach's famed sand courts, but did not gear his football alumni life around USC, the Rams, or anybody else. His attitude stemmed in part from the fact that he was caught up in a scandal that rocked Pacific Coast football, revealing layers of corruption that have never been washed away in succeeding years.

Arnett was a "big man on campus" with close-cropped, blonde 'n' boyish good looks comparable to Gifford, but it did not get to his head. He played for fun, he took school seriously, and he treated people with respect. He was the team captain in 1956, and All-American in 1955. Arnett was the two-time winner of the Voit Trophy, given to the outstanding player on the coast, as well as the recipient of the Pop Warner Trophy. He made All-PCC twice, went into the College Hall of Fame in 2001, and was drafted in the first round by the hometown Rams at a time when they were an NFL powerhouse.

Nicknamed "Jaguar Jon," he was a star for the Rams. He was a member of two USC national title track teams (long jump) and is in USC's Hall of Fame. Arnett always spoke his mind, whether conducting interviews or working in the broadcast booth, sometimes at a cost.

He made no bones about the National Football League, expressing the opinion that players were "chattel" who had to "pop pills" in order to play, long before Jim Bouton's book _Ball Four_ , or the movie _North Dallas Forty_ described such realities. Throughout his 10-year pro career, Arnett always mentally prepared for the day he would "have the ability to walk away." His philosophy was that it all was not as big a deal as alumni, fans, media and the money make it out to be.

In 1954, Arnett was having a sensational sophomore year. The press touted him as an All-American. The coaching staff "coddled" him. He was named National Player of the Week. Then he got hurt, and he felt forgotten by everybody. When he caught himself "crying myself to sleep," Arnett knew it was time to mature and take stock of his priorities.

Arnett also had the advantage of growing up in a diverse place with black teammates, classmates, and friends. Manual Arts is a school located "in the shadow" of USC, and its students have always rooted for the Trojans. Arnett never doubted that SC was for him.

Arnett had a fine junior year, carrying 20 times a game, but he later wished he could have played for John McKay, who could give the pigskin to his best runners more than 30 times a game.

In 1956, Arnett was getting under-the-table payments. The practice was widespread at USC, UCLA and Washington. All were penalized for it, and it may have cost him the Heisman. Arnett scoffed at the idea that the schools that were not caught were more pure.

Because he had made it so clear that he was headed to USC, the school made no illegal offers to him. Stanford wanted to steal him away and offered him a wide variety of payoffs to come to Palo Alto, but Arnett was set on USC. Then, it was Stanford that exposed USC, all the while claiming to be the "Harvard of the West," an academic institution that was above such scofflaws.

After the scandal hit, the Canadian Football League offered him $50,000 to play up north, but USC's coaches asked him to stay, which he did out of a sense of loyalty and love for the school. But later he made people uncomfortable with his on-air commentary as SC's color man for football broadcasts. In a "political" move, not only was he fired from the job, but his younger brother, who according to Arnett had excellent grades, was denied admittance to USC.

Joe Jares, then the editor of the student newspaper _Daily Trojan_ and a longtime Trojan historian, said that Arnett wept when addressing the student body after his last game before leaving because of the NCAA-mandated suspension.

Throughout his career with the Rams, Arnett cultivated an off-season career in the stock brokerage industry, parlaying that into successful entrepreneurial ventures. Despite his obvious business talents, literature and the arts were his romantic side. Arnett's wife, Vicky, was a California graduate, making for interesting fall conversations.

Arnett, the erudite white fellow who grew with blacks up in what he described as a "ghetto," a few blocks from the University, teamed with a great black running back at USC. Arnett and C.R. Roberts might have led Troy to the highest pinnacle of glory, but events (the "scandal") would hold the program back.

C.R. Roberts make a statement at Austin

While John McKay is credited with creating the greatest opportunity for black athletes, Hill certainly should be given his due, too. After Brice Taylor, UCLA had done better, but Hill was determined to rectify the situation. Roberts is not as well known as some of SC's legends, but he should be.

"We played in Austin, Texas, in 1956, and things went smoothly," Hill told Ken Rappopport in _The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football_. "No racial problems at all."

Others remember it differently, but in studying race and the South, the discerning historian quickly discovers that the "white experience" and the "black experience" are as different as...black and white. In fact, Hill did deal with a major brouhaha, but "we beat Texas really badly, something like 44-20, and Roberts had gone crazy that day - ran for 257 yards. After the game, Roberts was sitting in a restaurant with some of our people, and this guy who had been at the game walks up to the counter and says, 'I don't know too much about this thing, segregation, integration, and that. But whatever it is, I've been watching that Roberts guy - and I believe in HIM.' "

Indeed, C.R made an impression on September 22, 1956, the opening game of the season. History records a groundbreaking football game between USC and Alabama, played at Legion Field in Birmingham 15 years later. On that day, Sam "Bam" Cunningham would demonstrate what his teammate, linebacker John Papadakis, has said in the years after the game: "The truth, when witnessed in an American arena, is never misunderstood."

The ebb and flow of history revolves around circumstance, opportunity and timing. Roberts was every bit as spectacular as Cunningham, probably more so, in an environment that was more inhospitable. His performance was important, but not groundbreaking on a national level like Sam's. The time was not right. Still, honoring his efforts is a truly worthy effort, because the freedom of others down the road came about because of events like the one Roberts made happen.

Roberts said that he faced great prejudice at USC, but he felt a duty to his race to go there, deal with it, and forge a path for others.

"I felt that somebody had to go and it might as well be me," Roberts said. "I wanted to contribute something."

Art Spander grew up in Los Angeles and attended UCLA, where he worked in the sports information department. Later, he worked for the _Santa Monica Evening Outlook_ before moving to the _San Francisco Examiner_ , where he worked for decades.

"The modern black athlete doesn't know any of this," Spander says. "In 1997 there was a ceremony honoring the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson entering the Major Leagues. I thought it was wonderful that blacks in 1997, who knew very little about him, unless their fathers told them about what he did, were able to be part of that, but he's not as acclaimed today as he was at that moment.

"I covered Elgin Baylor, he and <Jerry> West. He was Michael Jordan playing a different game, averaging 30 points and 19 rebounds. The thing is, he was great but almost forgotten. I digress, but the 49ers in 1996 announced their 50th anniversary team. They asked us to get involved. I said you can't have one team, kids today all just know Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, and Ronnie Lott, as great as they were, but I know they had guys like Jimmie Johnson, who was there when I was at UCLA. John Brodie was fantastic, but in today's world, unless you're watching _Sports Classic_ on ESPN, nobody goes to the history books. Robinson made it so that some blacks never had to understand what had gone on before them. Also, this is like saying, 'When we were growing up we had to walk 10 miles to school in the snow,' and I know things changed, but it does not matter as much unless they understand how segregated America was like. That's why so many blacks rooted for the Dodgers, because of Jackie.

"Not to take a knock at SC, but the Trojans were late at integrating until C.R. Roberts. UCLA remained competitive in basketball and football because they brought in lots of blacks. Rafer Johnson and guys like that. They got the best black athletes in Southern California."

Spander, being a Bruin, may be excused for taking a shot at USC. The school had provided opportunities for black athletes and black students for half a century prior to C.R. Roberts. But Spander was right in that it was UCLA who had provided the _most_ opportunity up until this time, and this was the pillar of their rapid rise in all sports.

Roberts gained 1,309 yards in his career, averaging 6.5 per carry, but it was a struggle. As a freshman, he found himself on the second string, and strongly suspected that race was at issue. He received anonymous letters urging him to quit school. He claimed that in practice his blockers "laid down for me" and tipped the defense off as to the play, causing him to get gang tackled. But by late 1955 his talents had shone through. He got significant playing time in the UCLA and Notre Dame games.

By the time USC traveled to Texas in Roberts's junior year, he had earned the admiration of his teammates. Now it was time to reach out to the rest of the world.

"This was one of those rare times when an integrated team came down to Austin, and I was supposed to stay somewhere else than where the team stayed," Roberts said. "But the team said they'd prefer to have me with them, and the team wouldn't go unless I stayed in the same hotel. It was quite a problem then, because the whole team got hate mail after all - all from California. The guys didn't get excited, though.

"Black people from Texas came in and took me out. That took the edge off everything. It was one of the most wonderful road trips I ever had."

Hill's assertion that there had not been any racial problems may have been viewed through the prism of rose-tinted glasses. The fact is, there were problems, and his response to it was heroic. When Roberts was barred from the team hotel, at great expense and logistical trouble, Hill moved the entire team to other lodgings. This no doubt took away from the team's concentration and the staff's preparation, but rather than leave the Trojans befuddled, it seemed to coalesce them as a group.

Roberts played only 12 minutes, all in the first half. In that time - and this is not a typographical error - he gained _251 yards!_ The joke was that he set a record for yards gained, but did not get enough playing time to earn a varsity letter.

"Most of my runs were like for 60, 50 and 47 yards," Roberts said. "Hill took me out early because he thought there might be trouble. Actually I was glad to get out. The other players said a few bad things. I expected it."

When Hill reached 250 yards, he said Texas actually started saying "nice things" to the stocky-legged running back from San Diego County. According to reports, the Longhorns were convinced by Roberts's performance; they offered congratulatory handshakes, saying he was a "good man" and "a better man than me."

The difference between C.R.'s game and Cunningham's in 1970 was the response of the fans. They continued to catcall Roberts to the end. The response of the fan in the diner may have been an isolated incident, but not one reflective of a whole state.

Marv Goux was a teammate of Roberts's in 1955. He was not at the game in Austin, but he had the unique perspective of being C.R.'s teammate and Cunningham's coach at Birmingham. Goux would be an assistant under John McKay and John Robinson until 1982.

"C.R. was a competitor," Goux said in one of the last interviews he granted, in 2000, prior to his untimely passing in 2002. "A man like that, when he earns something, he's gonna take what's his without asking. That was our philosophy at USC. We played clean, we played hard, we played to win.

"The fact is, C.R. played a better game against Texas than Sam did against Alabama, but Sam's game is the one we remember, because the time was not right in the 1950s. Later, with Vietnam and the protests, Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement, Sam was the right man in the right place at the right time. But C.R. Roberts was an extraordinary player, man and Trojan!"

The USC-Texas game is an important benchmark in the integration of college football, but the last hurdle would not fully be overcome until well after it had happened in baseball, basketball, pro football, boxing, track and tennis.

However, there were other landmark events, such as the 1955 Navy-Mississippi Sugar Bowl and the 1956 Pitt-Georgia Tech Sugar Bowl. The former was the first major game in the South where there was not segregated seating because Navy had distributed its tickets without racial consideration, and the bowl honored that. The latter was the first major game in the South with an African-American (Pitt's Bobby Grier) starting for one of the teams. After that game Louisiana passed a law not allowing integrated play, but the "genie was out of the bottle." The Supreme Court struck down that law later on.

The role of the Sugar Bowl was huge in both drawing attention to segregation and (reluctantly at first) helping to eliminate it. The Sugar Bowl, being the premier college game in the South at the time, had a national significance that other games did not. Until the Pitt game, teams from the North who played in the game would either not bring their black players or agree not to suit them up. In the years after the war, St. Mary's and the University of San Francisco had dealt with problems trying to play in Southern bowl games.

Other great black stars made major marks on the game. Syracuse built themselves into a huge powerhouse with Jim Brown. Brown is probably the greatest running back in NFL history. He was just as good at Syracuse, but did not win the Heisman Trophy, mostly because he was black. Later, the black running Ernie Davis would win the coveted Heisman for Syracuse in 1961. He was the first black recipient of the trophy.

Roberts would have other great games, but none as spectacular or as important as the Texas game. Prejudice did not end that day in Austin. He continued to find it, sometimes in unlikely places, such as when a Washington player bit him in a pile-up.

Interestingly, Roberts "chose" USC, not vice-versa. A top notch student at Carlsbad High School, he was hoping to go to West Point, which was making a major push to integrate its school after the war years. But he wanted to make the point, that being that a black player he could succeed not just at an egalitarian public school, UCLA, but at a private one, USC. He was weak in math, but the school offered him a tutor and he made it through.

For all of his talents, however, Roberts unfortunately, like Arnett, was caught up in the payola scandal.

"The players involved in the scandal had jobs and were making over $75 month, more, I guess, than what they were supposed to be getting," he said. "I didn't play in 1957 because of the scandal, but I was happy that Jon Arnett was able to get five games out of it in 1956. Jon was a senior and given the option of playing either the first five or last five games of the season. He and some other seniors made a deal for some information. Everyone else lost their eligibility. There were something like 10 or 12 players involved."

The scandal cost the team a chance at greatness, and led to Hill's resignation in order to become athletic director. Roberts missed his last year, playing for the Toronto Argonauts in Canada. He returned to finish his business studies at USC, then signed with the New York Giants. He was not Frank Gifford's teammate very long, though. He was traded to Pittsburgh, but left because he claimed Pittsburgh's racial climate was "intolerable."

Roberts landed on his feet with the San Francisco 49ers, where he teamed with Y.A. Tittle, R.C. Owens and J.D. Smith in the great all-initial backfield that earned fame in the years prior to Vince Lombardi's Packer dynasty. He played alongside Stanford's John Brodie, but after settling their Trojan-Indian differences it worked out well.

R.C. (R stands for "nothing" but C stands for Cornelius) played briefly again in Canada, then returned to teach at Lawndale High School, near the Los Angeles Airport.

"I'd do it all over again," he said. "It was a tough road to hoe, but it was worth it."

Scandal

"The scandal" was a turning point at USC, in the Pacific Coast Conference, and in college football. Coming some 25 years after the Carnegie Report, it was the end of any last vestige of "innocence" that still revolved around the idealistic nature of college football. It came on the heels of gambling scandals in basketball, revealing layers of corruption and money behind the old college game, which had started as an Ivy League pastime.

It would lead to the NCAA becoming a strong institution of enforcement, perhaps overly so. The NCAA saw itself as the thin gray line between anarchy and order, just as Baseball Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis had seen his office after the 1919 "Black Sox" scandal.

While it hurt all the teams involved, striking at the PCC's prestige, in the end, as the German philosopher Nietsche (and C.R. Roberts) says, "That which does not kill me makes me stronger." The conference learned its lessons, re-grouped, and come back stronger than ever.

The Oakland Tribune investigated the scandal extensively. They determined through interviews that most athletes, especially in the higher rent cities of the West Coast - Seattle, the Bay Area, L.A. - could not make ends meet for $100 per month. Students living in these cities dealt with rent, food, and "keeping up with the Jones's," often sophisticated college girls who expected to be wined and dined, in competition with the rich fraternity boys who could do just that.

Athletes, often on scholarship and not from blue blood families - "Old Blues," "Scions," legacies - could not compete. In 1956, players from California, Washington, USC and UCLA were all penalized for taking the payments. As Jon Arnett pointed out, schools like Stanford were just hypocrites who offered as much or more but did not get caught, often accusing their rivals in order to divert attention from themselves.

Arnett was the biggest name among the "USC 12," seniors who were given the option of playing the first five or the last five games of the season. Other players were involved, too, snitching on each other or other programs in a sad tale reminiscent of criminals ratting each other out for better deals.

With four of the top programs in the conference under penalty, Oregon State won the PCC. Washington was given a two-year probation. UCLA was hard hit. Red Sanders had not taken warnings of his questionable ways seriously, but when the you-know-what hit the fan his program faced three years probation and a $15,000 fine. Cal took two years and $25,000, USC two years and $10,000. Later, the PCC made an in-depth investigation and determined that USC had transparently self-reported. The sanctions were reduced and the fine lifted.

The NCAA had been concerned since the end of World War II, when the G.I. Bill created a new era of student-athlete subsidization that quickly was abused. Various codes were written, and in 1952 the situation on the coast became one of concern. Commissions were set up to deal with the matter. After the 1956 Rose Bowl national headlines detailed illicit payments, phony job rackets and illegal raffles. The old saw was that players had jobs "keeping the snow off the Coliseum." Similar remarks concerned non-existent "work" at Berkeley. When the L.A. District Attorney's office got involved, players and their parents began to "confess."

Cal-Berkeley, longtime avatar of education, was at least as hypocritical as Stanford. This was proven when grade fixing at Berkeley and in admissions came out of the investigation.

You'll never have "financial worries," you'll be "taken care of," grades will be "helped" by the "Berkeley registrar's programming," all because we're "trying to build up a good football team" at Cal, Pappy Waldorf was quoted telling players in some of the most straightforward evidence of football corruption on record.

Cal offered the mother of one recruit a job if her son chose Berkeley. She refused and told investigators, "it was just like selling your own child."

Entire families, however, were actually moved to Berkeley, brothers were "sponsored," sisters flown in for free, summer 'jobs' paying $400 to $600 a month were attained for no work. Women were used as enticements.

The scandal would be the final "nail in the coffin" of Cal athletics, so to speak. It was the end of Waldorf. They managed to sneak into the 1959 Rose Bowl and win a surprising NCAA basketball title, but in the ultimate aftermath of the scandal, the socialists of the 1960s, who despised football and all of its militaristic implications, turned the campus into the de facto staging grounds of American Communism. Cal football and basketball would become a joke. Their great baseball program would fall precipitously. Oddly, they would win the NCAA track championship, only to have it taken away - because of NCAA violations!

While Cal was the worst offender, USC and UCLA were no angels. They ran phony raffles that "earned" upwards of $50,000 for the school, only to be used as "walking around money" for recruit enticements. Fake prizes like trips to Mexico, mink coats and Cadillacs were never paid out. Besides, raffles were illegal anyway, so the matter was not just a college sports infraction. UCLA and USC both disputed the report from state Attorney General Edmund "Pat" Brown's office. But the damage was done.

Washington's "downtown fund," used for the same purposes, was exposed. Coach John Cherberg and athletic director Harvey Cassill were fired.

UCLA's recruits said they would be guaranteed $115 per month, but not to say anything about it. Westwood rents made it imperative that they get more than most schools paid out. "Warehouse jobs" and "file clerk" assignments were just cover-ups for straight payments. Addresses were given in secret for players to go and collect money. UCLA's recruits reported that the same offers were made at Berkeley, too.

California Governor Goodwin Knight was called the "Jefferson Davis of the West" when he suggested that a "rebel" conference be set up with offices in the state capitol, Sacramento, in order for the four schools to "secede" from the PCC. Oddly, Knight was a Stanford alum, but he knew the economic and public relations power of his state's football rivals.

In 1955, USC finished 6-4. They beat Cal but lost to Stanford. They lost to UCLA but beat Notre Dame, 42-20.

The 1956 Trojans were 8-2. They beat Washington and Cal, but lost to Stanford. Stanford was in a hot period in the early-to-mid 1950s, partly helped by their "escape" from the penalties. UCLA lost to Troy, 10-7 and Notre Dame fell, 28-20.

Arnett, the 1955 All-American, is a lesser-known Trojan because of the scandal. He might have competed for a Heisman. As it was, he still won the Pop Warner Award, competed on SC's NCAA track champions, played a decade in the NFL (Rams, Bears), and earned a place in the SC and College Football Hall of Fame.

In 1956, three USC players were drafted. End Leon Clark was a second round selection by the Los Angeles Rams, followed by Chuck Griffith to the Browns and Gordy Duvall to Green Bay.

The "scandal" seniors of 1956, aside from Arnett (the second overall pick by Los Angeles) included Dick Enright (Rams), Karl Rubke (49ers), George Belotti (Packers) and Frank Hall (Eagles).

The last game of the 1959 season, a miserable 16-6 loss played before a less-than-capacity crowd in a freezing South Bend, was also the final end-of-the-year game at Notre Dame. In all the succeeding years, the game played in odd years would be held under blue, gray October skies.

CHAPTER NINE

DON CLARK AND AL DAVIS

The McKeever twins are recruited by USC in a "crusade to regain lost glory."

\- Sports Illustrated

The payola fallout included UCLA and USC becoming also-rans and eventually the formation of the Pacific 8 Conference. Jess Hill moved on, and Don Clark took over. It was a strange time. Notre Dame, despite Paul Hornung winning the Heisman Trophy, played subpar ball. Still, they rose up in 1957 to end Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak. The Sooners were the national champions in 1955 and '56.

Auburn returned the number one spot to the Southeastern Conference for the first time since Tennessee in 1951, although Ohio State took the UPI version of 1957. Louisiana State showed the South had most definitely risen again when they captured the 1958 crown with the great Billy Cannon. That was Army's last hurrah. Running back Pete Dawkins won the Heisman for the Cadets. Syracuse won it in 1959 (Cannon was that year's Heisman winner) followed by Minnesota, making a bid for a return to glory, in 1960.

Clark very well may have been given one of the worst situations any coach has ever had to contend with in his first year. Despite the penalties and the question marks, however, he found himself dealing with USC alumni who still clung to the traditional belief in Trojan superiority. Despite this, the athletic budget was cut. There was serious consideration that USC do as Cal was in the process of doing: de-escalate sports.

What may have saved the school from fully downgrading their athletic program - salaries, facilities, scholarships, marketing, the whole nine yards - was the fact that sports other than football were still dominant. There was great pride in Trojan basketball, a top American power in the 1950s, as well as the national championships regularly won in track. Rod Dedeaux's baseball team was the cream of the crop.

Clark found himself at odds with school administrators who "weren't working properly." Clark ended up raising funds privately in order to feed his program. Clark worked his team tirelessly in practice, but the Trojans were 1-9 in 1957.

Clark hired a strange little man whose job it was to make the team "run, run, run," according to guard Lou Byrd. The man was from Brooklyn, New York. He had never played football at any real level. At Virginia Military Institute, he was the student manager, but wore the same outfit as the coaching staff. He kept veering beyond his student manager duties, insinuating himself into the coaching side of the equation. When the team picture was taken, he positioned himself not with the water boy and other orderlies, but with the assistant coaches.

Upon graduation, he made his resume look as if his duties at VMI were more football-related than towel- and water bucket-related. Including the photo with his credentials, it looked like he had been a VMI assistant coach. He scoured the country looking to get a coaching gig.

With the loss of Hill and of course his staff, as always happens when the head coach leaves, and with the scandal downgrading the program, the man was brought on at USC. His status was somewhere between volunteer assistant and graduate assistant. He might have received some stipend, but he had money of his own. This was not his concern. He needed to build up a reputation as a "football man."

The little man hated losing more than any man on the staff. Since this included a young Marv Goux, that is saying something. He yelled and pushed the team. They were the best-conditioned 1-9 team ever.

Indeed, the little man became a valuable member of Clark's staff from 1957-59. He knew football and was a quick study. He used his three years at USC to build contacts and create a reputation as a football coach, a football man.

In 1960 he left USC. He had money saved up and he knew some rich people interested in buying a franchise. The American Football League started. The little man talked some of his "angels" into buying a team, which he in turn would run, coach and derive profits from, since he would be given a slice of the ownership.

The little man's name is Al Davis. The team is the Oakland Raiders.

In 1958, the first real step toward regaining respectability as a school and as a football program occurred when Dr. Norman Topping took over as president at USC. He was the same Norm Topping who lay on his death bed listening to the 1939 Rose Bowl game, credited Doyle Nave and "Antelope Al" Kreuger's heroics for the "miracle" that led to his recovery. Obviously, the recovery had taken and now he stood astride the hallowed shrine that is the University of Southern California. It was a sleeping giant but it would wake up under his stewardship.

Topping's first order of business was to create a compliance liaison between USC and the NCAA so that violations such as had just occurred would not be repeated. The importance of football, financially and psychologically, was not lost on Dr. Topping. He knew that it had to be protected.

With Dr. Topping's cooperation, Clark led his team out of the wilderness: 4-5-1 in 1958, and 8-2 in 1959.

"I believed that success was built out of habit," Clark said in The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football. "When we played or practiced, we didn't take our helmets off until we were off the field. Our practice sessions were highly structured - no wasted time. I was kind of heavy on organization."

Clark was still in his 30s, so he related to players, but he was not considered a "player's coach." A comparison with Jon Gruden might be apropos. His mindset came from being a lineman under Jeff Cravath in the 1940s. He came to USC from George Washington High in L.A., where he was All-City and met Howard Jones before the "Head Man's" passing. His emphasis was on defense, not flash.

Clark's disciplinarian approach was also honed at the Battle of the Bulge, where he and the rest of George Patton's forces saved the 101st Airborne Division, defending Bastogne, Belgium from a surprise Nazi winter offensive.

After the war, a beribboned Clark returned and played alongside John Ferraro. He won the coveted Davis-Teschke Most Inspirational Award and the Peter K. Thomas Outstanding Lineman award.

Clark also coached at Navy, so he saw the Army-Navy rivalry up close.

"But I put the Southern Cal-Notre Dame series on a higher plane," he said.

Clark had waited years, including service time, to play in the Rose Bowl, but the 1948 49-0 loss to Michigan did not meet his expectations. USC had injuries, so they lost on the depth chart against a team introducing a new wrinkle: the platoon system.

A mechanical engineering graduate, Clark also played for the 49ers before moving on to Annapolis and then USC when Jess Hill took over. It was a bit of a transition for Clark and his team when he became the head coach, though. As an assistant he maintained a close relationship with them. He played there only a few years earlier. His pro experience gave him extra respect.

In 1957, not only did Clark lose eight players for various reasons related to the scandal, but many seniors graduated, too. NCAA penalties strangled the program, and when C.R Roberts went to Canada, "We could never get any speed," he stated. His greatest accomplishment, however, was recruiting the McKeever brothers. They were Catholic boys who might have gone to Notre Dame, but Clark kept them at home. He also brought in Ron Mix, the "finest offensive tackle of the day."

The late 1950s were a time of recovery for the Pacific Coast, but the scandal had not changed the fact that the Golden West produced the best athletes in the world. The USC-UCLA game got excellent national TV ratings, and terrific athletes played on all the conference rosters.

In 1958, Cal under quarterback Joe Kapp pulled a major upset. They went to the Rose Bowl, although they were badly beaten by Alex Karras and Iowa. Kapp eventually achieved a rare trifecta: playing in the Rose Bowl, Grey Cup and Super Bowl. He led Minnesota to Super Bowl IV, became an actor with a role in The Longest Yard, and coached Cal's 1982 team that won the Big Game over Stanford on The Play.

In 1957, Cal's baseball team won the College World Series. In 1959, Cal upset Ohio State to win the national championship in basketball. However, the 1950s would prove to be the final glory days of Cal, and also San Francisco/Oakland prep sports. Throughout the first half of the 20th Century, San Francisco had nearly equaled Los Angeles as a hotbed for prep athletes. Many great Italian-Americans, like Joe DiMaggio, and Irish-Americans, like Hall of Famer Joe Cronin, prepped at the legendary old Big Rec Park in The City. In the 1950s and early '60s Oakland, a smaller, grittier city across the bay, had an incredible run that may be unmatched. Baseball stars like Vada Pinson, Joe Morgan, Willie Stargell and Frank Robinson, along with basketball stars like Bill Russell, had starred at Oakland Tech, McClymonds, Encinal and other East Bay schools.

While the surrounding Bay Area; Contra Costa County, the Peninsula, and the South Bay/San Jose area, would emerge as a major breeding grounds for prospects as well as a destination for scouts and recruiters, San Francisco proper (with a few exceptions, like O. J. Simpson), would fall drastically. Cal, a school that traditionally used The City as training grounds for its star players, would see their fall off coinciding with it.

They would never again win a national championship in baseball or basketball, or return to the Rose Bowl in football. Their only track national title would be taken from them for violating the NCAA rules.

In the mid-1950s, Stanford's John Brodie was the best quarterback on the coast, if not the nation. The University of San Francisco basketball team won 60 straight games and two national championships, utilizing a totally integrated squad led by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. The 1950s would be just a warm-up for the 1960s, when UCLA's basketball and USC's football programs would create a paradigm shift in the power structure of collegiate sports.

The fallout of the scandal broke up the PCC. For a short time there was a split between the California and Northwestern schools, resulting in bad feelings, but the league was put back together, eventually becoming the Pac 8. In 1959, bad feelings made their way onto the field when Cal's Steve Bates had his jaw wired shut and his nose broken, with multiple fractures on the side of his face, when he got the worse of a confrontation with USC's Mike McKeever.

According to Cal, McKeever was a dirty player who caused the injury to Bates after the whistle blew, when he threw his elbow at Bates. McKeever was called a gorilla. Lawyers got involved.

Clark, after reviewing the film, said it "indicates no misconduct on the part of Mike McKeever." He added that McKeever "played one of the greatest offensive and defensive games of football that I personally have ever seen."

Ron Mix agreed with Clark, calling the accusations against his teammate "absolutely and entirely unjustified." Reviews of the film exonerated McKeever. Observance of the truth, however, did not prevent the dissemination of lies about McKeever from the Berkeleyites.

Without the benefit of SportsCenter-style TV replays, obstructed views from fans and word of mouth lent credence to the view of McKeever as a thug. Governor Edmund "Pat" Brown, a San Francisco Democrat with no natural sympathies for Republican USC, jumped into the fray, all but accusing Clark of "teaching these young men to play dirty..."

California coach Pete Elliott said McKeever committed "one of the most flagrant violations I have ever seen in football..."

University of California President Clark Kerr and Chancellor Glen Seaborg claimed footage of McKeever from the previous season showed him elbowing Joe Kapp. On top of the fact he had been thrown out of the Stanford game, they determined that this was evidence of McKeever's criminal actions.

Sports Illustrated came out against McKeever. McKeever had a twin brother, Marlin, who was also a star player. The brothers were painted as the face of "dirty football" at USC, which certainly would have disappointed Howard Jones. They editorialized that these kinds of incidents were part of their "crusade to regain lost glory."

The McKeever's were described as "twin holy terrors of Los Angeles' Mount Carmel High School (both were schoolboy All-Americans)" who "were recruited by Clark to lead USC back to glory." The press built the brother act with enthusiasm. "Galahad and Lancelot" were coming to the Trojans' rescue. USC was dubbed the "University of Southern McKeever."

When Marlin was quoted saying the twins got "sheer pleasure" out of "knocking people down...it's just plain fun," well, the bull hockey hit the proverbial fan. Despite the film exonerating McKeever, the punditry mostly carried the day. In the end, however, the McKeever's proved themselves to be a class act. They were both All-Americans who played for John McKay.

Marlin was also an Academic All-American, further disputing Cal's attempt to paint Trojan football as brutish. A first round pick by the Rams, he was a star in the National Football League for years. Mike, a College Hall of Famer, also earned awards for his high grade point average, but he sustained a blood clot injury in 1960. He was drafted by the Rams, too, but the injury prevented him from playing in the pros. In 1967, Mike sustained a serious injury in an auto accident. After spending 18 months in a coma, he passed away.

Ron Mix made All-American, was a first round NFL draft pick, and went on to an All-Pro career with the Oakland Raiders, eventually making it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The decade of the 1950s was one of ups and downs for Trojan football. While they did not win national titles or as many Rose Bowls as their fans felt they should, there were many positives. The Coliseum had been expanded to its greatest capacity, and some of the biggest crowds in Los Angeles history, exceeding 90,000 and 100,000, came to see shootouts with Notre Dame and UCLA. The first night game ever played at the Coliseum was in the 1940s, and over the next years USC regularly played on warm Southern California evenings, all of which added to the pageantry of college football.

In 1958, the Dodgers arrived in L.A. They would be a welcome addition to the rich sports heritage of Southern California. In 1959, playing at the Coliseum (Dodger Stadium was built in 1962), they set numerous all-time attendance records for single games, the All-Star Game, and the World Series (which they won over the Chicago White Sox).

The 1958 NFL Draft saw seven USC players chosen. The New York Giants liked C.R. Roberts, who had previously gone to the CFL, as well as Dick Bronson. Mike Henry went to Pittsburgh, Walt Gurasich to Detroit, Dick Dorsey stayed in L.A., while San Francisco picked Henry Schmidt and Hillard Hills.

The 1958 squad produced three draftees. Future pro head coach Monte Clark was drafted by San Francisco, followed by tackle John Seinturier to Pittsburgh and center Joe Chuha to the Chicago Cardinals.

In 1960 five SC players went in the NFL Draft, eight in the AFL Draft. Tackle Ron Mix was the first pick of the Baltimore Colts. Al Bansavage also went to Baltimore. The Eagles went for John Wilkins, while the Bears selected Jim Hanna and Angelo Coia.

In the first AFL Draft, Mix was also a first selection (the Boston Patriots). The Buffalo Bills picked Hanna and Jim Conroy. The new Dallas Texans (later Chiefs) picked halfback Clark Holden. Wilkins was chosen by Denver, Don Mattson by the Oilers, Bansavage to the Minneapolis franchise, and Coia to the New York Titans (later Jets).

In 1959, USC finished 14th in the nation. However, the UCLA and Notre Dame games went poorly in Clark's three years. In 1957, they lost to the Bruins, 20-9 and Notre Dame, 40-12. In 1958 they tied UCLA, 15-15, in a terrific contest, but lost to the Irish, 20-13. In 1959, Clark's team was 8-0 until losing defensive battles against UCLA (10-3) and Notre Dame (16-6). Hill's recommendation would finally take effect in 1961, when the game at South Bend was moved to October in order to be played in better conditions. South Bend at that time of year is described as perfect college football weather. It is indeed a spectacle.

The transition from the late 1950s would see the end of one era and the beginning of another. Certainly, college football historians tend to point to 1960 or thereabouts, as the demarcation point of the "modern era." At UCLA, their short-lived period of dominance came to an end first with the scandal, and then with the 1958 passing of Red Sanders. At 36, Clark decided to quit coaching and take over the family's ailing business, which he turned around, earning him more than coaching ever paid in his day.

The All-American Mix, a 6-3, 215-pound right tackle out of Hawthorne High, had grown up with the Beach Boys, the famed surf band that was made up mostly of guys from that school. Fred Dryer, later an All-Pro with the Rams, grew up in those neighborhoods, as well. Another Hawthorne graduate from that era was Mike Gillespie. He played for USC's 1961 national championship baseball team and eventually become their head coach.

Because of the Beach Boys, many people assume that Hawthorne is on the beach. It is actually about seven miles inland, slightly east of the San Diego Freeway. It was an easy-going, mostly-white suburb in the 1950s. The kids would make the casual drive to nearby surf spots; Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo. Over time, Hawthorne, Inglewood and environs, towns where many of the L.A.P.D. settled their families, has become grittier, known for increased gang activity and nefarious strip clubs of dubious ownership.

Mix, the team captain in '59, was a perennial AFL All-Star and later All-Pro who also played for Al Davis and the Raiders. He is in the USC and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Further integration of Trojan sports occurred in the late 1950s. Among great black athletes, there was Willie Wood, who was one of the first African-American quarterbacks in major college football. He later was a star defensive back for Vince Lombardi on the legendary Packers' World Championship teams.

Other sports 1940-1959: the College World Series and Hall of Fame Trojan hoopsters

In the 1940s and '50s, as the population exploded, the University of Southern California, like the region as a whole, dominated the "warm weather sports." In 1948, Rod Dedeaux and Sam Barry co-coached the Trojans to the first of their 12 national titles in baseball. Troy defeated Yale in the College World Series. Yale's captain and first baseman was the eventual President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush. Bush's Yale team lost in the first College World Series championship game, losing to 1947 national champ Cal.

Dedeaux took over as the head coach. With Ron Fairly in 1958, the Trojans won again. Fairly became the Dodgers' excellent first baseman and eventually the Giants and Angels announcer.

In the late 1950s, USC had a player named Bruce Gardner. He was one of their all-time greatest baseball players, but his career would be star-crossed. Gardner grew up in L.A., the son of a single Jewish mother. He starred at Fairfax High School, and was offered a large bonus to play professionally. His mother, however, wanted him to pursue higher education and become a doctor or a lawyer.

Rod Dedeaux recruited him hard. Gardner really wanted to play professional baseball, but Dedeaux played the "mother angle." Gardner felt "guilty" about disappointing his mom, so he accepted the scholarship to USC. He set the all-time record for career victories, starred on the 1959 Trojan team that went 29-6-1, and in 1960 was named the National Player of the Year.

However, Gardner hurt his arm at Southern Cal. His record was still spectacular, but scouts noticed a reduction in his fast ball in his senior year. The huge bonus offers of four years before did not materialize. Gardner did sign for a low amount with the White Sox. He played in the minor leagues, but he was subject to the military draft. While serving in the Army at Ft. Ord in Monterey, California, Gardner fell off a truck, injuring himself, and effectively ending his pro chances.

Over the next decade-plus, Gardner tried his hand selling insurance. He hoped to make use of what notoriety he had achieved as a Trojan baseball star, but he was quickly forgotten. Hounded by guilt and a strange obsession, he "blamed" Dedeaux and his mother for "conspiring" to get him to go to college instead of pursuing his pro baseball dreams. In the mid-1970s he got drunk and drove to USC's then-new baseball complex, Dedeaux Field. He went to the pitcher's mound, surrounding it with his All-American and Player of the Year plaques; his diploma and other memorabilia. He shot himself dead.

A groundskeeper at first thought the body, discovered in the wee hours, was a student sleeping off a drunk, until he saw the blood. The letter to his mother and Dedeaux found by his side read, "This is what I think of your USC education."

The Bruce Gardner story was one that became utterly taboo within earshot of Rod Dedeaux.

Don Buford played baseball and football at USC. He went on to become the stalwart left fielder of Earl Weaver's great Baltimore Oriole clubs of the late 1960s and early '70s. In 1969, Buford led off the first game of the World Series against the New York Mets' Tom Seaver, a Trojan of the 1960s. Buford homered and the Orioles won. That night, Seaver spotted Buford having dinner with Coach Dedeaux in a Baltimore restaurant.

"Front runner," Seaver joked to the laughing Dedeaux and Buford. Seaver had the last laugh. The "Miracle Mets" won four straight after that, and with it the Series. Buford became an assistant coach under Gillespie. His son, Damon, played for USC and reached the Major Leagues with the Cubs.

From 1954 to 1957, USC's baseball team, led by Tony Santino (.360 batting average), captured three California Interscholastic Baseball Association championships. During those years, college baseball was dominated by USC, California and Oklahoma.

In 1958, Troy went 28-3, beating Missouri to take their second College World Series. Southpaw pitcher Pat Gillick became the successful general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, and in 2005 was named G.M. at Philadelphia.

USC tennis teams won four national championships between 1946 and 1959, the last two under legendary coach George Toley. The track team won the national championship under Dean Cromwell four times in the 1940s, twice under Jess Hill, and six out of seven years in the 1950s under Jess Mortensen. The volleyball team won two national titles (1949-50).

USC's basketball team played its games in the Olympic Auditorium, near downtown L.A., prior to the erection of the Sports Arena, located adjacent to the Coliseum. The Olympic would continue to be put to use after the Trojans left. Many famous boxing matches have been held there.

UCLA played at the Pan Pacific Auditorium in West L.A., but in the late 1950s John Wooden's program, which was growing in stature, played home games at the old Men's Gym on campus. The circulation there was terrible. The place was not-so-affectionately nicknamed the "B.O. Barn."

USC has never won the national championship in basketball. They have proven to be an enigma, of sorts. Despite all the hoops talent in Los Angeles, they have consistently underperformed. UCLA's baseball program has faced a similar conundrum. However, just as UCLA has not won it all but produced great players, so too has USC's basketball team.

Basketball was very successful on the West Coast. One of those great San Francisco athletes, Hank Luisetti, came out of Galileo High School in the 1930s. Galileo also produced the DiMaggio brothers and O. J. Simpson. Luisetti is credited with "inventing" the jump shot, which he perfected while starring at Stanford.

Stanford earned a national championship in basketball, as did Oregon State. USC fell short, but in the 1940s they were a major national power. Basketball games between USC and UCLA in the late 1930s and early '40s meant beating their best player, Jackie Robinson. He was their best player in football, baseball and track, too.

In 1942-43, USC had a terrific team led by Alex Hannum. Hannum would go on to star for the St. Louis Hawks, then coach Wilt Chamberlain and the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA title. After World War II, players returned from the service, as did coach Sam Barry. Barry is said to have started the "triangle offense" at USC. The Trojans produced no less than three basketball Hall of Famers: Hannum, Barry and Bill Sharman, plus Tex Winter.

Winter entered coaching. He took Barry's "triangle" theory with him to Chicago and Los Angeles. He was an assistant coach under Phil Jackson on all the World Championship teams that Jackson coached with Michael Jordan in Chicago, then Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in Los Angeles.

Sharman was also a baseball star. He had moved to L.A. from Porterville. After a superlative prep career at Narbonne High, he moved on to USC. After leaving school, he first tried pro baseball. In 1951 Sharman was a rookie on the Brooklyn Dodgers' bench when Bobby Thomson hit the "shot heard 'round the world." Later, Sharman starred for the Boston Celtics in the heyday of Bill Russell's championship years. In 1971-72, he became the second ex-USC player to coach Chamberlain's team to the NBA championship.

The Lakers had Chamberlain, Jerry West and former Bruin Gail Goodrich. After winning a pro sports record 33 straight regular season games, they finished an NBA-best 69-13 en route to the title. They are ranked among many historians as the greatest team ever assembled. Their main competition for that honor? Hannum's 1967 76ers at 68-14, and Tex Winter's 1995-96 Chicago Bills at 72-10. Not bad for a few old Trojans.

When John Wooden came to UCLA, it would of course be the beginning of the greatest collegiate hoops dynasty of all time, but in the early 1950s, USC continued to dominate. The team easily could have won the NCAA title with a few breaks here or there. Fate took a major turn in these years. Wooden was hired under several provisos. First, he was told that a special student fund had been set up for his retirement. After several years he learned that the money had been spent. He had nothing to fall back on.

Also, he had been told that a new arena would be built within a few years to replace the Pan Pacific, the "B.O. Barn," and their other home away from home, Santa Monica City College. Pauley Pavilion did not go up until 1965, and only because Wooden had directed his team to a couple of NCAA titles, thus engendering the necessary "enthusiasm."

Finally, as Wooden showed his coaching skills, his alma mater, Purdue pursued him. Coach Wooden was not cut out for the fast lane of Los Angeles. He may very well have taken up the offer. However, he was a man of honor who felt he had committed himself to UCLA, so he stayed on.

Henry Bibby played for three of Wooden's national title teams at UCLA. He was a member of the 1973 NBA champion New York Knicks, and was USC's coach from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Bibby said if Wooden had come to USC instead of UCLA, he "would have won 14 or 15 national championships" instead of the 10 he captured in Westwood.

Sam Barry died in 1952. Barry, like Jess Hill, was a versatile coach of several sports. In his 17 years coaching USC basketball, the team was 260-138, winning PCC championships in 1930, 1935 and 1940. They placed third in the 1940 NCAA Tournament. He is also responsible for ending the practice of a jump ball after baskets made. Barry is also the inventor of something that is not so positive: "the stall," which led to the shot clock.

His baseball teams were 219-89-4 from 1939 to 1950. He had had been an assistant football coach under Jones for 12 seasons.

Barry was succeeded by Forrest Twogood. A star player for the Trojans was Ken Flower. Twogood's team dominated UCLA and won the Pacific Coast Conference, but lost to Bradley in the 1953-54 Final Four. However, by the second half of the decade, Wooden's Bruins showed the upper hand.

Sprinter Mel Patton came to USC in 1946. He set a 100-yard dash world record with a time of 9.4 seconds. He won Gold medals at the 1948 London Olympics in the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter relay. In 1949, Patton broke Jesse Owens's world record in the 220 (20.2). He anchored USC's world record-breaking 880-yard relay team.

In 1947, UCLA made a major step towards competing with USC when they hired track coach Ducky Drake. At the 1952 Helsinki Games, Trojan athletes included high hurdles champion Jack Davis, discuss champ Sam Iness, and shot put winner Parry O'Brien. When Rafer Johnson arrived at UCLA in 1954, UCLA started to make real improvement. In 1955 they finished second in the NCAAs...behind USC. By 1956 USC had won 24 straight dual meets vs. UCLA. However, later that season UCLA beat the Trojans to earn their first national title under Drake.

At the London Olympics, USC athletes captured 10 Gold medals and two Bronze. Diver Sammy Lee, who later would become USC's team doctor, earned a Gold and a Bronze. At Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956, Trojans earned 11 Golds and 24 overall medals. O'Brien earned Golds in both games. Their medal count was spread between track, diving, swimming, water polo and rowing.

Peter Daland took over as USC's swim coach in 1958. His Trojan swimmers and divers would capture 93 NCAA individual and relay titles, finishing first or second in the country 21 times in his 35 years. Daland would coach John Naber, four-time Gold medallist at Montreal '76.

### PART FOUR

### CONQUEST! 1960-69

The monarchy of John McKay: the first decade of the most dominant 20-year dynasty in history

CHAPTER TEN

THE "LITTLE WHITE-HAIRED MAN"

"I never worry about being hung in effigy. Every year I send my team out to buy up all the rope in Los Angeles."

\- John McKay

During pre-game warm-ups on September 12, 1970 at Legion Field in Birmingham, a white player from the segregated Alabama Crimson Tide approached Sam "Bam" Cunningham, the black fullback of USC's integrated Trojans.

"I bet you're shakin' in your boots havin' to face the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide," he said to Cunningham, trying to shake him up. Cunningham just pointed to John McKay.

"I'm only scared of one thing: the little white-haired man over there," he replied before rushing for 135 yards and two touchdowns to lead his team to a historic 42-21 trouncing.

McKay was a cigar smoking, whisky drinking, duck huntin', iconoclastic, conservative Republican West Virginia Catholic. He was known for his sharp quips to the media. He was a favorite of the writers who came to him for good quotes. In light of his success and great reputation, it seems incongruous that McKay was not enamored with the "Knights of the Keyboard," as Ted Williams had disparagingly referred to the Boston press.

But McKay did not trust the press. This attitude stemmed from his early experiences with them. When he came to USC, McKay installed a revolutionary new offensive scheme called the I formation. It totally veered away from the age-old concept of a "triple-threat" quarterback/running back. It placed a tailback well behind the line. In the eyes of lesser lights in the press box, the "I" in the I formation stood for "incompetent, intolerable and ineffective." McKay never forgot the barbs.

There are college coaches who are considered greater legends, among them Knute Rockne, Bear Bryant and Joe Paterno. This is only because McKay chose to move on to the National Football League when he could have cemented his legacy for another decade at USC.

McKay's Rose Bowl battles with Ohio State's Woody Hayes and Michigan's Bo Schembechler are what makes college football great. The Notre Dame rivalry, which was down because both programs were down prior to their arrival, became the greatest in the nation because of what McKay and Ara Parsheghian meant to it. It is always more heated when both teams are at the top, playing for number one. Every season from 1966 to 1974, the game had a major impact on the chase for number one.

The same thing can be said for the UCLA game. The Bruins made a major bid for national supremacy, but McKay's Trojans, with a few exceptions, managed to keep the Barbarians from breaking through the gates.

McKay, who would serve for four years as athletic director, led USC to the ultimate heights of football and athletic glory. The period from 1962 to 1981, the last five years in which McKay's handpicked successor, John Robinson, was at the helm, represent the most dominant 20-year run in the entire history of college football. The Trojan won five national championships and earned four Heisman Trophies. But victories are only part of the story. They also became the team of excitement, of last-minute drama, of ultimate glory, and Hollywood glamour. The prestige of the school itself owes much of that _panache_ to the image created, fostered and led by John McKay.

McKay would, like John Wooden across town, adapt to a changing game and a changing roster. He always won with great tailbacks, but when football in the Pacific 8 Conference opened up, he never missed a beat.

"He was dedicated to execution and that's what John believed in," said Lynn Swann on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "He believed in fundamental football. He was a very conservative coach with regards to offense, but allowed his defense to be aggressive, and they played with that emotional aggressiveness. He wanted his reigns on the offense, but every once in a while, when he needed a great play, he wanted that great receiver who could make it for him. Somebody he could go to."

"He was an extremely competitive man," said his son, John K. "J.K." McKay. "It wasn't that he so much hated to lose, which he did, but he loved to win and he loved to compete."

Furthermore, McKay the Southerner is seen through history as a modern day "Moses of progressivism" when it came to providing opportunities for black athletes, sometimes at the expense of criticism and resistance from both within and outside the Trojan Family. McKay forged a special relationship with Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Between them, they oversaw seminal events that transcend football, changing American society and politics.

McKay was aloof, arrogant, condescending, a smart aleck, and by no means a "player's coach." He instilled fear in his men.

McKay has his detractors, but only grudging ones who hedge any criticism of his communication skills with acknowledgement that his way produced All-Americans, Heisman winners, national champions, first round draft picks. He was laconic, possibly even clinically depressed, subject to wild mood swings. He is credited with saying some of the funniest things in the history of coach-speak, but what only those in the room knew was that his commentary often came affixed with an icy stare and a heaping helping of ironic sarcasm.

Along with the great fighter pilot Chuck Yeager (who broke the "sound barrier"), McKay may well be the most famous person ever to come out of West Virginia, but he was made for L.A.; the perfect press conference sound bite and banquet speaker, a man who conspired with his friends in the media to create an image that is larger than life.

McKay was only 5-9, pleasantly handsome, and a high school football player with enough game to take it to the University of Oregon. McKay was a coach on the field, a description that was also applied to one of his contemporaries, Tom Landy, who was said to virtually call the shots for the famed "New York Giants defense" that he played for in the 1950s.

McKay's future in football was obviously as a coach, although he was a good player. He hooked on with Oregon's staff, and quickly became one of those guys whose star rose, his name bandied about as "the next big thing," the logical replacement wherever a coaching job opened up.

Fate and timing made the University of Southern California the place where his star would shine. Don Clark had taken the Trojans back in 1959, but he had a cloud over his head. He failed to beat Notre Dame or UCLA, Cardinal Sins at University Park. The "McKeever incident" tarnished him with the reputation of being a "dirty coach," which was unfair, but Clark left. The decision seems to have been a mutual one. He took over his families' business. The fact that he never returned to coaching indicates that he actually did choose to leave the profession on his own. But the brutal USC alumni wanted national championships and victory over their fierce rivals from Westwood and South Bend.

"A couple of bad things happened," said writer Joe Jares of the Clark years, on _The History_ _USC Football_ DVD. "There was a period he got in trouble with the NCAA, it was relatively minor. Don Clark resigned to go into the overall business with his brother. There'd been an assistant on the staff for one year, a former World War II tailgunner and a former Oregon star runner on the same team with Norm Van Brocklin, and his name was John McKay."

"He had a great background, coming from Oregon under a great coach, Len Casanova," said _Orange County Register_ sports columnist Steve Bisheff. "It took a while, a couple of seasons, but once he took hold he captivated the town. He was great, wonderful with the media. I always said it was like having George Burns or Johnny Carson as the coach. You didn't have to come up with lines, he came up with all the one-liners, he was very funny."

"McKay had a very tough veneer, a tough exterior, and I had the opportunity to do his coaches' show and I'd ask him a question and it was only a half hour long and he'd still be answering the first question at the end of the show," recalled longtime TV sportscaster Stu Nathan.

"He was fabulous speaking to a room of strangers," said assistant coach Dave Levy: "But to people on his staff or in his inner circle, he felt he had the right to be himself. He could be a dominating person: definite, rude; and then he'd allow you to forgive him and you'd go and have a drink together."

'The first time I met him, I met him at Julie's across the street, which was an old longtime Trojan hangout," recalled offensive lineman **Allan Graf, now a movie director who at the time of this writing was developing a film about the 1970 USC-Alabama game.** "And he was recruiting me out of San Fernando High School, and I went in there and he was just bigger than life, and I was a big SC fan all my life growing up, and I met him and I sat down and he said, 'You wanna play with the best, don't you?' And I said, 'Yes sir,' and he said, 'You know where the best are, don't you?' and I said, 'Yes sir, right here,' and he shows me a '67 national championship ring and he says. 'You want one of those, son?' And I said, _'Yessir!'_ and he said, 'The only place you're gonna get it is right here,' and I said, 'Where do I sign?' It didn't take much!"

"He reached back and he told stories; there's only been one other guy in the world who could tell stories like that, who could tell stories about anything that could motivate his team, besides John McKay and that's Tommy Lasorda," said Nahan. "They'll make up stories when their doing a halftime speech, they'll tell a story about an incident that never happened, except in their own figment of their imagination; just to get the team riled up and eat raw meat when they get back on the field. And McKay was a master at that, at motivating a team, and he'd tell the team you 'wouldn't believe what happened back in 1922 when one team was winning 122-0 and the other team came back to win 123-122,' _and it never happened_ , but he'd get the team to believe this, and pretty soon you could see the eyes on the ball club as they came out for the second half, and their eyes are _bulging_ and they're like the lions eating the Christians: _we're gonna get 'em_ , ya know what I'm saying?"

Levy: "He was kind of old-fashioned in that when he first took over he ran everything. Offense, defense, he was involved in every single thing. Consequently, you met forever. I remember our first staff meeting in February 1960, I looked up and it was a quarter to three and I lived in Long Beach, California about 25 miles away. And he looked at his watch and he says, 'Oh gosh, I didn't realize it was that late,' and he says, 'Think it over tonight and we'll discuss it in the morning.' And I thought, 'I'll get home by 3:30 and get in by bed by at least four and I gotta be back here at seven.' There's not gonna leave a lot of time for _thinking_."

While McKay was well known within coaching circles, there was no ESPN, no web sites, blogs or other media feeding the appetites of football fans eager to know the inside scoop on recruiting and other details of their favorite teams. The average fan, even the average USC alum, really did not know who McKay was. Previous USC coaches had come to the job with plenty of bells and whistles.

Howard Jones was the famous Iowa coach who had beaten Rockne, who recommended by him. Jeff Cravath had starred for Jones. Jess Hill had, too, in addition to being a Major League baseball player, a track star and coach of the two-time national champion USC track program. Don Clark was a Trojan and a pro football player.

McKay had come over from Oregon to coach USC's backfield in 1959. Jess Hill had it in mind that if Clark left, McKay would succeed him. For that one season, McKay was a coaching colleague of Al Davis. They both adhered to the famous "just win, baby" motto.

McKay indeed took over in 1960. He installed the I-formation offense.

"The attack should be as complex as possible," he said. "That's why I favor the I. The fullback, number two behind the quarterback, and the Z deep man are able to break in either direction."

Woody Hayes eventually had to admit that his "three yards and a cloud of dust" offensive schemes were _passe_.

"No coach in the country does as good a job tying up his running game with his passing game as John McKay," said Hayes, who would have preferred to put the ball in the air four or five times a game and grind out wins. McKay's teams denied him that by stopping his predictable offenses, then throwing wrinkles that his defenses could not stop.

Hayes said McKay "has done more to open up college football than any other man," which is interesting because the only criticism that seemed to be leveled at him was that he emphasized power running too much. Hayes went on to say that he learned and borrowed liberally from McKay. By the time Hayes left Ohio State (albeit after punching a player from Clemson for intercepting a Buckeye pass), Hayes had advanced from the predictable offensive schemes under quarterback Rex Kern to a more-open offense. Under his successor, coach Earle Bruce and quarterback Art Schlichter, Ohio State came within a breath of a national championship the next season.

Frank Broyles of Arkansas and Bear Bryant of Alabama freely admitted borrowing from McKay, even though "I don't think McKay's borrowed anything from us," said Bryant.

Other coaches begged McKay to "help" them install his offensive schemes, but of course he kept his trade secrets at University Park. McKay was a product of his environment, which meant hard work, work hard, and work harder!

Despite the Depression era hardships of growing up in a family of five kids after his father passed away when he was only 11, and having to work his way through high school, McKay was an honor student. He served in the Air Force during World War II. He claimed that being a tail gunner in the South Pacific made him a deep thinker and a cigar smoker.

He was one of those guys who might not have gone to college had he been five years older, but as a war veteran he was determined to expand his horizons in the brave new world of post-war America. A West Virginian going to college in Oregon would have been unlikely before the war, but McKay was part of a newly mobilized society. As a halfback with the Ducks, he played alongside the great quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, a future coach himself.

McKay was an All-PCC selection on a Ducks team that went to the Cotton Bowl. The New York Yankees of the All-America Conference drafted him, but he decided to direct Oregon's offense and pass defense. He also developed a reputation as a master recruiter. He could charm parents with his living room skills.

When McKay was named USC's head coach, he "broke the mold" of what a coach was supposed to be, said Jon Arnett. Coaches were usually alumni, but they also were often dour men, or colorful personalities, or hard-driving taskmasters. Read: Howard Jones, Red Sanders, Jeff Cravath.

McKay was different. He was one of the first coaches who might be called a "politician." His was a new era. His youth, his attractiveness, his media skills, and his lovely blonde wife with the descriptive nickname "Corky," made him one of the New Breed. In New York, the ancient Casey Stengel had worn thin on Yankee management, so he was replaced by a man similar to McKay, Ralph Houk. In McKay's L.A. years, he would stand out from some of the other coaches. Wooden was a sainted figure, but dull. Dodger manager Walt Alston made Wooden look like Casey Stengel. Ram coach George Allen was so consumed with work that he gave the media nothing more than blandishments.

The shame of it was that Sanders had died, never squaring off against McKay. Those two may very well have had a fist fight at mid-field if they had coached in all those USC-UCLA games of the 1960s.

McKay had nobody singing his praises in 1960 and 1961. He called them "rebuilding" years, but going from 8-2 to 4-6 and 4-5-1, when viewed through hindsight, has distinctive Tollnerian overtones. Which is not good. There was a glimpse of the future in 1961 vs. Iowa, however. The Hawkeyes were a powerhouse. USC was weak. USC trailed 21-0 before rallying for 34 points in the 35-34 loss. When USC scored late, they had a choice of going for a tying point-after kick, or a game-winning two-point conversion. McKay, who would be described in later years as "a gunslinger," went for two. The Trojans failed, but the fight of the team, the comeback against considerable odds, and the gutsy choice to make it win-or-else, impressed a few of the writers who had been lambasting McKay.

But in 1962, all the demons were exorcised, the past injustices - losses to Notre Dame, _allowing_ UCLA to ascend above them, the scandal - all of it was washed away by a perfect 11-0 season and USC's first national championship in 23 years.

McKay would recruit players of such marvelous abilities that his own achievements in this regard came to be used against him. When O.J. Simpson led Troy to another national title in 1967, followed by a year in which USC seemed on the verge of the national title until the Rose Bow, _followed again_ by an undefeated season, critics said that the talent was so great anybody could do it. Beating Indiana, 14-3, in the 1968 Rose Bowl was not a big enough score. The 10-3 score over Michigan at Pasadena two years later brought similar grumbles.

When McKay's teams floundered, he was almost a victim of his success. Writers could not believe that the collection of prep All-Americans he collected like so many bubble gum cards could not win national titles, much less perform better than the mediocre level that their 1970 and '71 records might indicate. McKay shut the critics up in 1972 when he coached what, until the Pete Carroll era, is generally considered the greatest college football team in history. It was a _team_ , too. There were stars, but no Heisman winners, no overwhelming personalities, just 11 guys on offense and 11 guys on defense and 11 guys on special teams operating like well-oiled machinery from the season opener at Arkansas to the complete demolition of Woody's Buckeyes.

McKay would coach his son and his son's best friend. Their best friend would lead UCLA to victory over him. He did it all in college. He could have stuck around long enough to make himself the winningest college coach ever. He certainly was young enough to eventually break Amos Alonzo Stagg's record, as Bear Bryant eventually did. McKay realized that Los Angeles was a town with two major colleges, two big league ball clubs, an NBA franchise, an NFL club and a hockey team. In such a place, the kind of pagan idolatry reserved for Bear Bryant in Tuscaloosa or Joe Paterno in State College is a lot harder to come by, but he did not work and coach for those reasons, anyway.

He would spread his wings into the National Football League, taking over one of the worst teams in history. When asked what he thought of his team's "execution," he said, "I think that's an excellent idea."

That comment, like so many of his over the years, would draw laughs in the re-telling, yet when spoken it was not meant as a joke. It came with the steely-eyed stare, the resolve, the sarcasm that comes when answering a stupid question.

"In fact I damn near took the Ram job," McKay told Ken Rappoport in _The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football_ , when he was still at USC. He went on to say that he had other offers. McKay did not subscribe to the "never say 'never" philosophy, but that "Southern Cal is the school that gave me the opportunity, and I'll forever be grateful." At the time, McKay was also the athletic director.

"Lean years come and go like they do for farmers," he philosophized, although this theory was meant as much to "educate" spoiled alumni as any other reason.

McKay was a new kind of coach, a coach for the 1960s, the New Age, a California-style guy in many ways. He was not a major disciplinarian. His practices were nails, his demands great, but he treated his players like men with no restrictions on hair length or curfews. USC football players enjoyed themselves with the ladies, they partied, they were seen around town. Blacks and whites hung out, socialized. They would go to Westwood on weekends and hang out with UCLA players on occasion, since many of them were high school acquaintances. He wanted them ready for practice and on Saturday. He expected them to take care of their academic business.

"Our youngsters...are very polite," McKay said, "and we are very polite to them. We've never been one of those hard-type coaches."

McKay said something telling, though, which was that if a player was not as good as expected, there was "no reason to get angry with him...so, we don't worry about that."

This approach may appear to be fair on the surface, but engendered criticism from some who experienced it in practice. Hal Bedsole was an All-American wide receiver in 1962, but in 1963 he slumped. He claimed McKay stopped communicating with him when what he needed was to be yelled at, coached, dealt with. Instead, McKay's philosophy was that his roster was loaded with stars who could step right in if a player underperformed. Indeed, he did have coaches who were emotional and yelled, like Marv Goux, but Bedsole wanted to hear it from the main man. McKay was not a big-time cheerleader either way. On the flip side, when Bedsole was named All-American, McKay offered "congratulations," handed him a plaque, and left within a minute. In 2005, Bedsole said he "would give anything" to have played for a communicator like Pete Carroll.

McKay was a leader in the use of weights, organizing off-season training programs for his players. Today, every program from high school on up considers such a thing to be indispensable, but when McKay started it, the off-season was the off-season.

McKay the psychologist did not always start the "best player" or recruit for position. He went for the best athlete and molded him. McKay also disliked huddles, stating that the chosen offensive play is based on the defensive alignment.

"In some games we've audibilized as much as 75 percent on the plays," he stated. McKay liked bright quarterbacks. He felt comfortable letting the likes of Pete Beathard, Craig Fertig and Pat Haden call their own plays. McKay also was into statistics, ratios, and mathematical variables before it was popular with football coaches, baseball managers and scouts in later years. McKay told Ken Rappoport that running the football, the seemingly "safe bet" that Woody Hayes believed it was, was in fact a statistical loser.

"This seems radical," he said. "Ordinarily, you think ball control on the ground allows you to stagger in. The statistics we kept at USC averaged seven yards a pass and only 4.1 a carry. During the test period we ran 497 times and lost possession some 18 times on fumbles. We threw 199 times and had only three interceptions."

This was during the period of USC's famed "Student Body Right," in which the Trojans supposedly had the best running attack in the country, and only a modest passing game. Indeed, McKay's teams went to the air more towards the end of his reign, when Pat Haden had two great years. But he had effective passers on most of his teams, and in Haden's time great running backs, too.

In McKay's day, USC was known for the tough schedule they played. The Pacific 8 Conference was the best in the nation in his heyday, plus USC faced Notre Dame in prime years in addition to high quality non-conference games. Independent Notre Dame, on the other hand, played a fairly weak schedule in his years. Today, Notre Dame plays one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In those pre-BCS years, McKay openly said that he would have loved to fill the schedule with Rice, Navy, Temple and the other "weak sisters" that made up the Irish docket.

He could have lightened it up. As athletic director he had some control over the situation, but he was a competitor. Teams wanted to test themselves against the Trojans. They wanted to come out to L.A. and play in the Coliseum, a big payday in front of a huge crowd. They wanted big, bad Troy to come in and play in front of their fans. Games with Southern Cal meant TV revenue. Therefore, McKay lamented his tough schedule and said he wanted to play "a tough game, a couple of easy ones, a real tough one, a couple of easy ones" as the recipe for "a better record." In reality his teams played mostly tough ones.

McKay took exceptional umbrage to the popular conception that in his day USC benefited from "unlimited scholarships." He told Ken Rappoport that USC has "fewer scholarships than any university in the country playing big time football," claiming that only 24 or 25 subsidized players came into the program each year - approximately 18 freshmen and six or seven JC transfers. USC has always been one of the wealthiest colleges in the world. Recent records have indicated that they still are in the top three in athletic department endowment, but two of the others, Stanford and North Carolina, are not football powers, so there is limited value to it.

Certainly, McKay thought the idea that USC could "buy" any player was "stupid." He certainly discouraged alumni recruiting efforts, for several reasons. He wanted to scout and recruit using people he trusted, did not like meddling, and most important, knew that alumni do not know NCAA rules. That meant they could jeopardize the program.

"I could stand on a soap box for the rest of my life trying to explain our situation as a private school, but what would be the use?" he complained. According to McKay, USC's athletic teams "rented" office space and facilities, had to "pay for our training table meals," and did not get to "keep money taken in by our athletic teams." If they did, USC would be the "richest department in the world," he claimed. "But as it is, all our profits go into a general fund that helps support the entire University."

As anybody who has ever attended USC and spent any time on the campus knows, it is a first class operation with state-of-the-art facilities. The University skimps on nothing, offering the finest academic experience possible to its undergraduate and graduate students. McKay's assertions certainly indicated that the football program, while not poor, was a major benefactor for a great college, not a hoarder of the profits (even though they earned most of them). In the years McKay was there and since, USC received enormous gifts from celebrity graduates like filmmaker George Lucas, as well as other Hollywood celebrities, like Steven Spielberg and Johnny Carson. Major political and business figures, some graduates and some not, gifted the school. Former diplomat Walter Annenberg, Dart Trucking president Justin Dart and Fluor Corporation head J. Robert Fluor were just three prominent contributors (according to inside sources, it was an argument with Fluor that pushed McKay out of USC). The school has also earned its way into that pantheon of major research institutions that receive federal grants for myriad projects benefiting Mankind.

McKay had a frail side, in that "fear of defeat" drove him. He speculated that this was what drove Vince Lombardi, and that Lombardi and certainly Frank Leahy left early because of this overriding emotion. This is not unusual in athletic greats. Oakland A's Hall of Fame relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley openly admitted to being "scared to death of failure" every time he took the mound.

To Rappoport, McKay said that, "I know there are millions of people on this planet who don't even know or care there is such a thing as football." This mirrored his famous 1966 statement, following a brutal 51-0 loss to Notre Dame, that "a billion Chinamen couldn't care less who won" the game. McKay was a philosopher who was influenced by his Catholicism. He was able to separate the "importance" of football from truly meaningful life events, but his profession was coaching. He took it as seriously as a man can - without going insane.

"At least four months every year you're completely separated from your family," he said. "You end up in a little world of your own, and I've always felt that people who do that are on their way to oblivion. I stop and ask myself if I'm such a bad person. The more you win, the worse it gets. Your personality changes. I catch myself thinking 'I can't lose...I can't lose...' Why can't I lose? The world won't come to an end."

One pundit said that John McKay had "as many one-liners as Bob Hope." McKay was described as a coach who did not take himself too seriously. At USC, he was nothing less than a monarch, but a Southern California-style one. In Alabama, Bear Bryant was depicted on billboards along the Alabama highways sipping a Coca-Cola...while walking on water. McKay was part of the L.A. sports scene, which is entirely different than anything in Tuscaloosa, "Happy Valley," Austin, Lincoln, Norman, Ann Arbor, Columbus, Knoxville, Baton Rouge or South Bend. It is a big league town, an industry town, and the industry is Hollywood. It is a town of celebrity, of front runners, and of transplants from all over the world; people whose favorite teams may just as likely be the Yankees, the Bears, the Packers...the Irish. Their favorite sports might be ice hockey or soccer. It is a town of talk radio and editorialists, a town divided by two colleges that, according to Keith Jackson, "don't like each other very much," and promote the misfortune of the other sometimes. It is a city in a state divided by north and south; a state in which San Francisco and San Diego fans chant "beat L.A."; in which Fresno people take offense at the attention accorded life in cities 200 miles north and south of them.

While all of these factors make a man like John McKay something different than a man like Joe Paterno, it also means that, like Frank Sinatra saying of New York, "if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere," well, that philosophy applies to L.A. too. In the late 20th and early 21st Centuries, maybe more so. So a John McKay in his own way was bigger than a Bear Bryant or a Woody Hayes, because he had to overcome more, dealt with higher expectations, more pressure, and faced greater detractors if he failed. He was not a god, a Pharaoh, but his success had a more democratic flavor to it. History says that some coaches - Bryant, Hayes, Paterno among a very select group - rate higher, but only because McKay left early. He did not care to build a shrine to himself.

McKay said of opening games, "I'd rather open with a second game." When his 1962 Trojans won the national title, he wanted to send a message to his detractors: "I guess I wasn't so dumb after all." He enjoyed a form of "gallows humor," too.

"I never worry about being hung in effigy," he said. "Every season I send my players out to buy up all the rope in Los Angeles."

Of emotion, McKay bluntly stated that if it won football games, he would start his wife, Corky.

The divisive nature of Los Angeles and California as a whole cost him recruits. Families are split by the USC-UCLA rivalry. Unlike Pennsylvania, where every kid dreams of playing for Joe Paterno; or Michigan, where everybody wants to be a Wolverine; or Ohio, where being a Buckeye is the ultimate; there are plenty in the Bay Area, and in pockets all over the L.A. Basin, who see USC as the "enemy" either from the standpoint of traditional rivalry, or as something they do not want to be aligned with. They are "too rich...too conservative" in a socialist "blue state." They are _too successful_. They are _too arrogant_. _It's just not fair that they win so much_.

McKay lost players to this mindset. Kids have chosen UCLA, Stanford and Cal for these reasons, which is a problem Alabama or Texas probably never really had. One recruit declined USC because his father did not like McKay's coaches' show.

On the other hand, McKay's mindset (USC's traditional premise comes from this) was always that he did not want that kind of guy anyway. He wanted the best, a guy who wanted to be the best, to compete with the best. He may have lost some players with petty attitudes to Stanford, but he would get three national recruits from Ohio, from Pennsylvania, from Texas. He "stole" many more players from Bryant, Darrell Royal and Joe Paterno than he ever lost to them. As for Notre Dame, he beat 'em on the field and played 'em at least even up in recruiting.

One player from Cleveland came to McKay because his father was a photographer, and Woody Hayes had tried to punch a camera guy at the Rose Bowl. McKay recruited athletes more than positions. If a guy lost his "job," he was given a shot at another one. A quarterback could be a wide receiver. A ruining back could be a linebacker. One bad game meant the second guy got his shot, so it was intense all the time. Black or white never entered into the equation, at a time when _it most definitely did_ just about every place else.

He was unafraid to bring in new starters. Inexperience was not a hindrance to McKay, especially if the veteran was not that good in the past.

"Experience at losing isn't as important as experience at winning," he said. Americans love competition, he said, "but not at his position." But McKay _made them compete_ , and out of that, friendships, a family, was forged. McKay loved John Wayne, politically and artistically. He also despised hypocrisy. Nobody embodied hypocrisy to John McKay more than the so-called "Harvard of the West," Stanford University.

"I want to beat Stanford by two thousand points."

California was a state of unrest in the late 1960s, its campuses embroiled in protest over the Vietnam War. Out of the civil rights movement grew the anti-war, free speech, women's rights, and gay liberation movements. Liberalism mixed with radicalism at the "open-minded" California schools, Berkeley and Stanford. USC, a conservative institution, remained peaceful. Yet the image of an idyllic racial climate in California was marred by some uglier realities.

McKay disliked Stanford's liberal elitism, which he regarded as academic snobbery. In the late '60s, he brought his Trojans, filled with powerful black athletes, to Palo Alto for a game on The Farm.

"As the team emerged from the locker room," McKay recalled, "my team was peppered with the most vile, disgusting racial epithets that I've ever heard in thirty years of college and professional coaching." The man who once said "a billion Chinese couldn't care less" whether his team beat Notre Dame certainly cared about the bigotry coming from the allegedly enlightened Stanford liberals.

"I felt that the liberalism at Stanford was an example of academic hypocrisy," McKay said. "These were people who put down those who didn't share their ideals, who told everybody else how to live. But now I was hearing the exact opposite of what that school supposedly preached. They ridiculed us as a 'football school,' said we were spoiled rich kids, but we were giving more and greater opportunities to blacks at that time than they were or anybody else, for that matter. The whole thing made my blood boil, and that's why I later told the press I wanted to beat Stanford by two thousand points."

"His quote about wanting to beat Stanford by not one thousand but _two thousand_ points, he said it because he was getting abused by the Stanford rooters," said his son, J.K. McKay, a legendary USC wide receiver in his own right. "I've heard tell him that story. He talked about the things that were said. He was criticized for having too many blacks, as if Stanford was providing more help to blacks by not having so many. But he provided more opportunity having more blacks than not just Stanford but other programs, some of whom were more liberal than he was, but were not doing much for minorities."

Legend: A Conversation With John McKay By Steven Travers

In the spring of 2000, this author conducted an interview with John McKay for _StreetZebra_ magazine. It was done by phone, as McKay lived in Tampa Bay, Florida. Aside from an interview McKay granted a few months later with Loel Schrader, it was probably his last, as he passed away a little over a year later. The interview is re-printed in its entirety:

****

He was an Irish Catholic from West Virginia, with a gift for wit and humor. For 16 years at the University of Southern California, John McKay was one of the greatest football coaches of all time. Steven Travers talks to this legend, now in his twi-light years, about O.J., John Robinson, Bear Bryant, Sam Cunningham, integration, and whether his teams were the best of all time.

The conversation takes place during March Madness, and the subject of Pepperdine's victory over Indiana is brought up.

**TRAVERS:** What is your opinion of Bobby Knight?

**McKAY:** I like him personally. I know him through <former USC basketball coach> Bob Boyd, and we're friends

**TRAVERS:** When USC hires a football coach, his record the first two years is favorably compared to your losing record in 1960-61, yet they never live up to what you accomplished after that.

**McKAY:** What people forget is that we had a losing record for most of the six seasons before I got there, plus we were on probation my first two years, so it's hard to get guys steamed up. We just didn't have enough speed.

SC had been penalized by the NCAA in the wake of a conference-wide recruiting scandal dating back to Jon Arnett's career in the mid-1950s. Even USC'S 29-6 1959 baseball team was banned from post-season play.

**TRAVERS:** You have always said that you recruit great athletes, regardless of position.

**McKAY:** I respect high school coaches, who know that the best athlete on the team is usually the quarterback.

**TRAVERS:** Similar to youth league baseball, where the best athlete is usually the pitcher.

**McKAY:** Bobby Chandler was a quarterback in high school. Hal Bedsole was a junior college quarterback. Lynn Swan and Anthony Davis were high school quarterbacks.

**TRAVERS:** How did your philosophy apply to linemen, who because of their size do not play skill positions?

**McKAY:** We looked for guys who could run, cover kicks and had the ambition to do those things. Linemen were not as big then. Now I see some fat guys playing. Ron Yary would be just as good today, given training techniques. Weight training was not the thing to do. Billy Fisk was an All-American lineman who played at 245 pounds, but most linemen were 235.

**TRAVERS:** Tom Seaver was a baseball Trojan who was one of the first to lift weights, back in the 1960s. You won the national championship in 1962 alternating quarterbacks. In general, do you favor the practice?

**McKAY:** Well, we had three "teams." Pete Beathard went both ways. Bill Nelsen ran the gold "team," and Craig Fertig was on the third "team." That was a special season, we beat Notre Dame, 25-0.

**TRAVERS:** You beat Wisconsin in a wild Rose Bowl. Tell me about that.

**McKAY:** We were up 42-13, but Marv Marinovich got kicked out for punching a guy and Kerner wasn't suited up. We lost all our tackles, had guards playing tackle, so we couldn't rush the passer, and Ron VanderKelen just sat back there and passed. Willie Brown saved us with an interception at the end. He never got the publicity he should get.

_MVP VanderKelen set the Rose Bowl passing yardage record, but never did much past that game. Brown played for the Eagles_.

**TRAVERS:** Some players and others have said that given almost unlimited scholarships, USC could recruit so many great players that their bench guys were better than most teams they played, and that you would recruit a player for the sole purpose of keeping him off a rival's roster.

**McKAY:** I've said it a million times, that's baloney. The budget was for 100 scholarship, and I never used more than 72. I allocated the rest for baseball and track. I recruited Mike Holmgren, who sat on the bench for four years, but it was never my intent to do that. No kid will come to school just to ride the bench, the excitement is to play. Jim Fassel, who coached with the New York Giants, sat on the bench before transferring to Long Beach State.

**TRAVERS:** How good was Bishop Amat High School in the late 1960s, where Adrian Young, J.K. McKay, Pat Haden and John Sciarra played?

**McKAY:** Bishop Amat was great, they had very good teams, and some of the best high school passing teams ever. They were coached by Marv Marinovich's brother.

**TRAVERS:** Tell me about your relationship with legendary SC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux.

**McKAY:** Dedeaux was my buddy. We both got along with the kids, and liked to have a good time.

**TRAVERS:** Like Dedeaux, you had a gregarious personality, you had a sense of humor and got along well with the press. Tell me about your famous, "A Billion Chinese don't care" remark.

**McKAY:** When we lost to Notre Dame, 51-0, I told the team to take their showers, that "a billion Chinese don't care if we win or lose." The next day I got two wires from China asking for the score.

**TRAVERS:** I guess Chairman Mao was taking a break from the Cultural Revolution, which started that year, 1966.

Pat Haden was the best prep quarterback in America, his father was transferred to San Francisco, but he wanted to keep throwing to your son his senior year at Bishop Amat. He moved in to your home, which made it hard on recruiters from Stanford and Notre Dame.

**McKAY:** I thought we had a good advantage. We were close with the Haden's, and later my son Richie was going to stay with the Haden's instead of transferring when we moved to Florida. Haden was a great player in college, and an accurate passer in the pros. He's a very intelligent guy.

**TRAVERS:** At 5-11 he was considered too short to be a successful pro quarterback.

**McKAY:** That's a bunch of baloney. Doug Flutie proved that wrong, too. Fran Tarkenton's not six feet tall. You throw passes through the creases, not over linemen.

**TRAVERS:** The same is said of wide receivers, yet Lynn Swann never had a problem at 5-11. Tell me about two players who had a reputation for being kind of crazy. Fred Dryer recently told me he heard Mike Battle was institutionalized. Tim Rossovich was once featured in _Sports Illustrated_ eating glass and setting himself on fire.

**McKAY:** Well, Fred has a sense of humor. I heard Battle was married, but I don't know. I don't really know what was up with Rossovich. Once I was called to his dorm because he had "mooned" some girl, but then I found out the girl mooned him first. Neither one was ever arrested, and they were both fine players.

**TRAVERS:** It must have broken your heart when the O.J. Simpson case hit the news.

**McKAY:** I still don't know what happened with O.J. I do know this, the guy I knew and the other players knew, never would have done anything like that. It was just terrible, he was one of the most admired guys in America.

**TRAVERS:** 1974, the greatest, most exciting sporting event in L.A. history. 55 points in 17 minutes against Notre Dame. To what extent do you feel that the hand of God just controlled your team's destiny, and to what extent do you think you controlled the outcome of that game?

**McKAY:** If I was in control, we'd have scored more than six points in the first half. I told the team at half time that A.D. <Davis> would return the second half kick for a touchdown, and we were going to win that game.

**TRAVERS:** Ara Parseghian must wake up in a cold sweat thinking about it.

**McKAY:** Ara never coached again. I hear from Ara every once in a while, but I try to be kind about reminding him.

**TRAVERS:** You had made a vow after the 1966 Notre Dame debacle.

**McKAY:** I told the press we'd never lose, 51-0, again, but over time it was changed to "We'll never lose to Notre Dame again." We almost never did.

**TRAVERS:** College football dynasties. Knute Rockne, Notre Dame, 1920s. Howard Jones, USC's Thundering Herd in the '30s. Bud Wilkinson, Oklahoma, 1950s. In recent years, Miami dominated the 1980s, and now we are seeing the Bobby Bowden Era at Florida State. Still, I believe that Trojan football from 1962 to 1981, which encompasses your tenure and that of John Robinson, and includes four Heisman Trophy winners ending with Marcus Allen, is the greatest era of dominance in history.

**McKAY:** Well, I guess that's true or close to being true. At least we never had a player go to jail. We did have very good players.

**TRAVERS:** Ronald Reagan looked at George Bush as a continuation of his Presidency, and Bill Clinton views Al Gore the same way. Did you look upon John Robinson the same way?

**McKAY:** No. At one time were close, but now I don't know what's going on.

**TRAVERS:** I want to talk more about Pat Haden, a Rhodes Scholar. Bill Bradley, another Rhodes Scholar, was viewed as a future politician, and I know Pat's name has been brought up in that context. Did you think he would go in that direction?

**McKAY:** Pat Haden's a wonderful young man who I never had to worry about. In all honesty, Bill Nelsen, Craig Fertig, Mike Rae, Vince Evans, etc., we never had anybody who was trouble. They were all smart guys. Haden went to law school, but he was never really a political person. Bradley, too, he's a quiet guy. You have to wave your arms around and pound the table to be heard in politics.

**TRAVERS:** Your son, J.K., went into law and practiced at the same downtown L.A. firm as Haden at one time. Tell me about that.

**McKAY:** J.K. went to Stetson Law School and practiced a few years. Now he's in Beverly Hills, and he works with Ed Roski's company. He was involved trying to get a professional football team in Los Angeles. It's a tragedy that they don't have one.

J.K. McKay, a star receiver at USC, played for his father with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

**TRAVERS:** What is the greatest college football team, for a single season, of all time?

**McKAY:** The 1972 USC Trojans.

**TRAVERS:** Who is the greatest writer of all time?

**McKAY:** Jim Murray.

**TRAVERS:** You had good relations with journalists, let me ask you about some of the greatest writers in the Los Angeles press corps. Bud Furillo says hello.

**McKAY:** Bud and I were friends. He was around a long time, with the _Herald_ and all over.

**TRAVERS:** Furillo may be, now that Murray has passed on, the man who has seen it all longer than anybody else in L.A. How about Mal Florence, a Trojan?

**McKAY:** A good writer and a friend with great knowledge.

**TRAVERS:** John Hall of the _L.A. Times_ , another Trojan?

**McKAY:** A great guy.

**TRAVERS:** Bob Oates?

**McKAY:** I never knew him that well 'cause he covered pro football.

**TRAVERS:** Jim Perry, USC's former sports information director?

**McKAY:** He and I wrote a book together.

**TRAVERS:** 1976, you have left SC and taken the Tampa Bay job, only before free agency it was harder to build an expansion team quickly in those days. The team starts off with 26 consecutive losses. Regrets?

**McKAY:** Yes. When I assembled the team and got my first look at them I knew I'd made a mistake.

**TRAVERS:** Didn't you say something like, "We stunk and then it got worse"?

**McKAY:** Yes. However, we were the fastest expansion team to make the Play-Offs in 1979, and we made it three times.

**TRAVERS:** Do you consider yourself a Trojan for life?

**McKAY:** Yes. I still follow them on TV. The best part of my life was being a Trojan. We would walk through campus to go to lunch, and you could just feel the great atmosphere, everybody was electric. That's something I'll always miss.

**TRAVERS:** USC was named "College of the Year" by the _Princeton Review_ , and our school is really involved in a positive way in the surrounding community near campus.

**McKAY:** What people don't realize is that, with all those riots that have occurred all around that neighborhood, nobody ever touched the University, because people in that area know what the University means to the area.

**TRAVERS:** Do you stay in touch with athletic director and former Heisman Trophy winner Mike Garrett?

**McKAY:** I heard from Garrett recently about a re-union of the 1974 team.

**TRAVERS:** I know you were close with Bear Bryant. I want to touch on the role that the 1970 USC-Alabama game played in civil rights progress, but first let me tell you that I heard Reggie Jackson tell a story about how he knew the South would integrate. He played for the A's Birmingham farm club in 1966, and Charlie Finley brought Bryant into the clubhouse. Bryant met Jackson, who had played football at Arizona State, and told him he was the kind of black player he could use. Fast-forward four years. Sam "Bam" Cunningham scores two touchdowns in SC's 42-21 victory at Birmingham. What happened after that?

Cunningham was black. Alabama was still all white.

**McKAY:** Bryant came in to our locker room and asked if he could borrow Cunningham. I said sure. He took him into the Alabama locker room, and had him shake hands with each player, and he introduced him by saying, "Fellas, this is what a football player looks like." Bryant always said Cunningham did more to integrate the South than any speech.

**TRAVERS:** You once said that you wanted to beat Stanford by "two thousand points." I heard that you felt that way because they had made racist remarks to your team. Can you elaborate?

**MCKAY:** As the team emerged from the locker room, my team was peppered with the most vile, disgusting racial epithets that I've ever heard in 30 years of college and professional coaching.

I felt that the liberalism at Stanford was an example of academic hypocrisy. These were people who put down those who didn't share their ideals, who told everybody else how to live, but now I was hearing the exact opposite of what that school supposedly preached. They ridiculed us as a "football school," said we were spoiled rich kids, but we were giving more and greater opportunities to blacks at that time than they were or anybody else, for that matter. The whole thing made my blood boil, and that's why I later told the press I wanted to beat Stanford by two thousand points.

**TRAVERS:** Staying on the theme of race, more specifically the 1970 game, I understand that it was Bryant's idea.

**MCKAY:** I told <assistant coach> Marv Goux that I didn't know what Bear was up to, but the whole thing had the feel of a spy novel. Bear asked if the Trojans would like to travel to Birmingham to open the following season. The NCAA had just granted an 11th game, and Bear wanted that game to be against us on their home turf. I agreed to the match-up. What I didn't realize was that it was all part of Bryant's own plan to desegregate his program. Despite his popularity, he'd never been able to do it before, despite his desire to. He'd expressed to me that he'd wanted to do it for years. I can't say that I knew Bear's intentions fully at the time, but I did suspect it. It was a delicate situation and required just the right timing, but if any man understands how to do something like that, it was Bear Bryant.

**TRAVERS:** If anybody could pull off such a thing, it was Bryant.

**MCKAY:** Bryant "walked on water" in Alabama. He could have been Governor had he chosen to run. He could have been King.

**TRAVERS:** Ironically, it would effect recruiting in the West. No longer did you have "free access" to talented black athletes in the South.

**MCKAY:** Oh my, recruiting changed, yes. There was a time in which we could pluck black athletes from anywhere in the country. They wanted to play for the Trojans. Jimmy Jones from back East. O.J. Simpson from San Francisco. Tody Smith from Texas. It was a combination of things. They heard that USC accommodated blacks, that life there was pleasant in every way; the school, their classmates, the press and fans, everything, and they were right. It provided an urban environment, nightlife, pretty girls of different races. Plus, they knew that the coaches were fair and if they measured up, they would play and get all the recognition they earned. If their goal was to play in the NFL, SC was a place that showcased their talents.

Over the next 10 years, USC and other West Coast teams no longer could pick black stars who were turned away in the South. You see not only Alabama's resurgence after a down period, but the rise of teams like Georgia, LSU, all those Florida schools. USC eventually went into a down period of their own, as did the whole conference, and one of the reasons for this is because the talent pool became limited.

**TRAVERS:** The recruitment of black athletes revived the Alabama program, too.

**MCKAY:** Alabama came out to the Coliseum the next year, and they gave us a big surprise. They had a terrific team that year.

**TRAVERS:** USC, and UCLA with Jackie Robinson and Kenny Washington, has a long history of providing opportunity for black athletes.

**McKAY:** SC's first All-American in the 1920s, Bryce Taylor, was black. Back then, you never heard of civil rights. Nobody was let in because of their color, they had to qualify like everybody else. Like Simpson, he had to go to a junior college before he could get in.

**TRAVERS:** Last question. Your other son, Rich, is having success as general manager of the Buccaneers. Tell me about him.

**McKAY:** Well, he played football in high school and at Princeton. He's a smart kid, and he's doing very well in his current job.

* * * *

He Was A Legend Of the Old School Variety By Steven Travers

When John McKay passed away in 2001, this author wrote the following obituary:

He was a cocky Irishman who liked to pull a cork.

"We were friends," says his long-time associate of the coaching profession, and fellow USC legend Rod Dedeaux, "because we immediately recognized in each other that we liked to have a good time."

His name was John McKay. He passed away Sunday at 77 because of liver damage complicated by diabetes. He presided over the University of Southern California's football program in the 1960s and '70s during a time in which the Trojans may have been the most dominant, and certainly were the most exciting, program in the history of this nation.

He was a legend, pure and simple.

As a youngster, I grew up on Trojan football. On a sunny Saturday in 1974, I watched McKay's Trojans score 55 points in 17 minutes to deliver the most devastating blow Notre Dame has ever received on the gridiron. I became a Trojan that day.

In the succeeding years, I attended USC, and later covered SC sports in the Los Angeles media. Last year, for no real reason other than a sense of homage, I called McKay in Tampa and talked to him for an hour. I do not know whether it is or not, but it may be his last interview.

If you are of a mind to enjoy all that is splendid about USCs sports history, McKay is a figure of epic proportions. Trojans take regular trips back in time to McKay's tenure at University Park (1960-75); like Christians to Lourdes, Muslims to Mecca.

In 1966, the Irish came to L.A. and beat SC, 51-0 at the Coliseum. After the game, McKay said, "There's a billion Chinamen who couldn't give a damn who won this game."

Or something like that. He also said USC would never lose to Notre Dame again. At least, not like that. From 1967-75, his teams dominated Notre Dame. At half time of the aforementioned '74 Notre Dame game, with his team trailing 24-6, McKay told his beleaguered troops, "<Anthony> Davis is gonna run the second half kick back for a touchdown, and we're gonna win this game."

McKay actually said if Davis runs the kick back his team would win, but like everything else that day, his words are not the words of mortals, but rather the timeless chant of historical hyperbole.

McKay was old school. He liked to drink, often with the writers, which is why guys like Bud Furillo and John Hall were counted among his best friends. Imagine Bill Plaschke or Glenn Dickey being best friends with today's college coaches. Doesn't happen anymore.

One of McKay's favorite drinking buddies was John "Duke" Wayne, who shared his conservative political views and love of USC football (Wayne, as Marion Morrison, having played at pulling guard for Howard Jones teams in the 20s). In 1966, before the opener between the two top-ranked teams in the nation, Wayne gave a speech to SC before they took on Texas at Austin. It was at the invitation of McKay, who just had a sense for when those kinds of things would play.

It did that day. Southern Cal, 10-6.

McKay was O.J. Simpson's coach from 1967-68, when Juice was an All-American and Heisman Trophy winner.

"The O.J. I knew never would have done the things I've read that he did," McKay told me, and his voice had a strange combination of resignation and rebellion to it.

Neither of McKay's sons got into coaching, instead pursuing the law.

"I didn't want them having to move their families like I always had to do," McKay explained. Younger son Rich used his legal and football acumen to become the successful general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team McKay coached in the mid-1970s. His team was woeful at first, and after a dreary loss McKay was asked about the Bucs' execution.

"That's a great idea," he deadpanned.

McKay also presided over the integration of Southern colleges, in a way.

In 1970, SC went to Birmingham to play all white Alabama. His black sophomore tailback, Sam "Bam" Cunningham, went for well over 135 yards and two touchdowns as SC destroyed Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide before a packed house of chagrined 'Bama fans.

_The next day, Jim Murray wrote in_ the L.A. Times _, "The Constitution was ratified yesterday. We welcomed Alabama into the Union."_

That was because Bryant "borrowed" Cunningham after the game, took him into his team's locker room, and before his defeated charges announced, "This here's a football player."

McKay was accused of being a "n----r lover" for bringing so many black athletes into his program.

"Its funny," he told me, "I used to hear that at Stanford and Cal, so-called liberal bastions."

Yeah, right. John McKay is an important figure in American sports history not just because of his winning record. Jimmy Johnson and Bobby Bowden have similarly outstanding records. Rather, like John Wooden and a handful of others, he negotiated the time warp from the 1950s to the '70s in a manner that allowed his teams to compete at his standards while bridging the generation gap.

Mostly, for young USC fans like I was, and alumni like I became, he represented excellence, something to be proud of, something a little better and more colorful and, yes, maybe even a little cockier than the varied alternatives.

* * * *

Rich McKay By Steven Travers

In 2000, this author conducted a phone interview with John McKay's son Rich, then the general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rich McKay was in his Tampa office, Travers in his Hermosa Beach, California residence:

If the last name sounds familiar, it is because it is. The McKay name evokes tradition and success like few in Southern California. John McKay was the greatest coach in the history of USC's storied football program. His son, John (known as J.K.), was a star receiver for the Trojans' national championship team in 1974. There was another McKay, however, and his path - Bishop Amat High to USC and success in Los Angeles based on name and talent - was interrupted.

Rich McKay was indeed a top quarterback at Bishop Amat High School in La Puente. He was good enough to compete for the starting job with Paul McDonald, who would go on to an All-American career leading SC's 1978 national champions, before taking over as the Cleveland Browns' starter. But when McKay's senior season rolled around, something happened to disrupt what appeared to be his destiny. His father retired from USC to take over the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976. Rich followed his dad to Tampa and enrolled at Jesuit High School.

J.K.'s path was already laid out - a stint in the pros followed by law school and a career working for Ed Roski (the real estate mogul trying to bring the NFL back to the Coliseum).

Rich would not attend SC as planned, choosing instead the Ivy League and law school, followed by employment as the Buccaneers' attorney. However, the fact that his father had been Tampa Bay's coach, combined with the knowledge and skills acquired over years of learning from the master, made him the logical choice to take over as the team's general manager. Today, he is considered one of the keenest minds in the National Football League. The Guru caught up with him in between the draft and training camp, and the conversation went from USC to Tampa Bay's recent transactions, the trends in college football, and the glory days of Bishop Amat.

The Buccaneers' recently picked up Keyshawn Johnson, USC's former All-American wide receiver, from the New York Jets. McKay was asked if Keyshawn's Trojan history was a factor in his getting picked by Tampa Bay.

"He was a great player at SC, and of course we scouted him," said McKay. "I like to see Trojans in the professional ranks, and it was easy to evaluate him at SC, where he was very productive, one of their all-time leading receivers. Mainly, though, we need his aggressive personality. Keyshawn brings to us what we thought we were missing. We have an expectation level for him on offense, where we have not been productive because we lack the kind of aggressive mindset that we do have on the defensive side of the ball. When he became available, it became a fit."

McKay was then asked about the current down state of Trojan football.

"I've known Coach <Paul> Hackett for a long time," says McKay, "and I've seen his ability wherever he's been. I've seen the program struggle ever since the teams in the Pacific Northwest started taking players who traditionally go to SC. It still gets down to who gets the players, and Don James changed things when he built a powerhouse at Washington. When they got on a roll, they became dominant and it's been hard to get back to where they were before that."

What about the state he lives in now, Florida? California kids are going to Florida and SEC schools, and many say that it is because of the increased enthusiasm for football in that region.

"Florida is unique," is McKay's take. "The key is they keep players within the state. Florida State seems to have won that battle the last few years. It used to be that many good players would go out of state. In assessing the enthusiasm level of Florida football fans vs. California, there's no doubt that football comes number one in Florida. That's not true in California, but in terms of creating atmosphere, I remember the USC atmosphere to be the best around."

This comes from a guy who has seen his share of football at every level.

"If the Pac 10 can get back to the success they've had," he continues, "then the enthusiasm will be just as tremendous as ever."

McKay is then asked to a take trip down Memory Lane. Bishop Amat was a great power in the 1960s and '70s. SC's All-American linebacker Adrian Young came out of the Lancers' program. Gary Marinovich, the brother of Marv and uncle of Todd, was their coach. Pat Haden was the nation's top high school quarterback in 1970, and his favorite receiver was his best friend, J.K. McKay. Haden's father was transferred by his company to Walnut Creek, but Haden did not want to go to Acalanes, Northgate or any of the other school's of choice in that area. He wanted to stay at Bishop Amat. A solution was found. He would become 11-year old Richie's roommate at the McKay home.

That year, while Haden lit up the prep football world, the recruiters from Stanford, Notre Dame and Nebraska found that in order to get a sit-down with Pat, they had to trek to SC coach McKay's house, sit in his living room, and drink his coffee.

"Pat lived at the house," recalls Rich. "He was my roommate, and he and my brother were inseparable buddies who had experienced tremendous success together. I think they lost the <CIF-Southern Section> finals to Blair at the Coliseum, and there must have been 40 or 50,000 people in the stands. It was natural that Pat wouldn't move, and natural that he lived with us. The NCAA may have questioned it, I think Stanford made an issue of it, but Pat was a smart guy who made the decision on his own and nobody could dispute that. I think he did visit Notre Dame, and in fact his mom wanted him to go there, because of the Catholic connection. Ara Parseghian was their coach, and it was an attractive option. Tom Osborne was Nebraska's top recruiter back then, Bob DeVaney was still their coach. He came to the house.

"As for J.K., he caught 96 balls one year, then 108 the next at Bishop Amat. He was a fullback, but Gary Marinovich put in a passing scheme and made J.K. a receiver. I remember a game at Mt. SAC, in the first round of the play-offs, where opponents would triple-team J.K. They'd line up two guys at the line to try to stop him, and another in the backfield. He didn't catch any passes in the first half, but made 11 receptions in the second. It was a lot of fun, seeing my brother have that kind of success.

"I saw Adrian Young at SC, but not at Amat, because we lived near South Hills High and were not aware of Amat until the decision came to go there after moving a mile from the school."

The program was so competitive that John Sciarra had to sit and wait his turn to play.

"John's a nice guy and a good friend," says McKay. "He transferred in his junior year, and played behind Haden. He also played defensive back and returned kicks and punts; he was a great athlete. I also remember him playing for the Eagles against my dad."

This was after Sciarra finally got to play his senior year at Amat, after Haden's graduation. Naturally, John McKay came a-calling to try and get the kid to play at USC. Sciarra was a terrific baseball shortstop, and McKay tried to lure him with the promise of also playing for a national championship team under Rod Dedeaux. Sciarra would have none of it, because he had had enough of playing behind Haden. He went to UCLA, where unseating the starter, Mark Harmon, was a lot easier. He capped his All-American career there with a 1976 Rose Bowl victory over Archie Griffin and Ohio State.

"I had a good career at Amat myself," Rich recalls. "Paul McDonald was a year ahead of me, but my sophomore year he hurt his leg against St. Paul, and my junior year I alternated with him. We went to the play-offs. McDonald and Haden were better athletes than they were given credit for. They were both very good basketball players with similar work ethics, who were very intelligent. In the summer, Paul and I would throw three, four, five times a week, and that work ethic carried over to beyond those years."

Rich was asked about growing up around football, and how much of an advantage this was in grooming for his present position.

"It's a natural advantage," he says, "but my dad was actually discouraging us, he didn't want us to pursue careers in coaching because you have to move your family a lot. He wanted us to pursue another profession. Both J.K. and I went to law school, and I did in fact become a lawyer, working for the Buccaneers on player contracts. I've been around football as long as I can remember, and I just gravitated toward the job I hold now.

"I was aware of my dad's presence when I was a kid, you were always John McKay's son, and since we almost never lost at SC, it was a good thing. But certainly when you lose 26 straight games in a row at Tampa, that was a big turnaround. The toughest thing of all was how much time my dad spent on the road, he was always gone."

Rich has managed to establish stability for himself in Tampa Bay, where his father also lives, and considering his success so far, one can imagine that he may be there a long time.

* * * *

USC Loses One of Its Legends With the Death of McKay By Jim Perry

_Trojan Tail_ **, 2001**

Jim Perry, USC's sports information director when McKay was at USC, co-wrote McKay's autobiography, _McKay: A Coach's Story._ The following is his loving obituary of McKay.

... _Typical...John McKay - deflecting the pressure of his job as USC's head football coach with humor. What he didn't say, however, was that there was no reason to hang him in effigy, because he won almost all the time._

When McKay, who died in June at the age of 77, succeeded Don Clark as head coach after the 1959 season, USC hadn't won a National Championship in football in nearly 30 years.

In 1962, his third season, McKay won his first - and went on to win three more (1967, 1972, 1974).

He and his teams also had three unbeaten seasons, won nine conference titles, went to eight Rose Bowls and had a 16-year record of 127-40-8, making McKay the winningest coach in Trojan football history. His record in his last 14 seasons - before he left to coach the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers beginning in 1976 - was 119-29-7.

Many people still call USC's 1972 team the greatest in college football history. The Trojans went 12-0, outscored their opponents, 467-134, and never trailed in the second half.

As a coach, McKay was demanding, decisive, stubborn in his beliefs and creative. As the inventor of the modern I-formation, he was a firm believer in the running game and was the first coach to prove that great running backs could carry the ball 25, 30 or 35 times in a game.

Some observers were appalled. "Isn't there anything you can do besides run the tailback?" they asked. "Why is he carrying the ball so much?"

McKay's answer has become a part of football lore.

"Why not?" he said. "The ball isn't very heavy. And besides, he doesn't belong to a union."

McKay had five outstanding tailbacks - in order, Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Clarence Davis, Anthony Davis and Ricky Bell. All were first team All-Americans.

Garrett and Simpson were also USC's first two Heisman Trophy winners. Anthony Davis was a runner-up for the award. Bell finished third and second.

McKay's teams also played consistently good defense - "I've never drawn a new play without drawing a defense to stop it," he said once - and, like so many great defenses in football, they were built on speed. When no one could stop the wishbone attack in the early 1970s, McKay and his teams stopped it.

More than 25 years after playing for McKay, former USC quarterback Pat Haden is still awed by another of McKay's abilities.

"I think he was the best evaluator of talent I've ever seen," Haden says. "He would recruit some freshman who was an All-American linebacker in high school, and the first day he would watch him practice and say, 'you're a tight end.' Two years later, that kid was an All-American tight end.

"He had a great knack for putting a team together."

He also had a great knack for getting your attention.

"He had absolute charisma," Garrett, now USC's athletic director, says. "His personality dominated a room.

"He was also a brilliant man. People underestimated how brilliant he was."

_When McKay's team went to see_ Patton _, with George C. Scott, there was an instant flash of recognition among the coaching staff._

"My God," they said, "that's Coach." And, in many ways, John McKay was Patton."

One of his greatest feats was turning the Notre Dame series around. The Irish, who dominated USC before he arrived, also won five of their first seven games against McKay, including a shocking 51-0 defeat in 1966.

Coached by Ara Parseghian, Notre Dame was the national champion in 1966, but the score kept growing because McKay kept gambling. He wouldn't give up.

After the game, he wouldn't give up either. For the next year, the Trojan coach watched a film of the game at least once a week. He was determined to beat Notre Dame in 1967.

"For a year, there wasn't a night I went to bed or a morning when I awoke that I didn't think about 51-0," he said later. "It was still stuck in my throat."

In 1967, he and his team had to play in South Bend, where no USC team had won since 1939. A lot of people at the time said the Trojans couldn't win in South Bend, no matter what year it was. The oddsmakers agreed. Although ranked number one, USC was a 12-point underdog.

"But I never believed in jinxes," McKay said. "We should be good enough to play football anyplace and win."

They were. Simpson rushed for 150 yards, linebacker Adrian Young intercepted four passes, and USC won, 24-7. The Trojans went on to win the national championship.

In his last nine years, McKay lost to Notre Dame only once, going 6-1-2 against Parseghian (eight years) and Dan Devine (one).

One of those six victories was the Trojans' incredible 55-24 blitz in 1974. Trailing 24-0, they scored 55 points in less than 17 minutes to win.

"The man could coach football," former USC quarterback and assistant coach Craig Fertig says. "He coached every day of the week, 365 days a year. That's what made him so special.

"You expected a lot out of yourself because of him. He expected you to come through. There were no excuses. The bottom line was, 'We're going to win the damn game.'"

John McKay, God rest his soul, won a lot of them.

* * * *

Cast a giant shadow

There is the University of Southern California before John McKay. There was what USC became after he arrived; both during his 16-year reign, and in the shadow he casts on the 31 years that have passed since the left. Two of his successors are bona fide legends because they lived up to his standards. Three are not because they failed to do so. One of those two legends saw much of his luster tarnished by the fact that he came back for a second try and did not live up to the standards set by himself or McKay. One of McKay's players ascended to McKay's old job of athletic director. It was not until he found a man with McKay's star quality that he, too, saved himself from oblivion.

"John McKay casts an enormous shadow over this institution," says current head coach Pete Carroll.

What makes a legendary football program legendary is when the new guys do things as great as the old guys. When that happens, the light then shines on the old guys, who would be forgotten otherwise. This is what is happening at USC today, where Pete Carroll is surpassing the feats of John McKay, which only makes John McKay look better, because it is _his standard_ that Carroll shot for, was inspired by, had to live up to!

It is entirely true that Howard Jones was as successful as John McKay. Compare their records. Jones was 121-36-13 (.750). McKay was 127-40-8 (.749). Neither one had a percentage as good as Elmer "Gloomy Gus" Henderson, but Jones and McKay beat Cal!

Jones won four national titles and was 5-0 in the Rose Bowl. McKay won four national titles and was 5-3 in Rose Bowls. Jones never coached a Heisman winner (the award started in 1935 and he coached through 1940). McKay had two.

One of McKay's best friends was Alabama coach Bear Bryant, who he would be inextricably linked with for their respective contributions to football and social change. If one were to say, "Bear Bryant is the greatest college football coach of all time," they would get their arguments from Rockne, Paterno, even Bobby Bowden fans, but the statement is a worthy one, very possibly true.

Bryant and McKay were contemporaries. Of course, Bryant coached at Maryland, Kentucky and Texas A&M before coming to Alabama in 1958. McKay coached only at USC, from 1960 to 1975. Bryant stayed on at 'Bama for another eight years after McKay moved to Tampa Bay. But comparing the two coaches provides a window of analysis in the bar room argument over whether USC or Alabama deserves credit for being the "better program." Prior to Bryant and McKay, the two schools were similar. The slight edge _might_ go to USC, but in head-to-head match-ups Alabama beat them.

In the years after McKay left USC, his successor, John Robinson, competed on an equal footing with Bryant, with the slight edge to Bryant. From 1984 to 2000, both programs experienced down periods, but Alabama beat USC in a head-to-head match, went ahead of them in total bowl victories, and won the 1992 national championship. Edge: Crimson Tide.

Since then USC has been so much better than everybody else that previous "close calls" may well be thrown out the window. Their "stretch run" is just magnificent beyond words.

But getting back to McKay-Bryant, the comparison shows that Bryant is credited with six national championships and McKay four (with his handpicked successor with one). Furthermore, Bryant had the 1966 national title "stolen" from him by the Catholic vote that gave it to once-tied Notre Dame. _However_ , honest scrutiny of the record reveals some major fissures in their hegemony.

In USC's case, they won national championships in 1962, 1967, 1972 and 1974.

Three of those were consensus titles (AP and UPI). One was not. The 1974 Trojans, with a tie and a loss, captured the "coaches poll" (UPI), but Oklahoma was the writer's pick (AP). Oklahoma was unbeaten and untied _but_ on probation. They were barred by the NCAA from going to a bowl game. For those who feel that fair play should be rewarded while cheating should not, the Trojans are the 1974 national champions, not just the AP version but the "people's choice." For those who saw what they did to Notre Dame and Ohio State that year, the question of a USC-Oklahoma play-off leaves no question that the Trojans win this one. All of USC' national titles in these years and all other in which they were number one result in their capping the season with a Rose Bowl victory (except for 1928, when they did not go to a bowl, and 2004, when they went to the BCS Orange Bowl instead).

Bryant wins "national championships" in 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978 and 1979. However, with all due respect, calling them national champions in 1973 is a joke, and frankly so too is 1964. These were titles awarded during a time in which some polls concluded prior to the bowl games, a practice finally brought to an end in the early 1970s.

Alabama won the title in 1964, but they lost to Texas in the Orange Bowl. That's not a legitimate national title. In 1973, they lost to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, but the UPI called them national champions (the AP awarded it to Notre Dame). Two undefeated teams do not play each other, and the "championship" then awarded to the loser of that game!

The same could be said for the 1978 season, when Alabama won the AP version and USC the UPI. Both teams had one regular season loss and won their bowl games. The only problem is that Alabama's only loss was _against USC at Birmingham!_ The writer's version of number one may be the grossest injustice of all times, although in that case it was a legitimate vote, both teams had a loss and won bowl games, so it should count. But 1964 and 1973 should not.

The 1966 Crimson Tide has a fairly legitimate argument, in that they were unbeaten, untied and won the Orange Bowl behind Ken Stabler. Notre Dame was unbeaten with one tie, but that was the "game of the century" at Michigan State. They beat USC, 51-0 and did not play bowl games in those days. Alabama could make an argument, but the choice of Notre Dame is not tainted by illegitimacy, as a bowl loss does. Two other factors worked against Bear's team. For one, they were still segregated, a fact that impressed nobody. Second, the voters wanted to rectify the "joke" title bestowed upon them when they lost to Arkansas but still snuck in.

****

All of the talk about titles, rivals, the comparisons with Bear Bryant; it was a long ways from people's minds when McKay first arrived at University Park.

"After his first year, he threw a big party, because he thought he might just be fired," recalled Dave Levy on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "But we beat a better-on-most-Saturdays UCLA team, and he kept his job."

Before McKay could get his first national title, the program went through two "wilderness years." Lost in the glow of McKay's memory is the fact that he fell drastically from where Clark appeared to have the program headed in 1959. There was only one small light of hope in those two years; a 17-6 victory over UCLA in his initial season, but Notre Dame beat him twice, and the Bruins got him in 1961.

The only bright spot lost in the fiasco was the close, 35-34 loss to then-number one Iowa at home. When SC scored with 48 seconds to go, and McKay went for two but missed, it dissuaded some voters from keeping the Hawkeyes in the top spot. Alabama won the national championships in 1961 after Minnesota had won in 1960.

"John McKay did something in that game that most coaches wouldn't do nowadays," said quarterback Pete Beathard. "We didn't have overtime and once you go to the end of the game if your tied you're tied. At 35-34 he tried for two points."

"I was wide open in the back of the end zone but he never saw me," said receiver Hal Bedsole of Beathard and the two-point try. "If we won that game I think things would have been much better in 1961, had we beaten Iowa. We knew, those of us playing as sophomores, his first recruits, and we knew we could play."

USC's attendance was down. They looked to be headed the way of Cal-Berkeley. The conference prestige was in jeopardy. Change needed to be made. Under McKay it came in two primary colors. The first was white.

On January 1, 1961, Bob Jani, USC's director of special events, and Eddie Tannenbaum, a student, observed Richard Saukko riding a white horse called Traveler I in the Rose Parade. A light went on in their heads.

They approached Saukko and asked him to ride Traveler I around the field at USC games after touchdowns and victories, while the band played "Conquest" and "Tribute to Troy." Saukko and the original Traveler have been replaced over the years, but the tradition continues to this day.

The second primary color was black. Around this same time, McKay told his staff he needed "speed." What this meant, quite frankly, was that they were to go out and find those great black athletes whose high school heroics were lighting up the Southland's prep landscape, right under their noses. Recruits like Willie Brown and Mike Garrett were brought in.

There were football heroes at USC in McKay's first two uneventful seasons, however. Mike McKeever, who made the 1959 All-American team, was the captain in 1960, when he won the Davis-Teschke Award. Also a two-time Academic All-American, McKeever's senior year was curtailed by a blood clot. His life was a star-crossed one. Drafted by the Chargers and Rams, he was unable to continue and play pro football. In 1967, he died after an auto accident. He made the College Football Hall of Fame posthumously in 1987.

Marlin McKeever made his second All-American team in 1960. Also an Academic All-American, he was selected in the first round by the Rams as well as the Chargers. He played in the NFL until 1973 with Los Angeles, Minnesota, Washington and Philadelphia.

Dan Ficca and Luther Hayes were both picked by Philadelphia and the Chargers in 1961.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE PERFECT SEASON

A new chapter in the tradition of Troy

In 1962, the Trojans would ascend to the heights of glory. McKay would be vindicated. Hollywood front-runners would show up to cheer them on. The season certainly did not hold high hopes in the beginning, though. A mere 26,400 fans showed up at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum for the season opener against eighth-ranked Duke. A national TV audience was surprised to see the Trojans prevail, 14-7.

The team was just that, a team. There were no huge superstars, no Heisman hopefuls. Terry Baker, a quarterback from the L.A. area, would win it that year for Oregon State.

The captain of the team was Marv Marinovich, and out of this the Trojan family would expand. Marinovich would go on to marry sophomore quarterback Craig Fertig's sister. Marinovich's brother would become the football coach at Bishop Amat High School, where his star players would be McKay's sons, J.K. and Richie, quarterback Pat Haden, and future UCLA Rose Bowl MVP John Sciarra. Marinovich and Fertig's sister would have a son, Todd, who would break all of Haden's California state passing records, and then all of USC's hearts - but not until after he would lead USC to victory in the 1990 Rose Bowl over Michigan.

Fertig was part of a talented trio of signal-callers: Beathard and Bill Nelsen were the others. Somehow, they were able to work together as a unit without problems.

"I remember Pete Beathard and I were the first two quarterbacks he recruited, and he told us we could play baseball," Fertig recalled in _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "He's a catcher and I'm a pitcher and like I said, his first year didn't go so well. But his freshman team went undefeated.

"So one day we're on the baseball field and McKay's secretary comes out and says to Coach Dedeaux, 'Coach McKay'd like to see Beathard and Fertig.'

"Well I just looked at Beathard and said, 'What'd you do?' And he said, 'I'm your roommate, I haven't left your sight.' So we go on up to McKay's office and he's reading the sports section, and all you can see is the cigar smoke comin' from behind it, and he says, 'You guys aren't real good at either sport, _make a decision_.' I cleaned that up for you, too. That's when we decided to be football players."

USC brought an integrated team to Dallas for game two. A mere 14,000 showed up to see them defeat Southern Methodist, 33-3. Ranked number six, they won a defensive struggle over Iowa, 7-0. Cal came to L.A. and lost, 32-6. After winning at Illinois and beating number nine Washington, the peculiar fandom of Los Angeles was aroused.

Ticket manager John Morley found himself rising at three in the morning to meet the demands of alumni he had not heard from "in 10 years." Typical L.A. The Trojans realized they had something good going on when they made all three columns of the _Los Angeles Times_ in one day.

"We knew we had a good football team," said All-American end Hal Bedsole, "but no one felt that it was a national championship caliber team - you don't think of things like that before a season, anyway."

The Washington victory vaulted them to number two. Wins over Stanford, then Roger Staubach and Navy, had them thinking about it. They were number one heading into the UCLA game. McKay did it in an unusual way, alternating Beathard and Nelsen. Fertig was number three but considered part of the mix, too. As the season wore on, though, Fertig asked and received permission to play some at wide receiver, just so he could get in games.

Both Beathard and Nelsen would achieve success in professional football, Beathard at Houston and Nelsen with Cleveland.

"Beathard was as fine an athlete as played college football," said Bedsole.

The team did not approach games with the expectation of putting a lot of points on the board, although as the offense synchronized, they became much more potent than they had been at the beginning of the year.

"I know we're playing a lot better defense," McKay told the press. "I feel our defense against Iowa forced them into a good many errors. You've got to be stubborn to win against top competition, and stubbornness should begin on defense."

"We beat the Bruins for the Rose Bowl 14-3 with a great comeback," Bedsole said. "They were ahead 3-0 in the last five minutes, and then Brown made a miraculous catch near the goal line and they turned the ball over and we scored again."

86,740 watched Troy earn a trip to Pasadena. Of course, beating Notre Dame was still a task that lay ahead.

"It's like the poker player," McKay told his team. "He's won all the money, and then somebody challenges him to a showdown, all or nothing."

On the game's third play, Beathard swung a pass to Willie Brown who gained 34 yards to the Irish 18. 228-pound fullback Ben Wilson went for eight, then three plays later leaped over the pile to make it 7-0. John Underwood of _Sports Illustrated_ wrote that the game was USC's from that moment forward. Whenever Notre Dame made an adjustment, USC countered. Notre Dame coach Joe Kuharich's squad kept shooting themselves in the foot with penalties and mistakes. McKay went conservative in the second half.

The shootout with VanderKelen

The 25-0 win set up one of the greatest Rose Bowl shootouts of all time. It would be a game against Wisconsin that totally went against the ebb and flow of USC's season. They would be outplayed, according to some, but they would survive and leave with the national championship.

The number two Badgers came in talkin' loud, full of Big 10 bravado. The press was with them, too. Quarterback Ron VanderKelen was the best in the country. It was not a typical bulldozing Big 10 bunch. Wisconsin played pro-style passing football. McKay was scared to death of them, although nobody knew it at the time.

98,698 packed the Rose Bowl to se two 10-0 teams. According to Bedsole, McKay's approach to the game was quite extraordinary by today's standards. The team approached the contest "like it was an exhibition. That was the atmosphere...a kind of picnic." The team did not use their allotted practice day. McKay, possibly using psychology, said that the honor was just to be there.

After the Tournament of Roses honored America's recent breakthrough in the "Space Race" with the Soviets, USC exploded like a rocket ship. Bedsole made two touchdown catches, including a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone. He also was called for three personal fouls.

"You were supposed to get thrown out after two," he recalled. "For some reason the officials blew it."

Wisconsin was screaming bloody murder as Troy built up a 42-14 lead. On the sidelines, the team was celebrating early.

"Everybody just wanted to know where the party was after the game," said McKay,

Penalties piled up. Marv Marinovich punched a Badger player and was thrown out. Wisconsin got fired up. McKay, a class act who never ran it up on opponents, wanted to lay off. He went to the ground, choosing to let the clock win down.

"He didn't want to embarrass these people," Bedsole said.

The game would take three hours and five minutes, a long one in those days, and end in darkness. The Trojans had sustained a series of strange injuries prior to the game. While none of that appeared to make a difference in the first half, it all came to roost in the second half.

The defensive line and the secondary were depleted, allowing VanderKelen to make adjustments and pick them apart.

"We had an interior line with no experience, no pass rush, and VanderKelen had all day to throw," said Bedsole. "We got tired...and it got dark."

In the fourth quarter, VanderKelen completed eight of 10 passes to orchestrate a long drive, resulting in a 13-yard strike to Lou Holland. A Wilson fumble gave Wisconsin the ball on the USC 29. VanderKelen followed with another quick scoring strike. Suddenly 42-14 was 42-28 and nerves were twitching.

Wisconsin held. VanderKelen struck again, only to have Willie Brown intercept him in the end zone. It looked to be over, but USC got thrown for a safety. Two points to the Badgers and their ball, trailing 42-30. VanderKelen led them back, hitting Pat Richter to make it 42-37. Two minutes remained.

The Trojans just barely managed to hold onto the football and run out the clock. Afterwards, there was some accusation about Big 10 officials failing to call Wisconsin for holding during VanderKelen's drives. As it was, the game was marred by penalties throughout, as well as fistfights and general bad sportsmanship.

In the locker room, USC filed in silently, with their heads down. It was quite an unreal scene for a team that had just finished a perfect season, clinching the national title.

"Get your heads up," McKay told them.

When Bedsole teamed with VanderKelen on the Minnesota Vikings, the former Badger star confessed that it was only because McKay had called off the dogs that Wisconsin had a chance to get back in it.

"You could have scored 50 or 60 points on our defense," he told Bedsole.

When a reporter asked Brown what happened, the Trojan star replied testily, "We won, that's what happened."

"We came in number one," McKay assessed. "They came in number two and lost. That makes us number one."

The 1963 Rose Bowl was a turning point in the modern development of football. The NFL was still playing a ground-oriented game, resulting in low-scoring defensive struggles. The new AFL was opening up the game, led by genius offensive minds like Oakland's Al Davis, Dallas's (then Kansas City's) Hank Stram, and San Diego's Sid Gilman.

The USC-Wisconsin shootout was the college version of the AFL long before anybody called it the "West Coast offense." While Wisconsin's passing schemes were new, so too were McKay's formations on both sides of the ball.

"John started the I formation and made it popular; he revolutionized the game," said former Arkansas coach Frank Broyles on _The History of USC Football_ DVD.

"The 'monster defense' was made up by Frank Broyles at the University of Arkansas," said McKay, "and it always had what we call in the terminology a 'strong safety' up one side or the other on the wide side of field. I said we should get a formation shift away from it and run to the weak side of the defense, which we did in 1962. We won 11 games and won the national championship. In all honesty our guys taught me more about it than anybody else. Our tailback said, 'Put me farther back, I can see better.' "

"Almost everybody on that team was from California," said Levy. "We spent almost no money on recruiting. No one was from out of state, but that group was a pleasure and we had some super athletes, it wasn't by accident."

"We weren't in the Top 20, we were unrated," said Fertig. "We beat Duke 14-0, beat Hayden Fry, I scored my first touchdown against a young Hayden Fry. We beat UCLA 14-3 to set ourselves up and we still have one other game against Notre Dame, and we beat 'em 25-0, and what a thrill it was to go to the Rose Bowl."

"We had given up 54 points in 11 games," said McKay. "So I said after we scored three or four touchdowns, I said, 'This game's over.' We get ahead 42-14."

"John calls me over to the sideline," said Bedsole. "He said, 'Go and tell Pete to run the ball and let's just run the clock out and not embarrass their coach. Milt Groom was a nice guy he'd known a long time. It backfired and before we know it, they were throwing on every down. They abandoned their offense and we're chasing 'em down."

"One thing that disturbs me is that you'd think from reading articles that Wisconsin won the game, but we beat 'em up for three quarters and totally controlled the game," Beathard said. "But yes, in the fourth quarter we were trying to get on the bus and go to the post-game party."

"For 40 years I had to live with the fact that we won but people remember Wisconsin coming back, but we in fact won," said Bedsole. "If we did to them what we were capable of, I think the '62 team would be considered one of the best of all time, not just the team that started the John McKay era."

The oddity of the game was its juxtaposition with the rest of the season. Here was a team that had played conservatively, winning low-scoring games with great defense. Suddenly, they found themselves opening up on offense, but their defense (albeit beset by injuries, penalties and ejections) was a sieve.

The press made a big deal over USC's first national championship since 1939, and first unbeaten season since 1932, especially in light of the fact that Dr. Topping had upgraded the admissions standards. After the "payola" scandals of the 1950s, a decision had been made to increase USC's academic prestige and not place so much emphasis on sports. Interestingly, this decision would presage the school's all-time greatest sports era, which was a nice testament to college athletics, or at least to the way USC handles it.

McKay had struggled with Clark's recruits. He had fully integrated his program with black players, earning the nation's respect as a recruiter and tactician. He also earned himself a nice contract renewal with a raise. Furthermore, McKay's jaunty personality, which fell on deaf ears when the team struggled, now made him a quipster and press favorite.

McKay was lauded for finding position for his players; for recruiting for athleticism, not by position. Washington and UCLA also were strong. The scandal was now a thing of the distant past. UCLA had beaten Ohio State earlier in the season. Three West Coast teams ranked in the top eight at one point in the season. Wisconsin held the number two position in the final polls. Bedsole and linebacker Damon Bame made All-American.

The junior Bedsole had come to SC out of Pierce J.C. in the Valley. Nicknamed "Prince Hal," Bedsole played for the Minnesota Vikings. Bame was another junior college transfer, from Glendale Community College. He was a two-time All-American left guard-linebacker at 5-11, 192 pounds.

Jim Bates was picked by the Bears, Wilson to the Rams, Mike Bundra to the Lions and Marinovich to the Rams in the NFL Draft. In the AFL Draft, Frank Buncom, Bates and Wilson went to the Chargers, and Ben Charles to the Bills.

****

1962 was an interesting year in sports and history. Aside from the successful rocket launches at Cape Canaveral, Florida, which included John Glenn's multiple revolutions around the Earth followed by a harrowing return through the atmosphere with a damaged heat shield. The Cuban Missile Crisis had made sports seem unimportant for a couple of October weeks, while elevating President John F. Kennedy to heroic status. The man he had beaten in 1960, Richard Nixon, lost the California gubernatorial election to Pat Brown. Afterwards, Nixon told a press briefing at the Beverly Hills Hotel, "Gentlemen, this is my last press conference."

The Green Bay Packers dominated the NFL with a 13-1 record under Vince Lombardi and quarterback Bart Starr. Los Angeles was baseball-crazy that year. The Dodgers moved into Chavez Ravine, breaking the all-time attendance record previously held by the 1948 Cleveland Indians.

The Dodgers looked to be surefire winners, but suffered a bad last week, allowing San Francisco to catch them in a best-of-three play-off. After a come-from-behind victory at Dodger Stadium, the Giants lost a thrilling seven-game World Series to the New York Yankees.

The expansion Los Angeles Angels had come into the league in 1961, playing their games at the minor league facility, Wrigley Field. In 1962, the Angels rented Dodger Stadium from the Dodgers (they would move to Anaheim in 1966). The Angels were led by a colorful cast of Hollywood characters, led by the irrepressible playboy southpaw, Bo Belinsky. They made a run at the Yankees until September.

Local sportswriters like Jim Murray, Mal Florence, Alan Malamud, Bob Oates, John Hall and Bud "The Steamer" Furillo made the _L.A. Times_ and other papers fun to read. The nature of sports in Los Angeles had taken a turn for the better. Certainly, USC was no longer the only game in town. The city was now a world class venue, billing itself as the "sports capitol of the world" with two big league clubs, plus the Lakers joining the Rams, USC and UCLA in competition for what appeared to be inexhaustible sports dollars. Los Angelenos may be front runners, but when their teams are in front they run to the ballparks in record fashion.

Fertig-to-Sherman adds to the tradition of Troy

The 1963 Trojans entered the season ranked number one. They were up to their old tricks again on defense in a 14-0 shutout at Colorado. An embarrassing Coliseum crowd of 39,354 saw Bud Wilkinson, fielding a great Oklahoma Sooner team again, bring USC's winning streak to an end, 17-12. McKay's desire to play soft schedules never came about. No season exemplified this more than in 1963. After beating Michigan State, Southern California traveled to South Bend. Coach Hugh Devore's Irish were down, but they scored a huge upset of the defending national champs, 17-14, Number four Ohio State came to town and lost 32-3 before the conference schedule opened up.

UCLA came into the 1963 City Game with a 2-7 record. They were no match for Trojan sophomore tailback Mike Garrett, who rushed for 119 yards in a 26-6 rout. USC finished the year 7-3, second in league play. Texas won the national championship under Darrel Royal. USC finished 16th.

In 1963, Bill Nelsen was drafted by Pittsburgh and Lynn Reade by Cleveland. Nelsen eventually ended up at Cleveland, too, where he had a creditable professional career. He took the Browns to the 1969 NFL Play-Offs, where they succumbed to Joe Kapp and Minnesota. He was forced to retire early because he had what were described as "glass knees."

In 1965, Beathard was a first round selection of the Detroit Lions, followed by Bedsole (second round, Minnesota), Willie Brown (third round, Los Angeles) and Theo Viltz (Dallas). In the AFL Draft, Beathard was the first round pick of the Houston Oilers, who he signed with. Beathard was a top quarterback on good Oilers teams in the 1960s. Gary Kilmer and Brown were selected by San Diego. The Chiefs picked Bedsole. Oakland selected Mike Giers.

A couple of miles from USC, the Dodgers made history when thy swept the 1963 World Series from the Yankees behind Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. The football season was marred by the terrible tragedy of President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas on November 22. The odd role of sports in society came into focus again. On the one hand, it is a "just a game," trivial of pursuit in light of wars and tragedy. On the other hand, it is a great escape from those realities.

1964 would prove to be memorable, yet bittersweet. The Trojan quarterback was Craig Fertig, a senior out of Huntington Park High School. Fertig is a colorful figure in Trojan history who would go on to become an assistant coach under McKay; a head coach at Oregon State; a longtime Fox Sports football analyst with Tom Kelly; a fixture on the alumni banquet circuit; and the host of USC campus tours. He is, in many ways, the "face" of USC.

Fertig was always a guy who liked to have fun, enjoyed partying, and had an eye for the ladies.

"Lemme tell ya the difference between the Cal quarterback and the SC quarterback," Fertig remarked, referencing All-American Golden Bear signal caller Craig Morton, a contemporary who also enjoyed a good time. "Well, he had a girlfriend, a really beautiful girl from Santa Monica, a cheerleader. Well lemme tell ya, the SC quarterback was takin' care of that, if ya know what I mean."

Fertig had waited his turn while Beathard and Nelsen were draped in the glory of a national title. The 1964 schedule was grueling again. A disappointing 39,173 showed up at the Coliseum to see Southern California beat Colorado, 21-0, but USC shocked number two Oklahoma, 40-14 at Tinker Field in Norman. Elevated from unranked to number two, the Trojans could not figure out who they were. Michigan State beat them, 17-7 at East Lansing. Texas A&M fell, 31-7, but number two Ohio State dominated them, 17-0 at Columbus.

They beat Cal but lost to Washington. After beating Stanford they went into the last two games with a shot at the Rose Bowl. Garrett rushed for 181 yards, and Fertig passed for three scores to lead Southern California over UCLA, 34-13.

The stage was set for the anointing of Notre Dame's expected national championship on November 28. The Irish had not captured the crown since 1949. The 1950s and early '60s had been down years in South Bend, although they had given USC all they could handle. But Northwestern's Ara Parseghian took over that year. At first, little was expected of him.

The Irish quarterback was an unknown senior who had not started. John Huarte and his favorite receiver, Jack Snow, had grown up in Orange County, which is "Trojan country," but they had gone to Notre Dame. In the summers they had worked on pass routes on Orange County's beaches. In 1964 they put the practice to good use.

Notre Dame surprisingly went through their first nine games undefeated, earning them the number one ranking. Huarte was just dripping with Notre Dame polish. The best quarterback in America that year was Alabama senior Joe Willie Namath, but Namath injured his knee in the seventh game of the season. That gave Huarte the inside track to become Notre Dame's sixth Heisman Trophy winner.

Up until 1964, USC had not yet won any Heismans. By 2004, Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart would be _his school's_ sixth Heisman winner. He would also be the second from Mater Dei High School in Orange County. Huarte was Mater Dei's first. There are only two high schools in the country that have produced two Heisman winners (the other: Woodrow Wilson High of Dallas with Davey O'Brien, Tim Brown). When Leinart won the 2004 Heisman Huarte, a Southern California businessman donated his Heisman to Mater Dei for display. **When Leinart won his third (and USC's seventh) in 2005, it made Mater Dei the only school with three.** Coach Bruce Rollinson was delighted to have the unbelievable recruiting tool of multiple Heismans associated with the Monarch program. Fertig probably was hoping his nephew, Todd, would be one of those Heisman winners, but he transferred out of Mater Dei after his freshman year and never earned the trophy in his star-crossed USC career.

Huarte would also be paid an enormous bonus by the New York Titans (later Jets) of the American Football League. He would not make it in New York. The Titans would pay even more bonus dollars ($400,000) to Namath, who would make it.

But on that November day of 1964, the best quarterback in America was not Huarte, Namath, Craig Morton, or any of the other more-heralded signal callers of the year. It certainly did not look that way at first.

McKay had played it cool with the press, deferring to Parseghian, making pessimistic statements like, "Notre Dame can't be beat," that the best they could hope was to "definitely make a first down."

Notre Dame's 262-pound and 245-pound tackles could not be blocked. A pre-game steak dinner was his "last meal." It went on like that. Parshegian would not have any of it. Neither did Fertig, who was just itching to get at these guys. All that Notre Dame glamour was giving the Trojans a bad taste in their mouths.

With his team safely removed from the press, McKay outlined to his team a seemingly-odd strategy, based on using Mike Garrett between the tackles. He hoped to block down the tackles and take it to their linebackers, who he saw as their weak links. If Garrett could establish the run, then Fertig would be able to take to the air. If, if, if...

USC advance scout Mel Hein had the Irish thoroughly scouted. The unspoken understanding at USC was that the Irish were good, but a little overrated. Just being Notre Dame, they were subject to this kind of adulation. They were 14-point road favorites, a very high prediction against a good Trojan club, their biggest rival, only two years removed from a national title of their own.

McKay also knew that his reputation would be cemented on this day. Either he could beat Notre Dame or he could not. Beating them when they were ranked number one would prove his place. He had an open date after the UCLA game to prepare.

None of USC's plans or hopes appeared to amount to a hill of beans when Huarte started to shred the USC defense. He hit on 11 of 15 attempts for 176 yards in the first half. He spotted Snow for a touchdown, a field goal was good, and another drive ended with Bill Worski's run into the end zone.

Despite the 17-0 halftime deficit, Garrett had run well against Notre Dame on the inside. In the history of college football, the greatest _halftime_ coach may well be McKay. He had a serene confidence, an ability to make adjustments, a way of conveying calmness to his team that is not matched.

"Our game plan is working," he told the Trojans. "Keep doing your stuff, and we'll get some points."

In the other locker room, Parseghian told the Irish, "Just 30 minutes of football separates you from a national championship." While true, the words conveyed a sense of "running out the clock." Parseghian was one of the best coaches ever, but this kind of thinking, which was exemplified on several high-profile occasions, costs him legacy points.

What McKay wanted was an early third quarter score. Notre Dame had run their schedule with ease. McKay felt that "if we can make this thing close, they might not know how to react."

Garrett was just the tonic USC needed, opening up nice gains behind good blocking, then allowing Fertig to hit wide receiver Rod Sherman over the middle. When Garrett ran it in, the 17-7 score looked a lot different to Notre Dame than 17-0. With 83,840 Coliseum faithful exploding with pent-up emotion, they found their plans taking a turn.

It all may have gone for naught but-for a fumble by Notre Dame on the Southern California nine. Notre Dame started to press after that. Penalties went against them, including a touchdown-nullifying flag. Suddenly, they were in "prevent" mode, just hoping to hold on.

Fertig lit up the Los Angeles sky on an 82-yard drive. Fred Hill's catch made it 17-14.

"I knew we had 'em," McKay later said of his attitude at that point. "The momentum was all ours. In a situation like that, the number one rating is a fairly suffocating thing."

Huarte was unable to sustain a drive. Jack Snow's punt to Mike Garrett was returned 18 yards to the Notre Dame 35. Two minutes and 10 seconds remained. The Coliseum was awash in noise and emotion, a cacophony of sound. There are many large stadiums in America. Ohio Stadium. Michigan Stadium. South Bend, Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park. Crowds in these cities are boisterous and crazy. L.A. fans have a well-deserved reputation for being laid back. USC's backers, while loyal and among the best alumni in the world, are often well heeled and quiet compared to the crazies at Florida State, LSU or any of two dozen other venues. _However_ , with that being said, those who have experienced the Coliseum at full throttle, when all is on the line usually against Notre Dame or UCLA; these people describe a tidal wave of sound and excitement that matches if not exceeds any atmosphere in America. So it was that day in '64.

A field goal, of course, would tie. Many coaches in the days before overtime play were rightfully criticized for "playing it safe." Two years later, Parseghian would do just that against Michigan State. His career is tarnished by it. McKay never thought about ties. On this day, he further calculated that he needed a win, even though the game was not conference action, in order to sway the league into choosing his team to represent them in the Rose Bowl.

Garrett carried for nothing. Fertig called "time." McKay called Craig the "best pure passer in college football," a huge compliment for a man whose contemporaries included Morton, Huarte, Namath and Roger Staubach. Maybe McKay was a little biased, but the point is that he had confidence in the guy who was "like a son" to him.

When action resumed, Fertig nailed Fred Hill on a down-and-out pattern for 23 yards. With a first down at the Irish 17, anything could happen. For the Trojans, a field goal was not an option.

After another timeout, Fertig hit Garrett, who stopped the clock when he went out of bounds at the 15. Fertig then went for broke, appearing to have Hill in the end zone, but the receiver was ruled to have caught it out of bounds. A third down try missed, so now the world was on Fertig's shoulders. 43 seconds remained. The field goal unit was no place to be found.

Sherman told McKay he wanted to try "84-Z delay." He would split wide to the left, delay one second after the snap, sprint ahead for five steps, fake outside, then cut sharply down and across the middle. Fertig would just have to avoid a sack, trusting that his man would be where he was supposed to be.

"I watched the way their halfback reacted and I figured that I could beat him," Sherman said.

Sherman juked Tony Carey and Fertig hit him chest high. 15 yards. Touchdown. The Coliseum exploded. Sherman and Fertig would live off this moment for time immemorial.

"Beat Michigan" in the Rose Bowl was scrawled on the locker room blackboard when the team returned full of triumph. USC and Oregon State had identical conference records of 3-1.

"We beat the number one team in the country," Fertig said, "and Oregon State, God bless 'em, beat Idaho, 7-6, so they went."

News of the decision hit McKay at a post-game celebratory dinner. Silence ensued, until Jess Hill announced, "As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the rankest injustices ever perpetrated in the field of intercollegiate athletics."

Fertig the witticist tried to get up a pool so the Trojans could go to Oregon and play the Beavers.

Right guard Bill Fisk from San Gabriel High School made the 1964 All-American team. He played professional football before becoming a USC assistant coach. In the 1964 NFL Draft, Fred Hill was drafted by Philadelphia; Bob Svihus by Dallas; John Thomas by Minnesota; Mike Geirs by the New York Giants; Ed Blecksmith by Los Angeles; and Fertig by Pittsburgh.

In the 1965 AFL Draft, Oakland picked Svihus and Hill. In what was known as the AFL "red-shirt" draft, Thomas was chosen by Kansas City.

1964-65 would be a period of unrest and social change in America. Even the 1964 World Series had implications beyond the playing of the games. The St. Louis Cardinals were made up of a large group of black and Latino players. Their minority players tended to be well educated, articulate, proud and hard-nosed. Among them were Bob Gibson, Curt Flood and Bill White. They would beat the New York Yankees, who still represented the country club, pinstriped Republican Wall Street crowd of yesteryear.

John Wooden won his first two NCAA basketball championships at UCLA, ushering in a golden era in Bruin sports, and with it, the escalation of the city rivalry.

The Vietnam War started in 1964 and escalated in 1965. President Lyndon B. Johnson oversaw history-making laws, embodied by what came to be known as the "Great Society." Black America, emboldened by Dr. Martin Luther King, demanded justice in the South. The last vestige of segregation was in Dixie, where Southern colleges still fielded all-white football teams.

All was not right in the City of Angels, either. In the summer of 1965, an incident involving a white L.A.P.D. officer and a black citizen sparked a race riot on the burning hot, mean streets of Watts, an underprivileged black neighborhood just south of the Coliseum.

It would ignite a firestorm in the city, but USC would remain unscathed.

"There've been two riots in Los Angeles," John McKay said in 2000. "USC's never been damaged, because they are a major employer in the community, and have always enjoyed good relations with their neighbors."

McKay's successor, John Robinson, echoed this sentiment in a 2005 interview.

"I'd be driving in the black neighborhoods and get nothing but waves and smiles," Robinson recalled. "USC is the 'people's school' in L.A. Crowds at the Coliseum are a politician's dream: rich white alumni, local Hispanics, and blacks, all rooting for the Trojans."

CHAPTER TWELVE

MIKE GARRETT: POET-WARRIOR

USC embodies a new era and a Heisman finds a home at University Park

1962 will be looked back on as the year McKay broke the jinx and led USC to the proverbial Promised Land, but in many ways, 1965 is a demarcation point in Trojan football history. Mike Garrett was a senior that year. He was one of those great, _fast_ black athletes that McKay knew he needed in order to succeed. But Garrett's Trojan career meant more than just success on the field. He was, in a small yet significant way, a social statement. Certainly, he was a guy who had grown up rooting for UCLA because the Bruins did a better job providing opportunities for black players. However, John McKay had impressed him while recruiting the 5-9, 185-pound All-City running back from Jefferson High School.

"When McKay asked you to play for him," Garrett would later say, "you accepted."

At Jefferson, Garrett had averaged 10 yards a carry, earning prep All-America honors. He scored 37 points in on game, 32 in another and was the L.A. City Player of the Year. He also starred in track in high school, and later at USC.

Garrett and the legacy of McKay's I formation system are inextricably linked. While Garrett did not really "begin" the legacy that McKay may well have taken his greatest pride in, he is perhaps most associated with it. The conservative West Virginian was "totally race neutral," in the words of his son, J.K. McKay. Garrett loved him like a father. McKay loved him like he was J.K.'s and Richie's brother. In the wake of the Watts riots, it was a nice image for a city and a school that meant so much to that city.

Garrett was not the first black Heisman Trophy winner. Jim Brown really could have, maybe should have, won it in the mid-1950s. His Syracuse successor, Ernie Davis, had earned the statue in 1961 before tragically dying of cancer. When Garrett won it for USC, black athletes around America took notice. The press made note of the fact that Willie Wood had been a black _quarterback_ as far back as 1957-59. Black quarterbacks were all but unheard of. Minnesota had fielded one in the early 1960s, but it just _wasn't done_ except at black colleges like Grambling. The pros took those guys and turned them into defensive backs anyway. The Packers had done that with Wood, but of course there is no argument that he was a better quarterback than Bart Starr.

But black athletes in the South, who harbored no illusions that Alabama, Georgia, Texas were offering them scholarships anytime soon, saw USC and they saw opportunity. Nice weather. Good night life. An accommodating atmosphere. "Pretty girls of all races," as McKay said. Garrett's ascension was that final point in which the black athletes of Los Angeles no longer favored UCLA. It would foreshadow cataclysmic events with national implications.

Garrett himself was insecure.

"It's like you're in a dark alley, and you're running from trouble and you know you can get hurt if you get caught, so you keep running," is how he described his experiences as a running back. "I'm not chicken, though. I keep going into that alley."

Growing up on the tough streets of L.A.'s Boyle Heights, Garrett knew that his key to success would be football, but that it was a means to an end that would be the _real_ key to his success: education.

"If it hadn't been for football, I'd have been a bum," he said. Listening to tapes of a young Garrett speak, one finds this hard to believe. Even as a youthful football player, he was comfortable with the press, speaking articulately while handling himself with class. By no means did he ever give off the aura of some guy who could play sports but was out of his element in an academic atmosphere. Garrett was a guy with a social conscience and a slightly rebellious streak.

The first Super Bowl, known then as the AFL-NFL Championship Game, was held at the Coliseum in 1967. It has gone down in history as a big moment in pro football history, and one of the most well covered by the media. Old footage of the game and surrounding events survives in countless NFL Films archives. Some of that footage is of a half-dressed Kansas City Chief rookie, Mike Garrett, lamenting his team's sound thumping at the hands of Green Bay. Garrett appears to be thoughtful, gracious and conciliatory. Five years removed from Jefferson High and one year removed from USC, it is _not_ the image of a man who would ever have become "a bum."

"I had a long conversation with Garrett and Willie Brown," said former USC assistant coach Dave Levy, who had been Brown's coach at Long Beach Poly High before coming to USC. "I told them that they owed it to other black kids to make the most of the opportunity football gave them, through education, to pave the way for others."

Garrett then decided he wanted to live off-campus. He wanted to rent an apartment in Pasadena. Pasadena was the hometown of Jackie Robinson, but the city - at least the section where Garrett wanted to live - did not "rent to blacks," according to Levy. Garrett vented to his coach.

"I just told him that instead of getting mad at white people," Levy said, "he just had to stay with it, to give people a chance to change, and in time it would happen. He nodded and came to agree with that."

Garrett was also a baseball star for Rod Dedeaux's team. He would play briefly in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. At USC, he roomed with a young pitcher from Fresno named Tom Seaver. Seaver had been unrecruited out of Fresno High, so he joined the Marines, where he grew in height and in physical strength. After the Marines, with his newfound physical maturity, he had starred at Fresno City College and with the Alaska Goldpanners, earning a baseball scholarship from Rod Dedeaux.

A friendship bloomed between Seaver and Garrett, to the benefit of both. Garrett lifted weights for football. At that time, weight lifting was strictly off-limits to baseball players. Coaches said it would "bind up the muscles." Seaver was the late bloomer who developed his fast ball after all the muscle-building push-ups in the Marines. He made it to USC against long odds by working hard, and was always searching for an edge. He started to lift weights with Garrett. It built up his strength and his fast ball even more. By the time he left USC he was a top prospect who would be in the Major Leagues barely a year after signing his first pro contract.

Seaver was a highly intelligent young man with an extremely enlightened attitude towards race for the times. He went out of his way to include Garrett in his life, double dating with Mike and his future wife, Nancy. He would bring his roomie to Dodger Stadium every fifth day on his uncle's season tickets, to watch his favorite pitcher, Sandy Koufax. But as much as Seaver loved Koufax, his favorite all-time player was not a pitcher or a Dodger. It was the Braves' great slugger, Henry Aaron, a black man from Mobile, Alabama.

The friendship of Seaver, the mentoring of Dave Levy and Marv Goux, the father figure John McKay; through these experiences and associations Mike Garrett's manhood was formed. He was a man who took the team on his shoulders, too.

After USC beat Colorado, 21-0 in 1964, Garrett made a point of apologizing to his linemen for missing holes they opened for him. Garrett might have been described as a scatback because of his size, speed and moves, but he was willing to hit and run "between the tackles," which was the key to winning the 1964 Notre Dame game. In three years, Garrett rushed for an astonishing 3,221 yards, more than Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, "Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside" at Army (Glenn Davis, Doc Blanchard), or any other collegiate runner.

Garrett also caught passes for 399 yards, occasionally threw the ball (48 yards), and was a potent threat returning punts and kicks. In 1965 he rushed for 1,440 yards.

"I don't think anything is more exciting than winning the Heisman," he said. It turned Garrett into a prized rookie who weighed competing offers from the Rams, who made him their first pick, and the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL. Garrett, who had never known his father, and whose mother worked as a domestic while raising her son in a $36-per month housing project, now had the things he had always wanted but never had. Garrett, however, once said, "I didn't know then that I was poor."

Garrett made some runs that McKay said "could (not) be made, yet Mike made it." Garrett was the ultimate team player, too. There was no sense of prima donna to him. He practiced hard, exhibiting leadership qualities as befitting his role as captain. He was not USC's first black captain by any means, however. Willie Wood (1959) and Willie Brown (1962) had helped pave the way for black players like Garrett.

McKay once said that Garrett was a complete football player who would have been his best linebacker, guard, and "might have been my best quarterback" if he had been installed at those positions instead. Garrett never would have complained.

The night before the Heisman Trophy winner was to be announced, Garrett lay in bed thinking it over. The more he thought about it, the more confident he became that he deserved it. Early the next morning he got the call congratulating him from USC's sports information director.

Garrett had just the right amount of bravado. When he won the Heisman, he said that the previous black Heisman winner, Ernie Davis "was a great man." He later stated that winning it is "like winning a Pulitzer Prize. You don't have to worry about anything else once you've won that Pulitzer." But when held to 57 yards by Notre Dame, he said, "All I was thinking about was getting off the ground. That's where I was most of the time." Garrett was always thanking his linemen, a trait that Simpson learned from him.

Garrett's records would be broken by O.J., but he had broken the marks set by the likes of Morley Drury (1,163 yards in a season, 1927), Orv Mohler (career total of 2,025 rushing yards from 1930-32), and Jim Musick (219 carries from 1929-31). Garrett had 3,269 yards in total offense, eclipsing the record set by his teammate, Pete Beathard. He was described as being like trying to tackle "a bowling ball." Against UCLA in 1965 he ran for 210 yards. Like other class acts before and after him, he entered the UCLA locker room to congratulate the Bruins after they won.

"He darn near had me bawling," said UCLA's great halfback, Mel Farr.

"He's the greatest runner I've ever seen," said the Bruins' Dallas Grider. The day had been a tough one, though. Despite his yards, Garrett had coughed up the football at crucial times in the 20-16 defeat, costing Troy the Rose Bowl.

McKay was near tears himself after the game, one of his all-time low moments. Part of his disappointment was for Garrett. Garrett would be smiling, however, when he became the first California collegiate player ever to win the Heisman. From 1965 to 1970, four Californians (Garrett in '65, UCLA's Gary Beban in 1967, USC's O.J. Simpson in 1968, and Stanford's Jim Plunkett in 1970), would earn the award. All of them were products of California high schools (Garrett and Beban from Southern California, Simpson and Plunkett from the San Francisco Bay Area).

However, they were by far not the first California natives to win Heismans. Army's Glenn Davis had prepped at Bonita High School (prompting creation of the Glenn Davis Award, given annually to the best high school player in Southern California). Oregon State's Terry Baker, the 1962 recipient, was from the L.A. area. Notre Dame's John Huarte (1964) was a Mater Dei graduate. In later years, Miami's 1992 winner, Gino Torretta was from Pinole Valley High in the Bay Area. The 1994 winner was Colorado's Rashaan Salaam of Country Day School in La Jolla. 1998 Texas winner Ricky Williams was from San Diego's Patrick Henry High.

USC's succeeding Heisman winners were all Californians, too: Charles White (San Fernando), Marcus Allen (San Diego Lincoln), Carson Palmer (Rancho Santa Margarita) and Matt Leinart (Mater Dei).

The **nine Heismans** won by California college products, and the **15 Heisman Trophies** won by California natives, is just another category in which the state ranks number one by far and away. San Diego alone could boast three winners (Allen, Salaam, Williams), not to mention **2004 finalist and '05 runner-up Reggie Bush (the '06 favorite), and his San Diego Helix High teammate and '04 finalist, Alex Smith.**

Garrett's All-American and Heisman selection was certainly not new for California athletes, who had been dominating football, baseball, basketball, the Olympics and other sports since the turn of the century. But it marked an even greater escalation in the state's remarkable record, largely because black athletes were emerging now in unprecedented numbers.

Aside from Mater Dei and their **stands-by-itself three Heismans** , Long Beach Poly has produced the most All-American and professional football players, just as the state has produced the most All-Americans and pros.

When Garrett won the Heisman, he said he would invite "every one in Boyle Heights," a gritty mid-town L.A. neighborhood, to "come take a look."

"If you told me a little black kid from Boyle Heights; poor family..." said Garrett on _The History of USC Football_ DVD, "would go to the University of Southern California and wins the Heisman... I mean that's a billion to one shot...and I'll never forget after my junior year prior to my senior year, McKay says to me, 'You could win the Heisman.' As someone who followed college football his whole life, well, that meant Howard 'Hopalong' Cassady, that meant Johnny Lujack. Are you _kidding me_? And I said. 'Let's see if I could do that.' I _knew_ I could do that. And I guess that's what it means to me today, that nothing's impossible if you work for it. And put out the effort."

Garrett broke the NCAA career rushing record previously held by Ollie Matson of the University of San Francisco from 1949-51. One writer found poetic inspiration in USC's great running back tradition:

Howard Jones "Hubbard"

Went to the cupboard

To see if he had any backs

And he looked in

It was full to the brim.

Garrett had taken that tradition one step further. Using McKay's famed Student Body Right and beginning with Garrett, USC truly became "Tailback U."

After hitting .309 with seven home runs, while demonstrating excellent speed on the bases in 1966, Garrett contemplated pro baseball with two pro football offers. The prospect of playing in the minor leagues dissuaded him from baseball. The AFL-NFL bidding wars were still going on. Garrett received an incredible deal for that time from Kansas City: a $300,000 bonus over 20 years with a five-dear contract of $150,000 per season. It was enough to persuade him to leave L.A. and the established Rams, who also wanted him, for the Midwest.

His first year in pro football was momentous. Hank Stram, the Chiefs' coach, was an offensive innovator. Garrett found himself running a myriad of complex schemes behind star quarterback Len Dawson. Kansas City advanced to the first Super Bowl, held in Garrett's old stomping grounds, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Kansas City played the Packers tough for a half, but Green Bay ran away in the second half.

Garrett would rush for 1,000 yards in a season, the statistical benchmark of the 14-game era, and more than 5,000 in his career. In 1969, he and the Chiefs defeated ex-Notre Dame quarterback Daryl Lamonica and the Oakland Raiders in the AFL title game, advancing to the Super Bowl. Then they beat ex-Cal quarterback Joe Kapp and Minnesota, 23-7, for the World Championship. Unfortunately, Stram and Garrett did not get along. Garrett was injured and felt that Stram doubted his willingness to play.

Garrett left football and contemplated entering into politics, but sports was his passion. He decided to see if he had what it took in baseball. He played in the Dodgers' organization, but returned to football with the San Diego Chargers in 1971. In San Diego, Garrett created an organization to help disadvantaged children. He used his sociology degree after retirement, working with the community. He became a true seeker who read anything that had to do with "the origins of man" and the "profound" aspects of humanity.

(Of course, the Stanford and Cal people would continue to try and perpetuate the myth that USC's athletes are just a bunch of meatheads with no academic record.)

Garrett was a man inspired by the country he lived in. He saw America's landing of a man on the moon and felt that if we could do that, problems of race, poverty and pollution could be tackled. In trying to find answers, he studied the way the Mormons had created their society, and became an advocate of personal responsibility.

Garrett was elected to USC's Athletic Hall of Fame and to the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame. In 1986 he graduated from law school, and worked in the San Diego district attorney's office. In 1993, he was named USC athletic director.

It was a rocky go at first. L.A. suffered in the early 1990s from a riot and a major earthquake. The school suffered in the prestige area. John Robinson was brought back for a second coaching stint, but it did not work out. Garrett was criticized for firing the legendary Robinson by voicemail.

USC drastically improved its admissions standards and academic curriculum during Garrett's years as the A.D. In 2000, the _Princeton Review_ called USC the "School of the Year." _Time_ said it was America's "hot school," but by then it was considered an article of faith that it was a "tradeoff": great academics cannot coincide with great football teams. Trojan alumni had come to grips with this "reality." Many said they were proud of the fact that the school had shifted its priorities, becoming one of the elite academic universities in the world.

As athletic director, Garrett had to balance the world of sports with the classroom accomplishments of SC athletes. There was still pressure on him to lead a football revival. The economic benefits of a winning program would pay dividends for the school as a whole, it was argued.

There is really no other way to say it other than to just state that Garrett got lucky in 2000. Three big name college football coaches turned him down when he wanted to hire Paul Hackett's replacement. Pete Carroll was not his first choice or anybody elses. Carroll, a former NFL head coach and defensive specialist, approached Garrett. His daughter was playing volleyball for the Women of Troy at the time. His father-in-law had a master's degree from USC. His wife was from Los Angeles.

"I'd fallen in love with USC and John McKay when Sam 'Bam' Cunningham ended segregation in 1970," Carroll had been quoted in his hometown newspaper, the _Marin Independent Journal_. The 1980s comment was in relation to the 1970 USC-Alabama game that indeed had helped integrate the South.

When Carroll restored the tradition of USC football, it turned Mike Garrett into a hero in Los Angeles. Again. While Garrett had luck on his side, it is important to note Branch Rickey's words: "Luck is the residue of design."

Garrett had prepared his whole life for the athletic director's job, in terms of hard work on the field, rigorous undergraduate and post-graduate academic accomplishments, and his personal quest for wisdom. While his handling of Robinson was clumsy, he is a man of integrity, love for his alma mater, and loyalty. Good things happen to men who possess these qualities.

The 1965 Trojans repeated their 10th place ranking of 1964 (ninth in the UPI), but the 7-2-1 campaign was another bittersweet one. Ranked seventh coming in, they opened with a disappointing 20-20 tie against Minnesota. At South Bend it was all Irish, 28-7 behind Larry Conjar's four touchdown runs. The game vs. UCLA turned into one of the greatest in Bruin football history.

"If there is anything that hurts coach John McKay more than defeat," wrote Paul Zimmerman in the _Los Angeles Times_ , "it is getting beaten with the long pass. It is for this reason that he has worked his USC defense overtime this week. Gary Beban of UCLA loves to unload the big bomb on opponents."

With the Rose Bowl on the line, sophomore quarterback Beban engineered an amazing comeback from 16-6 down with four minutes left for a 20-16 UCLA win. USC fumbled five times. USC's Troy Winslow had thrown two touchdown passes. Tim Rossovich had made a field for USC, but Beban completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Dick Witcher followed by a two-point conversion to make it 16-14. An onside kick was fumbled by USC with UCLA taking control on the SC 48 with 2:39 left. Beban then nailed Kurt Altenberg with a quick strike and that was that. Despite losing the yardage war, 424-289 (Garrett rushed for 210 yards), UCLA would advance to the Rose Bowl, where they took on Bubba Smith and the Michigan State Spartans. In one of the great upsets ever, UCLA won 14-12.

After the USC game, 3,000 UCLA students took the Victory Bell to the corner of Westwood and Wilshire, where they held up traffic. Jim Murray banged the drumbeat of praise for UCLA's new coach, Tommy Prothro in the _Times._

"They never call the team the 'Red Tide,' the 'Purple Puddle,' the 'Brown Wave,' the 'Thundering Herd,' " wrote Murray. "Or any other ringing alterations selected by other schools. For one reason. Usually, UCLA was more like a 'Pink T,' or the 'Thundering Bird.' The Red Tide was coming from its nose. If the student body rose to chant 'we're number one,' they meant in chemistry - or interior decoration...

"J. Thompson Prothro changed all that... Coach Prothro took a squad that had lost six of its last seven games and had given up 147 points in five of those games. How he convinced them they could play football has to rank as the greatest snow job since 1888."

McKay was said to have harbored this one as long and as hard as any defeat in his coaching career. UCLA had hired Prothro, an elegant Southerner who wore a suit, eyeglasses, and an old-style hat. Prothro graciously entered the USC locker room to extend his hand to McKay. The press became enamored of him. He was genteel while McKay had a slight mean streak. The media would pick up on Murray's column, saying that Prothro was smarter than McKay, that he could out-coach him. This would stick in McKay's craw.

Garrett was of course an All-American. He and Bill Fisk had also been named in 1964. He had to settle for individual honors, as this was the time when it came down to the conference championship and the Rose Bowl or nothing. Seven Trojans were drafted by the NFL in 1966. Rod Sherman was a "future" selection of the Colts, meaning he could be "reserved" for after his senior year because, as a red-shirt, his class had graduated. Sherman was also a future number one pick of the Raiders. After one more year he did sign with Oakland, where he was a member of their 1967 Super Bowl team. He played for several pro teams until 1973. Sherman had taken a circuitous route to Trojan greatness. Coming out of Muir High in Pasadena (Jackie Robinson's alma mater), he played at UCLA, transferred to Pasadena City College, and then to USC. Today he runs the Trojan Fantasy Camp, which each summer gives alumni and fans a chance to mingle with past USC legends in mock "drills" and "games" revolving around night time revelry.

Jeff Smith was selected by the New York Giants, Ed King by the Packers, Denis Moore by the Lions, Homer Williams by the Rams, and Dave Moton by the Packers.

AFL picks: King (Bills) and Moore (Chiefs).

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

1966: "A BILLION CHINAMEN COULD CARE LESS WHO WON..."

Political divisions in California; McKay absorbs his worst defeat; the "gunslinger" goes for two in Pasadena

The Los Angeles Dodgers would bring ultimate glory to Los Angeles again in 1965. Sandy Koufax threw his fourth no-hitter (this time a perfect game), while compiling 26 wins, an all-time record 382 strikeouts, and his third Cy Young award in leading Los Angeles to the World Series victory over Minnesota. In 1966, the Dodgers again captured the National League pennant in a heated race with San Francisco and Pittsburgh, but fell to the youthful Baltimore Orioles in four straight in the Series. The Orioles featured Jim Palmer, at 20 the youngest pitcher ever to win a Series game when he bested Koufax. A wealthy businessman had adopted Palmer, an orphan. He grew up in luxury next door to Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and their daughter, Jamie Leigh Curtis, in Beverly Hills. He would attend USC but did not play for the Trojans.

Major political shifts took place in 1966. Three years after JFK's assassination, Lyndon Johnson's popularity began to suffer as the Vietnam War intensified. There was a draft, but most college students, particularly athletes, were able to avoid it. Pro players were able to serve in Reserve or National Guard units without being shipped to Southeast Asia. Richard Nixon, now a Wall Street lawyer, also made fact-finding missions to Vietnam. His critique of the war made him a viable alternative in the eyes of many for the 1968 Presidential election. He campaigned relentlessly for Republican candidates, and the GOP swept to big wins in the '66 mid-terms.

In California, the traditionally conservative citizenry was getting fed up with protests at Cal-Berkeley and other campuses. USC remained quiet, as it would throughout the war. Promising to get tough with the "Communist elements" fomenting student revolution, the former actor Ronald Reagan emerged as the Republican gubernatorial candidate against Pat Brown.

Reagan had played college football and broken into Hollywood via a broadcasting stint for the Chicago Cubs. He had portrayed Notre Dame's vainglorious George Gipp, the 1919 Irish hero who, _according to Rockne_ , had told the coach on his deathbed, "One day, Coach, when the boys are up against it, tell 'em to win just one for the Gipper."

When Army had his "boys up against it," Rockne pulled the fabricated story out of his you-know-where. With a leprechaun's luck Notre Dame rallied to win, thus immortalizing Gipp!

Reagan would win in a landslide in 1966. As everybody who knew him well also knew, he was a tremendous USC football fan, not Notre Dame's. In 1989, when Craig Fertig's nephew, Todd Marinovich, led Troy to a come-from-behind 17-16 win over Washington State, this author was standing with Marinovich when he got a phone call...from former President Reagan.

"Nancy and I are just great fans of the Trojans," Reagan said to the stunned red-shirt freshman.

Also in 1966, USC's film school took shape, upgrading from a low-key set of classes to intense, highly specialized training for a career in the motion picture industry. Dr. Norman Topping had set out to increase the school's academic visibility eight years earlier. He had succeeded.

In the 1960s, four colleges emerged as great film schools. In New York, that was Columbia and NYU, where a young Martin Scorsese would hire young Harvey Keitel and young Robert De Niro for his student film, _Whose That Knockin' At My Door?_

In Los Angeles, the film schools were UCLA and USC. Over at Westwood, the approach was more theoretical. Eventually, the drama program and film school would collaborate so directors could learn how to work with actors, thus effectuating contacts. Francis Ford Coppola met a handsome young man named Jim Morrison in their film school. Morrison dropped out and hooked up with another UCLA film student, Ray Manzarek, to form The Doors. Coppola would be influenced by his music. "The End", which bookends _Apocalypse Now_ , is one of the most famed movie songs ever.

Meanwhile over at USC, the approach was more practical, with an emphasis on production; raising the money and dealing with the real-life obstacles of getting movies made. A tall, handsome young actor came out of USC in 1966. Tom Selleck also played baseball, basketball and volleyball. George Lucas and John Milius hooked up there, too. Lucas hailed from the Central Valley. He longed to make a film that paid homage to his youth, and in 1973 _American Graffiti_ did just that. Milius was an L.A. native whose right wing conservative gun culture opinions would run him afoul of Hollywood's liberal establishment. He forged a successful career anyway, penning the screenplays for _Dirty Harry_ and _Magnum Force_ , then directing _Red Dawn._

The two L.A. film schools often collaborated unofficially. Coppola, Lucas and Milius befriended each other and another filmmaker who had to go to Long Beach State because USC denied him admission. His name was Steven Spielberg. The Coppola/Lucas/Milius trio came up with an idea, mostly Milius's, which was based on his friendship with Green Berets and Army Rangers: go to Vietnam with actors and a script, and film a war film with a real war in the background. For some strange reason the Department of Defense denied their request, so they took the project to the Philippines. _Apocalypse Now_ debuted in 1979 with the signature handprints of Bruin and Trojan filmmakers and rock stars all over it.

The connection between Hollywood and USC also played itself out at the 1966 season opener at Austin, when John "Duke" Wayne showed up the night before. To refresh the story, Wayne was filming _War Wagon_ in Texas with Bruce Cabot. An L.A. sportswriter confronted Duke in the hotel bar, and after telling him, "You ain' _s--t_ ," a fight was broken up. After drinking all night, Nick Pappas arranged for him to speak to the team the next day. Wayne's make-up man died, apparently of alcohol poisoning, during the night. Craig Fertig was "assigned" to Duke. He had him "looking good" in a black suit with a white 10-gallon cowboy hat and boots...with spurs?

Duke had spoken to the Trojans. Then while Fertig's father, "Chief" Fertig, poured whisky into his cup while they toured the stadium in a golf cart, Duke had said, "f--k the 'Horns" while flashing the "hook 'em Horns" sign.

All of this drama seemed to befit a school from Hollywood that seemed to play the most dramatic football games in America, to boot. The game with Texas was dramatic, too, although arguably less so than the hi-jinx and melancholia that occurred in the 24 hours that preceded it.

Before the game, Arkansas coach Frank Broyles posed a challenge.

"You can't run into the middle of Texas," he had stated.

"Yes, I can," said McKay, who indeed had run into the middle of Notre Dame two years earlier. He did not have Mike Garrett this time around, but between a well-balanced offense and an airtight defense, McKay's Trojans would get the best of Texas. For a number of weeks, they looked to have a chance of challenging Alabama, Notre Dame and Michigan State for the national championship.

Alabama was calling itself the "back-to-back national champions" with a strong shot at a three-peat behind sophomore quarterback Kenny Stabler in 1966. In 1964 they had indeed run the regular season table, 10-0, but the 21-17 loss to Texas in the Orange Bowl makes the "national championship" moniker run hollow.

If USC could make it to Pasadena, they would not get a shot at another title contender, Michigan State. The Big 10 still held to the "no repeat" rule. They would have their chance at Notre Dame, and of course Texas right here in their stadium. It was another year in which McKay's desire for a soft schedule was no place to be found. Aside from the Longhorns and Irish, Wisconsin and Clemson awaited them in a year in which UCLA and the conference also promised to be strong. Still, the Trojans had every anticipation that it would be their fans yelling, "We're number one!" at season's end.

First, of course, there was Texas. With a riot averted, a fight broken up, the ambulance called, the make-up man headed to the morgue, Duke standing like a living monument on the sidelines (presumably with Chief keeping the bottle at the ready), and an exhausted Craig Fertig just glad to be there, the Trojans now were faced with stopping "Super Bill" Bradley.

Texas is a state that treats its high school football heroes as if they are pagan idols. In the 1950s, Ken Hall, the "Sugarland Express" from...Sugarland High, set every high school rushing and scoring record on the books. He was so good that 30 years later, _Sports Illustrated_ did a huge remembrance of him, calling him "the greatest high school football player of all time." Perhaps it was the "S.I. curse" in reverse, but Hall had not lived up to the hype. He had played for Bear Bryant at Texas A&M, and was one of the famed "Junction Boys." He was, in fact, one of those guys who skipped the fence. Later, Bryant said he was better than Aggie Heisman winner John David Crow, and that he had been wrong for being so harsh on those kids. He regretted having pushed Ken Hall away, although Hall would win an NFL title with Johnny Unitas and the 1958 Baltimore Colts.

Texas sportswriters had apparently not learned the "Ken Hall lesson." They still liked to make a "big Texas whoop-de-doo" when some new prep phenom showed up with a lot of "bells and whistles."

"Super Bill" Bradley, as the moniker suggests (and he is not to be confused with New York Knick star and later New Jersey Senator "Dollar Bill" Bradley) had more than enough "bells and whistles." This Bill Bradley broad-jumped 23 feet, could dunk a basketball with either hand, and was a switch-hitter in baseball with a standing $40,000 offer from the Detroit Tigers. He was ambidextrous, could throw and kick with either hand _or foot_ , and further was said to be able to think on the left and right side of his brain.

In 1966, he was a sophomore, the "next Doak Walker." McKay was amused at the hype. He knew he had the best high school athletes in the world performing within a 50-mile radius of his place of business. L.A. area prepsters did not get this kind of attention, and in the coach's mind, for good reason.

A national TV audience tuned in to see the Texas _wunderkind_ , but on this hot, muggy September Saturday they saw USC rise to the occasion and win 10-6. It is impressive that Duke Wayne was still awake at the end. What is more impressive was USC's growing reputation as a team that could travel into the South with black players and, against long odds, hang a lickin' on the best that Dixie had to offer. The 1966 contest was furtherance of the C.R. Roberts game a decade earlier. It foreshadowed Sam "Bam" Cunningham's historic effort four years later at Legion Field.

Bradley had shown poise, for sure, but in the annals of Texas football history he is no Ken Hall, not to mention James Street or Steve "Woo Woo" Worster. The real hero of the game was USC's commanding defense, which "all but ran the Longhorns out to the LBJ ranch," according to one pundit.

"When they brought it out from their goal line, ramming it right at us and kept it for eight minutes, they proved they deserved to win," said Texas coach Darrell Royal of USC's winning drive.

Afterwards Wayne, still looking like a celluloid superstar with his black suit, cowboy hat and brown paper bag made his way into the USC locker room. He was presented the game ball.

"When, really, did anyone ever get the best of John Wayne?" one writer surmised.

Victories over Wisconsin, Oregon State, Washington, Stanford and Clemson had the Trojans up to 6-0, ranked number five, and thinking about all the things an undefeated Trojan football team thinks about. While their defense had been solid, it would not hold up, though. The offense had been patched together. There were no Craig Fertigs, Pete Beathards or Bill Nelsens. There was most certainly no Mike Garrett.

The seventh game was against an up-and-coming program. Football in the state of Florida was exploding in the 1960s. Florida State had actually been an all-girls school until the early 1950s. They brought in boys and formed a football team. One of their first recruits was Burt Reynolds, who liked the idea of being outnumbered by women some 1,000 to one.

Florida would emerge as a national power, and in 1966 quarterback Steve Spurrier would win the Heisman Trophy. The third school was Miami, an urban college with similarities to USC: good weather, big city, attractive nightlife, and a famous home stadium that also housed a pro franchise. Miami made everybody sit up and take notice when they ended Southern California's undefeated dreams, 10-7 before 51,156 at the Orange Bowl.

81,980 showed up to see USC and UCLA. The seventh-ranked Trojans were eight-point favorites over number eight UCLA. The reason for the underdog role was Gary Beban's broken ankle. Backup Norman Dow made his first-ever start. Dow scored a touchdown on a third quarter keeper. After USC evened things up, Dow engineered a drive with less than 10 minutes remaining. McKay warned over and over against the reverse, so that was precisely what UCLA used when Cornell Champion ran it in from 21 yards out. That was it. 14-7, Bruins.

7,000 UCLAans attended a Monday rally to honor the senior Dow and his mates. Officially USC's record gave them the conference championship and the Rose Bowl, a reversal of their bad fortune when Oregon State had gotten the 1964 nod. The news hit the celebrating students like a ton of breaks.

"I'm honored to be on such a gutty team," Dow told the crowd.

A popular description of the team emerged: "gutty little Bruins." Of course, USC fans have always used another word that starts with "s" and ends with "y" as _their_ appellation. One of those "gutty little Bruins" was Terry Donahue, their future coach.

Dow enjoyed his "15 minutes of fame." It earned him a spot on the popular 1960s TV show, _The Dating Game._ Pretty UCLA coeds formed his three choices. He chose the one who said that he was "my hero" for beating Southern Cal.

A man's got to derive some benefits from the student-athlete experience.

The next week would be a game that, to quote Franklin Roosevelt, "would live in infamy" for Trojan fans. It would be a smashing victory for Notre Dame, but the expression, "be careful what you wish for" applies. In winning the way they did, they ignited a fire under John McKay and the University of Southern California. It would cost them dearly. It was a turning point in the rivalry and in the history of USC football. It marked a demarcation point in which the Trojans would catch up with the Irish in terms of their all-time position in the hierarchy of the college game; then, after taking some considerable steps backward, charge forward as never before and overtake them. In the Darwinian world of collegiate football, Southern California would emerge as the fittest of the survivors, but in 1966 that theory seemed a long way off.

A lot of pent-up emotions went into the 1966 USC-Notre Dame match-up. The Trojans' stirring 20-17 win of 1964 still hung heavy on Notre Dame. The 21-point win over USC in 1965 was not enough. Having a national title snatched from their grasp at the end of the game on a desperation fourth down toss had tested all of their Catholic forbearance.

Notre Dame was coming off the "game of the century." This is a title that could apply to many college football games. The 1931 USC-Notre Dame. The 1946 Notre Dame-Army game. In later years, the 1969 Texas-Arkansas, 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma, 1988 USC-Notre Dame, and 2005 USC-Oklahoma (Orange Bowl) games had the right build up, but not always the appropriate on-field competitiveness.

As the 1966 season had developed, with USC losing to Miami and UCLA, the three remaining contenders for the top spot were Notre Dame, Michigan State and Alabama. The whole scenario was fraught with social and historical implications. Alabama, of course, was calling themselves "back-to-back national champs," apparently hoping the country had amnesia and possessed no knowledge of their 1965 Orange Bowl loss to Texas. That may have been their right, by virtue of polls taken before bowl games, but no self-respecting college football team considers itself a true champ unless they win the bowl. It would be like the team with the best regular season record in Major League baseball losing in the World Series, then calling themselves the "World Champions." The 1954 Cleveland Indians World Champions. The 1969 Baltimore Orioles World Champions. Not. Either way, there was considerable non-Southern sentiment to vote against the Crimson Tide.

"Folks get tired of people winnin' too much," ex-Alabama assistant coach Jack Rutledge recalled.

But the racial angle hung over them, too. Alabama was not just segregated; they were a state university in a state that was run by George Wallace, a man _L.A. Times_ sportswriter Jeff Prugh dubbed the "merchant of venom." Wallace had vowed "never to be out-n------d again" after losing to John Patterson in the 1958 gubernatorial campaign. Changing his theme to "segregation now, segregation forever," Wallace indeed won in 1962. In 1963 he made his celebrated "stand at the schoolhouse door" to block two students from becoming the first black students in University of Alabama history.

One year earlier, President John F. Kennedy had gone backwards and forwards with Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett over the entrance of James Meredith at Ole Miss, but Mississippi was not in the limelight like Alabama was. Dr. Martin Luther King had chosen media centers in Alabama - Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery - over the rural backwaters of Mississippi, as his staging ground for the civil rights movement. What America saw was Alabama in its most exposed state. Dr. King had been jailed in Birmingham. He had marched on Selma. Riots had ensued in Montgomery, all with national camera crews delivering searing images of racist white cops, barking police dogs, rubber truncheons, and firehoses. An appalled American North watched in righteous indignation.

Bear Bryant's football team was so... _classy_ , but they were white, white, white. Most of the pollsters were indeed Northerners who looked upon the South with a sense of superiority. As the so-called "poll bowls," the important season-ending rivalry games approached, 'Bama's position in American society was part of the equation. It was an obstacle for them, but it was not insurmountable. They also had one advantage, which was that they would go to the Sugar Bowl against Nebraska, while neither Notre Dame (by virtue of school policy) and Michigan State (because of the "no repeat" rule) would be bowling.

Assessing Bear Bryant and Alabama's place in collegiate football history is a tricky business. Alabama fans are as touchy about this subject as a jilted bride. Bear is an icon, a god to them. 'Bama football is religion. On paper, they have few peers. Statistically, Bryant's team was the best of the 1960s and '70s, the two decades of Bear's greatest impact. Their supporters point to this as proof positive that they were the unquestioned, superior team of the land for 20 years. In the subjective world of "whose number one?" they consider their national titles, their undefeated and once-defeated seasons, their overall record, as the Holy Grail, the Word which cannot be argued with.

But there are chinks in the armor, and not just the fact that two of their national championships are tarred by bowl defeats. Certainly there are no USC fans who sit around arguing that the 1968 Trojans were the "national champions" that year because they were unbeaten going into the Rose Bowl game. They lost to Ohio State, and that was that. Distinguishing between legitimate sports analysis and "liberal bias," when the subject is Alabama in the 1960s, is a hard separation to make. "Liberal enemy number one" in Alabama, circa 1965-66, was Jim Murray.

Murray was considered the best sportswriter of his generation. Many think he is the best who ever lived. He was a Connecticut native with a sense for social pathos. He had come up through Hollywood, where he covered Marilyn Monroe and star attractions of the 1950s for _Time_ magazine. He approached _Time-Life_ legend Henry Luce about a magazine with lots of pictures and short, easy prose about celebrities. Luce told him nobody would read such a thing. When _People_ magazine was eventually launched, Murray received no credit much less compensation.

In 1961 Murray took over a column for the _Los Angeles Times_. Just as Dr. Topping had decided to turn USC into a top academic institution in the 1960s, so too did _Times'_ publisher Otis Chandler. Hiring and empowering Murray was the first big step in accomplishing the task of creating a world-class newspaper on par with the _New York Times_ and the _Washington Post_.

Murray quickly rose in national prominence, his work syndicated and read with great influence from coast to coast. In the days before ESPN, cable and the Internet, Murray was the king of sports media.

The day after 'Bama lost in the Orange Bowl, as they were limping back to Tuscaloosa with the lame duck "national title" drooped around their necks, Murray's January 1965 column was a biting one:

Ha!

"National" champion of what? The Confederacy.

This team hasn't poked its head above the Mason-Dixon Line since Appomattox. They've almost NEVER played a Big 10 team. One measly game with Wisconsin back in 1928 is all I can find. They lost.

This team wins with the Front-Of-The-Bus championship every year - largely with Pennsylvania quarterbacks. How can you win a "national" championship playing in a closet? How can you get to be "number one" if you don't play anybody but your kinfolks? How do you know whether these guys are kicking over baby carriages or slaying dragons...?

...You can't be "numero uno" in the bullring slaughtering cows. They have to be certified bulls and they have to fight back. When 'Bama beats these, THEN we'll give them the ears and throw flowers in the ring. Until then, don't make me laugh.

It is does not take a great deal of knowledge about the persecution/inferiority complex of white Southerners of this era to know that Murray's column was met with about as much praise as the Emancipation Proclamation. It would not be the last time he would wound these people.

What Southerners of today say in defense of Murray's theme, which was entirely true insofar as it related to the regional nature of the Tide's schedule, especially when compared to USC and UCLA - national teams who played everybody anywhere and had been doing it for a long time - is this: the Tide did eventually integrate, they did eventually open up and play a national schedule, and their record did not get worse. It got better.

So there.

In making the argument that McKay's Trojans were the better team of the era, it is important to make note of this fact. For the most part, giving the edge to the Trojans (or Notre Dame, another mighty contender) is a matter of extolling their virtues, not putting down the Tide. There is little to put down on the field. But a couple of distinctions make the difference.

The first is the belabored fact that USC was the integrated team playing the tougher schedule, which is not a small factor. The second is that USC earned two Heismans, and Alabama none. The third is that USC had more pro players and more All-Americans. When everything else is fairly equal, all of this combined is the closer.

As for the press, Murray was of course not the only one. Red Smith of the _New York Times_ was just as influential, perhaps even more widely read. He had no great love for what Alabama stood for in those days.

Allen Barra, an Alabama native and respected sportswriter, called Murray's comments "cheap shots with one legitimate punch" in his 2005 biography, _The Last Coach: The Life and Times of Paul "Bear" Bryant._ Barra correctly pointed out that Alabama regularly traveled to the Rose Bowl in the 1920s, '30s and '40s, laying some very good West Coast teams out to waste. Barra stated that those West Coast teams were "just as segregated" as Alabama, which is not true. The West Coast teams were almost all white, but the racial climate in the West was so much better that it is not worth commenting on. There _were_ scattered black players, including some superstars, on various USC, UCLA and other teams.

Barra did demonstrate that Bryant's team had beaten an integrated Oklahoma team in the 1963 Orange Bowl. Murray would have quibbled that OU was more _South_ than _Western_ , and not exactly color-blind. Bud Wilkinson is a pioneer of football opportunity for blacks in a part of the world that is much less hospitable to them than L.A. or San Francisco. The game, of course, was not played north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

It is also true that most teams did not travel out of their regions much in those days. Airplane travel was a bit more complicated. Schools were stricter about students missing class. The TV money had not yet made it quite as big a business as it later became. But a look at USC's schedule shows that they indeed did travel. They had played Southern teams on the road for many years by the mid-1960s. The USC-Notre Dame and Big 10-PCC rivalry alone simply made inter-sectional play common for the teams in these conferences. Notre Dame traveled even more, of course, as they were an independent.

With Notre Dame and Michigan State ranked one and two in 1966, Alabama fans hoped for a tie in the era before overtime. The Irish had a huge challenge: Michigan State at East Lansing and USC at the Coliseum.

The teams met up at Spartan Stadium on national TV, but the sight of black stars - particularly Michigan State lineman Bubba Smith and quarterback Jimmy Raye - could not help remind people that justice was being served in Michigan but not in 'Bama.

Notre Dame had the edge over everybody going in. America was just ready to anoint them as the "kings of college football" two years earlier, until Craig Fertig & Co. had gone to work on that. This team was back, much superior to the '64 club that had essentially fooled their way past everybody. The 1966 Irish are regarded as one of the great college teams ever assembled. Sophomore quarterback Terry Hanratty was injury prone but spectacular, a much better passer than Huarte. Running backs Bob Gladieux and Larry Conjar were cut out of the "old school cloth"; bruisers. Center George Goeddeke was an All-American. Jim Seymour and Nick Eddy were potent offensive weapons.

Halfback Rocky Bleir was as tough as nails. He would serve in Vietnam, where he was wounded. In the military hospital where he was about to undergo surgery, the doctor told him he was a USC man who had seen him beat his Trojans. The SC doctor's assurance that he would take care of him was lived up to. Bleir's surgery was successful. He rehabilitated, and made it to the NFL for a successful career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

USC running back Rod McNeill was an L.A. area high school kid in 1966, but Notre Dame made quite an impression on him. Noting the names - Gladieux, Goeddeke, Rocky Bleir - they sounded and looked like gladiators.

"To me, those were the names, Eastern European names," said McNeill, "that meant 'football players'...tough guys you didn't mess with."

They were just that. 17 years had past since their last national title. The writers wanted to see them do it again. Aside from the Northern bias against Alabama, of course, there was the ever-present threat of the "Catholic vote."

"The Pope's team" would get the vote of Catholic sportswriters in the East. In a close call it would make the difference. Everybody knew it. They would have to be beaten in order to have it taken from them.

Michigan State was just as tough. Smith and George Webster anchored one of the most dominating defenses in history. The Spartans jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but Notre Dame rallied to tie it. The teams then settled into a conservative defensive struggle, resembling armies lobbing bombs at each over "No Man's Land" in the trench warfare of World War I France. Unlike the Great War, when the Americans at the Argonne pulled the military version of the long touchdown drive to win the war, no such bold moves were attempted by Michigan State coach Duffy Daugherty or Parseghian.

The difference between Parseghian and John McKay would be made obvious on several occasions, with McKay getting the better of the comparison by virtue of his willingness to go for courage over timidity, boldness or blandness, winning over tying. Parseghian's weak-kneed efforts at East Lansing in 1966 would tarnish his reputation and legacy. It was controversial and would reverberate from Los Angeles to Tuscaloosa and all points in between.

The Irish got the ball in their own territory with less than two minutes to play. Parseghian ran it into the line, making no effort to mount a drive and a make try at the game-winning field goal. He had the "Catholic vote" in the back of his mind. According to his calculations he just needed to run out the clock not only in this game but in the national championship race.

The Michigan State people felt that such a cowardly act should not be rewarded. Of course, the fact that they were right did not mean it would happen. Alabama had gotten just what they thought they needed. A clear winner with neither of the other teams bowl-bound would leave them as "lame ducks" on New Year's. But _now_...

Now they could say, with a Sugar Bowl victory over Nebraska, they would be unbeaten, untied and bowl victorious. It would erase the 1964 illegitimacy. Very likely this scenario would have played itself out exactly in this manner if not for the events of November 26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

88,520 crossed the turnstiles to see the battered but Rose Bowl-bound Trojans take on the behemoths of South Bend, the "best of the East vs. the best of the West," as Marv Goux referred to this game. On this day, the "best of the West" was probably sitting at home in Westwood.

Hanratty was injured, watching from crutches on the sidelines. His replacement, Coley O'Brien, was up to the task.

"The Irish lit into unlucky USC with such force it was hard to see how they could have been any better," read the game summary. "Coley O'Brien threw passes long and short all over Memorial Coliseum. End Jim Seymour caught 11 - two for touchdowns - and Nick Eddy and Larry Conjar pounded through the shocked Trojans. Net result: 255 yards passing, 206 rushing, 31 first downs and a 51-0 slaughter."

It was two points worse than the 49-0 1948 Rose Bowl loss to Michigan. Six different Irish players scored, three on passes by O'Brien. Southern California, wishing Mike Garrett was not playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, was held to minus 12 first half rushing yards and 46 in all.

"Well, USC will show up in the Rose Bowl January 2 all right, but first we'll have to put 'em in a sack for you," wrote one biting columnist.

"It may take a while to find all the pieces. When Notre Dame got through with them they looked like a watch that had been dropped from the Empire State Building.

"This Notre Dame can't play in states that ban capital punishment.

"USC made lots of mistakes, not the least of which was showing up. To show you how bad things were its mascot quit in the third quarter.

"Notre Dame used to win one for the Gipper. It is now winning one for Old United Press. USC scored a moral victory in holding the Irish scoreless during half time.

"Of course, the Trojans - who won the Rose Bowl bid even though they had to be revived to be told - had spent all week being told how bad they were until they vowed to do something about it. They did. They confirmed it."

"That's the best college football team I've ever see," said McKay in a statement that may have been the clincher.

The voters had a lot to think about. Beating USC 51-0 was just too much to ignore, especially in Los Angeles. Notre Dame got the nod. Of course without going to a bowl game, that clinched it for them.

What is telling, however, is the fact that both the AP and the UPI picked Michigan State number two, despite their tie (and no bowl game) over Alabama, who behind the great Kenny Stabler took care of an _integrated_ Nebraska Cornhusker squad in the New Orleans Sugar Bowl (which is still not north of the Mason-Dixon Line). This was a testament to how good everybody really thought Notre Dame was.

Of course, the polls were a source of great controversy. Almost nobody could find a lot good to say about them. The creation of the United Press International poll in 1950 had muddied the waters. The writers voted in the UPI, the coaches in the AP. This was a dynamic in and of itself. Popular coaches (like Bear Bryant) could benefit. Regional voting was epidemic. The SEC voted for the SEC; the Pacific Coast Conference (the AAWU for a few years in between the PCC and the Pac 8) voted for itself. The Big 10 liked the Big 10. Etc., etc.

There was the very real possibility of split national champions. There were polls that made their final vote prior to the bowls, but this practice was somewhat random; sometimes the final vote was before, sometimes after. It was not until the mid-1970s that both stuck to and stayed with the after-New Year's bowl vote policy.

But the problem had gotten worse in the 1960s. The bowl games were major spectacles, with huge crowds and student bodies chanting, "We're number one!" after victories. TV and the media had upped the ante. What seemed as obvious then as it is today was the need for a play-off. If Michigan State, Notre Dame and Alabama played each other in elimination games, it would have been a donnybrook. Naturally, the question of seeding would have been critical, but Ara playing first for a tie then running up the score on his rival would not have been necessary.

The success of the basketball Final Four, otherwise known as "March Madness," and in recent years the College World Series, would seemingly spur the NCAA into going for a January play-off, but the school presidents are no closer to this solution now than in 1967.

Three years later, the poll situation was at issue again. Texas beat Arkansas in the next "game of the century," then beat Notre Dame in their first bowl appearance since 1925, at the Cotton Bowl. President Richard Nixon had attended the Arkansas game in Fayetteville. He stunned a lot of people by "announcing" that Darrell Royal's Longhorns were the national champions.

Beating Notre Dame had seemingly clinched it, but Penn State was unbeaten and untied _for the second year in a row._ Despite a 30-game winning streak, coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions had to settle for second in the AP and UPI polls. This time, the so-called "Eastern bias" worked against Penn State; many felt Eastern football was below the standards of the West, the Midwest and the South. In 1968, despite finishing unbeaten, Penn State had finished behind once-beaten, once-tied USC in the UPI poll.

What is a further interesting dichotomy is that Texas, a Southern school, had won in a poll over an Eastern school. In fact another Southern team, once-beaten Arkansas, had placed third ahead of unbeaten Southern California in the UPI poll. What is interesting about this, of course, is that Texas (and Arkansas) were both all white. This takes away a little bit of Alabama's argument that the 1966 vote had been based strictly on the segregation issue. Texas would be the last all-white national champion in college football history. Wilbur Jackson would break the "color barrier" at 'Bama, Roosevelt Leaks at Texas.

According to Jim Perry, who co-wrote _McKay: A Coach's Story_ , the USC boss took the 51-0 loss _hard_. It is said that he vowed never to lose to Notre Dame again, but this is not entirely accurate. He stated he would never be beaten in that manner again. McKay watched the game film at his home late every night for the next year, along with the 1965 20-16 loss to UCLA. He had a sensitive side. His sarcasm was cover for that. He was a moody man, perhaps even clinically depressed, but he was of the old school, the one that says "shake it off," "suck it up," and "bite the bullet."

McKay heard what people said. He had the horses (and not just their mascot), but was being _out-coached_ by Tommy Prothro, maybe even by Ara Parseghian. He would take it personally and go back to the drawing board, but before any of that he still had to get his team ready for the Rose Bowl vs. Purdue.

USC dealt with a great deal of criticism. They had of course lost to UCLA, but snuck in on nothing more than a technicality, really. They had played one more conference game, and that alone was the deciding factor despite the fact that they were 7-3 and the Bruins a sterling 9-1. However, it seemed "fair" only in comparison to how they had been jaked out of the 1965 Rose Bowl despite the amazing comeback over the Irish.

Their opponent, Purdue, was no football power. They produced great engineers, including (like USC) astronauts. Gus Grissom, one of the original Mercury astronauts who died in a tragic launching pad fire, earned his Master's degree from there. But brainiacs were not the only thing coming out of West Lafayette, Indiana. They had entered into one of if not the best periods in the school's grid history.

Nevertheless, like the Trojans they were a lame duck, having finished second in their conference behind Michigan State. The press dubbed it the "Vindication Game." In many ways it lived up to that billing. The Trojans entered the contest at a decided disadvantage, with nine players declared ineligible because of a failure to transfer the necessary 48 credits from junior colleges. End Ron Drake (52 catches) and safety Mike Battle, a sparkplug, were their most important losses.

"I don't pay attention to the press because they don't pay attention to me," lied McKay, still smarting from the Notre Dame fiasco, when asked to comment on the "second class status" of the game. "I know I'm angry about it all and I hope the players are, too. I expect a great game from them."

What was not "second class" was Purdue's quarterback, Bob Griese. He was significantly better than anybody at USC, Notre Dame or Michigan State. He, Florida's Steve Spurrier (the Heisman recipient) and Alabama's Kenny Stabler were the greatest talents in college football. 100,807 fans showed up with high expectations.

"Without Bob Griese, well, we just wouldn't be here," said Boilermaker coach Jack Mollenkopf.

Griese is of course remembered for quarterbacking the Miami Dolphins to an undefeated season in 1972, but the future NFL Hall of Famer was a Frank Gifford-type throwback who punted, kicked and ran like a halfback.

Griese led Purdue on two touchdown drives, with fullback Percy Williams bulling in for both scores. Don McCall made a second quarter Southern California touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Troy Winslow hit Rod Sherman (who had been drafted but would not sign until season's end), for a 34-yard gain, but they were unable to get it in once they entered the "red zone." Some miscues on both sides followed. With two and a half minutes to play, trailing 14-7, Winslow passed to Sherman for a 19-yard touchdown. Now the anti-Parsheghian, McKay, made the bold gamble to go for two.

"We had no thought of playing for a tie," said McKay. "Even if we had tied it up, Purdue could have worked Griese's short passes to the sidelines after we kicked off, and they could have moved within short range of a field goal."

Sherman Lawrence and Ray Cahill lined up right on the two-point try. Sherman and Cahill criss-crossed in the end zone. Lawrence then veered right. Winslow made a good throw, but Purdue's George Catavolos saw it develop and made the interception.

Catavolos told the media that he knew USC "couldn't run on us," and that his play was made possible by the other defender, John Charles, interrupting the best pass catcher, Sherman.

Lawrence said Catavolos's interception was a major surprise. He saw the ball right into his hands, but the Boilermaker snatched it almost out of his hands.

"John McKay, the old black-jack player, hit 13 and broke in the Rose Bowl," wrote Bud Furillo in the _L.A. Herald Examiner._

"McKay reasserted the old credo that if a man must go, he should go with honor," wrote the _Herald Examiner's_ Mel Durslag.

"The Trojans died with their boots on and their guns out...let the record show that the Trojans bet the hand, and walked out the swinging doors like John Wayne," wrote Jim Murray in the _Times_. "They showed up for the shoot-out."

"Well, things haven't changed much in 3,000 years," another reporter chimed in, apparently in reference to _Catavolos_. "The Greeks are still beating the Trojans."

"In 1960 against TCU we went for two points and lost 7-6," McKay recalled. "At Iowa in 1961 we went for two points and lost, 35-34. Against Pittsburgh in 1961 we went for two points and lost, 10-9.

"If we lose, my assistants get the blame," he laughed. "If we win, I get the credit. I haven't much credit lately."

Jack Mollenkopf said he devised his offensive schemes based on McKay's appearance at a 1962 coaching clinic. Purdue went to the I formation after that.

"McKay didn't win today," another reporter stated, "but credit must go to a man who feels that honorable defeat is not too high a price to pay for a shot at undying glory."

USC finished 18th in the UPI rankings. Nate Shaw, a fast, under-appreciated defensive back out of Lincoln High and San Diego City College, earned All-American honors in 1966. He went on to play for the great 1969 Ram team that lost a frozen December Play-Off game to Joe Kapp's Vikings in Minnesota. For six years he was on the SC coaching staff (1980-86).

In the 1967 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh chose Ray May. Don McCall went to New Orleans. Detroit selected big Jerry Hayhoe, while Jerry Homan was a choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

JUICE

The glory days of O.J. Simpson

What is there to say about Orenthal James "O.J." Simpson: Trojan legend, NFL record-breaker, Hollywood celebrity, infamous "criminal": that has not already been said!?

O.J. is one of those people in American society who is instantly recognizable by his first name - as in _Michael_ Jordan - or by his initials, as in his case. That is the way it was when he was a mere college junior. The familiarity reflected nothing but a positive glow on this American icon for decades; until June 13, 1994.

O.J. is at once a source of some, if not the greatest, pride in the history of USC sports. For that very reason, his fall from grace caused great anguish, embarrassment and public humiliation for the school that made him and then suffered because of him. O.J.'s murder accusation and subsequent trial came on the heels of the L.A. riots (1992) and a major earthquake in Northridge (1994). USC's football team had fallen into mediocrity. A stray bullet from a drive-by shooting that struck a player (injuring him but not seriously) in practice just added to the feeling that the paint was peeling on the school and the city.

Opposing schools taunted USC with card tricks, chants, slogans, "mug shot" posters and marching band routines all spun around the theme of Troy's greatest hero being a man capable of double homicide. His tragedy is an American Shakespeare tale, that of a poor black kid who gets _everything_ , then has to settle into a long twi-light zone of public humiliation and hatred.

However, O.J.'s effect on America is even worse than his effect on his alma mater. His trial revealed schisms in American racial relations that pulled the veneer of California moderation, in concert with the horrendous Rodney King beating and subsequent black reaction to its aftermath. USC has recovered from O.J. The school turned itself into an elite academic institution. Just when people thought such an accomplishment could only be done at the expense of football, they proved that theory wrong, as Notre Dame and a small handful of others have done. Too many great memories and gigantic accomplishments have since been performed on the fields of strife in front of too many people for the Stanford's, the Cal's or any other comparable unimpressives to bring up O.J. in the halftime P.R. wars.

But the racial climate, one that O.J. was so much a part of - the smiling kid from San Francisco's Potrero Hill, arm in arm with black and white teammates at USC and in Buffalo - which forged the path towards the 1970 USC-Alabama game that changed a nation; that climate was found to be a façade of sorts. Just as the 1970 USC Trojans who went in to Birmingham to foil the segregated Tide was not racially harmonious after all, neither was Los Angeles, California and points east.

Simpson is, outside of John Wayne, probably USC's most famous athlete. He held that "title" before and after his wife's murder. One can argue who is most famous among USC alumni: filmmaker George Lucas, astronaut Neil Armstrong, General Norman Schwarzkopf, director Ron Howard, former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, newsman Sam Donaldson, or athletes of great fame like Simpson, Frank Gifford, Tom Seaver, and now incredibly, Matt Leinart.

O.J.'s story began on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco. He grew up in the projects that connect Potrero Hill, Hunter's Point and Candlestick Point. Blacks had moved in to San Francisco to work the shipyards that extend from Candlestick Point, where the 49ers current stadium is, to points northward along the industrial bayshore. This is the unglamorous part of San Francisco, covering about six or seven miles to the China Basin. "Dirty Harry" Callahan was also investigating a grisly crime scene in these neighborhoods in the successful Clint Eastwood franchise, a brainchild of USC's John Milius.

Today, SBC Park (or whatever corporation has paid for the rights), the Giants' glittering ballyard, has created bright lights and nightlife in China Basin, but the building of Candlestick Park never did bring glamour to Simpson's neighborhood. No hint of it exists to this day. Factories, slaughterhouses, dangerous bars and gang activity mark the windswept neighborhoods of the Bayview. In these neighborhoods, young O.J. grew up and often got into trouble.

His father came in and out of his life, a troubled man beset by personal demons. He was never a real factor. O.J.'s mother was a typical black matriarch of the Great Society, holding together a family through work, faith and welfare checks. She had a sister who brainstormed the exotic name Orenthal James, but her own kids were all Stewart, Stanley or Pam. Simpson ran in a gang, but in those days "gangs" were semi-tough street football teams that did a little robbery on the side. Nothing serious by today's Uzi standards. O.J. did learn how to defend himself. He also learned qualities of leadership, since the others looked to him for "direction," misguided as it may have been at that time.

His buddy since childhood was Al Cowlings; a big, tall man, a follower of O.J. who idolized him. He would do anything for him. O.J. was a great athlete, good looking, smooth with the ladies. He could talk himself out of scrapes with the law. The local Boys Club, a few unsung black elders who coached teams, and sports in general, gave Simpson and Cowlings direction.

They ended up at Galileo High School, across town in the prosperous Marina District, next to the famed North Beach neighborhoods where Joe DiMaggio and the great Italian-American baseball stars of San Francisco grew up by the bushel. Galileo offered O.J. a chance to get a decent high school education in a good environment, but it was a trade-off. The high schools near his house had more blacks, and thus better teams, but his mom wanted him to be safe, not sorry.

Galileo had at one time been one of America's great sports high schools, but The City had lost its prep sports glow by the time O.J. arrived on the scene. The Irish and Italian families were all moving to Marin County or the peninsula. In their place were Oriental families.

When O.J. and Cowlings went out for football at Gal, they discovered that many of their teammates were indeed Oriental. They made great mathematicians and scientists. They matriculated in enormous numbers to the University of California-Berkeley, across the bay. They could not block for O.J. Simpson worth a lick.

Scouts were impressed by O.J. at Gal. He had size and speed, but he was not yet the talent that he would become. His teams were mediocre and so too were his grades. College feelers were put out, but O.J. was too raw to secure real commitments.

City College of San Francisco, located on a bluff overlooking a working class neighborhood that was home to the Cow Palace, where Barry Goldwater had accepted the 1964 Republican Presidential nomination, "recruited" O.J. They had no reputation in the unheralded world of junior college football. Fullerton J.C. in Orange County was strong. A few other L.A.-area J.C.'s., and the central valley, too, took their juco football seriously, but City College was an unlikely place to develop a dynasty. Certainly, the depleted talent level of The City's high school programs did not offer any kind of pipeline.

_However_ , The City itself was a recruiting tool. Kids from all over the state, indeed all over the country, who were not quite good enough to get scholarships to four-year schools, were enticed by the prospect of a year or two in an exciting West Coast city. Today, CCSF has firmly established itself as the greatest junior college football program of all time. It is possible that they never would have gotten off the ground in their efforts had it not been for O.J. Simpson.

O.J. broke every single juco rushing and scoring record on the books as a freshman at CCSF. He literally ran wild. He was the finest junior college athlete ever. He carried his team to the state title, and in the winter of 1965-66 was America's most highly recruited, sought-after athlete. He also had terrible grades. Combined with his academic non-performance at Galileo, O.J. was just not able to transfer as an academically eligible scholarship athlete to any major school.

Marv Goux spent his freshman year all but living with O.J. Three year earlier, when USC had beaten Wisconsin in the 1963 Rose Bowl, O.J. had watched the game on TV. He had fallen in love with everything about the school; the Cardinal and Gold colors shining through on a new color television set, the bright-eyed students in a sun-splashed Rose Bowl on a day in which much of America shivers. He loved John McKay's I formation, the explosive new offensive sets that produced 42 points. He loved the horse Traveler, USC's mascot, a magnificent stallion ridden by a rider dressed as a Trojan warrior, sword in hand, who would circle the stadium in triumph whenever Troy scored, which was often.

Goux did not have to sell O.J., but the grade issue was a problem. He would have to stay at CCSF and pick up an Associate in Arts degree if he hoped to gain admittance to Southern California.

O.J. chafed to get away from home, to play against older, better players, to test himself. Idaho State stepped forward and told him that they would waive their academic requirements so he come out and play. So, too, did Arizona State and Utah. O.J. was ready to go. He even packed his bags. Goux got wind of it. He immediately took off for the airport and the next flight to San Francisco.

He caught O.J. in time, told him that good things come to those who wait, and that the University of Southern California was a thing worth waiting for. O.J. agreed with Goux.

The USC coaches "talked me into holding out for the big time," he said. "That is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me, even if I did have to spend another year going to junior college."

But after the coach left O.J. wavered. He was counseled by a group of "wise men" at CCSF that included school president Louis "Dutch" Conlan and a former prep track coaching legend, now a lawyer and business law instructor at City College, named Donald E. Travers. These influences helped convince O.J. to play one more year of junior college ball.

In that year, 1966, O.J. again led City College to an oddly-named Prune Bowl victory, a state title, and a mythical national championship. He broke all of his freshman records. Having completed another year of school with improved grades, he now was recruited by everybody with a pulse. It was, however, a _fait accompli_ that he would be a Trojan.

O.J. moved to L.A. with his girlfriend, Marguerite, who he would marry while still in school. To the long-time denizens of Los Angeles, when asked who has presented the greatest thrills, varied answers range from "Kirk Gibson's homer in the World Series"; to the assorted basketball heroics of Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal; to John Wooden's Bruins; along with many other storied teams, players, and events. But most people tend to speak about two players: Sandy Koufax of the Dodgers and O.J. Simpson of the Trojans.

O.J. performed during turbulent times. The Vietnam War raged, the Middle East was in conflict, the nation was being torn apart. But USC sailed on calm waters. O.J. was asked questions as if his athletic prowess made him an expert, but his wide smile and quick wit served him well. When asked his opinions about the Middle East, he said that he had only been to Detroit once.

When he carried the football 42 times, McKay was questioned about it.

"The ball's not heavy," McKay drawled, "and he's not in a union."

It was a more personable variation on Paul Brown's theory regarding Jim Brown.

"When you have a big gun," said Coach Brown, "you shoot it."

"If you don't have O.J. carrying 35 to 40 times a game," said McKay, "it would be like having Joe DiMaggio on your team and only letting him go to bat once a game."

"He was big, six-twoish, lean, and ran a legit nine-four in the 100- _yard_ dash, he was a national class sprinter, a smart runner, durable," said Levy on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "You can't ask for more."

"It's no wonder he fit perfectly in McKay's I fomation, carrying 30 to 40 times a game, and he was fabulous," said Garrett.

Out of the I formation, Simpson was a whirling dervish who had everything. At 6-2, 207 pounds, he possessed enough size, strength and attitude to bowl defenders over in Brown's fashion, but he was faster than Brown, with incredible moves both between the tackles and in the open field. Against UCLA he managed to carry four Bruins on his back for the better part of 10 yards into the end zone. Simpson's all-time play was called "22-23 blast." It was a quick opener, like most of McKay's schemes not fancy, based on his speedy finding of the hole. He averaged 32 carries per game over two years and dealt with pain, but he was tough as nails. He also perfected the art of the slow recovery after the tackle.

Simpson would act like a man on his last legs, meandering on back to the huddle as if unable to walk another step. It was half-real, half-fake. When the next play started, though, he was off to the races.

Simpson led USC to the 1967 national championship. He finished behind UCLA quarterback Gary Beban in the Heisman Trophy balloting, but that was a joke. Beban was a senior and Simpson a junior college transfer, but Simpson stood so far head and shoulders above Beban that it should not have been close.

He won the Heisman in 1968, set national records for yards gained in a season (1,880 in 1968) and in a career (3,540, more than any three- or four-year careers prior to his). He scored 36 touchdowns.

Simpson was an Olympic-quality sprinter on USC's national championship track team, running a spectacular 9.4 100-yard dash. By the time he left, the media was strongly recommending that in the 100 years that college football had been played through the 1968 season, O.J. was the greatest player who had ever lived. This of course took into consideration such stalwarts as Jim Thorpe of Carlisle, Red Grange of Illinois, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis of Army, Doak Walker of Southern Methodist, Billy Cannon of Louisiana State, Roger Staubach of Navy, or a host of other contenders. He was the future of football, the new breed, something never quite seen before.

Opposing players were in awe of his ability but had only praise for his demeanor. He congratulated opponents on good hits, called them by their first names, never spiked the ball, never got in people's "faces."

Sportswriters were equally impressed. Many stated simply that he was the "nicest," the "most gracious" and the "easiest to talk to" of any athlete they ever dealt with. Simpson gave of his time, whether the writer was with the _Los Angeles Times_ , _Sports Illustrated_ , or the student newspaper of that week's opponent. Despite having grown up in a ghetto, Simpson quickly belied questions of his intelligence, which had been raised because of his mediocre high school grades.

Simpson displayed intellect, articulation and ease of language. He showed humility and intelligence on a wide range of subject matter. It was a complete reversal of the caricature that USC's detractors had made of him coming in. It dispelled all the myths about his character.

When Simpson won the Heisman, he went above and beyond the call of duty in praising his teammates, his coaches, and above all else, his _linemen!_

"I want to emphasize that this is a team award, and the guys on the team won it as much or more than I did," Simpson said at his news conference. This is a truer statement than many people realize. The Heisman is very much a team award, and is won by a program. Credit is due even to that school's sports information department. It is much less individualistic in nature than the professional Most Valuable Player awards. The Heisman is a major factor in upgrading a program's prestige among the press, recruits and the historians judging their place in the pantheon of greatness.

When O.J. was at USC, his initials became a catch-phrase. A popular chain of orange juice stores came into being. They made a tasty concoction of oranges and ice cream, calling it "Orange Julius." It quickly was shortened by patrons to "O.J." Whether the store was named after the player or the player was named after the store is a bit confusing to this day, but the "Juice" part stuck. Simpson occasionally signed his autographs "O. Jay Simpson," but newspaper headlines quickly threw in the "Juice" appellation when describing USC's winning ways.

Despite O.J.'s physical stature, he had been sickly as a young boy because he lacked calcium in his bones, possibly suffering from rickets. Another great African-American athlete of the era, Cardinal pitching ace Bob Gibson, had dealt with similar disabilities as a kid, but both men had grown to the heights of physical greatness.

It is important to note the importance of sports among black kids, which gets to the heart of why integrating Southern colleges became so important. In O.J.'s case, having grown up near Candlestick Park, he gravitated towards the Giants, a team in the early 160s known for having excellent black and Latino stars. O.J.'s idol was the great center fielder, Willie Mays. Mays would give of his time to the young black kids hanging around the park. O.J. was one of them.

O.J. had the good fortune of getting good advice. His coach at Galileo, Larry McInerny, talked him into believing he could play college football instead of joining the Army.

"You'll never get anywhere letting people give you stuff," people told him, and O.J. took it to heart.

When O.J. starred at CCSF, Mays got involved.

"You have an unusual talent," he told the kid.

O.J. rushed for 2,552 yards and 54 touchdowns (national records) at City College. He carried 17 times for 304 yards against San Jose City College, with scoring runs of 73, 58, 14, 88, and 16 yards, plus 27 on a pass play!

Goux was straight with him. Despite his talents, Goux did not fawn all over him as so many recruiters do. He recognized O.J. had a sense of pride about his ability to fend for himself, developed on the streets but nurtured by coaches along the way. Goux told him he would have to earn his chance to play at USC. The program recruited superstars from all over the country. Rumor has it that one player from Texas was as talented as O.J., but did not have his drive. According to the story, McKay spotted him picking daisies during an on-field team meeting. The kid, who by then saw that O.J. was the "the man," was quickly gone from the scene.

O.J. enjoyed "straight talk," not being "jived to." Goux was the king of straight talk.

Regarding other schools, "They were offering me everything in the world," he recalled. "I'd get this and that, be first string, everything. But Marv Goux, an assistant at USC, made it clear."

"We aren't going to offer you a darned thing," Goux told him. "We'll give you the chance to play for Southern Cal and become a Trojan. I watched you play and if you want you can star there. But you'll have to work. You're the one who has to make it your own way."

O.J. liked what he heard and "when I got there, the fellows I met impressed me. All of them were All-Americans."

"When he first got here and ran inside," said McKay, "he fumbled too often." O.J. was not used to the hot Southern California sun after growing up in foggy San Francisco. He later recalled practices under McKay and Goux as resembling a Marine training camp.

"Two guys held big, five-foot-long bags," Simpson later said. "They gave you a stiff belt as you took off. You banged through with power. Another big bag was about two yards away. Now you must turn light-footed. They then threw heavy air bags at your feet and knees. You learned to hit, elude, and make moves on the defensive backs."

"He kept at and at it, as if to say: 'This is where I am going to make my name,' " said McKay. What McKay and his staff were successful in doing was turning O.J. from a strictly broken-field runner to a power back who could hit the holes.

A 49-0 win over Washington State marked O.J.'s entry into big-time collegiate football.

Simpson's second game had national championship implications when 67,705 came to the Coliseum to watch a night game against the fifth-ranked Texas Longhorns. Texas wanted revenge, for the 1966 loss in Austin and perhaps even for the C.R. Roberts 44-20 game of 1956. Prior to the game, McKay got more involved than the usual impassive, sit-in-the-cart role he normally played. McKay the perfectionist began to see that "perfection," such as it is, could be attained. He pushed the players and his staff hard.

McKay uncharacteristically engaged players on the practice field, shaming some, kicking them off the field for their "failures" to "show" him anything. "Super Bill" Bradley was back. Tailback Chris Gilbert gave McKay cause to worry.

McKay could not help but get excited over what he saw in Simpson. He favorably compared his young tailback to the Bears' Gale Sayers, an unreal act of hyperbole that had the added virtue of being true. McKay told it like he saw it.

"Simpson is the fastest big man who has ever played football," McKay added. "There are some guys for whom they have made up times, but who never could achieve them if they were tested. Simpson is legitimate. "

Of Ron Yary, McKay said he was "as good as I've ever seen," and at 6-6, 255 pounds Yary was a monster of the day.

McKay switched his psychology on and off each day during the week of the Texas game. He praised and cajoled, yelled and screamed. On Friday night, he switched gears and stated that Texas was "far better." Then he followed that up by stating that while nobody was _supposed_ to run on Texas, that was precisely his intention. It was a replay of his reply to Frank Broyles's comment that "you can't run on Texas."

"Yes I will," was still McKay's mantra.

Texas arrived at the Coliseum like a Noreaster, full of bluster and wind. They scored first but USC, led by O.J., struck back to tie it up. It was 7-7 at the half. McKay, the ultimate halftime coach, went to the blackboard and diagramed a more open second half approach utilizing the amazing speed of wideout Earl McCullough, an Olympic-caliber sprinter. First, quarterback Steve Sogge (subbing for the injured Toby Page) drew Texas in with short passes to the tight ends. McCullough could either be thrown to or made into a decoy. Then, what to do about Simpson? George Patton used to exhort his officers during battle to, "Hold 'm by the nose then kick 'em in the ass." McKay had a similar attitude: "You ran in. They could hardly walk in. Now's the time to put it to them."

It was too much for the Longhorns to handle. Rossovich began to penetrate the Texas line, putting pressure on the Texas backfield. Mike Battle was on their receivers. Sogge was efficient.

O.J. was outstanding, carrying 30 times for 164 yards in a stirring 17-13 Trojan win.

"I doubt if there is a back with more ability than Simpson in the country," said Texas coach Darrell Royal afterwards.

In a 30-0 pasting of Stanford, Simpson ran for 163 yards. USC was now ranked first.

"Winning the number one spot was in the back of our minds," said Sogge. "Even though you don't shoot for the national championship, it's always there."

South Bend 1967: slaying the dragon

On October 14, USC played one of the most important games in its history. They had not defeated Notre Dame at South Bend since 1939, but 59,075 came out to see Simpson and the Trojans. McKay, the coach who watched game film every night for a year, had the All-American superstar he needed to throttle his great foe.

"They had talked about how USC hadn't beaten Notre Dame in South Bend in a long, long time," said Sogge. "It was a tough place to play in. Great for Notre Dame, of course. Their fans have such tremendous enthusiasm."

The 1967 USC-Notre Dame game started, and was part of, the greatest period in the inter-sectional rivalry's history. For McKay, who vowed to never be "beaten like that again," it set in motion a streak that had revisionists saying he had instead stated he "would never _let them beat us_ again."

From 1967 to his last year in 1975, McKay would only lose to Notre Dame once. That was against the 1973 national champions. Some times the games were close, some times they were blowouts. A couple were classics; games that those who saw them call the "best ever played."

McKay's successor, John Robinson, would beat Notre Dame six of his seven years. From 1967 to 1982, the Trojans only lost twice to Notre Dame. South Bend, a place of intimidation, became a place of victory. USC dominated the Irish, at home and on the road. The mystique was gone, the fear replaced by confidence and accomplishment. While Robinson deserves the credit for going 6-1, it was McKay who turned the momentum around.

By the time USC had beaten Notre Dame in 1982 for the fifth consecutive year, a rivalry that had been fairly dominated by Notre Dame was now dominated by USC, and the all-time record between the two was almost even. In the pecking order of college football supremacy, Southern California had ascended to an equal historical footing with, and possibly even was now above, Notre Dame.

But what made it all so great was the fact that USC's dominance came over Notre Dame during one of the greatest eras of _their_ football history. It included the Era of Ara, the Joe Montana years, and Dan Devine's national championship "green jersey" team. Notre Dame never went soft. They were a major power with a total shot at the national title most of those years. Both times they managed to pull off an upset over Southern Cal, they rode the wins (both in South Bend) to the national championship.

The McKay-Parsheghian years (1964-74) and the one McKay-Devine match-up, followed by the Robinson-Devine era, did more for college football than any rivalry ever. Each game was nationally televised with ratings that went through the roof. Color TV was in. The colors of the two teams; USC's Cardinal, Notre Dame's gold; sunny California, the Midwestern blue, gray October skies; pretty Trojan cheerleaders, and layer upon layer of tradition, polish, pride and mutual respect, filled the screens of America's living rooms. The game atmosphere was one like no other, with two private universities and their rich alumni bases going at it amid the pomp and glory of marching band music, student pride, and roaring, capacity crowds.

From 1964 to 1981, every game had an impact on the national title race. One or both teams was solidly in the hunt for number one when they met in 1964 (Irish), 1965 (Irish), 1966 (Irish), 1967 (USC and Notre Dame), 1968 (USC), 1969 (USC), 1970 (Notre Dame), 1971 (Notre Dame), 1972 (USC and Notre Dame), 1973 (USC and Notre Dame), 1974 (USC and Notre Dame), 1975 (USC), 1976 (USC), 1977 (Notre Dame), 1978 (USC and Notre Dame), 1979 (USC), 1980 (Notre Dame) and 1981 (USC).

Notre Dame won three national titles after beating USC (1966, 1973, 1977). USC won four after beating Notre Dame (1967, 1972, 1974, 1978). USC knocked Notre Dame out of the national title hunt in 1964, 1970, 1971, 1978 and 1980. In the 1967, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1877 and 1978 games, the winner had the inside track and, indeed, did ride it all the way in to the Promised Land.

The beat went on under Robinson and Devine. The ratings were just as hot, the implications just as high, the rivalry just as intense, the national interest at a fever pitch. The national championship was decided or on the line at the time, in one way or another, in each of the five games played between 1976 and 1981.

USC won in 1976 to give themselves a shot at number one going into the bowls. Both teams were unbeaten in 1977. When Joe Montana and the green-clad Irish won, it propelled _them_ to the title. Both teams had a shot at it in 1978 at the Coliseum. SC won and finished number one. USC won in 1979 and hoped to ride the wave to the title, but a tie forced them into the second spot. In 1980, a probation-stricken USC ended Notre Dame's title hopes.

The rivalry would become something else, in a way, after 1982. Notre Dame would run off a winning streak. The teams would play each other for number one in 1988 and both teams would still harbor national title dreams when they played in '89, but the remainder of the Lou Holtz era was all Irish. A period of stagnation would follow. The Pete Carroll era looked like a USC victory parade while the Irish struggled. The 2005 game would "wake up the echoes" from South Bend to the South Bay.

The beginning of the 1967 game marked the first of several times in which gamesmanship and team rivalries had flared in confrontation. McKay kept his team in the tunnel for six minutes as "payment" for Notre Dame letting USC stand in the rain an extra 15 minutes in 1965.

"This time," said McKay, "if Notre Dame had not gone out there first, there just wouldn't have been a game."

In later years, particularly when Lou Holtz coached the Irish, pre-game confrontations resulted in fighting. O.J. was, of course, the star but he had help. Quarterbacks Steve Sogge and Toby Page mostly handed off to him. Page had come out of Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, the "football factory" that produced Huarte, and later Leinart. Sogge was from Gardena High.

"I thought the stands would be mile high, and they would throw rocks and bottles at us." Sogge recalled of the Notre Dame experience in _The Trojans: A Story Of Southern California Football_ by Ken Rappoport _._

Notre Dame's crowds are referred to as their "12th man."

"If you were an alien from California, you felt more or less like a man at a convention of lunatics," is how one reporter described the scene in Rappoport's book.

Notre Dame is also known for its excessive rallies held the night before the game.

"On a clear night, and if the windows are open, I can hear them a half-mile away," a South Bend policemen once said. "But that's Notre Dame. I don't worry none about it."

Indeed, Irish fans are rabid but not violent, as befitting a classy institution of wealthy Christians. The question of who has the "best" fans in sports is one that has long been argued. L.A. fans, whether they are rooting for the Trojans, Bruins, Dodgers or Lakers, are laid-back. They arrive late, leave early and are made fun of. They are much better fans than many give them credit for. This is certainly shown through the sheer numbers and dollars spent in the sports marketplace, but they are not the "best" fans.

Foreign soccer fans are probably the most rabid. Brazilians, Englishmen, Germans, Argentineans...they are just plain crazy. Too crazy, as in violent, drunken, dangerous hoodlums. By no means are they the "best."

Boston Red Sox and New York Yankee fans are knowledgeable, rabid and faithful. They are among the best, but in New York particularly can get a bit ugly with the language. The family atmosphere sometimes suffers at Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium, especially on Friday nights. Chicago Cub fans are great, long-suffering enthusiasts.

Green Bay Packer fans are totally devoted. They live for their team. So, too are Dallas Cowboy supporters. Oakland Raider fans are more like a cult following, with a touch of criminality mixed in.

The Boston Celtics fans are very knowledgeable and supportive, but some of their old time black players say they could be a little on the racist side. New York Knickerbocker fans resemble 15,000 or so basketball analysts, all venting their opinions at once, in a loud manner.

The "Cameron Crazies" who come out for Duke basketball make for a terrific scene, as do the fans of Indiana, North Carolina and other powers. MacArthur Court at Oregon - "The Pit" - is said to be the loudest college basketball venue.

In college football, Michigan routinely sells out well over 100,000 seats per game. Their fans are, of course, terrific, but there is a sense of doom; their team is always good, rarely good enough. A similar attitude pervades the Ohio State crowds. The Florida-Georgia game is called the "World's Biggest Outdoor Cocktail Party." LSU fans border on being out of their minds. Alabama _lives_ for the religion of football.

The Army-Navy game? There is nothing to compare it, too. Texas high school fans? That's a story in and of itself.

But out of all these stadiums, one could make the argument that Notre Dame combines all the elements of a perfect sports atmosphere more completely than any other. Their stadium held some 59,000 people (eventually expanding to 80,000) and is sold out as a matter of ritual. They are a perfect blend of students and alumni, who fly in from all over the country, as well as coming in via train and car from nearby Chicago. The draw of the place makes it attractive and hospitable enough to attract the other team's fans, who may feel a bit intimidated but always say the experience is a great one.

October weather in South Bend is _just right_. There is none of the oppressive heat or smog that can hang over a game in Los Angeles. The people who attend these games root for their team and razz the opposition, but without the insulting vulgarity that marks the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry, or most games in the Southeastern Conference. The Notre Dame fans understand that Southern California is their biggest rival, that the two programs have each promoted the other to the top of the pyramid, and are the two greatest traditions in the land. They are knowledgeable of the game at hand and the history behind it.

Notre Dame may very well have the best fans in sports.

The night before the 1967 USC-Notre Dame game, former coach (and always legend) Frank Leahy addressed the rally. He called the student body the "best 12th man that any football team in the entire world has ever known."

"It was a scene that would have made a psychedelic love-in look like a church social," one observer said. "A Green Beret would have turned tail and run. Pregame pep rally? It was a riot."

Okay, sometimes they get a little out of control. Green, yellow and pink toilet tissue flew through the air amid sirens, horns and shouts. They wanted USC blood.

"Southern California has an astounding football team," assistant coach John Ray told the crowd. "And they've got a big back named O.J. Simpson, too. But two years ago they had a back named Mike Garrett, and he only made 22 yards here. We respect all teams here, but we fear nobody. NOBODY!"

...And the crowd went wild.

Signs and banners read:

"Garrett Juice In '65, O.J. Simpson in '67."

"Irish Love Canned O.J."

"The Headless Trojan" hung in effigy.

"Eat 'em up, Irish," they chanted.

Religious invocations were shamelessly thrown about.

"Do it again, do it again," went one chant in reference to the 51-0 beating of 1966, which was the thing that USC's coaches and players took with them, wrapped themselves around, and would use to motivate them.

The stadium on Saturday offered more of the same.

"Get A Trojan For The Gipper," read one banner. Ghosts and mysticisms worthy of Shakespeare's _Macbeth_ were called forth. The entire dynamic of the Catholic school from the Midwest vs. the glitz and glamour of Hollywood added to the atmosphere, lending itself to the "Beat L.A.!" mentality that gave Southern Cal a professional team's aura. The Trojans entering Notre Dame Stadium, as well as most stadiums in most years, were looked upon as larger than life, conquering Roman legions. The biggest, the baddest, the best. Knocking them off their pedestal was job one.

Nicknames marked the 1967 fame. Aside from "Juice" there was Earl "The Pearl" McCullough vs. Notre Dame's "Baby Boomers," Terry Hanratty and receiver Jim Seymour.

The 1962 season had put SC back on the national map. The 1964 game had intensified the rivalry. But the true nature of a great rivalry is when both teams are equally great, the best the nation has to offer. It is a great rivalry when one team can come into the other's "house" and carry the day. Despite the fact that USC had beaten Notre Dame in many a major victory at the Coliseum over the years, the losing streak in South Bend had hung over their heads long and heavy since 1939. The 1967 game ended it, and started a whole new trend.

Simpson's legend, like many of Notre Dame's opponents over the years, was made that day against the Irish. It turned him into an All-American and a Heisman contender, rare for a junior, unheard-of in a J.C. transfer. Despite the hoopla surrounding him and his team, the "intimidation factor" that is South Bend in Autumn; with "Touchdown Jesus" framed behind the goalposts, the crowd noise and the weight of 28 years of bad memories, was enough to make the Trojans the underdogs.

"Intercollegiate football's most colorful intersectional rivalry will be resumed here tomorrow on another of bizarre notes that have been the rule rather than the exception whenever Southern California and Notre Dame clash," read one Midwestern account.

"Undefeated Southern California, rated number one nationally, is a 12-point underdog. It could happen only in this computer age."

History looked to repeat itself when the Irish jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Then Simpson entered history. He rushed 38 times for 150 yards in a dominating 24-7 victory that left no doubt.

Early on, the game was tentative and dominated by hard defensive hitting. It looked to be a match between linebackers, USC's Adrian Young and Notre Dame's Bob Olson.

"The burly Trojans were just too fast, too quick and too determined," one account read. "It was a bitter defeat for Notre Dame, made almost humiliating by a genuine Irishman from Dublin, one Matthew Adrian Young. Three times he choked off Notre Dame scoring threats within the 12-yard line by intercepting passes. A fourth threat cracked up on a fumble on the four-yard line.

"In all, Young, born in Ireland and raised in California, made four of the Trojans' seven interceptions (five thrown by heralded Terry Hanratty)."  
Indeed, Young made _his_ legend that day, too. He _was_ a Dubliner by birth and a Bishop Amat Lancer by high school affiliation. The coach at Bishop Amat was Marv Marinovich's brother, Gary. The Catholic school in La Puente would later be the staging grounds for J.K. McKay, Pat Haden and John Sciarra. It was the top prep football power in California in its heyday.

Young, USC's co-captain in 1967, would earn consensus All-America honors as a 6-1, 210-pound linebacker. He played in the National Football League from 1968-73, with the Eagles, Lions and Bears.

Hanratty, who would be Terry Bradshaw's capable backup on the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl champions, spent the day clutching his helmet and throwing his hands up before Parseghian in disbelief.

O.J. had dominated the offensive side of the ball with a one-yard bulldozing through the Notre Dame line, then a 35-yard end sweep for a touchdown. His third touchdown run of three yards in the last quarter clinched it. O.J. had really broken loose in the third quarter, eliciting groans and silence from the Notre Dame faithful. Assistant coach Johnny Ray was heard muttering, "Too many yards, too many."

When O.J. broke free for a long touchdown, Ray just shouted an agonizing, _"Nooooooo!!!!"_

McKay was carried off the field by his players saying, "This is my greatest win."

"We just had better football players than Ara did and that's why we won," was McKay's blunt assessment. "Southern Cal hadn't won at Notre Dame since 1939 and I was getting awfully tired of being reminded of this."

After the game, McKay noted in his usual dry manner that at the beginning of the contest, crowd noise had resulted in several offsides penalties assessed to the Trojans. After Simpson took over and USC took command, it "had a quieting effect," he stated.

McKay would always say this was his most satisfying victory. It was the great turnaround, the dividing line, the demarcation point of the rivalry, and that first major step toward establishing the University of Southern California as a football tradition that people could look at and argue was maybe, just maybe, equal or even better than Notre Dame's. It was that little extra ingredient that their fans could point to and say, "Well, Alabama's great, and so is Oklahoma, but we play Notre Dame, we beat the Irish at their place, we win Heismans, we've got the edge."

"We had them figured," said McKay. "Our people were able to get in the right places. Hanratty was off, and we got him to throw impatiently on a few occasions."

Memories of the 16-14 victory of 1931 were stirred up. The papers revisited the comparisons in the sweet days that followed.

A classic line was uttered by Notre Dame sports publicist Roger Valdiserri, when he said, "Simpson's nickname shouldn't be 'Orange Juice.' It should be 'Oh, Jesus,' as in, 'Oh, Jesus, there he goes again.' "

"The turning point of the 1967 season was that Notre Dame game," said Sogge, who also starred on Rod Dedeaux's baseball team before becoming a catcher in the Dodger chain. "Southern Cal feels that it has to beat Notre Dame, even though it's a non-conference game. There's a tremendous amount of pride going. Everyone talks about the UCLA game, but I never held UCLA in the same esteem as Notre Dame."

Indeed, something had changed in the 1960s. The UCLA rivalry intensified under Tommy Prothro and his successors in the 1970s. The Bruins were a national power, the City Game almost always was for the Rose Bowl, and usually had national title implications, sometimes for both sides. But the 1963 Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin and the national championship that came with it had upped the ante at Troy.

The "wilderness years" in which USC had always lost at South Bend and never finished number one had lowered expectations. The Trojans had become a program that shot for the Rose Bowl and considered that their ultimate goal. Under McKay, just getting to Pasadena was no longer enough. Now, they had a whole laundry list of goals, which included beating both the Bruins and the Irish, getting to and winning the Rose Bowl, _and_ going undefeated with a national championship to top everything off. As unrealistic as these yearly goals may be, it did not take long for USC fans to consider it their "birth right." The fact is, in 1967 there were still plenty of old-timers from the Jones era who still thought it their birth right. Their influence had carried over to younger alums who had never seen Jones's teams. But McKay basically created a football Frankenstein like none other. The 1967 Notre Dame game was its power switch.

The success of the 1967 Trojans was a tremendous accomplishment for McKay. The team was ranked seventh coming in, but they had to replace 11 starting seniors while breaking in a running back and. On top of that, they had to break in not one but two quarterbacks fighting for the job. But the fact that a number of players had been ineligible for the one-point loss to Purdue in the previous year's Rose Bowl had, along with the 51-0 fiasco, created lowered expectations. O.J. very quickly had heightened those expectations.

Earl McCullough was a speedster left end out of Long Beach Poly High. Defensive end Tim Rossovich from St. Francis High in Mountain View was a terror. Defensive back Mike Battle, who had played with Fred Dryer at Lawndale High, made up for a lack of great size through sheer football attitude. He and Rossovich bordered on mental instability between the lines (and sometimes off the field). Adrian Young was an All-American. Ron Yary came out of Bellflower High School, establishing himself as one of the greatest tackles of all time. McKay did not like to play the "low expectations" game of Parseghian, Rockne and "Gloomy Gus" Henderson. He called it the way it was. While this was his natural tendency, the reality of the L.A. sports market might have played a factor. A coach at Alabama or Notre Dame could say anything and his season would be sold out ahead of time. McKay needed to build enthusiasm in order to sell tickets.

"We'll be better than last year in all ways," he had said. "Better defense, better offense, better passing, better running, better punting. What else is there?"

McKay's caveat was the treacherous schedule. USC in those days played the toughest one in America.

"It was great to have O.J., not only because he was so good, but because he was so modest," said Sogge. "We all felt very close to O.J., and we were happy that he got such publicity. We never had a morale problem. We were such a closely-knit team because O.J. was such a fine, fine person."

The national press took major attention of the Notre Dame game, calling it the "Poll Bowl." They made note of the fact that in 39 meetings since 1926, "the most important rivalry in modern college football" resulted in the winner has ending up as "the national champion in somebody's poll 14 times."

As the season went on with USC firmly ensconced at the number one position, Simpson put up the numbers and piled up the accolades. Pro scouts drooled over his power, speed and peripheral vision. He was versatile and lacked what McKay called "blinders."

"They see what's in front but can't see what's at the side," he said. "The great ones see the color and numbers of an opponent's jersey. O.J. is the only man I've known who can come back to the huddle and tell who made the key blocks."

"The USC-UCLA game is not a matter of life or death. It's more important than that."

O.J had sustained a slight injury but recovered in time for the UCLA game. In terms of college football games where everything was on the line, the 1967 City Game ranks above all other so-called "games of the century." The combination of the pre-game hype, the special circumstances, the excitement of the game itself, and the results of the season based on its outcome, makes it probably the greatest game ever played at this level. Few if any pro games match it, for that matter.

In 1949, Red Sanders had said, "The USC-UCLA game is not a matter of life or death. It's more important than that." Some would call this statement over-hype. Others, sacrilegious. The City Game is indeed one of the very best college rivalries in the country. Where does it rate?

The USC-Notre Dame game is an entirely different kind of affair. Considering the tradition and sheer importance of the game to college football history, it must rank first. After that, in no particular order, rank the USC-UCLA, Ohio State-Michigan, Nebraska-Oklahoma, Texas-Oklahoma, Alabama-Auburn and Army-Navy games.

The 2005 Orange Bowl between USC and Oklahoma matched that season's Heisman winner vs. the previous season's Heisman winner; four of the five Heisman finalists; the defending national champions, ranked number one from the pre-season on, vs. a team ranked second from the pre-season on; and both teams were unbeaten, untied, and considered two of the most storied franchises ever. It is one of the few games ever to come close to matching the pre-game bells and whistles of the '67 SC-UCLA match.

However, USC's thorough 55-19 whipping of Oklahoma ended any speculation that this would rate with the great games ever played. The 1967 City Game met all expectations and then surpassed them. The old saw is that "Hollywood couldn't write a better script." The truth is, the script at the Coliseum on November 18, 1967 was Oscar-worthy.

First, there was the Heisman campaign. Gary Beban was the pre-season favorite. As a sophomore he had engineered a stirring 14-12 "gutty little Bruin" win over Michigan State in the Rose Bowl. Now a senior, he was the perfect Heisman contender; smooth, polished, poised on and off the field. He was the epitome of what UCLA had become: first class all the way.

O.J. had entered the season a heralded junior college transfer. Heralded, for sure, but still a J.C. transfer. The idea of a J.C. transfer winning a Heisman trophy was, if not ludicrous, certainly never contemplated. In all the years since, it has never happened and no other J.C. transfer has ever even been a serious contender in his first year.

The benefit of 20/20 hindsight now sheds light on the fact that O.J. should have won the 1967 Heisman in a runaway. Juniors had won it before, but the strong predilection of voters then was to award it to a senior. The argument that says quarterbacks are more favored, and that race could have been an issue (Beban is white) do not hold up under scrutiny. Simpson had a spectacular year, but so did Beban. It was UCLA, not USC, who was ranked first in the nation coming in to the game. Beban's thunder was loud and proud!

Folks had not yet seen O.J.'s performance in two Rose Bowls, his record-breaking senior year, or his Hall of Fame pro career. In retrospect it seems impossible that a future NFL "taxi squad" player would win a prestigious award like the Heisman over a legitimate American legend. Of course, voters _did_ see what O.J. did that day, which really makes one wonder, "What were they thinking?"

**To date, USC has won seven Heisman Trophies (including Matt Leinart's two)** , tied with Notre Dame for the most of any college. The fact is, they should have nine. O.J. should have won in 1967, and Anthony Davis in 1974. Furthermore, had the "payola scandal" not hit, Jon Arnett may well have won for 1956. Ricky Bell (1976) and Rodney Peete (1988) seemed to have had a strong shot at it, but in fairness the right player won it over them both years. Peete was in fact the favorite who enhanced his chances in a similar "Heisman game" with Troy Aikman, but Barry Sanders was just too spectacular at season's end to deny him. Tony Dorsett was off the charts in 1976.

Aside from the Heisman race, the game was for the national championship. Whoever won would be number one, there was no doubt about that possibility. Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan State; the "usual suspects" of the past few years were out of the picture by November 18.

Of course, while it was "for the national championship," that really meant that it would be for the _opportunity_ to win the title, and that opportunity would come in the Rose Bowl. This meant that it was for just that...the Pacific 8 Conference title and with it the Rose Bowl, too. Then again there were all the usual nuggets of this game: city pride, bragging rights, family vs. family, brother vs. brother, husband vs. wife, office boasts, schoolyard shouts, neighborhood yelling, the whole nine yards. The closeness of two schools in the same city playing for such a thing gave it an aura _unavailable_ to any other rivalry. Even if Cal and Stanford played for such stakes (they never have), while they are close geographically within the _region_ of the San Francisco Bay Area, neither is _in_ San Francisco.

Nebraska and Oklahoma are not close. The Red River connects Oklahoma and Texas, but it is a haul from Norman to Austin. They split it in the middle: Dallas. Alabama and Auburn are in the same state, but hours apart. The fact that two teams in the same city could attract the kind of players to make both national contenders, each with Heisman favorites, says as much about the wealth of athletic talent in California and the L.A. Basin as any other statement. It also demonstrates how, if one of the programs gets the hammer over the other and gets _everybody_ , then no team in America can hope to match up with them.

At various times, this has described the situation for UCLA basketball, UCLA volleyball, USC baseball and USC track. It seemed to be the case of Pete Carroll's Trojan football team, but in 2005 UCLA demonstrated that the _residual_ talent available in the region is still good enough to compete at the highest level. But in 1967, the difference between them was as thin as dog urine on the sidewalk.

"Never in the history of college football have two teams approached the climax of a season with so much at stake," wrote Paul Zimmerman in the _Los Angeles Times._

"It was not too many years ago the Trojans owned this town," wrote Jim Murray in the _Times_ of the fact that UCLA had won eight of the preceding 14 match-ups:

Cotton Warburton, Erny Pinckert, Johnny Baker, 'Antelope Al' Kreuger, Doyle Nave, Jim Musick were heroes.

There was a time USC used to beat UCLA twice a year.

When Howard Jones left the scene momentum and the uncertainties of the war years helped conceal the fact USC's athletic program was as bankrupt as Harvard's. A succession of comic opera searches for a coach who could wear Jones' halo ended with the University hiring somebody who was standing there all the time but not before big names were tossed about.

In 1949 Red Sanders came to UCLA from Vanderbilt and proceeded to show the West how backward its coaching techniques were. He beat Southern Cal 39-0 and later a Rose Bowl-bound USC team 34-0.

USC hired its own jester type in 1960 - cherubic, cigar-smoking Johnny McKay... It was UCLA's move and they brought up Sanders' assistant, Tommy Prothro.

UCLA promptly stopped being the movable object. USC began to look on occasion as the resistible force.

They put on another one of their cobra vs. mongoose matches Saturday. UCLA's will motor eastward from a complex of soaring architecture that looks more like Camelot than a campus. Southern Cal, which has begun to cave in old buildings around its school to drown out its trolley car past, is only a short punt away. More than the Rose Bowl is at stake. The town is. The Trojans want it back.

McKay the brooder also yearned to shut up those critics who had taken to saying that UCLA coach Tommy Prothro was smarter than he was.

"Well, we pushed 'em all over the field in 1965, but we fumbled on their one, seven and 17," McKay responded to media speculation that Prothro "had his number." "I guess he planned that."

Prothro, however, was hard to dislike. He was a class act all the way. Before the game, McKay unleashed Marv Goux.

The fiery Goux urged the Trojans to "win one for John." He held up a photo of McKay, dejected as he left the field after losing the 1966 UCLA game.

"Listen, listen," Goux said in fistic rage. "The worst thing in life is to be a prisoner. Never. I would rather die. We've been prisoners to those indecencies over there for two years. Today's the day we go free."

It was almost identical to Kirk Douglas's rhetoric in front of the gladiators who he urges to initiate a slave rebellion against the Roman Empire in the Stanley Kurbick classic, _Spartacus_. This was not an accident. Goux had played one of those gladiators in the film.

Goux's speech did not center on the so-called "big issues" of Rose Bowls, Heismans and national titles. He spoke of pride in the city of Los Angeles. He hit closer to home than he would using any other tactic. McKay countered Goux by telling him that the walk back to the locker room after the game would either be the longest or the shortest of their lives.

Tommy Prothro made no effort to downplay the game's importance or his team's chances behind Beban, who he said could win using the "run, pass, fake or call." Beban was indeed an expert audibler.

"There's something about the way he manages things out there that gives everyone confidence," said UCLA fullback Rick Purdy. "You just know whatever he calls is right."

When asked, however, Beban shrugged and called himself "ordinary."

Pro scouts called him "self-assured" on the field, though. He was a "gamer," not judged by statistics but by wins and losses.

USC's first nine games had revealed that O.J. could run between the tackles, dispelling any question that he was strictly an outside breakaway threat. His pre-game comments contained glowing praise for his line.

The game this time would feature plain, old-fashioned football excellence, and none of the hi-jinx that had marked many USC-UCLA contests. No UCLA students rented a plane to strafe the USC campus with blue and gold paint. Nobody at USC sealed a UCLA sororities' doors with brick and mortar. Nobody at USC planted dynamite in the UCLA bonfire. No nuts planted a bomb under the ground of the end zone, as had happened in a previous year. On that occasion, the police had gotten wind of it and dug it up. _It_ turned out to be a _smoke_ bomb. The culprits in that case finally confessed after a yearlong investigation.

UCLA, despite having a Heisman-quality quarterback, won with swarming defense. McKay used a mathematical formula to grade out position-by-position. When he was done he saw that both teams were exactly even.

"It's gonna be a helluva game," he said. Despite UCLA having taken over the number one ranking late in the season, USC was considered a three-point favorite. The "it" factor was their tougher schedule, but the Bruins had beaten Tennessee, who would finish second in the AP poll. They had also beaten Penn State, but the Stanford game had been a narrow margin.

"We've been good when we had to," said Prothro.

"We've had to be good," McKay countered.

Despite Goux's exhortations, UCLA players demonstrated more on-field theatrics, jumping around "like thieves trapped in a corridor," according to one observer. McKay was once described as a man who watched the game looking like "a commuter waiting for the 5:15 to Larchmont." His teams reflected his businesslike demeanor on the sidelines.

90,772 packed the old stadium. They enjoyed the added bonus of beautiful November weather. A huge national TV audience got the full treatment of sun, color, and, believe it or not, that season _for the first time_ , the USC song girls. They have long been regarded the as most beautiful and classiest of college football cheerleaders. Other colleges have taken to dressing their hotties in skimpy outfits that more resemble something worn by strippers or porn stars. USC's girls wore sweaters, not bikinis. They could actually dance. Many public schools like UCLA have tended to take Affirmative Action to the next level, insisting that their cheerleaders include a girl of every race and ethnicity at the expense of sheer attractiveness, which is course what the (male) fans care about. Not at USC, where "the best girls get to dance."

In 1967, a student vote had been taken allowing for female cheerleaders to replace the worn out old male yell leaders who had long handled sideline chores. According to unconfirmed lore, USC had never gone to female cheerleaders even though they were popular at high school and college sporting events long before 1967. A wealthy donor had given handsomely to the school under the proviso that the only women allowed on the field would be band members.

Whether that anonymous donor passed away around 1967 or just relented is not known. What is known is that a few years later the USC Song Girls were winning national competitions. USC's women inspired the famed Laker Girls. In 1997 _Sports Illustrated_ voted them the best in America. _L.A. Times_ sportswriter Lonnie White, a former Trojan football star, said in his excellent book _UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years Of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports_ , that the song girls were the "gold standard" by which all other squads are judged.

When the thing finally started Beban, who had bruised ribs, engineered a long drive topped by Greg Jones's 12-yard touchdown run. Marv Goux grimaced at the "indecency" of it. UCLA's "swarm" defense trapped O.J. throughout the first quarter. It looked like the Trojan phenom had met his match. If so, then so had his team.

USC defense saved the day early, though. Pat Cashman stepped in front of Jones, picked a Beban pass, and raced 55 yards to tie it, 7-7. Prothro later said it was a new play that he had called. It was a "stupid play," he said, one that he took the blame for because Beban had not practiced it enough. Cashman blitzed Beban in the second quarter, and his painful ribs showed in his face as he made his back to the sidelines. Still, he had gotten his team into field goal territory, but Zenon Andrusyshyn missed.

A USC reverse handoff to McCullough netted 52 yards followed by a 13-yard pass to "The Pearl," as he was called (a reference to Baltimore Bullet basketball whiz Earl "The Pearl" Monroe). O.J. ran it in from 13 out. One writer said the noise was as loud as the Normandy landings.

After the half, Beban was effective, but Andrusyshyn was not. Tall Bill Hayhoe blocked his field goal try. The Bruins held, though, and on the next possession Beban directed a tying touchdown drive, hitting halfback George Farmer from 47 yards out.

Cashman had overstepped on the play, guessing Beban would try the same "stupid" pass he had intercepted earlier. He got burned. UCLA controlled the line of scrimmage. Beban probed patiently until he had them inside the "red zone." Then 6-8, 254-pound Hayhoe sacked. Andrusyshyn began to enter the pantheon of all-time goats when his field goal try was blocked.

Beban later said he was confident despite the missed field goals because "we knew we would score again."

He was right. In analyzing this game, one can make a strong case that UCLA was indeed the better team. If they were the better team, then they were the best in the country. That being said, the game often rides on special teams and they were found wanting. They also did not have O.J.

The teams battled in the pits. Then Beban took over again. He nailed four straight passes covering 65 yards. Dave Nuttall hauled in the last for the score, but Andrusyshyn was having one of the worst days in kicking history. Kickers dread such a day. They have nightmares about it.

Up 20-14, he kicked a low one. Hayhoe got his hand on it again. McKay told the press that even though Hayhoe was tall, the purpose was to get Andrusushyn to rush, which he did.

"I call that brilliant coaching," McKay would say.

For every goat, there is a hero. In a game in which O.J. and Beban worked with equal brilliance, and Beban's team was a little better, O.J. was the difference. Amid the tensions and noise of a one-point game in the fourth quarter; with everything that can possibly ride on a college football game at stake; with fans in the stands looking at each other and saying, "This really _is_ more important than life of death," O.J. separated himself from normal. He entered the shrine of immortality.

Toby Page was in at quarterback. He was ostensibly the starter, but hurt a lot, so he and Sogge both played. His plan was simple: hand off to O.J. Simpson. The big tailback was utterly winded. He carried twice to little effect, picked himself up and thought that at least, on third-and-long, he could "rest" for one play.

In the huddle, Page saw O.J.'s hangdog expression. He decided to try something that might net seven or eight yards for a needed first down. O.J. did not seem to have it in him at this point in the afternoon. At the line of scrimmage, Page saw both of UCLA's linebackers eagerly anticipating his predictable play selection. He audibled: "23-blast."

"That's a _terrible_ call," O.J. said to himself. But Page had called for O.J.'s favorite play. It meant running between the tackles, not always the best method for gaining eight yards, but it caught the Bruins flat-footed. O.J. took the handoff, hit the line, juked, and _ran to daylight!_

It was the most memorable run of his career, pro or college. It is probably the most famous in USC history, and one of the most well remembered in collegiate annals. Guards Steve Lehner and tackle Mike Taylor opened the hole. Center Dick Allmon knocked down a befuddled Bruin linebacker. O.J. headed towards the left sideline, benefited from _another_ block that eliminated two Bruins in one fell swoop, then swerved back up the middle. McCullough hung by his side like the Marines protecting their flank against an invading army. O.J. was off to the races.

All the commentary about the game could not match Prothro's priceless, exasperated lament to an assistant coach while the place was still in progress: "Isn't but one guy can catch Simpson now," said Prothro as McCullough whizzed by him stride-for-stride with the ball-carrying O.J., "and he's on the same team."

It was a variation on something Phillies' manager Gene Mauch said when Willie Mays had hit a home run over the fence, just beyond the outstretched glove of one of his outfielders.

"The only guy who could have caught it," mused Mauch, "hit it."

O.J.'s dash beat UCLA, 21-20. It ranks with "The Play," the famous returned-kick-lateral-through-the-band run that gave California an improbable 1982 win over John Elway and Stanford. _Sports Illustrated_ gave it its front cover: "Showdown in L.A."

"All on one unbearable Saturday afternoon is strictly from the studio lots," wrote S.I.

In the locker room, Beban's ribs looked like an "abstract painting," but he had passed for over 300 yards. Simpson's foot was swollen and grotesque, but he had rushed for 177 yards.

"They should send the Heisman out here with two straws," wrote Jim Murray.

Beban graciously visited the Trojan locker room, a practice O.J. also did regularly throughout his career.

"O.J.," he said, "you're the best."

"Gary, you're the greatest," replied Simpson. "It's too bad one of us had to lose."

"Whether that run earns Simpson the Heisman Trophy and moves coach John McKay's Trojans back as the number one team in the nation remains for the voters to decide later," Paul Zimmerman of the _Times_ added. "But the witnesses will remember this as one of the greatest."

"Whew!" wrote Murray.

"I'm glad I didn't go to the opera Saturday afternoon, after all. This was the first time in a long time where the advance ballyhoo didn't live up to the game.

"The last time these many cosmic events were settled by one day of battle, they struck off a commemorative stamp and elected the winner President.

"On that commemorative stamp, they can put a double image - one of UCLA's Gary Beban and one of USC's Orenthal James Simpson. They can send that Heisman Trophy out with two straws, please."

While O.J.'s extraordinary record does lead one to the conclusion that he should have been the Heisman winner, Beban, playing in pain and matching Simpson's performance, was enough to sway the voters to him in the Heisman balloting. He would have traded it for the Rose Bowl and the national championship. He goes down in history as one of the worthiest opponents ever to lace up his cleats against a Southern California football team.

"I have always said that the 1967 game was easily the highlight of my athletic career," Simpson was quoted in _UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years Of the Greatest Rivalry In Sports._ "It was far beyond even when I ran on the 4x100 world record team at SC and even more than the 2,000 yards. I never felt more elated or joy after any athletic event than I did after that game...

"We were coming off a real low point from a week earlier when we lost, 3-0 to Oregon State... So we were glad to have a chance to redeem ourselves and have a shot at history...

"In 1966, I attended the game as a junior college recruit for USC and saw how intense the rivalry was. I watched UCLA make a fourth quarter comeback and win. I remember thinking to myself that I would show them the next year.

Before his 64-yard run Simpson was "tired," having told Toby Page to "give me a blow. It was third and seven, and we had a passing play called. But he switched to a running play at the line of scrimmage. I was so surprised", said Simpson.

When Page did that, "UCLA went into pass mode on defense..." he continued. "When I broke outside, I could hear McKay yelling for me to go, and I was trying to zigzag. I was tired and knew that I didn't have that burst... I was so oblivious to the crowd. I just remember that I almost collapsed when Earl McCullough hugged me in the end zone."

"To this day that USC-UCLA game was the biggest college football game I've ever seen," said Steve Bisheff on _The History of USC Football_ DVD.

"When you sat back and looked at it, the game was everything you ever dreamed of," said Beban. "It was O.J. over there, he was established, and me, we received so much attention. It was bigger than anything we ever dreamt of, for the city, the Rose Bowl and the national championship."

"We're sitting in the film room and we have a secondary coach named Dick Coury, and we're watching UCLA kick the extra point," said Fertig, "and Coach McKay says, 'Run that back,' and we said, 'Why run that back, an extra point?' and we run it back three or four times, that's what Coach Corey pointed out, was that Zenon Andrusyshyn, the first soccer-style kicker we ever saw, kicked with a low trajectory, and we put a 6-9 guy defensive end in that gap."

"We went into formation and I had told our quarterback that if we walk out and they don't got a guy on Simpson, then run the blast and give it to Simpson," said McKay. "People always asked me was I afraid somebody would catch him, and I say the only guy who could've stopped him was on our team, Earl McCullough, an Olympic caliber hurdler."

"There was nobody gonna stop him that day," recalled Stu Nahan. "The determination in his eyes, the moves he made, he was just; I don't think I ever saw anybody run like that."

"It wasn't just me who missed him," said UCLA linebacker Don Manning. "A couple other guys had him but missed 'cause he's so shifty."

"There was still a lot of time left but Beban was hurt, he had injured his ribs, and they never scored," said Bisheff.

"When the two best players on the field play the best they can, it's just a magnificent game and everybody produces, you have a 21-20 game that goes down in history, and why shouldn't it?" said Art Spander, who was still with the _Santa Monica Evening Outlook_ that year.

"The rest of the game was just like a blur," said Simpson. "I kept waiting for Gary Beban to bring UCLA back to take the lead, but it never happened."

"We came into the game confident," Beban said in _UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years Of the Greatest Rivalry In Sports._ "We were number one in the nation and we had beaten USC for the last two years. We were playing in a game that few college football players ever get because of opportunities that we created for ourselves.

"When we came on the field we had to cross the track that was filled with TV cables, and we felt the energy of the Coliseum immediately. You could tell it was going to be a special day.

"I never saw O.J.'s run because my ribs were always being worked on when I wasn't in the game. But when we came back, we still had 10 minutes. We still had time to score and we assumed that we were going to score.

"The seniors hadn't lost a game on California soil in our college careers. We were a relatively undefeated team - just two ties and three losses in three years - and we had always beaten SC in our careers. We didn't have a defeated attitude at all; we just assumed we would score.

"In the end we were disappointed. It was the end of the season and the end of a college career for me. We had gotten so close. But still we had gotten so far. That game was the best of the series. Everything in college sports was on the line: the city championship, the conference title, the Rose Bowl and the national championship. Even the Heisman. There was nothing else you could put on the table. This was the pinnacle of college football.

"What else could you ask for?"

After college, Beban was drafted by the Rams, traded to Washington, played mainly on their "taxi squad," then left the game for successful real estate career.

The Promised Land

USC students of the late 1960s and early 1970s would purchase their season tickets before the first game. The package would of course include the home non-conference games and Pac 8 match-ups with Cal, Stanford, Washington, et al. The UCLA game and the Notre Dame game (in even years) cost a little more than the other games. Then they would notice something really great: a Rose Bowl ticket. Before the season had started.

With McKay, it got to be a running gag. He had the advantage in Pasadena because it was a "home game for USC." It was "on USC's schedule."

From 1967 to 1970, the Big 10 sent Purdue, Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan. The Pac 8 just sent USC. Pencil 'em in. When USC had lost to Purdue on January 2, 1967, then-recruit O.J. Simpson had remarked to a disappointed player who would be returning, "Don't worry about it. We'll be back next year."

Prior to the 1968 Rose Bowl, McKay was questioned by the sporting press about his tremendous schedule: Texas (national champs in 1963 and '69), Michigan State (Rose Bowl in '65, number two in '66), Notre Dame (defending national champs), Washington at Seattle, and of course number one-ranked UCLA!

"I told my scouts when I saw that schedule to go out and find me someone who was six-foot one-inch who weighed 205 pounds and could run the 100 in nine-four," said McKay.

Simpson scored both touchdowns and gained 128 yards in Southern California's 14-3 win over Indiana. He was named the MVP. His 1,543 yards led the nation. The game clinched another national championship for McKay. The victory had none of the Hollywood dramatics of the City Game.

"The idea is to win, isn't it?" McKay asked rhetorically.

"It was a big deal to us, the players, a feeling of satisfaction of a job well done; having accomplished something like that," said fullback Mike Hull of the 1967 national title, "and even though I have a Super Bowl ring, I wear the national championship ring."

Five of USC's regulars missed the start of the game due to injury. Two more had to be removed during the course of the game. Rossovich and Hayhoe contained Indiana tailback John Isenbarger. Afterwards, USC's defense was compared to the Minnesota Vikings' "Purple People Eaters" and the about-to-be three-time World Champion Green Bay Packers. Not bad company for a college team.

In the days prior to the "coming out early" rule that allows non-seniors to declare for the pro draft, Simpson's return for his senior season was a given. He was expected to have one of the best years ever. He did not disappoint.

Against Minnesota in Troy's opening 29-20 victory, Simpson ran for 236 yards and 367 in total offense.

"Don't ask me to describe him," said Golden Gopher coach Murray Warmath. "Everyone already has. There is really nothing more to say."

"Simpson is better than Red Grange," wrote Leo Fischer, sports editor of the _Chicago American._ "I've seen them all. On the basis of his performance against Minnesota, far from the worst defensive team in the country, I think Simpson is the greatest."

Simpson dealt with a leg bruise just fine in a 189-yard effort against Northwestern. McKay gave serious thought to not playing him. He "blamed" the writers for his decision to use his star rather than listen to their backbenching.

"He approaches a hole like a panther," Northwestern coach Alex Agase said after his team's 24-7 loss to USC. "Then, when he sees an opening, he springs at the daylight."

"Simpson's the greatest back in college and the greatest I've ever played against," said Northwestern linebacker Don Ross.

"He's better than <Leroy> Keyes - although we have to meet Keyes and Purdue next week," said Wildcat end Mark Proskine.

Game three was another interesting match-up with the emerging Miami Hurricanes, led by the irrepressible Ted "The Stork" Hendricks. _Sports Illustrated_ thought it an interesting enough intersectional game to give it major coverage. 71,189 showed up at the Coliseum to see it.

Stories about Hendricks were already becoming part of his lore. He apparently enjoyed "dismantling" cars. He was unable to even catch O.J., though. The USC star had studied game footage of Hendricks's wild, arm-flapping style, and his desire to penetrate before a runner could get out in the open. O.J.'s studiousness paid off in a 163-yard performance. His two touchdowns fired an easy Trojan win, 28-3.

Sogge, the man everybody thought just "handed off to O.J.," showed that he had an arm (after all, he was a baseball catcher) by hitting on a variety of efficient passes. O.J. still had 38 carries and felt pain from his hips to his feet.

Stanford was ranked 18th behind sophomore quarterback Jim Plunkett. 81,000 people showed up at Stanford Stadium. Stanford's players had, "O.J. Who?" and "Squeeze O.J." painted on their helmets.

The walk from the locker room into the stadium runs a gauntlet past Stanford rooters who take free verbal shots at the opposing team. Their commentary is often biting and obviously partisan, but for the most part just part of the game. A disturbing trend, however, began to develop during O.J.'s year. It would continue into the 1970s. Stanford fans began to use racial epithets.

"N----r lover," some yelled at Coach McKay, because he had as many black athletes on his team as anybody in the country. It was a disgusting "performance" coming from a student body and fan base at one of the country's top academic institutions. It was further shocking considering the fact that, with the war at full throttle, Stanford had made its anti-American sentiments well known, establishing itself as a "liberal" institution.

The whole ugly scene was carry-over from the 1920s and '30s, when USC had past Cal and Stanford as the dominant West Coast power. Jealousy and recrimination had always marked the Berkeley and Palo Alto schools' attitude towards their southern neighbor. As USC continued to become the dominant "glamour school" in the state, if not the nation, those left behind found that class envy and lies were easier to toss about than genuine praise for a great program. McKay was incensed. He developed a personal disgust with just about anything to do with Stanford after that. To the credit of the Stanford players, who like athletes at Cal are not representative of the student body in general, there were no reports of racial epithets on the field.

O.J. carried _47 times_ for 220 yards to just shut 'em up.

"I guess O.J. Simpson showed us on a couple of those runs why he's the man," said Stanford tight end Bob Moore after O.J.'s three touchdowns led Troy to a 27-24 win over the Indians.

The adrenaline of the crowd taunts and the atmosphere no doubt combined with O.J.'s "homecoming" to his native Bay Area to elevate his game and shake off his injuries.

"I felt kind of squeamish running early in the game," he said, "but I felt better as the game wore on."

"I think what probably happened is we ran the injury out of him," said McKay. "If we had only run him 30 times he'd probably still be hurting."

Inexperienced writers listening to this looked at each as if to ask, "Is this guy serious?" The older L.A. corps just shrugged it off as a McKay quip with a touch of sarcasm. The polls after the game installed the Trojans back into the number one slot they had finished 1967 in.

"We knew that Simpson would be coming at us, but there was nothing we could do about it," said Washington coach Jim Owens after O.J.'s 172-yard effort in a 14-7 USC win. "He is one of the greatest backs ever to play football. Because of his size and speed, he probably improvises better than any runner I've ever seen."

Oregon managed to hold O.J. to 67 yards, but USC won at Eugene, 20-13. Games at Oregon and Washington have always been a little bit of a problem for USC, especially when played late in the season. Fog, rain, mud and crowd noise often marks the contests, making life difficult for a favored team playing a scrappy underdog.

"O.J. doesn't like playing against a quick team like ours," said Oregon's George Dames.

O.J. classily gave full credit to the Ducks' and their speed.

"When I would get ready to turn the corner, somebody would come up from behind to throw me down," he said.

"O.J. Simpson probably is the greatest back of our time," said California coach Ray Willsey after Simpson ran for 164 yards and two scores in a 35-17 victory before 80,871 at the Coliseum. "USC beat us by 20 points without him last year, so I guess we're about 40 down this year going in."

Cal was making a bit of comeback after a decade in the doldrums, despite the fact that half the student body at Berkeley in those days equated athletic competition with _bourgeois capitalist pigs!_ Lineman Ed White was an All-American who would star for the Vikings, and the Golden Bears roughed O.J. up. He had a bruised thigh, a twisted knee and a sprained ankle when the game was over.

"You name it, and I've got it," he stated. O.J. said that Cal hit him harder than any team he had ever played. "Maybe it's time to retire," he added with a smile.

Oregon State, led by Bill "Earthquake" Enyart, came to L.A. in a game that would decide the Pacific 8 Conference championship. Enyart scored first and it was 7-0, Beavers. Sogge controlled a game-tying touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. O.J. broke the defensive battle with a 42-yard run capped by a Ron Ayala field goal to put Troy ahead for the first time, 10-7.

USC held. With seven minutes remaining O.J. broke a 40-yard touchdown run for a 17-7 lead. That was the winning score in the 17-13 win. O.J. had 47 carries, including an incredible 21 in the final quarter (despite the L.A heat, his injuries and obvious fatigue) for 138 of his 238 yards.

Oregon State coach Dee Andros said afterward that not only was USC deserving of the Rose Bowl berth they earned that day, but also of the number one ranking. The next week it was UCLA. This time it was all Trojans. O.J. carried 40 times for 205 yards, caught three Sogge passes, and scored three times. He broke six school records and two NCAA marks, including the season rushing record with one regular season and one Rose Bowl game still left to play. The 28-16 win made USC 9-0, firmly in the number one spot. Joe Theisman and ninth-ranked Notre Dame were headed to the Coliseum the next week.

This game was indicative of what the rivalry is all about. Just when one team thinks they have the other's number, things turn around. Having beaten the Irish soundly in South Bend, unbeaten and riding high towards back-to-back national championships, led by a record-breaking Heisman horse; why, the Trojans were just full of themselves!

Parseghian had a tremendous team, as usual. Without a bowl game in their future, their hopes for a national title hinged on beating USC, and then in turn the Trojans beating Woody Hayes and Ohio State on New Year's Day.

The Irish gladiators held O.J. to 55 rushing yards. Theisman (who changed pronunciation of his name from _Thees-man_ to _Thys-man_ as part of a school PR campaign to promote his candidacy for the rhyming Heisman) made his first bid for the award.

A sophomore, Theisman started slow by getting intercepted, but quickly shocked Troy and their fans by turning the affair from a USC coronation into an upset-in-the-making. He led Notre Dame on three touchdown drives and a 21-7 halftime lead. The tables of 1964 were turned, but one thing remained the same: a patented second half USC comeback, something that McKay and his school were becoming known for and would expand upon in the next two decades.

The star for USC was not O.J., but Sogge, who stepped up and made short passes when he had to in rallying his team to a 21-21 tie. It was enough to drop Troy to number two heading into the Rose Bowl. Woody Hayes's Buckeyes, a tremendous sophomore-led team with no losses or ties, took over the top spot.

"Deep down in my heart," Theisman said after the tie, "I think we should have won it. We had them on the run."

"I'd rather play until midnight," said McKay. "I just don't like a tie."

O.J. expressed a desire for "sudden death overtime," which in those days was used only in pro football play-off games. It had resulted in incredibly exciting affairs, most notably the 1958 NFL title game between the Colts and Giants at Yankee Stadium, and the 1962 AFL championship between the Oilers and Dallas Texans (later Kansas City Chiefs), played on a Houston high school field.

Other than the 1962 USC-Wisconsin game, the 1969 Rose Bowl had more riding on it than any previous one in the post-war era. Hayes was in his element; still fully convinced of the superiority not just of Ohio State but Big 10 and Midwestern football as a whole. USC's wins over the "best" Midwestern team, Notre Dame, not to mention victories over Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Northwestern in recent years, had apparently not dissuaded him from his oft-aired opinions.

Woody was set in his ways. To him California was even more "out there" in 1968 than it had been when he was bringing his Bucks out to Pasadena in the 1950s. He saw the protests on the streets of California cities, which included L.A., San Francisco and Berkeley; the love-ins, the Haight-Ashbury scene, the "Summer of Love," and the acid rock music - it was all un-American to him. He could not for the life of him understand how a football team could be exposed to the physical proximity of such things and still have the desire to win.

Hayes admired McKay and his great athletes, but he felt he had the edge when it came to toughness. In 1969 he had a point, but his theories were found wanting in later seasons.

Woody's previous forays to Pasadena had discombobulated him. The January weather was too hot. He thought it boiled his player's blood or something. This time, he had the Buckeyes practice in their field house with hot blowers to simulate the Mediterranean weather they would deal with.

When the team came out to Los Angeles, he put tight restrictions on them. He did not want any "Hollywood influences" that might resemble bikini-clad girls, frolicking at the beach, wild night club scenes, or even exposure to lush plants and fauna, which he thought would "mellow" his men too much.

He practiced the team hard all week, a relatively new practice for a game that coaches had always thought of as a luxurious reward for a season well played. Visits to restaurants were monitored so as not to overindulge his players. The annual "Lowry's Beef Bowl," a prime rib extravaganza that is a traditional pre-game ritual, was carefully controlled by Hayes and his staff.

Woody wanted the national championship for his program, his conference and for himself. He knew USC posed an enormous challenge to this desire. He was relentless in his pursuit of it. It would be incorrect to say that McKay took the game anything but seriously. He wanted it just as badly. He no longer approached it with the _laissez faire_ attitude of the 1963 Wisconsin contest. He saw in Woody a natural rival, in many ways his opposite number in terms of approach, style, offensive strategy and overall philosophy. Woody was a strict disciplinarian. McKay was of course the "little white-haired man" who instilled fear in his charges. Marv Goux was a martinet figure. But their exhortations had SoCal _panache_ attached to it; flair, a touch of humor and wit. McKay and his staff dealt with off-field issues such as hair length, curfews, partying and the like in the L.A. manner. Woody was Columbus, Ohio all the way.

It was not Richard Nixon vs. Dr. Timothy Leary. It was a little more like "The Greatest Generation" vs. "The Age of Aquarius," although nobody ever accused John McKay of being a free love-advocating hippie.

Woody's plan was to give USC's defense the outside lanes, utilizing his strong inside running attack and the efficient, curl-in passes of quarterback Rex Kern. The 1968 Buckeyes may not have beaten some of the other strong teams of the 1960s, namely the 1966 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Michigan State Spartans, but in terms of the complete package they may well rate as the decade's best team, when one compares the records and their performance from the season's beginning to its end.

They were young and promised only to get better, which was scary. Kern was a sophomore as was their tremendous All-American safety, Jack Tatum. Woody had recruited great black athletes, as Duffy Daugherty had done a few years earlier at Michigan State. His team was fully integrated with the very best possible talent available.

Ohio prep football was legendary. Paul Brown had coached at Massillon High School. A number of Massillon players dotted Woody's roster. They were loaded. Other stars included Jan Hayes, Jim Otis, Jim Stillwagon, Leo Hayden and Jim Roman.

"I measure a good back by how many men it takes to bring him down," Woody said in typical Midwest-speak, "and O.J. certainly qualifies in this." Woody, however, qualified his statement by saying that he did not fear "a damn thing" about USC.

The two teams battled it out in the trenches, but in the second quarter O.J. showed why he was the very best. First, USC drove into the "red zone," setting up Ayala's 21-yard field goal. Later in the quarter, Simpson went wild. His 80-yard touchdown romp is, aside from the 64-yarder vs. UCLA, one of his best-remembered runs. At 10-0, the Trojans could taste another national championship.

"Now we knew he was for real," Ohio State tackle Dave Foley said of O.J.'s run, as if it had taken that take to convince them. Either way, Ohio State went into high gear.

"That run was beautiful," said Ohio State defensive tackle Paul Schmidlin. "I was pursuing all the way so I had a clear view of it. The run was simply great and it was just what we needed."

"We decided we'd better wake up," said fullback Jim Otis, "or this guy was going to blow us off the field."

Ohio State did "wake up," and quickly. They engineered drives behind Otis's power running between tackles. Before the half was over they had tied the score at 10-all. It had taken the air out of the confident Trojans, deflating the partisan L.A. crowd.

"Tying before the halftime gun was a big lift for us," said Rex Kern. "It gave us the momentum, and it took that away from them."

The third quarter was "blood sport," with Ohio State breaking through to take the lead for the first time on a late-quarter Jim Roman field goal, 13-10. When Sogge fumbled deep in his own territory, the tide had turned. Ohio State converted the turnover into the game-winning touchdown. Kern would hit Ray Gillian for a touchdown. Sogge connected with Sam Dickerson, but it was over. The final score was 27-16. It was a game of mistakes. Ohio State played a perfect game. USC lost three fumbles, two by O.J. Sogge was intercepted twice.

"It wasn't a game for girl scouts and cookie eaters," said McKay, adding that despite O.J.'s 171 yards gained, eight passes caught for 85 yards, a 20-yard kickoff return, and an 80-yard touchdown romp, his two fumbles had detracted from his performance. Some critics expressed concern over O.J.'s running style, in which he would carry the ball with one hand when in the open field. Woody, however, had only high praise for the Trojan legend.

"It was damn near inhuman for a guy to do that," he remarked of the touchdown run, in which O.J. had cut behind eight Buckeye defenders in a sprint for glory. Steve Sogge said he thought the team was "complacent." Some "experts" conceded that if the team played six times USC would get some wins, maybe even a majority of them, but Ohio State earned their place in history.

O.J. had combined junior college and USC statistics that have never been approached: 90 touchdowns and 5,975 yards. None of that mattered to him in the locker room, where he fought back tears, acknowledging Ohio State's greatness but questioning his own errors. Just as Beban came into the USC locker room in 1967, O.J. went over to congratulate Ohio State, telling several of them, "You're the best team in the nation and don't let anyone tell you differently."

He told reporters that coming off the field for the last time as a Trojan was "strange," but that, "I can't help thinking how much the school and the other guys have done for me."

Ohio State of course won the national title, with USC placing fourth in the AP and second in the UPI polls.

"I've never seen a better college football player," said Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd of O.J., "and I've seen them all."

Mike Garrett said as soon as he saw O.J. that he was "bigger and faster than me and has more moves."

"Simpson was all speed, very fast, all speed, world class speed," said Mike Hull, "and very gregarious, and very outward and very talkative. And engaged all the time, but he really depended more than anything on his speed."

O.J.'s superlatives drew big crowds in his two years at Southern Cal. 75,287 had come to East Lansing to watch USC's 1967 win over Michigan State. 81,000 had filled Stanford Stadium for their 1968 win over the Indians. 90,772 had seen the 1967 UCLA game, and 82,659 watched the '68 Notre Dame game at the Coliseum. Both of O.J.'s Rose Bowls drew over 100,000.

The Trojans of 1967-68 will be remembered in many ways as being "so close and yet so far." They could have been back-to-back national champions, as the 1931-32 teams had been. When one considers the 1969 team, which went undefeated but missed a national title despite winning the Rose Bowl, the mind wanders to the prospect of three straight titles. **This never occurred in the Associated Press era until USC did it from 2003-05.**

O.J. played on teams filled with talent. His greatest teammate was Ron Yary, a late bloomer who had not thought much about college at Bellflower High School. Yary was 6-6, 285 pounds when USC recruited him out of Cerritos J.C. He chose Southern California because they were "much more organized, the athletes are better, and I felt I wanted to play with that type of people. That's why I decided to go to SC."

A defensive end, McKay saw something. He had him slim down to 255 for his junior year, putting him at offensive tackle. Yary did not like the grind at first but he fit the position like a glove. Yary earned consensus All-American honors in 1966 and 1967. In his senior year he was won the Outland Trophy and the Washington Touchdown Club's Lineman of the Year award.

"He was our quickest lineman," said former USC line coach Rod Humenuik. "For pulling and trapping, Ron has the speed to get in front of the ball carrier.

"O.J. Simpson made most of his yardage running behind Ron Yary.

"The boy is a very versatile football player. He had some great days for us. His best game was probably against Notre Dame's 270-pound defensive tackle, on his back all day and we won, 24-7."

"Ron Yary is athletic, which is hard to find in a big man," said Dave Levy, the ex-assistant who was also an assistant athletic director during that time. "Lots of kids in college are big, but not athletic. A lot of young men can't handle their growth. He has great physical attributes. I've been here since 1960 and I don't think we've had any linemen as good as he is. He has great size, strength, speed, aggressiveness and a professional attitude toward work. We think he could play offensive guard because he can pull like a small man."

Yary was the first player selected in the entire 1968 NFL Draft, by the Minnesota Vikings. He was the first offensive lineman taken number one in 30 years. Yary told the Minneapolis press that his college career had prepared him for the NFL because he had participated in a lot of "pressure games." He certainly was prepared. Yary became a perennial All-Pro on teams that always went to the play-offs.

Yary played in four Super Bowls and is a member of the College and Pro Football Hall of fame.

Another consensus 1967 All-American was 6-5, 230-pound defensive end Tim Rossovich. Rossovich was drafted in the first round of the 1968 NFL draft by Philadelphia. He played for the Eagles from 1968-71 before moving on to the Chargers. After retirement, he made a comeback for one year with Houston.

Rossovich was a wild man, a hard charger who enjoyed life to the tilt. He was good looking and the girls dug him. On the field, he played with wild abandon. In the 1970s, _Sports Illustrated_ did a long story about him, accompanied by a photograph of him _lighting himself on fire!_ He had some kind of trick up his sleeve and combined that with genuine craziness. If he was not on fire, then he was eating glass (not a typo). Naturally, he gravitated towards Hollywood as a stuntman in the movies. He was an adrenaline junkie, a unique "football personality," the kind of guy who truly needed the game as an outlet for his aggressions. He had come to USC from a prestigious Catholic school (St. Francis) in the affluent Bay Area town of Mountain View.

Rossovich's kindred spirit was 6-1, 175-pound defensive back Mike Battle, another All-American (1968) whose uncle had played at SC. When asked about Battle a few years ago, former Los Angeles Ram Fred Dryer, a high school pal of his, remarked, "I think he's institutionalized now." Battle and Rossovich tore through life at USC. They were crazy on the field and still needed to let steam out when the game was over. Battle set a number of defensive records at Southern California before being drafted by the New York Jets. He was a teammate of and fellow partier with Joe Willie Namath in New York (1969-70).

The Trojans had so many players go into the NFL during O.J.'s career that it was a remarkable accomplishment for McKay to could keep the ball rolling year after year. After the 1966 team had five players drafted, the 1967 team had _11 players_ chosen. An unbelievable _five players_ were taken in the first round, which of course included Yary going first, followed by tackle Mike Taylor (10th to Pittsburgh), Rossovich, running back Mike Hull (16th to Chicago), and receiver Earl McCullough (24th to Detroit). All of these players had success in professional football.

Adrian Young was picked by Philadelphia and played until 1973 for several teams. Dennis Crane went to the Redskins, Gary Magner to the Jets, Ralph Oliver to the Raiders, Steve Grady to the Broncos and Jim Ferguson to the Saints.

O.J. had to say good-bye to all of these stars, yet he was able to lead the next year's team to within a few fumbles of a second straight title.

His team, the 1968 Trojans, had eight players picked. O.J. was of course the first player chosen, making USC the first school to ever give the draft its first selection two years running. Tight end Bob Klein was the 21st pick of the first round by Los Angeles, and would have a fine pro career. Bill Hayhoe went to Green Bay. The Saints went for Bob Miller and Jim Lawrence. Jack O'Malley was drafted by San Francisco, with Wilson Bowie going to Detroit.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY

A Shakespearean fall from grace

O.J. ran away with the 1968 Heisman over Purdue's Leroy Keyes. His performance at the news conference with his San Francisco wife, Marguerite at his side, won over the sporting press.

"During the game you don't think about how many times you carry the ball," O.J. responded to an interviewer who asked about his carrying 40 times in some games. "You think about the situation - the score and the down - but you do get tired at times, especially if you have to run too many end sweeps."

O.J.'s glib media personality had shown through when he was asked if he was born with football talent. Smiling at Coach McKay, he stated that as the "little white-haired man" liked to say, "I was taught it all."

O.J. Simpson was of course the name everybody remembers, and this of course is now a wistful thought in light of his tragic life. O.J. represents so many things. He was part of the true turning point in USC's football history. He also is a bookend of American race relations; the first really marketable black celebrity who brought people together, whose trial ended up driving a wedge between those same people. His great feelings for USC, his oft-stated comments that USC had done "so much" for him could only lead people to speculate that if USC had not done so much for him, if his life had not been so successful, if fate and circumstance had not taken him to Los Angeles at just the right time, to Hollywood, the movies and easy celebrity; then he never would have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, as many have speculated was really how it all went down on that June night of 1994. USC itself has had to come to grips with O.J. He cannot be ignored. He is part of the school and its legacy, just as Bruce Gardner is. The school can at least honestly assess its role in his life and conclude that whatever happened, there was nothing that they should have done differently.

Marguerite had been 16, attending a rival San Francisco high school when she met then- 17-year old O.J. After he won the Heisman she said that he was, "a beast... A terrible person" in high school. She had given herself credit for turning O.J. from a disinterested high school student into a man who could get into USC and then handle that school's academic curriculum. O.J. revealed that Marguerite was expecting. He contemplated that the child's name might be Heisman J. Simpson. Questions of his professional career engendered controversy when he expressed the desire that a California team draft him, and that he would rather play in the NFL than the AFL. His top preferences, based on these criteria, obviously limited it to the Los Angeles Rams, a championship contender, or the San Francisco 49ers, who were on the mediocre side.

"If it weren't California," he told the press, "my second choice would be New York, Chicago, or Dallas."

O.J. was already thinking about a career in the movies, television and commercials. He had stars in his eyes. Big cities and media capitols - L.A. or New York preferably - had his attention. San Francisco was of course his hometown.

In those pre-merger days, the two leagues competed for the top picks in a complicated system based on the worst records in their leagues. The Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL and the Buffalo Bills of the AFL were the two contenders in the so-called "O.J. Simpson Sweepstakes." Simpson had little love for the City of Brotherly Love. The prospect of Buffalo was too bleak for him to contemplate.

Buffalo was the worst of all possibilities. For a guy from San Francisco who had tasted fame in Hollywood's shadow, it represented a "cow town" with a cow's nickname (actually a Bison); a small city with little nightlife, little diversity, little press attention, an archaic old stadium (War Memorial) and, worst of all, abominable, freezing cold weather.

Wait, that was _not_ the worst thing of all. The Bills had O.J.'s rights because they were in fact the very _worst team_ in pro football. They had no quarterback (Jack Kemp, once a star, was at the end of his road), no defense, no blocking, no talent, no offense. The "unfairness" of the nation's best player, the number one pick, having to go to the worst team, was discussed _ad infinitum_ by the media.

O.J. took his hits from the press. Many posited the notion that a poor black kid from the projects should be happy to get paid, much less receive the highest bonus since the NFL-AFL began the merger process in 1966 (the season of the first Super Bowl); the by-product of exorbitant money paid to Joe Namath (who panned out) and John Huarte (who did not).

It was the first dent in O.J.'s previously adorable public persona, but he was smart and quickly made the most of the situation. He changed his tune when he realized Buffalo had the pick and was going to take him.

"Sure, I always wanted to play in the National Football League," he said. "But if there was any disappointment about being drafted by Buffalo, it's over. I know I should accept things as they are, and I'm anxious to get started. It's a great honor to be drafted number one. I'm awfully proud of that."

O.J. was all about business when the time came, further damaging his reputation as a "holdout" and a "money grubber." When it was all over, the half-million dollars he secured from Buffalo was more than Namath had gotten from the New York Titans (now Jets). O.J. secured fringe benefits and commercial endorsements. In his early 20s the kid from Potrero Hill was worth between $900,000 and $1 million. His picture was plastered everywhere. Even before starting in the pros he began his foray into the movies. _Sports Illustrated_ ran a long "expose" of his life. He represented an entirely different sort of black athlete.

Until O.J., black athletes were compartmentalized into "groups." Elston Howard, the 1963 American League MVP with the Yankees, was a "company man." He lived in the suburbs with his presentable family, never complained, never held out, and fit right in to the Yanks country club Republican atmosphere.

Curt Flood, the Cardinals' All-Star center fielder, was a rebel with a cause. Intelligent, introspective and artistic, he challenged baseball's "reserve clause" and infuriated the Establishment with the statement, "I'm a slave. A $90,000 a year slave, but still a slave."

His teammate, superstar pitcher Bob Gibson, was the natural progression of Jackie Robinson. Whatever society said Robinson was not supposed to do, Gibby did do, and on his own terms. That could mean throwing at the head of the other team's high-priced white superstars, then glaring in with a "what the hell you gonna do about it?" look.

Cleveland Browns running back _par excellence_ Jim Brown did sex scenes with blonde bombshells in the movies. He was determined to show himself as the epitome of "black power."

Then there was Mike Garrett, the philosopher-running back who preceded O.J. at Southern Cal. He had a little bit of Curt Flood's artistic sensibilities and Elston Howard's need to be accepted, mixed with a little bit of urban L.A.

O.J. took some of what these pathfinders had, then expanded on it. The times they were a-changin' by 1969. When he entered the AFL, he was bound and determined to make the most of his opportunities athletically, monetarily, socially, racially, sexually, and artistically. O.J. thought of himself as a kind of black Renaissance Man.

More than anything, however, O.J. represented the first truly marketable black man in America. Cassius Clay, a.k.a. Muhammad Ali, was a loudmouth, a Black Muslim, a draft dodger, frightening to many whites. Actor Sidney Poitier was cultured, beautiful and sophisticated, but the modern "black lingo," applied to him then, would have been that he was not "real."

Brown was the "threat" that every slaveowner felt about well-endowed slaves left to have their way with the white women. Howard was too milquetoast to sell much beyond Yahoo chocolate milk.

What Hollywood and Madison Avenue were looking for was a black Frank Gifford. That was O.J. Like Gifford he had grown up poor. He had superior athletic ability. Despite his background, he was a natural public speaker, interviewee, and on-camera spokesman. He had charisma, a great smile, and full-blown sex appeal. What separated O.J. from all the previous black celebrities was his crossover appeal. He indeed could "act white," a put-down phrase that really just means that he could carry on an intelligent conversation and glibly discuss issues. However, his on-field grace and "Age of Aquarius" style made him a "groovy Negro," a hero to "his people." In the age of the Black Panthers, he was a breath of fresh air.

All of O.J.'s off-field charisma would go for naught unless he lived up to his billing on the field. In his rookie year that was problematic. The Bills were terrible. O.J. showed signs of brilliance, but for the most part the running back's facts of life were made painfully obvious to him: no blocking, no yards.

In _O.J The Education Of A Rich Rookie_ , he wrote, "The most striking contrast between college and pro ball was between the head coaches. USC coach John McKay was dapper and witty, always breaking up meetings or press conferences with wry jokes. He was the kind of man who could make you feel close to him without using a lot of speeches; just a few words from him could let you know what you had to do - and also make you want to do it. <Buffalo> Coach John Rauch presented an altogether different appearance."

Simpson struggled again in 1970. Jack Kemp had retired and was elected to a Buffalo-area Congressional seat that year. The Bills were determined to make the changes necessary to build a success around Simpson. They drafted well, using a succession of high picks based on poor records. Arkansas quarterback Joe Ferguson would come to the team and lead them to respectability. A new stadium would be built to hold 80,000 rabid rooters.

O.J. worked hard and proved himself to be a leader. He led his team out of the wilderness. By 1971, he was one of the best running backs in the now fully merged NFL. In 1972 he established himself as _the_ best. In 1973 he made a serious bid to be the best _who ever_ _lived._ Statistically he was, breaking Jim Brown's all-time single season record and surpassing 2,000 yards for the first time (in a 14-game season). He ran for over 200 yards in the snow and ice of Shea Stadium on a freezing December day to break the 2,000-yard mark in the season finale, putting the Bills into the AFC Play-Offs. O.J. went _way_ out of his way to include his blockers in any discussions of his record-breaking performance. He saw to it that they were photographed, interviewed and lauded for their contributions.

O.J. became the highest-paid player in the league, and one of the highest-paid in sports. He enjoyed the beginning of the free agent period in sports (although not yet in football), which ushered in a new era of big money. He was part of the jet set popularity of pro football, a western New York black version of "Broadway Joe" Namath. He was a drawing card at the turnstiles and in the executive suites of the TV networks negotiating the league's broadcasting contracts, including the incredibly successful _Monday Night Football_ franchise.

Throughout the 1970s, O.J. was the premier player in the NFL, quite an accomplishment since he played in the heyday of the Raider-Steeler and Cowboy-Redskin rivalries; the era of the undefeated Dolphins; and marquee names like Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, Ken Stabler, Fran Tarkenton, Franco Harris and Jack Lambert.

White fans had worshipped him in college. USC became vastly more popular as a school and a football team because of him. Now, a nation of fans of every color fell in love with him. There was a time, around 1976 or so, when the question of whether O.J. was better than Brown was a legitimate one. O.J. moved into second place on the all-time rushing list with a chance to pass Brown. But all the hard hits began to take their toll. In the late 1970s he slowed down. He orchestrated a trade to his hometown 49ers, but his talent was gone and the team was awful. It was a melancholy period for an all-time great, but he handled this adversity with class.

In the end, Brown's status never changed. His single-season record had fallen to "Juice," but not the career mark. Brown had also led his team to NFL titles. O.J. sadly never played in a Super Bowl. Runners like Walter Payton and Barry Sanders have passed many of his marks (which Brown accomplished in a short career, choosing a Hollywood action career in the mid-1960s).

But O.J. never fell from the perch of public exposure. As a player, he became synonymous with the Hertz rental career agency. Running through airports in a full suit, carrying a brief case, little old ladies would shout in the popular Hertz commercials, "Go, O.J., _go!"_

O.J. landed legitimate roles in many films during his off-seasons, including _The Klansmen_ and _The Towering Inferno_. After retiring he starred in _Naked Gun_. He was a frequent guest on TV shows and a regular in the "Superstars Competition" in Hawaii. He had a stint with Howard Cosell and Gifford in the _Monday Night Football_ broadcast booth (two Trojans espousing the merits of their alma mater). For years he enjoyed steady work as a Sunday pro analyst and sideline reporter.

As a broadcaster, O.J. was tolerable but not in Gifford's league. As an actor he had looks and screen presence, but the intangible qualities of celluloid stardom, the question of whether "the screen loves him," was answered with an unfortunate "no." He was not embarrassing, but he could not establish a great career in films. Whether he took it seriously or not has been debated. Some say he took offense to those who made fun of his comical roles in films like _Naked Gun_ when he tried to prepare for the part in Brando fashion.

O.J. had the life. He had money, a sweet pad in the best neighborhood in L.A., women, fame and respect. What he seems to have lacked, or lost somewhere along the way, was integrity of the soul. This is a tragedy, because either he once had it and allowed it to slip away, or it was all a façade from the beginning. When it all went bad, McKay just said, "That's not the man I knew."

The Marv Goux's, the Craig Fertig's, the Adrian Young's; the teammates who knew him at USC, and indeed players and coaches (particularly Buffalo's Lou Saban) at Buffalo; they all knew the _same man_. He had the work ethic, the willingness to sacrifice, the desire to reach out and help people because he was admired and could use his position for good. He gave credit where credit was due.

Among the Seven Deadly Sins, the most common may be the sin of Lust. O.J. had an eye for the ladies and they had it for him. His first wife bore him children. She was attractive but simple. When he hit the big time she did not adjust to his place in the world. O.J. found other women and quickly made a practice of it without regard to morality. Unfortunately, this makes him no different from about 80 or 90 percent of professional athletes, who have a coterie of strippers, porn chicks, groupies, gold diggers and "star f-----s" throwing themselves at them in every hotel room from Coronado to Coral Gables.

In 1977 he met a blonde bombshell waitress from Orange County. What separated her from the others - the blondes, brunettes, and redheads - is one of the mysteries of love, but O.J. fell for her. He and Nicole Brown were married. They had children of their own. All reports were that his kids were the apple of his eye, although his children from the first marriage found problems with the new developments.

Despite marriage to a curvy goddess, O.J. had access to many other goddesses. It did not take long before Nicole, through the rumor mill and sometimes with her own eyes, learned of it. The tensions mounted. She was one of those women married to sports stars and celebs - in this case both - who must live with the tradeoff between a wealthy lifestyle and infidelity.

Reports were that Nicole drove O.J. crazy, in the sense that his feelings for her were genuine, he did love her, their life together, and their children. She was undoubtedly different to him than the other women, but O.J. also had a possessive side to him. The kind of focus that makes one a driven athlete can also make for a dangerous, jealous husband.

He hit her. The cops came. He went to counseling. His charm always mitigated the circumstances to the general public, but Nicole saw the unmitigated O.J. What exactly happened is still not entirely known, but there was a divorce, attempts at reconciliation, even some overtures from Nicole.

Nicole, a beautiful woman with money, had no absence of suitors. This drove "Juice" out of his mind. The fact her suitors were white added to the violent brew. In June of 1994, he attended his daughter's school dance recital. Afterwards, he was left out of the family party. Nicole went to a trendy Brentwood bistro and might have left her glasses. A handsome waiter named Ron Goldman may have flirted with her, may have done more than that. He may have simply returned her glasses to her because he was a Good Samaritan. He may have been having an affair with her. He may have desired to have an affair with her. Her address was well known within the restaurant's circle of patrons, which may be the explanation of why he knew where to go.

At her home, O.J.'s old house (he had moved out and lived a few blocks away), Nicole and Goldman were violently attacked with a knife and both killed. It was a gruesome crime. The L.A.P.D. may have made mistakes. O.J. quickly became a suspect. His friend and teammate from junior high, Galileo, CCSF, USC and Buffalo, Al Cowlings came by and drove O.J.'s white Bronco south, towards Mexico. The cops got wind of it and tried to flag him down. The media heard about it and the most bizarre episode in the history of a city built on the bizarre occurred.

The Bronco drove unimpeded through open, empty highways at rush hour. Every human being in the lower 48 saw it on TV. If they were asleep or camping in the woods, they were made aware of it, dragging themselves to a TV to watch it. Cowlings drove the Bronco to Bundy and Rockingham, Brentwood section, city of Los Angeles, where O.J. was handcuffed. His guilt at that moment was painted on him like the bewitching smile on the "Mona Lisa."

A white cop named Mark Fuhrman had made an intemperate remark about blacks to a girl in a Manhattan Beach bar 10 years before. O.J.'s legal defense - the "dream team" - played the so-called "race card." The evidence against him, according to much of America, was overwhelming. It had to do with DNA, hair fibers, the kind of supposedly incontrovertible facts that lead to convictions.

Somehow, the prosecution had allowed the "trial of the century" to be moved from the West L.A. jurisdiction that its crime scene location normally dictated, to a downtown courthouse where the jury pool was guaranteed to be all black. This was in the wake of the King riots, which happened after the white cops on trial for beating the black motorist had their trial switched from _its_ gritty urban jurisdiction to suburban Simi Valley.

O.J.'s "brothers" found him "not guilty." Millions of white Americans, good people without racist tendencies, uttered the "n" word, some for the only time in their lives, when this happened. Blacks cheered. The Age of Aquarius was dead.

O.J. was free but forced to live with himself. The case against him was solid and public opinion has never really changed. Virtually everybody thinks he is guilty, even blacks who liked the verdict not because justice was served in the killing of two people, but because it represented a bizarre "payback" for white repression - the kind O.J. had no intimate knowledge of. He had skated through life on ego, talent, football dedication and charm, coming of age at a time when white America was ready to love the kind of black man that he was.

For all of the people convinced of Simpson's guilt, most, or at least a fair portion, are not so sure of his guilt that they would recommend the death penalty. His case left just a tiny window of "reasonable doubt." If by some slim chance the jury got it right, then O.J. is a man who has been badly wronged, for the things that made him "Juice" were indeed taken from him. He is to this day a vilified character, for not only was the crime exposed, but every peccadillo, large or small, was made tabloid fodder.

If O.J. did it and has a conscience, if he believes in God, then he must deal with what he did spiritually. His confessions and "repentance" must be genuine. Judgment will be His will, nobody elses. If he is a socio-path not "burdened" by a guilty mind, then he simply avoided another tackler and is running for daylight, only this time on a field that is not 100 yards long, but rather some 30 years long, give or take. Where his "eternal end zone" will be is God's business.

For USC, O.J. Simpson represents, to quote Charles Dickens, "the best of times and the worst of times." He was a marvel to brag about. On the field, O.J. was unparalleled. Off the field, here was the greatest living public relations symbol they could hope for. He symbolized what being a Trojan was all about.

After the murder, the school found itself in a sticky thicket. What to do with all that memorabilia? The photos, the Heismans, the plaques that adorned Heritage Hall? The late 1990s were not kind to L.A. or USC football. The memory of O.J.'s heroics could have come in handy. Now detractors just pointed to their "ancient history" and their problem children: Todd "Marijuanavich" and O.J. Simpson. O.J.'s mug shot, which had made the cover of _Newsweek_ , became a popular poster in the rooting sections of Notre Dame, UCLA, Cal, Stanford and all other points.

Trojan players walking the gauntlet of fans from buses, dressing rooms and other public locations in "enemy" territory were taunted by the posters and the shouts. Rumors of an affair between Nicole and another Trojan legend, Marcus Allen, were circulated. Who knows?

Eventually, it died down. USC regained its place as a football powerhouse. Like a political leader whose accomplishments just drown out his critics, SC was able to replace the taunts with, as Jim Rome calls it, "scoreboard." There is no substitute for it.

The school cannot honor him. He cannot come around for banquets, awards ceremonies, halftime presentations. He would be booed unmercifully at his beloved Coliseum. In late December of 2002, Pete Carroll and Carson Palmer led USC into Miami for the 2003 Orange Bowl game against Iowa. While the team was practicing a few days before the game, an unannounced O.J., now living in semi-seclusion in south Florida, emerged and sauntered onto the field. It was an awkward moment, but the Trojan connection, especially (but not only) with the black players was made. For a few brief minutes, O.J. enjoyed some camaraderie. Carroll just let it happen, preferring not to make more of it than it needed to be. Then O.J. left.

When USC returned to the 2005 Orange Bowl, rumors were rampant that O.J. was there and would make a splash. It never happened.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE "CARDIAC KIDS" WERE A "WILD BUNCH"

After O.J.: the "beat goes on"

1967-69 was a period of momentous change in America. The Vietnam War, in the minds of many, went from being a noble effort to stop Godless Communism to immoral violence by an overbearing superpower against a small, agrarian country.

Music, hair styles, clothing, movies, TV, politics, religious values, sexual mores and the like went through drastic adjustments. A mark of great coaches was their ability to deal with the new generation of athletes. John Wooden did it at UCLA. In 1969, his UCLA Bruins won their fifth national championship in six years, but the look and attitudes of his players was vastly different from the players he had fielded in 1964.

Joe Namath of the Jets completely changed the image of the pro athlete. The former Trojan lineman John Wayne, getting the cold shoulder from the new breed of Hollywood because of his stance in the Vietnam War, made a comeback. His _Green Berets_ had the Left wringing their hands when it was a box office hit. When he won the 1969 Best Actor Academy Award for _True Grit_ , he lived up to what the sportswriter at Austin in 1966 had written: "Has anybody, really, ever gotten the best of John Wayne?"

Richard Nixon won the Presidency in 1968, elevating his USC alum wife, Patricia, to the role of First Lady. Nixon's staff included numerous USC and UCLA graduates. Press secretary Dwight Chapin (not related to the _L.A. Times_ sportswriter who covered the Trojans) and Watergate figure Donald Segretti were members of what was dubbed the "USC mafia" in the film _All the President's Men_. Nixon disdained Harvard and the "elite East Coast establishment." He found numerous conservative thinkers who had been schooled at USC. Bob Haldeman and John Erlichman were UCLA alums. Nixon was a Southern Californian who represented the conservative, Christian-themed populace of the area. This was still a major demographic in L.A. It still is, but over time its most politically influential base has moved from the urban sprawl of Nixon's old haunts to suburban Orange County, San Diego County, the Imperial Empire, and the central valley. In the late 1960s, these were the kinds of Westerners Nixon brought with him to Washington. It was this kind of mindset that continues to be the dominant "Silent Majority" of American politics.

In July of 1969, a USC alum, Neil Armstrong, became the first man to walk on the moon. NASA had built special testing equipment, called "The Bubble," on the USC campus. Consequently several famous Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts earned advanced engineering degrees from USC. Another "military man" earned his Master's degree from USC, too. Norman Schwarzkopf, a West Point graduate and Vietnam vet, would command American forces in the victorious Persian Gulf War of 1991.

As the country changed, filmmakers like John Milius, Steven Speilberg, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Altman and Sam Peckinpaugh began to replace the John Fords, John Hustons, and Daryl Zanucks who made up "old Hollywood."

In 1969, Peckinpaugh, a superb director, crafted one of the film industry's most influential movies. _The Wild Bunch_ was a Western, but the Western was changing drastically. The genre had always been heroic in nature, depicting cowboys warding off Indian attacks; chivalry towards pioneer women endangered by desperadoes, and the like. The Western was John Wayne in _Red River_ or _True Grit_.

_How the West Was Won_ (1965): now _that_ was a Western...

But fissures in the traditional John Ford-style Western had begun to appear. _Shane_ had delved into the psychology of the gunfighter who wants to turn over a new leaf. The "Spaghetti Westerns" of Clint Eastwood fame were an entirely new depiction of the anti-hero. _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid_ introduced modern pop music to the genre, featuring characters filled with self-doubt headed towards inevitable doom.

But Peckinpaugh's _Wild Bunch_ stretched itself way beyond any previous depictions of the mystical era that formed America's psychological character, influencing the image of this country among Europeans and other people throughout the world. In the film, which stars Ernest Borgnine and William Holden, a group of American mercenaries "take a job" in Mexico. The idea is to make "one last score" before the aging hired guns retire. Calling it a Western is a stretch, since it is set in Mexico during the time of Pancho Villa's 1913 Mexican "revolution," when bandits raided U.S. border towns in an effort to regain "lost territory."

The film depicts intense violence, much of it emanating from the barrel of a machine gun. Slow motion editing of literal bloodlettings shocked audiences at the time. Bullets exploding into flesh and anguished death scenes mark the film. It is an authentic American classic, but it was very controversial for its time.

The term _Wild Bunch_ became something of a cultural catchphrase that could be applied to any group of high-spirited, physically aggressive men. So it was that the 1969 USC Trojan defensive line became known forever as "The Wild Bunch."

So good were these Trojans, and so well remembered are they in collegiate football annals, that a statue depicting them was erected on the USC campus. When Pete Carroll took over, he channeled that same spirit, creating "The Wild Bunch II" as he resurrected USC's football team back into national championship form.

The 1969 "Wild Bunch" defensive front consisted of ends Jimmy Gunn and Charlie Weaver, tackles Al Cowlings and Tody Smith, and middle guard Bubba Scott. They would be a part of USC history in more ways than one.

In 1969, John McKay did his best coaching. Just as Wooden was able to keep his Bruins on top after the departure of Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), McKay was able to do the same with a USC team now devoid of the enormous presence of O.J. Simpson. Furthermore, while Wooden was able to adjust to a new generation, so too did McKay. The Trojans of 1969-71 are a team that had many people scratching their heads. The '69 Trojans were ranked fifth coming in, but that was homage to the program McKay had developed. They were filled with question marks.

In 1969, they answered all those questions. Then, in 1970 and 1971, when they were more mature and expectations were sky high, they disappointed. Why? The answer to this question was kept under the surface for many years.

"I always wondered why a team filled with All-Americans played so far beneath their ability," announcer Tom Kelly said of the 1970-71 teams. The answer: race.

USC had always offered opportunities to black athletes. Willie Wood was a black quarterback under Don Clark in the late 1950s. McKay was a racial hero, of sorts, when it came to providing opportunities for black players. But in 1969 USC started a sophomore black quarterback named Jimmy Jones. Jones was different from previous black quarterbacks. There were none in the NFL and very few in college ball, outside of traditional black colleges.

Minnesota had a black quarterback in 1962. Jimmy Raye was a black quarterback at Michigan State when they played the "game of the century" against Notre Dame. But Jones was different. He was a "traditional" dropback-in-the-pocket passer. Previous black quarterbacks were thought to be "athletes," more glorified running backs than a passer in the mold of Johnny Unitas or Sonny Jurgensen.

In truth, Jones was athletic. He could scramble and run, and often did. He was multi-dimensional, not really considered an NFL-style passer. But he did not run an option, which was a fairly new offensive scheme that had recently been introduced and would, in that year, be utilized to near-perfection by Texas.

Despite suffering injuries in high school, Jones had passed and run for 2,300 yards and 20 touchdowns in his junior year, then 2,400 yards with 40 touchdowns in his senior year. He chose Southern California because of "USC's record, the chance to live in California, the Rose Bowl, the weather, and the offense."

That about said it all when it came to the advantages of USC, especially under John McKay in the 1960s. Jones was solid playing on the 1968 USC freshman team, but it was by no means a lock that he would start as a mere sophomore, a feat in and of itself, especially under McKay.

"If he went into a game with more than two or three pass patterns he was damn lucky," said McKay. "The freshmen here just don't work together as a unit. That's not their job. Their job is to help the varsity get ready each week."

Coming all the way from Pennsylvania, Jones was impatient. He also concerned because of the racial questions.

"Everybody used to tell me blacks couldn't play quarterback," he told reporters before his sophomore year. "They said they were going to switch me to halfback when I got to high school, but that made me more determined to show what I could do at quarterback. There are lots of blacks who can play quarterback but never do. It's just that they never get the chance. There's too many people who have them stereotyped, who think they can't do the job."

Jones earned the starting job for the "race-neutral" McKay by completing 19 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns in 30 minutes - extraordinary numbers for the spring game!

While Jones' presence and the harmonious nature of USC football would face challenges and changes, his first year gave no indication that the good times would stop rolling at USC any time soon.

1969 was the 100th anniversary of college football. USC introduced a few modifications in their uniform style, and in that one season wore helmets that said "100" inside a football.

Jones was the man who would lead USC. He was an enormous recruit out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and it was anticipated that he would bring about a change in USC's offensive schemes. Without O.J., the Trojans were expected to pass more. Jones was different from many of the black athletes who traveled long distances from home to play at schools in the North or the West. Many, like Tody Smith, were Southerners who were not welcome at colleges in the regions where they grew up. But Jones could have played at Pittsburgh, Penn State, or in the Big 10, which was closer to home. But like many kids in America, he was mesmerized by the images of the Rose Bowl on television. That meant: USC in the Rose Bowl on television; the horse, the cheerleaders, the success. Maybe even a Heisman Trophy for good measure?

From 1969 to 1971, Jones broke all of USC's previous passing marks - 4,092 yards and 30 touchdowns. His 4,501 yards in total offense beat O.J.'s record. But in 1969, Jones was not about statistics or even just winning. He was about _excitement._

"His stock-in-trade became known as the Jimmy Jones Late Show, which was full of surprises and spiced with as much agony as ecstasy," noted _L.A. Times_ sportswriter Jeff Prugh. "The format generally ran like this: put 'em to sleep for 57 minutes, then give everybody an electro-shock treatment in the final three minutes."

The Trojans had always been known for dramatics and comebacks. The 1931 game at Notre Dame, and the 1964 game vs. the Irish in L.A., embodied the kind of last-minute victories that gave flair to the program. But Jones started a tradition that eclipsed all previous late-game heroics. What he started would continue, and throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, the Southern Cal Trojans were probably the most exciting two-minute comeback offense in the history of the game.

USC opened the season with a major challenge: Bob DeVaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers on the road. Another big challenge was Jones's throbbing back, which made him questionable until game time. Then he told McKay, "I think I can run." McKay's concern was not just Nebraska, but his sophomore's future, which he did not want to endanger in his first varsity game. Finally, the "little white-haired man" gave Jones the okay with strict orders to hand off to Clarence Davis, _not_ run, which of course was at least half of what made Jones effective in the first place.

Before 67,058 "Big Red" supporters in Lincoln, Jones engineered a steady drumbeat of offense in a 31-21 win. In many ways, the victory foreshadowed Matt Leinart's sophomore debut at Auburn in 2003, a 23-0 victory in a hostile environment.

The game was not only the first game for Jones, but the first game for junior college transfer tailback Clarence Davis. Jones was succeeding Steve Sogge. Davis was trying to fill O.J.'s shoes in a run-dominated offense.

The press had tried to hype the low key Davis, calling him "Lemonade," but the nickname never stuck. Davis had been born in Birmingham, Alabama, but moved with his mother to Bronx, New York as a child. At 13, he went with her to Los Angeles when she came out for a job opportunity. Davis was not big, and not a running back at Washington High School. At East L.A. Junior College he came into his own, actually breaking many of Simpson's seemingly unbreakable records set at City College of San Francisco.

In the initial drive, Davis ran for 57 of the 80 yards, with Mike Berry plunging in from the one to make it 7-0. Jones struggled with his early passing until connecting with Bob Chandler. The Trojans led 14-0. Jones was not perfect with his reads and he did fumble.

"Sophomores will do that," McKay said. "But I'd still rather have the superior sophomore to the just-average senior."

McKay told the media that he planned to stick with Jones even if he did make sophomore errors. He was true to his word. Davis added 114 yards in the win, which was pointed out to be 20 yards more than O.J. in his USC debut of 1967.

Jones struggled with back pain, but his confidence soared.

On October 11, Jim Plunkett led the Stanford Indians into the Coliseum. 82,812 showed up to see the fourth-ranked 3-0 Trojans in a night game against a very talented 16th-ranked team.

It was just as Prugh described. USC and Jones seemed to be in the doldrums. Plunkett drove Stanford up and down the field. The big crowd was frustrated. The talented Trojans just seemed unable to play up to their potential...until the end. Trailing 24-23 with 85 yards to go and a minute left, Jones drove the Trojans down the field while the crowd went out of their cotton-pickin' minds. 82,000 throats filled the air with every kind of invective and invocation when Ron Ayala stepped forward to boot a game-winning 34-yard field goal, giving his team victory by the narrowest of margins.

The following week, however, the 1968 tie game vs. Notre Dame repeated itself. The Irish had been upset by Purdue, but the oddsmakers liked Joe Theisman's experience compared to the sophomore Jones. Notre Dame was a four-point favorite playing at home.

The first half was scoreless, but Notre Dame executed a 75-yard march for a third quarter touchdown to lead 7-0. Jones responded by hitting Terry DeKraii for 18 yards to tie it. His pass to wide receiver Sam Dickerson in the fourth quarter gave USC the 14-7 edge.

Theisman came roaring back twice. First he led a touchdown drive to tie it. After getting the ball back they seemed on the verge of victory at the USC three when the "Wild Bunch" earned their nickname, stuffing the Irish. Then they harried kicker Scott Hempel's 38-yard field goal try. The ball kicked back after striking the cross bar.

USC had blown chances, too, which included Charlie Evans's fumble, Ayala's missing an easy field goal try, and Clarence Davis's 15-yard touchdown run nullified by a penalty.

Georgia Tech came to town the next week. The Yellow Jackets, like almost all Southern teams, were still segregated. Wake Forest had fielded a token black player. Tennessee had a wingback named Lester McClain. Alabama had a couple of walk-ons who did not play. UCLA had played some Southern teams in recent years. McKay's teams played them fairly regularly. Jones engineered a 29-18 win. Few people saw much significance in the game, but football and society would soon meet at the 50-yard line.

The 1969 City Game did not have all the bells and whistles of the 1967 clash, but it was a classic of epic proportions. Fifth-ranked 8-0-1 USC met sixth-ranked 8-0-1 UCLA before 90,814 at the Coliseum. Two of those fans were seniors from Redwood High School near San Francisco. Pete Carroll and a pal made the 400-mile drive to see this game, and it had a lasting impression on them.

There were no Heisman hopefuls and the game had little chance of affecting the national championship. Heading into the "rivalry games" of 1969, those goals seemed to be most legitimately held by Ohio State, Texas, Arkansas and Penn State. USC's tie with Notre Dame was the only thing that had marred their season.

The 1969 Oho State Buckeyes entered the season thought by some experts to be the greatest team of all time. All the stars of their 1968 title team were back. When they beat Northwestern in an early season game that engendered the gasping _Sports Illustrated_ headline "62-0!" they seemed destined for greatness.

The no-repeat rule still stood in the way of a Rose Bowl repeat with USC, or whomever the Pac-8 sent. All the cards were on the table at Columbus when underdog Michigan came to town. Ohio State scored the first two touchdowns, but missed both extra points. Michigan rallied from the 12-0 deficit to win a shocker, 24-12.

USC still had Texas, Arkansas and Penn State ahead of them with undefeated, untied records. Texas traveled to Arkansas, and suddenly the media was saying that _this_ was the "game of the century" only three years after the Michigan State-Notre Dame game.

President Nixon realized for the first time that the South, previously thought to be the safest of Democrat voting blocs, was a new constituency of his. It was there where he found support for the Vietnam War and the cornerstone of the Silent Majority of Christian conservatives who made up his and, ultimately, the Republican Party's strongest base. This was partially on his mind when he traveled to Fayetteville for the Texas-Arkansas game. Texas rallied from 14-0 down in the fourth quarter to win, 15-14.

After the game, Nixon told Darrell Royal that the Longhorns were the national champions. Of course, Penn State was unbeaten with the Orange Bowl still to play. They rightfully asked why the former Whittier College "tackling dummy" suddenly seemed to usurp the AP and the UPI.

Then there was USC and UCLA. Going into their game, both teams still had legitimate hopes at finishing number one. Notre Dame decided to end their "no bowl" policy. If they could beat Texas in the Cotton Bowl, and if Penn State would lose, then the Rose Bowl could decide the national champion.

It was not to be. Texas rallied to beat Theisman and the Irish in a thrilling Cotton Bowl, 21-17 to earn the number one ranking. Penn State won their bowl, so their number two finish sparked plenty of bar room argument about bias against Eastern football. The need for a play-off system was more obvious than ever.

Before any of that, Southern California and Jimmy Jones had another rabbit to pull out of their hats. They called USC the "Cardiac Kids" after their 14-12 win over UCLA. It was even more amazing than the last-second win over Stanford.

UCLA quarterback Dennis Dummit threw a 41-yard touchdown strike, but Charlie Weaver broke up the Bruins' ill-advised two-point conversion try. Clarence Davis went in from 13 yards out to put USC ahead, 7-6. The Wild Bunch took over. Highlights of the game show some blows that were truly mind-boggling, including one laid on Dummit by Weaver that is remarkable in that Dummit rose to played again.

Dummit did more than play again. He shook himself off to hit Brad Lyman for 57 yards, then Gwen Cooper from the seven. However, another two-point try failed, so the 12-7 UCLA lead was vulnerable.

Jones had one of those "57-minute" games Jeff Prugh described. He still had the three he needed, starting it from the USC 32. Jones got nothing done. It was desperation time: fourth-and-10. He looked for Sam Dickerson and overthrew him, but a pass interference call that is questioned to this day in Westwood was called. USC had the ball on the Bruin 32.

Given life, Jones went for Dickerson again in the corner of the end zone. This time the catch was made to give Southern California a stirring 14-12 win.

"It was so quiet you could hear a rose petal fall," wrote Dwight Chapin in the _Los Angeles Times._ "The only sound in the UCLA locker room was the occasional slam of a door as the players slowly made their way out of their cubicles and to the showers. The sound of the doors swinging shut would crack and then it would be quiet - very quiet - again.

"Some of them sobbed behind those locker room doors, unbelieving, waiting in the solitude for the reprieve that wasn't to come. It was Danny Graham, the young man of misfortune, the young man guilty of pass interference that gave USC life - and later the ball game - who was able to articulate the sorrow best."

"It seems," he said, "like my whole life just went down the drain."

Not so. The USC-UCLA game is competition, rivalry and tradition at its very best. Graham was lucky to have been part of it. USC has enjoyed its fair share of glory, but so too has UCLA. The game, like the USC-Notre Dame game, has elevated both programs to greater heights than either one would have achieved without the other. Graham gave a noble effort. Those wearing Cardinal and Gold or baby blue have known this noble effort. They have known the agonies and ecstasies of a great game. It is the essence of what sports is all about. Of course, Graham's life did not go "down the drain." People do not live or die based on the outcome of a sporting match, no matter what Red Sanders used to say.

The Rose Bowl was anti-climatic, in a sense. It was for USC after the UCLA game. Perhaps it was for a Michigan team that had given the full measure of themselves in the Herculean effort needed to beat Ohio State. Jones hit Bob Chandler, who made a long sideline run for a touchdown.

"I showed 'em," said Jones. "I've got two years of eligibility to go in college, and I think I'll get better."

The "Wild Bunch" was too much for Michigan quarterback Don Moorehead, and USC won, 10-3.

The Wolverines could also be excused for having their minds on the health of their new coach, Bo Schembechler. He suffered a mild heart attack and missed the game.

"Southern Cal just punched us around and constantly kept us in bad field position," said Michigan middle guard Henry Hill.

The 5-11, 190-pound Davis finished his season with 1,351 yards, earning first team All-American honors. The writers were quick to point out that had it not been for Garrett and Simpson, Davis would have gone down as the school's greatest rusher.

"I don't want to be another Garrett or O.J.," Davis said. "Football is fun, especially when the big boys block for you. I'm not putting down how tough it is. It's a hard game. It hurts a lot sometimes. But it's the losing game that hurts more often than all the bumps and bruises. Playing is fun and winning is wonderful."

Aside from the Wild Bunch, Tony Terry and Gary MacArthur played well on defense. As the season developed, and the nickname spread, the USC fans would chant, "Wild Bunch."

"The objective of defense is to seek out the ball carrier and separate him from the ball," explained Marv Goux. "Warner Bothers should consider our group for its next Western."

The USC publicity office set up photo shoots of the players dressed in cowboy garb complete with six-shooters. Gunn and Cowlings were both All-Americans. McKay said the Wild Bunch was the best defensive line he ever had at Southern California. Cowlings took his childhood experiences with Simpson, translating them to the football field. He was a self-described neighborhood "bully" who had learned to channel that behavior into on-field mayhem.

The 6-5, 245-pound Cowlings continued to walk a remarkable path seemingly forged by O.J.: first round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills, where he played for three years with his friend. He then played for the Oilers, Rams and Seahawks before re-uniting _again_ with O.J. in their mutual hometown of San Francisco in 1979. His efforts in Hollywood were a continuation of that path, with little success.

Tody Smith was the brother of Baltimore Colts' superstar Bubba Smith.

"The only difference between me and Tody is that when I get them down I let them up," said Bubba.

The All-American defensive end Gunn, who came out of San Diego's Lincoln High (Marcus Allen's alma mater), played for the Bears, Giants, for one year under McKay at Tampa Bay, before retiring and entering USC's Hall of Fame.

6-4, 267-pound offensive tackle Sid Smith, out of Wilson High in Long Beach, made All-American. He was a first round selection of Kansas City, playing in the NFL until 1974.

Other drafted players: Gary McArthur (San Francisco), Sandy Durko (Bengals), Tony Terry (Lions), Gary Orcutt (Falcons) and Don Crenshaw (Rams). Back-up quarterback Mike Holmgren had come to USC a highly touted prep from San Francisco's Lowell High School, but he never got the nod. He was drafted in the 13th round by Chicago, and eventually went into coaching. In 1996 he and quarterback Brett Favre led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl victory.

Whether it was Nixon's influence or not, Texas finished number one in 1969. A review of old _Sporting News_ and _Sports Illustrated's_ reveals nary a mention at the time that the Longhorns were all white.

### PART FIVE

### THE TURNING OF THE CRIMSON TIDE SEPTEMBER 1970

One Night, Two Teams, and the Game That Changed A Nation

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THE UNIVERSITY OF SPOILED CHIDLREN VS. DIRT POOR

In Birmingham they love the governor

And we all did what we could do

Now Watergate does not bother me

Does your conscience bother you, now tell the truth?

\- "Sweet Home Alabama," sung by Lynyrd Skynyrd

Jimmy Jones had told the writers after the Rose Bowl that he expected to only get better in his last two years at USC. In the first game of his junior year, he and the team looked spectacular. They were ranked third in the nation coming in. USC seemed an excellent bet after their opener to extend their 12-game unbeaten streak and win another national championship. The forces of fate and destiny that mark the 1970 University of Southern California Trojan football team, individually and as a program, can only be assessed in the light of time's passage. They are a part of history, a part of our culture. The signs and wonders that mark these remarkable young men; what they accomplished and what they stood for, speak to the changing America of their times. They speak to matters of social significance, but ultimately it all ties together.

Six members of the 1970 USC football team became Christian ministers. Among those were quarterback Jimmy Jones, tight end Charle Young, and fullback Manfred Moore. Center Dave Brown was heavily involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

USC proudly refers to itself as "a private, _non-denominational_ institution." It's greatest rival, of course, is the great Catholic school Notre Dame. The contrast between the two schools is often marked by Notre Dame's religious identity, denoting a certain kind of Midwestern piety. South Bend, Indiana is a tiny little town with little to do. The weather is cold. Nobody has ever accused them of being a "party school." _Playboy_ has never run any "Girls of Notre Dame" pictorials.

USC on the other hand, is disparagingly referred to by its jealous detractors as the "University of Spoiled Children." It has a secular reputation as Hollywood's school, where the affluent Beautiful People congregate in a warm weather paradise. Eye-popping coeds grace the campus. Fraternity parties have been known to get decadent.

However, there is a certain _aura_ that is associated with USC, a place some have taken to call the "Hallowed Shrine." For one thing, it is an extremely conservative, patriotic institution, which separates it from many of its rivals. Liberal activism is the touchstone of Berkeley and Stanford. UCLA considers itself socially to the left of its cross-town rival. But USC has always maintained its conservative base.

John Wayne, of course, was a Trojan and a fierce patriot. Football coach Marv Goux once spurred a citywide debate in the _Los Angeles Times_ by pulling an anti-war protestor named "Brother Lennie" off his campus soapbox during the Vietnam era. Conservative Watergate figure G. Gordon Liddy was received like a conquering hero by admiring frat boys in 1983.

"You got brass b---s," they told him when he spoke of his prison experiences in the 1983 promotion of his autobiography, _Will_ , at Bovard Auditorium.

The next year, 1984 Democrat Presidential candidate Walter Mondale found USC to be "Reagan country," causing him to chastise the school for producing several of the President's men during Watergate.

In 2004, liberal filmmaker Michael Moore was all-but booed off the stage when he tried to show _Fahrenheit 9/11_ at USC. His reaction was to start wearing a UCLA cap.

But while USC is conservative, rich, and associated with the Republican Party in a way that few other major American colleges is, it is also, curiously, the "people's school." A bastion of wealth surrounded by the urban core of a hard city, yet these people have for decades come together to root for Troy.

The truth is, USC has always considered itself a school with a religious identification. It was founded in 1880 by a Catholic, a Methodist and a Jew, and until taking on the nickname "Trojans" in 1912, they were commonly known as the "Methodists." Its habit of winning last-second football victories via miraculous comebacks has provided some mystical quality to the whole idea of being "special," even "chosen." The fact that the teams they routinely beat - Cal, Stanford, the Oregon schools, for instance - are considered liberal and even unfriendly to Christianity, at least in its more fundamental forms, is seen by some as further evidence of their mystique. Of course, "miracle" wins over Notre Dame have added to the whole Catholic vs. Protestant question, leading to friendly fan arguments over who God favors, all offered with the appropriate wink and a smile!

The school has of course produced its fair share of womanizers, partiers, and _National Enquirer_ types, but - and perhaps it is because USC athletes get interviewed more, or are more prominent and therefore able to attract attention to their causes after their careers end - USC seems to produce an extraordinarily high percentage of former athletes extolling God, or Christian-inspired causes.

The 1970 Trojans were a team that was indeed populated by a large number of Christian athletes. That being said, however, they were a team of divisions, juxtapositions and personal rivalries. Their fate is tied to the events of September 12, the season opener. A great season was torn asunder by racial polarization. A little-known lineman brought them together when all looked hopeless. Greatness came to them via patience and fate. The 36 years that have since marked the first game of the 1970 season reveal a mosaic of beautiful personalities, powerful men of mayhem who have found peace. A nation can point to that 1970 season opener as a metaphor for a changing America.

* * * *

The pride of the South was its colleges, ranging from venerable private institutions such as Vanderbilt to public colleges like Alabama and Mississippi. No black man or woman dared enter these hallowed halls.

After World War II, the U.S. Army desegregated. In 1954, the Supreme Court's _Brown vs. Board of Education_ decision ruled that segregation of public high schools (and by extension, at least in theory, colleges) according to race was illegal. President Dwight Eisenhower understood the Southern mind-set and pursued an incremental approach to civil rights. Still, he attempted to bring forth legislation that would ensure black voting rights and other freedoms. Southern Democrats blocked his efforts.

In 1955 Georgia Governor Marvin Griffith asked Georgia Tech not to play Pitt in the Sugar Bowl because the Panthers featured a black player, Bobby Grier.

"The South stands at Armageddon," he said. "We can't risk the slightest (during) this dark and lamentable struggle."

Louisiana and Mississippi lawmakers passed laws prohibiting schools from competing against integrated teams, although Jones J.C. of Mississippi did travel West to play Compton J.C. in the Junior Rose Bowl.

In 1962, James Meredith, 28, a black Air Force vet, entered Ole Miss. He was later wounded by gunfire in 1966 march. NAACP leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi days after Alabama Governor George Wallace's "stand in the schoolhouse door." In September 1963, four little girls were killed in a Birmingham church bombing. In February of 1964, Black Muslim leader Malcolm X was killed after advocating that the Muslims cooperate with King's non-violent Christian movement.

"It is hard for some to understand the kind of savage conditions that existed, the intense hatred," Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor of black studies at Cal State Long Beach, told _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ sports columnist Bob Keisser for a story on the 35th anniversary of the 1970 USC-Alabama game. "They didn't want African-Americans to excel anywhere, in school or in sports."

In 1963 Adolph Rupp asked to be allowed to play integrated basketball teams, but the rest of the SEC refused. Kentucky's football team integrated in 1967 with Nat Northington and Greg Page, but Page was paralyzed when teammates gang swarmed him in practice. He fell into a coma, dying a month later. Northington, injured in the first game vs. Indiana, later quit. Wilbur Hackett stuck it out at Northington's urging and made junior co-captain.

In 1967, Cal's black football players boycotted spring practice because of suspension of a black basketball player. In 1969, 13 Washington blacks refused to play vs. UCLA after four refused to sign a loyalty oath for coach Jim Owens.

In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King fought for black voter registration by leading the "Freedom March" from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. He was jailed; and his supporters, white and black, met with violence. Blood filled the streets, but King insisted on maintaining the movement, in the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi, as one of nonviolent revolution.

President John Kennedy had made tentative steps toward legal integration. When he was murdered in 1963, an unlikely torchbearer emerged. President Lyndon Johnson, from Texas, ushered in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The South was still widely Democrat, and they opposed it widely. Republicans, however, stepped up and helped pass the law.

At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, African-American athletes Tommy Smith and John Carlos finished first and third in the 200-meter dash. They raised black-gloved fists during "The Star-Spangled Banner." Both were suspended and thrown out of the Olympic Village. Both athletes had been approached by African-American Berkeley sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards in an effort to boycott the games. Many black athletes, including UCLA basketball All-American Lew Alcindor, had joined the boycott.

In 1968, Richard Nixon began the tightrope act that helped transform Southern politics. He formed a delicate coalition of Republicans and supporters of Governor George Wallace who wanted their vote to count. His "Southern strategy" resulted in his election to the Presidency. Eventually, this provided the impetus the GOP needed to husband Dixie back into the mainstream.

In the mean time, Alabama under legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant established itself as a major national football power. Andy Doyle, an Emory University historian, said the success of Bryant's teams in the very face of protest served as vindication of "white supremacy."

"He was a demi-god able to salvage the honor of a society that was being forced to alter many of its most cherished traditions," he wrote.

"Bear was very late to the dance," wrote historian and author David Halberstam. "In this case, he did not lead well. He was divided and slow. He was probably the only man in all of Alabama capable of standing up to George Wallace."

Joe Namath said Bryant told him in 1962 he'd never recruit blacks as long as he could find whites who were as good. But by 1967 he was predicting integration.

"The time is coming when in this entire area," he told _Ebony_ magazine, "you won't see too many of these <colored> boys going away (to other schools)."

In the late 1950s and 1960s, blacks made enormous strides in college football. Syracuse stars Jim Brown and Ernie Davis made their marks. Occasionally, Southern teams played integrated squads in bowl games, always with controversy and fan resistance. These contests were almost never south of the Mason-Dixon line. Great black athletes from the South and East filled out college rosters in the Pacific 8 and Big 10 conferences.

In 1966, basketball coach Don Haskins fielded an all black starting five at Texas Western University (now the University of Texas-El Paso). He took Texas Western all the way to the NCAA tournament. His opponent was a legendary, allegedly racist Coach Adolph Rupp, whose Kentucky team had dominated the pre-UCLA and John Wooden era but was now finding itself left behind. When Haskins's team won, the "old order" was upended. Rupp's supposedly racist reputation conflicts with his request to the SEC three years earlier to play integrated teams.

In the late summer of 1963, Dr. King, that year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, had organized the "March on Washington," demanding equal rights for all Americans.

"I have a dream," King told the assembled multitudes at the Mall. The dream was that America would "live up to its creed," and that black people be judged, "not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

JFK disputed with Governor Ross Barnett over Meredith's entrance into Ole Miss. Barnett, by virtue of his membership in the Democratic Party, was theoretically a political ally of Kennedy's, but he fought the President tooth and nail; albeit, in the dulcet, gentlemanly tones of Southern propriety. It was enough to make Kennedy want to jump through the roof, if only his aching back would allow such dexterity.

Governor George Corley Wallace had been an old style Southern populist in the tradition of Earl and Huey Long. He had reached out with the hand of racial moderation in 1958, only to be beaten in that year's gubernatorial campaign by John Patterson. Wallace adamantly declared that he would , "never be out-n------d again."

Four years later, his campaign theme could be summed up by the phrase "segregation now, segregation forever." He was elected, and he was popular. Wallace marched to the front of the administration building and "blocked" it, so that two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, could not enter and enroll in the University of Alabama.

Paul "Bear" Bryant and University of Alabama President Frank Rose, along with members of the board of trustees, had stood in the window of Bear's second-story office, a building on the corner, where they were witnessing history. For better or for worse.

President Rose was a friend and ally of Jack Kennedy's. He found himself walking a tightrope. The Democrats had ushered the South into the modern era. Franklin Roosevelt's works programs of the 1930s, particularly the building of the Tennessee Valley Authority, had made it possible for new generations of Southerners to pursue higher education at institutions such as the one he now presided over.

But 'Bama was a state university. His boss was the firebrand two stories below making the stand in the schoolhouse door; the man with the bushy eyebrows, the former amateur pugilist, the man _L.A. Times_ reporter Jeff Prugh later called "America's merchant of venom."

Bryant was the child of sharecroppers. His nickname, "Bear," came from his teenage years when he wrestled a black bear at a local fair in rural Arkansas. He had befriended a black kid and almost gotten thrown into jail with him as a result of a youthful prank. He had served in the Navy, managed a blues band. He had been a star end opposite Don Hutson, playing in the 1935 Rose Bowl. He had coached at Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A&M - where he tried to integrate those programs - before returning to 'Bama in 1958. He was, despite his impossible-to-understand Southern mumble, a worldly man who, like Lyndon Johnson, sympathized with the plight of minorities because he too had come from the wrong side of the tracks.

In 1959, Alabama faced Penn State in the Liberty Bowl. Bryant was criticized for facing an integrated Nittany Lion team with five blacks. Local "citizen's groups" (read: the KKK) in Tuscaloosa objected. Alabama lost the game, 7–0.

But in 1961, Bryant had won a national championship, and when you do that in Alabama you can walk on water, which Bryant did in Coca-Cola billboards along the Alabama highways. To top that off he had landed the most blue chip of all blue chip recruits, a hotshot with bedroom eyes from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania: Joe Willie Namath. Namath, a junior that fall, was creating quite a stir by making quiet, solo visits to the black neighborhoods of Tuscaloosa, where he _mingled_ with the local citizenry.

"He looks like a cool jazz singer," said Sylvester Croom, who would go on to become an Alabama All-American and the first black football coach in the Southeastern Conference at Mississippi State.

Dr. King had studied Mahatma Gandhi, how he had forged Indian independence through passive resistance. _Satyagraha._ The delicate art of putting your morality on the other guy, of making his crimes against you crimes he was committing _against himself._ Dr. King saw in his approach a morality not just attached to his cause, but to his "enemies," who he did not see as his enemies, but as his brothers. In the Christian South, Dr. King saw humanity where so many others saw hatred, violence, ignorance.

So, too, did Bear Bryant. "When people are ignorant," the Arkansas "hillbilly" said, "you don't condemn 'em, you teach 'em."

But Bear Bryant was a man who made his living orchestrating organized mayhem, but in a world gone mad, a world of riots, police dogs and rubber hoses, he wanted nothing more than to accomplish the important tasks at hand _smoothly._ Like a baby's cheek.

Bryant grew up dirt poor in a place where "poor" meant living off the land. He was sympathetic to poor people, a trait shared by some "poor whites" in the South. It might be said that the difference between "poor whites" and "white trash" was that poor whites empathized with others because they shared their plight, while "white trash" blamed others for their plight. The most virulent racism in the South had never come from the slave-owning classes or the aristocracy. Instead it emanated from the foremen who derived their wages and bonuses from slave toil, then pinned their economic downturn on the blacks, whom they saw as taking their jobs, their land, and their opportunity.

Bryant looked like a hound dog, his visage accentuated by the fact he wore a hound's tooth hat. He had big floppy jowls, sleepy eyes, craggy, sunburned skin. His ears made him look like a taxi going down the street with the doors open, which probably was the reason for the hound's tooth hat.

Bryant's football mentality worked against any instinctive racism. As a man whose entire life was football and competition, he understood fully the nature of achievement. He had seen enough athletes succeed or fail to know that the two factors that played the decisive role were physical ability and mental desire.

Somewhere, coaches were brainwashing themselves into believing that while blacks could be great pro players, that was a mercenary game. Or college blacks could compete with whites up North, out West, or in the East, but not in Dixie. Southern football was still, despite evidence piling up to the contrary, a more "manly" game than in other regions. Old notions of class and aristocracy were archaically being applied to football.

Extensive interviews with Bryant's colleagues and intimates, in Alabama and throughout the U.S., reveal that nobody, black or white, could recall Bryant using the word "n—" at any time. In a movie about Richmond Flowers Jr., titled _Unconquered_ , Bryant (who helped young Richmond get a scholarship to the University of Alabama Law School) is depicted as predicting the future.

"In a few years," he told his players, "you're all gonna be black."

Bryant did not believe the lies that still embodied part of the myth that Southern whites were still clinging to in 1970. He had tried to integrate Kentucky when he coached there in the 1950s. He often spent Friday nights watching all black high school games. But Bear also installed a drill called "The Cage." It was supposed to determine the strongest willed _and_ most able-bodied players.

Racism, an evil disease that makes good people believe lies about other people, inculcated the logical reasoning ability of otherwise-intelligent men and women. These people had grown up with separate drinking fountains, restrooms, schools, and churches, sheltering them from blacks. Whites certainly had no desire to share lockers, showers, sweat, and blood with blacks.

For centuries, including the better part of the previous hundred years, blacks believed these lies too. But society had changed. It had changed because of two world wars, books, mass communications, human nature, sports, and American politics. But most of all, it had changed because of Christianity. No longer did the blacks believe in their own "inherent" inferiority. Their brand of Christianity - self-affirming, loud, and proud - had begun to develop a pride in themselves. They were itching to prove themselves. They knew that on the "other side of the tracks" on Sundays, white folks were worshiping the same Christ they were, and sooner or later the twain shall meet.

John McKay: iconoclast, cigar-smoker. Conservative Republican. West Virginia Irish Catholic. A good ol' boy at heart and by Southern upbringing. He liked to sip whisky. How much he liked to hunt and fish may be debatable.

In the modern era McKay would have been given the heave-ho after his first two losing years.

"I need speed," McKay told his staff.

Speed? Read: black athletes. When John McKay said he wanted _speed_ , his recruiting staff knew exactly what that meant. It took a couple of years, but by 1962 the Trojans had speed: Willie Brown from Long Beach Poly High School and Mike Garrett from Roosevelt High in L.A.

In the late 1960s, Bob Troppman was an innovator. A native of San Francisco, he had grown up in the glory days of the city's high school sports, days when the likes of Joe and Dom DiMaggio, Frank Crosetti, Joe Cronin, Jerry Coleman, and Tony Lazzeri competed on the windswept fields of old Big Rec Park.

Tropp starred at Lowell High School, then entered the Marines, where he served during World War II. He entered the teaching profession and became a football coach at a brand new high school in the growing suburbs of Marin County. In the 1960s, Redwood High under Bob Troppmann was a Bay Area grid power.

In the latter part of that decade, Tropp came up with a great idea. He saw the growing popularity of coaching clinics, and he started one of his own. It was called the Diamond B Football Camp. It was an immediate success because he was able to attract top college coaches, among them Bear Bryant and John McKay.

These became regular events for both coaches. Sometimes Bryant would bring his elegant Southern wife, Mary Harmon, and McKay his spunky spouse, Corky. Sometimes they did not. In the twi-light of the evening, they would relax in the glow of cocktails, tall tales and knowing laughter. A friendship was born.

Bryant admired Troppmann, who had a first class football mind and could have taken it to the next level, but chose instead to remain an unsung high school hero. Bryant was quoted saying, "When I need advice on developing the short passing game, I consult Coach Troppmann's diagrams." It was a little hokey but nice advertising for the Diamond B camp.

McKay would show up with Marv Goux. It was like a fantasy camp for kids, with Goux barking orders in drill sergeant fashion at the kids from the liberal, rich Marin homes.

"Your ass is mine for the next week."

"If you don't like it, go cry to your mamas."

One kid who _loved it_ was Troppmann's star quarterback and safety, a bright-eyed kid with a natural mind for football named Pete Carroll.

McKay also enjoyed off-season trips to the South. He had his pick of black prep stars in McKay's neck of the woods. They were going to schools like USC and Michigan State because schools like Alabama and Georgia were off-limits. McKay would drop in on the Bear, they would head down to a lodge Bryant kept on the 'Bama coast, the "Redneck Riviera" they liked to call it. They would sit in duck blinds sipping whisky, talkin' football, women, life. They would take a few shots at the ducks. They were better at drinkin' and coachin' than huntin', but they had camaraderie.

McKay never rubbed it in, the fact that he could get the Jimmy Jones's, the Tody Smith's, the Clarence Davis's, while Bear's idea of ethnic recruiting was restricted to guys nicknamed the "Italian Stallion" (Johnny Musso) or Greek fellas from Ohio (Christ Vagotis). Vagotis was so exotic that when he was introduced by a booster at the team banquet, the drunkard stated, "Well, hell, this fella _Fag-_ otis _,_ why we don' know what he is, but at least he ain' no _Negro!"_

This was what Bear Bryant was up against when it came to changing the world. McKay was sympathetic to his plight. The two would talk about how, some day things would be different, and when that happened it would be better for everybody.

At the end of the Diamond B camp, a banquet was arranged. Bryant, McKay, the camp staff and other dignitaries drank, laughed and made speeches. High school coaches from far and wide would show up.

"Send you're A students to Cal and Stanford," Bryant told the assembled coaches. "They'll get a fine education. Send your B students to Southern Cal and UCLA. Hell, I'd send my own kin there. Send you're C students to one a your fine state schools or junior colleges. They'll find themselves. But ya'll send your whisky-drinkin', skirt-chasin' D students to 'Bama, and ol' Bear'll turn 'em into _football players!_ "

The crowd would roar in laughter, appreciating the unspoken reference to two very famous "whisky-drinkin', skirt-chasin' D students" named Joe Namath and Ken Stabler.

Sharing a nightcap with McKay after the banquet, Bear contemplated what he had said to the coaches. Sitting next to them, like a guy in those photos of Churchill, FDR and Stalin at Yalta, with a barstool view of history, was a quiet Bob Troppmann.

"Ya know somethin', ol' buddy," Bear said. "About sendin' some a your kids to play for the Bear? We been sendin' our share to play for y'all."

McKay contemplated this meaning. Bear was talking about black players, but this was a subject that was dealt with in code.

"I think the time's a comin'," continued Bear, "when that practice is gonna cease."

McKay just tinkled his glass to the other man's.

"From your mouth to God's ears," said John McKay.

"We'll come out there to the Coliseum," Bryant told McKay, referring to a future with blacks wearing the Crimson Tide, "and it'll be like a _high speed train."_

McKay turned to Troppmann, who did not realize that he was hearing Bear Bryant talk about things in a way he never talked about in front of his staff. There was the Alabama Bear and the other Bear, the vacation Bear, the California Bear.

"Whaddaya think of that, Coach?"

"I would have no objection," replied Coach T.

The NCAA announced that they were adding an eleventh game to the fall football schedule early in 1970. After hearing about the extra game, Bryant gathered his "brain trust" in his second floor office, the same one where he watched Wallace make his infamous "stand at the schoolhouse door" seven years earlier.

Bryant once said he wanted to be the "Branch Rickey of football." In a 1965 _Look_ magazine article, he stated, "Negro players in the Southeastern Conference are coming." Radio host Paul Finebaum, however, said Bryant could have done more sooner.

"He had more power than any football coach in the South, maybe the country, and any public declaration from him would have helped enormously," he said.

Bryant's "brain trust" included his coaches, Jerry Claiborne, Mal "Bud" Moore, Jack Rutledge and Clem Gryska. Maybe they were Bear's "brain trust," but regarding the issue of this added game, they were merely his audience when he announced that the Tide had an extra contest to prepare for, and that it would be the Southern Cal Trojans on September 12 at Legion Field.

"Coach Bryant, now hold on..." said Moore. "Let's think this thing through."

"That's what I always do, Bud," said Bryant.

"Coach," said Moore, "Southern Cal's undefeated, they're fast, they're..."

Nobody had to say it. They had _blacks._ Lots of _fast blacks_. One could hear Aunt Bea wailing about it right now.

"Andy, Andy, there's blacks at Legion Field."

"It's the best thing for the program, Coach," Bryant said to Moore, but it was directed at the assembled staff. "It'll be a big game for our fans, like a bowl game in September."

"They got Davis," said Claiborne.

Davis was Clarence Davis. Black. Born in Birmingham. An All-American tailback in 1969. Star for the 10-0-1 Trojans.

"The papers'll have a field day," said Claiborne.

Indeed, Davis had become a poster child for a growing chorus in the media to integrate the football program. It was not just the black media, and there was such a thing. They covered the black high school stars and the black colleges. The "white" papers wondered about Davis, too. He was one who most certainly had gotten away.

"It'll help with Wilbur," stated Bear.

Wilbur Jackson. Ah, the elephant in the corner. A running back-wide receiver from Ozark, Alabama. One of the best high school football players in America. His dad was a railroadman. Big family. _Conservative_ , very Christian.

"Yes sir, no ma'am," all the way.

Black.

With a full ride scholarship to the University of Alabama, slated to enter with the freshman class in the fall, where he would be expected to star on the frosh team. In 1971, barring disaster, he would be on the field of play, competing at full throttle for the Crimson Tide.

Bear Bryant never made mention of race, at least not in the context of what this game with USC would mean, but greasing the skids for Wilbur Jackson was Project 1-A, and he had his way of doing things.

Craig Fertig was not yet 30 years old in the spring of 1970. He had engineered that miraculous victory, coming from 17-0 down at the half to defeat Notre Dame in 1964, thus denying Ara Parsheghian his first national championship. In so doing, he had earned his eternal place in the glory halls of Troy.

Now, however, he was a lowly assistant coach. He had made it past the graduate assistant stage, but not by a whole lot. He was assigned bed check duty. When McKay had his fill of whisky at Julie's, a nearby watering hole, Fertig (whose unofficial duties included keeping up with the old man) was tasked with driving him home to Covina.

On this smoggy spring day, Fertig again found himself playing taxi driver.

"Come on, Craig, let's go" McKay barked.

"Yes, sir," said Fertig. No questions asked. No details inquired of or given.

Out the door they went, to the parking lot, where McKay handed Fertig the keys to his car, a big old gas-guzzling Cardinal Toronado.

"Well I get in the car, I'm born and raised in L.A., you tell me where you wanna go and I'll get you there, but he doesn't say anything," Fertig said on _The History of USC Football_ DVD (2005). "And I never speak unless I'm spoken to."

They edged out onto the freeway. No small talk, just directions.

"So I turn here, turn there," continued Fertig.

Traffic coming off the Hoover entrance.

"10 west," says McKay. Traffic clearing up around San Vicente, boxing them in again around the interchange with the San Diego Freeway.

"405 south," says McKay.

Clear to Washington, then airport traffic the rest of the way.

"LAX," says McKay.

Los Angeles International Airport, their home away from home. How many times had they flown in and out of this place, for games and recruiting?

"And finally we get to the airport, so I said, 'Short term or long term?' and he says, 'Short,' and I says, 'Aah, short flight.'

"Western Airlines," McKay said, directing them.

They parked and made their way to Western Airlines, and found a table in the Horizon Room.

"And I never forget," said Fertig, "at 10 o'clock in the morning, we go to the Horizon Room of Western Airlines, and he says, 'I'll have a cocktail here,' and he's still not talkin' to me, and he looks at his watch and he says, 'We'll have another one here,' and he says, 'He'll be here in about five minutes.' "

"Scotch on the rocks," said McKay.

"Vodka," said Fertig. "With O. J. Just like Simpson."

"One drink, then two," Fertig recalled 35 years later, "then three, then four."

"He'll be here in four minutes," said McKay. "I don't know who 'He' is. In 'He' walks with his hound's tooth hat on. It's _Paul 'Bear' Bryant._ Like Mt. Rushmore with legs."

"Hi Paul."

"Hi John."

Sunburned from days on the Palm Desert golf course, where he had been a participant in the Bob Hope Desert Classic, Bryant extended his hand. Fertig had never met him before and was like a child.

"Martini," mumbled the Bear.

Another round, small talk. Another round. Nice weather. More drinks. Love California. _How's Corky? How's Mary Harmon?_ Another round. Then...

"What do you wanna see me about, Paul?"

"Well John - we'll have one more round here \- John I'm gonna offer ya $150,000 if you'll come down to Birmingham to help us open up the season - we'll have another one," says Bryant, according to Fertig's recollection.

McKay tugs at his cigar and says, "Okay, I'll tell you what I'll do Paul, I'll give you $250,000 if you come out the following year and play us in the Coliseum."

McKay knew what to expect.

Fertig just stared as the two men shook hands.

_Bear's integratin' his program_ , he thought to himself. _Jesus, Mary and Joseph._

Sure, everybody knew about Wilbur Jackson, but in the spring of 1970, whether Jackson would really play was still an open question. A couple of years earlier, Bryant had brought in three black walk-ons to practice with the team. He was known to keep a recruiting list in his top drawer that carried the names of the top black players in the South. When challenged in a court case, he told the black lawyer bringing litigation that he would offer scholarships to blacks, but none of the state's best black players wanted to play at the University of Alabama. In December 1969, however, Bryant had signed Wilbur Jackson.

But the Trojans, with all those black guys with their Afros, at Legion Field? Holy cow.

"They shook hands and that's what started that football game," said Fertig.

"Coach McKay was thinking how much bigger the L.A. Coliseum was than Legion Field," said Fertig to Allen Barra in _The Last Coach: A Life Of Paul "Bear" Bryant_. "He thought an attraction like Alabama could sell thousands of tickets more than anyone else we could have scheduled. They had a drink, shook hands, and got up to leave."

Fertig was "sitting in on a historical moment," he told Barra. "Coach McKay and Coach Bryant both understood what had just happened, but I didn't catch on right away. They had just agreed to play the first integrated college football game in Alabama."

Details were worked out, pleasantries exchanged, more drinks to toast the occasion, and finally Fertig had to get the old man home.

"Coach," Fertig asked McKay in the car, "why'd Coach Bryant choose us for this thing?"

"Young Craig Fertig," McKay announced, "the 'prowling Bear' has chosen the Trojans to help 'change the complexion' of college football."

Fertig laughed. Great _double entendre_. Pure John McKay. The artificial turf in Birmingham, thought Fertig, would not be the only challenge for his team.

"I told [assistant coach] Marv Goux that I didn't know what Bear was up to, but the whole thing had the feel of a spy novel," McKay recalled in an interview conducted for _StreetZebra_ magazine in 2000. "Bear asked if the Trojans would like to travel to Birmingham to open the following season. The NCAA had just granted an eleventh game, and Bear wanted that game to be against us on their home turf. I agreed to the match-up. What I didn't realize was that it was all part of Bryant's own plan to desegregate his program. Despite his popularity, he'd never been able to do it before, despite his desire to. He'd expressed to me that he'd wanted to do it for years. I can't say that I knew Bear's intentions fully at the time, but I did suspect it. It was a delicate situation and required just the right timing; but if any man understands how to do something like that, it was Bear Bryant. Bryant 'walked on water' in Alabama. He could have been governor had he chosen to run. He could have been king."

Sam Cunningham's African-American family had moved to the idyllic community of Santa Barbara a few years prior, from another laid-back California beach town, Ventura. Sam was the best athlete at the oldest high school in the state, starring in football and track for the Dons. In Southern California prep sports circles, his name was known far and wide.

Santa Barbara was the mythical launch site of the _S.S. Minnow_ in the popular 1960s sitcom _Gilligan's Island_. Life there was not unlike living on the set of another, later popular show, _Baywatch_. It was about sun, sand, and fun. People there liked to party, and the girls who populated the beaches, the high school, Santa Barbara City College, and the U.C.–Santa Barbara campus were the tanned beauties of the Beach Boys' classic "California Girls."

Older blacks of that generation knew full well what kinds of obstacles lay beyond the friendly confines of a place like Santa Barbara. One of the most common refrains from African-Americans advising their young sons was how to deal with white girls - _don't!_ By 1970, that kind of talk went over like a lead balloon with the new generation. In Santa Barbara, if you wanted to talk to girls, white girls were the great majority. There was a small black population and a more sizable Hispanic community, but overwhelmingly people - and pretty girls - were white. Most of the guys found ways to excuse themselves from conversations with the old folks.

Sam Cunningham could go where he wanted to go, when and with whom he pleased. As a sports star, he enjoyed some celebrity, although not the kind of pagan idolatry reserved for high school heroes in the South. Sam was young and naive. He knew about the civil rights movement, but it had never truly hit home with him in this place. His biggest decision coming out of high school was which scholarship he would accept. USC had the best football and track program in the United States, so taking a ride to play for the Trojans was not difficult.

In 1969, Cunningham had toiled for the USC freshman team, but freshmen would not become eligible for varsity play until 1972. Going into his sophomore year, he was looking to start. He had impressed his coaches and was the leading candidate for the fullback job, but USC had so many talented players that a single slip-up could mean a significant loss of playing time. Cunningham's main competition for the job had come from two white players: John Papadakis and Charlie Evans. After losing out to Cunningham, the Greek junior-to-be accepted his fate, concentrating on a new position: linebacker. Evans would not go down so easily. If he were to lose his job to Cunningham, he would take it hard.

The L.A. Coliseum is in a neighborhood, located across the street from the USC campus, just south of the Rose Garden and museums. It is a neighborhood to avoid. Only the "old school" ventures there. Students have no desire to cross that street except for football games, when they have the numbers in their favor. This has long been considered the reason USC's basketball team draws poorly at the Sports Arena, where games are usually played at night in the winter. The small crowds create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Suburban fans cannot get past the notion that they are in dangerous territory. A new basketball arena, scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2006-07 season across from Felix Chevrolet at Jefferson and Figueroa, promises to upgrade the program, increase attendance, and create some viable night life in the form of restaurants and bars.

The school is located in one of L.A.'s oldest neighborhoods. When USC was founded, the area was one of the finest in the city. But by 1970, it was a ghetto known as South-Central, located adjacent to the infamous Watts projects. Only five years had passed since Watts had erupted in the flames of riot.

Students at USC quickly decipher the lines of the "social zone": Figueroa Street to the east, Jefferson to the south, Hoover to the west, and West Adams to the north. Unlike UCLA, located in glitzy Westwood and bordered by even glitzier Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and lovely Santa Monica with its adjacent beach communities, USC is like Baghdad's "Green Zone"- an oasis of wealth and privilege surrounded by hardcore urbanity.

But USC has always maintained friendly relations with the largely black and Hispanic neighborhoods surrounding them. In recent years, they have endeared themselves to the community through outreach programs that include revitalizing neighborhoods, building projects that encourage professors to live in the area, school sponsorships, day-care centers, and scholarships for outstanding academic students from nearby high schools.

Fraternity life at USC was and remains a hallmark of campus society. A typical question asked of Trojans is, "Are you in a house?" or, "Are you in a sorority?" To answer no is seen as a sign of second-class status. Frat Row, located just a few blocks from campus, is the center of social life at USC. Unlike UCLA, USC's nearby bars tended to be seedy, even dangerous - especially for women. To venture to the nightspots of the South Bay, Westwood or Santa Monica for the drunk driver meant a treacherous return through Cop Land. The result is that the students stay close to the campus for their fun, their drinking, and their romantic flirtations.

A comic once remarked that the USC–UCLA game is "a gathering place for the beautiful people. Everybody's tanned and rich." USC students tend to be the richer of the two, but regarding the physical appeal of their students, both schools are world-class. A private university, USC tuition is and always has been among the highest in the country, and along with it, a sense of arrogance has pervaded. The derisive "University of Spoiled Children" monikers drips with class envy, always a part of USC's rivalries with other schools, whose student bodies like to wave credit cards in the air at the USC faithful as the band plays "Conquest."

USC is the preferred school of the children of famous Hollywood celebrities. It is not uncommon to see stretch limos tooling around the streets surrounding the campus, occupied by gorgeous girls in black gowns and handsome young gods in tuxedos. It is all fair imitation of the Oscar attendees who arrive at the Shrine Auditorium, across the street from the school, for the Academy Awards.

Frat Row has the look of classical Greek architecture with its well-manicured lawns and columned pillars. Every semester, it is the site of a party tradition known as "rush." Throughout the year, while individual fraternities hold their share of invitation-only parties, there are usually open-keg blasts available to all. Fraternity traditions are inspired by the ancient Greeks, but by 1970 "Greek life" on campuses like USC's meant little more than sex, debauchery, and drunkenness, all in the name of future business networking.

Not everybody at USC, however, is in a fraternity or sorority. Despite its emphasis on white wealth, USC has always attracted a large nonwhite population. It is geographically located in the middle of the Los Angeles metropolis, the gateway to the Pacific Rim. International students from the Middle East, Africa, the Orient, and everyplace else call themselves Trojans. These tend to be serious students who eschew fraternity life.

The other group that is less likely to join a house is USC's athlete population. Football, baseball, basketball, track, and other athletes - male and now increasingly female - are often drawn to their own kind. The athletes are usually on scholarship and do not come from wealth. They often chew tobacco, hail from blue-collar towns, and are less refined. USC athletes tend to think of their teams as their fraternities. The friendships forged on the playing fields are often more lasting and real than those found in frat associations.

Life at USC has always been a mixture of both, however. It is a small-scale version of the relationship between entertainers or politicians and athletes. The frat boys attend the games, cheer for the Trojans, and thump their chest with pride at the success of their teams. They like to socialize with the athletes, who bring a sense of machismo to the environment. The athletes enjoy the payoff, which comes in the form of pretty girls, free booze, and social contacts that can open doors down the road.

In the late 1960s and '70s, USC, like much of America, was somewhat two-faced when it came to race relations. An African-American athlete had to navigate a perilous road. Basketball superstar Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) of UCLA put it this way: "In New York, where I was from, you knew who hated you. The Italians and the Irish didn't want you in their neighborhoods. In California, I was welcomed with open arms by white people, but after a while I realized that these same cats who were giving me the Pepsodent Beach Boy smile were calling me a n----r behind my back."

Alcindor's UCLA experience mirrored the USC experience for many of the "brothers," a term popularized in the 1960s by Malcolm X, whose Black Muslim religion made reference to fellow Muslims as brothers and sisters. A black athlete had to walk a fine line. White women were often attracted to black men for a variety of reasons. Blacks are the best athletes in the world, a fact that may be argued but is almost impossible to refute. One of the reasons they are great athletes is that they tend to be faster, stronger, more agile, and physically larger in every way. Women have been known to get "jungle fever," a disparaging phrase describing their desire to experience the mysteries of the black male. Other white girls, racked by liberal guilt or a desire to be inclusive, give extra attention to blacks, to see to it that they do not feel left out.

Mix all of these sociological criteria with youth, alcohol, drugs, rock music, and young away-from-home adults in the midst of full hormonal rage, and the results are predictable. At USC, most of the black athletes were smart enough to steer clear of obvious trouble, but trouble could find them - and often did.

Enter four black men: Charle Young, Charlie Weaver, Ty Hudson, Tody Smith, and one white girl...John McKay's daughter, Michele. Specifically, enter them into the SAE fraternity at USC.

Young: All-everything tight end from Fresno. Extremely smart, highly Christian, future Hall of Famer. A crusader. First name spelled _Charle._

Weaver: Militant black, big Afro, the kind of unimpressive student that could get in to USC and play football, and cause Cal and Stanford to cry foul about it. Raised in the slums of Richmond. Crazy. Also, an All-American defensive end.

Ty Hudson: Handsome, smart aleck, loved the ladies, particularly white girls. Great, fast star of the defensive secondary.

Smith: 6-5, 247, black. Hometown: Beaumont, Texas. Older brother: Bubba Smith of the Baltimore Colts. Disposition: Crazy.

Tody's older bro had starred at Michigan State. He was one of those great black athletes from the South who could not play college football there unless he went to Grambling or one of the traditional black colleges. Bubba was big time and wanted everybody to know it. Duffy Daugherty had brought him in. He had played in the 1966 "game of the century," a 10-10 tie at East Lansing with Notre Dame. Now, he was All-Pro at Baltimore.

Tody had followed him to Michigan State, got into some kind of dispute with Daugherty, packed his bags, headed for the bright lights of L.A. and the USC Trojans. He was a great player, a defensive tackle who would later player for the Dallas Cowboys.

All four of these black football stars was physically imposing. Threatenin'.

Miss McKay: a "hippie chick," a product of the Age of Aquarius. In the spring of 1970 she was a poster child for it. The beads, the headbands, the flowing shirt, the peace symbol painted on her face.

She had grown up in a football house. Brothers J.K. and Richie were Friday night heroes. Blue chipper Pat Haden, brought in to bunk with Richie so he could play his senior year at Bishop Amat. A frequent houseguest was John Sciarra, who would lead UCLA to a Rose Bowl victory in 1976. Then there was the old man, who was _sooo_ Catholic _,_ and _sooo_ Republican; set in his ways, a drinker, a cigar-smoker, old school. Oh man was he old school, which of course was not the term kids used in those days. McKay was _square_.

So here is Miss McKay, away at college, only she's not "away." She's still near her father, and he's got more spies at University Park than the Central Intelligence Agency. On this night, despite the warnings of Charle Young, she had openly accompanied Ty Hudson to the SAE house.

_I smell trouble_ , Young thought to himself. He could _discern_ such a thing.

"Try not to drink too much, baby," he told McKay's daughter.

"Lighten up, Charle," she said.

_Lord have mercy_ , thought Charle.

He cased the joint. Frat boys drinking beer. The usual scene. Sorority sisters. White girls. Hot chicks.

"I'm gonna get me into a mess a trouble, baby," Tody Smith told Young. A "mess of trouble" meant that he was gonna get knee deep into some of these sorority sisters. Miss McKay was not the only white girl whose "liberal guilt" led her to these black men. There were plenty of others on this night, and one of them was making goo-goo eyes at Tody Smith.

It was hormone time on Friday night.

"Hi, baby, what's shakin'?"

"Hi, I'm Sarah."

"I'm Tody."

_And I'm watchin' your back_ , said Charle Young to himself, just a few feet away. Now, pan just a few more feet away, and observe White Frat Boy One, White Frat Boy Two and White Frat Boy Three, drinking beers. White Frat Boys Four through Fifteen are all within hailing distance. The conversation is predictable:

"You see these brothers? They act like they own the place."

"They're cool."

"It ain't cool that that great big brother's hittin' on my girlfriend."

"She's not your girlfriend anymore."

"Are you with me or not?"

"Aw, s---t..."

A few beers, some dance moves, a few more beers, a slow dance...

The whole of the story is a well worn one. Tody and the white girl. Tody's hand on her butt. A smile, a kiss, flirtation turns a little more serious, and the next thing the defensive end of the Southern Cal Trojans knows, Frat Boys One through Fifteen are on him, to make an apropos analogy, like "white on rice."

Tody Smith was an enormous, incredibly strong man, but he could not overcome 15 drunken fraternity brothers. Luckily for him, Charles "Tree" Young "had his back," saw the whole thing coming, and managed to get into it quickly. So, too, did Hudson and Weaver.

"Crazy Weaver," as most people described him. Young knew that his "job," aside from babysitting McKay's kid and watching Smith's back was to keep _Weaver_ from doing something nuts. It was a melee, but of course most of the frat boys really did not want to mix punches with these football players. Young was an acrobat, pulling guys off of Weaver and Smith.

_Lord, give me strength_ , thought Young to himself.

There was some luck involved, but Young managed to extricate Tody from the fray, along with crazy Charlie Weaver.

"Let's get the heck out of here," said Charle Young.

Images of the L.A.P.D., the South-Central Jail, and the face of Marv Goux at four in the morning bailing them out suddenly appeared like an epiphany before their eyes. In the amount of time that it took to call an audible, they were out the door and gone from the scene.

_And these are our classmates_ , thought Charle. _We gotta go back to Alabama?_

Young just looked at his teammates.

"His will be done," he said under his breath.

Quarterback Jimmy Jones was under pressure. His fellow black teammates understood it well. Separate camps - blacks for Jones, whites for backup Mike Rae - had formed, with certain "moderate" elements who "didn't know what to think," according to tight end Charle "Tree" Young.

Rae would, in fact, lead USC's 1972 national championship team - a club that is still considered by some to be one of the greatest in college history. Rae would go on to become a fixture as Ken Stabler's backup on the championship Oakland Raiders teams. But in the spring of 1970 Jones was unsure of what to worry about most: Rae, racism, or both.

Pre-season camp was rougher in 1970 than the previous year. There were more fights, more arguments, more acrimony. Jones was noticing a disturbing trend, the same thing announcer Tom Kelly was noticing: it was too often black on white, white on black, blacks crying to Coach Brown, whites to Coach Levy or Joe Gibbs - "it's all right, Jimmy, don't worry about it, just make the plays, forget about it, man" - but he could not forget about it.

The question was whether, in gearing up for Alabama, their differences would become their strengths against an "enemy" as easily identifiable as the all white Crimson Tide. Clarence Davis was feeling some real trepidation about going back to Birmingham. Brown was sensitive to the concerns of any African-American during those trying times. McKay had hired Willie Brown largely to relate to his black players. He especially needed his help on this trip.

"The blacks on our team had a swagger," linebacker John Papadakis told Neal McCready of the Mobile Press-Register in 2003. "They knew they were playing in a place where they were highly accepted and promoted, based on their athleticism. Our best players had been black players, at least some of our best players. In any case, they had a swagger and they were loose and they weren't short on words.

"Well, I could tell once we announced that Alabama game, and especially in the fall practices when we gathered, the blacks grew tighter and tighter. You know, like you tighten a drum. They were growing tighter and tighter and tighter and extremely fearful about going down South."

Offensive lineman Dave Brown, a white member of the Christian group Athletes in Action, invited his teammates to come to their next meeting. Many of the players thought Christianity was a joke. In 1970, Brown, still an underclassman with no clout, was in the minority. His team was divided. It would not be until they came together, in many ways because of Dave, that they would reach their potential.

After the assassinations of Malcolm X in 1965 and Dr. King in 1968, along with the murder of John Kennedy in 1963 and Bobby Kennedy five years later, the civil rights movement had taken a radical turn. It was no longer a Christian, Ghandi-inspired, nonviolent peace movement. Instead, the black militancy was symbolized by the Oakland, California-based Black Panthers, who in turn spawned radical movements such as the Weathermen and the Symbionese Liberation Army. Sides were being taken in society.

USC's African-American players were nervous. That summer, it was decided that they would watch each other and stay in groups in Birmingham. The leader of the USC Trojans was the black quarterback Jones, a junior. In the late summer of 1970, with the game at Birmingham coming up, he sensed urgency on the club. Pre-season camp was rougher than the previous year. He called an emergency meeting in his apartment. Just blacks, just upper classmen.

Other players included remnants of the "Wild Bunch" defensive front of 1969, "Crazymen" Tody Smith and Charlie Weaver; running back Lou Harris. A few others. Not everybody knew about it. Sam Dickerson and Clarence Davis have no recollection of it. Sophomores like Sam Cunningham and Charles Young were not invited.

"We gotta come together," Jones announced. "We gotta come together for Birmingham."

Platitudes were exchanged, the usual player-speak about teamwork, self-sacrifice, but what was at hand was more extraordinary than that. About 30 minutes, maybe an hour went by. In the August heat of the off-campus apartment with no air conditioning, tempers started to flare, accusations were made, voices raised.

Then Tody Smith came out and said it.

"I don't know about you suckers," he announced, "but I'm packin' to Birmingham."

Packing? A gun?

"Are you out of your mind?" shouted Jones. He sensed that now he was being faced with the biggest challenge of his young life. The future minister from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania tried to find a way to dissuade Tody Smith from bringing a gun to Alabama.

The whole idea was not nearly as crazy as it might sound today. The Panthers were making gun ownership in the black community a popular thing. But just a couple of weeks earlier, at the Marin County Civic Center, a black criminal named George Jackson had blown the brains out of a white judge named Harold Haley. A black Communist agitator, Angela Davis, had through Jackson's younger brother helped to smuggle the weapon into his jail. Jackson had produced a shotgun, and held captive Haley and the prosecuting attorney, Gary Thomas.

A photographer covering the highly politicized trial had captured the photo of Jackson holding the shotgun to the head of the bespectacled Haley, an elderly man who looked like everybody's granddad. It would appear in _Life_ magazine and earn the Pulitzer Prize. A few minutes later, Judge Haley lay dead. Thomas was paralyzed for life with a bullet in his side. The event would lead to the installation of metal detectors at courthouses. A few years later, in response to terrorist hijackings, airports would install them, too. But Tody Smith would be perfectly free to pack heat in his briefcase on the plane.

"Tody," said Jones, "I'm askin' you, brother, _do not_ bring a gun. These crackers are just waitin' for us to screw up just like that."

"Man," replied Smith, "I'm from the _South_ , and I know that down there, anything can happen."

"Hey," piped in Charlie Weaver, an All-American defensive end from Richmond, California, "I'm bringin' a gun, too."

It went back and forth like that for another hour. Finally, an impasse. Jones composed himself.

"All right, here's the plan," the quarterback announced. "From the time we get on the plane until the time we leave Birmingham, all the brothers are gonna stick together. We're gonna watch each other every second. Stay close to that hotel, and always have a brother by your side. Don't venture from that hotel. Stay clear of white women. Just stay in the hotel, there's nothin' but trouble outside the hotel. This ain't Seattle or Berkeley."

Nervous laughter. Jones just looked at his teammates.

"Are we all agreed on this?"

His teammates nodded agreement.

"Yeah, Cap."

"Right on!"

This was going to one heck of a road trip.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

ORANGE COUNTIFICATION

Love is the only house biggest enough for all the pain in the world.

\- "Love's the Only House," sung by Martina McBride

Richard Nixon embodied conservatism. It is no surprise that he had developed a strong professional and personal friendship with the great Christian evangelist Billy Graham during his Presidency. Hollywood had already started to skewer Christianity. The 1950s Burt Lancaster film _Elmer Gantry_ supposedly "exposed" the "charlatanism" of Christian revivalists. There was nothing Charlatan about Graham. It was not a coincidence that he was from the South, deriving his greatest popularity from that region. It is also not a coincidence that Nixon was from California - born, more specifically, in Orange County.

The partnership of Nixon and Graham was a partnership of geographic regions and the shared politics of those regions. Nixon and Orange County represented a Christian alternative to Hollywood. The Christianity that powered Orange County was the source of both Nixon's inner strength and political support. It was the nexus of his relationship with Graham. It was what made men like Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater palatable to the American South. It was the middle ground that softened hearts, and after all the hitting, shouting, fighting and consternation, was what drove change - desegregation - in Dixie. Therefore, in order to understand this dynamic, one must understand Christianity.

News of the opening game, featuring an integrated USC team against the all-white Crimson Tide, caused quite a stir in Alabama's black communities. In black churches, parishioners prayed for the Trojans. In white churches, believers prayed too.

Both whites and blacks prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ, but their respective visions of Christianity, at least as it related to their own lives, were still very different. Whites tended to thank the Lord for the blessings bestowed upon them. In America, they had found the Promised Land of opportunity. Blacks tended to pray for the strength to persevere in a land in which those blessings seemed tantalizingly close and yet so far.

Local leaders tried to apply pressure on Bryant not to schedule the integrated Trojans, but Bryant had powers he did not have in 1959. He understood that a new day had dawned. Bryant was now emboldened by his successes over the years. He made it clear to any detractors or noisemakers that the game was on.

A press box Shakespeare and L.A.s "Knights of the Keyboard"

Jim Murray was a press box Shakespeare, a man of such vast talent as to eclipse almost all other sports columnists before or since. Like McKay, Murray was an Irishman with an Irishman's wit. Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut, he had come west to write for _Time_ magazine. In the 1950s, he was assigned to the Hollywood beat, which in those days was a combination of glamour and birds-eye observation of true decadence. It was the era of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, the emergence of the Rat Pack, the rise of Mob-controlled Las Vegas, and the last vestiges of the studio system.

One night Murray had a "date" with the movie star Marilyn Monroe. It was an interview, but when a young man dines with the likes of Marilyn, fantasies abound. Marilyn asked Murray if she could excuse herself and leave not with Jim, but with somebody else.

Murray observed that the "somebody else" was Joe DiMaggio, hiding in a secluded booth in a dark corner of the restaurant. Losing the girl to Joe D. was okay by Murray. It was not long thereafter that the two were married.

While _People_ magazine may have been Murray's idea, the world was certainly better off when Jim moved on to the sports beat of the _L.A. Times_ than it ever would have been had he devoted his remaining years to the inconsequentiality's of Tinseltown.

Murray loved history. He was known to write something along the lines of, "USC wasn't a football team on Saturday. They were the Wehrmacht taking Poland." Or somebody was to "offensive strategy what Napoleon was to artillery." Or a great pitcher was tantamount to a master violinist on a Stradivarius. Mainly because of Murray, the _L.A. Times_ had the best sports section in America.

The publishers of the paper were the Chandler family. They ran a conservative ship that catered to the heavy Christian readership that made up disparate L.A. suburbs like Orange County, Long Beach, and Pasadena. The _Times_ had strongly backed the rise of Richard Nixon as he made his name through the HUAC investigations of the 1940s, his Vice Presidency under Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s, and his Presidential comeback in 1968.

They had just as strongly supported Ronald Reagan, who in 1970 was in the middle of a successful eight-year run as Governor of California, his popularity coming from the law 'n' order conservatives who liked his hard-line on campus protestors. By the early 1970s, the _Times's_ decision to up-grade themselves into a world class national publication, on a par with the _New York Times_ and the _Washington Post_ , was an accomplished task. Over time, they toned down their partisan Republicanism. Throughout the 1970s and '80s, the paper maintained an even approach, and a reputation for digging deeper and more exhaustively into a wider array of political, social, entertainment, local, national and global stories than any paper in the world.

Throughout the 1990s, the _Times_ continued to be one of the real papers of "record," still providing the kind of in-depth analysis and long, detailed stories that few other papers do. But as the paper tilted further and further to the Left politically, all the while finding itself becoming a subsidiary, of all things, of the _Chicago Tribune_ Company, their reputation and subscription base has suffered.

As the football season got closer, the L.A. sports media assembled for a press conference with John McKay, organized by USC's sports information director, Don Anderson. Among the writers were _L.A. Herald-Express_ sports editor Bud Furillo, the venerable lover of all things Trojan. Also from the _Herald-Express_ , Jim Perry, later the co-author of McKay's autobiography. There was Murray, John Hall, and Mal Florence of the _L.A. Times_ , and young college football beat writers Dwight Chapin and Jeff Prugh.

Hall and Florence were terrific scribes, although today they would be considered too partisan towards their Trojans. Florence in particular assumed the role of unofficial USC sports historian. The passing of Florence and Murray leaves that post begging to be filled. So far nobody at the _Times_ has stepped up to the plate.

Furillo was of the same generation as Hall and Florence. Hall and Florence were old school. Furillo was ahead of his time. Known as the "Steamer," Bud was a throwback in one regard: he drank, partied and chased women with the players. Today, it is almost inconceivable that a sports writer and a Major League baseball player would be good friends, but Furillo was just that with such L.A. wildmen as Angels' playboy Bo Belinsky, the Lakers' "Hot Rod" Hundley, and other colorful characters. They would meet at a joint in Baldwin Hills called Ernie's House of Surface, which was a denizen of gamblers, hookers, scuffed-shoe reporters, and pro athletes. Furillo would act as unofficial P.R. man for players, introducing them to important business contacts, or acting as their "beard" in order to effectuate various liaisons with the ladies.

These were the days when a player might hold out for an extra grand; where $18,000 was considered good money. Where Furillo was "new breed" was in his New Deal political ideas. He had grown up in Ohio and had seen the effects of the Great Depression. His liberalism was less economic in variety and more social. The New Deal had been popular. In 1970 the remnants of the Great Society were still being put in place by, of all people, Richard Nixon. Furillo had a heart of gold. He did not just help players to get a story, or sidle close to their female "leftovers." He genuinely wanted to help people. He had a particular desire to see justice for minorities, who of course were already a major portion of the sporting scene.

Furillo's social pathos was carried forward by his _protégé_ , Doug Krikorian, a talented writer who now pens a column for the _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ in addition to sportstalk on TV and radio, and occasional forays into Hollywood ("Arli$$"). Krikorian, like Murray, had an eye for more than the Xs and the Os. He wanted to know what made great athletes tick. He also wanted to know what made average athletes tick.

Murray, Hall, Florence, Furillo, Perry, Chapin, and Prugh, along with Loel Schrader and Alan Malamud, were just a few of the talented members of the sporting press whom McKay had to deal with on a regular basis. McKay often engaged them at Julie's, another rather archaic practice by today's standards. McKay is one of the great legends of college coaching. His record reflects the reason why via cold statistics. But his legend and place in history are very much intertwined with the colorful prose that described him, his commentary, his teams and his times. It was a marriage made in Heaven, or at least at USC. It might be said that no coach was ever covered by a better group of sports media than McKay in the 1960s and '70s.

But there had been others before McKay. In the 1950s, ULA coach Red Sanders was an extremely flamboyant man. A Southerner, he liked to pull a cork and chase skirts. When Sanders died of a heart attack at a Sunset Strip brothel, sportswriters lost one of their favorite sources of quotation. Subsequent UCLA football coaches Tommy Prothro, Pepper Rodgers, Dick Vermeil, and Terry Donahue ranged from businesslike to folksy to boyishly charming, but none had Sanders's flair for "off the record."

USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux might have been the most gregarious sports figure in L.A., but college baseball just did not generate great publicity. The others - Dodgers' manager Walter Alston, UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, Rams' coach George Allen - good men, but to writers looking for quips there was no there there.

McKay, on the other hand, was a natural comic who had perhaps the most prestigious coaching job in Los Angeles. He used the press. They loved him for making their jobs easier.

McKay's West Virginia Catholicism formed his conservative view of life, right and wrong, and how to deal with young people, whether it be his sons, his daughter, his players, or blacks.

"I never saw color," McKay said. "I always said, the best man gets the job."

This was a typical "white man's code" among men of McKay's generation. Many chose to abuse this code, often determining that the best man was the white man, using nebulous criteria in decision-making. McKay definitely had racial baggage. Issues like interracial dating, criminal justice, and the like were tainted by his feeling that people needed to know their place, whatever that meant. But as a football coach, it can truly be said that John McKay, from the very beginning, was color-blind, at least when it came to playing time and roster space.

McKay, a man with a glint in his eye, a cigar in his mouth, and a shock of white hair on his head, also adapted to his Los Angeles environs. It would be an exaggeration to suggest that he ever "went Hollywood," certainly not in the manner of later Dodgers' manager Tommy Lasorda, but he had flair and a style that suited his environment. It also suited the style of the L.A. writers who covered him.

There was little beating around the bush when it came to the racial significance of the game at hand. USC had traveled to various parts of the country for years, since before he was the coach. The 1956 game at Austin, Texas, for instance, had featured black running back C.R. Roberts.

McKay instinctively felt the need to protect his friend Bear Bryant, should the West Coast writers begin to accuse the legendary coach of racism. McKay, the master of deflection, preferred to keep the conversation centered on football. He made it clear that he had no worries about the health and safety of his players, but in a candid aside he allowed that he would not be displeased to see black athletes play for the Crimson Tide.

Commentary much beyond that would have elicited some concern from Bear and no doubt bad press in the Southern newspapers. Today, the media would have eaten McKay alive for his "failure" to address the issue of segregation, but 1970 was an entirely different era.

Pattonesque

Marv Goux liked to quote George Patton. Patton and Goux both used militaristic language, invoking the sense of honor inherent in warfare, whether on the football or battlefield. That language was coarse, filled with swear words, brutal, and violent.

But Patton was a Christian who prayed on his knees. He wept like a little boy. He was a walking conundrum. In Patton, we have the essence of man's duality. The American military is a profession that specializes in breaking things and killing people. But within its branches exists a devout Christianity. No service division makes more regular reference to God than the most violent of them, the U.S. Marines.

The movie _Patton_ opened in February 1970. It was hugely popular, especially in the South. _Patton_ won eight Oscars, including Best Actor for George C. Scott, and Best Picture. 1970 was the least likely year such a film might have been successful, or so it would seem. Its success demonstrated that the country was not as antiwar or liberal as the TV broadcasts made it seem. There was a real and genuine Silent Majority, as Richard Nixon called the conservative and Christian voting block. The success of _Patton_ demonstrated the continuing power of conservatism in a world seemingly gone mad.

Football players like John Papadakis, Sam Cunningham, Dave Brown, Scott Hunter, or Johnny Musso - whether they are black or white, from the city or from the country - tend to be conservative and often Christian, because football demands it. It is a game of self-discipline, sacrifice, hard work, and personal responsibility in the service of others, qualities that play to Republican principles and religious austerity. While they may "play" after the game, the week leading up to it requires a commitment of time and physical hardship.

Furthermore, fans of a film like _Patton_ (including John McKay and then-President Nixon, who saw the movie four times before invading Cambodia in the spring of 1970) tended toward football as a metaphor for life. Football is a small-scale version of _Patton_ and warfare. It requires legions of "soldiers," led by "field generals" who strategize on how to move across, capture, and hold real estate, in order to reach a goal that, in the end, is about _Conquest!_ Casualties are accepted if glory is attained.

Marv Goux was the George Patton of USC football. Goux was a legendary figure whose father actually died fighting at the Battle of the Bulge, the December 1944-45 German offensive in which General Patton saved the Allies from disaster when he rescued the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne. Had Goux not been a football coach, he might have been U.S. Army Special Forces or a CIA agent. He had the persona of Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy - brash, outspoken, the walking embodiment of manly courage and machismo.

Despite being undersized, Goux had twice been voted USC's most inspirational player when he starred for the Trojans from 1954–55. His specialty was the pep talk. He took it seriously, inflecting his loud, overbearing speeches with references to wars, gladiatorial conflict, pride, honor, and bloodlust. He may have been the most Politically Incorrect man in football, but he was fair to the extreme.

Goux was injured in a game at Notre Dame, which stuck in his craw. Whether the injury was the reason or not, he did not have what it took for the NFL. He knew he wanted to be a coach and took over at Carpinteria High School, which is located near Ventura. Cunningham is known to be from Santa Barbara, located about an hour's drive north on Highway 101 from Ventura. However, he only moved to Santa Barbara when he got to high school, having grown up in the Ventura area. Both Goux and Cunningham are graduates of Santa Barbara High School.

This stretch of Southern California strand is famous for its resident's laid-back attitude and Beach Boys' classics like "Surfin' U.S.A." Today, they are reliably liberal Democrat constituencies who put environmental concerns above most others. Even in Goux's day, this was a relaxed atmosphere. It might be the last place a man like Marv Goux would be expected to hail from. When he took over at Carpinteria, all the parents were aghast at how he tried to turn the football program into Patton's Third Army.

According to legend, Goux attempted to put up a duplicate of Tommy Trojan, the famous statue that is the centerpiece of the USC campus, in front of the basketball gym at Carpinteria High School. Not everybody in Carpinteria was a Trojan fan, which seemed entirely un-American to Goux. To him, rooting for a team other than the Trojans meant you were the enemy. This was the world he lived in.

Goux's football talks were filled with war metaphor. Goux liberally borrowed from George C. Scott's incendiary performance. He mixed football with Scott's indelicate references and morphed gridiron jargon with phrases like "we're gonna use their living guts to grease the treads of our tanks."

Final pre-game meetings were held in the stuffy basement of the gym next to the practice field. Players and band members mingled in a show of unity. Goux, the defensive line coach, used these occasions to urge his charges on with fiery rhetoric, often citing his own exploits, such as when he had played the second half of his senior year with a broken back.

The McKay-Goux relationship was the perfect "good cop/bad cop" combination. McKay was often moody and hard to get close to, but Goux befriended his charges the way a drill sergeant bonds with his recruits after basic training. Goux had the fiery look of a movie bad guy, the kind one finds in _noir_ movies depicting Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles. He "blended" whites and blacks. Some white players felt cheated when a black player took their position. Goux told them that the team colors, Cardinal and Gold, were more than just clothes.

"Cardinal is the color of blood," Goux told te players, "which we all are on the inside. Gold is what every man wants to be \- rich - and will shed blood for." This kind of statement, idealistic or corny as it may sound, had the ring of truth when Goux spoke it because he meant it. It assuaged the egos of athletes, white or black, who found themselves benched or moved to a secondary position by a rival teammate. It was Goux who taught the Trojans to see their teammates not as rivals but as brothers. These speeches of his would be repeated, sometimes verbatim, by Papadakis and other Trojans speaking to public gatherings, for the next 35 years.

McKay was renowned for recruiting great athletes, not merely position players. The benefit of this style was that a top running back like John Papadakis, if beaten out for his position by a better running back like Sam Cunningham, often was able to compete for another starting position. In Papadakis's case, that position was linebacker. A fast quarterback could become a cornerback. A running back could be a wide receiver. A defensive lineman could switch to offense.

Bear Bryant had noticed the way Goux and McKay created the togetherness and teamwork of blacks and whites. He longed to figure out how to create a Southern version of what the Trojans had.

At the team meeting prior to the departure for Birmingham, with the USC anthem "Conquest" playing in the background, Goux told his charges, "No team has gone where we'll go; no 'real' team can do what you will do.

"Gentlemen," Goux went on, "a conquest is the act of going into another man's stadium and destroying him. On Saturday, we will conquer the Tide! Right there on Legion Field, we'll take all that they hold dear, everything that the Crimson Tide has! We will use their living guts to grease the treads of our tanks. We'll crush their will to live! Their faith in themselves will be taken from them on their own field. We'll rob them of their pride! Why? Because _we are_ the University of Southern California Trojans. _We are!_ USC! _We are!_ USC!"

He had tears in his eyes as he told the Trojans that it was their "destiny" to "rape, pillage, burn," and to "take no prisoners." He told them that after the game, if Alabama still had anything left, they would beat them in any other setting available.

This speech, like most of Goux's speeches, was met by wild exuberance. The Trojans were now ready, like Generals William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant more than one hundred years before, to enter the South on a mission of conquest.

Wearing coats and ties, the Trojans were screaming with confidence. But amid the hoopla, eighteen black players had an uneasy feeling.

Number 67 for the Trojans was first-time starting middle linebacker John Papadakis. He had come to USC from Rolling Hills High School, one of the wealthiest, most prestigious schools in the state. A multisport athlete, John's baseball coach at Rolling Hills was Mike Gillespie, who would become USC's head baseball coach in 1987 and coach the Trojans to the 1998 College World Series championship.

"Papadakis?" Gillespie said with a laugh when asked about his old player. "Now there's a piece of work."

Papadakis always had that effect on people. One does not meet John; one _experiences_ him! Papadakis came to USC full of vim and vinegar, convinced of his own talents. He was a star running back. Then he met up with Sam Cunningham.

"Anybody involved in athletics in Southern California knew who Sam Cunningham was in high school," John said over the phone. "I knew all about him. I still thought I could beat him out, until I saw him on the practice field."

Despite being a year younger than Papadakis, Cunningham did beat him out for the starting fullback job, although keeping that job was still very much up in the air prior to the Alabama game.

However, Papadakis was not given a bench to languish on; he was given a chance to compete for the middle linebacker position and with it a place at the table. Like all competitive men, if he saw an opportunity, he assumed ownership of it, took what was his without asking, and insisted on keeping what he had earned through hard work.

Papadakis would earn his spurs at USC. He would graduate a year ahead of the great 1972 national championship team that people still insist is the best ever to lace up cleats. He would not go on to pro football but instead would make his mark as an entrepreneur. He opened Papadakis Taverna, a Greek restaurant in San Pedro, which to this day is the best of its kind in Los Angeles.

Papadakis Taverna is pure John Papadakis - loud, boisterous, and full of life. Dining there is a party, filled with dance and music, all wrapped in great family fun. Papadakis is now, just as he was when he played football at USC, a walking embodiment of 3,000 years of Greek culture. This was what made him such a unique teammate - and leader - on the 1970 USC football squad.

Eventually, the handsome Greek man about town married and started a family. His son, Taso, played football at USC too. His other son, Petros, was one of USC's four football captains in 2000 and today is a modern, boisterous version of the old man. He hosts a successful sports talk show in L.A., filled with references to literary figures ranging from Shakespeare to Dostoevsky to Robert Towne. In addition, Petros broadcasts football games for Fox Sports.

Some time around 1999 or 2000, Doug Krikorian of the _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ interviewed Sam Cunningham _._ Krikorian asked who hit him the hardest in his career: Dick Butkus? "Mean Joe" Greene?

"John Papadakis," was Sam's answer. The man he beat out earned his respect with his no-holds-barred hitting in practice.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THE WAR OF NORTHERN AGGRESSION

" _Coach, I seen war personal. This is football."_

\- Father of Bear's injured Texas A & M player, _The Junction Boys_

Tody Smith did bring his gun, which he kept in a briefcase. Throughout the flight to Alabama, he kept searching his soul, asking himself what he would do if forced to defend himself. USC's players deplaned at the Birmingham airport. They were met by a much friendlier reception than either Sherman or Grant had faced. Thousands of people greeted the Trojans. The late summer air was hot and humid. As the Trojans began to leave, they saw black folks waving at their bus, holding signs exhorting the Trojans. Clarence Davis's uncle Claude had told him this was a big deal, but he had no idea it was _this_ big a deal. The entire scene awed the Trojans. As they got on the bus, "you could hear a penny drop on the ground," Papadakis told the _Mobile Press-Register_. "When we got on the buses, there was absolute dead silence and the guys staring every which way, just looking deeply."

The ride from the airport was revealing. First, the team noticed a billboard showing Coach Bryant sipping a Coke while _walking on water_. As the bus continued, it rolled through the poor side of town. Dave Brown, the team's Athletes in Action representative, was struck by what he saw. "God help them," said Brown.

Papadakis, who had grown up in Los Angeles, was also struck by the poverty.

"In L.A.," he said in a public conference call in 2005, "our 'ghetto' is Watts. But if you drive through Watts, there are a lot of single-family dwellings. Most of the houses have a front yard. It's not tenements by any means. But on that ride I saw real poverty, people just living on top of each other... It was real squalor."

This experience caused a quiet discomfort in the bus. The boisterousness and the smiles disappeared. The team arrived at a Holiday Inn in an upscale Birmingham neighborhood. There was commotion, albeit different than the airport commotion. Many of the people at the hotel and this suburb were looking at "free" blacks in their neighborhood for the first time. The hotel and the surrounding business employed blacks as waiters, janitors, and other low-level jobs. Yet these were well dressed, college-educated, West Coast athletes who carried themselves like Roman gladiators. White customers and teenagers strolled over from the shopping plaza across the street to see these new "Union soldiers," here to "invade" Legion Field in the most aggressive manner possible.

"The [hotel] marquee said, 'Welcome, USC Trojans.' Well, it could have just as well said, 'Welcome, USC N—s,' " Papadakis said. "Because there were crowds of people there waiting for the team and gawking, pointing at and almost being in shock at seeing these black players come off the bus in coats and ties and going into that hotel."

As the team checked in and began to roam about the hotel, the black players, as they had planned, traveled in packs. The sight of huge black athletes in large numbers had its effect on the local gentry.

"One little boy noted that there sure were 'a lot of n—s on this team,' " said Dave Brown.

When Brown heard that, he turned to his black teammate Bill Holland and apologized. Holland told him that he heard that kind of talk in L.A. Tody Smith made mental note of it and felt the bottom of his briefcase for something hard.

Innocent white folks who knew nothing of the USC team were shocked. The team gathered to collect room keys, then headed toward their rooms.

"The black players themselves weren't loose and fluid in their motion," Papadakis said in the _Mobile Press-Register_ interview. "They were huddled together like Japanese tourists in Disneyland. They got their keys quickly, and we started going across a pedestrian bridge that went over a pool. There were kids playing in the pool and the kids started screaming, 'Look at the n—s! They're coming into our hotel!' A group of black players were said to have run at a sprint to their rooms."

"Black is beautiful."

Unmistakable Southern drawls and epithets droned into the consciousness of the USC players, white and black. The inquisitive suburban white kids were on a mission. Some went knocking on the players' doors. They wanted to get a close look at blacks dressed in shirts and ties. Papadakis roomed with USC's black outside linebacker Kent Carter.

"We get three kids knocking on our door, and they're just wanting to take a look at the black players," Papadakis said. "I go to the door and it's time to go to the field for a workout and I think it's a coach reminding us to go and there's three kids there. One's really small. One's sort of middle [sized] and one's larger, maybe ranging in age from six to ten. They say, 'Are there any USC n—s in there?'

"So when they come to the door, I say, 'Yeah, I got one in here. He's right over here,' just to rib my teammate, right? He and I are very close. I said, 'Go over and see him. Touch him.' The two older kids kind of stayed behind, but the young one was brave. He just walked right up to Kent. I said, 'Touch him.'

"He put his hand out and you know what Kent Carter did? This was a great moment. He picked the kid up, took the kid's hand, and ran it down his face. The kid was shaking. He was making contact, skin contact with a black man.

"Kent said, 'Black is beautiful.' The other two kids were shocked. They said, 'What am I gonna tell my parents?' I said, 'Tell them the truth. You came looking for a black man and you found one.' "

Tody Smith roomed across the hall from Carter and Papadakis. His roommate was a huge white defensive-offensive tackle named John Vella. Vella would become an All-American and later star for the Oakland Raiders. He had heard Smith boast that he would bring a gun, but he did not think he was serious - until he saw the revolver.

Despite Vella's combination of shock and revulsion, Smith clutched the gun, oblivious to Vella's reaction. He aimed it at imaginary enemies. The taunts from the lobby and swimming pool still reverberated in his ears. Fear is the first cousin of violence.

***

Alabama engaged in their pre-game "walk-through" on the day before the game. They stayed at the Bessemer Hotel. Their tradition was to see a movie after dinner. It was during this time that Bryant hosted a reception for McKay. The meeting was replete with cocktails and stories. The social significance of the upcoming game hung in the air, the unspoken words being that if USC won, it could "end" segregation. If 'Bama won, it would be harder. Wilbur Jackson was coming, that was already a done deal, but the smooth or not-so-smooth transition of this planned event very well may be decided this weekend.

The subject of great homegrown black talent was brought up. McKay had told Bryant about a defensive end out of an Arizona junior college who had grown up in Mobile. Mobile's black population may have been the greatest hotbed of African-American athletic talent, within a small population, of all time. Willie McCovey and the Aaron brothers, Henry and Tommy, were from Mobile. So were Tommie Agee and Cleon Jones, who had helped lead the "Miracle Mets" to an amazing World Championship the previous year. Willie Mays had grown up in Fairfield.

McKay told Bryant that the black recruit's name was John Mitchell. While this was going on, safety was a concern for some of USC's black players. But not all of the black athletes were worried.

"I didn't fear for my safety," Cunningham said in a phone interview with Neal McCready. "I was just a sophomore. I wasn't a leader. I understood the racial climate at the time. If I'd have known it would be as historic as it was, I would have paid a lot more attention... I was looking forward to that game because it was my very first varsity football game. My only concern was if I got a chance to play, I wanted to play well enough to play the next week. I was blessed to have a good game."

While McKay and Bryant were drinking whiskey, a meeting was taking place for black players who _were_ concerned. Smith, Jones, and Charlie Weaver were supposedly among the those in attendance. The atmosphere, it is said, began to take on the tone of an alternative NRA rally, complete with loud music and semi-Constitutional admonitions that they had the right to protect themselves. Jones, who today is a Christian minister in his hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, reportedly tried to talk his teammates down, telling them they had a responsibility not just to themselves but to the black folks in Alabama.

The exact details of that meeting are cloudy. Papadakis has spoken of this incident in interviews and other public settings. He claims that Jones came to him, begging him to talk sense into his teammates, apparently because Jones could not. Papadakis says he went to the room and, using techniques he learned from his studies of the Greek philosopher Plato, and Mahatma Gandhi, essentially talked his jumpy black teammates down. This author spoke to as many people associated with that game as I could find. I cannot verify the story. Tody Smith died almost a decade ago. Jimmy Jones would not elaborate on John's behalf or against him.

Many Southerners at that time wanted to believe the myth that blacks, while physically impressive, lacked the _moral_ strength to compete when the going got tough. If the black players made their guns public, then it would only confirm the Southerners' belief.

Cunningham has made it clear he felt no fear and was not aware of the significance of the event at the time. Interviews with black players such as Clarence Davis, Manfred Moore, Rod McNeill, and Charlie Young failed to confirm John's account. Most of these men say that they do not remember it or that they were not in that room, although none flat deny that the meeting happened.

John Vella and Dave Brown were close to several of the blacks as well as to Papadakis. Vella confirmed that his roommate, Tody Smith, had a gun; but he could not verify that the others did. He says a meeting took place, but his knowledge of Papadakis's self-described Socratic efforts is either hearsay or nonexitent. He did not hear of John's "heroic efforts" in the immediate minutes after Smith returned to their room. Brown ws an underclassman and not a leader yet. He could not verify the incident as depicted by his teammate either. Assistant coach Craig Fertig had no clue that weapons had played a part in the trip.

The media covering the game debate the meeting as well. Loel Schrader of the _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ was unaware of it. So, too, was USC's sports information director at the time, Don Andersen, as well as his successor, Jim Perry, who was in Birmingham that weekend, also with the _Press-Telegram._ USC's announcers, Mike Walden and Tom Kelly, were ignorant of the meeting as well. But Kelly and assistant coach Dave Levy were cognizant of racial tensions.

"I have suspected for decades that the team was divided along racial lines," said Kelly. "I never could put my finger on it, but that team was loaded with talent, yet they ultimately played well below their abilities."

When Kelly heard the gun story for the first time, he placed it into the larger context of the "controversy" surrounding a black quarterback (Jones) playing ahead of a heralded white blue chipper (Mike Rae). He now feels that it explains how teams that should have competed for national championships, like the 1967-69 Trojans, could instead lose two years in a row (1970-71) to talented-but-inferior Stanford teams, en route to barely .500 records.

Levy, while also unaware of the gun incident, was particularly attuned to the racial situation, more so than Goux or McKay. Levy had been Willie Brown's coach at Long Beach Poly High School.

"I remember having a long conversation with Willie," recalled Levy, "in which he informed me how much racism he was dealing with in Long Beach. This was the late '50s, maybe early 1960s. Long Beach was already a multicultural city, Poly was a diverse school, and I was surprised to hear Willie say this. I was unaware prior to that. I just told Willie that he needed to take advantage of his athletic ability to make a better life for himself."

What is agreed on at USC, by _almost_ everybody - black, white, coaches, and media - is that there was dissension in the ranks. Coach McKay and Marv Goux granted interviews in 2000 in which they spoke in detail about the 1970 USC game at Alabama, but neither brought up any gun incidents or offered insight into racial tensions among the Trojans. However, interviews with Willie Brown, along with USC's black players, then juxtaposed with white teammates, coaches, and media (not to mention the perceptions from the 'Bama side), reveal an interesting dynamic.

The entire story - the meetings in L.A. and Birmingham, racial problems, the alleged gun incident, Papadakis's involvement, the bus trips in Alabama, the reception at the airport, the hotel and the stadium, the reaction of black fans inside and outside Legion Field, Bryant's "this here's a football player" statement, and the aftermath (national championships for USC and Alabama in the 1970s, integration in the South) - is described in widely different ways, mostly based upon whether the storyteller is black or white.

For whites, the lesson of this is that sensitivity and understanding of African-Americans is something that _must_ be seen, as best we can, through the prism of their perspective, their historical experience, and their communications with each other.

The lesson for black people is more difficult to discern, especially when the discerner is white, but common sense lends itself to the notion that they need to understand that well-meaning white folks occasionally see things differently, and that the best way is for everybody to merge their understanding into as common a knowledge as possible. It is in coming together that we all learn and benefit from each other.

As for the gun incident, it _should_ be true. Did John Papadakis really reach back 2,500 years to channel the wisdom of his Greek ancestors and turn disaster into triumph? Whatever the case, John's teammates _do_ remember him as brilliant and Socratic - regardless of the accuracy of what may or may not have happened that late summer of 1970 in a Birmingham hotel room.

What is _not_ in dispute, and everybody associated with this game agrees, is that it would have been a nightmare to have to deal with McKay and Goux if they had been called to bail the players out of a Birmingham jail. This scenario became more horrible than any possibility. Regardless of motivation, the guns were put away. They would not reappear.

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS

"I think that one game did more for social change in Alabama than anything that ever transpired."

\- Alabama All-American lineman John Hannah

On the morning of the game, the Tide ate breakfast at nine. After sitting about the hotel lobby (where they had stayed the night before) watching TV, they finally roused from their daylong lounge act, arriving at Legion Field ninety minutes before the nighttime kickoff. Young quarterback Scott Hunter strolled alongside Coach Bryant in the walk-through. The Tide was confident. Bryant was not, but he did not let on.

The Trojans arrived by bus. To everybody's surprise they were met by hundreds of revelers. Half-drum grills put forth huge plumes of smoke. Confederate flags flew as if the scene was a reenactment of Bull Run. The state seemingly had banned all colors except crimson. These were white fans. The place was crawling with white cops. _Roll Tide!_

A huge ovation met the Alabama Million-Dollar Band, creating an electric feeling as the team approached the stadium. They were not playing "Fight On!" this time.

Just like at the airport, the Trojans noticed the black fans last. Normally, they were nowhere to be seen at Legion Field on game day, but on this night they were emboldened to push forward, making their presence known to the USC players.

People held Bibles in their hands. They had tears in their eyes. As far as these folks were concerned, the Trojans were a collective Moses. The new Red Sea was Legion Field. This team would "part it" with their speed and strength, leading these people to _their_ Promised Land.

The Bible toters approached the black players, telling them that they had prayed for this day. USC's team found themselves awash in a sea of evangelical Christianity, black Southern style: an overwhelming sense of spirit that cannot be described with words, only _witnessed_. The hopes and dreams of not just people, but _a peoples_ , was hung around the Trojans. Their expectations had been to play football, but now a whole new kind of pressure, with spiritual consequences that looked larger than life to their wide young eyes, was pouring over them like water filling a barren valley.

Tody Smith no doubt realized what a mistake it would have been to bring the gun. The attitude in the locker room could only be described as intense to the extreme. McKay's team dressed quietly, like soldiers before battle. Then they took the field to get the feel of the lights; the artificial turf; the sights, smells, and sounds of a stadium that was quickly filling up with 70,000 fans. Then they heard them. Distant. At first hard to discern, then louder and more distinct.

Racial slurs. Catcalls.

Deep in the end zone, however, almost hidden from view, a small group of black fans was supporting USC.

Coach Bryant, who normally observed pre-game rituals from the goal post, moved to mid-field. He was in his late 50s, with the weathered face of experience. The crowd cheered his every move. At the 50-yard line, he met his good friend John McKay. McKay had the look of a field general in full command of strategy and troop strength. He had that full head of white hair. Both coaches were dressed in coats and ties. They shook hands.

Platitudes were exchanged about how good each team looked to the other. McKay tried a little psychology with Bear. His team was too wound up, too tense. Goux had assured him that this tension was just an uncoiled spring ready to explode all over Legion Field. He told Bryant that USC was as ready as they would ever be. The Alabama coach again thanked him for making the trip all the way from California, which produced a wry look from the USC headman.

Sam Cunningham and his teammates refused to be baited by catcalls from the stands or taunts from the Crimson Tide, who still thought of themselves as the mighty powerhouse that had dominated the game. The Trojans feared no team, but they _did_ fear John McKay!

***

Jimmy Jones, wearing number eight, was nervous. He felt like the whole world was on his shoulders.

The fiery assistant coach Marv Goux was in his element.

The six-foot-five, 270-pound black defensive tackle, Tody Smith, wearing number 73, had made it this far without coming unglued. He acted loose, but he was a bundle of insecurities. Goux could read his players like a book. He knew that all the Trojans' pent-up nervous energy would explode like a "Wrecking Crew," which he called his linemen. Goux had done his job, fine-tuning his team with just the right mixture of fear, confidence, hubris, challenge, and waiting! His confidence soared.

A few yards away, Clarence Davis had pressure on him. He had the pressure of coming through for his extended family, still living in Birmingham. The media had pressured McKay to find a comparable running back to replace O.J. Simpson. What he produced was an undersized junior college transfer. In 1969, Clarence Davis became USC's second straight junior college transfer to make All-American. He does not go down in Trojan lore as Simpson's equal, but he certainly rates among the school's legendary runners.

Davis, however, was no second-class citizen. His family had moved to the Golden State to avoid just such status. After leaving school, he would play for some of the greatest Oakland Raiders teams ever. In 1974, he caught a game-winning pass from (Alabama alum) Kenny Stabler amid a "sea of hands" from the Miami Dolphins, literally draped over him, in the AFC Play-Offs, a play that rates high in Raider legend and lives forever on NFL highlight shows. In 1976, he helped Oakland win the Super Bowl.

Davis's All-American status in 1969, and his bright future, was all in the back seat on September 12, 1970. The pressure he felt went far beyond just performing well and winning the game. He wanted to uphold the honor of his family and his race, right here in the town of his birth. Playing in front of 70,000 "hostiles" made this an uphill battle. It certainly was not the kind of homecoming he would have preferred.

In many ways, every black person in Alabama was, at least tonight, a member of Clarence's "family." Clarence would play the game, then fly home for more football, school and a pro career. But the local black citizenry was stuck here. The community would be forced to deal with the aftermath of what happened. There seemed little compromise in this scenario. Either the Trojans won and things would change, or God forbid Alabama would dominate, thus reinforcing all the old stereotypes. Outsiders could spin it any way they felt they wanted to, but as former House Speaker Tip O'Neill once said, "all politics is local."

A 'Bama victory would be a political victory, vindication for the white man. Alabama blacks wanted a victory for the black man. Such things were few and far between.

What these people did not know, never could have guessed in a million years in fact, was that what they wanted was, in a strange way, what Coach Bryant wanted. It would be imprudent to say that Bear Bryant _wanted_ his team to lose that game. It would not be imprudent to say that he _expected_ them to, and felt that if indeed they did lose, then his vision of the future was one that he might have shared with Clarence's "family."

While the black fans who met the team at Legion Field, caught up in the moment, had allowed themselves to hope, knowing the price they would pay if those hopes were dashed, most Alabama blacks were realists. Most Southern blacks were Christians. Christianity had always been the bulwark that blacks leaned against in times of despair. But black Christianity had always centered on the after life. It was after death that freedom would ring. To expect much in this life was not realistic. Too many black men had been disappointed too often too expect much to change.

This game aroused contradictory feelings in these men. On the one hand, it was an opportunity for men of their race to demonstrate what they were capable of, like the Tuskeegee Airmen, trained in Alabama of all places, who had flown with distinction in World War II. But the Tuskeegee Airmen, while arousing pride among blacks, had not really changed attitudes, at least locally. That was, to note Tip O'Neill's words, all that mattered in Alabama.

The Tuskeegee Airmen had never gotten real national publicity, either. Not like college football. Sports were the heartbeat of America. This game would have national implications. When two football powers like USC and Alabama meet, in almost any year over the past 70 seasons, the game is likely to have national implications for somebody.

This, however, further worried many black folks. With all the attention, if Davis's team, if their people, if _Clarence_ flopped, it would be a disappointment too hard to bear. It would set their people back for years, maybe a decade - or more.

Southern blacks loved football, too, and on this night they bled Cardinal and Gold as much as Marv Goux, but if the outcome was dismal then the future seemed dismal. Some were almost mad that they were faced with such a situation. Coach McKay had seen the opportunity and taken it. Eventually, it would be seen that Coach Bryant's motivations were the same as black motivations. The black players would have the chance to shine. But everybody else - McKay, Bryant, Clarence, his teammates - they could all go back to their lives even if things went badly. USC's black athletes would have college degrees, pro contracts, and bright lives. Birmingham's blacks would be left to pick up the pieces.

It was not fair, but then again, the men in Birmingham's black neighborhoods surrounding Legion Field had rarely been treated fairly by life. Some of them on this night looked angry. Their wives could see their husband's expressions. They were not happy with them. Many women in black America often found themselves forced to be the "strength" in their families when their men were too drained by circumstance to rise above the occasion. They knew that if Clarence and the Trojans lost, it would be a setback, but they girded for it. They knew they would have to be the strong ones. They were not pleased at this prospect, but expected it nevertheless.

In the back yards of Birmingham's neighborhoods, small children played noisily, unaware that something was happening a few miles away that would change their lives profoundly. They lived in typically poor surroundings, but their homes were usually well kept. Inside many of them, a picture of number 28, Clarence, hung on the wall. "Extended family" listened to the game on a radio. The women served barbecue. Palpable tension hung in the air.

At bars near the Legion Field, in rundown sections of town, beer and whiskey were served to these men. The radio was tuned into the local Alabama game broadcast.

Inside the stadium, shirtless fans spelled T-I-D-E and made intemperate remarks. They normally growled "Bear meat," or cruder variations on the theme. USC's black players could see that the stands were not exactly filled with brothers.

No, this was definitely not L.A. A typical USC game at the Coliseum may have been the greatest melting pot in America. There were, of course, the SC alumni. The younger ones might have been described as YUPPIES except that the term had not been invented yet. They came in their sweaters, tailgating before the game, the corporate types and their trophy wives, their perfect children in tow. The students were just a younger version of their parents; rich, confident that the axis of the earth was spinning around them because they were the future "masters of the universe."

But the SC crowds at a stadium in South-Central L.A. always included a heavy mix of local citizenry, the black and Hispanic populations that surrounded the Coliseum. Despite the school's wealth and rich, conservative reputation, the football team and its black stars had succeeded in making the Trojans the "people's team" in Los Angeles. It was an eclectic demographic any politician would die for, as coach John Robinson pointed out.

But at Legion Field the players were getting their "game faces" on. The Tide fans were standing, getting rowdier by the minute. The black players looked at them with some trepidation.

"Just _stay_ in those seats," their looks seemed to be saying.

McKay wanted to get his charges into the locker room to settle them down. He and Goux had built them up with just the right pace and momentum. Such is the balancing act of coaching psychology, a little-understood aspect of sports that few writers, who were rarely good athletes themselves, truly grasp.

It was perhaps McKay's greatest attribute, and nobody balanced the act like Goux. In the locker room just before heading out to the kickoff, the Trojans had the look of determination that members of the 101st Airborne Division described upon flying into D-Day. That was the look Marv Goux was paid to deliver.

USC was inculcated by Plato's legendary "warrior spirit," which Goux had expanded upon, making reference to most of the military heroes since the Peloponnesian War. It did not matter to Goux whether he was talking about Roman gladiators, legionnaires, or Patton's Third Army, as long they fought and won. His fierce side was not tempered by Papadakis's Greek sensibilities.

The last word, as always, was left to Goux. He had said it all a million times. He knew that if he had done his job, now was not the time for a lengthy talk. The coach just told his charges to remember what they had come to Alabama for. Then he finished strong and used the theme borrowed from USC's "other" fight song: _"Conquest!"_

Sports - as well as politics, war, and most anything else, for that matter - is too often marred by overripe hyperbole. Still, it might just be said with some real truth that the USC football team that left the locker room to take the field on September 12, 1970 might have been as ready to win as any team in football history. At least the players who were there that night think so.

On the other side of the field, Alabama looked cocky. So did their fans.

McKay maintained calm before the storm. He knew his team was ready. The atmosphere was all the firing up they needed. Calmly, McKay simply told his charges that the game they were about to play would mean more to college football than any they would ever play. He never mentioned race. McKay was like Ulysses S. Grant; his team, a modern Army of the Potomac.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

# STUDENT BODY RIGHT

"My football career ended thanks to a few hits courtesy of Sam 'Bam' Cunningham."

\- Former USC football player and Major League All-Star Fred Lynn

Like many tense confrontations, the 1970 USC–Alabama game started with tentative offensive efforts met by a hard-hitting defense. Alabama got the ball first and tried to run out of a slot left I-formation. The talented Hunter had trouble adjusting to USC's defensive alignments. USC's defense gave them nothing. Five blacks started on defense. Several more came off the bench. Hunter and running back Johnny Musso were shut down totally. When Hunter handed off to Musso, USC exploded off the line; Musso was met by Papadakis and Charlie Weaver, who laid waste to him.

On a third-down pass attempt, Willie Hall hit the receiver hard enough to force a drop, setting up the punt.

In later years, Hunter would say that he wished he had not seen the game films from the 1970 Rose Bowl between USC and Michigan, as it gave him a false sense of security. USC had played conservatively, which strangely foreshadowed USC's low-scoring Rose Bowl wins over Michigan in 1977, 1979, and 1990. The 1970 Rose Bowl had not revealed the size and speed they displayed in Alabama.

Jones still was battling an understandable case of the nerves during USC's first possession. Games like this are often advantage: defense in the first quarter. A jumpy team can more easily explode out of the box early, defenders laying wicked licks on ball carriers who have not yet developed their sea legs. Plus, the offensive players are still dealing with crowd noise. They must try to pick up the count and the audibles. They have to deal with bone-jarring tackles and blood trickling out of their noses, all the while trying to incorporate the "finesse" part of football. This includes reading defenses, looking over massive rushing linemen, throwing tight spirals, and making catches surrounded by the enemy. Jones found himself off key, missing Davis on a first-down pass. But Jones was not the only part, maybe not even the most important part, of USC's offensive scheme.

***

McKay had instituted the "Student Body Right" offense, which had been so effective using Mike Garrett, O. J. Simpson, and, in 1969, Clarence Davis. Student Body Right, however, was not to be confused with the (later maligned) "three yards and a cloud of dust" offenses that Schembechler at Michigan and Hayes at Ohio State had created as staples of Big 10 football.

Both Schembechler and Hayes were scared to throw the ball. Both were often quoted on variations of the statement: "When you throw the ball, there are three things that can happen, and two of them are bad."

McKay did not share this fear of the forward pass. True, USC was a running school, but McKay had coached good passing quarterbacks in the past. What McKay and Duffy Daugherty of Michigan State were doing in the late 1960s was in some ways a throwback to an earlier era. Football had once been dominated by single-wing football. Red Sanders had utilized the dual-threat skills of Billy Kilmer at UCLA. A quarterback could also be a running back, even a receiver.

Clark Shaughnessy had instituted an early version of the "shotgun" with the 49ers, using Kilmer and John Brodie. The quarterback had several options, although in Shaughnessy's offense, the pass was the preferred option. The NFL was unprepared for Shaughnessy's schemes but eventually caught on. The NFL and the colleges then settled into a period of stability. Quarterbacks like Johnny Unitas of Baltimore, Bart Starr of Green Bay, and Daryle Lamonica of Oakland were pure drop-back-in-the-pocket passers. The results could not be argued.

Still, the running quarterback never truly went out of style. Navy's Roger Staubach could run when flushed out of the pocket. After his military service was completed, he would use that style to lead the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl victories in the 1970s.

Alabama's own Joe Namath was a great runner. "The best athlete who ever played for me," according to Bryant. But he had injured his knee in 1964. As a pro, he was strictly a passing threat because of it. Namath was seen as a cautionary example: _don't let your quarterbacks run._

However, some offenses were not designed around passing quarterbacks. Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson had won 47 straight games in the 1950s, mainly on the ground. Darrell Royal of Texas had learned from Wilkinson. He played the Sooners at the Cotton Bowl every year. Royal designed, or at least perfected, the option. Theoretically, the option featured the quarterback taking the snap and running to one side or the other, blockers in front of him, one or two running backs trailing him. He had the "option" to keep, lateral, or pass.

In Texas, quarterback James Street rarely chose the pass option. Longhorn fans had taken to calling Royal's offense the "wishbone." Street could and did run. If about to be tackled, he would lateral to running back Steve Worster. Fans in the stands often did not know who had the ball until a tackle was made - upfield. In 1969, Texas went undefeated using these tactics.

McKay was more innovative than Darrell Royal. When Simpson left and Jimmy Jones came in, McKay decided to turn crisis into opportunity. Jones would hand the ball off plenty \- to Davis, Cunningham, and a host of other talented backs. He could drop back and throw too; but unlike Page, Sogge, or Fertig, if flushed out of the pocket - or even in a planned play - he could run, or he could throw on the run. Jones may not have been a revolutionary quarterback, but his style was a relatively new thing in 1969.

Despite media criticism, USC did _not_ go undefeated in 1969 based strictly on the defense. Jones had a highly productive season leading the Trojans to victories over Bob DeVaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers at Lincoln; then Northwestern, Oregon State, and Jim Plunkett's Stanford Indians. Then down the stretch, USC played a series of conservative games, but against UCLA in the season-ending rivalry contest, Jimmy Jones made history when he hit Sam Dickerson in the end zone for the 32-yard, game-winning, miracle touchdown to break UCLA's hearts, 14–12. That is why the Trojans were called the "Cardiac Kids."

In the Rose Bowl, USC's defense stuffed Michigan. Jones hit Bob Chandler for a long touchdown, but played it close to the vest in the 10–3 win, which served the dual purpose of lulling Scott Hunter into thinking USC was not as "wild" as their "Wild Bunch" reputation might have indicated.

Hunter and his Alabama teammates thought USC was "Hollywood hype." They were about to find out just how wild this 1970 bunch was. Their first lesson came when Cunningham took a snap and literally ran over his man, rambling in for a touchdown. In his first two carries he had 39 yards already.

On the Alabama sideline, coach Mal Moore was asking how in God's name a sophomore in his first game could just roll over the Tide defenders in such an easy manner? Black-and-white footage of Cunningham's first touchdown shows a man seemingly knocking down boys.

Up in the press box, assistant coach Craig Fertig told Jones by phone to keep giving the ball to Sam.

Great players can make coaches look mighty smart, a fact that McKay himself liked to remind everybody. After capturing the 1962 national championship, McKay quipped that he was "not so dumb after all."

He was a genius on this day. After Musso gained a first down, the Trojan defense forced a few overthrows from Hunter, who was obviously not up to the task. A talented youngster who would go on to big things, he was struggling to make do with a largely immature team at his disposal. USC was in his face on every try. 'Bama was forced to punt.

After USC was held and punted away, the defense, still literally exploding off the ball, stuffed the Tide. Through the process of acceleration over a series of possessions, USC was winning the war of field position. Fertig's advice was good. Cunningham kept getting the ball. When he carried three defenders into the end zone, USC led by 12–0.

The raucous Legend Field throng was utterly silent, except for a few lackluster jeers. The USC players were beginning to celebrate. The sight of the blacks from California was starting to rub some of the Alabama faithful the wrong way. Some fans started to openly call them "n-----s," admonishing the players for their cocky attitudes.

They had every reason to be cocky. They harassed Scott Hunter all the way to the bench. Neb Hayden was brought in to replace him. Hunter's shoulder was bothering him. Being attacked by 270-pound black defensive linemen was not proving to be the best thing for his health.

Hayden was no more effective than Hunter. USC regained the ball and the offensive, drove for field position, and went up 15–0 on Ron Ayala's field goal. The crowd lost the last vestiges of its surly edge. They were not even petulant. They just sat there and looked. Something was going on at Legion Field.

A white man expertly coached the University of Southern California. Another white assistant spurred them on. They had numerous talented white stars. But they also had a cavalcade of superbly talented black athletes and a black assistant coach. The blacks were making spectacular plays, left and right. What the fans were seeing was truth. Not just the kind of truth that makes up everyday life, but a different kind of truth - the kind that, as John Papadakis said, when witnessed in an American arena, is never misunderstood. The truth was not being misunderstood on this evening.

But this truth was not just a realization that black football players had talent, could compete with their "boys," and were tough as nails. The existence of McKay and Goux orchestrating their efforts; of Bob Chandler, John Vella, and Papadakis working in tandem with them; were created the first vestiges of what in their _hearts_ was a new reality. A new truth!

These were not Jewish college students coming to Mississippi to organize "Freedom Summer." These were not Northern radicals, liberals, or agitators. These were football coaches and football players. Big, strong, macho men. American men. Every bit as American as they were. _My God, maybe more so!_

They were not taunting the Alabama players or their fans. McKay never tolerated that anyway. Auburn and LSU players acted crazier when they beat the Tide than these Trojans were acting. So what in the wide, wide world of sports, as Slim Pickens might have said, was goin' on here?

***

John McKay, another "good ol' boy," was Bear's friend. Most 'Bama fans knew they liked to go duck hunting together. Heck, McKay was not even from California. He was from West Virginia. _West Virginia?_ That place is America through and through.

Then there was Marv Goux. He _was_ from California, and he already had a national reputation as one of the most respected assistant coaches in the country. California? Come to think of it, General George Patton had come from California. Nobody was a tougher son of a gun than Patton. What about John "Duke" Wayne? He had _played football for USC,_ for God's sake. 'Bama's fans may have thought about California's Governor, Ronald Reagan. This guy was a law and order man. People were talking about him for President someday, and he certainly was a man they could support. He had put down all those Communist protests at Cal-Berkeley, trying to take our colleges away from us.

Then there was the current President, Richard Nixon. Nixon had catered to Southern voters two years earlier. Alabama, and the rest of the South, was still solidly Democrat; but some of these Republicans sure looked better than the poet-Socialist Democrats. Hubert Humphrey? George McGovern? _Teddy Kennedy?_

Nixon had moved just enough of the Wallace supporters to sway Southern electoral votes away from Vice President Hubert Humphrey in 1968. The liberals called his "Southern strategy" cynical. His admirers called it brilliant. He was fighting Communism in Vietnam and, as far these people were concerned, Berkeley, Columbia, Kent State, and all points in-between. He was _palatable._

Where had Nixon been born? Orange County, a suburb in Southern California, near L.A - the home of Disneyland. You can't get any more wholesome than that. The place had gotten a lot of attention in 1964. Nelson Rockefeller, a man the Alabamians had little regard for, was supposed to win the Republican nomination that year, but along came this ex-fighter pilot, Barry Goldwater. Goldwater was from "out West," as they thought of it. Wide open spaces. People who really understood freedom. Real freedom, tribal freedom, as Alabama's All-American offensive lineman John Hannah would put it, not a feudal, city-style serf freedom as practiced in the Northeast, where the labor unions told you how much you would make and when you would work, except you'd never _own the company_ that way! Goldwater seemed to be a long shot, but at the convention in San Francisco, he had captured the big delegate prize: California. The reason he had taken California was because he had won Orange County by a landslide.

What about Orange County? It was just a freeway commute from L.A. Many of these Trojan players had played high school ball there. It was said they had a huge alumni base. Orange County was virulently anti-Communist. Anyplace that was anti-Communist had a lot to praise about it. The John Birch Society was said to be really big there. So a lot of USC alumni lived in a place where the Birchers were popular?

These kinds of thoughts may have begun twirling around in the tiniest recesses of the minds of some of the Alabama fans as they watched USC's brilliant performance. A realization, maybe even an epiphany, was taking place. No, they did not understand it, in one lump sum, in the first half of this football game. Rather, seeds were being planted. California, at least some of what was going on in California, was not so bad.

Many of these people had come into the Legion Field thinking that everybody in California was like Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, those"freaks" who had starred in _Easy Rider_ , the big independent sensation of 1969. The film had affected a lot of people in a lot of ways.

At Ohio State, Woody Hayes almost had a heart attack when two of his players informed him that they had seen the flick the _night before a game!_ What was wrong with _Patton_?

A lot of black and white football players at USC had seen _Easy Rider,_ too. They could not help but make the connection. Hopper and Fonda had been killed by a redneck in some redneck state, probably Alabama or Louisiana, because they were different and they were going through the South, where they were _really_ different.

But a few of the Alabama players had seen _Easy Rider_ too. So had some of their fans. There was a schism going on, between older people and younger people, and all the players on the Tide were younger people. A few of them had thought _Easy Rider_ was kind of...groovy. Good music. Something new.

The players on the field and their classmates in the stands were making note of their surroundings, at least when the players were not getting the breath knocked out of them. The world was changing around them. These guys were not hayseeds. They were college students, the future of America. They were among an elite class of citizens who would make up future leaders - coaches, teachers, politicians, and judges. They knew what was going on in Vietnam; and while they loved their country, they had no desire to die in some far-away rice paddy. They had heard King's speeches, the protests, and the demonstrations. Hey, they had heard the old codgers talk on the porch or the feed store or in the barbershop.

Then there was the coach, Bear Bryant. Bear never put down the blacks. Maybe - although most close to him insisted to the contrary - he used the word "n----r" every once in a while; but in Alabama, especially among men of a certain age, that was as common as "ma'am" or "sir." There were rumors too. Why had Bear scheduled this game? He had in his desk a list of names of the best black high school football players in the state. They had black walk-ons. Wilbur Jackson had a scholarship and would be on the varsity _next year._ John Mitchell of Mobile was rumored to be thinking twice about his decision to go to USC in 1971. Could it be...?

And Clarence Davis. _That boy was born in Birmingham,_ some of the faithful were beginning to think.

He's the best running back in the state, truth be told.

And he's not even the best running back on this USC team. Cunningham's better.

And they're both with them, not us.

All of these - maybe not actual statements, but thoughts that eventually would become ideas _-_ began to twirl around in the minds of the Alabama fans and their players. Patton, Duke Wayne, Reagan, and Nixon. Clarence Davis and Sam Cunningham.

Wilbur Jackson was a heck of a player. With Jackson and Mitchell, plus Musso, Hunter, and the other players coming back... Maybe 'Bama could be a national power again. Did Coach Bryant _expect_ them to lose? The old man was as wise as Moses. Was this part of the plan?

But something else was happening, not in their minds, but before their very eyes. It always came back to the "little white-haired coach," his seemingly possessed assistant, and the teamwork that they had orchestrated, like a perfectly choreographed musical, on Legion Field below them.

White coaches, black coaches. White players, black players. All working together. In harmony. _They're_ _kicking our butts!_

The USC Trojans were demonstrating, right in front of them, that people of different colors could mix together, sweat together, shed blood together, work together, and win together.

Maybe we could do this too!

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." When something you believe in as much as these fans believed in Alabama football is getting their hats handed to them, there is time to reflect on these kinds of issues and do a little soul-searching. A good beating on the football field _can_ have that effect. But wait...

The boys, _their_ boys, just recovered a fumble. Maybe 'Bama could get back into this game after all. Maybe the South _would_ rise again. Maybe the 'Bama fans wouldn't have to rethink all of their dearly held values after all. If only the Tide could pull this game out, hold the barbarians, or in this case the Trojan Army, from storming the gates.

***

A little break can go a long way. With Scott Hunter back in the game, the Tide was determined to make the most of this one. Hunter began to see a few new holes in the USC defense. Musso was determined to get every yard. The Tide managed to work their way into scoring position, with Musso bulling his way into the end zone on the strength of sheer will power. The Tide advanced 49 yards on seven plays, 15–7. _Roll Tide!_ USC's kicking problems on extra points might just come back to haunt them.

The Trojans were starting to show a little bit of the pressure. The game was now entering the phase where emotion and early hard hitting is replaced by strategy, breaks, fatigue, and _mano a mano_ ability. Davis took the kickoff all the way out to the USC 40, but he fumbled. Luckily for him, Holland recovered it.

Give the ball to Sam.

Davis's fumble certainly did not deter Craig Fertig from his earlier strategy. Cunningham rumbled for five yards. A few runs and play-action passes later, Troy was down at the 'Bama 24. Then Cunningham broke for 12 yards to get his offense into the "red zone." After that, the Tide was broken. USC was just too good. Staying on the ground, USC moved it down inside the 10-yard line. Evans took it in from the seven over left tackle. This time, Ayala made the kick. USC was up, 22–7.

For Sam Cunningham, his life was changing minute by minute, but not because he was becoming a civil rights icon. Sam would not have any idea that this had happened for years after the game. No, Sam was now firmly ensconced in the starting fullback job over Charlie Evans. Evans would "hold on to that" for years, according to tight end Charles Young. A white recruit from Gardena, the talented Evans would never regain the spotlight from Sam, and when contacted for this book said only, "I'm the last guy you want to talk to about that game."

Now all that pressure was being replaced by accomplishment. All the pent-up energy and nervous anxiety was now channeled into what athletes call "the zone," which is a point in which they can seemingly do no wrong. Nobody knows how long "the zone" will last. It can be taken away as quickly as it is rewarded by the "sports gods." Only focus can keep it alive. Sam was focused. Sam was earning his nickname, "Bam," by knocking players from here to tomorrow.

Fred Lynn was, like Sam, a great multi-sport high school athlete in Southern California. He had come to USC the same year as Cunningham, to play safety for John McKay's football team, and center field for Rod Dedeaux's baseball team. Early on, he had found himself one-on-one, trying to tackle Sam. Sam knocked Lynn from here to tomorrow.

Lynn was helped up and off the field. Shortly thereafter, he went to Dedeaux and asked if it would be okay if his scholarship could be transferred from the football budget to the baseball budget.

"My football career ended thanks to a few hits courtesy of Sam 'Bam' Cunningham," Lynn said.

Lynn would be an All-American on three consecutive Trojan College World Series champions, then earn American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player honors with the 1975 Boston Red Sox.

When a team trails 22–7 in the second quarter of a home game against a team they know is great - a team coming off an undefeated season and a Rose Bowl win - then that team is compelled to evaluate the battle. Dwight Eisenhower once said that before the fighting starts, battle plans are of the utmost importance; but once it begins, they go out the window. The same philosophy applies to football. A gridiron general like Bear Bryant, along with his staff and his "soldiers," were evaluating this battle in all of its disaster, chaos, and glory.

A score of 22–7 is not an impossible deficit to overcome. The mind-set is often determined by _how_ the score got that way. Luck? Turnovers? Fluke plays? In this case, none of those factors were in play. This was the kind of 22–7 mind-set that was leading Alabama's fans and players to the inevitable conclusion that the score was only going to get bigger on the Trojans' side. The idea of holding USC's offense down while Alabama engineered comeback drives seemed to be a distant impossibility.

Those feelings: USC's black-white harmony. The white field general directing his integrated team, each player giving him everything he had. What was going on out there?

Silence. The crowd was utterly quiet. They could hear the USC players cheering each other on. They could hear Bryant and his coaches droning from the sidelines, trying to instill anything they could into their team. Jones said he could see in their eyes that Alabama was beaten, something the fans failed to pick up.

While various self-evident truths twirled around in the minds of 70,000 people, many of whom would be in church on Sunday, the rest of the first half played itself out with no further developments.

As the teams ran off the field, some of the Alabama fans began to show some anger. It was directed not at USC or the black players, but at their own team. The mighty Crimson Tide felt two emotions: shock and embarrassment. They were being schooled. Their locker room was as quiet as an empty church.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

THE TIPPING POINT

(Bear's) "Just gotten his ass kicked, and he's thanking us for the favor."

\- USC assistant coach Craig Fertig

Bryant has been deceased for years now. The cagey old Bear never really let on what he truly had planned for that night. Like any good general, he knew that his plans would have to change. To think that the man wanted his team to lose goes against everything we know about him. He was a winner, through and through. He played to win, coached to win, and accomplished this feat as much as any coach ever. When he retired in the early 1980s, it was as the winningest coach in college history.

Had his team played well and won, or come from behind to triumph, Bear no doubt had a plan for handling this scenario. He already had black walk-ons, a black freshman on scholarship, and had secretly been going after John Mitchell. An Alabama victory, in his mind, was not going to make the transition of these new players into his program less smooth. But he also had a plan in case his team did lose. He understood the nature of the worst-case scenario. The real question is whether, in his mind, a defeat _was_ the worst-case scenario.

As a football coach, he had a responsibility to his players, coaches, school, fans, and state. That mandate was to win. His approach in the locker room centered on this mandate. He told his silent team that they had indeed been outplayed. There was no denying this. But USC had given them just a little bit of hope by missing two point-afters.

Bryant understood the Southern culture and how football was intertwined with God, family, and patriotism. These boys had grown up in the unique world of high school football south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

In the aftermath of World Wars I and II, it is instructive to consider that the reason America wins its wars can be attributed, in part at least, to high school football. The high school football scene is replete with all the pageantry of militarism; marching bands, pretty girls cheering on the "soldiers" entering battle, a community coming together to rally the "troops." Interceptions, fumbles, and tackles for losses are a form of espionage, all designed to take away from the "enemy" what he holds dearest, as Marv Goux liked to remind his team.

This scene, filled with marching band music, played out under the glare of lights, features organized mayhem and young men, disciplined and toughened by the challenge, not unlike soldiers. It is little wonder that many soldiers played high school football or other sports, all of which require many of the same attributes as prep football. And it's worth remembering that in 1970, America _was_ fighting an unpopular war. Football, particularly in the South, was one place where people could still display what Plato had called the "warrior spirit" without having the Jane Fonda crowd breathing down their necks.

In America, there is no connection greater than high school football, and nowhere is high school football a bigger deal than the South. It is a rallying point that connects entire communities to each other. This was the world that had fed and nurtured Alabama's young men, now sitting glumly in front of a man who represented a godlike figure for every high school football player in the region.

It was with all of this in mind that Bear Bryant addressed the thing that stuck in his player's craws the most. This was the fact that they were playing, and losing, right in front of their families.

As a younger man, Bear had taken over a moribund program at Texas A&M. In his first season, he had taken his new team to Junction, Texas. They had endured tortuous two-a-days, even three-a-days in 100-degree heat, on a field of stumps and sharp prickly spikes. Several players were hurt, many quit. Others almost were overcome with heat exhaustion. One of the parents came to see Bear, who apologized about the rough treatment, stating that he was preparing his boys for "war." The father reminded Bear that a decade earlier he had personally _seen_ war and that this was just a football game.

The Junction experience changed Bear. He softened after that and was never the iron-fisted disciplinarian that he had once been. In the halftime locker room on September 12, 1970, he told his team to keep their heads up and stay proud. To quit would be the real shame. If anybody felt that urge now was the time to say so.

Bryant's halftime talk was pregnant with what he did not say. He never said anything about losing to a team with "colored" players. He never insulted his team's manhood by insinuating that they were less than complete if black players outplayed them. In so doing, he gave credit to the black players - and all the white coaches and players - who had come out from California and were playing so well on this night.

Over in the USC locker room, the Trojans were excited but acting as if they had done this before. Sam Cunningham thanked his line for the huge holes they had opened up for him. This was typical of Sam. A humble man, he was not bathing in glory but handing out credit. A replay of the game footage shows that some of his best runs were not just because of the big holes he was getting. The man had truly bowled over several defenders. This was his trademark. McKay had two halftime approaches. One was wry humor or hubris in the face of disaster, but with his team ahead against Alabama, he maintained quiet confidence.

McKay could see that his charges had not lost an ounce of their pre-game explosiveness. The only thing to do was remind them that they were still in Birmingham, Alabama, playing a team that had won three national titles in the past decade, and were coached by a man who, at least according to the Coca-Cola Company, walked on water.

McKay's staff was not congratulating the team but staying on them, but they did not need to. USC's players were focused and aware that the task was only half-complete.

Sport is a very psychological business. Whether it be self-fulfilling prophecy, irony, or attitude, the "big lead" can wither away in sports. When it does, the team coming from behind is ahead of the team that was ahead even when they are tied. In 1969, when the New York Mets came from nine games out in August to tie the Chicago Cubs by early September, the momentum was all in favor of the Mets. The Cubs were done and the rest of the season was a Mets' parade.

A great coach does his best work not in coaxing a team from behind, but in keeping them in front. The key is focus. McKay was a master at it. His players practiced it as a sixth sense.

A lot of college football teams would have blown a 22–7 halftime lead to a Bear Bryant-coached Alabama team in 1970. If the University of California, for instance, were in USC's position, they would have been jumping up and down at the half, not believing their good fortune. They would have blown the game. But McKay's guys acted, as coaches like to say, like they have done it before, because they had.

At all the black bars in all the black neighborhoods, around the corner from Legion Field and throughout the state, black patrons were jumping up and down like it was Christmas, Mardi Gras, and the Second Coming all rolled into one.

In the stands at the Legion Field, a member of Clarence Davis's real family, his Uncle Claude, the minister, was daring to ask if some kind of miracle was taking place on the field below him. Hope springs eternal, and there was a lot of hope in the air that night. Black fans were hoping USC would keep pouring it on in the second half. White fans were hoping against hope that Bear could pull out a miracle. They had seen the great Joe Namath engineer stirring victories. Ken Stabler was a master of the two-minute drill. Maybe, just maybe, Scott Hunter would etch his name in their memories tonight as those heroes had done.

USC got the ball to start the second half. After Davis returned the kick to the 34, where he was tripped by a teammate, Jones engineered a beautiful 13-play, 69-yard drive. Everybody got the ball: Davis, Evans, Cunningham, Jones for 13 himself; then a few passes were thrown to mix it up. When Jimmy hit Davis alone in the back of the end zone to make it 29–7, the fans knew that not Hunter, Namath, or Stabler could save them now. Nobody could.

Alabama found themselves in fourth-down desperation mode. They got the ball into USC territory, but on fourth and three at the 40, Hunter's pass was knocked out of the air. The Trojans drove to the Alabama six, were held, but then converted an Ayala field goal from the 25 to make it 32–7.

Neb Hayden went back in to replace Hunter for the second time amid more stony silence. Hayden was up to the immediate task, leading a 75-yard drive for a touchdown with barely a minute left in the third quarter. It was too little, too late. The Alabama cheers rang hollow in the humid air.

USC was relentless. 71 yards and 11 plays later, Ron Ayala made up for the missed extra points by making a team-record third field goal to make the score USC 35, Alabama 13.

Then, after Hayden's pass was swatted away by John Vella, Bear sent Hunter back in; but his third-down try fell incomplete. The Alabama fans watched as the final act of humiliation was applied: McKay went to his substitutes. As many people have said over the years of his teams, the second string might have been better than the starters. In those days of unlimited scholarships (although McKay called this notion "baloney"), McKay would recruit high school superstars he knew would not play right away, sometimes never, just so they would not be playing against him wearing the uniforms of UCLA, Stanford, Notre Dame, or other rivals.

His second-string team was indeed talented, but they were also hungry and eager to show what they had. Against Alabama, in this place and under these circumstances, they had a little more to prove.

Sophomore Mike Rae took over. When Rae had connected with Holland, 61 yards later, it was 42–13. USC's team could not contain themselves any longer. Papadakis was doling out the tributes like Alexander the Great. Clarence Davis, the All-American, deferred to the "rookie" who was no longer a rookie, Sam Cunningham.

Davis rushed for 76 yards on 13 carries. Sam Cunningham rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Jones, Smith, Charle Young, Charlie Weaver, Skip Thomas, Willie Hall, and Kent Carter all contributed. The final score was 42–21.

The crowd truly knew that it was all over but the shouting. That was the eeriest part of the night. Amid the shouts of USC's players, off in the distance beyond the piney woods you could hear the whistle of a distant train. Then people started to cock their heads, to hear something else.

In the corner of the stadium, a small group of black fans were cheering for USC. 'Bama fans could not hold it against them. These people were not "traitors" for rooting against the home team. The truth was not misunderstood. But this small group was not all they heard. It was something else.

After adjusting, the people in the cavernous, near-silent Legion Field could hear black fans cheering _outside_ the stadium. There were at least 1,500 cheering, and that number was growing every minute. The meaning of this game, to black people, and, yes, to white people - _to America! -_ did not go unnoticed.

The sound of those cheers was a demarcation in American history. In the annals of civil rights: slavery, abolition, Reconstruction, Jim Crow; then Jack Johnson, Jesse Owens, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Texas Western, John Carlos and Tommy Smith; the words and actions of Frederick Douglas, Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; it had all come down to this moment _._ Approximately 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on September 12, 1970. This was the tipping point. _Two teams, one night, and the game that changed a nation._

There were two black Americans who were trying to make sense of this game while their brethren cheered. One was Wilbur Jackson, a college freshman on scholarship at the University of Alabama; seeing visions of himself wearing the Crimson Tide uniform on the Legion Field in 1971, '72, and '73. He had watched the game, keeping his feelings to himself. On one hand, he rooted for his team to beat USC. On the other hand, as he heard the cheers, it began to occur to him that the door, which had just ever so slightly opened for him, had opened a little bit more.

The other black kid was Mobile's John Mitchell, still at an Arizona J.C. Now he had some thinking to do. McKay thought he was in the bag for 1971. Mitchell had visions of Los Angeles dancing in his head: Hollywood nightlife, girls in bikinis, beaches, and plenty of socializing. In his mind, McKay had Mitchell starting next year, but Mitchell had seen just how good USC was. Their substitutes looked to be as strong as their starters. As a junior college transfer, he could not afford to sit on the bench waiting his turn for a year or two. Yes, it would be nice to be in L.A., playing for national championships and Rose Bowls. But change had washed over the Legion Field stands like a wave. He knew it just as everybody else did. Mitchell was thinking about changing his mind and joining Wilbur Jackson at Alabama the next year.

Fans filing out of the stadium could be heard stating the obvious.

"Bryant needs some blacks of his own," they could be heard the murmuring to themselves. Holy cow _._ This was a big deal.

When the game ended, players from both teams were cordial and respectful. McKay was a man who never much liked the post-game mid-field celebratory handshake. If he lost, he was in a sour mood. If he won, he was concerned that it would be like gloating. But he looked forward to the on-field greeting with his friend, Bryant.

McKay and Bryant greeted each other at mid-field, walking off together. McKay did not rub it in. Bryant extended his hand to McKay.

"I want to thank you, John, for making the trip all the way out here and for what you've done for me and the University of Alabama and our football progrum," drawled the Bear.

_Thank you!!_ Craig Fertig was walking with McKay.

"He'd just gotten his ass kicked," said Fertig, "and he's thanking McKay for the favor."

"Damn, John, we just ran out of time," McKay quoted Bryant telling him in his autobiography, _McKay: A Coach's Story_ , with Jim Perry.

In _The History of USC Football_ DVD, Fertig further expounded on the events:

"And we went down and our backfield was all black players, our wide receivers were both black, our tight end was black. Alabama has no black players. Bear Bryant by design, these two had worked on this so that black players would be able to stay in the South and play for Coach Bryant.

"Now our guys, people ask us now, was that a big deal? It wasn't a big deal, the black-white thing with our players, we were scared to death because it was our first football game and Alabama was _good_. Our guys knew how good Alabama was but it was not a big racial thing, it was no racial thing whatsoever. It was a football game, and that's what I think is great about football whether you're pink, blue or green; everybody has the same chance and usually the best players'll win. We went down there and beat the devil out of 'em, and I was walking with Coach over to Coach Bryant, and like I say they're great friends off the field, they played golf together. Coach McKay even went huntin' with him, even though he didn't know which end of the gun to use, and I was expecting Coach Bryant to be really upset, and he says, 'John, I just want to thank you for what you've done for me and the University of Alabama.' "

A football game had been played, fairly and competitively. Any blood shed on this night had come not from night sticks and police brutality, but from the unrelenting artificial turf. But football was merely a metaphor for a changing America. Hearts and minds were changed, softened. Pride replaced shame. Hope replaced hatred. Sam Cunningham and his teammates were vessels who did God's work that night. They deserve their share of the credit; but what these strong, virile young men did was simply get together and push the rock the last few yards over the mountain - the same rock that people of good conscience, of all colors, had been pushing for two centuries. People too tired to persevere any longer, who needed younger, stronger men to pick up where they left off.

Martin Luther King Jr. had been pushing that rock for more than a decade. He died for his efforts. For two years, there were very real questions as to whether anybody could replace him. Robert F. Kennedy had seemed to be a good possibility, but he had met the same fate as King. The civil rights movement had slipped into chaos, the Christian non-violence of Dr. King replaced by the Black Panthers, Stokeley Carmichael, and the voices of rage.

What Sam Cunningham, Jimmy Jones, Clarence Davis, and their team - and the credit is deservedly shared with whites like Papadakis, Vella, Chandler, McKay, Fertig, and Goux - had done was an extension of the work that came before them. The table had already been set, waiting for just the right man, or team, to make the most of a situation. In this regard, it is not appropriate to overstate the contribution of the USC Trojans. But this game put a face and words to history. It will be remembered because it should never be forgotten.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

"THIS HERE'S WHAT A FOOTBALL PLAYER LOOKS LIKE."

The night they drove old Dixie down

And all the bells were ringin'

The night they drove old Dixie down

And all the people were singin'

They went, "Na, na, na, na, na, na..."

\- From "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," sung by Joan Baez

USC's players were utterly drained, physically, emotionally, by the pressure valve being lifted, the turf, and the late-summer humidity. Outside of surgery, military training, and, of course, actual combat, they had just engaged in one of the most debilitating human exercises imaginable. They celebrated in fits and starts, and were doing so when Bear Bryant entered their locker room.

Bryant's appearance caused more than a few eyes to follow him as he made his way into the room. Craig Fertig saw him, shook his hand, and welcomed him. The two spoke for a few moments. Fertig had an expression on his face that said, "You want _what?_ "

The players watched this exchange. "What's goin' on?" a few asked.

Then Fertig straightened up. Bryant hung back as Fertig walked over to where McKay was. Something _was_ going on. A small drama of some kind.

"Coach Bryant wants to borrow Cunningham," Fertig told McKay.

"What do you mean, 'borrow' him?' " asked McKay.

Then Bear approached McKay, as the Trojans looked on. "Coach, could I borrow Sam Cunningham?" he asked.

"You mean for the remainder of the season?" quipped McKay. "Go ahead and take him."

Bryant smiled as if to say, "Just give me an inch, Coach, and I'll take a mile."

McKay summoned big Sam Cunningham. He introduced Bryant to Sam and told him that the Alabama coach would like for Sam go with him for a few minutes. Cunningham had no idea what was up, either, but it seemed on the up and up.

Bryant thanked McKay and left with Cunningham. On McKay's instructions, Fertig went with them. Cunningham, bare chested, followed Bryant out the door.

Bryant thanked Cunningham for coming with him. Fertig accompanied them, thinking that maybe some kind of sociological history was about to be made. The fact that Sam was black could not escape Fertig's attention.

What happened next is in dispute. Some say they entered the Alabama locker room. Some say the exchange happened in the crowded hallway between the visitors' and home lockers. Some say it never happened. The following story, which may not be 100 percent accurate, is nevertheless rooted, like most myth and lore, in truth:

They entered the Alabama locker room. The mood was one of utter demoralization and despondency. Cunningham was instructed to stand on a bench. He towered above the all white Crimson Tide. He was still sweaty. He had deep bruises. There was still blood on his pants.

Bryant allegedly started off by referring to Sam as "this ol' boy," but corrected himself by changing his description to "this man," or, according to others who claim to have been in the room, began the speech by gathering his team's attention by starting off with, "Gentlemen...

"This is Sam Cunningham, number 39," Bryant told his team as they sat and looked _up_ to Sam. "This man and his Trojan brothers," a term Bryant believed in and did not use lightly, because he knew and understood Marv Goux's sincerity when he talked about "Trojan pride" and loyalty. "This team just ran us right out of the Legion Field," he said - just as Goux had said they would.

Bryant is said to have told them to raise their heads and "open your eyes," because "This here's what a football player looks like." Those words would symbolize everything that had happened. It would be what everybody would remember about that night.

The coach instructed every one of his players to shake the stunned Sam's hand. There was no hesitation.

Scott Hunter, who had been humiliated but would come back strong like the champ he was, led the way. "Sam, you're a [heck] of a running back," he (allegedly) said.

As Cunningham stood shirtless in the middle of the room, he was the perfect example of grace, pride, and class, at that moment a vessel of God. Each player shook his hand, most looking him in the eye. There were smiles, gentle ribbing, and a lot of congratulations. Bryant had _sanctified_ this moment, and as the billboard on the highway had demonstrated, the man walked on water around this neck of the woods. The Alabama players did not feel humiliated anymore. Many began to understand that they, too, were part of something.

Papadakis, a close friend of Cunningham to this day, was not in the room, but he has publicly described it in vivid terms many times in interviews and in numerous conversations.

"You have to understand," said Papadakis, "that Sam Cunningham was a _beautiful_ , and I mean a _beautiful_ black man. You know the term 'black is beautiful,' which is what a lot of blacks were saying in those days? Sam was beautiful. He had been a decathlete. He was an Adonis. I'm Greek. The Greeks have always admired physical beauty and competition. It's part of the Greek ideal. Sam embodied all of that.

"He was bare chested, still glistening with sweat. The very picture of a warrior, a Trojan warrior. He had muscles that just _bulged_ , a big barrel chest, tight stomach. He was an absolute physical specimen. But Sam was naïve, too. He was a sophomore from Santa Barbara, fighting for his job three hours earlier, and now here he was being held up as the symbol of football to the pride of the South.

"History was being made, and he didn't realize it. He had just destroyed the Crimson Tide. You can't believe it - watch the tape - he just went right through the best that the state of Alabama had to offer."

Athletes have a code of respect, which is an important point. In 1956, after C.R. Roberts had done the same thing to Texas at Austin, the Longhorns had congratulated him, but the fans continued to catcall him all the way off the field. A lot had changed in 14 years, however. If one were to analyze American history, and maybe even human history, the 14 years that separated C.R.'s game from Sam's saw some of the greatest social change ever.

From the mid-1950s to 1970, and especially in the ensuing years, _people_ , not just politics, governments, and militaries, had changed. It was a truly societal revolution, which despite the many good things that emerged out of it, some argue had happened too much too soon. There was official school desegregation, followed by John Kennedy's assassination, the civil rights movement, the Great Society, Vietnam, the anti-war movement, the free speech movement, the Black Muslim movement, the feminist movement, the gay liberation movement, the beatnik movement, the hippie movement, the black militant movement, and now the _actual_ desegregation movement was about to happen. Not a Supreme Court ruling, as in _Brown vs. Board of Education_. Not National Guard protection. Not President Kennedy ordering Governor Barnett to enforce federal legislation in Mississippi. Not a speech or protest march.

_This_ was something that everybody could believe in. Real change. Change of the heart. The best kind of change.

So what had happened in those 14 years? The '60s had happened.

The athletes who have a universal "code of respect" for each other had lived through the '60s. They had been eight, nine, or ten years old when the decade started. In 1964, many were in junior high school, old enough to understand the world around them. Their high school and college years had paralleled years of enormous unrest. They lived in a new age of television and mass communications. They lived in a brave, modern new world, the South having been transformed by federal works projects instituted by Franklin Roosevelt, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority, since the 1930s. They were college-educated leaders of the future, not backwoods hicks, and they respected Sam Cunningham.

"Since the Alabama team could relate to Sam as a football player," Papadakis said, "they could understand the context of Sam as a man, because they were all football players. We all strive for the same thing on the field. Competition, especially in America, is where we determine what the truth is, where we separate the men from the boys. These white players could never relate to protests or speeches. But they could relate to football." God works in mysterious ways.

The Legion Field locker room scene has been touted as Holy Grail within the Trojan family for decades and by many others, including Papadakis and possibly Cunningham, who has remained somewhere between vague, coy, sure it happened, or sure it did not, depending on who you ask (and this includes Southern sportswriters and former USC teammates).

Hunter, who allegedly complimented Sam in the locker room, insists none of it happened - not the Bryant speech and certainly not his handshaking. Hunter's attitude, some contend, is "negative," but a lengthy interview with him revealed that this is entirely untrue. Hunter says that the event did not happen but that "it should have." He had been to Vietnam on an all-star tour with black players, was happy to see integration, and expressed great admiration for Dr. King because he recognized that Bryant's words mirrored the civil rights leaders'.

"If I admired this man [Bryant]," Hunter says, "and he's saying the same things as Dr. King, then do I pick and choose, and not admire King? No."

Told this, Craig Fertig, who previously thought of Hunter as "negative" and "sour," could only say, "Wow, that changes my whole interpretation of Scott Hunter."

Nevertheless, as Hunter expressed, whether it happened exactly that way or not, _it should have!_

Talking to the Alabama players and the coaches, sportswriters, others - nobody remembers this Bryant speech about [Sam] Cunningham being "what a football player looks like." The _Mobile Press-Register's_ Neal McCready tried to clear this up. As for Cunningham, he told McCready, "I don't want to be the one who said it didn't happen."

Craig Fertig was not in the Alabama locker room. A couple of coaches said it did not happen. Alabama assistant coach Clem Gryska, an honorable man, had a very good point, and so did Scott Hunter. They both said, "The players were ready for integration." Kenny Stabler said as far back as the 1960s, the _players_ had no objection. But what would have been the point of bringing Cunningham into that locker room?

Something happened, but not in the way it is described... Generally something is there on which the legend is based, but it is almost never exactly that way. But there is always a nugget or kernel of truth. Why would not a single Alabama player say it did not happen? Somebody would say it happened.

If it happened to make such an impression, why did it not make an impression, at least on the Alabama players who it was purported to have been for? Why did Bryant not talk about this? Bryant biographer John Underwood did not recall him saying anything about this story. All that being said, under the category of double hearsay, journalist Al Browning of the _Tuscaloosa News_ was a good friend of Bryant's who may even have worked for Bryant and wrote a book called _I Remember Bear Bryant._

Five or six years ago - Al died three years ago - Diane McWhorter, Browning, and another Bryant biographer, Allen Barra were at a bar. Browning told them that the lockers at Legion Field were really close, cramped and right next to the hallway area, which led straight into another locker room. Browning thinks what happened is there was a bunch of people from the university administration, who really needed an object lesson, and got it with this game.

In all this tumult, and McKay said this in his biography, Bryant went in the locker room. It was known to have been set up by Bryant, and he knew what would happen. Bryant idolized Bud Wilkinson. Bryant's Kentucky team had played Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. After the game, Wilkinson went in the 'Bama locker room to congratulate Babe Parilli. Bryant determined he would do that in the future when the time was right, making the best possible impression. Tom Clements said he did the same thing after the Sugar Bowl following the 1973 season, in a game that determined the national championship for Notre Dame.

Bryant most likely went up to Sam and said something complimentary, but if he brought Sam into the Alabama locker room, they would have remembered it. There would be no reason not to. Browning said there were men in the hallway, including some old World War II guys who had resisted.

A couple of guys in the Alabama administration were openly against change. Browning said they were in the hall. Bear grabbed Sam, put his arm around him, and might have taken him _in the hall_ , not the Alabama locker room. The fact that Sam may not remember it exactly as it is described - on a stool in front of the Alabama team - that is not unusual. If he put him on a stool, that is too eerily close to a slave market. If they stepped 10 or 12 feet into that hallway, next to and in front of men he did not know, there may be no way to prove it, but when a story like that happens, this is plausible. But in the locker room before the players? If he is in that hallway, and if the door to the locker is open, then he can see Alabama players undressing a few feet away. But it is crowded; it is loud. Think about being in a crowd, at a game, a rock concert. You cannot tell what somebody is saying just a few feet away.

Bryant knew how to lose. He talked to Cunningham; no one denies this, but there are not many witnesses. If it was anybody, it was some California sportswriter. Fertig says he was _outside_ the door. Loel Schrader says he was _at_ the door. Somehow, could it be they were at the door to one of those locker rooms and saw the hallway scene, mistaking it for a locker room scene? There is some discrepancy between Schrader and Fertig, one being outside the door and not seeing it, the other at the door and witnessing it. Some saw it from a distance and thought it happened that way. Add to this excitement; adrenaline; passage of time; faulty memories; a crowded, loud hallway that is hard to tell is different from a locker room; a door that might have looked into a locker room.

If one walks out of the visitors' locker room, one can see right in that other locker room. It is so crowded, that might be exactly what happened. The Alabama people "in the know" cannot conceive that Bryant would have "humiliated" his players and coaches, but rather he was doing it for the administration. He was not going to just write them off to Governor Wallace. But why did Bryant not talk about this? He was sticking it to the reactionaries, but he would not brag about it.

One cannot underestimate the importance of this game and of Bryant's opening up opportunities. This was just one of many signs of change throughout America, directly attributable to Bryant, the 1970 game, and his policies. Everything was influenced by Paul "Bear" Bryant.

The exact details of this event remain a mystery to this day. John McKay repeated the story for years, probably embellishing it, but of course he was not in that room. Nobody ever disputed him or told him that what he was saying might not be 100 percent accurate. Over time his message became an accepted fact. He never had any reason to doubt that the essential story, embellished or not, was true. Many, many others associated with USC repeated the story, most notably Marv Goux and Craig Fertig. Writers like Loel Schrader of the _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ , who would later create _The USC Report_ web site, spread the message. McKay repeated it to him in a 2001 interview. USC's sports information director in 1970, Don Andersen, and broadcaster Tom Kelly enthusiastically repeated the story in many venues.

It is important to note, however, that this mythological event did not gain major public credence for years, maybe even for more than a decade. Many never heard the story until Tom Kelly repeated it in the 1988 _Trojan Video Gold,_ documenting USC's football tradition.

Oddly, Sam Cunningham distanced himself from the event and his school. He went to New England, where he played for a decade. He never spoke to John Hannah about it, even though the two then-teammates had opposed each other in the 1970 game. Cunningham was miffed at USC when they told him that his younger brother, Randall, would not be the starting quarterback in the early 1980s. Coach John Robinson invested his hopes in Sean Salisbury, a major blue chipper from the San Diego area, instead. Randall chose UNLV, where he became an All-American and later an All-Pro in Philadelphia. Salisbury was a bust, or close to it. His failures ushered in a long down period in USC gridiron annals.

Sam faded in memory as a Trojan legend. Many others, such as O.J. Simpson, Marcus Allen, Anthony Davis, Mike Garrett, Pat Haden, and Lynn Swann, along with Tom Seaver, Tom Selleck, and John Naber, maintained far more colorful public personas. Many would have a high profile in broadcasting or acting, a tradition at a place long considered "Hollywood's school."

Sam Cunningham was a quiet type who receded into private life after a career 3,000 miles removed from his college exploits. Anybody who looks back on events in their own lives - 10, 20, 35 years - is generally unable to recall events in crystal clear detail. It is highly possible that Sam's memory is not clear, or that people's descriptions of what happened have impacted on his mind as actual events. There is no reason to believe Sam has made up any of this; and it appears that now, with disputes coming from the 'Bama side, he is unable to give a more certain account than his vague memories. In media interviews with those who simply assume the story is true, Sam agrees with the premise. But whether this is actual memory or post-historical editing is unclear. His friend and former teammate, Rod McNeill, got wind of the 2003 _Mobile Press-Register_ interview with Sam, in which he stated, "I don't want to be the one who said it didn't happen."

"I asked him if it happened," McNeill says. "He says it never happened."

Teammate Allan Graf, who in 2006 is developing the story into a movie, says it did not happen according to the legend. He is one of those who has heard and agrees with the Al Browning-Allen Barra "hallway story."

None of the Alabama players and coaches who were in the locker room said it happened. Barra's explanation is highly plausible: that it may have happened in the hallway, not the locker room, allowing for Sam to recall Bryant's speech; that it was an object lesson not for the team but the reactionary old racists who made up alumni and administration, and who were crowding that hallway. Sam very well may have seen Alabama players dressing through the open door a few yards away.

But none of this really matters, because as Scott Hunter says, "it should have happened." The fact that such a famous public event, so publicly quoted and now publicly disputed, could occur almost lends a spiritual quality to it, in that religious visions and epiphanies throughout history - events that supposedly happened, yet different people saw it differently - makes one wonder whether the hand of God was at play in that locker room.

After all, the South, as University of Alabama professor Culpepper Clark said, was a place in which the "blood was hot." Violence, hatred, and real terror had engulfed the region. It had shown very little sign of abating prior to September 12, 1970. Professors, sportswriters, historians, and political pundits can try to put their spin on it, but the breathtaking change that occurred after that night has a Biblical feel to it. It is in this theological analysis that one begins to see that Sam - naive, beautiful, wise, a human man of faulty memory - may just have been a vessel, not merely a fullback.

The Bible describes all sorts of people as being God's vessels. These include sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes. 2,000 years later, it certainly seems plausible that He would have chosen a fullback. However, Sam's former teammates - pro and college - do not describe Sam as an average, sinful college athlete. To a man, they describe a remarkable young individual. Young athletes are notoriously narcissistic, vain, and hedonistic. The world is theirs for the taking. They take it without asking a lot of questions or extending a lot of gratitude. As they say, youth is wasted on the young. When speaking to these people in later years, maturity and life experience give them a sensible quality that they too often did not have in their youth.

But over and over again, teammates of Sam Cunningham's - black and white, from USC and the Patriots - describe an incredible young man. Words like _wise, Christian, loyal,_ and _hero_ abound in almost endless praise. Cunningham hung out with a group of young black athletes at USC called The Big Five, which included Manfred Moore, Rod McNeill, and Charle Young. Conversations with these men, more than 30 years later, reveal guys who do not sound like ex-football players, but almost like prophets. Moore and Young, in particular, speak in a highly spiritual manner. Each man, who offered the same perspective without prompting, backs up lineman Dave Brown's descriptions of a racially divided team that came together through Christian fellowship to have a perfect season in 1972. These do not sound like the kinds of scholarship athletes who too often make their presence known on college campuses with oversized bodies, undersized brains and overactive glands.

The events of 1970–72, starting with Cunningham's game, the racial inclusion in the South that followed it, and the moral fellowship that overcame suspicion at USC, begin to reveal a mosaic that is faith-centered. On the field, the Trojans were average in 1970 and 1971, but 12–0 in '72. Alabama was average in 1969 and 1970, but 11–1 in '71. By delving deeper into the events that surrounded them - the game in Birmingham, their young lives, and the destinies of their units - a religious man very well might make the connection that Cunningham was not the only vessel of God's work. When Dave Brown emerged as a leader presiding over Bible studies with increased attendance, the team went undefeated in 1972. As McNeill said, "his wonders never cease."

Of those interviewed for this book, there are mixed interpretations of religion as it relates to this game and its effect on desegregation. Dr. Culpepper Clark would not say that the hand of God guided the civil rights struggle, but he did use the term "miracle" when mentioning that, despite "the blood being hot," a relatively small number of blacks were killed in the years since Emmett Till's death in the mid-1950s.

However, Sam's teammates, Manfred Moore and Charle Young in particular, sounded like tent revivalists in their descriptions of their friend, stating that he had been "chosen" by God. Despite Sam's youth, he was consistently described as "spiritual...moral...wise." Conversations with Tom Kelly, Dave Brown, J.K. McKay, Willie Brown, Jim Perry, John Vella, Rod McNeill and, of course, Moore and Young, reveal a definite pattern: USC was racially divided in 1970 and '71, probably over the Jimmy Jones-Mike Rae quarterback issue, but when the team joined together in Brown's Bible studies, they were victorious on the field.

Sam Cunningham, Craig Fertig, the Alabama players, coaches, and staff, were not the only people on the scene. The sportswriters were there, too, taking notes. Bryant could have kept them out, which was a common practice. But Bryant wanted them to see this.

At some point, another comment was made. Aside from Bear supposedly saying, to someone _,_ "This here's what a football player looks like," another oft-quoted statement is remembered in connection with the game. The quote is this: "Sam Cunningham did more to integrate Alabama in 60 minutes than Martin Luther King hd done in twenty years."

Jerry Claiborne, one of Bryant's assistant coaches, is credited with having said it. But Marv Goux also said it. He said Cunningham had done more to integrate the _South_ in _three hours_ than Martin Luther King had done in 20 years.

As for McKay, he repeated the "Cunningham did more than King" remark many times before his death in 2001. McKay normally did not qualify the remark, as in "Jerry Claiborne said it" or, "Marv Goux said it"; he just repeated it, as have numerous others until it has become a football article of faith.

Back in his own locker room, Cunningham is supposed to have told two other sophomores what Bryant said about him. The whole affair had by then taken on a religious tone, as if the words spoken and actions taken were Gospel, those who heard and saw witnesses. As for Tody Smith, he was all smiles. Nobody in the state was more relieved than he was.

Outside Legion Field, a throng of 3,000 black fans greeted USC. Their cheers had swelled throughout the game, as they listened on radios. They were cheering, singing, and crying. They had just witnessed, or at least heard, the turning of the Tide.

There was sustained cheering until long after the game. Clarence Davis introduced his teammates to his Alabama relatives, including his Uncle Claude. Most of the USC players said they had never seen so many people after a game. Black fans lined the road to cheer USC as they drove out. They held candles and sang songs.

"Martin Luther King Jr. preached equality," said Ozzie Newsome, a black player who would benefit from this game and become an Alabama football legend, in Allen Barra's _The Last Coach: A Life Of "Paul" Bear Bryant_. "Coach Bryant practiced it. I'm not saying he couldn't have done more to integrate the football team faster, but when I was there there were no complaints from black players about unfairness from Coach Bryant. I can tell you that the man practiced what he preached."

"Nothing changed over the weekend of the 1971 Alabama-Southern California game," said Professor Wayne Flint of the University of Auburn, "but you could see it start to change. As Churchill said of Dunkirk, it wasn't the beginning of the end, but it was the end of the beginning."

One 105 years before that game, General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant's forces at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. If that moment could have been engendered with one-fiftieth of the goodwill that, at least according to lore, existed in the Alabama locker room on this night, a great nation might have been spared an additional century of recriminations.

A race of people, brought over to a new world many hailed as the Promised Land, had been made to toil endlessly because of their physical power. Now, those same attributes, combined with a new pride honed out of a century of citizenship and struggle, had pushed open the last door to earthly salvation.

Hallelujah!

Something else had happened that day, although it had been happening for the better part of ten years prior. Bryant's "Cage"-driven game was replaced by the speed and skill game that McKay emphasized. Bryant would adapt the recruiting of not just black athletes, but _athletes_ , instead of position players. Some coaches, like Michigan's Bo Schembechler and Ohio State's Woody Hayes, would insist on their "three yards and a cloud of dust" offenses throughout the 1980s. They would consistently find themselves on the losing end of Rose Bowl games against a variety of fast-paced Pac 8 (late Pac 10) teams.

****

In 2003, a TV program called _Songs of Our Success,_ hosted by Tony McEwing, said, "30 years ago, USC faced their toughest opponent ever, segregation. It was a game that changed the Deep South.

"It had the look and sounds of any ordinary football game, but this was no ordinary game," said McEwing. "If any game could be called the 'collegiate game of the century,' this was it. None of the players, the coaches, or the crowd could have predicted the profound impact it would have on history and on the Deep South."

"If at the time I'd known how significant it was going to be, I'd've paid a lot more attention," said Cunningham. "I was just a freshman riding on the plane to play my first football game, and from the game history was made."

"USC had the only all black backfield in college football at the time," McEwing continued. "Big deal, you say? In 1970, it was a _very big deal..._ The Trojans were the first fully integrated team to play in Alabama, but Cunningham was oblivious to what would happen."

"It had a wide-ranging effect from that evening that is still being felt today," said Cunningham. "Coach Bryant wanted me to come to their locker room, and he said, 'This is what a football player looks like.' Which really probably didn't sit very well with me, because I'm a football player too, but what he was trying to impress was, 'I believe there's a change in the wind and this is how it's gonna be.' "

"Coach Bryant reportedly told his coaches that he would begin to recruit black players," said McEwing.

"You never would have thought it would happen," said Sam. "You think it would happen through protest, but we were just playing a simple game of football. From those 60 minutes of football, years and years of history had gone; and we changed it for the better."

"We exploded at the start of the game," said John Papadakis. "I was the defensive signal caller and middle linebacker, and we had predominantly black players on defense and the best black signal caller in the country.

"I knew when we went out to the bus and saw literally thousands of black people, carrying Bibles, thanking us and singing hymns, I knew something was up. I knew it in the third quarter, when Clarence Davis scored a touchdown, and there were cheers outside of the stadium, silence inside of the stadium. You could hear the black people on the outside yelling and screaming for the Trojans, because they knew how important it was just for us to be there."

"It just made the opportunity that much more special for USC players to represent something that had happened in such great fashion years ago," said Pete Carroll regarding the 2003 opener at Auburn, in which he invited Cunningham and Papadakis to make the trip and speak to the team, "and we felt it was our responsibility as USC to live up to it, to the standards that Sam had set that night."

"You know, I keep hearing and I explain to kids," said Sam, "because none of them were born when I played that game. I try to explain to them that for the little time that you're out there, to do the best you can because you never know what's going to come up."

Papadakis and Cunningham shed further light (or confusion, depending on your point of view) on the subject in the 2003 interview with the _Mobile Press-Register's_ Neal McCready.

"Gentlemen, this ol' boy, I mean, this man and his Trojan brothers, just ran [you] right out of your own house," Bryant is quoted as saying by Papadakis in the story. "Raise your heads and open your eyes. This is what a football player looks like."

In the September 5, 2000, edition of _USC Report_ , McKay told senior writer Loel Schrader that the story is true.

"To his players," McKay told _USC Report_ , "Paul pointed to Cunningham and said, 'Gentlemen, this is what a football player looks like.' "

"I already told you I don't remember a lot," Cunningham said, appearing to backtrack to McCready. "I don't remember clearly. I'm trying to think back and remember. Coach Bryant was very polite and very, very strong in his belief that we did something special that evening. For the sake of history, I was taken in. I kind of think it didn't happen. I think I would remember, but I don't want to be the guy who said it didn't happen."

"There were so many people I couldn't count them [after the game]," Papadakis said in the story. "It was late at night and all of the black people from the neighborhood were outside the stadium. By the time we left, they had gathered and they were singing hymns and beating on the bus. They were hitting Tody Smith with a Bible, saying, 'Thank you. Thank you for coming here.' They were cheering outside the stadium when USC made a touchdown in the third or fourth quarter. We could hear them."

"It was a very strong domination in that game by Southern Cal, and it was a great game by Cunningham," is all that current Alabama athletic director, and then assistant coach, Mal Moore said in the same story. "It was evident that Coach Bryant already planned to integrate his team. This helped him."

"I'm proud of being a part of the team that had a hand in it," Cunningham said. "It was going to happen eventually. I'm comfortable with it."

****

While the Trojans were showering and celebrating, _L.A. Times_ sports columnist Jim Murray and beat writer Jeff Prugh were working. They were under deadline pressure but were able to deliver stories worthy of the occasion.

The September 13, 1970, _L.A. Times_ sports page featured a photo of quarterback Jimmy Jones throwing a pass, next to the headline "Trojans Fall on Alabama; Bruins' Rally Defeats OSU." Dwight Chapin had missed history covering UCLA quarterback Dennis Dummit's performance in leading his team to a 14–9 win at Oregon State.

Prugh wrote, "It was a night when stars of Cardinal and Gold fell on Alabama. And the brightest star of them all - as USC's Trojans blasted once mighty Alabama, 42–21, Saturday night - was Sam Cunningham, a towering rookie fullback who runs like a locomotive."

Jim Murray is the finest sportswriter of all time. Of all the columns he ever wrote, however, the one printed on the entire top of the September 13, 1970 _L.A. Times_ sports page remains the best of his career. Whether Murray came up with the headline is not known. Whoever did deserves the Congressional Medal of Freedom. It stated, "Hatred Shut Out as Alabama Finally Joins the Union."

The article read, in part:

BIRMINGHAM - OK, you can put another star in the Flag.

... _The state of Alabama joined the Union. They ratified the Constitution, signed the Bill of Rights. They have struck the Stars and Bars. They now hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal in the eyes of the Creator._

Our newest state took the field against a mixed bag of hostile black and white American citizens without police dogs, tear gas, rubber hoses or fire hoses. They struggled fairly without the aid of their formidable ally, Jim Crow.

Bigotry wasn't suited up for a change. Prejudice got cut from the squad. Will you all please stand and welcome the sovereign state of Alabama to the United States of America? It was a long time coming, but we always knew we'd be 50 states strong some day, didn't we? Now, we can get on with it. So chew a carpet, George Wallace... Get out of our way. We're trying to build a country to form a democracy.

The game? Shucks, it was just a game. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all... Hatred got shut out, that's the point. Ignorance got shut out, that's the point. Ignorance fumbled on the goal line. Stupidity never got to the line of scrimmage. The big lie got tackled in the end zone.

Murray would go on to write that the previous time he had been in Alabama, the only black man in the stadium was carrying towels. But "a man named Martin Luther King" thought that if you paid for a seat on the bus, one ought to be able to sit in it. The only thing white folks in the state cared about was "beating Georgia Tech."

Murray pointed out that the citizens of Alabama took their football so seriously that they realized that if they wanted to play in the big time, it would require integration. Otherwise, instead of invites to all the best bowl games, they would continue to be relegated to the Bluebonnet Bowl.

"And," wrote Murray, "if I know football coaches, you won't be able to tell Alabama by the color of their skin much longer. You'll need a program just like the Big 10."

He was prescient, but remarkably few others were. Murray recognized what Coach Bryant was trying to do, something even the likes of McKay, Marv Goux, Sam Cunningham, and the fans in the stands did not fully understand. Finally, Murray made the truest point about the game. He did it long before others recognized what it was.

"The point of the game is not the score, the Bear, theTrojans; the point of the game will be reason, democracy, hope," he wrote. "The real will winner will be Alabama."

On September 12, 2005, the 35th anniversary of the game, Bob Keisser of the _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ , interviewed Cunningham about his foray into history ("Bam's impact not forgotten... Bryant changed ways quickly"). It was accompanied by a photo of Bear with the caption, "Initially opposed to recruiting black players, Alabama coach Bear Bryant changed his tune after Sam Cunningham ran for 135 yards on 12 carries in a 42-21 USC victory."

This statement indicates that Bryant was opposed to the recruitment of blacks, despite the evidence to the contrary, and that it was Cunningham's performance that made him "change his tune." Not entirely true. Wilbur Jackson was already recruited; the game was set up for this purpose.

"Bryant briefly met with Cunningham on the field, and although recollections on what exactly transpired are inconsistent, the upshot is that Bryant reiterated, time and time again - to his players, to the media, to Alabama fans - that 'This is what a football player looks like,' " wrote Keisser.

"I by no means think I did more than Dr. King or any social activist, because I didn't," Cunningham said. "Those people lost their lives for what they did.

"I just played a football game, and the outcome affected great change. Sometimes in that naïve manner, that's the best way... By what he said, Bryant was impressing on his players that there's going to be change, and that it would be tough for all of them, not just the players coming in but the players already there, and the whole community. But it would be a change for the better.

"It had to be hard for people there to see that because it had been just one way for so long. We put a whipping on them. They couldn't put a spin on it. Their team got beat and no matter how you wrote it up, you couldn't change that fact."

"The reality is that football, and sports, is about excellence, and winning results from that, and black kids have historically excelled in sports," said Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of black studies at Cal State Long Beach. "So (Bryant) would have been making a mistake not to choose from all of the best players. He wanted to win. It was important to him.

"'It provided much collateral benefit. By not practicing in sports the kind of early man segregation that was unjust and immoral, his excellent decision also became an excellent moral choice."

S.I. ranked it sixth among the all-time "tipping points."

"It was a pretty bold step," said Cunningham. "Bryant was the only one who could guarantee our safety, and Coach McKay had to have faith in Bear that he could bring his players, fans and boosters in for a football game at a time when it probably wasn't conducive.

"They both took a very big step. But it was the easiest way to get it done. Back then, coaches were icons and could do whatever they wanted to do. It wouldn't have ever happened any other way."

Wilbur Jackson (1971-73), John Mitchell (1971-72), All-American center Sylvester Croom (1972-74), linebacker Woody Lowe (1972-75), cornerback Mike Washington (1972-74), tight end Ozzie Newsome (1974-77), center Dwight Stephenson (1978-79), defensive stars Thomas Boyd, Jeremiah Castille, E.J. Junior and Don McNeal all followed.

"It's pretty simple," said Cunningham. "We flew in, played and won a football game and left. We only had to deal with the South for two nights, and then we were gone.

"The people who actually had to work and deal with the change were the ones they recruited and played. Because nothing had changed other than allowing blacks to play football. The way people felt probably didn't change overnight. The difference was that blacks now had the opportunity to be part of the organization.

"They had to work in that atmosphere, and there's a lot of pressure to be the first, or second, or third, player to come into a culture they've never visited before. I applaud them. What I did was easy. They had the pressure of the whole culture riding on them."

"What all of those athletes and other African-American athletes in similar situations, from Jackie Robinson to Jack Johnson to Muhammad Ali, did was create free space for everyone by demonstrating their excellence without penalty," said Dr. Karenga.

Sam cast himself as a man trying to keep the memory alive, not as a noble person, "a black man in decidedly the wrong place at the right time," wrote Keisser.

"Sam is like so many others, an ordinary person who did an extraordinary thing and met the invitation of history," said Dr. Karenga. "He seized a moment at a time when the last thing the people in that crowd probably wanted to see was a black man excel."

What made the game successful not just for McKay, Sam Cunningham, and the Trojans, however, was the fact that the trip was peaceful, the team well treated, and fan reaction went from visibly semi-hostile to outwardly docile.

"Bryant had talked the game up," said assistant coach Marv Goux, in what may have been the last interview he granted prio to his passing. "It was his baby. And if Bear was for it, the state of Alabama was wlling to accept change.

"After Sam's game, Alabama was able to use Wilbur Jackson."

Jackson would go on to be an All-American and have a professional career.

By the mid-1970s, "the Southeastern and Southwestern Conferences were desegregated," recalled Goux. "Earl Campbell at Texas, Billy Sims at Oklahoma - the whole egion changed dramatically overnight. It was great, even though we found recruiting to be harder after that."

"Oh my, recruiting changed, yes," McKay recalled. "There was a time in which we could pluck black athletes from anywhere in the country. They wanted to play for the Trojans. Jimmy Jones from back East. O. J. Simpson from San Francisco. Tody Smith from Texas. It was a combination of things. They heard that USC accommodated blacks, that life there was pleasant in every way \- the school, their classmates, the press and fans, everything - and they were right. It provided an urban environment, nightlife, and pretty girls of different races. Plus, they knew that the coaches were fair, and if they measured up, they would play and get all the recognition they earned. If their goal was to play in the NFL, USC was a place that showcased their talents.

"Over the next 10 years, USC and other West Coast teams no longer could pick black stars who were turned away in the South," McKay noted. "You see not only Alabama's resurgence after a down period, but the rise of teams like Georgia, LSU, and all those Florida schools. USC eventually went into a down period of theirown, as did the whole conference, and one of the reasons for this is because the talent pool became limited."

"What people forget about Sam when they talk about this game," Goux said. "Is that he was a sophomore battling for a starting job. He was a big recruit, yes. He was built like a brick you-know-what. But we were loaded, and John McKay was not promising starting jobs to sophomores. It was his first game, and considering the environment, McKay wanted to play it close to the vest. Look at the highlights of that game. Off-tackle, _boom -_ breaking tackles, running over guys. Sam just made an outstanding contribution on his own.

"Plus, Sam was from Santa Barbara. I grew up in that area too. It's a very low-key area. He didn't have any idea, really, about what was happening n places like Selma. He was still a kid, barely away from home for the first time when that game was played."

Running back Clarence Davis had been born in Birmingham. Bear Bryant knew all about him. The black press in Birmingham made a big deal of him. McKay had needled Bryant about how he had managed to go right under his nose and recruit a player like that.

"Davis was a typical example of our advantage at that time," said McKay. "Today he'd've finished school in Alabama and been up for grabs, probably in the SEC. His family left that environment, and we just got him to succeed O.J."

"That's what Jim Murray wrote in the _Times_ ," recalled Goux. "You know, at the time, I had my hands full. So did Coach McKay. We were talented but unable to build on that game. Our season was disappointing. The team was not as together as others were, although talent-wise we were close. But it was only over time, the media bringing it up, old friends talking about it and asking about it, that I've come to see just what an incredible event it was. I made some strong statements about it at the time, but remember, right after we won that game, we had to fly back to L.A. and et ready for the next one, and the one after that. Sports is hard to be involved in and see the big picture."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

THE SOUTH RISES AGAIN

"And we're walkin' real proud, and we're talkin' real proud again."

\- "In America," as sung by Charlie Daniels

Alabama finished the 1970 season with a 6–5–1 record. USC, despite their great start and obvious talent, went on to a disappointing 6–4–1 season. They lost to Jim Plunkett's Stanford team, who upset Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Observers and players close to the team all agree that the USC team failed to live up to its potential because they were not together, racially or otherwise - an ironic twist considering the good work they did on behalf of historical civil rights.

Also, while no team possibly could have been more ready to win than the Trojans of September 12, 1970, the letdown after such an intense physical and cultural test was too difficult to handle. Mere college football games, filling out a schedule against the likes of Stanford, California, and Washington, did not match up to the expectations they had in Birmingham. The result was upset defeats at the hands of lesser teams. When challenges were presented, USC lived up to their talent. Nebraska won the 1970 national championship. Their only blemish was a tie against Southern California. Notre Dame and Joe Theisman would have finished number one that season, except that they lost to the Trojans, 38–28, despite Theisman passing for more than 500 yards in driving L.A. rainstorm.

Virtually every USC player and person associated with the program, black and white, who played on the 1970–71 squads and also the 1972 national champions, mentioned Dave Brown and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They all said the 1970–71 squads were as good, but that it was religious togetherness that created the greatness of '72.

John Mitchell turned down USC and went to the University of Alabama. The Alabama football program, after several years of mediocrity, certainly rose again. Mitchell debuted in the Coliseum in 1971.

"John McKay saw Mitchell running down the field on the opening kickoff," recalled Craig Fertig. "He just turned to me with a funny look on his face and said, 'Well, that's what you get.' "

'Bama gained a measure of revenge and won, 17–10 in that early-season night game at the Coliseum. Spurred on by this victory, Alabama ran the table in an undefeated regular season before losing to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. They entered the Sugar Bowl undefeated in 1973 but lost the national championship game to Notre Dame.

In 1977, Alabama ventured west again, upsetting the undefeated, number one–ranked Trojans, 21–20. USC returned the favor in 1978 behind running back Charles White in a 24–14 victory at Legion Field. That was Alabama's only loss of the year. USC faltered once, to Arizona State. Alabama knocked off Penn State in the Sugar Bowl. USC handled Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Despite the fact that the two contenders for the national championship had played each other (a fairly rare occurrence that gives the voters the opportunity to judge the winner to be better than the loser), and USC had soundly beaten the Tide on their home turf, the two wire services split the national championship vote. USC captured the UPI version; 'Bama, the AP version.

This is a very telling development. John Robinson's Trojans beat Bryant's Crimson Tide, and were deserving of an undisputed title, but many voters went with Alabama out of respect for Bryant. In 1966, they had lost a close "election" when the "Catholic vote" carried Notre Dame ahead of them. The segregated '66 Alabama team was, to use a 1990s phrase, too Politically Incorrect. The more "diversified" Irish won.

Only eight years after the groundbreaking 1970 game, a totally de-segregated Alabama team got the nod. The world had changed. Nobody can argue that Alabama in 1978 was paradise for African-Americans, but one can argue that in those eight years the state, the region and its university had made as swift and sure a social change for the better as any place, perhaps ever.

"What I recall about 1978," said Jim Perry, who covered the 1970 game for the _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ and was USC's sports information director in '78, "was that, while this was a really, reallybig game, there was absolutely no big deal associated with the fact that Alabama had a lot of black players."

Perry found himself now dealing with a school and a region that routinely employed, educated, and was even beginning to _elect_ its black citizens, who were gaining equality and power by leaps and bounds.

'Bama went on to a 103–16–1 record in the 1970s, one of the greatest decades in college football history. The only team better was USC. The Trojans captured three national championships in that same decade. In the four games the two schools played against each other in the 1970s, the record was 2-2 with the visiting team winning each game.

The elderly Bryant never won another national championship after 1979, retiring a few years later having passed Amos Alonzo Stagg as the winningest coach in college history (Penn State's Joe Paterno passed him in 2000). Under Gene Stallings, the Tide won the 1992 national championship, but overall the program slumped. Following the 2002 season, they hired Mike Price to take over, but he was fired for cavorting with strippers in an Alabama hotel room. In 2005, young coach Mike Shula, a former 'Bama quarterback and the son of famed Miami Dolphin coach Don Shula, righted the ship.

Since Bryant's departure from Alabama, the legacy of Sam Cunningham's game in 1970 has reverberated not just at Birmingham and in "red state" politics, but in Southern football. In 1970, the dominant conferences were the Pacific 8 and the Big 10. Not surprisingly, these were the conferences that had opened their gates to African-American athletes in the greatest numbers and with the most welcoming enthusiasm. The Big 10 schools became inviting havens for blacks from the South.

USC and the Pac 8 had huge black populations in their backyards. Los Angeles prep sports had always been highly integrated. USC, however, had traditionally gone beyond L.A. and California, recruiting white and black stars from every geographical area in the U.S. The slight weakening of the Big 10 and the Pac 8 (Pac 10 beginning in 1978 when Arizona and Arizona State came on board) can in part be attributed to integration in the South, particularly in the Southeastern Conference. The rise of the Florida schools - Miami, Florida, and Florida State - is directly linked to their taking on the enormous numbers of highly talented black athletes who populate their state. For the better part of 10 years, the SEC maintained its arguable perch as the strongest football conference in the nation.

Since Cunningham's performance helped open doors to blacks in the SEC, the conference has become far more than a football league. Black athletes of both genders have turned the conference into one of the most, if not _the_ most, competitive football, basketball, baseball, track, and women's sports leagues in the nation. Women's sports are extremely popular now. The Tennessee Lady Vols are probably the greatest women's hoops program in history.

USC dominated college baseball and track at the time of Cunningham's breakthrough. They were so good in these sports it was if there were separate rules for the Trojans and then everybody else. After integration, USC's dominance diminished. Today, the Southeast Conference is every bit as strong as the Pac 10. LSU under baseball coach Skip Bertman won three national championships in the 1990s.

Texas coach Cliff Gustafson passed USC's Rod Dedeaux as the winningest in college history. The Trojans have not won the NCAA title since 1976, ceding superiority to cross-town rival UCLA and a host of often-Southern teams from the SEC, the Big 12 and smaller conferences.

UCLA's basketball program, which from 1963-75 probably dominated as thoroughly as any sports team in history (with the possible exception of Concord, California's De La Salle High School, whose football team won 151 straight games from 1991 to 2003), became just another contender after John Wooden left in 1975. The reason was not just the departure of Wooden, but very much the new egalitarianism of the South. In Wooden's day, when he fielded integrated squads, entire sections of the college landscape were virtually "not in his league," unable to compete with the Bruins because of the racial advantage they enjoyed.

In 1970, basketball was totally secondary in the South. Kentucky was an also-ran by that time, its power ceded to integrated UCLA and other like programs. At Louisiana State, floppy-socked Pete Maravich began resurgence in basketball interest, but the all-white nature of his team and league reduced their impact compared to John Wooden's Bruins and the real power teams of the era.

Today, while football is still king, the best college basketball is played in the South, namely at North Carolina and Duke. While advances among minorities in coaching and executive administrative jobs have not come as fast as most would like, it cannot be argued that, while the current scene may not be a sea change, it would have been unheard of to predict the modern influx of black coaches in 1970. Black coaches dot the landscape at every level and almost every sport throughout the South, at the high school, college, and professional levels.

***

USC opened the 2003 season at Auburn. USC Coach Pete Carroll invited Sam Cunningham and John Papadakis to make the trip and to speak to the team about the 1970 game in the state they were now playing in - a state that had been changed by the events of that day, and by the men speaking to the team now. Southern California then smoked the Tigers, 23-0.

On December 7, 2003, the day after number one–ranked USC assured themselves of a spot in the Rose Bowl against Michigan (and with it, a chance at the national championship), _New York Times_ influential African-American sports columnist William Rhoden wrote that one of the reasons he wanted the Trojans to win the national title was:

. . . so the nation can be reintroduced to Sam Cunningham. He is my favorite Trojan and an important player in the social evolution of college football.

He and his former teammate John Papadakis joined the team on a charter flight last August when the Trojans traveled to Alabama to play Auburn in the season opener. Cunningham said he addressed the team.

" _I told them I'd never lost a game in Alabama," he said. "I don't want this to be the first."_

" _I tell them, 'I'm a warrior just like you - just old and broke up now - but when I was playing, this is how I approached the game. Football is more entertainment now. There's more money. But in the trenches, it's still just a football game._

" _I'm really connected to this team. This is a little more personal because I know them. None of them knew me when I played; they weren't even born. They just see my pict 13re on the wall. They walk past it going out. They walk past it coming in. I get a chance to share with them."_

***

The South did "rise again." Today, they are a cultural, economic, and political juggernaut. This rise, in keeping with the sporting nature of the region, often had an athletic component. In 1996, Atlanta hosted the most multi-cultural event ever devised, the Olympic Games, which the ancient Greeks placed so much reverence in.

In observing the sweep of history, one makes note of social change. There is, of course, the rise of Christianity, the granting of civil liberties to English commoners, the Protestant Reformation, and the Renaissance, to name a few highlights. Most of these changes took place over decades, sometimes centuries.

In America, change occurred by comparable warp speed. For thousands of years, slavery was a thriving economic institution. Four score and seven years after the creation of America, it was a memory. What other nations had in a few cases done, tried to do, or contemplated doing, Americans _actually_ did do.

The lesson of all this is that for whatever reason - whether it be God, or a superior political system, or very smart, hard-working, well-meaning people of faith and charitable hearts - when the United States decides to do something, they do it righter, better, faster, and more thoroughly than any other country has ever possibly conceived of doing it.

Nobody can argue that Alabama in 1978 was paradise for African-Americans, but one can argue that in the eight years between the USC-Alabama games at Legion Field, the state, the region, and its university had made as swift and sure a social change for the better as any place, perhaps ever.

This change, when one considers the scope and power of its magnitude and then makes note of the swiftness of its time frame, can only be considered an American miracle - the kind we increasingly have come to rely upon!

This change, in light of the memory of Bull Conner, firehouses, and German Shepherds just 15 years before, was cataclysmic. It is the kind of change that makes men and women find religion. It was deep, personal, and real.

Jeff Prugh, who had written the 1970 game sory for the _L.A. Times_ , discovered that night at Legion Field, "there's more to write about than sports." He had moved into news reporting and transferred to his paper's Atlanta bureau. Whereas eight years before, he was observing blacks barely edging their way into a slightly open door, he now found himself dealing with blacks in control of many of the levers of power. Prugh, who possessed a Californian's liberalism, now found himself at odds with Andrew Young and the new black leadership in Atlanta. When Prugh's quest for truth led to his criticism of that black power structure, he was assailed. Blacks no longer needed the "protection" of a "friendly" white journalist like Jeff Prugh to prop them up with fake self-esteem. The blacks were now discovering that they were part of the competition that makes America hum right along.

Black advancement in politics has surpassed demographic expectations. Today, blacks are mayors, congressmen, police chiefs, university presidents, and _Fortune_ 500 executives. No blacks have ascended to the White House yet, and they have made few gains in the Senate, but it is now considered standard form to include in Presidential cabinets and judgeships a number of not just blacks, but minorities of every kind. In 2006, many Republicans are arguing that their best Presidential candidate in 2008 is Condoleeza Rice, a black woman who grew up with one of the little girls killed by a Birmingham church bomber in 1963.

In surveying American culture, one might even conclude that there is a distinct _advantage_ , at least in some professions, to being black. Blacks complain that they too often do not get the juicy, hero roles in Hollywood. There is some truth to that. Denzel Washington has broken through in a big way, but he is relatively, for now, exceptional. However, commercials and character roles sometimes seem to favor the black persona. A typical, recurring example would be the high-strung, high-wire white cop who is shown the steady course by a tough-yet-fair black police chief or partner (think of Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy in _48 Hours_ or Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the _Lethal Weapon_ franchise).

Blacks and other minorities often fill commercials and "sidekick" roles. A scene of social friends is often not considered complete without a black face. A common trend, especially in TV ads, is to portray a white Dumbellionite subordinate to the all-knowing black colleague, who usually is computer-wired to the nth degree.

There is no doubt that it is a major advantage to be a _black conservative_ in politics, business, talk radio and a number of other professions. White people have come to open themselves up to black success, black intelligence, and black congeniality.

Observing America and the world in 2005–06, it would be Pollyannaish to say that racial prejudice was defeated, any more than terrorism or drugs have been defeated. But the world is a vastly different place today. If one studies the subject hard enough, they might not find any place like the American South in the thirty-five years that span 1970 to 2005.

Sam Cunningham was embarrassed to hear Marx Goux say on that September day in Birmingham that he had done more for civil rights in the past three hours than Martin Luther King Jr. had done in 20 years. He is still embarrassed to hear the phrase repeated, as it has been by many people over the decades. But Sam knows that the current racial climate he lives in is markedly better than it was then, and that Dr. King's legacy is the one most responsible for this climate. He also knows that he deserves to feel proud of his role in the scheme of things. He knows that what he did was exceptional. He unerstands now, after years of searching, that what he did is deserving of a special place in American history.

Making sense of what happened is easier said than done. In many ways, the Greek ideals of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were as alive on this day as they had been on the Parthenon some 3,000 years before. The argument that Christian love propelled great change is easily accepted by some, less so by others. The forces of capitalism and democracy are attractive theories depending on whom they are being presented to. Perhaps placing the event into an easily understood niche is not possible. Instead we are left with the immortal words of William Shakespeare, who once wrote, "There are more things on Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than can be dreamt of in your philosophy."

What is realy not in dispute - and by _Sports Illustrated_ ranking the event number six in its "20 Greatest Tipping Points," they gave credence to this notion - is that there is a truly defined demarcation line, and that line is September 12, 1970. There is America and race relations before that date, the game played on that date, and America's race relations after the event.

What _is_ known is that the U.S. was already a shining example of liberty and freedom to the world - despite prejudice, despite Vietnam - when in September 1970, liberalism and conservatism met at the 50-yard line at Legion Field, in some ways for the last time. The winner was America.

Other Voices: John Mitchell

Wilbur Jackson may have been the first recruited scholarship African-American football player in Alabama's history, but John Mitchell was the first to actually play in a varsity game. After graduate school, he went on to a long coaching career and today is the defensive line coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It was as smooth as it could have been. Coach Bryant treated all his players alike. We played Texas in the Cotton Bowl in my last game, and my mom was outside the dressing room. Bryant comes outside, and one of the reporters [asked] how many black players he had.

"I have no black players," Coach Bryant told him. "I have no white players. I just have ball players." My mom loved Coach Bryant for being so straight up and fair.

_On Bryant's alleged statement._ From what I know of Bryant, I totally doubt he would do that big demonstration with Cunningham. It's out of character. I heard that story. I know some of the people who would know, but I think Southern Cal won so a lot of stories—writers and people who watched at the stadium or on TV, they said Sam Cunningham did more for integration in sixty minutes than all that had taken place before that. As for what happened, I still don't think even the hallway story happened; from what I know it's not in Coach Bryant's character.

On progress in Alabama. I think the change is all for the good now. They've had a black mayor in Birmingham, black city councilmen elected across the state, mayors in other cities. There were only a small number of African-American students then, but now there's many more, and it's opened a lot of doors for people who might have migrated out of the South. They could make a living without leaving. We've hosted the Atlanta Olympics, and looking back now at Montgomery, Birmingham, Atlanta, the hot spots of integration—why, things have really changed in terms of race relationships.

_On the influence of religion._ Christianity was very influential. Growing up in Mobile, mine was a very religious family. That's what we had. It was faith in our religion. My family had for generations been telling stories about faith, about believing in themselves despite great obstacles, that there's a greater spirit than you. People's feeling can change. A great example is George Wallace, who stood in the doorway to prevent Vivian Malone and James Hood from entering the university, but over the years his heart got soft and he admitted his mistakes.

Other Voices: Art Spander

Art Spander is part of the "Jim Murray generation" of educated sportswriters who looked beyond the "hits, run and errors," writing about the games and the people who play them with a social pathos. He has been in the business for the better part of forty-five years and offers special insight into the events of the 1960s, and the aftermath of a chaotic period in American history.

McKay had a real personality. He was good friends, he had a lot of respect, from Paul "Bear" Bryant. This is what I've heard, unless you really knew Bryant, and he had been at Texas A&M, then Alabama, he was not anti-black. Society down there was. In 1967, I was the golf writer for the _Chronicle_. I went to the Masters in Augusta for the first time, and they had this golf writer's tournament the weekend before the Masters. The whole idea was for the Northeastern writers to go to Augusta and get acclimated to the place, and be charmed by the Southern hospitality. I get off the plane, and the paper reads, "USC signs first black player." I'm like, huh? USC down there is the University of South Carolina. But this article told me, the times were changing.

I don't think Bryant per se was against blacks, but you got the sense of what was going on in Alabama, which was particularly racist. The people running things were. As you moved down from the Mason Dixon Line, North Carolina was better than South Carolina, which was better than Georgia. Then there was Alabama and Mississippi. Medgar Evers had been shot, and all that stuff was going on.

Not to take a knock at SC, but the Trojans were late at integrating until C. R. Roberts. UCLA remained competitive in basketball and football because they brought in lots of blacks. Rafer Johnson and guys like that. They got the best black athletes in Southern California.

Other Voices: Clarence Davis

African-American Clarence Davis had the daunting task of replacing the great Heisman Trophy tailback, O. J. Simpson, at USC in 1969. Clarence made All-American in his first season, and after being drafted by the Oakland Raiders, he caught Kenny Stabler's desperate, last-second toss into the end zone, despite having a "sea of hands" of the Miami Dolphins draped around him, to win a key 1974 AFC Play-Off game. He is a legend at both USC and within the Raider Nation.

I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but my parents divorced. I moved to the Bronx, New York, with my mother, but then she moved out to Los Angeles when I was about thirteen. I had two sisters, Beverly and Marie. My mother basically moved around because she had a job waiting for her, and we were just with her.

After I got out to California, I saw that . . . life in L.A. was different than in New York. It was just different, but I think people were friendlier in L.A.

_On racism in the South._ I still had family back in Birmingham when we played there. I really did not see all that much of the troubles down there. My father had a car, and I rode the bus; but you know, I did not see that.

I think Willie Brown [on USC's team] was from Alabama. When we played Alabama and walked on the field, all we heard was, "Bear meat." . . . I looked at the guys and just kept going. We were there for the game. I was one of those players who take it seriously.

I remember Tody Smith. I called him Toto. . . . I was not aware he brought a gun. I wasn't worried; I was just concentrating, not knowing about all this stuff about Tody and the gun. This is the first time I heard anything; I was unaware of this meeting.

_On the role of Christianity in the game._ My uncle back then was Uncle Claude. He was married and had two daughters. I was close to them. My mother and my grandmother went back from L.A. to see that game, and Claude was very happy that I had a good game. Claude was a minister. As for the role of Christianity in that game, I'm not sure; I think it had a lot to do with it. Folks in the South did have a lot on their minds.

_On the controversy surrounding the Bryant quote._ I'm not familiar with Bryant's "this here's a football player" story. I was blocking for Cunningham. I was on my face most of the time, blocking for Sam. I'd look up, and Sam would be running over two people. Sam and I were good friends. Sam had a good game. He was a young player. . . . I looked at him as another talented player.

Other Voices: Pat Haden

Pat Haden set California high school passing records as a quarterback at Bishop Amat High School in La Puente. He led Southern California to a national championship in 1974, earned a Rhode's Scholarship, and studied politics at Oxford College in England. He quarterbacked the Los Angeles Rams to the 1976 NFC championship game, and earned a law degree from Loyola. He has practiced law in Los Angeles for many years, and has also been a national college football television analyst.

Regarding this game, I do not recall much about Coach McKay speaking to me with great significance about it. I've read about it, and 35 years later it seems more important than it did then. It was not on TV. Perhaps he saw Alabama was predominantly or entirely white, but their ethnicity was not apparent from my vantage point. I didn't hear much about it then, but since then it's grown in importance. I didn't know much about it at the time, the social context of it was not discussed particularly.

It may have been the big thing that people say it was, but I have mixed emotions about it. I consider whether the revisionist history is that Bear Bryant had on his mind that he would bring an integrated team with African-Americans down to play, just to integrate his program. I could be wrong, but that's not my perception. I just think he had a drink in the off-season with McKay and they decided to play that game.

Other Voices: Rod Martin

After starring for both John McKay and John Robinson at Southern California, Rod Martin went on to a great career with the Oakland Raiders. He was the Most Valuable Player in the 1981 Super Bowl, leading Oakland to victory over Philadelphia. He now works at USC.

The Manfred Moore story about Coach not rescinding his scholarship when he got his girlfriend pregnant, that's the human side of McKay. I'm originally from West Virginia, too. People there are honest, blunt and to the point. Truthful, that was Coach McKay. If he wanted you, you knew it. If you weren't good enough, he'd tell you. He didn't try to feed you a story, and he earned your respect.

I remember talking about that 1970 game growing up. I wasn't into football, I was mostly into basketball, but we all knew about Sam Cunningham and what he did. He had a great game, but I emphasize not to take away from the great success of Martin Luther King. The civil rights leaders opened Bear's eyes, he wants to win, he has to bring in the best talent, and he needed blacks. Bryant stood up and was a man about it. He loved Alabama football, and didn't care who didn't like it. Was he in a position to do that, two or three years before? I don't think it was the right time to do it yet.

Other Voices: Dwight Chapin

Dwight Chapin was assigned to both the USC and UCLA sports beats for the Los Angeles Times in the early 1970s. Although he was in Oregon covering UCLA on September 12, 1970, he did know John McKay very well. He is the co-author, with Jeff Prugh, of The Wizard of Westwood.

I think somebody at Alabama KNEW they needed black players to win and that Bryant/Cunningham incident was invented to speed the process. Just a guess, but an educated one.

Tommy Prothro, a Southerner who coached UCLA when McKay was at USC, told me once that he fought, not always successfully, against the racist views that were a part of his upbringing and heritage all of his life. Prothro, by the way, was not only a helluva coach but a helluva guy. Far and away my favorite of all the coaches I worked with in my L.A. days. Much more genuine, I think, than McKay.

Other Voices: John Robinson

Make no mistake about it, John Robinson is a legendary USC football coach, deserving of mention in the same league with Howard Jones, John McKay and Pete Carroll. A product of Serra High School in Northern California, he grew up best friends with John Madden, who became the Oakland Raider coach and a TV football superstar. After college, Robinson took to a coaching career, landing a position on McKay's staff at USC during the greatest period in Southern California history (prior to the Carroll era). In 1975, he "prepped" for the head coaching job at Southern California by working under Madden at Oakland. After McKay departed for Tampa Bay, Robinson took over and there have been very few transitions that carried forward so smoothly at any level, in any sport, pro or college. His 1976 team was 11-1, defeating Michigan in the Rose Bowl. His 1978 team marched into Birmingham and whipped Bryant's Crimson Tide, 24-14, en route to a National Championship. The 1979 team was supposed to be the greatest in college football history. Despite a single tie that cost Troy a repeat national championship, they are remembered as possibly the most talented squad ever assembled. While McKay is known as a coach with genius for the running attack, Robinson coached two Heisman Trophy winners, Charles White (1979) and Marcus Allen (1981), and with the Los Angeles Rams called the shots when Eric Dickerson broke O.J. Simpson's single-season rushing record in 1984. After leaving the Rams, Robinson had another stint at Southern California (1993-97). His 1995 team beat Northwestern in a memorable, high-scoring Rose Bowl. He eventually took over at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Robinson was media-friendly and made football fun for his players, even when there were two seconds left on the clock and a yard and half separated Troy from the Promised Land or Bust. He is retired and lives in the Phoenix area.

Sam Cunningham was a catalyst, a great guy and a great athlete, but those two men, by the nature of their relationship, bridged the gap and saw some of that change before it happened.

Now, if you think about the effect of the West Coast on society and how it plays out in sports, I think we're kind of wacky anyway. A lot of civil rights things were happening, and California was part of that whole scene.

There's no question that SC got it right. A lot of black kids looked at UCLA as being in the rich part of town, so we had this strange mixture of all things that linked us together. Maybe Miami was like that, during that stretch when they were so good you saw Miami and SC, similarly did not have great facilities, but each had great weather, but athletes felt at home at these schools, and discipline was not a hallmark.

There's a coalition of people in the stands at an SC game that a politician would dream of. I'd drive through South-Central L.A. and people would wave at you if you were from SC.

One other thing is that African-American athletes became very socially adept at USC. Maybe this was because of the Hollywood connection, or because the school's located in a major city. There's always media around, and McKay was brilliant, he exposed his players to the media, to alumni groups, and so they became very comfortable and polished. Listen to Cunningham, Mike Garrett, Lynn Swann, Marcus Allen; they are savvy with the press, well spoken and represent the school beautifully. Not all athletes, black or white, do this role well.

It's not just football players or black athletes. Look at John Naber, Pat Haden, Tom Seaver. Famous people go there. O.J. obviously flipped but before that, before he had his collapse, he was a star in Hollywood and sportscasting.

It's a major metropolitan area with two, three, four newspapers and a lot of TV coverage. It's different if you go to, say, Athens, Georgia and the local guy is asking a player a question, and down there it's, "Yes, sir; no, sir; proud to be here, sir," those kinds of questions.

USC and UCLA athletes were exposed to so much more, and were from a town with two pro football teams, two baseball teams, two basketball teams, and a broader social world. It's very interesting and ironic that in the 1980s and early '90s it kind of turned things the other way with the riots, and this made it - L.A. - a negative place. USC basketball and football took a dip, it was not as attractive as it had been, but in recent years the city, the state and USC have made a comeback.

Other Voices: John Sciarra

John Sciarra was a baseball and football star at Bishop Amat High School, one year behind Pat Haden and J. K. McKay. He grew up spending time around the McKay household, and was recruited to USC by coach John McKay. He turned down the Trojans because he had sat behind Haden in high school and had no intention of doing it at USC. An All-American at UCLA, he led the Bruins to a Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State in 1976, and played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Today, he is a successful L.A. area businessman.

I think stepping back from my personal football perspective, he and Bear Bryant were pioneers in the management and leadership of football. Looking back and reflecting on certain coaches, when did the head coach job become something of true significance? From the modern perspective, in that era of football, Bryant and McKay were pioneers, in that they exemplified a leadership management philosophy, which was to surround themselves with good people.

These were changing times, and at this point I can try to make some sense of the experience through the prism of football and society. This is an interesting question, because sports has always been something that reflects society during all these times of social change. Obviously, the Vietnam War emerged, and out of that the hippie dissent, protest, drugs were in the forefront. Society was open to what people experienced, to how this other kind of dimension of peace and love and NOT war could effect us. Throw athletics in the mix.

Players started to look and dress differently, with baggy pants, the African-Americans had those big 'fros, _everybody_ had long hair, and it was just a cool scene. Looking at society as a whole, a lot of what people were doing were things you couldn't talk about before that. You could talk about the war, the draft, although how that carried over and reflected in sports is hard to decipher.

While maybe I can't speak to the idea of blacks coming in, I do think maybe being from California I was looked upon a little differently. Things are more liberal in California. Sure we are, we're looking at things in certain ways. If you're born and raised in the South, then you look at things differently. Call me oblivious or whatever, it's not that I had discussions with blacks that really felt they were dealing with a guy who was a lot different from them, and maybe that's because I was a Californian.

This maybe speaks to the UCLA tradition, now that you bring that up. There was increased black opportunity at UCLA. Some people viewed UCLA as a "Communist" school. I think Angela Davis was on the staff. I don't think of the racial thing as a freethinking liberal thing. I think maybe some have tried to tie that in, but race is something addressed by society, religion, not just liberalism. I recall that UCLA was a platform for saying what you think, just make sure you have a good story to tell and we'll listen. I have spoken with Rafer Johnson, who is a respected African-American Olympian, civil rights leader and man of respect in the L.A. community, but not on this topic

I'm sure there's documentation or books that speak to UCLA's legacy, it's definitely part of the school. UCLA has always been considered more liberal than USC. From our perspective, we thought of ourselves as more open-minded than SC, which we felt was more narrow, more traditional. At UCLA, we get people to open up, let's deal with realism, what's really going on.

I think the rivalry was about some class distinction. Conservatism was slanted towards USC. UCLA was more Leftist, that's more of a UCLA stigma if you will. Obviously, a lot of that has changed, and as I saw the world open up, the dynamics changed. For instance, when USC goes to Alabama, they have African-Americans and 'Bama has none. That game was a gateway to African-Americans coming in to Southern schools and making a statement. Then you make the comparison, and for me back then, of course you're thinking UCLA is more liberal, and USC is more conservative, it's an old line school, they have that SC way of doing and thinking things, which is success-driven, and it's this whole thing which is to have a big job and make lots of money, but now of all the sudden USC looks pretty liberal compared with Alabama!

It's all about the power to make decisions for yourself. UCLA was more free spirited, it's dynamic here, it's this UCLA-SC rivalry, but the whole comparison is crazy when compared with Alabama

You know, UCLA has a reputation for going down South, too. We had Southern coaches, Red Sanders, Tommy Prothro and Pepper Rodgers. Prothro took a team and went to Tennessee, they played the Vols, and after the game he was quoted saying something like, "Today, I'm not proud to say I'm from the South," because they got jocked by local officials. It was 1969, or maybe 1970. He was there from 1966-71, for sure. But he made it very clear in the paper that he was not proud to be from the South.

Bear Bryant had so much credibility, he was so well liked, somebody other than Bear might not have been able to pull off the changes that he oversaw. It's not just that he had a lot of wins, it's amazing how much credibility you get when you win, but integration would have been way more difficult if Alabama had not lost that game. It's not just their success that paved the way. They had to explore the changing of the guard and the times, and if you look at Bryant, there were a number of years before he had blacks, but he transitioned, he changed with the times, and if you're talking about leadership in sports, whether it's John Wooden or Bear Bryant, that's the thing people admire the most.

Other Voices: Sam Dickerson

Sam Dickerson is a USC legend, but don't mention his name in Westwood. In 1969, after a controversial pass interference call went against the Bruins, he caught a long pass in the very back corner of the end zone from Jimmy Jones to give the Trojans a 14-12 victory over UCLA. The game characterized SC's "Cardiac Kids" reputation. An athletic, 6-2, 194-pound split end, Dickerson did not attain the records of other USC receivers because John McKay preferred "Student Body Right" to a wide-open aerial attack. In the 1970 game at Birmingham, he spent most of the time upfield, blocking for Sam Cunningham. Dickerson was drafted by the 49ers in 1971, and today works for the City of Modesto, California.

Regarding that game in Birmingham, they, the other black athletes, had something to worry about but I didn't understand it. It wasn't that way in California, you grow and heard about segregation but you don't live it. After I grew up and became friends with people who lived in the South, you come to learn more. I learned about if I'd stayed in Texas, where I was born, I would have known that situation.

If I'd stayed in Texas, I would have been bused to the school my mom went to. I go to my mom's reunions and find out all the things that would have happened had I stayed in Texas.

As for the question of how much of a role Christianity played in the South changing, I look first to Reverend King. He had a great impact on the civil rights movement. At that time, you know, there were the Black Panthers, who wanted to fight fire with fire. Others saw the dividing line, now what King saw was "no violence."

As for the meeting in that room, I don't remember if it happened. I may have been there, but if so did I say "What do you think is gonna happen?" It doesn't stick out in my mind. I didn't think anybody would come and blow us up. I don't know, a lot of stuff may have happened, but I had no clue. The strangest thing was when we got on the bus to travel to the stadium, and on the way to the bus a rope was set up between spectators and us, a path to walk, and people on the other side were talking, "There's the Bear meat."

I don't remember Bryant coming in to our locker room. I would do my best and try not to miss the bus. We'd have our prayer, now go back and party. I never heard about "this here's a football player" until I saw a video.

I played with Scott Hunter at Green Bay. He just said, "Hey, you guys came down here and cleaned our clocks." We talked about how that game went and we kicked their butts.

We weren't really expecting a blowout 'cause we'd had a lot of comebacks in '69.

Other Voices: Coach Dave Levy

Dave had played at UCLA, but was an assistant on John McKay's staff at Southern California every year McKay was at USC (1960-75).

I really can't say I have a definitive answer from McKay's perspective, but it seems to me one day he said we'd scheduled a game with Bear. He was associated with Bryant, beginning early in 1963 at a football clinic.

What I remember was Bryant coming in to our locker room. He spoke to our team. Now maybe I'm in the coach's dressing room, but after he congratulated us and so on, he asked Coach for permission to take Sam Cunningham. I know it happened, because I know I just looked at it and said, "I'll be damned." Add to that the euphoria of winning the game, but after that you just are concentrating on getting dressed and getting out of there.

I do remember a mostly black crowd around our team bus, but I didn't personally think it so unusual. Our black players had relatives and friends in the area, and obviously they'd not be congregated around the Alabama bus, so it's not really surprising that they'd be in the parking lot, but I don't recall people holding Bibles.

I got dressed and got on the bus. The big thing before the game in the papers was that "blacks are going down to Alabama" and so on, but I don't remember being concerned. There were conversations about what hotel we'd be in, and their security, but Bear would make sure there were no riots, so I had no concerns.

That said, I don't doubt the gun story. Maybe somebody said it or we got somebody with guns, or something, but not everybody was "packing heat."

Society in 1965, as campuses went, SC was in the top one percentile of least problems. It's a private, small university, I think we had less than 10,000 undergrads. Over time, guys would grow their hair, they'd wear those medallions, campus dress was changing. In 1960 we still had a dress code. The dean would see a student in a tank top and send him back to the dorm to get a shirt. It was nothing like Berkeley.

SC was a conservative campus. The only story I can think of concerned Marv Goux. Some students arranged for a speaker named "Brother Lenny," a peripatetic type guy, a beatnik I suppose, to speak at a sociology class. The class got canceled, I don't know if the professor heard about this guy and didn't want him in the class. So he goes to Tommy Trojan. Well, there's some kind of construction going on in the area, so there's a mound of dirt. Brother Lenny got up to the top of this mound and gathered a crowd, a few hundred maybe. He goes on for about 15 minutes. Marv and I were in McKay's office looking out at this.

Goux said, "Look at that son of a b---h." He was a real patriot, his father had died in the Battle of the Bulge. McKay says, "Let's forget that, I'll see you after lunch." So that was the last I thought about it until John McKay called me in and said, apparently Marv went up and pushed his way through the crowd to Lenny, and said, "Why don't you get you're a-s out of here." Some are cheering Marv and others are calling him a Fascist.

The school president told McKay, "You gotta call Marv in."

"Now Marv, you know me and I feel like you do, but you've got two choices: apologize or refuse." Marv says, "Let me think about it."

The next day he says, "I can't apologize." McKay told the president, I can't swear on it but I think it was Dr. Norman Topping, and he just said, "Good."

That whole week, this whole thing is getting into the papers, first the _Daily Trojan_ and then the _L.A. Times_ , with people writing in, some supporting him, some not, all various opinions.

In the last 35 years, I recall in my career two specific conversations with athletes about race. One was at Long Beach Poly, I remember talking to Willie Brown, who came to USC, and another halfback at Poly. I said, you gotta use these athletics to get yourself out and make something for yourselves. We talked prejudice and what they told me caught me by surprise, but as I talked they agreed to some degree that what I was telling them was true.

The next was Mike Garrett. I was the backfield coach. He's an intelligent guy, very intense. He was trying to get an apartment in Pasadena, which at that time I think had no blacks <it was the hometown of Jackie Robinson>. We talked about prejudice, me saying to him if we can't allow people to change, nothing's going to change, that each generation's raised with certain social mores, but if they're wrong they have to be able to change. It was not an argument, just a good discussion.

We have to allow people to change. I saw alumni attitudes change. You could see it when you got exposure to different kinds of personalities, as you saw people's performance, it helped mores.

He hired Willie Brown as his first black coach. He liked to get a guy we've had, so he says, "How 'bout Willie Brown?" I think he said, "I'll do these things before we're forced to." But he never, ever said, or asked, how many black guys are we starting?

He was attuned to anything coming out of Stanford. He loved to beat Stanford by two thousand points, it was just a thing he had for them because he thought they were hypocrites. That was just one way he found to get ready for Stanford. McKay could get that game face on in a hurry now, especially if the Stanford hecklers were calling him John. Stanford was the perfect venue for these hecklers as we were making the gauntlet into the stadium.

Other Voices: Bud "The Steamer" Furillo

_Bud is truly one of the all-time greats. A native of the Midwest, he came to Los Angeles prior to World War II, and his enthusiastic writings helped put USC, and L.A. sports in general, on the map. Bud was the sports editor at the_ Los Angeles Herald-Examiner _and later was a radio personality on KABC's_ Dodger Talk _. Furillo is a throwback to a time when writers were friends with the players and coaches, not rivals or nuisances. He was also an unabashed fan of the University of Southern California and never cared who knew it._

The reason for this game was Bryant wanted those people to know it was time to integrate. I believe he knew he'd lose and wanted that game to pave the way to change.

That Alabama game was a tipping point; that was it, no question, after that game it was no longer acceptable to prevent integration, and this game did it.

Martin Luther King may be the greatest American, but that football game sure as hell turned Alabama around. Regarding the political fallout since then, well, there's not many "blue states." California and the Northeast. I like to think those liberal bastions are also homes of a lot of intelligence. I can't speak for the "red states." As you know, I'm the damnedest liberal _you've_ ever known. But W is the President, and he's _my_ President.

The thing I hated is Democrats hating Bush. The day after the election I stopped hating Bush, he's my President. It's that simple, to think otherwise is almost to be a traitor. I hate the war, I'm ashamed of our being there, I cry for out kids coming back in bags.

I believe the South wanted to do the right thing, but there sure were a lot of holdouts for a long time, but Jeez. I'm so anti-religion, maybe I better pass on this, I don't think religion had a damn thing to do with it. I think Martin Luther King was the best American we ever had, but not because of religion.

The key, and you are right on, was that the Alabama faithful looked at McKay and knew that he had Bear's respect, it had to carry a lot of weight. They just said, "If it's good enough for the Bear, well it's good enough for us."

Let's get to what I said, I heard different takes on what Claiborne said, but it was something like, "Sam did more in an hour than has been done in the last hundred years." He said it, and I said it, but I'm foggy on it.

Still, Bryant was not the kind of guy to put players on a stool, but the reason for that game was to show those f-----s down there what was going on in football and that it was time to change. I wanna emphasize, McKay _eased up._ McKay, the last time I saw him in the desert, he said, "You're a part of Trojan history." Wow!

Other Voices: Winston Groom

_Winston Groom is the author of_ Forrest Gump _and is also a University of Alabama football historian._

I never heard about Bryant saying, "This here's what a football player looks like." I wrote a history of their football program, and I heard so much B.S., so many little anecdotes, and when I went to try to pin it down it generally turns out it never happened, and that just pisses you off. If you want to do it right, you've got to find out where you heard that, and where did he get it. I never heard any such thing as that.

I've got plenty of friends there, and off the top of my head, it would be insane and totally out of character for Bryant to get another player, bring him into the locker room, and just humiliate his team. Somebody said it, but I have no knowledge of it. I had graduated by then.

Other Voices: Tom Kelly

The first time many people heard the story about Paul "Bear" Bryant holding Sam "Bam" Cunningham up before his team and declaring, "Gentlemen, this here's what a football player looks like," was when Tom Kelly stated it in the 1987 "Trojan Video Gold," which accompanied his book detailing the first 100 years of USC football. Tom has for years covered USC football on radio and television.

McKay and USC integrated the South with this game. I was there, in the press box, but not in the Alabama locker room. This was not the first time that SC integrated the South. C. R. Roberts and the Trojans went down to Texas in 1956. C.R. told me that first of all, there was another member of the team who was passing as white. When they came to the hotel, the guy at the hotel said to Jess Hill of C.R., "Is he with you?" and Jess said if he can't stay we're not staying. Word got out and the room was full of ministers, cab drivers, the whole black community showed up afraid that somebody was going to get killed. They protected C.R.

In 1970, I fully understand the story about McKay and Cunningham and Bryant, and about how it could have happened in the hallway instead of the Alabama locker room. Yes, that place was crowded and it could have been there. Legion Field is in the "darkest" part of town, you have to drive through a terrible neighborhood to get there, not unlike the Coliseum. But I never knew much about race problems. All I knew is we had a hellacious football team.

That team was loaded with talent, but Stanford beat us two years in row. I don't care about Don Bunce or Jim Plunkett, I've often thought but nobody said it, these were freshman or sophomores who'd make up the 1972 national champions, but I've often thought they had racial problems of their own. They were too good not to win. Stanford was good, but we had no business losing. I respect Rod McNeill, and if he and a few others say the 1970 and '71 teams had some racial problems, well as I say, I never said it but it confirms suspicions I've had for years. I do think there was tension over the fact that Jimmy Jones was a black quarterback, while Mike Rae, who was spectacular, sat behind him.

I'd have to go back a long way, but Brice Taylor was an All-American in 1925, and Willie Wood played quarterback for McKay. It was never "who wants a black quarterback?" Maybe McKay felt he was forced to play Jones. I just don't know, I was too close to it.

Other Voices: Mike Walden

Mike Walden is one of those guys who, when you hear him, you immediately recall his work. He has the perfect sportscaster's voice - deep and melodramatic. Mike was USC's radio man, describing the no-TV game from Birmingham to Southern California football fans on the evening of September 12, 1970. Prior to that, he had worked with Ray Scott on Green Bay Packers' broadcasts during the Vince Lombardi-Bart Starr era that was the1960s, thus immortalizing his style in endless NFL highlight tapes. Aside from USC football, he also announced for cross-town rival UCLA, making him the only local announcer to broadcast for both schools.

Well, that game opened the floodgates to get blacks recruited in Southern schools. I did that game, it was the first game of the 1970 season from Legion Field, and there were about 80,000 people in the stands to watch Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide vs. John McKay's USC Trojans.

Now Corky McKay was good friends with Mary Harmon Bryant, and of course Bryant and McKay were very close, so the extent to which this game involved some kind of plan as it relates to integration seems very plausible to my way of thinking.

We did not realize it at the time, but we could look back and realize it was a big tipping point. It just wasn't a big thing at that time, about Alabama having no blacks. As the season ended, then on reflection, I realized the game was special, and maybe it focused on the fact that yes, there were problems down South and they needed to be addressed.

But regarding the Southern people, well football is so big there, they realized they can't get it done with white players only. Now, I don't make it out to be a big moral thing with them. In my view, I would just say it was football, they wanted to win, and they realized if they want to be at that level, "we can't let 'em <blacks> go."

Other Voices: Dave Brown

Dave Brown was a lineman at USC on the 1970 team. Like Manfred Moore and Charle Young, he was and remains a very spiritual man who led in a quiet way, despite not being a superstar athlete. He was good enough to play in the now-defunct World Football League and has dedicated his life to teaching and coaching. He currently teaches history and coaches football at San Clemente (California) High School.

That Alabama game was my first game—not as a team leader, but God was good to me. . . . I was wide-eyed, a rookie getting off the plane. I'd never, ever even been to the South; this was the first time I ever traveled. But I was up on current events, I knew about the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King. They greet us with the Million-Dollar Band, and I'd never seen anything like that in my life. People were surrounding us, and it was a real big deal that Southern Cal had come to play Alabama. My eyes were wide, and I was thinking, _This is amazing._ I just didn't realize that people felt that highly of football in the South. In Southern California, it's different.

Bill Holland, an African-American from Los Angeles High School and a super guy, he was hanging with me most of this time. I remember distinctly seeing this one place, it looked like an old factory or warehouse, with dilapidated buildings. I looked out there, and I said, "That's amazing." All these black high school students were doing band drills in the yard. This school looks horrible, and Holland just says, "This is the way it is here."

Segregation du jour, that's the way it was. Integration was not really happening yet. As the bus rolled down the road, . . . [I] saw the marked difference in socioeconomics of each neighborhood, and all the while I'm thinking, _This is amazing._ It was shocking.

Later, standing in the hotel with Bill, he takes me to a wing of the lobby, and this little kid comes by asking for autographs. We've all got USC blazers on; this is the Holiday Inn, Birmingham. This little kid mixed into the group. He's maybe five or six, and he turns to his mother and says, "Gee, Mommy, they sure have a lot of n—s on that team."

I turned to Bill, and I asked him, "Hey, how are you holding up?"

He says, "Yeah, you know, I face that in L.A. That's typical."

_That_ opened my eyes. I come from a white community in L.A. and I'd not realized that before. I'm twenty years old, and this is my education.

_On his faith._ My Christian influence on that ['70] team was, I'm not a leader at that point. People knew it about me, and I tried to act like it. Guys were older and did not hold those values, so I was not mainstream; but God was faithful to me, because by 1972 we had a really good core of men on that team, guys with good values, a lot of Christians. Sam Cunningham was a Christian. We Christians started fellowships when we were seniors. We said, "

I went over to Coach McKay, who was often unapproachable. Sometimes we feared him. I said to him that we always pray before games, so I asked if he will let us pray after the game. So that night we prayed and were thankful. The team took off and went 12–0; it was the most fantastic team ever. I coached twenty-six years in high school and junior college, and I've never seen a team like that. I've never seen such camaraderie and unity.

That year was from God. Others would just say it was a great team, but as a coach I know you've gotta have more than just great talent, you need to overachieve; and that's what God's granted you. That team had it.

I got involved in Athletes in Action and the FCA. I lifted weights with a guy who was with Athletes in Action in the late '60s, so I invited him to come to our team in '72. McKay said he wouldn't mind if the guy puts on a demonstration, as long as it's voluntary. . . . We had a good time up there; a lot of guys prayed and accepted Christ that day—a lot of guys, maybe 80 percent.

Sam Cunningham is a super guy, a really humble, very friendly man, sensitive to others. He was really team oriented. He could have gone to another program with great statistics instead of being a blocking fullback, not carry much more than seven, eight times games a game. In another program he'd have carried twenty times a game, but he just wanted to win. He started coming to AIA and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He's very moral. I rarely heard him swear.

I never thought that much about it, to be honest with you. At USC we had whites, blacks, a few Jews, Latinos; I never thought about it. Here we played an all white team, which was strange in college. I'm thinking as I looked at Alabama, _How do these guys think they can compete like that?_ _This game's gonna pass 'em by._ The next year they had an outside linebacker named John Mitchell, who was black, and a defensive end who was black; and they won that game. They realized integrating was their way out.

_On USC's progress._ As far as our program getting back to where we had been, our tipping point was the Notre Dame game in 1971. We started our fellowship around that time, and we got serious. We were a big underdog back there and we beat 'em 28–14. We never lost to them at USC after that.

Other Voices: Manfred Moore

African-American Manfred Moore was a great Trojan on the football field and remains one to this day off the field. He is soft-spoken, erudite, and articulates in the manner of a college professor. Manfred choked up recalling the profound influence John McKay had in keeping him steered on the right path. Manfred, who has remained active in the USC Alumni Club, is a very spiritual man.

Sam Cunningham was a guy with integrity—a big, brute of a guy, yet soft-spoken, very aware of people's opinions and situations. He knew people had different issues. He's wise.

One thing was Rod McNeill, Edesel Garrison, Charle Young, Sam Cunningham, and Manfred Moore got together, and we called ourselves the Big Five. . . . It wasn't about ego, but we hung together; we supported each other.

_On John McKay._ John MacKay affected my life in a profound manner. When I was a freshman, I got married to a Caucasian lady. She was my high school sweetheart, a cheerleader. We had a son. He'd recruited me with a scholarship, but now we had to come face to face with issues that in those days were not so cut and dried. He could have rescinded the scholarship, cut me off; and he could have had a legitimate excuse that my getting married and having a son would distract me from school and football. Instead, John McKay said, "He [my son] doesn't make any difference." He helped with married student housing; he was a man of his word, yes sir. I love my son. I took him to classes; I took him to practice. McKay saw I had a son. He could have said, "Don't bring a kid around here . . . don't bring him to class." Instead, John McKay, at the end of practice, told my little son Jason to come over and line up at halfback. He handed him the ball for him to "run" for a "touchdown." He was only four years old. John showed that love and affection, so now with tears in my eyes if I can show him love and affection by telling you this story, then that's what I'm gonna do.

So, remembering John McKay . . . it was just another reminder that God puts people on your path that help you achieve your goal and purpose, in this life. They may not have talked or behaved like angels (on or off the field), but they were a blessing on the way to fulfilling our purpose in this life—to know God and to make Him known!

Other Voices: Coach Clem Gryska

For 24 years, beginning in 1960, University of Alabama graduate and ex-football player Clem Gryska was an assistant coach under Paul "Bear" Bryant in Tuscaloosa. He is considered a "keeper of the flame," the source for material on the late, great coach. Coach Gryska works in the Paul W. Bryant Museum in Tuscaloosa as managing director.

I don't really feel that Bryant wanted that game against Southern Cal for racial reasons. I think he just knew that USC had been in Rose Bowls, they won Heismans, so I think he felt USC was a great program and would be a real draw. He never really talked all that much about that 1970 game. Bryant never really reminisced about the game other than we took a physical beating.

_On the controversy surrounding Bear Bryant's statement._ As for the statement that Coach Bryant had said, "This here's what a football player looks like," to my knowledge, Sam Cunningham was not in our dressing room. I was usually the first one in, and I would have seen it. I first heard this story a long time ago, maybe ten or fifteen years ago. It's not true. I have no idea where it comes from. In the last ten years, Sam was in Mobile and stated there that he didn't remember it.

_On recruiting black players at Alabama._ Sam was not the first black football player to play in Alabama. We had signed a freshman who was black; we already had an African-American who was a really good basketball player, Wendell Hudson. They say that Sam was the best football player they had, but Clarence Davis . . . was their best back, an All-American.

The whole question comes down to why we had not recruited blacks before this. You have to understand that we were a state institution, and George Wallace was still the governor. Coach Bryant knew he could not buck Wallace because of the controversy it would create. You know, he had tried to recruit blacks when he was at Kentucky, but they wouldn't let him.

There is a story that Alabama fans were not happy with the Tide playing an integrated Penn State team in the 1959 Liberty Bowl, but as far as I can remember, they were tickled pink that we went to a bowl game. There was no controversy about that Penn State game.

_On the '66 season._ Now, in 1966, it's said that we had the national championship taken from us for political reasons. For the record, we had Kenny Stabler at quarterback, and we were going for a third straight national championship. We were undefeated, untied, and won the Sugar Bowl. In the meantime, Notre Dame had tied Michigan State in "the game of the century." In those days, Notre Dame didn't go to bowl games, so they finished the year undefeated with a tie, yet the voters denied us the number one vote.

Other Voices: John Vella

John Vella was an All-American at USC in 1971 and was Tody Smith's roommate during the 1970 road trip to Birmingham. He was drafted by Oakland and starred as a lineman for some of John Madden's greatest Raiders teams, including the 1976 Super Bowl champions. Today, Vella is a successful entrepreneur, the owner of a chain of San Francisco Bay Area sporting goods stores called Vella's Locker Room.

_On tension before the game._ It wasn't until we got to Alabama that these kinds of things came up, and it caught me by surprise. Tody Smith, my roommate, had brought a gun. I questioned Tody at the airport, or maybe on the plane. He had a briefcase, I think, which was not like him. I just thought it was odd, so I asked him, . . . "What is that? What have you got?"

He just played it off, but in the room at the hotel, I asked him again. The briefcase was on the bed, so he finally admitted that he'd brought a gun, which really took me aback. I asked him to show it to me. I just asked him, "What do you need that for?"

I guess at the hotel there'd been some words exchanged. Tody had heard it and just felt really defensive. Now I became more aware of the catcalls after seeing Tody with that gun in his room. I became aware of the interaction between the black players. Everything just became clear; it opened my eyes.

_On racism at USC._ Regarding the whole issue of whites and blacks, as I said, at USC it just wasn't an issue. We'd all pretty much played integrated football all through high school in California. I think Goux might have been dealing with our black players in anticipation of the Alabama trip, but the whole thing kind of caught me by surprise because, from my angle, we were so far from any of that. I'd been recruited with, played against, black players; I'd been with and next to black players. It was accepted, so I have a hard time really remembering any racial incidents on our team. We were about competition, and if you were good enough you were accepted.

_On the game at Legion Field_. I do remember the crowd at Legion Field. Crowds in the South can make a decisive difference. They had a national reputation, the place was all red, there were seventy thousand plus, and the place was packed. You knew you were the visitor. What I also remember was that it was a one-sided, easy victory. Sam was playing his first game, and he rumbled for more than one hundred yards and two touchdowns, but lots of our best players dominated.

Other Voices: Dr. Culpepper Clark

_Dr. Culpepper Clark is the dean of the communications school at the University of Alabama. He was in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, finishing up his PhD in 1970. He arrived in Tuscaloosa the year 'Bama beat Southern California, 17–10, in Los Angeles. Dr. Clark is the author of a book on desegregation at his university, titled_ The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation's Last Stand at the University of Alabama.

When it comes to the subject of football, anyone would say that if you take popular culture and inject social change into it, then it [is] easier to effectuate that change. Charlie Scott played basketball at North Carolina before 1970. Obviously, when Wilbur Jackson and John Mitchell arrived on the scene, it began to have some effect at Alabama. Change that had already taken place in other sports came late to the table.

_On faith and racism._ In trying to assess the theory of Fareed Zakaria (author of _The Future of Freedom_ ), which is that Western civilization advanced through the triple forces of Christianity, democracy, and capitalism, I think this is more of an eighteenth-century concept than a modern-day notion. That said, many have made compelling cases for progressive evolution using this kind of concept. It is not lacking merit, but it is more complex. Nonetheless, clearly, football in the Deep South is often said to be a religion. Clearly this is the Bible Belt, a conservative place of evangelical tendencies. That expression of Christianity and football has cohabitated in the South comfortably, for whatever reason. I guess I can't shed more light on this aspect of the game than that.

No one in the nineteenth century would ask about racial tensions or about racial separation and Christianity. People believed in a Victorian hierarchy, in which cultures were more or less stratified, and African-Americans simply did not hold the same standing as whites.

These questions begin to get answered in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and '50s, when, dare I say, a paradigm of cultural relativism became a more dominant theme. The history we see sees cultures not as better or worse but different, so a mental change regarding the place of blacks in the social order took place because of it. Religion plays a powerful role in this, but primarily this is through liberal denominations, mostly Methodists more so than others, like Baptists.

The civil rights movement played to heavily Christian themes, looking at the brotherhood of man and treating others as you would treat yourself, and found fertile soil in the white community; but it was not really part of religion tied to football. Some football fans might have made this connection, but more football fans were conservative, with entrenched religious tendencies that were slower to come to desegregation.

The media played a major role in the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King did not succeed in Georgia because he was 150 miles from Atlanta, but he succeeded in Birmingham because it was a media center and there were TV cameras there. He needed a national audience, and the country was not yet aware of its own racial passions. It was "good" to have the South to whip on; it isolated Birmingham, and that allowed legislation that had been passed to be enacted. That allowed us to cure our defects without people in the North having to look at their own defects. I'm glad it happened that way. Had King taken Malcolm X's strategy and called all whites "devils," he'd not gotten anywhere. King's strategy worked: to isolate evil and get it spotlighted.

Now, regarding religion, it could be said that it was a "miracle" that between the murder of Emmett Till in 1955 and King in 1968, only forty people lost their lives in the movement. The blood was up in the South; there could have been many more people killed. It was a time of white-hot temper, yet the movement pulled it out. King might give credence to the concept that a benevolent God guided this movement and that the hand of God kept the death count to such a low total instead of the bloodbath it could have been. I won't do that, but I do think King got it right in emphasizing the concept of "keeping the eyes on the prize." . . .

The Vietnam War came to overwhelm the social movement we call the civil rights movement. It fed off the same passions but sucked the life out of what the movement sought to accomplish. The movement ended with legislation in 1964–65. _Time_ magazine focused on the war beginning in 1966 and sublimated the movement after that.

Seeing blacks and whites dying together on TV, I don't think had much influence; but it could have. The moral is one that seems not to have really had an effect on hearts and minds on the race question.

_On the legacy of the game._ In that 1970 game, I doubt at all that the immediate reaction being played out before the fans in the stands had nearly as much effect as the lore that developed out of it over time. I don't know the truth about the lore, but it is awfully important, whether true or not, when we consider a retrospective of that game, but not something anybody reacted to at the time. People in the stands had seen plenty of teams with blacks on them. It was not novel. Nobody would've sat around and said, "Isn't it interesting that there are a lot of black athletes on the USC team?"

A lot of the feeling at that time was that the team had been slipping. This was a culmination of a four-year degeneration of the team, and there was a lot of feeling that Bear had seen better days, he was drinking too much, or whatever it is people say when they think something is going downhill.

There are statements that may be more lore about Bear than truth, saying, "[I] never will be beaten again because I don't have black players." Winston Groom's book has that line. The University of Alabama desegregated athletic teams around the same time as all of the Deep South. Teams on the Border States started, then the middle states, then the Deep South. Other states were making progress, so it's not remarkable in terms of Alabama leading or not leading. We _were_ actively recruiting them and saw the wave of the future. Where this game stands out is the nature of the game and its timing. It came on the heels of events that led up to it. Then the game was played, and it was a blowout. It was not close. Had it been more competitive, it would not have had the effect it did. Because it was a blowout, it became a seminal moment of change that people remember and, as I say, embrace as folklore.

Based on what has happened, the political demographics in the South, Wallace got four runs at the presidency off of his schoolhouse stand, and he pulled out Wallace Democrats who were mad . . . at the Kennedys. These Wallace Democrats became Reagan Democrats, and that began the process of transformation of the South into being solidly Republican. The region doesn't have enough black votes to overcome white votes, with profound political consequence.

When LBJ passed the Civil Rights Act, he turned to Bill Moyers or somebody and said, "We just handed the future of America to the Republican Party." He was right.

Other Voices: Keith Dunnavant

Writer Keith Dunnavant wrote Coach: Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant and, at the time of our interview was working on a book about the 1966 Alabama team that was deprived of a third straight national championship when the Catholic and anti-Wallace votes awarded the title to once-tied Notre Dame.

_On the controversy surrounding Bear Bryant's statement._ I don't know whether Bryant ever brought Cunningham into that locker room and said, "This here's what a football player looks like." I honestly don't know. I tried to get to the bottom of it when I wrote his book, to see if it was true, apocryphal, or partially true. The bottom line about that game, which is lost on a lot of people, is that I agree with the _premise_ of the quote, in terms of race relations. What is not accurate is that it prompted Bryant to begin recruiting blacks. Wilbur Jackson was in the stands that night, a freshman on full scholarship. 'Bama had recruited several black athletes up to that time.

That said, you can't underestimate the importance of that game. Clarence Davis was from Birmingham. Somebody was speaking to somebody the other day saying that Clarence should be in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, because that game showed the times were changing, and 'Bama could either go with it or not. Bryant was never a racist but a realist who wanted to win. He was saying to the fans, "The days of segregation are over." People cared about winning even if they didn't believe in integration.

Not to interject myself into this, but I was born in 1964; I grew up in a small town—Athens, Alabama. I have five older brothers; they all went to segregated schools. I went to school starting in 1971, and I was in integrated schools all the way. I was a big 'Bama football fan. When I was a little boy and we were choosing teams, I was just as likely to want to be [African-American players] Wilbur Jackson or Calvin Culliver or Ozzie Newsome. The integration of Alabama had a profound impact on me.

Now, my brothers were not racists, but the difference is I had black heroes. In my book, the importance of Wilbur [Jackson] at Alabama is that he was a revolutionary figure; he could tell races to share their heroes, which is more important than lunch counters or water coolers.

_On politics and religion._ Regarding politics, I'm one of the guys produced by this new thinking that I grew up with. The Southern strategy made a big difference. The perception now by some on the Left is that the Southern strategy was a way to speak in code of racism, and this was transferred to Reagan; but I don't buy that. What you have to remember is that race baiters were all Democrats. Governor Wallace was a Democrat; Lester Maddox was a Democrat. The South did not leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left the South.

Now, Christianity. The influence of religion played a tremendous amount. It is easy to look back on the segregated South from the vantage of the twenty-first century and paint all of it by the same brush, but it's not that simple. All of it is in shades of gray. There were plenty of evil people, people who used the nightriders and the KKK and killed; they were just evil. Then you have people like [Governor] Wallace, who were not racist per se but were smart enough to use race for political advantage.

Then there was a group of people who had problems with things going on but remained silent. Most Alabama Christians believe in redemption, which led to change and to do the right thing. In the late 1960s and early '70s, so many people had been raised believing segregation was just the way things were, not necessarily right—not to treat blacks badly, but that they would always be that way.

This doesn't justify it. Racism was never wiped out, but slowly, realities of peoples' lives changed. This is the Christian faith that permeated the South. It's cliché to say football is a religion, but there's some truth in the sense that football in that era was perhaps the ultimate extension of the American Dream. Bryant's teams were the connective tissue of American values. Ronald Reagan and Bear Bryant are the two heroes of my life. I've been in the media since I was fourteen, and except for people in sports, I know four who are right of center. The connective tissue, in terms of football in the South and what it means in that era—I'm writing about the '66 team—in that era there was a real "us versus them" feeling for people in Alabama, transmitted through the football team.

Alabamians always had a chip on their shoulders, an inferiority complex, created by Wallace. Bryant was the antidote to that. Not only was he very good at what he did, but he was the kind of guy they wanted to represent them.

The Reagan–Bryant connection was about strength, old-time values, hard work, perseverance, self-reliance. I love Bear because primarily I knew that it didn't matter how much talent you had, if you have enough heart you could play for Bryant, or do whatever you put your mind to.

Bryant was not just a football coach but a personification of the idea of America. Not wealthy but beloved. I believe the respect Bryant had for McKay made 'Bama fans understand the other side of the issue. People look at that game and say, "If it's okay for Coach Bryant, then its okay for the rest of us." Now that was powerfully revolutionary yet subtle. . . .

Other Voices: Coach Jack Rutledge

Jack Rutledge had a career at Alabama similar to Marv Goux at USC. Today, assistants consider most jobs as steppingstones. The path to coaching ascendancy usually involves coaching different positions, often offense and defense, at a variety of colleges, with some professional experience mixed in, all leading up to a "big break" as a head coach at the college level or in the NFL. Rutledge played for Bear Bryant at Alabama and was a member of his staff from 1966 until Bryant's 1983 retirement. Today, he is still close to his alma mater.

Now, because of this relationship, it is possible, you see, that some of what the Southern Cal folks say is different from what we heard from or say. We saw a different Paul "Bear" Bryant than, say, his friend Coach McKay saw, huntin' or drinkin'. So what you're getting' after, about how he planned that game, well maybe it's as you say, but I can't say 'cause I saw the Bryant I saw.

He was down, disappointed. . . . I think he said maybe, "That's what a football player looks like"; I don't remember exactly. I would have remembered if he did it the way some say it happened, with Cunningham on a stool or whatnot in front of the gathered team.

Jerry Claiborne said, "Sam did more for civil rights in sixty minutes than Martin Luther King [did] in twenty years." I heard some of that. He was here by Bryant's side since 1958, and he was close to Coach Bryant, through his career he took the plays. Claiborne was going to be the head coach; that's what the plan was until Jerry left. He was Coach Bryant's man through and through, his most trusted assistant.

In my life, I lived with the strongest, the best chosen, most physical people, I've lived a life of roughhouse, but Coach Bryant taught us about life, how things go on a curve, and you get down but you fight and get back up. If not for Coach Bryant, I don't know what I'd have been. But I'm set up now because Coach Bryant taught me the way to live life.

I've dealt with cancer surgery a few times over the last years, too, and I keep fightin' it off, and I thank the Good Lord, Jesus Christ. He's come into my heart. That's how I look at racial issues, through Him. I lived in certain times but I've come to know that all people, of all colors; there ain't no difference between races; we're all people under the Lord.

Other Voices: Allen Barra

_Allen Barra grew up in Alabama and has written various sports books, including histories of Alabama football, and is the author of the biography,_ The Last Coach: A Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant.

_About the controversy over Bryant's statement._ Talking to the players and the coaches, sportswriters, others—nobody remembers this Bryant speech about [Sam] Cunningham being "what a football player looks like." I talked to a friend who hooked me up to the _Mobile Press-Register_ , and I credit Neal McCready with trying to clear this up. Now as for Cunningham, I don't want to embarrass him, but he told McCready, "I don't want to be the one who said it didn't happen."

Craig Fertig was not in the Alabama locker room. A couple of coaches said it didn't happen. Gryska, who is as honorable a man as I know, he had a very good point, and so did Scott Hunter. They both said, "The players were ready for integration." Kenny Stabler said as far back as the 1960s, the _players_ had no objection. But what would have been the point of bringing Cunningham into that locker room?

My own feeling is it happened, but not in the way it's described. . . . Generally something is there on which the legend is based, but it's almost never exactly that way. But there's always a nugget or kernel of truth. I don't see why not a single Alabama player would say it didn't happen. Somebody would say it happened.

If it happened to make such an impression, why did it not make an impression? Why didn't Bryant talk about this? John Underwood didn't recall him saying anything about this story. All that being said, under the category of double hearsay, journalist Al Browning of the _Tuscaloosa News_ was a good friend of Bryant's. I think he even worked for Bryant and wrote a book called _I Remember Bear Bryant._

Five or six years ago—Al died three years ago—Diane McWhorter, Al, and I were at a bar, and Al says that the lockers at Legion Field were really close and cramped and right next to the hallway area, which led straight into another locker room. Al thinks what happened is there was a bunch of people from the university administration, who . . . really needed an object lesson; and they got it with this game.

All of this clicks right up to the statement. I believe he goes to Sam and says something complimentary, but I'm fairly convinced that if he brought Sam into the Alabama locker room, they'd remember it. There'd be no reason not to. Browning says there were guys in the hallway, including some old World War II guys who had resisted.

I think a couple of those guys in the Alabama administration were openly against change. Browning says they were in the hall. Bear grabs Sam, puts his arm around him, and takes him _in the hall_ , not the Alabama locker room. The fact that Sam may not remember it exactly as it's described—on a stool in front of the Alabama team—that doesn't strike me as being unusual. If he put him on a stool, that's too eerily close to a slave market. If they stepped ten or twelve feet into that hallway, next to and in front of men he doesn't know, I can't prove it and I don't know it.

If you walk out of the visitors' locker room, you can see right in that other locker [room]. It's so crowded, that might be exactly what happened. I don't see any way Bryant would have humiliated his players and coaches, but rather he was doing it for the administration. He wasn't going to just write them off to Wallace. But why did Bryant not talk about this? He was sticking it to the reactionaries, but he won't brag about it.

You can't underestimate the importance of that game and of Bryant's opening up opportunities. This . . . is just one of many signs of change throughout America, directly attributable to Bryant, the 1970 game, and his policies. Everything was influenced by Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Other Voices: John Hannah

John Hannah was a sophomore offensive lineman on the 1970 Alabama team. He blossomed into an All-American, became a perennial All-Pro with the New England Patriots (where he blocked for his teammate Sam "Bam" Cunningham), and in 1991 was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A longtime New England resident, Hannah recently went back to his Southern roots, taking a job with the football program at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In New England, I think Sam "Bam" Cunningham was a class act. I enjoyed blocking for him. He was a hard runner, a fine gentleman, and a great teammate. . . . We hated to lose him. He's a leader.

_On Bryant's statement._ Coach Bryant was supposed to have said of Sam Cunningham, "This here's what a football player looks like." I don't remember him doing that. He didn't need to bring him in the locker room. I saw what it was supposed to be like on that field. Sam was six-foot-three, 212 [pounds]. He overpowered people. You can't deny what he did. I was busy licking my wounds, because I had _witnessed_ what a football player looks like.

That being said, it was a long time ago, and the way the lockers were at Legion Field, he could do things in part of the locker room and we wouldn't see it, or maybe I was in the training room. He might have brought him in that locker room, but I don't know exactly what happened.

I _do_ recall Jerry Claiborne saying, "Sam did more for civil rights than Martin Luther King."

I was glad to have [black players] John and Wilbur on the team beginning the next year. It made my life easier. Alabama fans, a lot of 'em, whether they admit it or not, I think, were prejudiced. George Wallace was still there. I think it would have been hard for a lot of blacks to come to Alabama if not for Sam. He gave us that shellacking.

_On Bryant's intentions with the game._ Now the question you're after is whether or not Coach Bryant "planned" it out. In other words, was this just a nonconference football game, or was it supposed to open doors for black recruits? You know what, I think Bryant planned it to open doors for blacks.

Let me give you an example. Just a week before the Southern Cal game, Bryant had one of those old-fashioned "gut check" practices, like they depict in _The Junction Boys_. Six or seven guys dropped out on account of dehydration cases. It's hot—late summer in Alabama. Oh man.

I'm not sure about "The Pit." We had "The Cage," which were blocking chutes that pitted offensive linemen on one side and defensive linemen on the other. It was meant to determine who could push the other man out of that cage. It was pure mano a mano, and if you raised high up or gave in, you'd get your head . . . near torn off; it'd get caught in that cage, and all the guys are screaming and yelling. It's intense, and if Coach didn't like the way you did it, he'd have you do it again or put somebody else in there.

The point is, he never had that kind of practice so close before a game. Something was up; I just didn't know it at the time. Now, the Bear schedules this game. I know his assistants all say he didn't set us up, whether it was to lose. But was there a larger plan other than just preparing for this game? Yes. I think he did plan an event that would lead to integration. I believe Bryant realized, if you think about it, that we were starting fifteen sophomores, and juniors who were inexperienced, and just a few seniors.

Why else, a week before this game, would he go and put us through the "death camp"? I'm telling you, people were fallin' out like flies, _then play Southern Cal?_ I think he felt we'd be okay over the next ten games; it was a young team he wanted to get ready for greatness in our future. This game was for our future. He knew we were not getting the best blacks out of Alabama, so I think he had that in the back of his mind. He was good friends with John McKay; it was easily doable. So, yes, I'm just convinced that Bear Bryant accomplished several things in losing at home to Southern Cal. He accomplished the task of toughening up a young team, and at the same time he opened people's eyes to letting blacks into the program. The fact he did it quietly, was sly about it, didn't brag it up or talk about it a whole lot, was pure Bear Bryant—but he planned it, no question. Look how successful it all worked out!

I think, in the back of my mind, no coach in his right mind would bring in a team the caliber of Southern Cal as an extra game, knowing the inexperience we had, plus the "meat grinder" the week before—ask anybody, do they remember what it was like the week before that game? We had a guy named [Tommy] Wade, a starting defensive back, who broke his leg; six guys ended up in the hospital. . . . I never want to go through another [practice] like that. I wanted to go home so bad, so instead of eating I fell asleep on my bed. I'm not lying, if I'd not fallen asleep, I'd have quit Alabama that day and gone home.

The next day, Bryant says, "Y'all learned a big lesson yesterday. You find the human body is an amazing machine that passes out before it dies!"

So, based upon all these factors, yes, Bryant was willing to sacrifice a loss in the 1970 season opener in order to make his program successful over the long run. He didn't want to lose that game. He wanted to win, but he knew that a loss had the potential of accomplishing his larger goal.

That was the game. I think that one game did more for social change in Alabama than anything that ever transpired. You lead by influencing people to _want_ to do something, you don't stuff it down people's throats; that automatically causes total resistance. Now here's Bryant, a leader, and he's saying, "Let's be leaders; let's make people _want_ to integrate." All of a sudden, everybody wanted to integrate the schools. You don't stuff it down people, absolutely not.

. . . George Wallace called Bryant weekly. The reason was he was scared that Bryant would run for governor, because he'd win. Auburn people would vote for him, too, so he'd not coach anymore. The South, if you think about it, it's all Scots-Irish, and we're tribal people. Scots-Irish aren't feudal; they don't like government interfering with your rights. The liberal media never believes this, they never gave us a chance, but we would have done the right thing on our own given the chance to do it our way.

I'm tellin' you, we were going to integrate and do the moral thing on our own. That said, yes, it needed a push, and this game was that push. But it happened the way Bear Bryant planned it—quietly, smoothly—not because of a protest march. This is the best evidence, I think, that what I'm saying is right.

There are a lot of good Christian believers who realized the color of a man's skin is not what he is, but rather, it's his spirit, and that's what he is as a person. So all three of those issues—democratic freedom, money, and religion—help us get to the right conclusions. . . .

Other Voices: Jim Perry

_Jim Perry was the longtime sports information director at the University of Southern California. In 1974, he co-authored_ McKay: A Coach's Story _, the autobiography of John McKay._

I was in Birmingham in '78. SC won twice there and they won twice in L.A. SC won 24-14 in that 1978 game. I advanced that game and had no feeling of black-white problems. It was just another game in that regard, although it determined a shared national championship. It was a huge game, but not seen as anything remarkable off the field.

The story that says Bear Bryant did not have Sam Cunningham on a stool in front of his players, but rather in the crowded hallway between the visiting and home lockers at Legion Field, and that he said, "This here's what a football player looks like" more for the benefit of old-line alumni and administration, makes a lot of sense. He already had black players, but he had a bigger problem with the administration, the fans, and to some extent the media.

McKay was a unique personality. USC had very few black athletes before McKay. There was C.R. Roberts, Don Buford, Brice Taylor, and not many others. But it didn't take McKay long to recruit blacks, and he had a lot of them. Jimmy Jones became our first black starting quarterback in 1969 as a sophomore.

More blacks than whites started. McKay was conservative in some ways politically, but his football line was "win the damn game."

"Shut up and play."

"Do your job."

McKay's ambition from the beginning was to win, but to win successfully. If the best players were black, that was not an issue. He didn't talk about USC's black-white relations. They were pretty good in tumultuous times. He'd just play the best player in the game no matter who he was.

Other Voices: Coach Craig Fertig

There are few Trojans who better represent USC, over a longer period of time, than Craig Fertig. Craig was a member of USC's 1962 national championship team and earned his spurs when he led the Trojans from a 17–0 halftime deficit to a 20–17 victory over Notre Dame, knocking the Irish out of a sure 1964 national championship (and giving it to Alabama). Craig was an assistant coach in 1970 and later became the head coach at Oregon State before embarking on a long career as a TV football analyst. Throughout all these years, Craig has been a spokesman for the school and a regular with the media and events of all kind.

I probably shouldn't say it, but the 1970 USC–Alabama game changed the complexion of college football, and it occurred because of two guys, Bear Bryant and John McKay.

According to Coach Bryant himself, it happened because of his relationship with Coach McKay. In the South in those days, you can't come out and say, "I'm gonna do this" and "I'm gonna do that." It had to happen quietly. One day at 10 a.m. I get in McKay's car—I'll never forget it; it was a cardinal Toronado—and we turned left then turned right into the L.A. Airport. I finally ask Coach, "Short or long term?" He says, "Short."

We go to the Western Airlines Horizon Room. "Vodka on the rocks, make that three. He'll be here in minute. Bring us another." Then, here comes Paul "Bear" Bryant.

"Paul, how are you? What's this all about?"

"I want you to open the season in Birmingham next year for $150,000."

Coach twirls his cigar.

"If I come down for $150,000, next year I'll guarantee $250,000 if you come out to USC."

Those two guys created something with a handshake, no contract. Bear was out here for the Bob Hope Desert Classic. Me, I'm sitting in on history.

We had five black kids from Alabama we invited to that game for recruiting purposes, and they all ended up at 'Bama. I forget their names except for John Mitchell; they all ended up at Alabama. We hadn't realized what we were doing. We were creating the nucleus for the Alabama juggernauts of the decade of the 1970s!

I think Coach Bryant was way ahead of his time. I know McKay was. They were two great brains. Now, I think there was the Bryant I saw, the Bryant McKay hung out with, and then there was the Bryant that _they_ —people at Alabama—saw. He talked differently out here than in Alabama. I think this explains why, when you talk to his players and assistants, you get different interpretations of these events.

Now, the night before the game, it's his birthday. It's a big day for Bear. They pass that over to us, so it's a big time for Coach McKay, who left the team to go to Bear's birthday. They played golf and drank together, two college coaches who typify what it's all about.

I'll never forget this as long as I live. . . . It's just me and Marv Goux walking next to Coach after that game. We walk over, and _he's smiling._

"John, I want to thank y'all."

I think, _What is that? He's almost euphoric after losing, 42–21?_

I think they had it planned. I'd bet on it. Sophomore Sam "Bam" Cunningham, why, we just turn him loose. I didn't know what he was going to do, but he could run and we blocked. They just stayed in the same defense, so Mike Rae asked over the phone, "When do we get to throw?"

So now the game's over, and they're shocked. Bear's a competitor, and he's just got [beat] pretty good in his hometown, and he's _smiling_. This intrigues me 'cause we just [defeated them] in their opener, and they're good. He says, "John, thank you," and they shook hands. I run off the field with Coach. I didn't know it at the time, but none of the 'Bama guys saw this.

Now, we're in our locker room. We're jumping up and down—it's a big thing; it's no black and white thing. We were scared to death playing these guys, and we've just [defeated them].

Bryant comes to the door. Old Bear mumbles, "John, may I borrow that Sam Cunningham boy for a moment?"

I'm the backfield coach, so McKay says to me, "Craig, make sure we get him back." I stood outside their locker room. I know Sam went in that locker room. I don't know what happened in there.

Now, I didn't exactly see it, but Sam said, "He put me on a bench." [Sam's] wearing just his hip pads—I guarantee that's all he had on—and Bryant says, "Boys, listen up. Here's what a football player's supposed to look like." Sam repeated those words when I brought him back. McKay didn't ask what the dialogue was.

Now, I never told this story until lately, I don't know. I talk about it when I speak at different things; this is what this country is built on. I know Tom Kelly repeated it too. . . .

Now I know Scott Hunter says it doesn't happen, and I don't know. All I know is he's saying it didn't happen, and I know Sam ain't a liar. Sam on a bench? I'm standing next to the door—hey, I don't know. But that's what Sam told me.

So no, I wasn't repeating this story ["This here's what a football player looks like"] in the early '70s. It wasn't a big thing. They were the best, and we beat them. Sam probably told friends.

I can't comment on the gun story, from what I saw. McKay had gone to Bear's party; we brought 'em home, checked rooms. Maybe it happened, the guys got together. A football coach won't know everything. He'll let the seniors run the team, if you're good. Maybe they got together. If McKay or Goux had to come get you out of jail, though, you might as well go to Sing Sing or Leavenworth. They all respected McKay; I can see why Sam would be afraid of him. If he gets on [to you], you've had it. . . .

Other Voices: Coach Christ Vagotis

Christ Vagotis played under Coach Bryant and was an assistant on his staff. He was the main recruiter responsible for bringing in Wilbur Jackson as the first African-American scholarship football player at Alabama. He became an assistant under Howard Schnellenberger in Miami and is currently on Schnellenberger's staff at Florida Atlantic.

We went to a banquet. I was a freshman, and one of the Alabama alumni said, "We got this guy named _Fag_ otis"—he couldn't pronounce my name correctly—"and we know he's not a Negro. We don't know what he is, but at least we know he's not a Negro."

This seemed ironic to me, since if you look at Southern history, aristocracy, and architecture, you'll find many of their public buildings and plantation mansions are built with columned pillars reminiscent of the Greek Parthenon. The Founding Fathers and Southern aristocracy studied Plato and Greek philosophy; they have a great impact on our early documents and throughout Southern education.

Other Voices: Scott Hunter

_Scott was a senior quarterback and leader of the Alabama team in 1970. A high school star from Mobile, Alabama, he was part of the "new breed" of college students from the South, and his views reflect the new thinking that was happening on campuses throughout the country. In the early 1970s, Hunter found himself next to his idol, Alabama-bred Bart Starr, who was finishing up his career with the Green Bay Packers. Hunter helped guide Green Bay to a return to playoff contention, inspiring a memorable_ Sports Illustrated _cover announcing, "The Pack Is Back."_

_On the controversy surrounding Bryant's statement._ Let's start with your question, did it or did it not happen? In 1970, did Coach Bryant bring Sam Cunningham in, prop him up on a stool in front of us, and declare, "This here's what a football player looks like"?

It absolutely did not happen. I can unequivocally state that it did not happen!

It's one of those great tales that takes on a life of itself; it's almost too good to not be true. The story, it started going around, how or where it started I don't know. I'm sorry it didn't happen. I don't know who first said it. I started hearing it a few years after the game, players talking, maybe a writer here and there.

As for the Jerry Claiborne quote, that Cunningham did more [for civil rights] than Martin Luther King, Bryant said it. . . . But Jerry and [Bryant] were good friends, so they both probably said it.

_On racism and integration._ Alabama was one of the last bastions of segregation. In that sense, although the SEC was integrated by Lester McClain, still schools were not really integrated. I think it took a catalyst to do that, coaches around the league saw clips, and it was obvious to all concerned and fans of all SEC schools that it was time for full integration of football teams. After that game, there were no arguments.

Martin Luther King's legacy helped usher in an orderly integration of football, which caused harmony, not disharmony. Fans might have attitudes and prejudice, but when they saw white and black players patting each other on the butt, whooping, and hollering, the attitude they had before ended, and this caused the harmony King dreamed of. The cause of this harmony between races was football. . . .

My being a young man then, up until King's speech at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where he said he hoped we would be judging a person by the "content of their character," why this was what Bryant is saying. So if I pay attention to Bryant, I have to do the same thing, to respect what King said. So do I disregard King but pay attention to Bryant? No.

'Bama football fans want to win games, number one. But capitalism, the freedom of democracy, and Christian morals—don't get me wrong, Christians do and should [want] to win, there's nothing wrong with it. The general blanket attitude of every person's attitude was, "We need players who can run and tackle these guys on Southern Cal." Everywhere in-between, that middle ground is where there's some moral consideration. So some of it is winning, and this ties in with the program—making money. And some of it's the promise of America—democracy. But it's all centered on doing the right things.

Our fans had watched USC play so well. . . . They hated to lose, but it set the tone for the rest of the 1970s in Alabama, and on into the 1980s for all Southern football.

Other Voices: Wilbur Jackson

Wilbur Jackson was the first recruited African-American, incoming freshman scholarship football player at the University of Alabama. He was a freshman in 1970 and starred for the Crimson Tide in the early '70s. He started out as a homesick, lonely kid from Ozark, Alabama, and ended up being voted captain of the team his senior year before embarking on a successful career with the San Francisco 49ers.

At Alabama, I think things were as smooth as they could have been. Coach Bryant had mentioned, "If you come here and ever have problems, come see me, and I'll make it as easy as possible." No special treatment, but Coach Bryant said he would treat me equally, and he was true to his word.

_On progress at 'Bama._ From 1969–73 there was a lot of change, but it happened gradually. Going through it then, I didn't notice it. I was the first black player, and when I left I was the team captain. There were nine blacks eligible to vote, so the white players voted for me. What more can I say?

I look back to try to determine a point of reference when the change was happening. I have always been involved with Christianity. It's a good question to ask whether this was the force that made change happen, not just initially, but in terms of the attitudes that allowed my white teammates to vote me team captain four years later. That's hard, because each one is different. My family is conservative. I was raised in the church. I'm not saying I'm perfect. We all fall a little short, but my parents gave me a good foundation, and in public I never strayed. . . . I give you the benefit of the doubt, and even if you do something, then I'll try and understand why you do or don't do what you do.
I went to the twenty-five-year anniversary of our 1973 team, and it was one of the best times I've ever had in a long time. It was a lot of fun, seeing guys I'd not seen in twenty-five years, like I hadn't seen [them] in two weeks; with these guys we could be talking all night. Yeah, I'm proud to say that my being there in 1970, well, my attitude changed and so did the others.

Other Voices: Sylvester Croom

Sylvester Croom grew up in segregated Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He played for Bear Bryant with the Crimson Tide from 1971–74, played briefly for the New Orleans Saints, and then went back to Alabama as a graduate assistant for one and a half years. Bryant hired him full-time in 1977. He was a member of the staff until Bryant's 1982 retirement, staying on under Ray Perkins through 1986. Croom moved to the NFL, at Tampa Bay (1987–90), Indianapolis (1991), and San Diego, where he coached running backs before taking over as Bobby Ross's offensive coordinator in Detroit through 2000, then at Green Bay through 2003. In 2004, Croom took over as the head football coach at Mississippi State University, making him the first African-American head football coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference.

_On integration at 'Bama._ The idea of a black player in that program at Alabama was not possible; even when Tennessee got [a black player], it was not a possibility to me. Yes, Alabama had a few black students; they had a couple of token walk-ons. But when they signed Wendell Hudson to play basketball, then you thought, _It's a possibility._ Then they signed Wilbur Jackson, and after this game we're talking about, _Why, anything could happen, you see._

_On Bryant's motivation for setting up the game._ I firmly believe the account that Bryant was greasing the skids for Wilbur. He planned everything. He never played a [regular season game against a] team with blacks before then, why would he schedule the very first game to be in Birmingham? I can't believe it was an accident.

Look, when I was in junior high, we went places where fans were throwing stuff at us, calling us "n—s." Bryant was smart enough not to put his team in that situation. He didn't want to have to worry about his team in the hotel. A team eats together as a team, sleeps as team; you needed an environment that would not treat anybody differently. He was waiting for the right political climate. As long as the times would not allow it, Bryant would not push it ahead of its time.

_On religion's influence on the game._ Now, you ask about the moral equation . . . the "trinity" of democracy, Christianity, and capitalism—why I've got to say, I think you're on to something there, yes, you are!

Football was king in the South, with hunting and fishing right after that. No question, that was the catalyst; but again, other things had been playing in the South as the schools were integrating. Yes, there was a moral standpoint, from Christian vows to democracy. That was the thing: when will the nation's principles be a reality in this part of the country? You gotta understand, during this time, athletes, students at integrated schools, are handpicked. . . .

This made a huge difference. It's still huge to have black heroes; that's the significance of my hiring at Mississippi State. This goes to what you were telling me about Keith Dunnavant, who grew up in the 1970s and his heroes were Ozzie Newsome or Wilbur Jackson. Still, the problem exists today. Here it is, thirty years later, and we're still talking about a lot of the same things.

Other Voices: Jeff Prugh

_Jeff is uniquely qualified to address the 1970 USC–Alabama football game and the social aftermath of that event. He co-authored (with Dwight Chapin)_ The Wizard of Westwood, _a book about John Wooden and UCLA basketball that addressed social questions revolving around college students in L.A. He also wrote_ The Herschel Walker Story, _which_ _deals at length with the civil rights aspect of sports in the South._

_Jeff was the_ L.A. Times's _beat writer for Trojan football and wrote the game story that appeared under Jim Murray's column, "Hatred Shut Out as Alabama Finally Joins the Union," on September 13, 1970._

It was very clear in talking to Bryant that he understood the social implications of this game. He volunteered that he was bemoaning the fact that USC had Clarence Davis at tailback, that he was born in Birmingham, and he was one who got away. Davis was the symbolism that Bryant was trying to convey. If Davis had stayed in Alabama all those years, he'd've been at [the University of] Alabama.

_On the significance of the game._ The 1970 USC–Alabama game is a story that few people saw as significant at the time. Murray did, but neither of us really knew how significant it would be over the future years. It was easier for Jim, but both he and I sensed, without saying it, that Bryant was "crazy like a fox." To play this game at Legion Field, as you know, with the history of racism in the South still very fresh and very much alive at that time. The only sport that had integrated was basketball, and that was very limited.

A little anecdote is, I reported this on the Monday follow-up, I was at the Holiday Inn in Birmingham, and men were sitting around the table, obviously football fans. I overhead both men say, "I bet Bear wishes he had some of them nigra boys on their team." That was the new sentiment, the post-mortem, and it was revolutionary. It was obvious that things were going to change from that day forward, but I could not anticipate the pace and speed of change. Later, I went to Atlanta to become our bureau chief there.

Other Voices: Wendell Hudson

_Wendell Hudson, an African-American native of Birmingham, signed on to play basketball at the University of Alabama before blacks played football. In_ The Herschel Walker Story _, Jeff Prugh described the atmosphere that early black basketball pioneers in the SEC endured. Basketball, because of the intimacy of the arenas and closeness of the fans, offers more opportunity for verbal and physical abuse than football, with its huge stadiums and protective gear. Hudson offered no bitterness. After graduating from 'Bama, he played in the American Basketball Association, and today he is Alabama's associate athletic director._

_On recruiting blacks at Alabama._ Wilbur Jackson was recruited one year after me. I was hearing about how he was being recruited in the spring of my freshman year. That's 1970. I can remember when we played that game, which was the fall of my sophomore year. All kinds of emotions were going through my mind. When it was done, you can't judge the mental state of our fans, thinking that what they just saw would turn our program around. It wasn't like, "Hey, let's integrate," and we see all this effect that we see today.

From my perspective, I watched USC and UCLA on TV. They had integrated teams, so if I'm thinking about other schools, I'm thinking I'd be accepted there. I can tell you that in the black community there was no question that the Sam Cunningham game was seen as an event that would usher in change.

Sports is egalitarian. When I came here I was the only black in my dorm, on my team. All of a sudden we're in a position to have two white guys on the team from Selma. I don't need to tell you what the word _Selma_ meant to black people in Alabama. They'd just played the first integrated state tournament.

Well, these two guys from Selma, the fact is we all sweated together. It's not like the old practices we're all used to anymore. These guys are sweatin' more than you did, but we're together, practicing, competing, winning and losing together. All the myths are going down the drain like the sweat after you shower. Now I'm close friends with these guys.

You know, women's sports has created opportunities too. Sports is so great, and I really appreciate what you say, that the opportunities are not just created for blacks, but that whites benefit from the experience too. So true.

Other Voices: Rod McNeill

Rod was an African-American running back at USC from 1969–73, and he played in the NFL with the Saints and Buccaneers. He has worked for the better part of two decades in the technology industry, most lately with AT&T in Orange County, California.

_On the tension before the game._ We had safety concerns. I never heard any indication of any weapons whatsoever, but I was from North Carolina before we'd moved out West... What was overwhelmingly powerful was the anticipation, the feel to it, at the airport, the hotel. The majority of the hotel support staff was black, and you could sense the hope in their eyes. It was like we were down there and they wanted us to help 'em out; that in some way what we do in that game, that through our performance on the field, we could change their lives. I didn't play that night, but I had a chance to have a bird's-eye view from on the sidelines. It was very unique. Sam had an incredible game. Manfred and I were with Sam; we'd come together as freshmen, and we just had a feeling we'd be good. That became the 1972 national champs.

_On Bryant's statement._ I'd have to go to the horse's mouth to find out about whether Bryant ever said Sam's "what a football player looks like." Sam himself told me it never happened. More to the point is it demonstrated on the field, nothing should minimize what he did. We adequately demonstrated on the field. As far as [whether] it happened, Sam said it didn't. But the stories demonstrate the reality of what that game meant. The whole of USC football is larger than life; it's mythologized. Some stories are so good, people have it etched in their memories. My personal view is it would be unfortunate if it did come down that way because it would smack of a slave auction.

_On the '72 team._ We had so much talent in 1972. Charlie Young was at tight end. We had Lynn Swann, J. K. McKay, Edesel Garrison. The whole thing about USC is that it's an opportunity to realize your fantasy in life. It's a chance to win the Heisman and the national title; it's all in your reach. I did get hurt and missed some playing time, but I wouldn't trade the USC experience for anything. . . .

Other Voices: Coach Willie Brown

After starring for John McKay and playing in the NFL, Brown was tapped as USC's first black assistant coach. He was on the staff of the 1970 team. Today he works in the university's athletic department.

I talked to Charlie [Weaver] the other day. I heard that [he and Tody Smith] had guns, and I'm not surprised if they did. A lot was riding on it. We received hate letters sent to McKay and some of the players, so going back to the Deep South, our guys were not used to that, and now they're exposed to that situation. I heard about that gun story, but I didn't see it. But I'm not surprised.

I remember black people outside the stands, cheering for USC, plus people in the stadium, blacks jumping up and down cheering. They recognized the bus and cheered us after the game. They surrounded the bus, there were blacks everywhere, and they were very happy. They were rooting for us; they'd come down and were cheering for us. Our black players just took it all in, and did it with wonder. As I sat in the bus, I did recall they held candles and Bibles; people were crying; it was very emotional. This was _not_ a regular game. It was just monumental. The players, who normally would be rowdy after a win, they were quiet. They'd played well, and the players knew something important was going down!

Other voices: J.K. McKay

The eldest son of Trojan football coach John McKay, the younger John always wore the moniker J. K. to separate him from his father. A star on the 1974 Trojan national championship team, young McKay played in the NFL at Tampa Bay. Known as a laid-back guy who enjoyed partying at Southern California (while his roommate Pat Haden burned the midnight oil in the other room), McKay eventually went to law school before forging a successful career as an L.A. attorney and real estate executive. He has been active in the city's efforts to bring a pro football franchise back in the years since the Raiders and Rams left town.

I've heard the gun stories from John Papadakis. He told me that story, and it makes some sense. My political take of that 1970 game, you'd almost have to ask that to the Alabama people, but it meant different things to different people.

The interesting larger story, as it relates to my dad, is he's emblematic in the part played by conservatism in the changing of the South. He was a conservative Republican who was totally race neutral. He received death threats in the old days when he started Jimmy Jones, which was not popular even in Southern California back then. He was race neutral in all regards. He did not advocate affirmative action, but in his case he believed and lived up to the principle that the job goes to the best man for the job.

His quote about wanting to beat Stanford by not 1,000 but _2,000_ points, he said it because he was getting abused by the Stanford rooters. I've heard tell him that story. He talked about the things that were said. He was criticized for having too many blacks, as if Stanford was providing more help to blacks by not having so many. But he provided more opportunity having more blacks than not just Stanford but other programs, some of whom were more liberal than he was, but were not doing as much for minorities.

Other Voices: Charles "Tree" Young

_The term_ legend _gets thrown around a lot, but at USC many players are worthy of the title. Thus was Charles Young, a sophomore in 1970 and a unanimous 1972 All-American on the "greatest ever" national champions. Inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame in 2004, Young starred for the 1981 World Champion San Francisco 49ers. He also played in the 1980 Super Bowl for the Los Angeles Rams._

Sam's ability to communicate with blacks, whites, Hispanics on our team was invaluable. He was more than a guy who had ability. McNeill grew up in an all-white environment. I grew up in an all-black one in Fresno. Because my high school coach was Greek, I perceive this about them: . . . they think they're that much more civilized.

My high school coach would talk about Greek history, and how he was an educator; he mapped out everything, in being an educator, through the superiority of the Greeks. Now John Papadakis is Greek. John had a flair of arrogance.

So all these people are together, and Sam Cunningham is from Santa Barbara, and he knew everybody from growing up—white, black, Hispanic. He brought that team together.

Let me put this biblically: "Pride goes before the fall." The history of antiquity, from the standpoint of any great team or nation, falls from within, not from without. They fall from within.

This is how we failed. We were great individuals, but we didn't come together as a unit until we set aside our personal differences. You mention [offensive lineman] Allan Graf; on each team, there are seven guys who are leaders, and those seven have at least three who follow or associate with them. If [those seven] don't come together, those twenty-eight don't come together. Then the sixty-two don't come together. That was our problem: we were a divided team.

_On his teammates._ We only came together on the field, that's where Sam came in. Sam was much more than a football player or an ambassador. He was more than "Bam." He was a diplomat extraordinaire. I learned a great deal from Sam. There was a group of us called the "Big Five." . . . They came together, all of the extreme talent, and brought it to the University of Southern California. All these different backgrounds.

An example: during that time, if the police stopped me, I'd question the cops and they'd always gave me a ticket. So Sam gets stopped by an officer. He gave this officer only graciousness seasoned with wisdom. When it was through, this officer let him go. The lesson: . . . you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

I believe the best [quarterbacks] have confidence and a touch of arrogance. Jimmy and [Mike] Rae had that. The white guys would console Mike and say he should be playing. The blacks would go with Jimmy. Some blacks raised in a white environment didn't know what to think. All that season was peppered with all that. Jimmy and Mike, then Sam and Charlie Evans at the running back position, as you found out. Evans still holds some of that after thirty-five years. Then there were other positions: Marv Montgomery, a black lineman; tight end Gerry Mullins, and myself.

But on the bus—people who grew up in the South had different perspectives. Fresno tends to be conservative, but I'm an athlete so I'm not treated like other blacks. I was tolerated, like I was gray, because I had economic value. But driving in that bus, I'm looking at blacks in shanty homes, we call "shotgun" homes. It's like looking back in time. Tody Smith had a briefcase, and in it, I don't know if it was a .38 or what, but it was a gun. I asked, "Why do you carry a gun?" He said he grew up in the South and said, "Anything can happen down here."

There was an agreement between Bear and McKay. Bear gave his word we'd have protection. Bear was the man down there, and in most cases they'd listen to him. He could get things done.

The KKK was still prevalent. A lot of those guys were part of that, if Bryant had been in 'Bama all that time it's reasonable to think he had an association with that. They'd had every prominent person involved in that organization. But he was trying to get something done. He used McKay. They used each other.

There was no security in the stands. Most of the time, when assassinations are orchestrated; the thing is the security is usually _involved_ in it. If you truly look at history, when presidents are assassinated, people in the cabinet or in the government had something to do with it. Even John Wilkes Booth had government coconspirators. Caesar was killed by people in his own party. The whole time I saw Hank Aaron chasing Babe Ruth's record in Atlanta in the early '70s, this was probably on his mind.

_On the role of religion in the game._ My overall philosophy is that God rules in the affairs of man. Even in the time of John Papadakis's Greek history, the Romans, the Babylonians, the Egyptians—God rules the affairs of men. Look at this country, our Founders came to this country, which was started by King George of England and the King of Spain, Magellan's voyage. During that time they needed workers to work on things. We came over as indentured servants, some of us as slaves. There were opportunities to bring more slaves; and in order to justify it, they had to dehumanize us. A lot of people came over for religious freedom; others, to make money; some were outlaws. Kings would send undesirables out here to populate the new land and bring back a fortune. It was a business deal, and because of this they enslaved us. But during that process, some people believed it was wrong. They became abolitionists. Most of them were God-fearing people, and they set out to change all of this.

Going back now to its effect on this game, which we're talking about. The question is, so, is there a divine order in which God intervenes? Yes. If you're asking am I religious, do I believe in God? Yes. I do understand that God rules in the affairs of man. No matter how strong or brilliant you are, or how much money there is in your bank, you are _nothing_ without God!

This contest was not a football game. It was staged as a football game in order so that change could be made. It was a paradigm shift, not a revolution. Bear was a part of that; he instigated that. I'm not foolish enough to believe that all whites hated blacks or all blacks hated all whites. It was a _system_. Bryant was in this system. What did I say about empires? Change comes from within. If the devil created the system, then God infiltrated Bear Bryant into that system to do His good work! God used Bear Bryant, whether he was a willing [participant] or knew what was going on, it does not matter. God used Sam; he got his chance and did what Sam's going to do.

In the history of time, God always raises a person, an individual whose work needs to be done. Now we're back to Birmingham, where all that philosophy was being unfolded on the playing field of time. Understanding culture at that time, the way education was being disseminated—all of that to be disproven was a shock to people in that stadium, listening on the airwaves or who saw it on TV. On the other side, it was a source of great jubilation for the lowly janitor or maid or guy selling programs, this team from out West coming out with huge, fast African-American vessels of God.

Additional articles and excerpts about the 1970 USC-Alabama game

The following are various additional articles and book excerpts, written by this author and others, revolving around the 1970 game between USC and Alabama and its societla aftermath.

The Eternal Trojan By Steven Travers

In August of 2000, Steven Travers went to Irvine, California, where USC was holding pre-season camp, to conduct interviews with Trojan quarterback Carson Palmer, and former assistant coach Marv Goux, then in retirement in the Palm Springs area. Goux was visiting with head coach Paul Hackett and his former team. Travers had faulty directions to the practice site, and Goux, punctual in a military manner, left after Travers showed 20 minutes later than the appointed time. Travers did speak with Palmer, and later wrote an article in StreetZebra magazine titled "Is It Too Early to Hype Palmer for the Heisman?" Thus, he probably became the first writer to "predict" that Palmer would win the coveted award, a prescient notion since the quarterback did capture it in 2002. This may be the last interview Grant ever granted.

Eventually, Travers reached Goux by phone and conducted the interview. The following excerpts from that interview are Goux's remarks in reference to the 1970 USC-Alabama game. As with McKay interview (Loel Schrader reportedly spoke with him around that time, too), this may very well have been the last interview Goux ever conducted. He passed away shortly thereafter.

**TRAVERS:** I want to ask about Sam "Bam" Cunningham and the 1970 game at Birmingham. That was the day that "hatred got shut out."

**GOUX:** That's what Jim Murray wrote in the _Times_. You know, at the time, I had my hands full. So did Coach McKay. We were talented but unable to build on that game. Our season was disappointing. The team was not as together as others, although talent-wise we were close. But it was only over time, the media bringing it up, old friends talking about it and asking about it, that I've come to see just what an incredible event it was. I made some strong statements about it at the time, but remember, no sooner did we win that game, we had to fly back to L.A. and get ready for the next one, and the one after that. Sports is hard to be involved in and see the big picture.

**TRAVERS:** It was almost as if the hand of God touched Cunningham that day. Just reached out and plucked a sophomore, a black kid from Santa Barbara, and said, "You will change the hearts of man."

**GOUX:** That's what people forget about Sam when they talk about this game. He was a big recruit, yes. He was built like a brick you-know-what. But we were loaded and John McKay was not promising starting jobs to sophomores. It was his first game, and considering the environment, McKay wanted to play it close to the vest. Look at the highlights of that game. Off-tackle, _boom_ \- breaking tackles, running _over guys._ Sam just made an outstanding contribution on his own.

Plus, Sam was from Santa Barbara. I grew up in that area, too. It's a very low-key area. He didn't have any idea, really, about what was happening in places like Selma. He was still a kid, barely away from home for the first time when that game was played.

**TRAVERS:** I understand that the guy who already was an All-American running back in 1970, Clarence Davis, had grown up in Alabama before moving to L.A.

**GOUX:** Davis was a typical example of our advantage at that time. Today he'd've finished school in Alabama, and been up for grabs, probably in the SEC. His family left that environment and we just got him to succeed O.J.

**TRAVERS:** The game and its aftermath was designed, wasn't it? It was not accident?

**GOUX:** Bryant had talked the game up. It was his baby, and if Bear was for it, the state of Alabama was willing to accept change. After Sam's game. Alabama was able to use [recent recruit] Wilbur Jackson.

Eventually, the Southeastern and Southwestern Conferences were desegregated. Earl Campbell at Texas, Billy Sims at Oklahoma - the whole region changed dramatically over night. It was great, even though we found recruiting to be harder after that.

The Traditon of Troy By Steven Travers

After World War I, college football grew into a major spectacle. It had always been a smaller game than baseball, popular among the fraternity crowds at Harvard and Yale. In 1913, Notre Dame's Knute Rockne introduced the forward pass in an upset of powerful Army. Army continued to be a football power, and when Rockne became Notre Dame's coach, he turned the Irish into a national obsession among America's enormous numbers of "subway Catholics."

But football helped re-define the West. Many of the players were Doughboys who had served in the military and now were in college. They were bigger, stronger and more mature. In Berkeley, Coach Andy Smith's Wonder Teams of the early 1920s were one of the greatest dynasties of all time. Smith was the first coach to actively recruit, plucking blue chippers from Southern California through the efforts of an assistant who had coached in high school down there. In 1925, USC featured their first All-American. Brice Taylor was ahead of his time, in more ways than one. He was African-American, part-Cherokee Indian, and was _born with one hand._

USC was a power, but Coach Elmer "Gloomy Gus" Henderson was unable to beat Cal. In a move that would foretell many firings of many coaches over many years, Henderson was dismissed. USC went after Rockne, but he remained loyal to Notre Dame. Rockne recommended Iowa's Howard Jones, who was hired and became an instant success beginning in 1926.

In 1925, Notre Dame had finished their season at freezing-cold Nebraska. USC's student manager, Gwyn Wilson, and his wife, attended that game. Wilson's "mission" was to talk Rockne into a yearly home-and-home series. On the train to Chicago after the game, Rockne told Wilson that he could not bring his team to L.A. every other year because the Irish already traveled too much.

The issue seemed dead, except that Wilson's wife was chatting with Mrs. Rockne in another compartment. The conversation turned to shopping in Beverly Hills and warm weather in California. Mrs. Rockne went to her husband, probably still shivering from the freezing Nebraska elements. She told him the idea of going to L.A. every other year was a good one. Thus was born the USC-Notre Dame rivalry.

In 1928, USC won the first of their (to date) 11 National Championships. After losing to Notre Dame the first two years, they managed to beat the Irish, and in 1931 they went back to South Bend, Indiana for a "battle of titans." Notre Dame seemed unbeatable at home. The game was played in cold weather, on November 21. The Irish led 14-0 entering the fourth quarter, but SC rallied and won it on Johnny Baker's field goal, 16-14. The game established USC as the dominant power in the college game following the death of Rockne in a plane crash one year earlier.

USC's train ride back to Los Angeles was met with crowds reminiscent of a political campaign. All of L.A., it appeared, came out to welcome them upon their return. USC won the National Championship that season and again in 1932, when they defeated Notre Dame, 13-0 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Pittsburgh, 35-0, in the Rose Bowl to finish 10-0.

In 1938 and 1939, USC defeated Southern teams that entered the Rose Bowl game against them unscored-on. On January 1, 1939, back-up end "Antelope Al" Kreuger caught four passes, the last for the winning touchdown, from fourth-string quarterback Doyle Nave, in a 7-3 win over undefeated Duke. In 1939, USC won the National Championship, Howard Jones' last, by beating Tennessee, 14-0 in Pasadena.

After World War II, USC was a national power but not a National Champion. A paradigm shift in college football supremacy had shifted back to the Midwest, not only to four-time National Champion (in the 1940s) Notre Dame, but also to Big 10 juggernaut Michigan. When the Rose Bowl became a game that contractually matched the Big 10 with the Pacific Coast Conference, West Coast teams appeared soft in a string of losses to their "three yards and a cloud of dust" rivals. Frank Leahy's Irish dominated the rivalry, but in the 1950s, as a population shift to California began to take shape, Notre Dame and Michigan fell on down times while USC prospered with the likes of All-Americans Frank Gifford and Jon Arnett. However, two new powers emerged in the Big 10 and the PCC. Ohio State under Woody Hayes and UCLA under Red Saunders led their teams to the pinnacle of the college game, with the Buckeyes capturing two National Championships and the Bruins' one.

The Bruins and Trojans shared the Coliseum until 1982, when UCLA moved to the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Crowds in the 1950s routinely were over 100,000 for the UCLA and Notre Dame games. In later years, when theatre-style seats were installed, the capacity was reduced to its current 92,000. Recruiting scandals and NCAA sanctions that hurt USC and other Pacific Coast teams marred the 1950s, despite the efforts of successful head coach Jess Hill.

A new golden era not only of USC football but also of the USC-Notre Dame rivalry began in the 1960s. Legendary coach John McKay's Trojans won the 1962 National Championship in undefeated manner. This began a 20-season run that is arguably the most dominant in college history. McKay captured more National Championships in 1967, 1972 and 1974. His replacement, John Robinson, won one in 1978. Between 1965 and 1981, USC tailbacks won four Heisman Trophies, establishing the school as "Tailback U."

McKay's and Robinson's success was nearly matched during the "era of Ara" - the 10-year run of Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian, and in subsequent years in which Joe Montana led the Dan Devine-coached Irish to the 1977 number one ranking.

In 1964, McKay's Trojans tailed off towards season's end, while Parseghian's Irish rolled through their schedule unbeaten. Their final game was vs. USC at the Coliseum. In those days, Notre Dame eschewed bowl games, so winning the season finale meant their first National title since 1949. Led by Heisman quarterback John Huarte, Notre Dame led 17-0 at the half, but USC quarterback Craig Fertig brought Troy back in the second half. Fertig hit Rod Sherman over the middle with little time left to spoil Ara's first season.

Running back Mike Garrett, now USC's athletic director, won the Heisman Trophy in 1965, and O.J. Simpson matched that in 1968. In 1979, Charles White won his, and Marcus Allen won one in 1981.

By the mid-2000s, historians were beginning to acknowledge that overall, Notre Dame's ranking as the greatest college football program of all time has to take a back seat to their biggest rivals from the West Coast. The Irish still have the most National Championships (SC now has 11), the most Heisman Trophy winners (seven to SC's and Ohio State's six), holds a 42-29-5 lead over the Trojans in their inter-sectional rivalry, and trace their glory days back to 1913. However, Notre Dame has struggled too much in the modern decades.

The Trojans easily have the most professionals, the most first round draft picks, the most Hall of Famers, the most Pro Bowlers and the most All-Americans. They are, undisputedly, a football factory. The empirical evidence cannot be argued against.

On top of all this, USC counts the most baseball National Championships (12), the most Major Leaguers, the most Hall of Famers, the most All-Stars and various dominant players. Despite not being known for basketball, a disproportionate number of Trojans from the 1940s and '50s are considered hoops pioneers. The "triangle offense" was invented at SC, and such stalwarts as Bill Sharman, Alex Hannum and Tex Winter played together before induction in Springfield. USC also boasts (along with UCLA) the most Olympians, the most Olympic champions, and if they had been a country in 1976, they would have placed third in total medals at the Montreal Games. The USC track team has won an insane 26 NCAA titles (plus two indoor titles), plus the school has earned nine swimming and diving National Championships, 16 men's tennis and seven women's tennis titles, six men's volleyball and six women's volleyball titles, plus various other National titles in men's and women's gymnastics, water polo, basketball and golf.

Alabama Goes Black 'N White By Jim Perry, _Los Angeles Herald-Examiner_ , 1971

Fielding a football team is nothing new at Alabama, at least not since 1892. But the 1971 team is about to make history.

76 all-white squads have played for the old state university since the Gay '90s. But Friday night, against USC in the Coliseum, Alabama is going black and white.

The black trendsetters are a couple of 19-year old pioneers who grew up in the state and figure very prominently in Bear Bryant's plans.

Starting at one defensive end will be six-foot-three, 230-pound John Mitchell, who is not the Attorney General, but a former J.C. All-American who was recruited heavily by USC.

Mitchell's black sidekick is six-foot-one flanker Wilbur Jackson, a reserve flanker who will be returning Trojan punts.

And just like that, Alabama will have joined the 20th Century.

"We've spent $100,000 trying to recruit black players," says Bear Bryant. "Jackson is the fastest player we've ever had."

Jackson, who ran a punt back 70 yards in the final spring scrimmage, was on the Alabama freshmen last year.

The enthusiasm for black players became even higher, however, when USC, led by Jimmy Jones, Sam Cunningham and Clarence Davis, went to Birmingham and ran all over the Crimson Tide, 42-21.

So Bryant sallied forth and picked off Mitchell, who was starring at Eastern Arizona J.C.

He stole the young man from John McKay.

"I was recruited hard by USC," said Mitchell by phone from Tuscaloosa, "and I was really enthused. At first, I wanted to go there. It was like a dream come true.

"About 30 or 35 other schools also tried to recruit me, and I considered Duke pretty strongly, too. But then Alabama called and I decided to come here.

"It was the challenge that got me."

John Mitchell, who runs the 40 in 4.7 and wants to be a lawyer, has always liked big challenges. The idea of being one of the first black players at Alabama intrigued him.

"Only one thing upsets me," he said. "I grew up in Mobile, about 230 miles from Tuscaloosa and was dying to come to Alabama. But they wouldn't even talk to me.

"I went to an all-black school and discussed playing here with my coach. But no one recruited me. They found out about me in Arizona."

Mitchell will see a lot of familiar faces at the Coliseum. In two years, he played against many of the Trojans, like Willie Hall, Charley Hinton and Ron Preston.

He has met and likes Jimmy Jones. And he says ex-Trojan Charlie Weaver is "my favorite college athlete."

John was asked if there had been any racial problems at Alabama.

"None whatsoever. I feel at home, and I've had no trouble with my teammates.

"There are about 400 blacks here now, which is about three times as many as last spring. But I have to admit, if I hadn't grown up in Alabama, I probably wouldn't have accepted the challenge."

How's the social life?

"It's okay for me," he said, "but being a football player helps. It's not good for all blacks.

"I actually could go out a lot, but I don't. Don't get me wrong, I like girls, but I also like to sit in my room and read books and listen to my stereo."

Mitchell is a collector of record albums, particularly modern classical sounds and describes himself as "fairly quiet." He and Jackson are good friends.

He was asked about Bear Bryant, and he laughed.

"He was very quiet when I first met him," Mitchell said, "but that man gets very emotional at practice. He can get extremely mad. But he's real dedicated."

The Bear is most dedicated to improving his defense, which used to be stingy and has recently been porous.

"I think we've improved a whole lot defensively," Bryant said recently.

"Yes, we look pretty good in practice," Mitchell said. "We're pretty quick, but we won't know until Friday night just how good we are.

"USC will be a good test."

For Mitchell, it will be a small one. He's already passed a bigger one - becoming the first black starter in Alabama history.

Two Black Students Had Enrolled Before Wallace Showdown By Jeff Prugh, June 11, 1978, _Los Angeles Times_

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - 15 years ago, Alabama Governor George Wallace, his jaw jutting and lips pursed, stood resolutely in a University of Alabama doorway in an apparent attempt to block two black students from enrolling at the segregated institution.

That tense confrontation between Wallace and the Federal government ended peacefully when Wallace stepped aside. He was informed that President John Kennedy had issued an order Federalizing about 500 Alabama National Guard troops, who stood by in combat readiness.

It has been assessed by many as the event that did most to polish Wallace's segregationist, states' rights image and to launch his ventures into national politics over the ensuing decade.

But most Americans never even knew that the two students, Vivian J. Malone and James Hood, actually had been admitted to the university the previous day, June 10, 1963, according to the school's records and interviews with the two students and Dr. Frank A. Rose, former president of the university.

Their advance registration - done privately in a Birmingham Federal courthouse 60 miles east of here - made Wallace's fulfillment of a pledge to "stand in the schoolhouse door" meaningless, in the opinion of some critics.

"This has bothered me a great deal... I sometimes get the feeling that I was being used," Vivian Malone, now Vivian Jones, 35, said in Atlanta, explaining that she and Hood were told only that they were being pre-enrolled for their personal safety.

Nicholas Katzenbach, who was deputy U.S. Attorney General and who confronted Wallace on the students' behalf at the door to the registration hall, said in an interview that he was not aware that the students had been admitted in advance. "If I knew it, I don't now recall it," he said.

However, Katzenbach also said the Department of Justice, under the leadership of Attorney General Robert Kennedy, had permitted Wallace to "have his show."

Katzenbach added that Robert Kennedy told him to allow Wallace a temporary show of defiance in hopes of averting violence. Federal officials feared trouble similar to the rioting that followed enrollment of James H. Meredith, the first black to attend the University of Mississippi, in September 1962.

Katzenbach said that published assertions in recent years that the Federal government had staged the incident were "flatly wrong." However, one internal Department of Justice memo dated June 8, 1963, and recently made available, contained elaborate planning for it. The planning includes the use of walkie-talkies and other radios, intelligence reports, a U.S. Border surveillance airplane and six Border Patrol cars transporting the two students, U.S. deputy marshals and other Federal officials.

Katzenbach insisted that "the Governor was staging stuff; we were not."

"I remember stopping at a shopping center to return a phone call from Bob Kennedy," he said, "and he reminded me to 'make him (Wallace) look silly. That's what the President wants.' It was totally meaningless, other than how the governor would act if he didn't have his little charade."

The outspoken Governor vowed to defy a Federal court order and to fulfill his inaugural pledge of "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!"

Wallace, whose term as Governor expires in January, declined to be interviewed on the subject.

But the governor denied in an interview on the CBS television program _60_ _Minutes_ that his stand in the schoolhouse door had been a "publicity stunt."

Meanwhile, other principals in the incident have spoken with candor about events leading up to the so-called showdown, which was watched by millions on national television.

"I can't remember that when I registered and picked out my classes and professors, I wondered, 'Why should I have to go through it all again tomorrow?'" said Vivian Malone Jones in Atlanta where she is director of the Voter Education Project. The project works for the registration of black voters across the South.

"But we were too far into it by then. We were not in a position to question any plans by the Department of Justice. And my lawyers said, 'This is for your safety.' What was uppermost in my mind was my mental anguish, my personal safety and my ambitions of just getting into the university, as opposed to the philosophical reasons for Governor Wallace standing there, or the Federal government being there."

Mrs. Jones said she had doubts about the incident after she became the university's first black graduate in 1965 and went to work for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division as a research analyst in Washington, D.C.

"I looked round and saw how very few black people there were in the Justice Department," she said. "It just didn't add up...I was disillusioned about the Justice Department, which I had trusted before. I left after only about three months. At the same time, I saw how well Governor Wallace did in Indiana and the other Primaries in the North in 1964. It seemed that he was trying to prove that people in the North can be just as racist as people in the South."

James A. Hood, 35, who said he plans someday to return to Alabama and run for Governor, left the university after two months because of threats against him. He moved to Detroit, where he was graduated from Wayne State University, became a Methodist clergyman, worked in urban programs, and campaigned for Detroit Mayor Coleman Young and now is deputy chief of police.

Hood said that all registration arrangements except formal payment of tuition and room and board were completed June 10 in the Birmingham chambers of U.S. District Judge Seybourn H. Lynne, who had issued an injunction forbidding Wallace to obstruct "by any means" the entry of the students.

Rose, the former president of the university, said he worked behind the scenes to negotiate separate agreements with Wallace and with the Kennedy Administration.

"We had the problem of Governor Wallace first promising to the people that he would block the students," said Rose, now a school-desegregation consultant in Washington. "Then he changed his position. He told us he would not block the students but (would) stand there only to raise the constitutional question. If he could do that, he would step aside.

"Wallace was most anxious to raise that question. The Kennedys were anxious to get that question settled themselves. It was all pretty much coordinated without the government being aware, other than allowing him to raise the question. There was no doubt in my mind that Wallace would maintain peace, if only for political reasons.

"And Bob Kennedy and President Kennedy, who were friends of mine, although I didn't make it widely known then, did not want another Ole Miss. I promised and convinced them that it would not happen. Our board of trustees wanted the students enrolled."

Rose said that the black students were "two of the most courageous young people I've ever met, considering that Tuscaloosa was headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan and considering the times we lived in then."

Excerpt from _The Herschel Walker Story_ By Jeff Prugh

A year later, the Georgia media brochure would bear an artist's illustration of four faces on the cover: Herschel Walker, Jimmy Payne, Eddie Weaver and Buck Belue, a quarterback from downstate Valdosta who, with a name like that, should also ride broncos on the rodeo circuit.

Their feature billing would speak volumes about social change in the American South during the 1970s. Of those four Georgia players on the cover, all except Belue are black.

In a sense, Herschel and all other black athletes on major college teams across the South were new kids on the block, even though they'd always played around the corner. The trouble was, when everybody chose up sides, nobody bothered to pick the black kids because, well, you just didn't do that sort of thing. And besides, they played their own games, didn't they?

The Southeastern Conference, in fact, had been the last citadel of segregation among major colleges in athletics as recently as the late 1960s. Historically, prized black athletes who grew up in the South boarded their own 20th Century version of the underground railway so often that the exodus looked like an overcrowded commuter train crossing the Mason-Dixon Line. Many became big-time college stars in the North, East, and West. One was J.C. Caroline, a swift, elusive running back from Columbia, South Carolina, who, in 1952, went to the University of Illinois and, as a sophomore, led the nation in rushing.

Integration arrived finally in the Southeastern Conference at just about the time a young, firebrand activist, Stokely Carmichael, preached "black power" in the South and "white backlash" flared in the North.

In 1967, Perry Wallace, a Nashville honor student who had gone to all-black schools all his life, joined Vanderbilt's varsity basketball team as a sophomore forward. The road he traveled for three years, as the SEC's only black player, was fraught with the same kind of racial abuse that had dogged another trailblazer, Jackie Robinson, in the late 1940s. Wallace became the target of everything from derisive applause to threats on his life. At Ole Miss, he said, "they gave you a standing ovation if you made mistakes." At Auburn and Mississippi State, "they said the most hateful things I have ever heard in my life, and I grew up in the South."

Most of the pressure had gone by Wallace's senior year, when he made the All-SEC Second Team and averaged 17 points and 13 rebounds a game. Even so, the torrent of hate left indelible marks. "...right at first, you're wondering, 'is somebody going to shoot me from the stands?" Wallace said, "You've got all these things, and no is acknowledging that they're going on, so you feel very much by yourself. It's not an easy way to play confidently. After a while, I realized I wasn't going to die out on the floor, although I kept getting threats. But at first, you just didn't know. You knew that it was the South and that anything could happen."

Perry Wallace went on to become a lawyer in the U.S. Justice Department. Another pioneer among Southern black athletes, Henry Harris, pursued a different path. Turning down an offer to play at Villanova in the North, Harris chose to stay in his home state of Alabama and play basketball for Auburn. His friends said many had urged him to remain in Alabama for "human relations" and "four your people." Harris had hoped to play guard, but his coach saw in him, even at six-feet, two-inches, a better leaper than shooter and moved him to forward. He stayed four years, averaging 12 points a game. He played professionally, but only for one year in the bus-and-hamburger Eastern League. Then he coached as a student assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Maybe, just maybe, somebody would choose him in the 1974 free agent draft of the American Basketball Association. But a call never came. The night after the draft, Henry Harris jumped from his dormitory room window, plummeting 17 stories. He was dead at 24.

Sports historians, meanwhile, can point to two events that probably nudged Southern schools farthest toward recruitment of black athletes - or, at the very least, made it more palatable to reluctant white alumni. One was a basketball game: Kentucky vs. Texas Western for the NCAA championship in 1966. The other was a football game: USC vs. Alabama in 1970.

The basketball game caught many observers by surprise. Kentucky's all-white team lost to Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso) and its predominantly black team. Moreover, few outside of the Lone Star State had ever heard of Texas Western. The late Kentucky coach, Adolph Rupp, took the loss hard. But he evidently knew the outcome had made a powerful statement. When asked the following year who would win the NCAA, Rupp replied: "Whoever's got the biggest black players." He was right. Lew Alcindor (now Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), seven-foot one and three-eighths inches tall, and black, led UCLA to National titles in 1967, 1968, and 1969 (and to 88 wins and only 2 defeats).

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down By Jeff Prugh

These developments apparently were not lost on Paul "Bear" Bryant, the late Alabama football coach and athletic director, even though Bryant had once gone on statewide TV to assure Alabamians that no blacks would play on his nationally ranked football teams.

But that was before Bryant's teams slumped to some of the low-water marks (6-5 in 1969 and 6-5-1 in 1970) of his Alabama seasons in a career that would produce 322 victories, the most by any major college football coach.

Along the way, Bryant sat in his richly appointed office, spitting into an ashtray every now and then, and bemoaning that USC's black starting tailback, Clarence Davis, had been born in Birmingham and moved away as an infant. Was Ol' Bear sensing doomsday and preparing Alabamians for the shock?

Well, the game was a mismatch, perhaps the South's biggest since Sherman burned Atlanta. September 12, 1970, was "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," Sam Heys of the _Atlanta Constitution_ would write in an article on the racial transition of Southern college sports. USC's black sophomore fullback, Sam "Bam" Cunningham, scored 3 touchdowns and rushed for 230 yards <editor's note: two TDs, 135 yards>. Final score: USC 42, Alabama 21.

The next morning, a cluster of Alabama fans sat in a Birmingham motel coffee shop, rehashing the game and its social implications. "Boy, I bet Bear wishes he had some of them nigra boys on his team," one said. "They were huge!"

To be sure, Bear Bryant told reporters that USC's Sam Cunningham had done more for integration of Alabama in 60 minutes than all politicians and activists had done in 20 years. The following year, Alabama upset USC, 17-10, in Los Angeles and went on to a perfect regular season. This time, the Crimson Tide had two black players - Wilbur Jackson and John Mitchell. Back home in Alabama, they danced in the streets and hoisted toasts and wondered what all the fuss over integration was about.

From there, Alabama's football teams demonstrated convincingly that Southern blacks and whites can play \- and win - together, just as blacks and whites had been doing for years at USC and Notre Dame and Penn State, among other schools.

Georgia, for its part, quickly followed Alabama's lead. In 1972, a sophomore running back named Horace King became Georgia's first black varsity football player. It was one year after Georgia's band director, Roger Dancz, banned the song, "Dixie" at university athletic events after Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes had integrated the university amid a shower of bricks, rocks, and insults.

Horace King performed admirably for the Bulldogs. He went on to win Second Team All-SEC honors in 1974, then to a long professional career with the Detroit Lions.

For Vince Dooley, who by 1983 had been Georgia's head football coach for nearly two decades, the arrival of Horace King was very much a part of an era of social change that had stretched from Vietnam to Watergate. Dooley has seen it all - long hair, short tempers, rioting - and even turbulence on some of his own Georgia teams when the chemistry among some whites and blacks apparently didn't mix. "It was dramatic when we brought blacks in," Dooley said. "It was natural for everyone to have suspicions."

Part of the problem, Dooley explained, stemmed from black players' reluctance, if not refusal, to identify with white-dominated Southern tradition and culture. "They may have been brought up in a shack," Dooley said, "and might not particularly like that part of their heritage."  
By 1974, barely two years after Horace King had joined the Bulldogs, black players became increasingly militant and white players whistled "Dixie." Tensions smoldered so severely that Georgia staggered through one of Dooley's poorest seasons: six wins, six losses.

Worse yet, these tensions exploded into outright hostility the following spring: a black linebacker, Sylvester Bohler, pointed a gun at a white player.

By the 1980s, Georgia's football program appeared to have crossed those troubled waters. Dooley credits, in part, the changing times and the fact that extremism and hard-shell protests became passe on most college campuses. Moreover, he said, integrated elementary schools across Georgia have removed enough mystery so that many black and white children aren't strangers anymore.

"I think you see a gradual feeling of being part of the community now that blacks didn't feel 10 years ago," he told Sam Heys, "because sports have become the greatest thing that has helped integration in some small towns. It's given both sides something to rally to, where both blacks and whites are on the same team. I think you are getting some blacks now who always wanted to play for Georgia..."

George Wallace Was America's Merchant of Venon By Jeff Prugh, _Marin_ (California) _Independent Journal_ , September 15, 1998

"In Birmingham, they love the Governor..."

  51. From "Sweet Home Alabama," sung by Lynyrd Skynyrd

"What do y'all want to interview me for?" The words shot from George Wallace, who sat behind a desk in his wheelchair, faster and with more sting than any punch he ever threw as an amateur boxer.

"Because," I replied, entering his office in Montgomery, Alabama 19 summers ago, "you're part of our history."

Ever the brash, brass-knuckled politician - paralyzed from the waist down by a would-be assassin's bullet in 1972, and now between his third and fourth terms as Alabama's Governor - a scowling George Corley Wallace seized the moment to fire questions at me, then a _Los Angeles Times_ reporter, before I could begin to interview him.

I shouldn't have been surprised that his very next question played the race card - sadly the most indelible imprint bequeathed to us by Wallace, who died Sunday at 79.

He was America's merchant of venom, a Democratic demagogue who had shouted at his inaugural: "Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!" He played to voters' fears, not to their hopes - believing in the folly of a third party candidacy that tried, but thankfully failed, to ride the South's wave of racism all the way to the White House.

"Los Angeles, eh?" Wallace snapped, between puffs from a long cigar in a plastic holder. "How y'all doin' with _your_ integration problems in the schools?"

"Not very well," I said.

"Well, " he said, dripping sarcasm, "I don't think they'll have any problems out there, because when we had the problem in Alabama, a lot of the movie stars and politicians in California came here and showed us how to do it. And so we learned from them, and we have no problem now. So I just feel that with all the expertise you folks have out there in California, it'll come off just as _smooooth_."

I had sought this interview because he had declined as Governor, through his press spokesman, to be questioned for a story I would write the year before - on the 15th anniversary of his four-hour, so-called "stand in the schoolhouse door" in June, 1963, ostensibly aimed at blocking the enrollment of two black students at the University of Alabama.

The story I wrote disclosed that this signature moment of Wallace's career was `essentially a charade: Both students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, had been secretly enrolled the day before in a Federal judge's chambers. Their pre-enrollment - confirmed by admissions records, by both students and by Dr. Frank Rose, then the university's president - had been orchestrated on June 10 by the administration of President John F. Kennedy, who on June 11, issued an order Federalizing 500 Alabama National Guard troops, forcing Wallace to back down.

Now, during this interview, Wallace said, amazingly, that the pre-enrollment was news to him.

"But I know this: The University of Alabama wanted me to be there," he explained. "The board of trustees passed a resolution to that effect because they knew that I'd been on television and said I was going to keep these Minutemen and thugs from all over the world from coming down here like they did at the University of Mississippi...And we kept the peace on that day."

He insisted that his showdown with the Feds was no charade. "It wasn't on my part," he said. "What I wanted to do was raise another issue, the Constitutional question of states' rights, which transcended all other issues - not on the matter of black and white."

Not until the early 1980s, while stumping for his fourth term as Governor, did Wallace come to terms publicly with his virulent racism of campaigns past. Many, but by no means all, African-Americans forgave him and climbed aboard his bandwagon.

Yet from where I sat, reporting on the post-civil rights-era South, no amount of apologies from George Wallace could ever obliterate those scars that fell on Alabama during the rough-and-tumble 1960s. On Wallace's watch, a Birmingham church bombing killed four schoolgirls at a Sunday school on this very day 35 years ago, Selma's voting rights march left hundreds bloodied but unbowed, and thugs in Anniston set afire a busload of students and other activists called Freedom Riders, who asked only that life for African-Americans be nudged to the front of the bus with the rest of us.

Yes, I'm sorry that Wallace lived this past quarter-century in so much pain and paralysis, that he campaigned during an era when, as Bobby Kennedy's death reminded us, the Assassinations Party manipulated our Presidential elections.

Yet today, I'm sure countless Americans remember, as I do, George Wallace more for racism than repentance, more for confrontation than contrition.

Even those who forgive can never forget.

Anger boiled within Gerald Ford Before This Football Game By Jeff Prugh, _Marin_ (California) _Independent Journal_ , August 12, 1999

The story is as old as a scuffed-up, leather football helmet - the kind that Gerald Ford, as his political foe President Lyndon Johnson would one day wisecrack, _didn't_ wear when he played for the University of Michigan.

A racial controversy that scarred a 1934 game in which Ford and his Michigan teammates defeated Georgia Tech took on a life of its own four decades later, when Ford became our 38th president and pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon, who had resigned in disgrace.

The furor over Georgia Tech's threat not to play the game, if one of Ford's teammates - a black named Willis Ward - played for Michigan, tell us about an ugly side of America that Ford writes about in the accompanying reminiscence.

What Ford _doesn't_ tell us about that reveals a side to him that would belie his easy-going, sometimes bumbling persona as a caretaker of the Oval Office between 1974 and 1977.

Here, at the risk of coming across like radio's Paul Harvey, is the "rest of the story," which I researched in another life, back when I reported on the 1976 Presidential campaign.

Gerald Ford would, according to a Ford biography and a Republican Party campaign film, take credit with a teammate for so severely injuring a Georgia Tech lineman in retaliation for an alleged racial slur that the Tech player had to be carried from the field.

In the film, which was nationally televised moments before Ford accepted the GOP nomination to run against Democrat Jimmy Carter, Willis Ward talks about having to sit out the game because of Georgia Tech's insistence upon clinging to the Southern tradition of segregation. Ward, also on the film, recalls that Ford and a fellow Michigan lineman "ended his <the Tech lineman's> participation in the game."

Today, there are conflicting versions of who did - and said - what to whom during that game, won by Michigan, 9-2, on a cold, rainy October afternoon in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ford said the injury was inflicted because the Tech player had jeered "n------" during the game.

Not so, said the Tech player, Charlie Preston, who was hurt on the game's third play and, when I caught up with him by telephone, had retired in Florida. He said no Tech player uttered racial taunts and that his injury, diagnosed as bruised ribs, was not caused by Ford. "I was hurt in a pileup," he said. "You can't tell who hurt you when you're underneath at least a half a dozen players. Mr. Ford is not exactly telling the truth."

Ford's biographer and former Presidential press secretary, Jerald F. terHorst, said Ford had told him he couldn't recall the injured player's name or number.

In "Gerald Ford and the Future of the Presidency," terHorst wrote that Ford had threatened not to play, as a sympathy protest on behalf of Ward, his roommate on road trips. On the eve of the game, terHorst wrote, Ford telephoned his stepfather in Grand Rapids, Michigan, seeking advice. His stepfather left the decision to Ford, who chose to play instead of protest.

"So Ford led the team out on the field even as the anger boiled within him over the absence of Ward," the biographer continues. "One of the Georgia Tech linemen made the mistake of taunting the Michigan squad over its missing 'n-----.'"

Willis Ward had become a Wayne County (Michigan) probate judge when I reached him by phone in Detroit. He recalled that he sat in his fraternity house, listening to the game on the radio. He said Ford and a guard named Bill Borgman confirmed to him at practice the following Monday that they had injured the Tech player. Ward quoted Ford as saying, "We got one for ya, Willie."

Actually, Ward said he was not upset about having been withheld from the game. His coach, Harry Kipke, had recruited him to Michigan over the objections of white alumni, Ward said, adding, "Kipke was on the spot. I could see he had a problem, and this transcended any personal hurt I had."

Asked why he did not protest sitting out the game, Ward said, "It was not a way of life for kids to do that back in the 1930s. You have to put everything that happened in the context of the time."

However, published reports said Michigan's decision to withhold Ward drew protests against Tech from "some radical organizations" on the Michigan campus. Bobby Dodd, then a young Tech backfield coach who would become the school's head coach and athletic director, recalled that Tech players complained to him the night before the game that "people were screamin' and fussin' at us."

For its part, Georgia Tech had acceded to 11th-hour counter-demands by Michigan to withhold Ward's Tech counterpart at right end, E.H. "Hoot" Gibson, as a compensatory gesture.

"The Michigan officials applied the old Mosaic law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth to this game," wrote the late Ralph McGill, who reported on the game for the _Atlanta Constitution_ and would go on to write Pulitzer Prize-winning columns opposing segregation across the South. "They demanded an end for an end."

When I informed Willis Ward that Tech's Charlie Preston believed Ford had not told "exactly the truth" about the incident, Ward laughed.

"Oh, he must be a Democrat," Ward said.

Ward guessed correctly. Preston said he had registered as a Democrat for the 1976 Presidential election, in which Jimmy Carter defeated Ford.

But Ward was pleasantly surprised to learn that Charlie Preston, the injured Georgia Tech player whose name and number Gerald Ford could not recall, said he would be voting for Gerald Ford.

ORANGE COUNTIFICATION: THE TRUE STORY OF HOW THE G.O.P. HELPED THE SOUTH RISE AGAIN

By STEVEN TRAVERS

_September 12, 2005 will be the 35_ th _anniversary of the football "game that changed a nation" played between USC and Alabama. This event did not simply integrate the South. Steven Travers, the author of a book about the event,_ September 1970 _, explains how it changed the political landscape that is now called "red states" and "blue states."_

It is an article of faith among the American Left that black opportunity in the South came about strictly because of their efforts, via the civil rights struggle; and that the Republican Party callously played to racist tendencies in order to take advantage of political opportunity. Even current Republican chairman Ken Mehlman recently went so far as to apologize for Richard Nixon's 1968 "Southern strategy" while speaking before a black audience.

In researching my latest book, _September 1970_ , the true story of how the USC-Alabama football game played that year helped end segregation once and for all, I found something entirely different; something to thoroughly refute the liberal revisionism of our history. "McCarthyism," as another example, was based on a real threat of Communist influence, yet the punditry in this country has played it as pure conservative malevolence. The same forces have tried to paint the Right, and its greatest hero, Ronald Reagan, as being somewhere between overtly and covertly racist. This is a lie.

Slavery, Lincoln, Reconstruction and Jim Crow

The United States inherited slavery from England. The sordid practice had thrived among most of civilized Europe and beyond for centuries. The Founding Fathers had a plan, which was to end the importation of slaves. The theory was that the living slaves would eventually die, and with their passing, so too would slavery. In 1808 importation of slaves did end. However, slaveowners often allowed slaves to marry and have children. Thus did succeeding generations of slaves become "Americanized" and "Christianized." Out of Puritanical Christianity in the North did the abolition movement arise, and eventually the issue drove the country into a Civil War.

This issue also helped give birth to a new party, the Republicans, and propelled Abraham Lincoln into the White House. Lincoln led the Union to victory and declared the Emancipation Proclamation. Within four score and seven years, America, using laws written by Americans, ended a practice that even the Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle had deemed "natural." No foreign power came to our shoes, defeated us, and dictated that we end the practice. Had America not done it, slavery might have existed until the 20th Century. When _we_ ended it, it never came back as legitimate trade between nations.

After Lincoln's assassination, the Republicans became divided and Reconstruction failed. The Democrats, the shadow party of the Confederacy, took over in the South. A century of "righteous indignation" followed. During this time, the Ku Klux Klan rode roughshod over the black citizenry. Lynchings were common. Few blacks were allowed to vote. Arcane literacy tests and poll taxes were among the nefarious methods used during the Jim Crow era to suppress black civil liberties.

Up until the 1930s, had Southern blacks been able to vote in demonstrable numbers, they would have voted with the "Party of Lincoln." In that decade, however, the Depression gave rise to an uneasy alliance between President Franklin Roosevelt and Louisiana "kingmakers" Huey and Earl Long. The welfare state created a dependent culture that tilted Northern blacks towards the Democrats. The populist Longs were able to garner black votes in conjunction with manipulation of congressional districts, all the while consolidating power for themselves. Throughout the 1930s, '40s, '50 and '60s, the Democrats held a stranglehold on the South. Eleanor Roosevelt may have complained about Southern prejudice, but there was little effort on the part of Northern Democrats to reform Jim Crow Democrats.

President Dwight Eisenhower attempted to secure civil rights legislation in the late 1950s, but he was blocked by Southern Democrats, led by Bill Clinton's mentor, Arkansas Senator William Fulbright, and Al Gore's father, Tennessee Senator Albert Gore, Sr. In Alabama, moderate gubernatorial candidate George Wallace lost the 1958 election when he tried to reach out to black voters. The KKK and the official state Democrat Party backed his opponent. After Wallace lost, he vowed "never to be outn------d" again.

In 1960, few blacks in the South could vote, but nationwide the black vote was evenly split between the G.O.P. and the Democrats. Much of the split mirrored W. E. B. DuBois' "intellectual" wing of black America vs. Booker T. Washington's "conservative" wing. That year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and jailed in Birmingham, Alabama. Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon and Democrat candidate John Kennedy were implored to intervene. JFK courageously did just that. Nixon, unfortunately, chose not to, fearing Southern backlash. Retired baseball hero and black icon Jackie Robinson, a friend of Nixon's and a Connecticut Republican, threw his support to Kennedy. Kennedy effectively stole the election, but Nixon's failure to come to King's aid effected not just that campaign but future campaigns. While the 1960 black vote in Texas was suppressed enough to render it impotent, it very well might have swung Nixon's way in Illinois, where the "dead man's vote" in Cook County was used to steer just enough electorals to JFK to give him the election.

President Kennedy did little in the way of civil rights from 1961-63, engendering frustration from King and others who felt his New Frontier policies would bring more. To JFK's credit, he did stand up to Democrat Governor Ross Barnett during the James Meredith enrollment at the University of Mississippi, and he did defy Democrat Governor Wallace (who _had_ lived up to his promise not to be "outn------d again") when black students enrolled at the University of Alabama a year later. To his further credit, Kennedy historians are confident that had he not been assassinated, he would have proceeded with civil rights legislation in his second term. Attorney General Robert Kennedy has been iconized as a hero of the civil rights movement, but under Lyndon Johnson he authorized Watergate-style buggings of Dr. King, because he had some Communists in his organization. These buggings revealed King to be a womanizer and less morally upright than his sainted image would have many believe.

In 1964, Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater failed to back Johnson's proposed Civil Rights Act. Texas G.O.P. Senate candidate George H.W. Bush also failed to endorse the legislation in his losing campaign vs. Ralph Yarborough. However, when Johnson's monumental bills came before Congress in 1964 and '65, Southern Democrats voted against it as a bloc constituency. Republicans stepped up and gave it their majority, pushing the bills into law. Rightfully, Johnson deserves and took credit for the leadership he exhibited.

The "Southern Strategy"

In 1964, Goldwater captured the Republican presidential nomination over New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller on the strength of his popularity in Orange County, California. Orange County, an L.A. suburb located just south of the city, was the home to Disneyland, great athletes, world class strands, and the beautiful "California Girls" of Beach Boys fame. It was filled with wealth and was predominantly white, but the folks were (and still are) too tanned, too good-looking, too laid-back in a surfer kind of way to give themselves to virulent racism. It was "the OC" and its surrounding environs - the L.A. suburbs, the Navy town of San Diego, and the Imperial Empire - that gave Goldwater the electoral prize of California which he needed to win. It was a paradigm shift in American politics, but few saw it at the time. By 1966, America was becoming divided by the Vietnam War. That year, two Republican political figures whose bases were strongest in Orange County emerged.

Richard Nixon, born in Yorba Linda, was now seen as less "extreme" than Goldwater but more conservative than Rockefeller. He campaigned relentlessly on behalf of G.O.P. candidates, helping the party make enormous gains in that year's midterms. This helped him capture the Republican nomination in 1968.

Ronald Reagan was a Midwesterner but he embodied the John Birch conservatism of Orange County: stridently anti-Communist, a small government advocate, but racially moderate. Reagan had made a famous speech at the 1964 convention in San Francisco that propelled him into the national consciousness. In 1966 he defeated Pat Brown for Governor of California. Reagan was a law 'n' order man who vowed to take a hard line against campus protesters at Berkeley and other California colleges, where Communist agitators were stirring opposition against the Vietnam War.

The Shakespearean ironies that surrounded the lives of Nixon, John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Teddy Kennedy, were never more at play than in 1968. RFK most likely would have been elected president had he not been assassinated in Los Angeles that June.

The general election pitted Nixon against Democrat Vice-President Hubert Humphrey and Wallace, who departed from the Democrats to run as an independent. It was a close election, but whether Humphrey could have defeated Nixon without Wallace in the race is debatable. What is not debatable is that Nixon made the most of the opportunity Wallace provided. The South had been almost 100 percent Democrat since the Civil War. Not even Eisenhower had won there! But conservative, anti-Communist, Christian Dixie favored victory in Vietnam without appeasement of the hippie elements on America's campuses. In this regard, the liberal Humphrey was decidedly out of favor.

Wallace drew conservative Democrats away from Humphrey, depriving the party of their traditional base. Mehlman, along with liberals over the years, advocated the idea that Nixon played to pro-segregationist tendencies. This is not entirely true. Nixon indeed did advocate "states' rights," which in Dixie was code for "segregation now, segregation forever," as Wallace had thundered on 'Bama's schoolhouse steps in 1963. But states' rights meant far more than that, and had been (and continues to be) a Republican mantra that stands for local control over issues as wide-ranging as abortion, education and taxation.

The buttoned-down Nixon had not grown up amid Orange County wealth. He had been, like many in the South, dirt poor and given to hard work. He had attended law school not at Harvard or USC, but at Duke, which had just opened for business. He was so poor he had subsisted in a janitor's shed, studying like Lincoln by candle or flashlight. In the 1930s, Nixon had engaged in long philosophical discussions with his Southern classmates over the race issue. Nixon held firm to his Quaker beliefs in man's inalienable right to be free, in body and spirit, but maintained a laywerly collegiality with his peers that kept the discussions on a gentlemen's level. There was palatability to Nixon that endeared him to his fellow law students.

The admiration they felt over his steadfast work ethic and debating skills foreshadowed the Southern sensibilities towards Nixon in 1968. Nixon held a big lead in the polls and saw Humphrey make a big run late, based on reports over possible withdrawal from Vietnam, but in the end he was California's first president.

Shortly after his election, Nixon consolidated his Southern base when he attended a Billy Graham "Crusade" at a Southern football stadium. The liberal media either ignored it or chastised him for pandering without regard for the wall between church and state. But Nixon's friendship with Graham, cemented by his Christian faith, rang true in the Bible Belt.

The Turning of the Tide

Nixon loved football. Reagan, of course, had risen to fame playing the role of a famous football player in _Knute Rockne, All-American._ The denizens of the American South are steadfast churchgoers who love the Lord Jesus Christ, but football is also religion in Dixieland. In the 1960s, pro sports had barely made a dent in the South, where their pride and joy were their college football teams. None was more loved than the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. By 1970, coach Paul "Bear" Bryant literally walked on water - at least according to Coca-Cola billboards on the highway outside Birmingham!

"The South had a chip on its shoulder," explained writer Keith Dunnavant, the author of a Bryant biography. "What Bryant brought to the region was excellence. In a region in which people felt inferior, or were made to feel inferior, because of the race issue and other social factors, here was a man who was the best on a national level. You can't underestimate what he meant to people."

In 1970, Bryant's segregated Alabama squad hosted the integrated University of Southern California Trojans at Birmingham's Legion Field. A black running back named Sam "Bam" Cunningham earned his nickname in a huge 42-21 stomping of the Tide. That game has been mythologized into the single event in which the performance of the Trojans' great black stars cowed the white fans into forcing integration.

"Alabama welcomed back into the Union," read Jim Murray's _L.A. Times_ column the next day. Integration did indeed follow up on the heels of this game, with the result being not just another decade of 'Bama grid dominance but the opening of social doors for blacks from Texas to Florida.

However, the event was part of a larger political context, involving Wallace, Nixon, Reagan...and Bryant, who has been portrayed as kicking and screaming into a new world he never wanted to see happen. Nothing could be further from the truth! The truth is, Bear Bryant _orchestrated_ the events of September 12, 1970, and everything came down according to his master plan. In analyzing this, one sees parallels with the Republican Party's successful husbanding of the South into the mainstream of American politics.

Dr. King had been killed in April of 1968. Bobby Kennedy was shot in June. The civil rights movement lost its moorings, and between 1968 and 1970 had morphed into violent militancy with little resemblance to Dr. King's "dream." White Americans were afraid of it. They saw the Oakland, California-based Black Panthers, leather clad, gun-toting black youth with rebellious Afro hairstyles. They saw scary Black Muslims who had veered from Malcolm X's epiphany of brotherhood. They heard the voices of Eldredge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Huey Newton and Stokely Carmichael advocating violence. It would spawn liberal "armies" like the Weathermen and the SLA, dedicated to "bringing it all down, man."

The "New Breed" of black society demanded "justice," and it was that way on the athletic field, too. Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals, a mixed team of talented blacks, Latinos and whites, had defeated the mostly-white, country club Yankees in the 1964 World Series, an accurate metaphor for the changing America of that year. But whites wanted incremental change, not violent overthrow. The inherent sense of justice and fair play that lies at the heart of the American ideal tolerated rights for the long-suffering black citizenry, but did not tolerate the demands of anger and militancy. It was this sense of moderation, politically embodied by Nixon and later Reagan, which appealed to the South.

It was this approach that Bryant took. No endeavor embodies fair play more than sports, an egalitarian occupation in which performance is earned and easily measured, not doled out like patronage. Sports had flowered more so in America than any other country, and it is not coincidence. Sports, as former _L.A. Times_ sportswriter Jeff Prugh, who covered the USC-Alabama game, says "is the cement mixer of society." Indeed it had previously been the door through which Jewish and black boxers had walked through on their way to better lives. It had given blacks a chance to shine in the Olympics (Jesse Owens in 1936) and, after Jackie Robinson had broken baseball's color barrier in 1947, it had provided further professional opportunities to blacks and other minorities in the team sports. When integration finally came to the "white" colleges in the South, it changed hearts and minds.

"My brothers were not racists," says Dunnavant, "but I started school in 1971, which by that time was integrated. As a big 'Bama fan, the difference is that by then _my_ heroes were <black stars> Ozzie Newsome and Wilbur Jackson. My brothers never had black heroes to root for. This had a profound effect on me."

Bear Bryant's critics maintained that he was at least a product of his racist geographic background. In truth, his poor youth had inculcated him with a sense of charity towards the less well off. He was also worldly; he befriended (and almost was thrown in jail for a petty offense with) a black friend as a youth, had played at 'Bama, managed a blues band, served in the Navy, and coached at Maryland, Kentucky and Texas A&M prior to taking the 'Bama job. He cultivated friendships with coaches and colleagues from one end of the Fruited Plain to another. Bryant traveled extensively to coaching clinics and golf tournaments in the off-seasons.

He had taken on the segregationist establishment by accepting a 1959 Liberty Bowl invitation against an integrated Penn State team. He understood the power of George Wallace and was smart enough to know when to pick his fights; in fact, he made his fights look like opportunity to those who otherwise would resist. By 1970, Wallace had moderated somewhat in order to broaden his national appeal, and Bryant's success had given him the imprimatur of a legend. Furthermore, in 1966 the Tide had been denied a third straight national championship when the Catholic vote went to Notre Dame, ostensibly a reaction to Alabama's all white team. After a sub-par 1969 season, Alabama fans knew that change had to occur in order to stay competitive nationally with integrated powers like Southern California, Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.

In 1956, USC had thoroughly beaten Texas at Austin behind a black running back named C.R. Roberts, and 10 years later ex-Trojan football player John Wayne saw his integrated alma mater again beat the segregated Longhorns in their stadium. These games could have had the effect of the 1970 USC-Alabama game. They did not. It was Bryant who understood these kinds of things, and he sensed that _now_ \- finally - the time was right.

What is not known is that, while Bryant did not plan to lose to USC, he understood that he might, and had a contingency plan to turn "lemons into lemonade." He had already recruited a black star named Wilbur Jackson and "stole" another black JC product, John Mitchell, out from under USC coach John McKay. He needed to create an atmosphere that would be amenable to these black players and those who would follow.

McKay was Bryant's close friend. He was a quipster; a cigar-chomping Catholic from West Virginia who shared a love of whisky and duck hunting with Bear.

"Dad was conservative," said McKay's son, J.K., who starred at USC and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, "but he was totally race neutral."

"USC provided more opportunities for black athletes," McKay said in one of his last interviews, in 2000 (he died in 2001), "than any other school in the 1960s, yet liberal colleges like Stanford, who were trying to tell everybody how to live, were criticizing us, sometimes with vile, foul racial epithets coming from their supposedly 'enlightened' student rooting section."

The truth is, Bryant was a Lincolnesque figure who fought forces both allied with him and arrayed against him to bring about social change. McKay was a football Moses of progressivism, but he (like Nixon and Reagan) was palatable to Alabamians, by virtue of his friendship with Bryant, the classy, excellent program he ran (USC had won two national titles, had two undefeated teams, won three Rose Bowls and two Heisman Trophies in the 1960s), and the conduct of his players. Cunningham in particular has been described by ex-teammates as a Christian man of uncommon maturity and leadership skills at a young age.

It can be argued that USC, as opposed to almost any other school, was the "perfect" visiting team in this tale of near-Biblical effect. They played a big part in parting the Red Sea of segregation, which would allow this nation to be the Promised Land of not just some but all.

Orange Countification

"All I can say," says Wilbur Jackson, the first recruited black football player in 'Bama history, "is that I entered school a scared freshman in 1970, not sure what would happen. I left as captain of the team. We had eight black players voting that year, so obviously I had the respect of my white teammates. If I'd had a bad experience, I would not have sent my daughter there. We recently had a re-union of the 1973 team, and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life."

John Mitchell and Sylvester Croom would go on to become assistant coaches under Bryant (who hired well ahead of "schedule"), and they echo the sentiment of all the black players and coaches associated with Bear: had he been racist, over the course of many years, it would have shown up.

"Nobody's that good an actor," said Croom, now the head coach at Mississippi State. It never did.

The magic of America is that social change that takes decades, even centuries, in other countries, happens with Godspeed here. Thus was the transformation of the modern South. The true irony is that the liberals who had fought for civil rights through protest and marches in the 1960s, and would naturally have assumed that when the time came would have benefited from its success, did not see this. Instead, the conservatives were viewed as having husbanded the region into the mainstream, and they have reaped the electoral rewards.

"We just handed the South to the Republicans," President Johnson told an aide after signing the 1965 Civil Rights Act. Despite Ken Mehlman's wrongful mea culpa, and liberal revisionism, the Republicans are deserving of credit, having used Lincolnian approaches, much like Bryant, to moderate the shock of racial integration. Certainly, history provides a kind assessment, in that the South rose again in college athletics, economically, saw population explosions, a dynamic business and housing environment, expansion of major sports franchises into the region, hosted Super Bowls and the Olympics; all the while seamlessly incorporating not just black opportunity, but black political leadership, especially in its cities.

Dr. King had chosen to inculcate the civil rights movement with Christian phraseology because he knew that the power of His religion would ultimately soften the hearts of Southern whites. It was this softening that was at the heart of Nixon's Christian partnership with Graham, and is seen today as the nexus of the "moral values" that voters said drove their choice of George W. Bush over John Kerry. It was the palatability of 1960s California conservatism moderated by Christianity that created the "Orange Countification" of the South.

This political phenomenon had played out over a period of decades, but in analyzing the South one finds almost scientific "proof" that conservatism and Christianity are the "winning ideology" of 2,000 years of history. For years, modern amenities did not exist in much of the South. People were often backwards, uneducated; "hillbillies" of the _Deliverance_ stereotype.

The creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority and like works projects brought electricity and conveniences to the region. Air conditioning made it easier to do business in the summer time. Eventually, cable TV, talk radio, the Internet and the Information Superhighway created a world in which people who lived in outlying rural areas had access to knowledge.

Despite modernity, residents continued to put their faith in a religion that had existed for 2,000 years. But the point is really quite simple. In all the years in which Southerners actually were ignorant and uneducated, they:

  6. Were racist.

  7. Voted Democrat.

In all the years in which Southerners gained access to knowledge and became

educated, they:

  51. Are no longer racists.

  52. Vote Republican.

_Res ipsa loquiter_ , or as Jesus says in the Gospel According to John, "The Truth will set you free."

The South had despised liberal perfidy over Vietnam, viewing the Democrats as a party that had been hijacked by the Jane Fonda wing of the Democrat party. Ronald Reagan was popular there, and expanded the Republican base in the 1980s, not just in terms of his own campaign victories, but in the escalation of G.O.P. House and Senate representation in the region. In 2004, history did not repeat, it all but rhymed, when the Fonda role was taken over by Michael Moore. Southern response, as well as much of the rest of the nation's response, was to repulse the party that embraced Moore and take the advice of a Boston policeman directing delegates outside the Democratic National Convention: "Go forth and vote Republican."

_Steven Travers is also the author of_ Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman. _He can be reached at_ USCSTEVE1@aol.com _or at (415) 455-5971._

### PART SIX

### HERITAGE 1970-82

Camelot, L.A.-style: King John McKay hands the throne over to Prince John Robinson; the second decade of the most dominant 20-year period in college football history

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

TEAM OF DESTINY

Divided by race, the disappointing Trojans come together through Christian Fellowship, forming the nucleus of the greatest team of all time

The Hallowed Shrine

It was in the 1970s that the people around the University of Southern California football program took a look at what coach John McKay had done in his decade-plus as the head coach, combined it with the storied heritage of previous decades, then compared themselves to other national traditions. The realization came to them that Trojan football was as storied and successful a historical program as any other college team that had ever graced the Fruited Plain!

Thus, a "Hallowed Shrine" was built on the USC campus. Heritage Hall remains a self-loving paean to USC football and USC sports; a place where the plaques, trophies and honors could be displayed for all to see, leaving one to arrive at the unmistakable conclusion that, "We're number one!"

Entering the 1970 season on the heels of four straight Rose Bowls, two national championships, two Heisman Trophy winners - with a roster filled to the brim with prep All-Americans and returning starters from an undefeated team - the Trojans were confident that the formula for winning had been found by McKay. It was kept under lock and key on the second floor of Heritage Hall.

After Troy ventured to Birmingham, annihilating the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide on September 12, 1970, they had the appearance of Caesar after Pompeii's defeat; Napoleon after Italy; MacArthur on the deck of the "mighty Mizzou."

They were invincible.

"Oh, pride goeth before thy fall."

1970 was a demarcation point in many ways. It was a dividing line between the old America and the new, particularly in the South. It was a major turning point in race relations. It was also an important period in USC's football history.

It is true, of course, that McKay and Marv Goux continued to coach after that season. However, photos of the two coaches reveal distinctly different styles. McKay went from short hair, the suit and tie, to a more modern coif, with a USC windbreaker. Goux went from the Marine drill sergeant look to a fluffy mop of jet-black hair, serving to accentuate his dark eyebrows, what Dave Levy called "from-froms."

Statistically, USC football looks much the same after 1970 as it did before 1970. McKay would win two more national championships, and his team would dominate the game. But the period 1970-71 was marked by upheaval. It was only in coming to grips with themselves that the Trojans would regain their footing.

Everybody who observed the 1970-71 Trojans came away saying that they were as good as any team in the land. They tied Nebraska in 1970. The Cornhuskers went on to win the national championship. They beat Notre Dame that year, knocking them out of the running. In 1971 they again knocked the Irish out of the title hunt at South Bend. Despite beating and tying the best teams the country had to offer - the 1970-71 schedules absolutely included just that - a team full of all-Americans, future pro stars, and great athletes could muster nothing better than consecutive 6-4-1 records.

The 1970 game at Birmingham had been too much for them emotionally. The team had been forced to come back to Earth. It was too difficult a ride. They were like more than a few of America's hero-Astronauts who, after walking the moon, circling the Earth and riding the Heavens, found themselves with drinking problems on the ground.

A week after beating the Tide, 73,768 came out to the Coliseum to see number three USC vs. number six Nebraska. They were no doubt disappointed to walk away from a tie, not realizing it would be Nebraska's only blemish in two straight national title seasons.

Jim Plunkett, who would win the Heisman Trophy that year, led Stanford to a stunning 24-14 win over the Trojans in front of 86,000 on The Farm. What followed was desultory. A team that had gone into Birmingham and beaten the pride of the South lost at Oregon and to Cal at home.

UCLA entered the City Game at 5-4, but like USC they were an extremely talented, dangerous squad that could beat any team on a given Saturday.

"If we play a perfect game," said Tommy Prothro, "if we get a few breaks, if USC makes a few mistakes, we can beat them."

UCLA almost broke a reverse for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, then recovered a Trojan fumble, converting the field goal. After a Jones-to-Dickerson touchdown, UCLA made quick strikes to take a 24-7 lead. UCLA ran it up in the second half. Dennis Dummit, an underrated quarterback in the Bruin pantheon, passed for 272 yards. Tailback Marv Kendrick gained 182.

Only 64,694 came out in what had turned out to be a down season - a year of war and apathy - to see the unbeaten Irish, led by Joe Theisman, the following week. Theisman led Notre Dame 80 yards after the opening kick to give his team a 7-0 lead. The rain began to pound on the Coliseum, but instead of the game turning into a mudfest, it was a spectacular aerial show. Theisman had his greatest collegiate game, completing 33 of 58 passes for an unbelievable 526 yards _in a 38-28 loss!_

For those who have followed USC's football history closely, this game represents in man ways what the program and its cherished traditions are all about. The meaning of the famous words _Fight On!_ resonate in the events of this performance. This was the kind of game many other teams would have lost. They would have laid down their weapons and gone home, licking their wounds after a painful year. USC chose to go to battle, thus beating a great team while demonstrating that they were a club that could play with anybody at any time.

Jones found Dickerson after Clarence Davis had scored earlier. Despite Theisman's completions, he "died by the sword" - four interceptions - in addition to fumbling in his own end zone. Theisman's 526 yards surpassed Ron VanderKelen's all-time mark of 401 vs. USC.

"I don't know how he did it," remarked Jones. "There were times in the second half when all I'd have was a handful of mud after a snap."

Theisman later led Notre Dame to a Cotton Bowl win over unbeaten Texas, ending the Longhorns' 30-game winning streak, knocking them out of the national championship, and awarding it to Nebraska; which certainly said a lot about USC's talent in 1970.

"Well," said McKay, "it makes the winter livable."

In 1971, the big re-match against Alabama opened the season under the lights at the Coliseum. The Tide had truly been knocked off-kilter following Cunningham's performance in 1970. Their season was, like SC's, barely better than .500, featuring a tie against Oklahoma in the Bluebonnet Bowl. Jones was a senior. Most of the Trojan team was back. They were ranked number five coming in against the 16th-ranked Tide.

There was plenty of hubris surrounding Troy leading up to that game; the feeling that they had beaten a segregated team the year before gave them a false sense of "superiority."

Bear Bryant, the master psychologist, strategist and illusionist, had tricks up his sleeve. First of all, he _had black players now_. Wilbur Jackson was a sophomore. He would not start against USC in the opener, but the skids had effectively been greased for him by virtue of Cunningham's performance. He was in school and things were working out smoothly.

John Mitchell was also playing for Alabama. The black recruit McKay thought was in the bag had been snagged by Alabama over the 1970 Christmas break. He had seen USC beat Alabama, but he also was smart enough to know that it meant opportunities were available for blacks in the South. The Mobile product found himself recruited hard by Bryant and his staff.

When McKay turned to Craig Fertig, saying in that wry way only McKay could say, "Well, that's what you get," when he saw Mitchell running down the field on the opening kickoff in 1971, it was a variation of the old saws: "no good deed goes unpunished... victim of our own success."

In the end, however, it was not Mitchell, Jackson or integration that did in USC. It was Alabama's veer offense. They had practiced it in secret for months, often under a circus tent away from the prying eyes of the media. It caught McKay and his team by complete surprise. Half the time they were keying on a man without the ball. By the time they adjusted to Alabama - and USC had better athletes - it was 17-0, Tide.

The Trojans cam back to make it 17-10, but it was not enough. Alabama would go on to an unbeaten regular season before losing to Nebraska for the national championship in the Orange Bowl. Mitchell would be a star and go on to the NFL. So, too, would Wilbur Jackson. Roosevelt Leaks would become a black star running back at Texas. The floodgates were now open. McKay and the Trojans were in a whole new, competitive game in which a large segment of the recruit population would be less likely to be easily available to them.

After two shutout wins, USC faced unbeaten Oklahoma. This was one of the great teams in history. Led by coach Chuck Fairbanks and option quarterback Jack Mildren, the Sooners were a program in resurgence after down years following the retirement of Bud Wilkinson. Wilkinson made a miscalculated run at Republican politics in still-Democrat Oklahoma in 1964.

The Sooners handled USC, 33-20. They went on to another one of those "games of the century" against Nebraska, which after a thrilling performance they lost, 35-31.

When Don Bunce and Stanford upset Southern Cal, 33-18, it was another season of _ennui_ and frustration. Next on the docket: Notre Dame.

****

USC was 2-4. Jimmy Jones's great career, so promising in his undefeated sophomore season, was about to end in ignominy. Notre Dame was 5-0, determined to win the national championship which had eluded them, sometimes by the barest of margins, since 1966.

Members of the Trojan family who participated in it have discussed the events of that week, October 16-23, 1971. In 117 years of USC football, a little known meeting, which occurred that week in Los Angeles, may well be the turning point in their history. Quite a statement, considering that this was a team that made a national name for itself by beating Notre Dame in 1931; brought in John McKay to recruit fast, brilliant black athletes and revolutionize the I formation; beat Alabama to "turn the tide" of racial segregation in the South; and would go on to rebound from the doldrums with the hiring of Pete Carroll.

The mystique of the University of Southern California has been spoken of many times; some call it an aura, others an arrogance. For those not inclined to believe in such things, the events of that October week in 1971 represent little more than gibberish. For others, who indeed do find inspiration and profound meaning in it, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting organized by center Dave Brown indeed is the defining moment when a football team decided to return to greatness.

The fact that it was the week of the Notre Dame game is highly symbolic. In 1971, Notre Dame was of course the pillar of Catholicism. Aside from the Pope (in America, in many cases, more than the Pope) they were a symbol of Christianity. USC was the secular school from liberal Hollywood. The fact that "roles," such as it is, could be reversed is ironic.

Few people knew - because few if any ever dug deep enough to find out - that the 1970-71 USC Trojans were a team beset by racial differences. At the heart of the controversy was the quarterback situation. Jones, the black senior, was considered to be a leader by his black teammates. They rallied to him.

Mike Rae, a highly recruited blue chipper out of Lakewood, was white. The team, 2-4. The naysayers had for almost two years been calling for McKay to start him. In more cases than one wishes to admit, they may have been doing so out of racial animosity. Either way, they were in full bellow.

Whereby racial angst had fueled the black players to play above themselves at Legion Field in 1970, a year and a month later they were a divided "team." The times added to the situation. Some favored the war, others did not. Divisions of white-black, Democrat-Republican, un-American or patriot, anti-war or war supporter, Nixon or...these were among the issues.

Brown, the little known center from Eagle Rock, was a decent ball player but by no means a Trojan legend. He asked McKay if he could put on "a demonstration."

The "demonstration" involved a meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Brown stated that he had been "anti-God" until his senior year in high school. One night, sitting in his room contemplating life's complexities, he suddenly had an epiphany. He "accepted Christ into my life." He had recently met an FCA leader while lifting weights. A friendship developed. Now Brown felt his team's sinking ship could be righted by only one source.

McKay the Catholic told him he would allow it "as long as it's voluntary." The meeting was organized. Most of the team showed up, some out of curiosity. It was a secular time. Five years earlier, _Time_ magazine's cover story asked, "Is God dead?" Some of the Trojans looked at the FCA demonstration with disdain, but most had an open mind.

The meeting went well. According to Brown, "a lot of guys became Christians that day." Almost as important, a lot of white guys - John Papadakis, John Vella, Pete Adams, Mike Rae, and others - found themselves at one with the "clique" of blacks.

"The Big Four" included Charles Young, Manfred Moore, Rod McNeill and Sam Cunningham. Gone were "crazy" Charlie Weaver and the self-described "bully," Al Cowlings. An erudite black sophomore, Lynn Swann, tailed the "Big Four" around like an older guy's younger bro.

The power of Christ is beyond the ability of this author to explain. As usual His mysteries are left to be interpreted in whatever way the human mind wishes to interpret them, but _something_ happened at that FCA meeting. A team did come together. Racial animus became brotherhood. McKay and Goux, both men who respected the power of spirituality, sensed this, too.

The team went into South Bend, where the town was abuzz with Irish hopes. Johnny Cash, singing on campus, had to stay in a hotel 50 miles away USC came out in front of all those Catholics, all those Notre Dame die-hards, and _thumped_ the 21-point favored Irish, 28-14.

"Somewhere through the haze of this misty October afternoon, Southern California slipped a Trojan horse into Notre Dame's buff football oval and unleashed a sneak first half blitz," wrote one observer.

Edesel Garrison, a world-class quarter miler, caught two passes for scores. Cunningham made a touchdown. Bruce Dyer intercepted a pass, returning it 53 yards for six.

McKay alternated between Rae and Jones. Both men played as if in harmony with each other, something nobody could have predicted. Trailing 28-7, Notre Dame abandoned their ground game. Without Theisman they lacked the passing game to threaten a comeback.

"Today's Trojan triumph was an inspired one," wrote on reporter, who had no idea. Indeed, Notre Dame has their moments of Rockne-inspired "win one for the Gipper" speeches, usually invented out of whole cloth. Southern California's spirit was the real deal. Nobody needed to invent anything or go out of his way to talk about what had transpired. It was 34 years later when this author dug deep into the events of the 1970 USC-Alabama game. The two seasons that followed that event were revealed by the men who lived through them.

"It will go into the books as one of the great victories that have made the Trojans great," the reporter went on.

The 1970-71 Trojans were as talented as any teams that John McKay ever had. Clarence Davis made the 1969 All-American team as a junior, but injuries kept him from repeating in 1970. He was drafted by Oakland, playing eight years for them. He of course made the famous "sea of hands" catch. Legendary broadcaster Bill King's description of the impossible grab he made of Ken Stabler's pass to him in the 1974 AFC Play-Off game against Miami is one of the all-time calls. He was a member of the 1976 Super Bowl champions.

6-2, 214-pound Charles Weaver, from Richmond High and Arizona Western Junior College, had gotten to know John Mitchell, who was playing against him at rival Arizona Eastern J.C. Through this connection, McKay thought that he had Mitchell, but alas the future Pittsburgh Steeler chose to keep it in his home state of Alabama. Weaver, another of the Wild Bunch defensive ends, was drafted by Detroit. He played a decade in pro football.

Offensive tackle Marv Montgomery was a 1970 All-American. He was drafted by Denver and played in the NFL throughout most of the decade.

6-4, 256-pound offensive tackle John Vella from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks made the 1971 All-American team. Drafted by Oakland in the second round, he was a member of their 1976 World Champions. His brother, Chris, also played football at USC.

Linebacker and defensive Willie Hall was another one of those Arizona Western Junior College products. He was a 1971 All-American. Drafted by the Saints, he also starred at Oakland along with teammates Vella and Davis, where he was a member of the 1976 NFL champions.

The 1977 Super Bowl between Oakland and Minnesota symbolizes USC's extraordinary professional connection. The 1976 Raiders, 13-1 during the regular season, winners of a runaway victory over the Vikings in Super Bowl XI, are considered one of the best teams in NFL history. They were a team loaded with Trojans. Between the two teams, Super Bowl XI - appropriately played at the Rose Bowl - featured an astounding nine Southern California alums.

USC demonstrated that the difference between the unbeaten 1969 team and the four-loss 1970 and 1971 squads was not talent. Whereby the 1969 team had nine players drafted, the 1970 10 Trojans had 10. Montgomery (Saints) and Tody Smith (Dallas) were both first round picks. Smith had a fine career for Tom Landry's Cowboys.

Sam Dickerson went in the third round to San Francisco. Bob Chandler joined O.J. and Cowlings in Buffalo. He eventually became a star on the Raiders' 1980 Super Bowl winners, but tragically died young of cancer. Charlie Evans, beaten out by Sam Cunningham after the 1970 game at Legion Field, was chosen by the New York Giants. The Steelers picked Gerry Mullins. Greg Slough was chosen by Oakland. The Lions went for Herman Franklin.

The 1971 team had six drafted players. After second round picks Hall and Vella, Lou Harris went to the Broncos, Kent Carter to the Cardinals and Bill Holland to Atlanta.

The Trojans' 1971 season was too far gone prior to the Notre Dame game to salvage much beyond pride. In later years they would have gone to a decent bowl game, but in 1971 it was the "Rose Bowl or bust." Stanford surprised everybody. With Plunkett now taking his lumps with the woeful New England Patriots, the Indians were not favored. New quarterback Don Bunce (later the team doctor) engineered victory over USC and the Pacific 8 Conference title. Stanford was a heavy underdog against unbeaten Michigan in the Rose Bowl. After a strange safety put Michigan up late by 12-10, Bunce drove Stanford down the field, setting up a game-winning field goal, 13-12.

But Southern California came together in October, the week of the Notre Dame game. From that point on, they were a different team. They would not lose again in 1971.

Or 1972.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

THE GREATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM OF ALL TIME

(1972 EDITION)

"Gentlemen, I'd like to announce that the Rose Bowl no longer belongs to Radcliffe."

\- John McKay, 1972

Allan Graf was a big, white 6-2, 243-pound offensive guard out of San Fernando High School. At San Fernando, he had played on integrated teams. The black players at San Fernando tended to be fast, skill-position guys. They were flashy running backs like Manfred Moore, Anthony Davis and Charles White.

Graf was actually from Sylmar, a "cow town" just north of San Fernando. Graf, like many from the northern San Fernando Valley, had what some call a "Bakersfield drawl," meaning even though he was raised a half-hour's drive from downtown L.A., he sounded like a guy from the Midwest, even the South. His attitude was certainly more Middle America than Southern California.

Graf found himself working on a Marv Goux-organized summer construction job with Charle Young. Young, a talented black tight end from Fresno, spelled his first named C-H-A-R-L-E. The two seemed to have little in common, eyeing each other with suspicion.

After Dave Brown's Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting in 1972, they discovered common ground. After going unbeaten in their remaining 1971 games, they found that winning was also common ground they could agree on.

"That team was basically the same team from 1970-71," said Graf on _The History Of USC Football_ DVD. "The offensive line was the same, but what made it special was the camaraderie we had. We just got tired of losing, we got together that summer of 1972 and said, 'We're gonna do it.' "

"The assistants were talking and we said, 'We ought to be pretty good this year,' " said assistant coach Dave Levy. "We've got some fifth-year senior red-shirts and the players felt we'd be good. On opening night, Coach McKay got the team together, and we thought he'd say, 'You're gonna be great,' but he said, 'You guys think you're pretty good, don't you? Well, you haven't showed me a thing yet.' I think he kind of dropped them back to reality in a hurry...on purpose."

"Nobody knew how good we'd really be, but we turned out to be magnificent," said Pat Haden, a back-up sophomore quarterback that year. "Mike Rae had a sensational year. We had our four running backs all drafted; Anthony Davis, Rod McNeill, Sam Cunningham, Manfred Moore, plus the offensive line. We only got pushed twice, but other than that including the Rose Bowl against Ohio State, we handled everybody."

"Southern California was truly outstanding," said Ohio State's two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, who faced them in three straight Rose Bowls. "They had Anthony Davis, Richard Wood, Lynn Swann. They had a fabulous football team."

"We were really focused, not just on beating our opponents, but to dominate," said roving linebacker-safety Charles Phillips. "Nobody wanted to be on the field with us."

"We never had a game in doubt," stated McKay's son, J.K., who along with his high school friend Haden was a back-up sophomore. "We never had a close game all year. We dominated in every way you can. It was the best football team ever."

From the 1972 team, 13 players would be All-Americans.

"We were a _team_ ," said Manfred Moore, "who wanted to win every game, and for sure we always knew when the Monday review of the game was on, and we didn't want to be ridiculed, so we performed at our best."

The 1972 Trojans were the greatest collegiate football team in history. This was a source of frustration to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, whose 1971 national champions had been accorded that status after destroying Alabama in the Orange Bowl. But 1972 saw the end of their 30-game unbeaten streak when UCLA, led by Mark Harmon, upset them in the season opener at the Coliseum. Harmon, the son of Heisman winner Tommy Harmon, would go on to acting fame. By season's end, the pundits were fairly unanimous in their estimation that, as good as Nebraska had been, McKay's charges were even better.

Previous competition for the "all-time best" spot came from the Trojans themselves (1928, 1932), Army (1945), Notre Dame (1947), Oklahoma (1956), Notre Dame (1966) and Ohio State (1968). Since 1972, the 1987 and 2001 Miami Hurricanes have drawn mention. Many felt the 1995 Nebraska team surpassed the '72 Trojans. Of course **Pete Carroll's 2004 and 2005 teams can be compared**. No less an authority than Keith Jackson, who should know, always insisted that the best he ever saw was the 1972 team **, That is, until the 2005 version, but that is for later.**

What may be less disputed than their status as the best _football_ team is their enduring and mythological place in history as a group of _all-around athletes._ USC under McKay and other coaches has traditionally been a place where great athletes come. Two-sport stars, usually track-football or baseball-football players, have graced the fields of play at Troy going back to the days of Jess Hill, who starred in track and football as well playing for the New York Yankees.

"If I can find the gymnasium in the old building, I'll show you some fantastic athletes," McKay said of that team. "We might be better than we've ever been. At least we've never before had a basketball star at tight end <Young>, a shot-putter at fullback <Cunningham>, a quarter-miler at split end <Edesel Garrison>, a flanker who can long jump <Lynn Swann>, and a linebacker who can high jump six-foot-six <Ray Rodriguez>." The national champion football Trojans were also national champion track and field and national champion baseball Trojans. Garrison had beaten Olympic champion (and fellow Trojan) Randy Williams in the quarter-mile run. Anthony Davis was a switch-hitting outfielder. Mike Rae was a basketball star. Richard Wood was a wrestler, whose brother played baseball in the Tiger organization.

In the spring of 1972, however, questions dogged McKay's program. Cunningham was coming off knee surgery. Rod McNeill was recovering from hip surgery. He had untested sophomores like Anthony Davis and Richard Wood. The offensive line was experienced but had been spotty. Defensively, USC promised superb athleticism laced with inexperience. The schedule was a barnburner.

Nationally, Nebraska looked to be the leading contender for a third straight national championship, a feat never achieved before. LSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Georgia were ranked ahead of USC in the pre-season.

All McKay would say early on was that the squad would be better than in 1971. His other sophomores would include his "two sons," John McKay Jr., and his best friend, Pat Haden. Mike Rae looked at the talented Haden and must have wondered when he would ever get the job unfettered. Sophomore fullback Allen Carter was "the fastest big man we've ever had," said McKay. Wood, a blue chip recruit from New Jersey, had the potential to be an all-time great. Spring practice went well, with Cunninghham and McNeill recovering nicely.

"Our defense will be young and the offense will have to win at least the first three or four games," said McKay. He did add, however, that, "We've got a real hard-hitting team, and I think the tackling could be as good as we've ever had."

Defensive tackle John Grant impressed McKay "as one of the most consistent linemen I've had in my 12 years at USC. He's never out of position."

When it was time to play football games, McKay and his team glided through the season. McKay himself was at his insouciant best. He seemed to be assured of each victory, joking his way through the whole year.

"The coach must think we're pretty good," Lynn Swann said. "Last year he hollered at us a lot. This year he's mellow. When we do something wrong, he just says to me, 'Way to miss a block, Swann.' "

Writers, unaware and probably unattuned to the meaning of Dave Brown's Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting the year before, called the back-to-back 6-4-1 seasons a "mystery virus," teams of "certain Rose Bowl quality" that proved "enigmatically disappointing," according to Ken Rappoport's _The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football._

"The decline was blamed on injuries, a tough schedule, a sub-par defense, and 'the premature daydreams by seniors about fat pro contracts,' according to one observer," wrote Rappoport.

At one point, McKay had stopped hollering, just turning his back in disgust on the practice field.

"Oh, I tell you, we are yelling a great deal this week," he told his team. "We're probably third or fourth in the nation in yelling."

But the 1972 team had people observing that they could play "two or three sports at once."

The season opened at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Razorbacks were fourth in the country, USC eighth. Arkansas had come close to a national title shot before losing to Texas, 15-14 in 1969. Coach Frank Broyles was at the height of his great career. Quarterback Joe Ferguson was a star who would be a fine player with the Buffalo Bills. With integration, the Hogs were now a complete football program. But press reports before the game foretold a possible USC win. It was stated that USC possessed 20 pro prospects to Arkansas' four. USC, dressed in their road whites, looked enormous in pre-game drills. A Razorback scout stated that when his team lined up against Troy, each would face "the best player he's ever seen."

Six-point favorite Arkansas struck first to lead 3-0. 54,461 fans went Hog wild. Memories of mediocrity crept into the minds of the Trojans. USC fumbled the kickoff, but shakily managed to recover. A defensive struggle ensued, with Arkansas holding USC in a goal line stand before Lynn Swann returned a punt 35 yards to set up Mike Rae's 26-yard field goat to make it 3-3 at the half.

Rae hit Edesel Garrison for 43 yards in the third quarter, then ran it in himself from the five to put USC ahead, 10-3. Wood intercepted a Ferguson pass, setting up McNeill's run to make it 17-3. McNeill added an 18-yarder. Then Cunningham went in from 17 to ice it, 31-10.

Wood became an instant Trojan legend when he made an incredible _18 tackles_ in addition to breaking up passes, one interception and two quarterback sacks.

"I know we have the quickest and fastest defense in the country," said Wood. "I'm not worried about the national championship. I just want to go to the Rose Bowl three years in a row."

Mike Rae, _finally_ installed as the starter, directed three touchdown drives. He now was one with a little bit of job security.

"They kept us off-balance all night, run or pass," said Broyles. "Their offense was as strong physically as any we've ever faced, and Wood destroyed everything we tried to do."

Arkansas' hopes for a national championship were transferred to Southern California. On the basis of the impressive road win and Nebraska's loss to UCLA, they vaulted all the way to number one.

USC returned home to dismantle Oregon State, 51-6. McNeill ran for 111 yards. Every player who suited up played. They passed for 316 yards and ran for 354 (670 total). McNeill scored three times. Charles Young caught a 37-yard touchdown pass. Pat Haden and J.K. McKay were impressive when the "scrubs" proved to be as talented as the starting 11. After two games, Rae was completing 70 percent of his passes. McKay was already saying they were the best offensive team he had ever coached.

"They're much quicker, have greater over overall size, and their quickness just stuns you," said Beaver coach Dee Andros when asked to compare them to the 1967 national champions. "They are a bunch of great athletes with one overpowering factor: their aggressiveness on both offense and defense."

Sophomore tailback Anthony Davis scored twice in a 55-20 thumping of Illinois. Rae hit Garrison from mid-field. He later directed an 80-yard drive, culminated by Davis's first touchdown run of his career. Later Rae hit McKay for a 31-yard score. In the fourth quarter, linebacker James Sims returned a punt 35 yards into the end zone.

"We really didn't play very well and I don't know why," said McKay. "We were slow on defense and uninspired on offense."

Asked why he was slow to go to the air, McKay said that his philosophy was to shove the other team around first in order to establish dominance, rather than pass right off the bat, therefore allowing his team to become "pacified."

Michigan State came to town next. Spartan coach Duffy Daugherty "says he has his best team since 1966," McKay told the media. Daugherty was touting defensive back Brad Van Pelt as the best player in the country. Tight end Billy Joe DePre, guard Joe DeLaumielleure and linebacker Gail Clark all would be drafted high. Then Swann ran a punt back 92 yards to power the 51-6 rout of Spartans at the Coliseum. McNeill scored from the eight. Rae hit McKay from the nine. After taking a 21-6 halftime lead, Wood intercepted a pass, running it back 25 yards for a score. Haden came in, nailing Moore and Swann for touchdowns. Allen Carter strolled in from 21 yards out. In 19 years at East Lansing, it was Daugherty's worst loss. After four games, 14 Trojans had scored.

The following week was the one McKay had been waiting for: Stanford, the so-called "Harvard of the West," who McKay derided as the "Radcliffe of the West."

"They're the worst winners I've come up against," McKay said of the 1970-71 Stanford victories over his team, which propelled them to two straight Rose Bowls. "They've shown no class against us. I'd like to beat them by 2,000 points."

McKay checked his harshest words for Stanford, calling them on their "intellectual snobbery." In the interview with this author year's later he revealed the intemperate, bigoted racial remarks from Stanford's "enlightened" student body had "made my blood boil." Especially, he said, in light of the fact that "conservative" USC had provided many opportunities for blacks while "liberal" Stanford held on to their Lillie-white status long after the point of courageous action had come and gone.

"People tend to think of Stanford players as being more intellectual," McKay told the press the week of the game. "I don't place much credence in that. But Stanford felt we were nothing but jocks, and when they could beat us at our own specialty that made them FAR more superior than we were."

"Today the Cards host a team that has never been able to keep football in perspective..." read Stanford's student newspaper on the day of the game. "If they lose, maybe football will die." The writer of that screed, now probably a "voice of conscience" at the _New York Times_ or _Newsweek_ , would have done well to investigate Dave Brown's FCA meeting of one year prior.

McNeill, an extremely erudite and articulate fellow, disputed this concept of Trojan football, stating to the media that social problems of the past decade had given his teammates a "new awareness" that football was not all important. "We also enjoy playing chess and reading poetry," he said.

It is also worth noting that USC's backup quarterback would become a Rhode's scholar, and his pal, the coach's son, a corporate attorney. This may have impressed the Stanford elite, but the fact that several of USC's black players would become ordained ministers no doubt would have been "proof" that they were a "simple breed."

"Forgive them, Father," as Jesus once said, "for they know not what they do."

Politics, religion and the post-1960s collided with football at Stanford Stadium on October 7. That same day, the Oakland A's were beating the Detroit Tigers in a play-off baseball game across the bay. The unbeaten Cardinal (some Indian tribe was "occupying" nearby Alcatraz at the time, so Stanford, in solidarity with their cause, ended decades of tradition to become a color, or a tree, or somethin') gave Southern California their toughest game of the year, but it was never really close as the Trojans prevailed, 30-21 before 84,000. In an otherwise "perfect" season, McKay was frustrated that his team was unable to beat "Radcliffe" by the appropriate "2,000 points."

"It was the worst game we've played," said Swann, who caught five passes, one for a touchdown. "I still don't think we've paid Stanford what we owed them. Two years ago up here their fans and players made very snide remarks, degrading us and our school. The fans did it again this year. There's a changing attitude among college football players today, and I don't think those remarks help it along. I don't want to hate anybody."

Swann, a man of consummate polish, intelligence and class, let it go at that instead of coming right out and repeating the fact that Stanford "fans" openly called he and his wonderful black teammates "n-----s." Charles Young, Manfred Moore, Sam Cunningham, Rod McNeill, Swann and many other African-American players on that 1972 team - not to mention the first class white guys and noble coaches - made up not just the best football team ever seen up until that time. The 34 years that have passed since that year reveal a remarkable group of guys who made grades, graduated, forged professions in the law, education, the arts, politics, the clergy, the media, and pro football. Stanford is a fine school and does not deserve to be painted in a single brush stroke because of a few bad apples, but those bad apples calling these wonderful guys "n-----s" were pizzants of unimpressive quality.

McNeill's first quarter fumble had helped Stanford score first, 7-0. Rae and A.D. took over on a touchdown drive to tie it. When Stanford kicked a 49-yard field goal to give the Cardinal a 10-7 lead, it was the last time in 1972 that USC would trail in a game. USC held Stanford to 64 yards rushing in the second half. Troy led by 30-13 before Stanford scored, then converted a two-pointer to make it look closer. Davis scored two touchdowns, but the game's last play had added to the intense feelings between the schools. With 30 points on the board and the game won, USC tried a failed touchdown pass.

"I guess they just wanted to beat the s--t out of us," Stanford coach Jack Christiansen said. A war of words ensued in the press between McKay and Christiansen after that. Those close to McKay said there was no love lost between the two.

"I can't say we've ever played a helluva game against Stanford," said Dave Levy. "We've never been able to get our guys to take them seriously."

The term Student Body Right accurately described the end sweeps Davis ran behind. Cunningham, Rae and Young keyed the victory over Cal, 42-14. With so many easy wins, Pat Haden was getting plenty of opportunity to gain experience.

Washington had quarterback Sonny Sixkiller. They were ranked 18th, but their star was hurt and they lost 34-7. In the first half they had minus-seven yards total offense as Troy built a 20-0 lead. Cunningham scored in the first quarter, followed by Davis with a spectacular 44-yard romp. Rae kicked two field goals. A.D. scored again in the second half, as did Cunningham. Washington barely averted the shutout by scoring late.

Against Oregon (the only game other game they were "pushed," said Pat Haden) USC won 18-0. The rain fell on the slippery artificial turf, and at the half it was 0-0. USC fumbled six times, but A.D. was good when he had to be. He gained 206 yards, scoring twice. Cunningham added a third. None of the PATs were converted. The defense was spectacular, with cornerback Charles Hinton picking off two of their four interceptions.

"The only thing different about Davis' runs was that he didn't fall down," said McKay. "I'd rather play in the mud than on those carpets when it's wet. What they ought to do with those carpets is take them out and burn them."

The press started to focus on Davis, who like Reggie Bush in the 2000s was becoming a national star but was not even the starting tailback yet. Davis's brash personality made him a perfect quotemeister. McKay smiled when he thought about the young man now dubbed "A.D."

"I coach 'em not to get tackled," McKay joked.

With Davis finally in the starting line-up, Washington State fell, 44-3. A.D. ran the opening kick back 69 yards, setting up a 23-yard field goal. Rae ran 11 yards and Davis three to make the score 17-3. Overall, A.D. had 195 yards on 32 carries. Linebacker Charles Anthony, with 13 tackles, was voted defensive player of the game. Cougar quarterback Ty Paine was held to eight-of-19 for 85 yards.

"USC isn't the top team in the country," joked Washington State coach Jim Sweeney. "The Miami Dolphins are."

The win over Washington State set up a major confrontation with UCLA, who had traveled to Seattle and lost to a healthy Sonny Sixkiller and Washington, 30-21.

Harmon had steered the Bruins into the Rose Bowl picture. They were now using a veer offense under coach Pepper Rodgers, similar to what Alabama had used to beat Troy in 1971. UCLA was extremely talented, fast and athletic. If it were not for USC, they would have been a very big deal; a Rose Bowl team, maybe a contender for the national championship.

A huge crowd filled the Coliseum on a hot November evening. _Sports Illustrated_ duly noted that the L.A. crowd left behind more trash than any stadium in America, a reference to their propensity for alcohol consumption during night contests.

Rae engineered a first quarter drive culminated by a field goal. After holding UCLA's veer, USC drove again. A.D. swept around end for 30 years, 10-0.

A UCLA touchdown drive and a Davis fumble had the Bruins back in the game, 10-7, but UCLA missed a game-tying field goal try before Wood took over. He chased down McAlister and harried poor Harmon badly. With the outside lanes shut down, UCLA had to go up the middle. "Batman" Woods was there every time.

Rod McNeill capped an 80-yard drive with a one-yarder to make it 17-7. Rae led a 96-yard third quarter march, capping it with a keeper to make it 24-7. USC shut it down offensively for some strange reason, but Wood kept dominating, finishing with 18 tackles. Harmon was a pitiful three-for-nine for 38 yards. Davis gained 178 yards on 26 carries, almost a seven-yard average.

Press reports played on USC's multi-talented athleticism, re-stating the oft-used description of the Trojans being able to win "at two or three diferent sports at once." UCLA was derided as "the best your taxes can buy." In the socially conscious early 1970s, political differences between schools began to emerge, playing themselves out as part of the football rivalry.

"It was funny how unemotional we were," said A.D. "W e were high, sure, but we weren't in a frenzy the way I always thought USC was supposed to be for UCLA."

The 24-7 score did not do justice to USC's utter domination. They toyed with the Bruins in the manner of a cat killing a mouse at its own pace.

"Gentlemen," McKay said, "I'd like to announce that the Rose Bowl no longer belongs to Radcliffe. I don't care what happens the rest of the year because we're going home."

"I guess USC's the best team I've ever seen, period," said Rodgers. "There isn't anything they don't do well on offense or defense, and they know they can do it, and they do it."

McKay noted that his team had run the table in the polls, number one from the opening game to date, and that his pal Bear Bryant was second. McKay said he voted for Alabama out of deference to his friend, but "don't blame me for all those other dumb guys voting for us."

Despite averaging 38 points a game coming in, some UCLA players actually admitted later to being scared of USC. McKay was no doubt fibbing when he said he did not care about the rest of season. Two weeks later Ara Parseghian and Notre Dame were looking for revenge. They had not beaten McKay since1966, when of course McKay said "a billion Chinamen could not care less who wins," and was supposed to have also vowed "never to lose to Notre Dame again."

Since then he had _not_ lost to Notre Dame. In the past two seasons his underdog charges had knocked Notre Dame out of the hunt for a number one ranking. Ranked 10th, the Fighting Irish had lost only to Missouri and were already Orange Bowl-bound. Notre Dame may have thought 1972 at the Coliseum was revenge time. They discovered, to borrow another McKay-like Politically Incorrect term that Orientals could take offense to, that they did not have "a Chinaman's chance in hell" against Southern Cal.

Alabama, Bear Bryant's perennial contenders, completely recovered from their segregationist doldrums, had been undefeated until losing to rival Auburn, 17-16. USC was installed as a 14-point favorite over Notre Dame with a clear path to the school's seventh national title.

"Notre Dame has improved defensively," McKay told his charges. "Their multiple offense will include many things our defense has never seen. And they certainly are bigger than anybody we've played. They weigh their guys only as freshmen. They've got guys inside on defense who are well over 270. It's difficult for most college guards to block them."

A review of USC's 1972 wins reveal a team averaging a little over 40 points a game, posting one shutout, usually winning by about 30. It was never close. But what is most impressive is that in several of their games, they held it back a little instead of laying it on thick. The UCLA game was an example. The 45-23 victory over Notre Dame was another.

Anthony Davis became the legendary "Notre Dame killer" that day in front of 75,243 sun-soaked Los Angelenos. Many recall his game two years later, but his 1972 sophomore performance is very possibly the finest college football game any individual has ever played. He broke five school records, including most touchdowns in a game ( _six_ ), touchdowns in a quarter (three), points (36), longest scoring kickoff return (97 yards), and kickoff return yardage in season (an astonishing 468). He had 368 total yard, rushing for 99 to finish the season over 1,000. The numbers are only part of the story. He ran back two kicks, a 96-yarder in addition to a 97-yard return.

Davis opened the game with the 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. With USC leading, 6-3 in the first quarter, A.D. scored from the one. Then Dale Mitchell recovered Erick Penick's fumble at the Irish one, setting up another Davis score from the five to make it 19-3.

Tom Clements passed to Willie Townsend to make it 19-10 at the half. Davis scored early in the third quarter from four yards out after a Charles Hinton pass interception. The two-pointer failed but the 25-10 lead looked safe. Two Notre Dame interceptions and some Irish heroics gave them the false sense that they were back in the game.

After stomping Notre Dame, USC got cavalier on the sidelines. It was a situation somewhat similar to their "where's the party" attitude when they led Wisconsin, 42-14 in the 1963 Rose Bowl. McKay was smiling and joking. The players were thinking about USC coeds and the Rose Bowl next month.

They let Notre Dame back in it, 25-23, but no sooner were the Irish eyes smiling when A.D. ran his second kick back to give them a dose of reality. After Notre Dame kicked out of bounds trying to keep the ball away from him, Cliff Brown tried again. This time A.D. gathered it in at the four, headed straight up field into the blocking wedge, squeezed through, and made for the left sideline. He evaded one good shot. From there he was off to the races.

"Whichever way they go I go the other," he explained.

In the end zone, A.D. went into his patented "knee dance."

"Both kickoff returns were practically the same," he said. "On both a wedge opened up on the left. On the second I faked in, and then out, then back in again. One guy just caught my leg when I started that one, and I broke two tackles along the way. I have three accelerations. One when I get the ball. One when I get to the line and one when I get open."

"Davis is the greatest I've ever seen on kickoff returns in college," noted Parseghian.

When Southern California led 32-23, the 75,243 began to chant, "We're number one!" In the fourth quarter, A.D. ran it in _again_ , from the eight for touchdown number six. Cunningham wrapped up the scoring with a one-yard leap to make it 45-23. Had McKay let A.D. score, it would have tied an NCAA record.

"I've never seen a greater single day shown by an individual than Davis gave today," said McKay. "I know he could have tied the record by scoring one more touchdown, but we don't worry about NCAA records."

"Hollywood never dreamed up anything like this afternoon's tingling drama that catapulted artistic Anthony Davis, a stubby Southern California sophomore, to instant stardom out here in the land where stars are born," wrote the _Chicago Tribune._ "Supported by perhaps the finest football team in Southern California's championship history, Davis masterfully played a six-touchdown role as the Trojans whipped Notre Dame. Seldom, if ever, has one done so much to entertain so many," concluded the _Tribune_ in Churchillian fashion.

The MacArthur Bowl, the national championship trophy, was given to USC. McKay admitted that he would finally switch his vote to USC instead of Alabama.

"This is the best football team I've coached at Southern California," he said.

"This is probably the best balanced football team that Southern California has ever had," added Parshegian, still reeling from his worst-ever Notre Dame loss.

"We gave them everything we had but they're just a superior football team," said Notre Dame athletic director Ed "Moose" Krause. "I feel sorry for Ohio State."

The UPI awarded the title to USC. The AP was waiting until after the bowls. McKay was a bit peeved that titles had been awarded to teams like Alabama in the 1960s, among others, prior to their losing bowl games, but he knew that for a team to be a legitimate winner, they had to emerge from the bowl victorious. A loss to Ohio State would wipe out the whole season and he understood it.

"You can't exactly measure what this game means to the student body," said assistant coach Dave Levy. "South Bend is a long ways away, and the UCLA game is in our own backyard. So the students sometimes get more wound up about that one.

"But for the alumni, and nationwide friends of Southern California, and certainly prestige-wise, the Notre Dame game is the most important thing facing us. It's the greatest of the inter-sectional rivalries. When you get down to it, this is what college football is all about.

"Here you have two great independent universities. In numbers, we probably have more Catholic students than Notre Dame. Through the years each team has come up with top head coaches, nationally recognized, some of them all-time greats. Some of college football's greatest All-Americans have been rivals in this series.

"We're up all week for this one. That's a strange thing for a coach to say, because a football team should be up all the time for every game. The Notre Dame game, though, is different. We don't need to arouse any emotions, or put in any new plays. High emotion just comes naturally. We know that anytime we play Notre Dame, we can get beat. They have the same feeling."

Davis said he had "three accelerations," delighting the writers with his souped-up descriptions of what they had all seen but could not quite believe. The kid had a flair on the field and off. He was a good-looking young buck with an eye for women, which raised a few eyebrows on the USC staff.

Davis supposedly drove a car given him by a booster, which he would park at the steps of Heritage Hall. As anybody familiar with USC knows, this is about 30 yards from the nearest actual parking lot.

At the 502 Club, an off-campus watering hole, Davis once ordered a pitcher of cold brew, then walked away without paying. When questioned by the irascible bartender, a Chicago native named Bernie who suffered fools badly, Davis exclaimed, "I'm A.D.!"

"I don't care if you're Jesus Christ Himself," said Bernie, "that'll be two bucks fifty."

In the pre-Rose Bowl media hoopla, McKay simply disregarded all the usual disclaimers of his team's prowess.

"This team has the best people I've ever had," he said. "We've played a tough schedule, and nobody has come close to beating us."

Ohio State had lost to the same Michigan State team that USC had beaten, 51-6, but Woody's boys beat Michigan to earn their war back to Pasadena. The Big 10 had finally lifted their ridiculous "no-repeat" rule. In addition, 1972 was the first year that freshmen were eligible. The Buckeyes had a good one, running back Archie Griffin.

Once the official pre-game luncheons were underway, McKay found a way to pacify Hayes with praise, sort of.

"If our defense isn't better than it was against Notre Dame we'll be in trouble," he said.

"It remains to be seen whether they'll be able to do anything against our defense," said A.D. "I know I can't in practice. To be in the game with us, you have to be a balanced team and I don't know if they can pass that well."

"If the right play is called against the right defense, there's no way to stop us," said Lynn Swann.

"They can run on just about anyone," said Charles Hinton. "The Big 10's kind of a rough league with all those 'three yards and a cloud of dust' offenses. The Pacific 8 relies more on finesse."

McKay went so far as to say that some of Ohio State's players who had been on the roster of the Buckeyes' 1968 team, which had beaten O.J., 27-16, would not even make this Buckeye team - a claim that seems to have little merit but served to puff up the opposition.

"They've got everything," said Hayes. "They're probably as well balanced a team as has ever stepped on the field. They have great team speed, both on offense and defense. They are faster than Michigan. Faster than us, faster than anybody. They're a lot like Jackie Robinson. Baseball men said he could beat you more ways than anybody else. That's exactly the way Southern Cal is."

It was quite _apropos_ that Sam "Bam" Cunningham, who started his career so spectacularly against Alabama, would end it as the headliner against Ohio State. Sam is a Trojan legend, a Hall of Famer and an all-time great, but his career is overshadowed by some of his more flamboyant teammates and events. Not on New Year's Day, 1973.

The first half was close, though. Swann caught a 10-yard pass after Charles Phillips recovered a fumble on the Buckeye 38. Ohio State tied it up after a 56-yard drive. Pundits felt Ohio State had even outplayed USC.

"McKay got scared a little of Woody Hayes and changed our offense, our blocking schemes, in the first half," said Allan Graf. "It was 7-7, nothing was working. So he said, 'Aw, what the heck,' and changed back to what we'd been doing, and we came back to blow 'em away, 42-17."

USC scored the first five times they had the ball in the second half. Cunningham scored four times, which included his patented "over-the-top" tumbles into the end zone.

"Cunningham had 34 yards going over the top, so I look over at Woody in short sleeves," McKay said on _The History of USC Football_ DVD, in an interview he had recorded some years earlier. "It's cold and miserable, I just want to get out of there, so I just go like this <motions over the top> and that's what he did. I won't tell you what he did to me, but it wasn't nice."

Rae completed 18-of-25 for 229 yards, six to Swann and six to Young. Davis rushed for 157 yards but Cunningham was named Player of the Game.

"I owe Sam something," said McKay. "He was a great runner but I made him a blocker for three years. He's the best runner I ever ruined."

John Bledsoe gave Ohio State a little dignity with a touchdown late to finish it at 42-17.

"Is there anybody else the Associated Press would like us to play?" asked McKay. The Bears, the Jets, the Eagles; there were a few NFL teams that probably were not as good.

Hayes could not say anything bad about USC when it was over.

"Yes, they are the best college football team I've ever seen," Hayes admitted. "Because of their tremendous balance. You can run on them some, as we proved, but in the second half, they passed us right out of the park. At halftime I thought we played them fairly even but I thought the key play was a third-and-18 pass to Swann. We could never stop them after that. Their passing attack was very good. We couldn't stop it, but 11 other teams couldn't either."

"We stuck it to a team that was supposed to be great," said A.D. "If Ohio State is the third best team in the country, and we beat them like this, we must be unstoppable."

Media pundits said USC was not only number one, but numbers "two through three," as well. That was how great the discrepancy was between the Trojan dynasty and the rest of college football in 1972. Very few collegiate teams have ever swept through their schedule the way USC did.

USC had "the best people I've ever had," said McKay. "We've played a tough schedule and nobody has come close to beating us. The only one who can say this is the best team I've ever had is me. And I've just said it."

The national media took McKay's assessment one step further, positing the notion that it was not USC's best team ever, but rather the best team ever, _anywhere._ McKay would eventually make this same statement. He was still saying it when interviewed by this author in 2000. At the time, McKay still hedged his bets, though.

"I wouldn't want to say about it being the best of all time," said McKay. "But I don't think any team has been deeper than us in backs. We have great receivers. We do a lot of things. We have a lot of people. You can't believe how good a quarterback Pat Haden is, and he didn't even get to play much this season." Then he thought about it some more.

"I've never seen a team that could beat it," he stated.

Prior to the game, Hayes had endeared himself to the West Coast press corps by telling his players, "There are some real a------s out here and not one of them wants you to win. Just be darn careful what you say. Just tell them how darn good they and let it go at that."

The Buckeye players were complete gentlemen, but not so Woody. He allegedly slugged an _L.A. Times_ photographer on the field before the game, causing him to be sued. Hayes's frustration apparently had grown out of the fact that, while the Big 10 had won 12 of the first 13 Rose Bowls, they had dropped eight of the previous 13. The loss in 1973 marked their fourth straight defeat in Pasadena.

"My wife says the two persons most responsible for building up West Coast football were myself and <former conference commissioner> Tom Hamilton," Woody said. "Hamilton did a great job out here and I made that statement about four or five teams in our league being better after the game against Southern Cal in 1955. My wife reminded me after the game that I wasn't very diplomatic with that statement, but I was just telling the truth."

Jim Rome and most partisan sports fans use the term "scoreboard" as the final say regarding any argument over what team is better. Hayes may have had the scoreboard on his side when he made his 1955 remark about how many Big 10 teams were better than the best of the PCC. However, the scoreboard was not in his favor, or any Big 10 teams, in the 1960s and '70s. The Pac 8 was the better league by 1972. It was most likely the best conference in the country from the late 1960s to the 1980s. Exactly when it ceded its superiority could be argued, but in the 1970s the best college football in the nation was being played in the Pac 8 (later Pac 10). Obviously, USC was at the zenith of the college game. UCLA was dynamite. Stanford was a power. Washington was getting strong, too.

Further post-Rose Bowl analysis was filled with superlatives such as, "USC has personnel like Kuwait has oil." Washington State coach Jim Sweeney's earlier comment that, "USC isn't the best team in the country; the Miami Dolphins are," was repeated. Miami would finish the NFL season as the only unbeaten Super Bowl champion ever. Superlatives describing Rae, Young, tackle Pete Adams, defensive tackle John Grant, linebacker Richard "Batman" Wood, as well as Davis, McNeill, Cunningham, Swann and others, had a sublime quality to it. The general feeling was that words alone could not accurately depict how much better they were not just of the 1972 competition, but the 1869-1971 competition.

They captured both polls as the first two-poll unanimous selection, as well as the Bob Zuppke Award presented to the "best team playing the toughest schedule."

Tight end Charles Young was a unanimous All-American. The 6-4, 228-pounder was being called the best college tight end ever. He had revolutionized the position in the style of the Colts' John Mackey. A first round pick of Philadelphia, he played for the Eagles and Rams before helping Bill Walsh's San Francisco 49ers win the 1982 Super Bowl. After finishing his career with Seattle, he settled in the Pacific Northwest, becoming an ordained minister. Three of his beautiful daughters ("Charle's angels") ran track at USC. In 2004 he was inducted into the National Football Foundation's Hall of Fame.

"I only averaged one and a half catches per game," said Young in 2005, "but I was still a consensus All-American. That's because I averaged 20 yards a catch. That was the greatest team in the history of college football. We were the most well balanced team on offense and defense ever. I'm not sure the 2005 Trojans are even better than the 2004 team, but I think that if we had played them, we would have shut them out until late in the third quarter."

The great Sam "Bam" Cunningham was ironically underrated during his Trojan days. Because of his game against Alabama, however, there are very few USC athletes whose name is now more recognizable, and whose star shines more brightly 34 years later. Sam was the kind of running back who could have put up enormous numbers at another school where he would have gotten the ball 30-plus times a game. But he sacrificed his touches and his body, as Young did at the tight end position, as a blocking fullback. Others (Clarence Davis in 1970, A.D. in 1972) got the glory. Sam never cared. He just wanted to win.

Despite not having gaudy personal statistics, Cunningham was rewarded with a 1972 All-American selection in his senior year. The captain of the all-time great '72 squad, Sam was the 11th pick of the 1973 draft by the New England Patriots. He played in New England with two former rivals, Alabama's John Hannah and Stanford's Jim Plunkett. He retired after a productive career in 1982. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.

Defensive tackle and defensive end John Grant was an All-American in 1972, too. The Boise, Idaho native played for Denver from 1973 to 1979, including their 1978 Super Bowl loss to Dallas.

Offensive tackle Pete Adams was an All-American, then drafted in the first round by Cleveland, where he played for two seasons.

Two sophomores made All-American. A.D. was an honorable mention selection in 1972. Linebacker "Batman" Wood was a first team pick. In addition to A.D. and Wood, Lynn Swann, Booker Brown, Artimus Parker, Steve Riley, and Charles Phillips, all members of the 1972 squad, would make All-American over the next two years.

10 1972 Trojan seniors were drafted. Edesel Garrison went to the Oilers. Mike Rae became a fixture as Ken Stabler's backup in Oakland, which garnered him a 1977 Super Bowl ring when the team beat Minnesota at the Rose Bowl. Defensive tackle Jeff Winans was chosen in the second round by Buffalo. The New England Patriots chose Allen Gallaher. Karl Lorch (Miami) and Michael Ryan (Oakland) rounded out the draft class.

As if to symbolize how good USC was; in fact many honestly thought they _were_ of NFL caliber, the January 1973 Super Bowl was played at the Coliseum. The team Jim Sweeney said _was_ better than USC, Miami, won it over former UCLA quarterback Billy Kilmer and Washington. It was the second and last Super Bowl at the venerable Coliseum. The Pro Bowl would be played there each year throughout the decade until it was shifted to Honolulu.

41 additional Trojans would be drafted off the 1973-77 teams, most of whom were associated with the 1972 squad in one way or another. Aside from starters and back-ups, this includes recruits, freshmen, red-shirts, and five-year players. Notable names include Lynn Swann, Steve Riley, Rod McNeill, Booker Brown, James Sims, Manfred Moore, Artimus Parker, Anthony Davis, Charles Phillips, Bill Bain, Richard Wood, Allen Carter, Jim Obradovich, Pat Haden, Marvin Cobb (also a baseball player), J.K. McKay, and Bob McCaffrey.

****

The winter of 1972-73 was also a time of great change, and the beginning of great unrest, in America. Richard Nixon's Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, announced shortly before the November 1972 Presidential election that "peace is at hand." This, along with Nixon's "triangulation diplomacy" and opening of China, earned him a staggering victory margin over Democrat George McGovern.

After the "Christmas bombing" campaign of 1972, the North Vietnamese finally capitulated, agreeing to a peace treaty. In early 1973 most of the last troops came home, along with the POWs. Nixon was unable to bask in glory for long. In June of 1972, Republican operatives, led by G. Gordon Liddy, had been caught bugging the Democratic National headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington.

Subsequently, names began to appear connected with "plumbing" operations and "dirty tricks" campaigns. USC's Donald Segretti was, for a short time, the lead name being bandied about in the early reports of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward in the _Washington Post_. His pal, USC's Dwight Chapin, found himself facing a public relation man's nightmare as the scandal progressed.

The years of Republican coach John McKay's greatest triumphs would coincide with his party's greatest disasters.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

A.D. 1973

Greatness interrupted

Entering the 1973 campaign, USC was riding a 12-game winning streak and a 17-game unbeaten skein. They were ranked number one in the nation and looked to be utterly unstoppable.

The 1973 Trojans would have done well to be reminded that despite accolades of greatness exceeding all previous teams, there was a season to be played and very good football teams to be beaten.

McKay may well have looked to two other coaches who were close to him, geographically and otherwise, for advice on how to stay at the very top. His good pal and drinking buddy, USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux, would win his fourth straight national championship in 1973 before making it five in 1974.

Across town, UCLA basketball coach John Wooden had an even more amazing run. His 1972-73 team, led by juniors Bill Walton and Keith Wilkes, was at least up to that time the best college basketball team ever. They broke USF's all-time winning streak of 60, earning Wooden his ninth NCAA title in 10 years.

In 2005, Pete Carroll approached Wooden, now in his 90s, for advice on how to stay at the pinnacle. His 2005 team had eerie pre-season parallels with the 1973-74 UCLA basketball team.

Wooden's team was riding a lofty winning streak and had almost the whole squad returning, including the two best players in the country, Walton and Wilkes. Apparently overtaken by _hubris_ , they had their 88-game winning streak snapped by Notre Dame, then lost to North Carolina State in the Final Four.

Carroll's back-to-back national title team had a 22-game winning streak entering 2005, with the two best players in the country returning, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

1972-74 also marked the "Golden Age" of L.A. sports in particular, and California sports in general. It was a time in which the region and the state produced the best college players as well as the best pro and college teams. New York marked the 1950s as their "Golden Era," what with the Yankees, Dodgers and Giants featuring the three center fielders Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider and Willie Mays, in addition to Frank Gifford's New York _"football Giants_ , _"_ as Howard Cosell called them.

But no kid growing up in New York in the 1950s experienced anywhere near the sports thrills of a kid in L.A., or anyplace in the Golden State for that matter, from the1960s to the 1980s.

USC football would win national championships in 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974 and 1978, with Heisman winners in 1965, 1968, 1979 and 1981. It might also be said that the Trojans of the 1970s were the most purely _exciting_ team ever to take the field!

USC baseball won national championships in 1961, 1963, 1968, from 1970-74, and again in 1978. Cal State Fullerton won the College World Series in 1979 and 1984. Stanford won it in 1987-88.

USC ceded its track dominance over to UCLA. Even Cal won the 1972 NCAA track championship, but had to forfeit it when one of their stars was academically ineligible. UCLA's volleyball and swimming teams were powers. USC and UCLA had enough medals between them at Montreal in 1976 to compete with the U.S. and U.S.S.R. for the lead.

UCLA won the NCAA basketball title from 1964-65, from 1967-73, and again in 1975. UCLA football won the 1966 and 1976 Rose Bowls, while earning a 1967 Heisman.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988 NBA titles.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won two World Series in the 1960s with Sandy Koufax. They went to three more in 1974, 1977 and 1978. They won the 1981 and 1988 World Championships.

The California Angels won the American League West in 1979, 1982 and 1986.

The Los Angeles Rams were perennial division champions under George Allen in the 1960s. They had some of the best teams never to win a Super Bowl in the 1970s. The 1975 Rams were one of the most dominant defensive teams ever assembled. The Rams lost to Pittsburgh, becoming the first team to play a "home game," in the 1980 Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl, before leaving the Coliseum for Anaheim.

Outside of L.A. (but still in California), the San Francisco Giants won the 1962 National League championship. The Giants and Dodgers engaged in exciting in-state pennant races in 1962, 1965, 1966, 1971 and 1982. The San Diego Padres played in the 1984 and 1998 World Series.

The Oakland Athletics won the World Series from 1972-74. They were one of the most colorful sporting outfits ever. The A's would later go to three straight World Series (1988-90), winning the 1989 Fall Classic. They played in two all-California World Series (beating Los Angeles in '74, losing to the Dodgers in '88).

Their Oakland counterparts, the Raiders of the 1970s, may well have been the most dramatically exciting pro football franchise the game has ever known. Owned by the former USC assistant coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Al Davis, they won the 1976 and 1980 World Championships. Oakland (with a roster full of ex-Trojans) won the 1977 Super Bowl playing at the Rose Bowl. The Raiders moved to Los Angeles, becoming USC's neighbor. In 1983, they captured another world title for L.A.

The San Francisco 49ers won three straight NFC West Division titles (1970-72). They were Super Bowl champions in the 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, and 1994 seasons. The 49ers became the first pro football team to win the Super Bowl in their "hometown," when they defeated Miami at Stanford Stadium in 1985. In the 1995 Super Bowl they defeated a California opponent, the San Diego Chargers.

Rick Barry and the Golden State Warriors won the 1975 NBA championship. UCLA's Keith (Jamaal) Wilkes was a standout rookie. The next year, the Warriors advanced to the Western Conference finals with another top rookie, USC's Gus Williams.

Stanford won the 1971 and 1972 Rose Bowls. Their tennis teams, highlighted by John McEnroe (1977) became the top program in the nation.

San Diego State under coach Don Coryell and quarterback Dennis Shaw ran off a string of unbeaten seasons in the late 1960s. Assistants under Coryell included John Madden and Joe Gibbs. Fred Dryer was one of their star players. Coryell moved over to the San Diego Chargers. With Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts (Pete Carroll's boyhood pal and rival), the Chargers of the late 1970s and early '80s were one of the most explosive offensive teams ever assembled.

Not only did great athletes and teams come from California, but the state also produced an uncanny number of great coaches, managers and general managers. Marv Levy (Cal), Bill Walsh (Hayward), George Seifert (San Francisco), Mike Holmgren (San Francisco), John Madden (Daly City), John Robinson (Daly City), Dick Vermeil (Calistoga), Pete Carroll (Marin), Bob Toledo (San Jose), Jack Del Rio (Hayward), Jeff Fisher (Woodland Hills), Joe Gibbs (Santa Fe Springs), Paul Hackett (Orinda), Tom Flores (Fresno), Terry Donahue (Woodland Hills), Norv Turner (Martinez), Jess Hill (Corona), ex-Chargers' G.M. Bobby Beathard (Pete's brother, El Segundo), Steve Lavin (Ross), Ben Howland (Hacienda Heights), Pete Newell (Cal), Alex Hannum (Los Angeles), Bill Sharman (Los Angeles), Tex Winter (Compton), Frank Robinson (Oakland), Billy Martin (Berkeley), Jim Fregosi (San Mateo), Larry Bowa (Sacramento), Dusty Baker (Sacramento), Marcell Lachemann (Los Angeles), Mike Gillespie (Hawthorne), Phillies' G.M. Pat Gillick (USC); just to name a few.

Aside from 1967, 1973 (L.A. Coliseum); 1977, 1980 (Rose Bowl), and 1985 (Stanford); the 1983, 1987, 1993 (Rose Bowl); 1988, 1998, and 2003 Super Bowls (San Diego) were played in California.

California high schools and junior colleges also made their marks in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, establishing the state as the most talent-rich in America. Verbum Dei High, a small Catholic school located a few miles from the USC campus, had one of the most legendary prep basketball runs ever during this period.

Sir Francis Drake High School of San Anselmo broke the all-time California prep basketball winning streak, previously held by Bill Walton's Helix High, in 1982.

1977 national champion Redwood High School of Marin County (near San Francisco) under coach Al Endriss, and Lakewood High School (near Long Beach) under coach John Herbold, dominated CIF-North Coast Section and Southern Section baseball, respectively.

While Moeller High of Cincinnati was the most celebrated high school football power of the era, great players and teams like John Elway at Granada Hills, Charlie White at San Fernando and Jay Schroeder at Palisades competed in the L.A. City Section. Powerhouses emerged at Loyola of L.A., Long Beach Poly, Huntington Beach Edison and Santa Ana Mater Dei in the Southern Section.

City College of San Francisco built on the tradition established by O.J. to become the top junior college football power in the U.S. Under baseball coach Wally Kincaid, Cerritos J.C. was one of the most dominant programs at any level from the 1960s to the 1980s. Compton Junior College was a basketball dynasty in the 1960s.

Many, many Trojans played on all these these great high school, pro and college teams, and in these exciting games.

****

Considering how awesome his 1972 team was, what prognosticators thought his 1973 team would be, and the veritable "farm system" of California sports talent that existed - mostly within 50 miles' radius of the USC campus - just begging to sign with the Trojans, John McKay could not be blamed for overconfidence. Everything that he and USC touched was turned instantly to gold in those days.

His 1973 team was good. Darn good. But it was a disappointment by USC's - and McKay's - high, maybe impossibly high, standards. This is not to blame McKay. He was a workaholic, and a slightly paranoid one at that. In examining why his team dropped a notch, there seems little that can be used to blame the coach. By this point he was such an icon that the once-critical L.A. press gave him a pass, as well.

Signs that greatness and press clippings could get into the heads of his charges first appeared in the wee early-morning hours of January 1973, when Davis crashed his 1969 Triumph sports car into a telephone pole in nearby Inglewood. He suffered an injury to his Achilles heel, which to readers of Homer's _Iliad and the Odyssey_ carried chilling metaphorical resonance.

The injury was minor and never would slow A.D. down on the field. What some might have felt likely was prosecutable drunk driving was, in those innocent days, likely covered up by Trojan friendly authorities. But the incident partly portended the disruption of a beautiful era; the era of Dave Brown and his Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Those guys had been sophomores on the 1970 team that traveled to Birmingham; juniors on the racially divided 1971 team that had gotten together at a prayer meeting just in time to beat Notre Dame; as seniors they were untouchable.

Now, in January 1973, they were still in school. It was the beginning of the last semester in most of their USC careers. Graduation for most would occur in May. They were still awash in the glory light of victory over Ohio State, but now were finding themselves in a strange twi-light time of college life.

Davis was still a "member of the team." They no longer were. They were like ghosts on campus. All the hard work and sacrifice they had put in would have to be repeated by a younger generation if that generation hoped to match their deeds. They were like parents who must ruefully acknowledge that all their experience cannot be translated to their kids, who would have to learn from their own mistakes.

When accusatory letters came in, Davis did not humble himself. Rather, he took on a defiant tone, stating that he would make his detractors "eat their words." Perhaps had A.D. sustained a real injury, it would have been a good wake-up call for him. Instead, he was up and starring for the Trojan baseball team that won the College World Series that year. In no time he was talking to the press about winning the Heisman.

His sophomore numbers: 19 touchdowns, 1,191 yards, six touchdowns against Notre Dame, made him a strong Heisman favorite, perhaps even _the_ favorite, as a junior. He was as confident as any Trojan before or since.

"Coach," A.D. had said to McKay when Notre Dame made the score 25-23 in 1972, "you sure look worried."

"I said I was," McKay recalled. "Then Anthony went out and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. One thing sure about A.D. - he believes in himself. He doesn't have a confidence problem."

Davis was not a big man: 5-9, 183 pounds. He had starred at San Fernando High during the heyday of their football glory. At USC he wore number 28. He seemed to be built like a bowling bowl made of muscle. Old film clips reveal what in many ways is a running style as intimidating as any of the great ones, including O.J.

He had speed, but also a very high steppin' style. His knees seemed to dig into his chest as he tore into the run, making bringing him down like trying to tackle a fast-moving farm implement.

At practice one day, A.D. expressed that he could kick better than USC's kickers. McKay gave him a shot, and he was right. Despite his fun-loving ways, A.D. flourished under the discipline imposed by McKay and his staff, although nobody ever accused the "little white-haired man" of being a martinet in the Vince Lombardi mold. But McKay expected his rules to be obeyed, his players to be on time, his standards met. If not, he usually had some guy who was the _Parade_ High School Player of the Year waiting in the wings just in case.

A.D. was indeed a blue chipper coming in, a guy expected to follow in the footsteps of Garrett, Simpson and Clarence Davis. He fully expected this of himself. Davis's confidence was in many ways a mask, though. He was a proud kid who had worked hard to overcome some obstacles. He drove a nice car and many to this day joke about how he got it, but he adamantly insisted that he bought it by working summers in L.A.'s mid-Wilshire museum district.

As a kid, he had survived the mean streets of San Fernando, and had a knife wound to prove it. He ran away from gunshots, all the way to the football field. Once on it, he ran _towards_ the goal line. A.D. was a sharp fellow, urbane even as a youth. Like many USC athletes, he had a flair for media relations. Like O.J., he took to the opportunities afforded him at a great university. A.D. made excellent marks as an urban affairs major.

Possibly to deflect attention from his car accident, A.D. claimed not to drink. With a straight face, he also said that he told USC's bevy of beauties during the season, "Don't get in my way, and I won't get in yours." This brings laughter to those who know him.

Against Arkansas in the 1973 season opener, before 73,231 in a night game at the Coliseum, A.D. was trapped for some big losses in USC's 17-0 win. Crestfallen, he approached Coach McKay on Monday looking for answers. McKay told him that he was analyzing himself too much. A.D. was in some ways a victim of his own success. Because he so often broke long gains, he wanted them on every play, when a four- or five-yard spurt was all the team really needed at the time.

"My style is to scratch and claw for every yard," he said. "If two yards are there, I'll take them and hope for more. I get like a psycho on the field, man. I think of something that may have happened to me on the street somewhere, and I make up my mind it's going to be me handing out the punishment. I didn't do that against Arkansas."

A.D. also found himself running without Cunningham's blocking. Suddenly he was the target of every team's defensive schemes. Georgia Tech put everything they had into stopping him. A.D. was not pleased with his 71 yards in a 23-6 victory on a muggy Atlanta afternoon.

"Anthony Davis is the least of my worries," was McKay's response.

Writers pointed to the auto accident. A.D. adamantly denied any pain or loss of flexibility. The truth is, USC had lost some of the greatest blockers of all time.

"People keep asking, 'Where's Anthony Davis? Is he still injured?' " said A.D., going on to point out that the team was young and he did not have "an 'S' on my chest," denoting Superman. A.D. pointed out that Charles Young, Pete Adams, Allan Graf, Mike Ryan, Dave Brown and Sam Cunningham had once blocked for him. Now they were all "in the pros. Man, how do you replace guys like those? It takes time."

Number eight Oklahoma came to town for a battle of titans against top-ranked Troy. A.D. injured his ankle. The teams battled to a 7-7 tie. The unbeaten streak was still intact, but the game was a downer. USC dropped to number four after a lackluster win over a bad Oregon State team in front of 21,732 in rainy Corvallis. A.D. publicly dropped his Heisman campaign, sounding like a Presidential candidate after losing a succession of primaries.

Victories followed, but when USC ventured into South Bend on October 27, none of Dave Brown's FCA _mojo_ was with them. The Irish were unbeaten. They had all the tools to put a perfect season together. They must have been wondering why they continued this goldarned rivalry with that team from Los Angeles who put a crimp in their plans every year. But the stars were aligned correctly for them this time around.

Junior quarterback Pat Haden, California's all-time high school passing record holder, was in charge of the USC offense. Coach McKay had yet to give him free reign in the expansion of the aerial attack. A Catholic kid and lifelong Notre Dame fan, Haden was in over his head his first time at bat in South Bend.

The Irish played as if they had 15 guys on the field. Certainly, their great crowd was the vaunted "12th man." A huge bonfire and pre-game rally the night before had the faithful stirred to a fever pitch. It was a scene few teams can compete against. USC had gone into this house and quieted everybody down on more than a few occasions. They carried all the swagger and confidence that makes this rivalry the very best. But Notre Dame had the team to beat them. They held A.D. to 55 yards (he did score once) in a 23-14 victory.

Tom Clements was no Joe Theisman, but he did what Theisman never could, which was engineer victory over the Trojans. Erick Penick proved to be, on this day at least, A.D.'s equal. Haden began hooking up with Lynn Swann in the second half, hitting him for a 27-yard touchdown, but it was not enough. USC's chances went down the drain when A.D. lost a fumble in the fourth quarter. A desperation try late also fell short when, after catching a nice pass from Haden for a 23-yard gain, J.K. McKay fumbled. USC refused to go down easily, battling and clawing back...like Trojans. Haden had them driving with 2:32 to go when Luther Bradley intercepted his pass. The Irish ran out the clock.

Columnists across the nation said this one was as big if not bigger than Notre Dame's stopping of the unbeaten winning streaks of Army (1946), Oklahoma (1957), and Texas (1971).

A national magazine responded to the game by calling A.D. and the Trojans a "comparative bust." It goes down as one of Notre Dame's all-time greatest victories. It was USC over the previous 10 contests that had often denied them access to the national championship many Irish fans feel is rightfully theirs. This time, in beating their greatest foe, they cleared the path and would go on to an beaten season, culminated by a stirring victory over Alabama to give them the title.

Notre Dame's resurgence did not come without a cost. They had begun to recruit the kind of athletes who could compete with the likes of USC, but at the price of some of their vaunted academic and moral integrity, a tightrope the school has walked for many years. It was around this period that some off-field criminal behavior became apparent in South Bend. One particularly galling incident involved the sexual assault of a coed by a gang of football players.

A video documentary of Notre Dame football history focused on the 1973 USC game, with particularly impassioned footage of basketball coach Digger Phelps addressing a rabid student body at a rally the night before a later game. In truth, Phelps made a series of disclaimers before concluding to thunderous cheers, "but we beat Southern Cal" in 1973.

Over time, those who choose to make fun of Notre Dame lampooned Digger's remarks. One "version" of the speech might go like this:

"We didn't meet our graduation standards the last few years. We got crime in the streets of South Bend. We got Irish football stars in jail for gang rape. BUT WE BEAT SOUTHERN CAL!!!"

It was spoof of course, but USC supporters made note that Notre Dame, like Cal and Stanford, could be hypocritical in comparing their academic record with USC's, especially at a time when the Trojans were graduating Rhodes Scholars and the like.

Davis got himself back in good graces with a five-touchdown performance in a 50-14 stomping at Berkeley. Stanford gave them all they could handle before 63,806 in L.A. Southern California scored 10 points in the last 2:10, including the game-winner with three seconds left, to capture a miraculous 27-26 win over the Cardinal. For McKay, it was not the "2,000 point" victory margin he wanted, but it steered his team towards a showdown with UCLA for the Rose Bowl.

88,037 filled the Coliseum for one of the most meaningful USC-UCLA games ever. The Trojans were ranked ninth, the Bruins' eighth. Truth be told, UCLA had more weapons. They were 9-1, averaging 45 points a game, and likely had what it took to beat any time in the nation on a given Saturday, including Notre Dame, Alabama or Oklahoma. Their only defeat had been the season-opener against Nebraska. Pepper Rodgers' veer offense was all-but unstoppable. They were a rushing juggernaut led by sophomore sensation John Sciarra.

Sciarra, after sitting behind his friend Haden, had beaten out Mark Harmon, was running the UCLA offense like a machine, and now was facing his old Bishop Amat teammates. Sciarra was not a great pure passer type, but he was a terrific athlete who would be a top-notch defensive back in Philadelphia. He had two great weapons to hand off to, running backs Kermit Johnson and James McAlister.

"I just don't see how USC is going to defense us," Johnson made the mistake of saying. He had 1,022 yards and 15 touchdowns. "They'll be thinking so much about our running game that our passers will sneak right by them - and that will be it. I can't see any way they can stop us."

"I was afraid against USC last year," said McAlister, "and so were a lot of other guys. But we're not afraid any longer. They are going to get theirs."

Junior All-American linebacker Richard Wood laid McAlister out on the first play from scrimmage, stood over him, and announced, _"You know who you are playing now?!"_

The Bruins were still afraid, fumbling four times and throwing two picks. A.D. scored, Haden passed for a touchdown to McKay, and a field goal took care of the rest in the 23-13 win. In addition to Wood, Monte Doris and Dale Mitchell had field days for USC.

"We hand the ball over six times to zero for them," Rodgers lamented. "Can you believe that? Six to zero.

"Aw well. They've got six All-Americans. Who can play against a team with that many All-Americans?"

The tables were turned on USC in the 1974 Rose Bowl game. The Trojans proved to be human. Haden was talented, but still a junior. Anthony Davis was excellent, but not as spectacular as many expected him to be. Woody Hayes and Ohio State were back. This time they were loaded for bear. They went through the regular season in phenomenal manner until a surprising 10-10 tie with Michigan. The Michigan game gave USC and the West Coast "experts" a false confidence that the Pacific 8 was superior to the old "three yards and a cloud of dust" offense. The failure of either team to consistently move the ball against each other in the Ohio State-Michigan contest was cited as proof that the Big 10 was out of sync with the modern game, which McKay was seen as the master of.

Michigan also felt they had been unfairly denied a trip to Pasadena, which under the old "no-repeat" rule they would have earned. Despite question marks, Southern Cal still fielded the best athletes in the country. All-American "Batman" Wood, tackles Booker Brown and Steve Riley, safety Artimus Parker, tailback Anthony Davis, quarterback Pat Haden and split end J.K. McKay had all the tools.

The tie with Oklahoma was now seen as an example of how strong they were, since the Sooners under coach Barry Switzer were a juggernaut. The loss to Notre Dame was an aberration, but the Irish had run the table, thus strengthening the argument that USC was still at the top, or close to it.

The two clubs played each other tough - just like the year before - and went into the half tied at 14. USC took a 21-14 lead and may have gotten a little full of themselves. The Buckeyes came roaring back with four consecutive scores in a convincing 42-21 win.

Ohio State quarterback Cornelius Greene went to the air eight times and completed six for 129 yards. Sophomore sensation Archie Griffin was the difference: 149 yards.

"I think it's the greatest victory Ohio State ever had," said Woody Hayes, which probably said as much about Southern California as it did about Ohio State. It was certainly a huge boost for the sagging Big 10 Conference.

"I guess that we know how Ohio State felt last year, and they no know how we felt then," said Lynn Swann. "It's a big difference."

McKay had given Hayes's Buckeyes props all along, calling Ohio State the best team the Trojans played all year. Afterward he added, "I'm not going to go back on my word and as I said, Ohio State is the best team we've played this year."

A.D. gained 74 yards against Ohio State to finish with more than 1,000 yards on the season with 14 touchdowns.

"I wasn't disappointed with the yardage I got this year," he said. "Any time a back can get 1,000 yards with an inexperienced line is good. My goal was to get to the Rose Bowl \- I reached that."

A.D. was denied a repeat All-American selection, however.

"I don't think All-American means that much because I don't have to prove what I can do," he said. "There were a lot of running backs in the country this year, and the All-Americans were picked on statistics, nothing else. People who pick them don't look at schedules. I think we had the toughest schedule in the nation...

"The Buckeyes were physical," A.D. added. "But that's no surprise, I knew they would be."

The 1973 Trojans (9-2-1) finished number eight in the AP poll. USC had five All-Americans. Richard Wood repeated the trick. Lynn Swann made it. The team captain and MVP, he would be inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 1993. He won the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award in 1999. He also earned the Pop Warner Award, given to the outstanding player on the West Coast. Swann was a first round selection of the up-and-coming Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers, led by quarterback Terry Bradshaw, had been a Play-Off team in 1972 and 1973, but could not get past the Miami Dolphins. It was Swann who made the difference in their offense. Swann starred on four Steelers' Super Bowl champions. He was the Moist Valuable Player in Super Bowl X, a 21-17 thriller over Dallas. A perennial All-Pro, the acrobatic receiver was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001. Handsome and erudite, Swann also followed in the footsteps of Trojans (while paving the way for others) into the world of sports broadcasting.

Swann spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. As of this writing, he is contemplating politics in Pennsylvania.

Offensive tackle-guard Booker Brown made All-American. He played for the San Diego Chargers and in the old World Football League.

Safety Artimus Parker was an All-American. He played for Philadelphia and the New York Jets. He died an untimely death in 2004.

Offensive tackle Steve Riley, after earning All-American honors, was a first round pick by Minnesota, where he played in Super Bowl losses to Pittsburgh (with Lynn Swann) in 1975 and Oakland (with Clarence Davis, Willie Hall, Mike Rae and John Vella) in 1977.

Nine Trojans were drafted from 1973, two in the first round. McNeill (Saints), Moore (49ers), James Sims (Giants), Monte Doris (Packers) and Charles Anthony (Chargers) rounded out the draft.

McKay gathered the press together and said of Moore, one of his favorite players, "If it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure Manfred Moore gets drafted into the NFL." Moore went to San Francisco and later played for McKay at Tampa Bay. In 1976 he became "expendable." McKay arranged a trade for Malcolm to go to Oakland, a special favor. Moore had grown up in Richmond, an East Bay city near Oakland, before moving to San Fernando. He had won championships playing at the Coliseum (L.A. City) and the Rose Bowl (national champion). Now he would win a Super Bowl ring with the '76 Raiders at the Rose Bowl. He always maintained a special place in his heart for the "little white-haired man" who had given him a chance.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

THE MOST EXCITING TEAM EVER

The thrills, spills and pure, unadulterated joyride that was the 1974 USC football season

After a hard spring practice in 1974, John McKay exclaimed, "We have the best players, and I am the best coach, and we should win."

While this may have been said "tongue in cheek," it was the kind of bold statement coaches do not make any more. It is cause for refreshing nostalgia when reminiscing on McKay.

The 1973 Trojans had to replace 19 of 22 starters, but this year's team would only be replacing eight of 22. Then McKay got "serious."

"We have as good a chance as anybody to be number one," he said. "The defense will be better this year, and we won't allow as many points."

A.D., now a senior, assumed a leadership role, his auto accident in the past. He became a young man who respected the Trojan past, and his role in the tradition of Morley Drury, Gus Shaver, Jon Arnett, C.R. Roberts, Mike Garrett, Clarence Davis and O.J. Simpson.

"To play tailback at USC, you have to be a super athlete, super enthusiastic about physical condition," said McKay. "You have to be in great shape, because you'll never get a chance to loaf. And you have to have a burning desire to excel."

The terms Student Body Right and "Tailback U.," localized terms in Los Angeles, were now national monikers that America associated with John McKay and the University of Southern California. In 1974, A.D. told whoever would listen that he was better than O.J. and would win the Heisman Trophy. He was the most flamboyant of any runner who played for Howard Jones, Jess Hill, John McKay, John Robinson or Pete Carroll. His high steppin' style and end zone "knee dances" were synonymous with the Billy "White Shoes" Johnson style that characterized black running backs of the 1970s.

While A.D. garnered all the attention, a sophomore emerged in 1974 who was the anti-A.D.

"Spiking," said 6-2, 215-pound Ricky Bell, "is not my style."

Haden passed for 1,832 yards in 1973 with a club-leading 1,988 yards of total offense, but he would pass only about a dozen times per game in 1974.

"I'm only a handoff artist," he half-complaining.

This fact is surprising, because the image many have of 1974, while it most certainly includes the running artistry of A.D., also includes Haden making some of the most dramatic tosses in Trojan lore.

Despite the highlight films, Haden threw fewer passes than any USC quarterback since Troy Winslow in 1966. A.D. ran for 1,430 yards. Nevertheless, Haden was the greatest USC quarterback of all time, at least until Paul McDonald (1978-79), Rodney Peete in the 1980s, and very possibly until Carson Palmer in the 2000s.

The real-life _All In the Family_ scenario of Haden and the McKays had played itself out to the nth degree, replete with shop-worn tales of college recruiters running a gauntlet of McKay's in the vain attempt to sign Haden.

"I'm not worried about losing" either J.K. or Haden, McKay said. "One sleeps in the upstairs bedroom and I sleep with the other one's mother."

According to stories, J.K. liked to party. It was a constant struggle for Pat to avoid the temptation of leaving the books for fun with his friend. However he did it, Haden maintained a near-perfect grade point average, earning a Rhode's Scholarship upon graduation.

Haden studied political science at Oxford College in England in the off-seasons, while at the same time walking the tightrope of being a pro quarterback. He played in the old World Football League before signing with the Los Angeles Rams. He led the Rams to the 1976 National Football Conference championship game - at the Coliseum. An uncharacteristic rainstorm left the field a muddy quagmire. He was unable to overcome the Minnesota Vikings.

After a few years in the NFL, Haden went on to Loyola University Law School in Los Angeles. He earned a prestigious clerkship under a judge, graduated and passed the bar. He became a top corporate attorney with a firm in downtown L.A., but later moved to the Newport Beach office. Haden was approached on various occasions about running for Congress in San Marino and later Newport Beach. Many assumed he was a Republican. Both those places were GOP strongholds. Haden maintained a detached bi-partisanship, never getting into the sticky game of political campaigning.

Handsome and obviously articulate, Haden has for years been a fixture as a college football analyst. For a good many years he was the color man alongside the great Keith Jackson. Many Trojan and John McKay stories were uttered from the booth. In 2005, he broadcast USC's thrilling win at Notre Dame, 34-31 for NBC.

J.K. was another Trojan who put the lie to the "dumb jock" image. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Obviously his undergraduate party habits were not enough to keep him from graduating from USC and Stetson University Law School before becoming a real estate attorney in L.A. He worked with Ed Roski and has been very active in trying to build a new stadium, trying to bring pro football back to Los Angeles after the 1995 departure of the Rams and Raiders.

Haden played in three Rose Bowls and won two national title rings. After the opener of the 1974 season that second ring looked distant. It was back to Little Rock, site of the 1972 opener, against an Arkansas team that had lost to SC two straight years by a combined total of 48-10. Troy was experienced, talented...and overconfident.

"I was horrible," Haden said on _The History of USC_ DVD. "I think I didn't throw a pass to our own team 'til the third quarter. I had four interceptions. John Robinson was our quarterbacks coach, and we had spent the summer working on the passing game, and we'd convinced McKay to throw the ball more, but it only took one game to convince him to go back to the running game. But we were pre-season number one, so it looked tough, but then we came back and beat a real good Pittsburgh team with Tony Dorsett, we did tie Cal at the Coliseum, but other than that we kind of ran through the schedule, we really started getting momentum."

USC opened the season with two straight road games, an oddity since McKay always preached opening against patsies, playing a soft schedule and avoiding "lion's dens." He never practiced what he preached!

Against Tony Dorsett and eighth-ranked Pittsburgh, USC prevailed, 16-7. UCLA fell, 34-9. Sciarra and backup Jeff Dankworth were out with injuries. Haden, Davis and McKay led a balanced offense while Richard Wood and defensive back Charles Phillips keyed the defense. A.D finished with 194 yards. It was USC's largest margin of victory in the City Game since 1944. It was also USC's fifth straight win over UCLA with the Rose Bowl on the line.

"I don't think our '74 team was not as talented as '72," said J.K. McKay. "Like I say, I think that team was the best ever, but we were pretty good. We went to Arkansas and got off to a horrible start, we had a safety, a couple of things happened to us."

The 1974 Trojans were _not_ the greatest team in school history, or McKay's greatest squad. That said, they symbolize everything that USC football stands for in its 117-year history. They are the _most exciting team in college football history_. The '74 team stands as the centerpiece of what John Robinson called a "Camelot" era, in which the team did not just win, and not just win national championships; rather, they won in the manner of a team possessed by other-worldly powers. There was a spiritual dimension to them rarely seen in sports. In pro football, Roger Staubach's Dallas Cowboys and Ken Stabler's Oakland Raiders approached this kind of dramatic impact. Nobody else in college, not even Notre Dame and their "wins for the Gipper," approach the excitement level of USC which, frankly, extends from the 1964 to 1982 Notre Dame games.

After the Fertig-to-Sherman pass to beat the Irish in 1964, the Cardiac Kids of 1969 had added to the mystique. Beating segregated Alabama, toppling Joe Theisman in a downpour despite his 500 yards passing, then the 2-4 Trojans knocking off Notre Dame after Dave Brown's FCA demonstration: all of this adds up to the "conclusion" that _something_ was going on at USC. Something that goes beyond what is seen by the naked eye.

The first 10 games of the 1974 season had produced a ranking of sixth in the nation. Nice, but possibly a little disappointing by the standards now being upheld by McKay's program. None of the games were world-beaters in terms of excitement.

The following two games, however, were beyond the very bounds of legend. They were superhuman, touched by the guiding hand of God. The notion of USC being a team favored by the Almighty, if not considered a distinct possibility, actually became an article of faith among many. Who can say? What can be said is that those games are the epitome of excitement, drama and the Trojan anthems, _"Fight On!"_ and _"Conquest."_

Are there better college football games than the 1974 USC-Notre Dame? Well, from where Notre Dame sits, there are. That said, the '74 battle is spoken of to this day even in South Bend. In amazement.

In terms of close games with fantastic finishes, the 1931 and 1964 games were better. So, too, would the 1978 game. In 2005, Troy just might have outdone the 1974 team, but that tale is for later pages.

The 1967 USC-UCLA game was a "better game," by the standards that this term would be judged by. So, too, would the Rose Bowl game between USC and Ohio State played a month later.

But for Trojan fans, at least, the 1974 Notre Dame game was the single finest sporting event ever played. Period. There is no real argument. Not if you root for Southern California. Considering that the 2005 game was played at Notre Dame, at the very least the 1974 thriller remains at the top of games played in L.A.

_Sports Illustrated_ ran it as its headline, showing A.D. sprinting for touchdowns next to the headline, "California Earthquake." A wonderfully memorable photo accompanied it.

Notre Dame was not known for its beautiful women. They had resisted cheerleaders for years, but by 1974 they had them on the sidelines. The S.I. photo showed two Notre Dame lasses - quite attractive, actually - crying at the Coliseum.

The game embodied so much. Part of it was revenge. Revenge for the 1966 51-0 debacle; a definitive statement by Southern California, a challenge to the assertion that Notre Dame was still the top banana in college football, despite USC's great resurgence of the 1960s and 1970s. They were a frustrating nut to crack. They still led the all-time series with USC. Every time it looked like the Trojans were going to break through, leaving no doubt that they were the superior football tradition, the Irish upset them. It had happened in 1973. It would happen again in 1977. By the mid-2000s the demon seems to finally have been exorcised, but...

"Before I came to the West Coast, I was a Notre Dame fan," McKay said in an interview replayed on _The History of USC_ DVD. " I'm an Irish Catholic, so growing up in a small town in West Virginia, Notre Dame was my team."

"The Notre Dame game's special to him," said Craig Fertig. "It's like two heavyweight fighters in a street fight. He'd go on and on, saying, 'You don't know how lucky you are to play in this game.' "

"We had dominated the half, we're up 24-0," said Ara Parseghian. "They scored on the last play of the first half, but that didn't bother me because we'd done very well in the first half."

"I said, 'Gentlemen, we're behind,' and two fellows who were math majors raised their hands and said, 'That's right,' " said McKay.

Fertig: "McKay said to us, 'We're gonna return this second half kickoff. Mosi Tatupu, there's no rule in this game against blocking, so if we get off our rear end, and David Farmer, if you two guys protect somebody, we'll return it 98 yard for a touchdown.' He was wrong, it was 102 yards."

"I never saw a kick like this in two years," said A.D. "End over end, right in my hands, two yards back in the end zone. I always had a seven-yard relationship with my wedge, so every time they hit a defender, I was making my break, and I was always giving myself three ways to run, so I hit the wedge, opened to the left, hit the sideline. I got the angle, and I tell you that's the fastest I ever ran, because I ran that angle and it was over. We scored _49 points in 10 minutes!"_

Parshegian: "We were trying to kick the ball away from him. I said to our kicker to kick it to one side or the other, whatever you feel most comfortable with. I remember it most vividly. And he kicks it _right to_ Anthony and he comes up, to the left sideline right in front of us, and I had to resist trying to bring him down, not that could have."

Keith Jackson: "You started looking for a brick mason, because you knew there was trouble comin' fast. The crick was risin' and it overflowed, and once it got started... _whoosh_... it was over That was truly, genuinely the night that Ara Parshegian learned to hate that damn white horse."

McKay: "I am honest when I say to people who ask me what happened, I say I have no idea what happened, but I guarantee I was there. And I clapped."

Fertig: "We scored 36 points in the third quarter against the number one defensive football team in the country, and Coach motioned to me, late in the third quarter, and said, 'Craig,' and I said, 'Yes, sir,' and he looked around and said, 'Damnedest thing I ever seen. That's what they call coaching.' "

"We turned into madmen," said A.D.

"I can't understand it," J.K. McKay said in the locker room. "I'm gonna sit down tonight and have a beer and think about it. Against Notre Dame? Maybe against Kent State...but Notre Dame?"

So what, _exactly_ , happened? This author was a columnist for _StreetZebra_ magazine in Los Angeles in the 1990s and early 2000s, tasked with covering the USC sports beat. The highlight of the monthly magazine was a feature called "Distant Replay," which detailed great events in Southern California athletic history. In November 2000, this appeared in _StreetZebra_. Note that the article states at the end, " USC won the national championship again in 1978, but in recent years they have had to live on memories.

"But man, what memories they are!"

Obviously, times have changed since its 2000 publication.

It Wasn't A Football Game. It Was A Sighting! By Steven Travers

It was not a sporting event, it was a Roman orgy. USC was not a football team, they were Patton's Army moving through the Low Countries, Grant taking Richmond, the Wehrmacht during the Blitzkrieg.

For SC coach John McKay, it was not about coaching, it was about destiny.

"If I was in control," he says, "we would have scored more than six points in the first half."

For Trojan fans, it was not a game, it was a sighting. It was Fatima, Lourdes and the Burning Bush combined.

For Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian, it was the Seventh Circle of Hell, The Twi-Light Zone, "Chef's head" in Apocalypse Now.

For the Irish, it was their worst disaster since the potato famine.

It was a 17-minute Southern California earthquake, epicentered at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a fall Saturday in 1974. It was felt as far away as South Bend, Indiana, and the after-shocks reverberate to this day.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were the defending national champions. En route to an undefeated 1973 season, they had smoked Southern Cal at South Bend. Notre Dame gave up 2.2 yards per rush and eight touchdowns in their previous 1974 games, and victory over SC would put them in a position to finish number one again. SC was playing for the top slot, too. A national television audience tuned in to the biggest game of the year, and 83,552 filled the Coliseum.

A typical SC-Notre Dame game.

In the first half, Notre Dame outclassed USC in every way, breaking out to a 24-0 lead, and their fans were in Full Gloat.

SC managed a touchdown on a swing pass from quarterback Pat Haden to tailback Anthony Davis with 10 seconds left in the first half, but the extra point failed. 24-6.

"I told them that if Davis runs the second half kickoff back for a touchdown we would win the game," said McKay. Over the years, McKay's remarks were changed to "Davis will run the second half kickoff back for a touchdown," but like everything else that day, his words are now legend and myth.

The first 17 minutes of the second half were the most exciting in college football and Los Angeles sports history.

Kickoff to Davis, who runs it 102 yards for a touchdown, two-point conversion fails. 12-24.

Haden to J.K. McKay for 31 yards, followed by Davis for a six-yard touchdown scamper, kick good. 19-24.

Kevin Bruce recovers a Notre Dame fumble, two long Haden pass completions, Davis four yards, touchdown, then Davis dives in to complete the two-point conversion. 27-24, SC. 6:23 gone in the quarter. Madhouse.

Marvin Cobb returns a punt 56 yards for Troy, Haden to McKay. 34-24, 9:23 gone in the third.

Charles Phillips intercepts Irish quarterback Tom Clements' pass, Haden hits McKay from 44 yards out, period ends, 41-24.

Bruce recovers another fumble, Haden to Shelton Diggs, 16 yards. 48-24.

Phillips' third interception is returned 58 yards for a touchdown. 17 minutes after it started, 55-24.

McKay normally stood calmly amid the bedlam, arms crossed like a commuter waiting for the 5:30 to Larchmont. This time, he lost control, hugging Haden (who lived in his house his senior year at Bishop Amat High), his son, J.K. (Haden's best friend), and Davis, all at the same time. None of the players weighed more than 183 pounds.

"There have never been three smaller kids who have done so much so often," he said, managing to sound like Winston Churchill.

Up in the broadcast booth, Ohio State coach Woody Hayes must have felt like a Prussian military commander with a binocular-view of Napoleon's Italian Campaign, knowing he would have to face them down the road. The USC rooting section started chanting, "Woody, you're next!" in reference to the upcoming Rose Bowl.

With 13 minutes left, the Trojans had conquered Ireland, but before they could roll over Austria, Poland and Denmark, McKay pulled his starters in favor of Vince Evans and Rob Adolph.

Davis proved himself the best college football player in America that day, but because it was played on a late date, ballots for the Heisman Trophy were mailed prior to his performance. Ohio State's Archie Griffin won it instead.

The game left Notre Dame at 9-2-0. Southern California was not as phenomenal in their New Year's Day game with the Buckeyes. In keeping with the comeback theme, though, Haden combined with McKay and Diggs to bring his team down the field for a touchdown and a two-point conversion, good for the 18-17 victory, a 10-1-1 record, and the national championship. In those days, not only was USC unbelievably good, but they were as exciting as any team ever.

Parseghian never coached after that season. Rumors have it he sees a therapist to combat visions of a white horse constantly running around a field. McKay left for Tampa Bay and pro doldrums. USC won the national championship again in 1978, but in recent years they have had to live on memories.

But man, what memories they are!

****

USC had little national championship hope prior to the Notre Dame game. The Irish were ahead of them, along with five other teams.

"I think Ohio State was favored and we had to beat them and two or three other teams had to lose for us to win a national championship," said Charles Phillips. "And everything had to fall in place."

NCAA probation and "two or three other teams" losing, along with beating Ohio State, would indeed fall into place, giving the Trojans the title. But in reality, their hopes were not particularly good... until the Notre Dame game. Their performance against Notre Dame, on national TV, was so spectacular, so gaudy, so phantasmagorical, that it had the country buzzing about the Trojans.

It was Ohio State and Woody Hayes again. Hayes had of course been sitting in the press box listening to USC fans chanting, "Woody, you're next." Hayes seemed to heed the warning. He knew what USC was all about, making a key point to avoid bulletin board material. But cornerback Neal Colzie, a very talented player, made a few intemperate remarks, aggravating USC further when the game started by showing himself to be very demonstrative; taunting, name-calling.

106,721 filled the Arroyo Seco for the most exciting Rose Bowl game ever played. If Trojan fans thought the Notre Dame "earthquake" would carry over into a rout of Ohio State, they were given a quick, rude awakening by the Big 10 champions. Ranked third in the nation and very much in the hunt for number one, Ohio State hit hard. They featured Griffin, the Heisman winner who should not have been - but he was still a great player.

At the half, it was a typical USC-Ohio State Rose Bowl; low scoring with the Buckeyes leading, 7-3. This time it would continue to be a defensive struggle until the end. Then came the fireworks.

After a scoreless third quarter, Ohio State scored 10 points against a Haden-to-Jim Obradovich touchdown pass. It was 17-10, Ohio State. Two minutes remained. Then Haden went to work.

"Sometimes in sports people are talking about how time slowed down, it was one of those magical moments for me, when everything seemed calm, quiet," said Haden on _The History of USC Football_ DVD, "and I had great pass protection, and then it was a pass in the end zone, a corner route that J.K. and I had thrown for 20 years."

"It was first down on the 38-yard line," said J.K., "and my dad called, I think as best I recall, '64 X corner,' and I was on the sideline at the time, and I honestly told him, I didn't think I could run the corner on the guy, because he was sitting outside me the whole time, and he just looked at me and said, 'Run the 64 X Corner', and it took - you watch Haden when he throws the pass - he always says how long it took me to get open, and on this particular play it took forever. Haden makes a great throw and it's just one of those moments, in the corner of the end zone, since I was a little kid I'd hung out in that corner, and to actually have my college career end in that corner, that was something I'll always remember."

Now the score was 17-16. There was no such thing as overtime. McKay had a reputation as a courageous coach who, unlike Parseghian, disdained ties, usually ending in spectacular failure, _a la_ the 14-13 loss to Bob Griese and Purdue in the 1967 Rose Bowl.

A tie, of course, would completely eliminate the Trojans from national title consideration. A win, however, would elevate them to mystical status; the very excitement and drama of their games seemed to drive the point home that they were the best team, more so than the usual considerations revolving around statistics and margins-of-victory.

"At that point we didn't know the national championship was on the line and he was just going for a win," said Haden. "Sometimes he won and sometimes he lost, but his players and his fans always respected the 'gunslinger' who would do that rather than be safe and kick for a tie. I had actually decided to run the ball, and J.K. was out for a quick little pass, but he was covered, so I decided to run, and at the very last moment I realized I was not gonna make it, so I saw kind of saw a flash; Shelton Diggs, our other receiver running a little hook route in the back of the end zone and I threw it, I didn't get a lot on the ball, I threw it low and Shelton went down and made a great catch for the two-point play and ultimately the win."

"It was just one of those moments, you got your whole family there," said J.K., "it was just a memory - most of the games I played in throughout those years, I don't remember much, but that particular day, I remembered every detail of that game."

What made it great for Trojan fans is that Neal Colzie was the face of abject Buckeye disappointment, having been victimized by Haden's passes. Later, he starred for the Oakland Raiders' 1976 Super Bowl champions, showing himself to be a man of class.

"I had been double-teamed by Colzie and their right-side roverback all day," said J.K. "This time we decided to go against the man on the other side - Steve Luke. He's a good cornerback, but he's not fantastic like Colzie."

The drama was not all the field that day.

"John McKay said in that year, 'Dave, you need to get some exposure, it'd be good for your career,' " recalled Dave Levy in _The History of USC_ DVD. " 'So when we do some of these Rose Bowl appearances, I'm gonna send you instead.' I said, 'That's great, Coach.'

"So when we do some of these appearances, we're there with Woody Hayes, and he's expecting John McKay. And here shows up this assistant at a Rose Bowl luncheon, and he says, 'Dave, where's Coach McKay?' I said, 'Coach Hayes, he told me to come in his place,' and he says, 'Well, he oughtta be here,' and I can't well agree and I don't want to get pejorative with him, so I just told him, 'All I know is he told me to come.' We get through that event, and then two or three days later we do another event and I show up again and he looks at me kind of funny.

"Well, we get through this, and now we're in the game, we win the game, and during the game, I coach the defense and I always stand next to Coach McKay so he can hear the call, but this game I look and he's 40 yards down the field. I'm thinking, 'What's he doing down there?' I like it, so I'm talking to Wayne Fontes, another assistant upstairs, and I say, 'Coach is standing 40 yards down field, and Wayne, I don' understand this but I'm lovin' it.'

"Well, we go through the game, we win, and all of a sudden I see five or six policemen grab McKay and Johnny and head off the field. So we're walking off, and we get in the locker room and he says, 'I didn't tell you this, Dave, but I had what the FBI thought was a legitimate death threat on me and Johnny.' And I thought that over and I said, _he set me up_ , he sent me to these lunch meetings, and he didn't stand next to me because he thought they might miss, and I thought that was very kind of him. I know it had to weigh on his mind and I don't know if he ever told his son John."

"He didn't tell because at the end of the game I go out to the middle of the field to jump up and down because we've just won," said J.K., "and these FBI guys, I didn't know they were FBI guys at the time, and they have me by the arm, and take me into the locker room.

"I'm in there like 10 minutes ahead of everybody else. So I said, 'What's goin' on?' and they said, 'Ask your dad.' So I said, 'What happened?' and he said, 'Some guy said he's gonna kill us.'

" I said, 'I thank you for telling me.' It's nice to know now, I guess I'm glad he didn't tell me before, but I guess it was a death threat. There's a lot of funny stories about the coaches staying away from my dad. Levy supposedly thought he was gonna get the job if the guy followed through with it."

The game marked the end of one of the most unique stories ever in college football: the familial friendship of Haden and the McKays.

"I don't think having Coach McKay, who was almost like a second father to me, caused me any particular angst with my teammates," recalled Haden. "I think it was more for his son, for J.K., I think that was tough for John. Some of the players may have thought J.K. was getting an unfair advantage, but to me J.K. earned it, he played great when he played.

"But my relationship with Coach McKay really was much different than most, he really was like a father figure to me, my family having moved to the Bay Area when I was a senior in high school and I didn't want to transfer, so I moved into the McKay's, and in those days it wasn't an NCAA violation - though one other school did report - but I spent my senior year living with the McKay's and it was really fun and fantastic, and what I remember most is when the recruiters came knocking, for a lot of schools, minor schools, Coach McKay wouldn't be around, but he always knew when Notre Dame was showing up, or Nebraska or Ohio State. When they were coming around to recruit he always seemed to answer the door and it always caused a little laughter among his coaching friends."

"You know, it was interesting, the time I was at SC it was as easy as it could be for a son to play for his father," said J.K. "I had some success playing but our team had so much success. We won two national championships, we only lost a couple games in three years, so there was nothing; the opportunity for the fans and the sportswriters to start blaming the coach and the quarterback and the coach's kid. It never happened, there were no rough patches at all. But I will tell you that in order to get along with my teammates during those four years, my dad and I didn't talk directly a lot. Occasionally in the off-season we would, but in the season we didn't talk a bunch because, in part I never knew what to call him. You can't say 'dad' to the coach on the field, but you can't really call him 'coach' either. That sounds kind of strange, too. So we would talk through assistant coaches or through others. I think we both respected that we needed to keep a certain distance during those three years, and so before and after my dad - he and I were as close as you could possibly be \- but for those three years I played varsity football at SC we kept our distance just a little bit."

The flawed Trojans - _not_ the greatest team of all time, _not_ as good the '72 team - had captivated America's fans and, just as important, its poll voters. They were awarded their eighth national championship. It was McKay's fourth, which at this point gave him one more than his friend and rival, Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant.

USC could make a strong argument that they were the greatest collegiate football tradition in history. It was a close, but they were still second...to Notre Dame. Alabama, Nebraska and Oklahoma were knocking on the door. Michigan and Ohio State's stars were fading a bit.

A.D. was a consensus All-American. He would go on to be elected to the National Football Foundation's College Hall of Fame. He was the Heisman runner-up. Archie Griffin **was a junior who would become the first of only two back-to-back winners.** An analysis of Griffin and A.D., revolving around A.D.'s game against Notre Dame and a comparison of the two players' performances in the Rose Bowl, reveals that A.D. should have been USC's third Heisman winner.

This set of circumstances resulted in the voters holding their votes back until after the last of the rivalry games, which are sometimes played as late as December, in order to get the clearest picture of the "best player in college football."

A.D. did win the Voit Trophy and the Pop Warner Award, both given to the outstanding player on the coast. His 1,421 yards is now 11th on the career list. His career mark of 3,724 yards is third, a very impressive statistic. He scored 11 touchdowns in his career against Notre Dame. An outfielder on two USC national championship baseball teams, A.D. won an astounding _four national titles_ in two sports, a rare feat possibly unmatched.

He was drafted in the second round by the New York Jets, but chose to play for the Southern California Sun of the World Football League, which went belly up. He then went to the Buccaneers, which by that time was a USC alumni club under McKay, before finishing his career with Houston, Los Angeles and the Canadian Football League. He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. A.D. is sought out regularly for banquet speaking. He has done some acting, modeling and made forays into sports talk. Every year during the Notre Dame week he is interviewed extensively, always introduced as the "Notre Dame killer." A.D. maintains to this day his insouciant personality; a combination of _hubris_ , confidence and arrogance that may have rubbed a few the wrong way, but in truth drove a 5-9, 183-pound tailback to be the very best he could be.

The roving hybrid safetyman, Charles Phillips, one of McKay's "monsters" who revolutionized the defensive schemes, was also an All-American. He went in the second round to Oakland, becoming still another Trojan playing for the ex-Trojan assistant, Al Davis, on Oakland's 1976 World Champions. He is now a childcare counselor.

Offensive guard-tackle Bill Bain had grown up in Pico Rivera, prepped at St. Paul High, then transferred from the University of Colorado. He made All-American in 1974, too. He went in the second round to Green Bay, playing 11 years in the NFL. He was a member of the 1979 Los Angeles Ram team that lost to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

Tight end Jim Obradovich, a high school pal of baseball star George Brett at nearby El Segundo, also made All-American. He and his brother, Steve, were also top beach volleyball players. O'Bradovich played for several professional teams. He later took over the family business, Julie's Trojan Barrel, a bar-restaurant across from the Coliseum.

An incredible 14 1974 Trojans were drafted. Wood went in the third round to the New York Jets. He then went to McKay and Tampa Bay. He was a member of the Buccaneers' 1979 team that made it to the NFC championship game. After his 10-year NFL career, Wood became a pro assistant, coached in Europe, and then at the high school level in Florida, where was the 2002 state Coach of the Year.

Defensive tackle Art Riley was the second round choice of Minnesota. Marvin Cobb, also a member of the national champion baseball team, went in the 11th round to Cincinnati. Allen Carter went to New England. The Chargers took Otha Bradley. Dale Mitchell was drafted by San Francisco. Atlanta chose Steve Knutson. J.K. McKay was originally drafted by Cleveland before moving on to Tampa Bay. The Packers selected Bob McCaffrey. Other standouts included placekicker Chris Limahelu, linebacker Ed Powell and defensive back Danny Reece.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

TAILBACK U.

The great Ricky Bell; the keys to the Kingdom are passed to a new generation

The events of 1974-75 included Richard Nixon's resignation, ending the Watergate scandal, and the abduction of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst. She was held in an apartment not far from the USC campus, becoming "brainwashed" into participating in bank robberies with her abductors. The self-described Symbionese Liberation Army was a group of Leftists who, ironically, had loose connections to UCLA basketball star Bill Walton, an avowed Grateful Dead enthusiast and anti-war protester.

In the spring of 1975, with Nixon gone and his party weakened beyond the ability to hold the line in Vietnam, the North Vietnamese broke the carefully triangulated Nixon-Henry Kissinger peace accords of 1973. The accords had balanced the needs and fears of the U.S., the U.S.S.R and China into a cease-fire in Southeast Asia. They could only be upheld if the Communists believed the U.S. had the political will to fund a South Vietnamese counter-offensive. Convinced, correctly so, that the Americans were now a "paper tiger," the Communists invaded. A million South Vietnamese were murdered. The Communists then took over Cambodia, where a million and a half were murdered.

In sports, Arthur Ashe, a black tennis star from UCLA and a man of conscience, defeated former UCLA star Jimmy Connors, a man not known as much for his conscience, in a memorable 1975 Wimbledon final. USC baseball hero Fred Lynn, the man who said he "retired" from football after "one too many hits from Sam 'Bam' Cunningham," led the Red Sox into the 1975 World Series. Another ex-Trojan, Bill "Spaceman" Lee, gave up a home run to Tony Perez to propel Cincinnati to victory over the Red Sox. Lynn became the only player to win the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year award in the same year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Trojan wide receiver Lynn Swann, beat Minnesota (1975) and Dallas (1976) in two Super Bowls.

****

The 1975 Trojan football team was a one of great contrast. If ever a USC squad could be called an enigma, it was this club. When the season started, they were ranked fourth nationally. They looked to have everything it would take to go all the way again. Talk of a dynasty and a repeat national title swirled around McKay's club.

The heart of the team was junior tailback sensation Ricky Bell. Cast out of A.D.'s shadow, he had people forgetting about his predecessor. Bell was magnificent, as good as any previous Trojan back. That season, Bell would break O.J.'s single-season rushing record with an incredible 1,957 yards.

Bell was fast, but he did not "juke" his opponents in the manner of O.J. or A.D. He was a punishing, head-on runner, and incredibly tough. Removed from a game when his shoulder popped out of the socket, he complained to McKay, demanding to be put back in despite the pain.

"From O.J. you got finesse," said assistant coach Dave Levy, "from Bell, fractures. He runs like a blacksmith. He attacks. He's a linebacker playing tailback. Our guys call him 'Mad Dog.' They yap when he carries the ball."

Bell had been a linebacker as well as a fullback at L.A.'s Fremont High School, wearing jersey number 00. The number, Bell told recruiter Willie Brown, "goes to the meanest man on the team. That was me."

Off the field, "Everybody liked him," said McKay.

Bell revealed that other schools offered cars, money and women. Marv Goux, in his customary style, just offered him a chance to be a Trojan. Growing up in the shadow of the school, "I signed at the first chance," he said.

As a freshman in 1973, McKay installed him at linebacker. A.D. still had two years to go. The next year McKay made him a blocking fullback, but he got the ball and ran with it, too. The comparisons to Sam Cunningham were favorable. They were similar in build, style and temperament. Cunningham may well have had Bell's career if given the chance to run like Bell eventually would. Perhaps McKay wanted to "rectify" the situation through Bell. With A.D. gone in 1975, Bell found himself the heir apparent at "Tailback U."

"At USC being the tailback is an honor," Bell said. Bell was a workhorse, dedicated on the practice field, a load in the games. Against Washington State, he rushed 51 times for 347 yards, making O.J. look like a piker.

"It didn't seem like I'd carried it that much, to tell you the truth," Bell said afterward. Bell set a school record with 385 carries on the year. Bell would go down to the beach wearing boots in the off-season, running and digging into the sand to strengthen his legs. He worked in a meat packing plant at night, reminiscent of Rocky Balboa. He carried the ball around with him on campus to teach himself not to fumble, a scene depicted in the 1993 college football movie, _The Program_ , starring James Caan.

Bell told the writers he preferred to avoid tacklers, nut he often just put his head down, boring into defenders knowing his size and speed made him hard for just one man to tackle.

"I'll give guys a piece," he said. He made the opposition pay for every encounter. It was because of the emergence of Bell in 1974 that Haden had thrown the ball so few times. In 1975, Vince Evans was USC's quarterback. Inexperienced and, frankly, not ready for the task, Evans threw even less - 112 throws - while handing the ball off to Bell.

Evans was in the mold of Jimmy Jones: a black quarterback, very athletic, from out of state. A tremendous star in North Carolina, Evans had seen USC play on television. Like many others he fell in love with the horse, the colors and all the imagery that makes USC football more than a game, but rather a pageant. As a child, he turned to his old man, announcing that he was going to go to USC when the time came. The old man told him he was "out of your mind," but Evans spurned other offers in quest of USC.

Highly intelligent, nothing less than a marvelous physical specimen, Evans went to Los Angeles City College, where he starred and dreamed of a scholarship to Southern Cal. His fortuitous path to USC was unusual. He beat the odds. Out of all the possible quarterbacks vying to be Haden's successor, in the end it was Evans.

McKay knew he needed to bring this young J.C. transfer in carefully. He had the right weapon in Bell, taking the pressure off Evans. McKay had seen how pressure had worn down Jimmy Jones. He wanted to avoid repeating some of the errors of that period. At first, USC's success was such that it masked any failings lying beneath the surface.

Southern California won their first six games on the strength of Bell's stupendous running. By mid-season, he was a Hesiman front-runner and the team was ranked third. Oklahoma and Ohio State were also in the running, but Troy felt that they could take care of the Buckeyes themselves on New Year's Day. Absent the dramatics of 1974, attendance was strangely down. Hopes were still high that the season would conclude as two of the past three had, with Trojan fans chanting, "We're number one!"

When USC traveled to South Bend, handling the Irish, 24-17 to improve to 7-0, all seemed right with the world. Then the world stopped spinning on its axis. The week of the game at Berkeley, John McKay gathered his team together, announcing that this would be his last year at USC. He was resigning at the end of the year to take the job with the fledgling Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His players were utterly flabbergasted. It was not a senior-laden team. Bell had a year to go. Evans desperately needed guidance.

"I'm going into the sunset and taking the seniors with me," said McKay. But the underclassmen felt abandoned. A San Jose psychologist later said that USC felt that they had lost their "father figure."

The team reckoned with the possibilities. They fancied that sending McKay out with a national title was the only proper, fitting manner for a legend to depart. At Strawberry Canyon, 58,871 fans showed up mainly out of curiosity; how badly would Troy beat California?

The Bears had long been a team in the doldrums. Quarterback Joe Kapp led them to a surprise Rose Bowl in 1958, but they were beaten soundly by Iowa. The malaise of the 1960s, a period in which their beautiful campus was turned into a _de facto_ staging ground for American Communism, had almost destroyed sports at the university.

The once-great baseball program under Clint Evans and George Wolfman had deteriorated. The basketball team, national champions in 1959 under the legendary Pete Newell, had fallen into disrepair. They had not beaten UCLA since 1961 and would not until 1991! The football team, despite having some excellent coaches, was a disaster.

Marv Levy had coached at Cal. Despite having quarterback Craig Morton and the offensive mind of assistant coach Bill Walsh, the team could not buy a win. They had achieved a level of mediocre success in the late 1960s, but the 1971 game against USC was a perfect metaphor for Golden Bear football.

The Bears had taken the opening kick, driving the length of the field. With first-and-goal on the USC one, they fumbled the ball away. USC then drove 99 yards for a touchdown, en route to a 28-0 trouncing behind the passing of Jimmy Jones and the running of Sam Cunningham.

But Mike White, an innovative offensive man, was brought in to coach the team. In 1974, he had turned a so-so quarterback who was leaning towards a baseball career into a top-notch star. Steve Bartkowski rallied Cal back to respectability. In the 1974 Big Game with Stanford at Berkeley, he led his team to a comeback "win," only to see it slip away when the Cardinal rallied with long passes and a miracle field goal with no time remaining to pull out victory.

Bartkowski befriended a brainy law student from Los Angeles, who was the hall monitor of his dorm. That student, Leigh Steinberg, agreed to Bartkowski's request, giving him some legal advice after he was drafted number one by the Atlanta Falcons.

Sports agents were not new. A USC student named Mike Trope had sat in his fraternity house watching Johnny Rodgers star for Nebraska in 1972. He turned to his "brothers," announcing that he was heading to Lincoln to sign Rodgers. He did just that while still in college, thus forging a successful-but-short career in the business. He detailed it in a book called _Necessary Roughness._

The large contract that Steinberg negotiated for Bartkowski occurred simultaneously with the birth of free agency. The money has flowed ever since. In 1975, Bartkowski was a playboy rookie in Atlanta. Cal was using a transfer from Grossmont Junior College in San Diego named Joe Roth. They also had a talented running back from New Orleans who never went to class, named Chuck Muncie. Muncie was part of a new breed of non-student athlete that White brought in to the school. When the team's fortunes improved on the field, the Berkeley academic elite pretended these guys were all scholars.

It looked like the send-McKay-out-at-the-top plan had legs when Bell broke a long early run to give Troy a 7-0 lead. After Bell's run, the Trojan faithful, who traditionally caravan in large numbers to the annual games at Cal or Stanford (complete with a Friday night marching band performance at San Francisco's Union Square, followed by drunkenness in "the triangle," a gaggle of YUPPIE bars near Pacific Heights), began to cackle with tones of arrogance. Across the way, Cal students lamely waved credit cards when "Conquest!" was played, somehow not realizing that in mocking USC they were mocking themselves, since they were in fact _their credit cards._

But class envy aside, Cal on this day had the last laugh. If USC could have held them off that splendid fall day by the bay, perhaps their season might have been saved. But the combination of disaster at Memorial Stadium on the heels of their "father figure's abandonment" was too much. A school, a program, a tradition that has always prided itself on overcoming adversity would this time fall to it.

Roth suddenly became a legend. So did Muncie. Bell ran splendidly. Evans was horrid. The Bears won going away, 28-14. Nobody could decide what was worse, losing McKay, losing their clear path to a national title, or losing to a team representing a bunch of Socialists!

Losing McKay was the worst. There would be national titles in their future. Whether Berkeley was to the left of Che Guevara was immaterial to the fact that their football team was excellent in 1975.

Stanford came to town the next week. The "Radcliffe of the West" applied a dagger to McKay's heart in a 13-10 upset. The team lost its heart. In Seattle, Washington edged them, 8-7.

The night of November 28 came in hot - 90 degrees with Santa Ana winds whipping the Coliseum. Now unranked, Southern California found themselves playing the strange role of contender-spoiler. 14th-ranked UCLA, led by splendid senior quarterback John Sciarra, had the pole position for the Rose Bowl.

If USC could upset the Bruins, a strange notion in and of itself by the mid-1970s, and Cal would lose to Stanford in the Big Game, USC could still go. If Cal would beat Stanford, combined with an SC win, the Bears could go to Pasadena. When Cal beat Stanford, it ended USC's chances before the game even started, and probably took whatever life they had left out of them. Evans was again terrible, his inexperience not having abated. He had gotten worse, not better. But Bell ran and ran and ran.

Sciarra directed UCLA's potent offense, but running back Wendell Tyler seemed bound and determined to give the game away. A talented player who would help the San Francisco 49ers win a Super Bowl, on this day he had a severe case of fumbleitis, losing the ball an incredible four times. UCLA lost eight fumbles in all. But Tyler also gained 130 hard yards, while linebackers Ray Bell and Terry Tautolo keyed the defense. Bell gained 136 yards, but Evans threw 14 straight incomplete passes.

Despite all the gifts, Evans's ineptness cost USC, 25-22 before 40,000 cheering Bruins and 40,000 stupefied Trojans. A collective groan was heard in Berkeley. Muncie would go on to sign a big first round contract with the New Orleans Saints, but drug problems hurt his career. Roth would have a decent senior season in 1976, but disappointing after his 1975 fireworks. Later, it was revealed that he had cancer and knew about while still playing football. Tragically he succumbed to the disease and is a sainted figure at Cal.

UCLA took on Woody Hayes and Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Woody's national championship hopes went up in the rarefied Pasadena air when Sciarra directed UCLA to a fairly dominant win over them. Things were getting out of control for the Big 10. It would only get worse.

In the mean time, for the first time, Pac 8 teams that did not win the conference could be invited to post-season bowl games. The Liberty Bowl invited Troy to Memphis to play Texas A&M, who were somehow ranked number two by the Associated Press.

The team approached this desultory event with about as much enthusiasm as pacifists at a gun show. But Marv Goux went to extraordinary efforts to fire up his troops, absolutely _demanding_ that they not let McKay go out with a loss. The team responded with a fabulous 20-0 shutout of the Aggies to finish 8-4 and a 17th place ranking in the polls. Bell was named MVP of the game.

Evans played well in the Liberty Bowl, but finished 1975 with 31 a percent completion rate and only 695 yards passing. Bumper sticker 175: "Save USC Football. Shoot Vince Evans."

The Tradition of Troy

As hard as it may be to believe, John McKay's departure seems to have ushered in a period of _improvement_ in USC football. Maybe not quite improvement, although the 1976 season was a much better one than 1975. It seems hard to imagine that, had McKay stayed on through 1982, that he would have done substantially better than USC did without him. If McKay had stayed those extra seven years, and the team had done exactly what they in fact did, then McKay would have five national championships and coached four Heisman Trophy winners, in addition to a galaxy of first round draft picks and future NFL All-Pros. If this had happened, a comparison of his record with Bear Bryant's would likely favor McKay. McKay may or may not have approached Amos Alonzo Stagg's career victory record, which Bryant surpassed in 1982. Bryant coached at Maryland, Kentucky and Texas A&M, in addition to two years at Alabama, before McKay coached his first varsity game. He coached at 'Bama for seven years after McKay left the college ranks.

What does tantalize the imagination is the concept of McKay as a "lifetime Trojan," coaching at Southern California continuously until around 1995 or so. If this had occurred, USC's record in the 1980s and 1990s may well have been much, much different. Stagg's (and Bryant's) record may have fallen.

As it was, McKay went to Tampa to coach an expansion team. In today's free agent era, expansion teams can build a contender fairly quickly. In his day they could not. It was a terrible decision. McKay, who could say things like, "our offense couldn't move against a strong wind," made some of his best remarks at Tampa. When asked about his team's execution, he said, "That's an excellent idea."

The Buccaneers lost every single game in 1976 and fell 26 straight times before finally tasting victory. McKay loaded his roster with former Trojans, but the transfer to southwest Florida did not carry with it the slightest semblance of USC mystique. What many do not recall, however, is that within a short five years, McKay improved his team under another black quarterback, an area of the game McKay does not get enough leadership credit on. Doug Williams led McKay's charges to the 1979 NFC title game before succumbing to the Rams.

The question then came down to who McKay's successor would be. Many wanted Dave Levy; erudite, a great football mind, and dedicated. Perhaps Levy's undergraduate UCLA background hurt him, but in truth he was not considered as media savvy as some people would have liked him to be, although interviews with the man reveal a football coach with a mind for Shakespeare and Greek classics.

Marv Goux might have been the guy, but he was a "red-hot." The administration did not need a guy who told anti-war demonstrators to "get your ass out of here." Marvie was an assistant coach, loyal to the core. The compromises of being a head coach might have been strange to him.

John Robinson had in fact been groomed for the job. McKay's departure was shocking to his players and the alumni, but it had been discussed and was being worked on for some time. Robinson had come into the program in 1972, but in 1975 he was sent to Oakland where he was given an unusual job, that of _de facto_ assistant head coach of the Raiders.

There are rumors that McKay got into it with an influential alum, but Robinson's hiring, at least on the surface, had all the appearance of an event that had been planned well ahead of time.

Robinson grew up the San Francisco suburb of Daly City. His childhood pal was John Madden. Madden had gone to Jefferson High, Robinson to Serra, a Catholic school in San Mateo that is legendary for producing famous sports figures, among them Angel shortstop Jim Fregosi, Oriole pitcher Wally Bunker, USC wide receiver Lynn Swann, Patriot quarterback Tom Brady, and Giants' superstar Barry Bonds.

Madden played at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His teammate was Ted Tollner, who coached at USC from 1983-86. The team suffered a terrible tragedy when their plane crashed on a road trip, but Madden and Tollner survived. Madden spent the rest of his life avoiding airplanes at almost any cost.

Robinson went to McKay's alma mater, Oregon. He met McKay when he played under him from 1954-57. After that, he got into coaching.

"I was very interested in coaching, even as a player," Robinson said. "I asked John McKay a lot of questions."

Robinson was an assistant coach at Oregon from 1960-71. His star rose, leading him to USC, where he became McKay's offensive coordinator from 1972-74. Being associated with the 1972 and 1974 national champions gave him imprimatur in that era, similar to Norm Chow in the 2000s.

An "arrangement" was made, whereby Robinson was "sent" to Oakland to tutor under his pal, Madden, for a year or so. The 1975 Raiders were a talented squad with Kenny Stabler, Clarence Davis and Fred Biletnikoff, but they suffered a disappointing season. The previous year they had looked to be Super Bowl-bound, but Pittsburgh knocked them out in the AFC title game. The '75 Raiders made it to the AFC championship contest, but lost in freezing conditions on Pittsburgh's artificial turf against the famed "Steel Curtain" Steeler defense.

The following year they did attain, as their venerable broadcaster Bill King liked to call it, the "Promised Land," but Robinson was not part of it.

After McKay's resignation, Robinson was brought in. It was a seemingly seamless transition for a guy groomed for the job in Los Angeles and Oakland. USC President John Hubbard called Robinson from a phone booth at the New York airport in October 1975.

"Hubbard was on the run somewhere when he got hold of me," Robinson said. "He said he couldn't talk, but the job was mine if I wanted it. I simply said, 'Yes.' The next week I was hired. I wasn't even interviewed."

"Robinson was a bright young guy, who you had heard, when he was here as an assistant, you heard a lot of people say, if McKay ever leaves this might be the guy," said _Orange County Register_ sports columnist Steve Bisheff on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "Dave Levy is a tremendous football coach and I think everyone wanted to see him get a shot. And I think he would've been very successful, but John was the guy who the people in the administration wanted; the guy out front who'd be more of a public relations figure, who'd be better on TV, who'd be better selling the program. John was better at that. You could have big arguments over who the better football man was. A lot of people still think Levy was, but John had a lot going for him in an era when you wanted a telegenic, personality-filled guy, and that's who they got."

Robinson immediately embraced the meaning of being a Trojan. He innately understood it. He never let the alumni down, never gave them the impression, as other coaches later did, that he failed to grasp the expectations, the _elan_ of this special place. The "Tradition of Troy" continued full speed ahead under Robinson. Few teams - Miami is one of them - have made coaching switches as easily. The change from Jones to Cravath, and later from Robinson to Tollner, ranged from downgrade to disaster.

"I remember my first game as an assistant, the game is over," said Robinson of the 1973 Rose Bowl. "I'm in the press box. We were way ahead and we're running down and I go through one of the tunnels, and the Grand Marshall is walking through the tunnel, and I walked up to the Grand Marshall. And I don't think I high-fived him, but it was John Wayne, so I said some stupid statement and he kind of laughed, that I remember."

"He truly loved the game and all that was associated with it," said Bisheff, "you could sense that. There was joy about him. There were people who said he had weaknesses here and there but, he really proved to be a great replacement for McKay and kept the program going, won his national championship, and had several great seasons."

"You know, I was smart enough to know that my best chance to succeed was to carry on the legend," said Robinson. "I would just, he carried the flag, whatever it is, it's my turn to hold it now and try to carry it forward. We didn't change anything. We didn't change the uniforms, we didn't paint the locker rooms, we did everything the same. Now, we began to move forward, certainly, but we weren't moving backward, we eliminated some of the things maybe we weren't doing right, but the traditional things that made us successful; I have great love for him and what he had done."

Robinson had challenges and blessings. His blessing was Ricky Bell. His challenges were recruiting and Vince Evans. Robinson hired Paul Hackett to work with Evans.

UCLA may have taken advantage of a window of opportunity to get the best L.A. blue chippers in the wake of McKay's departure, but this was lost when Dick Vermeil, the latest in a disheartening succession of Bruin coaches - Prothro (Rams), Pepper Rodgers (Georgia Tech) and Vermeil (Philadelphia) departed for other jobs.

They brought in a young assistant who played as a walk-on for the "gutty little Bruins' " 1965 Rose Bowl team. Terry Donahue would have success. Eventually he would have great success. But John Robinson made sure that USC was the dominant team in the Southland. His first task was a superstar running back tearing it up every Friday night at Anthony Davis's alma mater, San Fernando High School. Robinson showed up at his home. Charles White, the Southern California prep football and track Player and Athlete of the Year, met him at the door.

"You don't have to say a word," White said. "I'm coming."

His parents were divorced. He grew up under the tutelage of his grandmother. He had nine brothers and sisters.

"My father just cut out," he said. "My mother was on welfare and we depended a lot on my grandmother. I was the father. It was somewhere to go and lay down and wake up and know you had somewhere to eat and sleep and be warm. We weren't worried about having all the necessities people think they have to have."

Like O.J. he roamed the streets and found trouble, gravitating to a tough neighborhood park, "just going there to have fun," but coming perilously close to gang activity. His hero was Anthony Davis. He copied his high steppin' style.

"When I was a freshman I told a writer I was anxious to win two or three Heismans," White later said in Ken Rappoport's _The Trojans: A History of Southern California Football._ "But, boy, was I talking out of my head. I was immature. I was young and scared then and just learning what it takes to be a football player. I know I set my goals too high. <Tackle> Gary Jeter showed me. I was a second string back and he was first string on defense and he welcomed me in a scrimmage. Oh, how he welcomed me," indicating that Jeter laid some licks on him.

"I consider myself a disciple of John McKay," Robinson assured the media. There certainly appeared to be no doubt that the school's vaunted running tradition would carry on, since Robinson was inheriting a Heisman-quality tailback, had recruited another one, and had a suspect quarterback, anyway. "I have been a tremendous admirer of his and believe in the type of football he has used. I like a wide open style of offense that effectively integrates both running and passing."

Emphasis: running! The mood throughout the spring and summer camps at USC was euphoric in 1976.

"The week before John Robinson's debut as the coach at USC," said longtime L.A. sports personality Stu Nahan, "I had lunch with him on a Tuesday or Wednesday, they were playing Missouri in the first game of 1976, and he filled my head with how this club was gonna go undefeated, 11-0, there was no question, they're not gonna lose a ball game. He really had me going, my sidekick was with me, he really had me believing, as we were walking out of that luncheon, that this club's gonna go 11-0.

"Opening kickoff of that game, Friday night against Missouri, some guy from Missouri named Leo Lewis runs the ball back 99 yards for a touchdown. It's 7-0 before the people can be settled in their seats <at the Coliseum>, and I think the final score was something like 49-6 or 46-9 or something like that or whatever it was, and I remember turning to my partner and saying to my partner, 'This is gonna be a _looooong_ year.' And he won every game from that point on, he won all 10 of his remaining games and they did go to the Rose Bowl."

"People were wondering what's going to happen with this _clown_ as coach," Robinson recalled. "I had mixed feelings after that game. I was afraid, frightened, and stunned. But I knew, too, the chain of events was unusual. I knew I was a better coach than that. I knew I couldn't talk myself into being insecure."

The actual score of the 1976 opener, played before 49,535 in a night contest at the Coliseum, was 45-26. The Trojans went from eighth in the pre-season to unranked. They reacted well at Oregon in a 53-0 rout to number 19. From that point out they were the best football team in America. They threw three shutouts.

The 1976 USC-UCLA game was one of the most hyped in the rivalry's great history. USC was ranked third, UCLA second. Heading into Thanksgiving weekend, Pitt was still unbeaten, but if Penn State or their bowl opponent could upend them - the Panthers were unbeaten, but not unbeatable - then the winner of the game played at the Coliseum would have an excellent shot at a national title if they could also win the Rose Bowl. National titles had been coming in bunches for USC under McKay, but the Bruins were into a 22-year dry spell since Red Sanders's great 1954 squad. Furthermore, there was a chink in the armor of their great basketball program.

For years, Bruin fans consoled themselves over grid defeats with the admonition, "Wait until basketball season." Wooden retired after wrapping up his 10th national championship in 1975. An unknown Southerner named Gene Bartow replaced him. He was about as prepared for the pressure of replacing a legend as Andrew Johnson was when he replaced Abraham Lincoln.

Bartow lost in the 1976 Final Four, and again in 1977. To make matters worse, USC was recruiting a couple of hotshot basketball players from Verbum Dei to join Cliff Robinson. Coach Stan Morrison's program was getting to the point where they would compete with UCLA in the late 1970s.

On the football field, Troy regained their rightful place after the debacle of 1975. The 24-14 win over UCLA was a "classic vindication of Vince Evans," said Robinson. "We were ahead of UCLA 17-0 with the ball on UCLA's 34. We ran a quarterback draw. Vince pretty much ran through the whole UCLA team to put the game away. Why that is so significant to me is that no amateur athlete deserved the abuse Vince had taken that season after he was named our quarterback.

"He was the most inspirational person on our team and such a great guy. He didn't deserve what was like hatred which was generated against him. That single moment against UCLA was, to me, a classic."

Safety Dennis Thurman scooped up a fumble and ran it in from 47 yards away. USC smothered the Bruins before 90,519, earning the coveted Rose Bowl berth. Charles White called the game "overwhelming" from his place on the bench.

"I had a great experience standing on the sideline," he recalled in _UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports._ "I just took in the scenery and the ambience of the Coliseum. One side blue and gold and the other Cardinal and Gold. It was quite a sight to see the Coliseum with no empty seats."

Ranked third in the nation, the Trojans hosted Notre Dame before 76,561, controlling the game in a 17-13 win.

Evans passed for touchdowns of 27 and 30 yards while the USC defense held Michigan to 217 yards and 33 points below their season average in the 14-6 Rose Bowl win before106,182. Robinson became only the second rookie coach to win a Rose Bowl.

"There was a _lot_ of people in that stadium," recalled Evans. "It was great, my family came out from North Carolina, and we were playing Michigan, Bo Schembechler, and it was a classic rivalry with the Big 10 and Pac 8 at the time."

Bell was hurt on game's fourth play.

"Michigan had a fabulous team," recalled J.R. "They were ranked one or two and we were one behind or something. But they had a great defense and they had a great strong safety; they called him 'The Wolf,' and Ricky Bell was our tailback, and those two collided, and on the third or fourth play of the game, they're both out; drug our guy off, drug their guy off. So the two people who epitomized their football and our football are both gone."

"That whole week prior to the Rose Bowl, I knew I wasn't gonna play, and John likes to give his guy's exposure so they can go on to the next level and play," recalled White. "And my whole idea was, I'm just gonna go and enjoy the activities. But in the back of my head I'm thinking, how do I get on national TV? I was right out of high school and I saw John just before the game making his mic checks and it dawned on me: stand next to John and I'll get right on TV."

White was admiring the view when bell went down.

"So John's yelling, _'Charlie White, Charlie White._ You're up!' " said White. "So now I lose my helmet, I don't know where that darn thing is, so I'm racing around trying to find my helmet and stuff."

Former USC lineman Allan Graf, the technical advisor on Oliver Stone's _Any Given Sunday_ , used this incident in the film when "Steamin' Willie" Beamon also "loses his head" when his number is called off the bench.

"Charlie White really came into his own that day," said Evans. "I don't think anybody really knew who he was. Here in Southern California they knew who he was, because he was an outstanding player out of San Fernando, but he was on center stage because he came in and did just a phenomenal job. He rushed for over 100 yards and had just a phenomenal game."

White rushed 122 yards vs. Michigan and 858 yards in his freshman year.

"I thought it was one of the greatest football games I've ever been around," said Robinson. "Both sides, the men in the game, played absolutely great football... I think there were more collisions and more really physical play than any time since I've been in coaching."

Evans, the "vindicated" Trojan quarterback, was the Player of the Game, the 17th SC player so honored since 1923. Under Hackett, Evans threw for 1,440 yards with a 54 percent completion rate and 10 touchdowns. Shorter pass patterns marked the first vestiges of the "West Coast offense," which Bill Walsh was developing at Stanford and later San Francisco, where Hackett would work with Joe Montana.

"Vince was following Pat Haden who not only could do it all but had been doing it since he was in junior high," said Hackett. "Vince was thoroughly discouraged at first."

Evans said he "was always unsure" of himself until Hackett's arrival.

White's arrival was proof positive that Tailback U. had matriculated a new class that was even better than the old one.

"Me, Anthony Davis, Ricky Bell - I think he may erase all our names," said O.J. at the time. "He has great explosion, he sees everything. He's a darter, he's not a power runner or anything, but he has that explosion into the hole and that's what you've got to have."

Who was the best college football team in the country in 1976? Southern Cal. Did they win the national championship? No. Pittsburgh swept the Heisman and the national title. Tony Dorsett, the all-time NCAA rushing leader who was a Panther superstar for four years, won the Heisman over Bell. He deserved the award. Pitt went unbeaten, beating Penn State in their regular season finale. The Trojans could not argue that they deserved to be voted number one despite feeling that if the two teams had played, Troy would have prevailed.

Bell did make unanimous All-American for the second straight year. The captain of the team, he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003. In addition to finishing second in the 1976 Heisman race he was third in 1975, also winning the Voit and Pop Warner Awards for being the best player on the Pacific Coast. He was the 1976 Pac 8 Player of the Year. He rushed for 1,957 yards as a junior and 1,433 as a senior. He averaged 170.5 yards a game in 1975, 141.7 in 1976. Bell was drafted ahead of Dorsett, the very first selection in 1977 by Tampa Bay 's John McKay. He played six years with the Bucs and San Diego. Bell was elected to USC's Hall of Fame in 1997. Tragically, Ricky died of heart disease in 1984. A TV drama depicted his fight for life.

6-5, 265-pound offensive tackle Marvin Powell made All-American in 1976, his second selection. A 1994 College Hall of Fame inductee, Powell was also a three-time All-Pac 8 performer. He went in the first round to the New York Jets (fourth pick, he played in New York through 1985), then went to Tampa Bay from 1986-87. His son played for USC in the mid-1990s. Marvin became at attorney at law.

Gary Jeter was an All-American defensive tackle in 1976. The 6-4, 255-pounder from Cleveland, Ohio followed Powell as the fifth overall pick of the 1977 draft by the Giants. He played in New York through 1982, for Robinson's Rams from 1983-88, and at New England in 1989.

Four Trojans had been drafted off the 1975 team: Danny Reece (Cincinnati), Joe Davis (Jets), Melvin Jackson (Green Bay) and Doug Hogan (Oakland).

Overall, 14 1976 Trojan seniors were selected by the National Football League (three of the top five selections). Linebacker Dave Lewis went to McKay and Tampa. Wide receiver Shelton Diggs went to Atlanta. Vince Evans was picked by the Chicago Bears.

Evans became a reputable pro quarterback in Chicago. He eventually played for the Los Angeles Raiders at the Coliseum. He was one of the most highly conditioned athletes in sports, managing to stay in the game for years.

Rod Martin was picked by Oakland. Martin starred in Oakland's 1981 Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles, earning an eternal place in the Raider Nation. He now works in the USC administration.

Donnie Hickman was chosen by Los Angeles. San Francisco drafted Mike Burns. The Browns took Kenny Randle. San Diego selected Ron Bush. Eric Williams (St. Louis Cardinals), Clint Strozier (Minnesota), and Dave Farmer (Atlanta) rounded it out.

The green jerseys

The 1977 Trojans are one of those odd teams in USC football history. They were only 8-4, 12th in the Associated Press poll. It was a disappointment, yet oddly they were a team that could beat anybody on a given day that year.

Senior Rob Hertel was given the reigns at quarterback. Also a fine baseball player, he was an excellent athlete and a dangerous weapon. He and Clay Matthews were co-captains. Charles White rushed for 1,478 yards in 1977. The Trojans opened at Missouri, giving the Tigers revenge for 1976 with a 27-10 thrashing before 65,298 disappointed fans in Columbia. After rolling to a 4-0 start, Troy found themselves ranked number one in the nation.

Then Alabama came to town. The Tide took a 21-6 lead into the fourth quarter, but Hertel brought Troy back to 21-20. It looked like a patented USC comeback in front of a frenzied home crowd, but Bear's team held on to win. Two weeks later, USC ventured into South Bend.

The Irish were 11th to SC's fifth. The game would be a season-maker or -breaker for them. They had a junior quarterback, Joe Montana, who like many other quarterbacks - Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Dan Marino - hailed from Western Pennsylvania. Montana came to school with a big reputation, but in his first two seasons under coach Dan Devine, he was spotty. He was the tentative starter but not secure in the position.

USC came out for pre-game warm-ups. It was the usual scene at Notre Dame Stadium. Then Notre Dame appeared - wearing _green jerseys!_ 59,075 went nuts. Montana was off the hook in a 49-19 thumping. The game propelled Notre Dame to the Cotton Bowl. On New Year's Day, they entered the game ranked fifth with a loss. Then they beat Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell and number one Texas. Number two Oklahoma was beaten by Lou Holtz and Arkansas (a team that featured a little known graduate assistant in charge of the secondary, named Pete Carroll) in the Orange Bowl. Notre Dame rode these events to a national championship.

The following week, the stunned Trojans ventured to Berkeley. They lost at Strawberry Canyon to Cal. Later they fell to Warren Moon and Washington, 29-27 in Seattle. This put the Huskies into the Rose Bowl, launching a great period in their history under coach Don James. They went to Pasadena, upsetting Michigan and Rick Leach. It was the Big 10's eighth loss in nine games. The trend would continue.

UCLA opened the season with two losses in three games, but under Terry Donahue's guidance had rebounded. Freeman McNeil was an outstanding running back. They moved back into a pro-style offense. The Bruins took a 10-0 lead, but Southern Cal responded with 26 straight points. UCLA quarterback Rick Bashore gamely played with broken ribs and a collapsed lung. He led three scoring drives to give his team a 27-26 lead. 86,168 saw Hertel lead USC on a two-minute drill to set up Frank Jordan's winning field goal from 38 yards out. Hertel finished 15-of-24 for 254 yards,

White, who would never lose to UCLA, recalled the intensity of the USC-UCLA rivalry.

"They always had a bunch of guys talking trash, telling everyone what they were going to do with us," he said in Lonnie White's entertaining _UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry In Sports._ "So by the time the game started, everyone was ready to play.

"I will give UCLA this: they came out and played physical... At least their defense was physical... At the end of every game, I was worn out. Beat up and bruised."

White knew what to expect before he ever played the Bruins, having heard the stories from San Fernando Trojans Anthony Davis and Manfred Moore.

"I couldn't wait to play UCLA," he said. "It was the 'City championship game.' "

USC took on 17th-ranked Texas A&M, who they had defeated in the 1975 Liberty Bowl. In a wild Bluebonnet Bowl played at Houston's Astrodome, both teams gave the fans their money's worth. Trailing 14-0 early, USC reeled off 34 straight points, gaining 620 yards in total offense. Rob Hertel threw four touchdown strikes (two to Calvin Sweeney). Troy won going away, 47-28 in a classic before 52,842.

Had Southern Cal played Notre Dame or Texas in the Cotton Bowl, they would have given either team a run for their money. Arkansas may actually have been the best team in the country. Hertel is not well remembered in USC annals, but he was a talented, explosive passer.

Safety Dennis Thurman, a 5-11, 173-pouind stick of dynamite out of Santa Monica High School, earned All-American honors for the second straight year. Drafted by Dallas, he starred for the Cowboys from 1978-85, playing in the 1979 Super Bowl against Pittsburgh. He became a football coach, including a stint under Robinson at USC His younger brother played for Troy.

Inside linebacker Clay Matthews made All-American in 1977. Drafted in the first round by Cleveland, he was a huge star who played alongside Paul McDonald and Charles White with the Browns. He finished at Atlanta from 1994-96. His younger brother, Bruce, starred at USC from 1980-82. His son, Clay III, came to USC in 2004.

Overall, the '77 team produced nine NFL draftees. Bill Gay went in the second round to Denver. Rob Hertel was chosen by Cincinnati and Mosi Tatupu went to New England. Other draftees included Ricky Odom (Kansas City), Mario Celotto (Buffalo), Walt Underwood (Chicago) and John Schuhmacher (Houston).

CHAPTER THIRTY

"CAMELOT"

USC begins a five-year winning streak vs. Notre Dame; Heritage Hall is bathed with Heismans, national championships and glory

USC entered 1978 ranked ninth. Alabama was the pre-season favorite. Oklahoma also featured a strong team, as did Michigan and Notre Dame. Robinson chose Lynn Cain and Rich Dimler as his captains. Dimler was a load, a huge man with a giant voice from Bayonne, New Jersey. He intimidated people by being in the same room with them. He was also an Academic All-American.

Hopes were pinned on junior quarterback Paul McDonald. McDonald only threw 34 passes in his freshman and sophomore years. He was cut out of the same mold as Pat Haden. McDonald starred at Bishop Amat High School. While he had not broken Haden's gaudy passing records, he was considered one of the finest prep quarterbacks in the nation.

What really caught people's attention was his intelligence. McDonald was, like Haden, a brilliant student, although he did not "surpass" Haden and repeat as a Rhodes Scholar. He was an Academic All-American, however. Beyond the comparisons with Haden, one also sees on the field more of Matt Leinart, since McDonald was, like Leinart, a left-hander from a Catholic high school who had great receivers and running backs to complement him.

The first two games of the season, wins over Texas Tech and Oregon were managed by McDonald with a heavy emphasis on handing off to Charlie White.

On September 23, they traveled to Birmingham for a re-match with Alabama.

The Tide rarely plays at Legion Field anymore. The school is located in Tuscaloosa. Birmingham, where Legion Field is located, is about an hour and a half away. When Bear Bryant was their coach, the really _big games_ were played there, ostensibly to give the "whole state" a chance to see the team play.

It had been eight years since USC came into Legion Field and beat the segregated Tide. The incredible power of that game could be recognized by the fact that, in 1978, nobody even _thought_ about the fact 'Bama was thoroughly integrated. It had happened so quickly, so easily and with so much success that the point was moot. It was ancient history now.

This author, the star columnist for the Los Angeles sports magazine StreetZebra, wrote this 1999 "Distant Replay" column about the 1978 USC-Alabama game. When the Trojans finished number one in 2003, they erased the premise of this story, which was that it was "USC's last national championship." This author would also like to note that in the article, somewhat disparaging commentary is made regarding Bear Bryant; ostensibly that Bryant did not care about ending segregation, but that he just wanted to win football games and needed blacks to do it. Since then, I have researched this book and written another book about that game, called September 1970: One Night, Two Teams, and the Game That Changed A Nation. I recall that when this "Distant Replay" was published, some Alabama fans contacted me to complain. In light of the further research conducted, I admit I was wrong in 1999 and would like to offer my apology to Alabama fans.

Alabama redux: When Legends Played By Steven Travers

It's hard to believe that it has been 21 years, but the memory of how the AP robbed the Trojans to force a shared national title is still irksome today.

1978. Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama. A day game in September, hot and muggy. National television. Two undefeated teams, the winner would have the inside track at finishing number one.

As Marv Goux would say, "The best of the West vs. the Best of the East." Eight years prior, in a game that by no means had been forgotten in 'Bama, John McKay's Trojans waltzed into Birmingham for a night game against the Crimson Tide. Southern California was cocky, arrogant. Maybe the greatest program ever assembled over a 19-year period (1962-81). They featured a black sophomore fullback from Santa Barbara named Sam "Bam" Cunningham. Phenomenal black athletes, some from the South, had long been a staple at USC. Their first All-American in 1925 had been a black man.

Coach Bear Bryant's Alabama team was 100 percent white when USC walked into their house in 1970 and administered a whuppin', led by Cunningham with two touchdowns.

Now, in 1978, the men of Troy were back. This time, they were led by a new coach, John Robinson, and he had a team that was possibly more talented than the best of McKay's juggernauts. SC had won the national championship in 1972. In '74 spectacular comebacks against Notre Dame and Ohio State propelled them to the crown.

All-American tailback Charles White led USC in '78. Anthony Munoz opened his holes. Junior quarterback Paul McDonald had as much brains and ability as Pat Haden. Cornerback Dennis Smith succeeded Dennis Thurman as the second straight All-American to come out of Santa Monica High. A young safety named Ronnie Lott was hitting people with the force of a major earthquake.

Alabama was not their father's Tide. This time, they came to play with black athletes. Extremely talented ones. Lots of them. The era of the USC's and Michigan State's picking off the Bubba Smith's of the South was over. Now Alabama, Tennessee, Florida State and the others would reap the harvest sown in their backyards. For this reason, USC no longer enjoyed that quiet advantage that nobody really wanted to talk about in 1970. They would have to play it even up in the other guy's stadium.

It was no contest. White ran for 199 yards and a couple touchdowns. The Trojans dominated from the first snap, taking the huge crowd out early, and the final score, 24-14, did not reflect Southern California's superiority.

A few weeks later, the Trojans had a letdown. It was one of those radio-only Saturday night games against a tough Sun Devil squad, fired up to prove themselves in the new Pacific 10 Conference. In L.A., sports fans making the disco scene at the Red Onion or Flanagan's missed Tom Kelly's broadcast of ASU's 20-7 upset win.

That was it, though. The rest of the conference fell like Eastern Europe under Stalin. Terry Donahue's UCLA Bruins could play anybody else even up in 1978, but against their rivals they were boys facing men.

Then came Thanksgiving weekend.

With Alabama already having been knocked off, the game, played on an overcast day at the Coliseum, before a full house in an electric atmosphere, promised to be for the national championship. In 1977, Joe Montana and the green-shirted Irish derailed SC's winning streak in front of a more-deranged-than-usual Notre Dame crowd. That earned them an eventual national title, but the victory was an exception during that era. In those days, USC beat Notre Dame like a redheaded stepchild.

Mays going all out. Brando emoting. Reagan communicating to the camera. Some people are naturals, and anybody lucky enough to have been at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that day could recognize that Montana had it, too. Absolute charisma. Undeniable magic.

Still, in the beginning, USC moved Notre Dame off the line with ease, Lott was in Montana's face, White ran crazy, and McDonald threaded passes like a southpaw surgeon. Well into the third quarter, SC led by three touchdowns.

Then came Joe! If you were there, you saw Montana wake up the echoes and single-handedly silence the home crowd. He was everything that he would be against Dallas, or Cincinnati, or Denver. He was the best I ever saw.

Still, those were the halcyon days of the University of Southern California. They got the ball back with about a minute on the clock, and McDonald moved them up the field. With two seconds left, Frank Jordan, a history major from Riordan High School in San Francisco, calmly broke Joe Montana's heart with the game-winning field goal, 27-25. Montana walked off the field, a defeated warrior bathed in the kind of respect reserved only for the rarest of champions.

In an anti-climatic Rose Bowl game, Southern California toyed with an out-manned Michigan team, holding the score down like Ali letting his opponent save a little self-respect.

When the sun set in Pasadena on New Year's Day to the chant of "We're Number One," it seemed a foregone conclusion that USC had indeed captured the national championship. They were 12-1-0 in a year that saw no undefeated teams. Alabama's one loss had come at the hands of SC.

What those "number one" chanters had not taken into consideration was the popularity of Paul "Bear" Bryant. The next day, the Associated Press (the writers) voted Alabama number one. United Press International (the coaches) voted SC number one.

Perhaps it was karma...but it still bugs me to this day!

****

The Alabama game was played in the Legion Field before 77,313. Paul McDonald never fumbled despite the crowd noise, which the USC defense had helped to quiet - just like in 1970. He threw two touchdowns and USC had 517 offensive yards.

"I'd take their culls," said Bear.

"They were 10-point favorites going in, they were ranked number one in the nation," said J.R. "We were13th or 14th <actually seventh>, and were emotionally aroused, we were really ready, I remember in the locker room our players yelling and all of that and we got really into the game and we won."

While White was the most spectacular player, McDonald's steady game management won the game. It was a remarkably similar effort to the one Matt Leinart would provide in his first start at Auburn in 2003, a 23-0 USC win.

"I've never seen a young man so into a game," said Robinson of McDonald. "He's fascinated by it. I worried sometimes that we were trying to give him too much to do, that we would blow up with our own weapons. But I didn't worry about him handling himself."

McDonald, a top accounting student at USC, was getting attention along with White. He could handle Robinson's efforts, with Hackett, to create a more sophisticated offense. Both Robinson and Hackett called him "brilliant." He could also scramble, move out of the pocket and call audibles.

"The thing McDonald had extra," said Hackett, "was his knack for handling the total picture. He understood the chemistry. He learned so fast, he picked up so fast. On our offense, Charles White was so important. Charles _deserved_ the Heisman Trophy. But the single most important person to our team was McDonald."

Two weeks after the Alabama win, the team traveled to Arizona State and lost. In 2005, Vic Rakhshani, a receiver on that team, and Garry Paskiewitz, who runs a USC web site, were interviewed by L.A. sportstalk host Dave Smith on the 24/7 Trojan radio station 1540 "The Ticket."

Smith made note of the fact that Rakhshani "holds the record for most yards by anybody at USC," because in the scheme that Hackett created, he was constantly running left to right while McDonald called signals.

"Rakhshani in motion" became announcer Tom Kelly's perpetual description, which Smith noted with humor. It is also further instructive to note that Rakhshani, who had the looks of a top model, was another of those Trojans who defied the "dumb jock" image erroneously attributed by the have-nots towards USC. Rakhshani, whose pro career was derailed by injury, went into the medical field, specializing in sports rehabilitation. It is also worth mentioning that he is, like Manfred Moore, Dave Brown and so many other Trojans, a very spiritual man who endorsed many Christian charitable causes. He spoke to Smith in the reverent tones of a man of God. He was a guest not just to talk about USC football, but to promote a Christian relief fund for Hurricane Katrina, which had devastated Louisiana a few weeks prior. It is not possible to compare the "spiritual quality" of USC athletes with those of other schools. Who keeps such statistics? Certainly colleges in the Bible Belt must have as many Christian athletes, or at least one would think. But a common understanding of the program leaves one with the distinct impression, true or not, that USC has a disproportionately higher number of Christians than most.

Shortly before the Rakhshani interview, national host Jim Rome had Morgan Ensberg as a guest on his show. Ensberg was the third baseman on USC's 1998 national championship baseball team. He told Rome a harrowing story of how he and some teammates had been held up, then robbed at gunpoint during Spring Training with the Houston Astros.

"I'm a Christian and I just told God that I forgave these guys for their trespasses," Ensberg told Rome. Rome was amazed. He also frequently noted that USC athletes that he has interviewed over the years - based in L.A. he has interviewed most of them - are more articulate and "just plain good guys," more so than any school he can compare them to.

Rakhshani gave some great insight into the Arizona State loss in 1978. First of all, the Sun Devils were in their first year in the now-Pacific 10 Conference. They joined with Arizona. They featured a great quarterback who would go on to the NFL, Mark Malone, and were coached by the legendary Frank Kush.

But the key to the game was that USC lost not one but both their centers to injury that night. They were utterly depleted and could not protect McDonald or block effectively for White. They fell, 20-7.

They won out from there, though. They were ranked fifth when they played 14th-ranked UCLA (8-2) before 90,387 at the Coliseum.

"On paper we were supposed to blow 'em out," said Charles White on _The History of USC Football_ DVD, "and at the beginning of the game, I remember it was an off-tackle play and to this I day like - I got a calcium in this arm from a guy hitting me in the arm, right here, and I hit the ground, and it was just like, 'It's gonna be a long day.' "

USC went ahead 17-0 at the half but held on for a 17-10 win. McDonald threw two touchdown passes. His 36-yarder to Calvin Sweeney was on a play called "check with me." McDonald called two plays in the huddle, then decided at the line what to call.

"I saw that they were playing man-to-man in the secondary," he said, "and probably were coming with a blitz, so why not go for it and go for the big score?"

On his second TD he rolled to his right, then hit Ken Williams

"(It was) nothing very tricky," wrote _Sports Illustrated_ , "just something USC used to keep from being too predictable. McDonald started to roll out to his right, then stopped and hit Williams crossing right to left in the end zone. Previously, Williams had always gone to the right corner on that play."

In the fourth quarter McDonald engineered ball control, giving the pigskin to White,

"When you've got a guy like that, why not go to him?" McDonald asked. "He'll get the yards for you and doesn't make many mistakes."

White gained 145 yard on the day. On a key third down play late his 11 yards clinched victory. USC earned a Rose Bowl berth for the fifth time in seven years.

The best football game ever played (1978 edition)

With the national championship on the line, Southern California braced for the defenders of the title, Joe Montana and the Irish. Whether or not this was better, or more exciting, than the "1974 A.D." game can be argued. It was certainly a high for Coach Robinson, and a low for Dan Devine, who replaced Ara in 1975. The Irish may have _Rudy_ , but the Trojans are happy to settle for Frank Jordan. Just as he had done against UCLA a year earlier, Jordan kicked a game-winner with two seconds left.

Jordan was a Catholic kid who grew up in San Francisco's Irish Sunset District. He went to Riordan High School. His younger brother, Steve, would kick field goals for Troy, as well. Jordan would eventually go to work for New York Life in San Francisco, but he fancied himself a historian. He wrote screenplays about World War I. This author once met with him in proposed collaboration of a movie script. The partnership did not blossom, but eventually, through the circuitous route known in Hollywood as "development hell," a movie about this subject - America's Argonne Offensive - was produced on A&E, starring Rick Schroder.

If one visits the clubhouse at San Francisco's Harding Park Gold Course, they cannot miss the signed color photo of Jordan being mobbed by his teammates after the momentous win over Notre Dame.

"We came out the first part of that game and just took it to 'em," said Paul McDonald. "We had a huge lead in that game, I can't remember what the score was but Joe Montana was maybe two for 18 in the first half and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I was thinking, _Whose this guy, he's supposed to be a good player?_ Comes out in the second half and throws for 300 yards, brings 'em all the way back, they go for two, they're ahead 25-24, they go for two at the end - _don't get it!_

"I had hurt me ankle the first series of the game. Bob Golic, their linebacker, rolled up on my ankle. They taped it up so I said, 'Put me back in, see if I can play.' The next series I threw a touchdown so I said, 'I'm fine,' but by the end of the game my ankle was killing me.

"And I got the offense together on the sidelines and I said, 'Hey guys, we're not gonna lose this game.' All we have to do is go down about 50 yards, kick the field to win the game and get out of here. We only had one timeout, so we tried to save that timeout. I rolled into the short side of the field, and nobody was open, so I backpedaled, guy was coming right at me, so I threw it, and I threw it - I knew I had to throw it to stop the clock - and it hit one of their linemen's thigh pads, and of course they thought it was a fumble, and they were ecstatic, their bench emptied, they're jumping up and down thinking they won the game, but the official called 'incomplete pass.' Because the ball, my arm was going forward. Next pass we completed a 40-yard pass to Calvin Sweeney, next play Charles White goes off tackle for another eight, we go on the field with two seconds left and kick a field goal to win the game."

Montana's performance was _bravura._ He was as good in a noble defeat as any college quarterback ever has been, exceeded perhaps only by his incredible comeback effort against Houston in the Cotton Bowl a little over a month later.

"I came there in '72, and through '80, the winner of that game either won the national championship or came in second," recalled J.R., "so both teams were nationally ranked, so the winner was probably gonna win the national championship or come very close to it."

The noise of the crowd when Jordan kicked that field goal was absolutely deafening. Men and women kissed in the aisles, nearly making love to each other. Complete strangers hugged like lifelong lost pals. Fathers and sons found meaning. The emotion, all the incredible pent-up pressure of the national championship, the eternal struggle of the Notre Dame game; with everything riding on it, this was a true "winner take all" scenario.

Montana, after doggedly wearing down his adversaries all game, glumly boarded a plane back to Indiana with his beaten, dejected team. On that plane, he met a stewardess. A relationship blossomed and she became his wife, although it ended in divorce.

****

The Trojans had a "vacation game" in Hawaii. They actually trailed for a while against the Rainbows before overcoming their sunburns and hangovers in a 21-5 win.

Unlike 1974, when the Notre Dame game pre-cursored an equally dramatic Rose Bowl, this time around the game against Michigan was workmanlike. McDonald threw a touchdown pass to Hoby Brenner. With 7:29 to play in the second quarter, the Trojans had the ball on the Michigan three. Line judge Gilbert Marchman ruled that White's dive into the end zone was a touchdown.

" It was a fumble," White admits on _The History of USC Football_ DVD, "it was - I've seen the video maybe a hundred times - there's a bunch of Michigan fans in Cleveland, the ball just squirted out, the guy hit the ball at the right spot, but I thought even though if they got the ball on the three- or four-yard line, we was playing well and we would have got the ball and won anyhow."

Before seeing the video "maybe a hundred times," however, White's version was different.

"I felt I was in the end zone and released the ball," White said at the time. "I realized it was too soon to release it. It wasn't batted out of my hands. I saw an official signal touchdown out of the corner of my eye and just let go of the ball. Of course I thought I scored."

It was USC's fifth straight Rose Bowl victory, 17-10. White finished with 99 yards. Wolverine quarterback Rick Leach was spectacular in the second half when the Trojans tried to go conservative, almost to their chagrin. White and Leach shared Player of the Game honors.

Very possibly, USC lost the AP version of the national championship by not putting fifth-ranked Michigan away. Alabama beat unbeaten, number one-ranked Penn State in a strong showing. Despite having beaten the Tide with an impressive win on their home field, USC had to split the title. It was a reverse of the 1966 vote, when 'Bama - unbeaten, untied and a bowl winner - had been denied the title, which went to once-tied Notre Dame via the "Catholic vote" and the "anti-segregation vote." Segregated Texas's 1969 win, with President Nixon's endorsement, takes something away from the argument that the pollsters voted entirely with social pathos in that era, however.

USC could also look to its 17-10 win over UCLA with a tinge of regret. Leading 17-0, they had barely hung on to win, 17-10. Impressive blowouts over the Bruins and Wolverines, both within their range of capability, had not happened when they went a little bit too conservative, which was one of the few complaints anybody could think to attach to Robinson's record, at least up until that point. Their second half complacency had nearly cost the Notre Dame game, as well.

With Alabama now completely integrated and rolling like a juggernaut - these were Bear's best teams - the jowly man in the hound's tooth fedora was suddenly a sentimental favorite. Alabama's share of the 1978 national championship can be attributed in very large measure to the personal charisma of Bear Bryant. In doing the right thing, whether he was late or early to the dance, Bryant had become a national figure and an adored one, at that.

Oddly, USC found itself again victims of their own good works. They had of course helped open the door to integration in 1970, only to be surprised by a 'Bama team with black players in 1971. Their role in social progress was again "rewarded" in '78 when the voters went for the man they had helped make progressive.

"That's what you get," John McKay had wryly told Craig Fertig when he had seen John Mitchell sprinting downfield on the opening kick of the 1971 SC-'Bama game in L.A.

It was the end of the regular season four-game arrangement with Alabama. Oddly, the visitors won all four games between the two storied programs in the 1970s.

"Many people said, 'Hey, you can't make it through that kind of schedule,' " said Robinson of the 1978 season, which included wins over Alabama, UCLA, Notre Dame, and Michigan. "They said our schedule was a mankiller. Well, we had some men that it couldn't kill."

Shared national championship or not, for many 1978 represented the highest point in USC football history. The aura and mystique of Trojan football reached epic proportions. The question of who was the better traditional, historical team, USC or Notre Dame - or Alabama - was very much up in the air, with USC supporters holding plenty of ammunition in support of their argument.

"It was an amazing time, we had great assistant coaches there, we had well known people who were eager," recalled J.R. "It was like a Camelot to a lot of people."

Indeed, "Tailback U." was now "Quarterback College." McDonald was brilliant on the field as well as off. He was the latest in a string of quarterbacks, from Jimmy Jones to Pat Haden to Vince Evans and now himself, who had created a new paradigm at the position for Troy. Hackett introduced complexity to the offense that heretofore had not existed.

Hackett later became USC's head coach. He did not succeed, but he is due his share of credit. He was one of the minds who created the concept of the West Coast offense; concepts built on the coaching of Sid Gilman, Marv Levy and Paul Brown. He would go to San Francisco to help perfect it (and Joe Montana) under coach Bill Walsh in the 1980s.

"One of Paul's greatest strengths was his ability to throw to a variety of receivers, to find the open man," Hackett said of McDonald. "He never made up his mind on the man he was going to throw to until the last possible moment. He didn't get excited."

White finished the 1978 season with 1,859 yard rushing in 1978, but Oklahoma's Billy Sims captured the Heisman Trophy. White would not win "two or three Heismans," but he did have a chance to win one, plus a national championship, come within a whisker of a second, as well as three Rose Bowl victories. White made All-American in 1978.

6-6, 255-pound offensive guard from Fresno High School, Pat Howell was a 1978 All-American selection. Drafted in the second round by Atlanta, he played for the Falcons and Oilers until 1985. His son, Nick, would also play for Troy.

In addition to Howell, seven other Trojans were drafted from the1978 team. Running back Lynn Cain, a talented player overshadowed by White, went to Atlanta with Howell. Calvin Sweeney (Steelers), Rich Dimler (Packers), Larry Braziel (Colts), Tim Lavender (Cowboys), Carter Hartwig (Oilers) and Garry Cobb (Cowboys) were the others. USC would have had more players drafted, but they were a young team with key stars returning in 1979.

1979: the best team ever not to win the national championship

Robinson's team was ranked number one in the nation prior to the '79 season. Pundits were comparing them to the 1972 team, very possibly the "greatest college football of all time." Captains Dennis Johnson (like Thurman a product of Santa Monica High School, or SaMoHi, as the locals call it) and White would lead a team that clicked on all cylinders.

Southern California rolled through their first three games according to plan. Then they traveled to the treacherous "Death Valley," Tiger Stadium at Louisiana State University, in Baton Rouge. Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon is on top of the players and very loud. Most of the Big 10 and Southeastern Conference venues are raucous, but LSU is said by many to be the loudest, hardest place to play football in the land. The fact that LSU is usually very good certainly adds to the challenge. To make matters worse, the game was played at night. The decibel level, when Tigers fans, well, get liquored up, is deafening, verging on the dangerous.

Louisiana State was ranked number 20, but never gave an inch. USC was tentative, "playing not to win but rather playing not to lose," as John Wooden might have put it. Late in the fourth quarter they got the ball with a couple minutes left and the whole field in front of them, trailing 12-10.

White and McDonald put on a "two minute drill," one that by this time might be called a "patented Trojan scoring drive." Despite the crowd nose, which made hearing signals and especially audibles a major obstacle, McDonald was a surgeon. It was one of the most impressive performances any Trojan quarterback has ever had. It deserves comparison with Matt Leinart's 2005 last-minute efforts at Notre Dame.

USC got it down to the LSU eight with 32 seconds left. A field goal would win it, but Troy decided to "risk" a touchdown instead of a possible bad snap or botched boot. McDonald hit Kevin Williams for the clincher, 17-12. Had the play missed, a field goal still was in the works, but the margins were narrow. 78,322 Baton Rougians shut their mouths, put their bottles down, filing out of the cavernous arena proud of their team, and full of admiration for the defending national champions from Southern California.

Notre Dame still loomed at South Bend. The Big 10 opponent was shaping up to be Ohio State, with their best team maybe ever. Challenges still remained, but UCLA was way down and looked to be a pushover. After the Louisiana State game Troy felt they had a clear path to a wire-to-wire number season. It was not to be.

On October 13, unranked Stanford came to town. Bill Walsh was gone to San Francisco, but the team had recruited Granada Hills' superstar John Elway. In retrospect, USC's failure to sign the L.A. City Player of the Year was a sign of down times to come. Elway would become one of the greatest quarterbacks in college history. A baseball and basketball _wunderkind_ as well, he signed for six figures to play in the New York Yankee organization. He would also lead Denver to two Super Bowls in a Hall of Fame career.

Elway played considerably in his freshman year, but Stanford had a capable senior named Turk Schonert. Elway was injured when they came to the Coliseum. It all looked moot when Southern California exploded to a 21-0 halftime lead. The game was as good as over. The student body concentrated on the "mating game."

The second half was utterly inexplicable. One of the greatest offenses ever shut down totally. The boys and girls settled back into their seats to watch glumly. Schonert led Stanford all the way back. The 21-21 tie in the days before overtime was a spoke in USC's wheels.

USC fell to number nine, an ignominious drop from their lofty perch. Ohio State and their sophomore quarterback, Art Schlichter, vaulted to the top spot. Alabama angled into the big picture. Somebody would have to lose. USC found themselves frustrated by the fact their fate might not be entirely in their own hands. 'Bama was not on the schedule, but Ohio State was, if one believed the ticketmakers of the 1960s and 1970s. The Trojans hoped that beating the now-top ranked Buckeyes in their "last home game" in Pasadena would put them back where they belonged.

Before any of that came number 14 Notre Dame at South Bend. Absent Montana, the Irish were no match for a Trojan team that had something to prove to themselves and everybody else. McDonald, White & Co. put on a clinic in a 42-23 drubbing.

In the 1979 UCLA game, White secured the Heisman by rushing for 194 yards in a 49-14 stomping. 88,214 showed up. For UCLA fans it was a nightmare watching the Trojans celebrate in unabated glee on a sunswept November afternoon. They were 9-0-1 and Rose Bowl-bound again.

"I just wanted to finish on a good note," said White. "It was the last game before going to the Rose Bowl. What better way to end your career than to beat the crap out of UCLA?"

"You talk about leadership qualities and Charlie had them all," Robinson said in Ken Rappoport's The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football. "Despite his success, he never asked for anything special, was always the hardest worker out on the practice field. Charlie had a lot of pressure on him right from the beginning of his freshman year, but he handled it. I've run out of adjectives to describe him."

In the UCLA game, UCLA went with young Tom Ramsey. Ramsey, from Granada Hills' Kennedy High School, had grown up a rival of Elway in the northwest San Fernando Valley. Replacing the injured Rick Bashore, he and his 5-5 team, despite some late-season success, were badly outmanned by a harrowing USC defense. USC's secondary was led by the legendary Ronnie Lott and All-American linebacker Dennis Johnson. Johnson made life miserable for Ramsey. Lott intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown. For J.R., it was his fourth win over the Bruins in as many tries.

The Heisman Trophy went to White. Trojan football was again at the pinnacle.

"It didn't really have no affect on me at the time, because I was young and didn't realize the accomplishment," said White in _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "I didn't know what a person gains when he achieves that award, but going back last year for the 25th anniversary of the Heisman award, it is so significant to me now."

White would rush for 2,000 yards on the season, the first time any USC back had done so. His 6,245 career yards would be a school and Pac 10 record (still behind Tony Dorsett). His 5,598 career regular season yards were second in NCAA history. His final total would be 2,050 rushing yards in 1979. He set or equaled 22 NCAA, Pac 10, USC and Rose Bowl records.

McDonald hit 56.7 percent of his passes in 1978 for 1,690 yards. In 1979 he set school records with 2,223 yards and a 62.1 completion percentage. His 2,223 yards were an all-time single-season record, to go with of 4,138 career yards and a 59.7 completion percentage.

According to "urban legend," Charles White spent the night before the January 1, 1980 Rose Bowl game in a hotel room partying with the owner of the 502 Club, a pub located in the University Village shopping center, at the corner of Jefferson and McClintock, across the street from USC. White's girlfriend reportedly tried to keep the man away from White, calling him "the devil."

White's actions the night before that game cannot be confirmed, but his later drug problems were well documented. He never lived up to his billing in pro ball, although he did lead the NFC in rushing under John Robinson before falling apart and being picked up waving a garbage can in an empty Orange County lot. Eventually he pulled himself together and was able to lead a productive life.

If anybody was capable of burning the candle at both ends, it was White. Reputedly, he had a body fat percentage of two or three percent, which approaches that of bodybuilders on the eve of competition. He was a natural physical specimen, a Greek god chiseled out of proverbial marble.

The Trojans came out to the Rose Bowl as if half the team had been up partying.

"We had played horrible in the first half," White recalled. "We were down three or four times in their 'red zone,' and no points, field goal kicker missed a couple field goals, it was just not going well for us that day."

Ohio State played with a clear shot at the national championship. They were led by a new coach, Earle Bruce. Woody Hayes was unceremoniously fired in 1978. During the Gator Bowl against Clemson, he tried to attack a Tiger defender on the field after the kid intercepted a pass to end their chances. Ara Parseghian jokingly said he had been tempted to do it to A.D. in 1974. A Cal fan actually had jumped the railing to try and get Michigan's Tommy Harmon, running out a long sideline touchdown sprint in 1940 at Berkeley. But this was unprecedented.

Woody's demise came with mixed reactions. He made "enemies" in the West with his intemperate remarks and blustery behavior. His political views had irked a few on the notorious "Left Coast." He had not always given credit where it was due. But when McKay's teams had proven to be dominant, he reluctantly perhaps but nevertheless did state the obvious: USC was the best team in the country.

Woody is a huge part of college football history. He molded many fine young men. He was honest, loved the game, his school and his country. The color and pageantry of the Rose Bowl owes much of its aura to Woody's presence at so many huge games. He gave as well as he got. Beating him meant beating the best. Losing to him meant defeat at the hands of a worthy, excellent warrior. There was no shame.

Woody recruited many of the 1979 Buckeyes. Art Schlichter was a terrific quarterback, every bit as effective as McDonald. It was a battle of titans. If USC could win, combined with an Alabama loss, then a repeat national title would find its way to Heritage Hall.

Perhaps White was not all that clear-headed, in that his memory of the first half was that USC had played "horribly." Still, they led 10-0. It was Schlichter who engineered a comeback that looked like the one Montana orchestrated in 1978. In the fourth quarter, Southern Cal was shut down, trailing 16-10. They were dog-tired, discouraged. Most teams with less character would have packed it in.

"I recall our last series, something like eight or 10 minutes to go, we were down on our 17, and the guys were just getting together saying, 'Hey, let's put this ball in the end zone,' " recalled McDonald.

"The last four minutes we just ran Charlie White behind offensive lineman Anthony Munoz play after play," said Robinson, "and Charlie White might have had a broken nose and there, and it was very dramatic. He had blood coming down his nose."

"He just went over the top," said Munoz. "I don't remember the name of the play but it was, I mean, why try to get on the outside when you can get into the size difference? After you were around a team like we continued to do on that drive, just keep pounding them, so we did and Charles just went up and over and we scored."

"We put together a drive that will be remembered for a long time by lots of people," said McDonald. "82 yards in five minutes."

McDonald earlier threw a 53-yard scoring strike to Kevin "Bug" Williams. White gained 247 yards, scoring the winner on a one-yard dive with 1:32 left.

Alabama beat Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, however. They were unbeaten an untied. USC was unbeaten with a tie. They finished second. It was the Tide who won a repeat national title. Two of the all-time elite programs in college football history were at the apex of their glory.

The offensive line included All-American guard Brad Budde. He was the first player in USC history to start four straight seasons, winning the Vince Lombardi Award as the nation's best lineman in 1979. Robinson called him "the most competitive football player I've ever been around. When he goes to the National Football League, he'll be in the Pro Bowl eight or nine years."

He was the son of former Chief Ed Budde, who was All-Pro seven times in 14 years.

"I think I can be better than he was," he said. "I expect it and he expects it. See, at my position, you have to love the game. It's not exciting to block."

Budde was also the runner-up for the prestigious Outland Trophy. He was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 1998. A smart kid, he also earned an NCAA post-graduate scholarship, and was a first round selection of Kansas City. He starred for the Chiefs from 1980-86.

The offensive line also included 6-7, 265-pound Keith Van Horne. Munoz, a surefire All-American, was hurt in 1979. He did not play until the Rose Bowl. Had he been healthy, he might have won the Outland Trophy and unquestionably would have been an All-American. Munoz, who starred at Chaffey High School in Ontario, was a towering specimen at 6-7, 280 pounds. The third pick of the 1980 draft (he was selected ahead of Budde despite his injury) by Cincinnati, Munoz became one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history. In his second year (1981), he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, both of the perennial All-Pro's Super Bowl appearances (1982 and 1989) were losses to Bill Walsh and the San Francisco 49ers.

An exceptionally handsome, articulate and charismatic figure, Munoz made a brief foray into acting. He played the indomitable Gonzalez in the 1984 classic, _The Right Stuff_ , which told Tom Wolfe's story of the Mercury space program. Many who watched his performance found him to be a memorable, albeit minor, character. Audiences may well not have known who he was, thinking, "Whatever happened to that big Hispanic guy who played the male nurse in _The Right Stuff_?"

Director Philip Kaufman may just have wanted to create a visual spectacle that would jolt audiences. Gonzales indeed was a male nurse. The dark-haired, dusky-featured 280-pounder appears in a starched, Lillie white nurse's uniform, stationed at the Edwards Air Force Base hospital in the late 1950s, when all the "fighter jocks" were being tested for a shot at becoming astronauts.

Scott Glenn plays Alan Shepard. At the time, a comic was making the rounds as a Politically Incorrect _faux_ Mexican "astronaut" with a whiny Spanish accent, riffing on space terminology like "blast off" and "crash helmet" ("oooh, I _hope nooot!"_ ). Shepard apparently loved the character, making a pest of himself imitating "Jose Jimenez." In the film, these efforts at humor are met by classic scowls by Munoz/Gonzalez, whose imposing presence would frighten Patton, much less a fighter pilot.

In an absolutely hilariously cartoon moment, Shepard is subjected to tests that literally go up his kazoo. He and another candidate - these are America's best - are depicted in smocks holding plastic bottles wired into their butts, pained expressions on their faces as they desperately hold back a huge defecation while walking the halls and the crowded elevator.

Munoz-as-Gonzales uses Glenn-as-Shephard's moment of weakness to lecture him on his depiction of Mexicans.

"Me 'n' my friends think your Jose Jimenez imitation is A-okay," he says in a booming voice that sounds like thunder, "but what you're doin' with it is B-A-D _baaad!"_

"You're absolutely right, Mr. Gonzales," Shepard says, desperate to get to the bathroom before he "explodes," which Munoz says happens, "all the time. It's a mess."

Finally at the bathroom, with an unfettered sailing to the stall, Glenn gathers himself, venturing a question to Gonzales. In reality an orderly likely would not have had the answer, but for dramatic effect it works.

"Mr. Gonzales, how'm I doin'?" asks Glenn.

"I think you're gonna make it, man," says Munoz in one of the deepest voices in Hollywood history. "I think you're gonna be an astronaut."

Encouraged that his dream is about to become reality, happy that he has made "peace" with Gonzales, the Shepard character dashes to a blissful meeting with the bathroom "throne."

It is a truly memorable scene. Munoz's performance is not amateurish, albeit unusual. Had he chosen to pursue it, Munoz could have had a career on the screen. One could easily have pictured him partnered with or trying to kill "Dirty Harry" Callahan, for example.

Charlie White completed what may have been the best college career ever. It is certainly up there. He put up better numbers over four years than any previous Trojan. Archie Griffin and Tony Dorsett are the only two running backs whose entire college careers measure up to his.

His awards are too numerous to list herein. He was all-everything, just as he had been at San Fernando High. In addition to the Heisman he won the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp Award (National Player of the Year). He is in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and the USC Hall of Fame. He went in the first round to Cleveland, which was now replacing Tampa Bay as the home of NFL Trojans, but he did not meet the high expectations of his college career. Whether it was a lifestyle problem is really just speculation.

White was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Playing at Anaheim Stadium for Robinson, White briefly lived up to his potential with the Rams.

To his credit, Charlie cleaned up his act. A handsome young buck who liked the ladies, as did Anthony Davis, White matured when the spotlight was off him, the world no longer spinning around his axis. Robinson hired him as an assistant in his second stint as Trojan coach. White handled the job well.

In the late 1980s, White's nephew, Russell White, was the top running back in California at Encino's Crespi High School. For a brief, shining moment, Robinson's "Camelot" looked to be returning to USC. It seemed likely that White would influence his nephew to join Craig Fertig's nephew, Todd Marinovich. The two of them would ride Troy into Valhalla.

Russell instead chose _Cal_. Marinovich became known as _Marijuanavich._ The world came tumbling down in 1991. Marinovich left school early with the door swinging against his backside. In one of the lowest of low moments, Russell White ran _roughshod_ over USC, 52-30 in front of 70,000 chortling Berkeleyites. At that moment, the possibility that a book like this - detailing Troy's ongoing glories and arguing that they are the greatest of all college traditions - seemed to have as much chance as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest! To despairing Trojans of 1991, comfort may only have been found in the Biblical passage, "This too shall pass." To the current Trojans, Caesar's slave - his whisperings of mortality and fleeting glory - are appropriate.

6-4, 230-pound inside linebacker Dennis Johnson earned 1979 All-American honors, too. He was drafted by the Vikings and played until 1985 in the NFL.

Paul McDonald was an All-American and Academic All-American. He was drafted by Cleveland and was the starting quarterback on strong Browns' teams in the 1980s, then retired after a few seasons in Dallas. He became a successful businessman and is USC's radio color analyst alongside Pete Arbogast on 1540 "The Ticket." His son, Michael, became a quarterback with USC who threw a touchdown against Arkansas in 2005 while his father "analyzed" it from the booth.

Overall, nine players were drafted from the 1979 squad (three in the first round). Larry McGrew (New England), Myron Lapka (Giants), Raymond Butler and Chris Foote (Colts) were selected.

CHAPTER THIRTY

LEGENDS: RONNIE LOTT AND MARCUS ALLEN

The Heisman Trophy becomes synonymous with Heritage Hall

John Robinson took USC to four bowls in his first four years, including three Rose Bowls. He won them all. He was number one in 1978, number two in 1976 and 1979. His teams broke a 47-year record at USC for most consecutive games without loss, 28

Robinson's teams were third (1976), fourth (1977) and fourth (1979) nationally in total offense. His 1979 team gained 5,655 yards, the most in school history. They finished first in the Pacific 10 three times. In 1980 SC led in every defensive category. That was the good news. The bad news was that the NCAA put the University of Southern California on probation in 1980.

Abraham Lincoln once said, "It is good that war is so terrible, otherwise men would grow too fond of it." Any smart army would always keep somebody around from the last war to remind the brass how bad it can get. The same can be said for college athletics. Described in the pages of a book, probation just sounds like events. At the time, particularly if it is happening to a school riding as high as USC was after the 1979 season, it suck the life force out of a program, its players and its alumni. It is the ultimate downer absent actual tragedy, i.e., death and destruction.

Four Pac 10 teams were placed on NCAA probation that year, which in many ways made it even worse. Everybody had a bad year. The whole conference took a hit. USC and the Pac 10 really never recovered for two decades. It was sadly reminiscent of the 1950s payola scandal. UCLA was also hit. While some in Westwood may find this hard to believe, a lot of Trojans actually root for them when they are playing other teams. Their penalties made a little bit of vicarious success in Westwood out of the question. It left a void hanging over the city of Los Angeles as heavy as the smog, which was much, much worse in those pre-Detroit smog restriction days.

Arizona State, Oregon and Oregon State were also declared ineligible for post-season play, but could be on TV. Unearned credits, false transcripts, and unwarranted intrusion of athletic department interests in academic processes of each school were cited as the reason for the probation. The last charge was particularly aimed at USC, where 34 football players got credit for speech classes never attended. A coterie of L.A.-area junior colleges showed up as credits on various transcripts, meaning that some athletes would have had to have been in places like Santa Monica, Pasadena and Van Nuys all at the same time

It was a bad day at Troy and was met with glee by the "Harvard of the West," Stanford and Cal, now trying to shed its dubious political image by advertising that their faculty had the most Nobel Prize winners in the country.

"I have been naïve and a Pollyanna," said Robinson. "I tried to do the best I could to provide the best possible academic environment for our players. I thought I was succeeding. Obviously, I was failing in some areas. I'm not going to kid myself any longer. If I find that my tailback has missed classes the week of the Notre Dame game - and I'm going to be supplied with this kind of information - then he's not going to play against Notre Dame. Some people will want to fire me for that, but that's how I'm going to operate. There's also going to be more thorough study to the type of student we enroll here."

The probation might have doomed another coach, but Robinson had stored up a lot of goodwill with his incredible four-year run. The 1980 team was 8-2-1, and was very talented. Kevin Williams had 25 TD catches. Quarterback Gordon Adams was effective. Tailback Marcus Allen rushed for 1,563 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Trojans defeated South Carolina and 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, 23-13, in the season's second game in L.A. A 7-7 tie against Oregon marred the season, but a 60-7 thrashing of California effectively put the shutdown on verbal sniping from the Berkeley peanut galley.

A 34-9 dumping of Stanford in Palo Alto left the other Bay Area school with no doubt that they may be academic powerhouses but gridiron weak sisters in comparison with Troy. But Washington, a team not on probation and actually worthy of the Rose Bowl, earned the berth fair and square with a 20-10 win over USC at the Coliseum. Unfortunately, in this down Pac 10 year it carried over, as they lost to Michigan, giving the Big 10 its first victory since 1974.

UCLA made the drive up the Santa Monica Freeway, and 83,491 Los Angelenos, split between their allegiances, did not know what to say to each other with both teams wiping probation egg off their respective faces.

It was, despite the shadow hanging over their heads, a game between two of the best teams in college football that year, and one of the most exciting in the history of the rivalry. It was dubbed "The Probation Bowl."

Despite the probation, both teams could have won an AP national title if they had gone unbeaten. Oklahoma had done just that one year when they went unbeaten on probation without going to a bowl. This had been a disheartening concept to those who felt that things like national championships should be awarded to teams that _win_ bowl games fair and square, rather than cheating their way to shortcut success.

After USC was tied by Oregon and beaten by Washington, they did not have to face the moral dilemma of calling themselves "national champions" in a probation year. It is a very real possibility that had somebody awarded them the "honor," they would, at least in retrospect, not consider it one of their valid titles. The 11 others are all clean and legal

UCLA beat Ohio State, 17-0 and at 6-0 ranked number two. They were so desperate for a title that they began to see a benefit in it. By not playing in the Rose Bowl, they could avoid the challenge that such a game would provide to an unbeaten season. When Arizona and Oregon took care of them, they too were playing for pride.

It is too the lasting credit of both these fine schools that the young men who played in that spirited football game gave it all they had. In an odd way, it was amateur sports at its best.

Tom Ramsey was injured, but the Bruins had Jay Schroeder. While his career was up and down, he was a major athletic talent. At affluent Palisades High School, a lovely school minutes from State Beach and nearby Malibu, Schroeder had competed in a fierce rivalry with John Elway of Granada Hills and Ramsey of Kennedy. In 1979, Elway had injured himself in his senior year. Schroeder led Pali High to football and baseball glory. A catcher, he was a first round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays and would play in the Major Leagues. He also would lead the Washington Redskins to the NFC title game before an injury ended his career. He was blonde and a poster boy for the California All-American.

The enormous 1979 loss also drove the Bruins.

"I've grown up with a lot of these guys," the Bruins' splendid tight end, Tim Wrightman, told the _L.A. Times._ "When I'm playing across from some guy at Washington, I'm blocking a number. Against USC, it's somebody I know. That's what makes it so big for me. That we're not playing for the Rose Bowl, I don't think that has much effect on how we feel. The thing is, after all, is coming out of the tunnel and getting hit with the crowd - all blue and gold on one side, Cardinal and Gold on the other. I can't describe it."

Wrightman had on another occasion said that he disdained USC's recruiting efforts because the school was located in a bad neighborhood.

"Why would I want to go to school in a ghetto when I can go to school in Bel Air?" he asked in a question some 30,000 Trojans have the answer to every year.

Donahue employed an eight-man front, knowing USC relied entirely on Allen and that Adams was no Paul McDonald. They held Marcus to 72 yards. Schroeder completed nine-of-11 for 165 yards and two touchdowns. With a little over two minutes left, USC led 17-13. Schroeder went for broke to Freeman McNeil. USC defensive back Jeff Fisher (now coach of the Tennessee Titans) deflected the pass. McNeil picked it out of the air like a kid swiping from a cherry tree. To the amazed consternation of the Southern Cal faithful, McNeil romped unfettered into the end zone to end Troy's City Game winning streak at four.

To most college football programs, a probation season and heartbreaking loss to their cross-town rival would have led them to fold up their chairs and go home. Not so the Trojans.

Instead, 82,663 came to the Coliseum two weeks later to watch one of the most inspired games in the history of the Notre Dame series. The Irish were unbeaten and ranked number two behind Herschel Walker and Georgia. Notre Dame was headed to a Sugar Bowl battle for the top spot with the Bulldogs, but USC knocked away their title hopes in a terrific 20-3 win.

Marcus Allen was out with an injury, so they turned to a sophomore from Kansas City named Michael Harper. Harper unexpectedly ran wild, giving Troy a lift to end their season 11th in the Associated Press and 12th in the UPI polls.

The two captains, safety Ronnie Lott and tackle Keith Van Horne, both earned All-American honors. Lott may well be the noblest Trojan of them all. The son of a military officer, raised with discipline, respect for authority and pride, he starred at the appropriately named Eisenhower High School in Rialto, east of Los Angeles. At that the community, which revolved around oil derricks, produced extraordinarily tough kids and great prep teams that gave the town enormous pride. He played on the1978 national champions and the 1979 Rose Bowl champs. A member of the College Hall of Fame and the team's 1980 MVP, Lott also won the Davis-Teschke Award as the most inspirational Trojan. He was a chip off the Marv Goux block; the very epitome of football toughness, pride, intelligence and fierce loyalty. Lott is said by some to be the hardest hitter of all time. Who can say? Those who got hit by him. They are the ones who said it.

Lott was the eighth pick of the 1981 draft. Safety Kenny Easely of UCLA was actually considered the better prospect, chosen ahead of him by Seattle. Easely was a fine pro, but Lott is the stuff legends are made of. In an interview with Bill Walsh in 2001, this author asked whether he would have chosen Easely over Lott had the Seahawks not picked him. Walsh denied that he would have, despite rumors that at the time he subscribed to Easely's scouting reports. He also adamantly denied that he had considered his own Stanford quarterback, Steve Dils, over Joe Montana during the 1979 draft. Whether Walsh's memory was faulty or just convenient, fate or good judgment led him to make all the right moves. Montana and Lott, opponents in the 1978 "battle of L.A.," were the cornerstones of the greatest dynasty in professional football history. The 49er won five Super Bowl titles between the 1981 and 1994 seasons.

While Montana had already been San Francisco's quarterback on losing teams in 1979 and '80, Lott's arrival made them an instant winner of their first Super Bowl. On a team that also included Charles "Tree" Young, the 49ers beat Anthony Munoz and the Bengals. The 1984 49ers are thought by some to be the best pro team ever, or at least the best offensively. Lott and Montana starred on repeat World Champions from 1988-89.

In 1991 Lott returned to the Coliseum when he was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. He inspired that team to success through sheer inspiration and hard hitting before finishing up with the Jets and Kansas City. Lott is of course in the USC Hall of Fame, the College Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Like so many articulate Trojans, the ruggedly handsome Lott worked for a while as a TV football commentator. He remains committed to his alma mater.

The massive Keith Van Horne grew up a childhood pal of Trojan tight end Hoby Brenner in the affluent Sunny Hills section Fullerton. They both starred for the Fullerton High Indians. The Chicago Bears chose Van Horne as their first pick in 1981. He starred for the best Bear teams in the franchise history until 1993. He was a vital cog in the 1985 Super Bowl championship team. Upon retirement he became a radio broadcaster.

Overall, USC's 1982 "probation team" had nine players drafted by the National Football League. Aside from the three first rounders, Brenner was drafted by New Orleans, where he had a solid career. The Saints also selected wideout "Bug" Williams. Defensive back Jeff Fisher, a true overachiever, was picked in the seventh round by Chicago, where he forged a career before getting into coaching. Steve Busick (Denver), James Hunter (Pittsburgh) and Eric Scoggins (Colts) were drafted, too.

****

In the fall of 1980, America made a major shift rightward when they chose the former actor who had played George Gipp in _Knute Rockne: All-American_. Ronald Reagan was a Republican whose base was in conservative "Trojan country," the bastions of Orange County. He was a man whose policies were palatable to the South, seeming to mirror USC's winning 1970 trip to Birmingham, which helped to speed along successful integration. The GOP had husbanded the region, as Jim Murray once said, "back into the Union."

UCLA briefly made it back to basketball glory with a 1980 Cinderella trip to the Final Four, but Larry Brown's team lost to Denny Crum and Louisville. The Rams moved to Anaheim, leaving the Coliseum to the colleges. After one more year, only one college. Then the Raiders would come to town.

In 1979, USC graduates George Lucas (producer) and John Milius (screenwriter) combined with UCLA director Francis Ford Coppola to make the epic _Apocalypse Now_ , which featured the music of Coppola's UCLA Film School classmate, Jim Morrison.

Also in 1979, legendary Trojan John Wayne gave his last interview, appealing to God that he hoped he would be accepted when his time came, which happened a few weeks later. Happy trails, Duke.

****

1981 marked a bookend in Trojan football history. The team would be fairly strong in '82, but major fissures would be made apparent, leading to a black hole at season's end. But 1981 was a year of glory at Troy. The team did not win a national championship. They did, in fact, falter at the end. To USC fans used to seeing the team dominate, it was slightly shocking. But overall the year produced enough thrills to hide any hint of the program's slide.

The 1981 "bookend" refers to the period that started in 1962, when John McKay won his first national championship, and the 20 years that followed, capped by Marcus Allen's record-breaking Heisman performance. There really are only two other collegiate football programs that come close to matching what Troy achieved during this period. One is Alabama under Bear Bryant from 1961 to 1979. The other is Miami under five coaches from 1983 to 2001.

Alabama earned five national championships and no Heismans. Miami earned five national championships and two Heismans. Southern California earned five national championships and four Heismans.

During the time frame of SC's dominant period, Notre Dame won three national championships and one Heisman (they would add one more title and a Heisman within seven years). Oklahoma won two national championships and two Heismans (adding another title four years later). Nebraska won two national titles and one Heisman (with another Heisman two years later).

1981 vs. Oklahoma: Mazur-to-Cornwell

USC opened the season fifth in the polls. After handling Tennessee, 43-7 and Indiana, 21-0 before 51,167 at Bloomington, any lingering doubts seemed to dissipate. They gravitated back to number one, which at this point seemed to be their birthright.

Fred Cornwell and John Mazur are not great stars in the pantheon of USC history. In 1981 Cornwell was a 6-5, 236-pound sophomore tight end out of Canyon High School in Saugus. He would be an effective college player and play in the NFL for Dallas. Mazur was a 6-3 left-handed sophomore quarterback out of El Camino Real High School in the valley. He would lose his starting position and transfer out of school.

That being said, these two names are legends at USC, at least among those in the know. The reason was the Oklahoma game of September 26, 1981. Oklahoma, along with Alabama, Notre Dame, and USC, was one of the elite programs in the 1970s.

After achieving a 47-game winning streak under Bud Wilkinson in the 1950s, earning three national championships, the team dropped slightly in the 1960s, but came roaring back under Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer. Fairbanks's 1971 squad had challenged Nebraska for all the marbles before falling. Switzer led the Sooners to two national championships in the decade. The team established dominance over Nebraska. Even in years in which they did not go all the way, they were big, mean and in contention right up until the end. Switzer, a party boy with a lax attitude about rules, had let the program get into trouble with the NCAA, but their school president was bound and determined to "build a university our football team can be proud of."

Reeling from probation themselves, nobody at USC was willing to make a big deal of OU's academic credentials when the Sooners came rumbling into the Coliseum. In the history of collegiate football polling, there have only been 35 games between the number one and number two teams in the nation. Most of those were bowl games. USC has been **involved in six of them**. Only two of those were regular season games. This was one of them. 86,651 bought into the hype. They got their money's worth.

Allen was a senior, a known quantity who lived up to his "Heisman hopeful" billing by rushing for more than 200 yards, which he did in almost every game that season. But Mazur, being a first year starter, was a question mark. When he performed like...a legend, well, USC fans had no reason to doubt that the beat was going on and on and on!

It was one of the hardest hitting, most fiercely fought games ever played on the Coliseum floor. Switzer's wishbone was very difficult to stop, but the pitch-happy scheme left the Sooners vulnerable to turnovers.

USC fought like the Allies in the first desperate hours of D-Day, desperately clutching onto a beachhead on the continent of Victory. Throughout the contest, there were times when the Sooners looked too strong, threatening to run away with it, but Mazur kept his head about him. Allen ate up valuable yardage. It came to the fourth quarter, the courage of Robinson, and the _elan_ of Mazur, who embraced the meaning of being a Trojan.

Trailing 24-21, USC drove the field. There was no overtime, so the specter of a game-tying field goal hung over the crowd. The question was whether J.R. would indeed follow the path of the "gunslinger" McKay or take the easy way out like Ara Parseghian at East Lansing in 1966.

The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife, although in September it might have been the smog. Either way, Allen resembled White in the 1980 Rose Bowl, cutting and slashing for key yards until Southern California had the ball on the Sooner two. There were two seconds remaining. A lot of big guys wearing red and white stood in their way. Robinson had no doubt in his mind: go for the win.

Mazur trotted over to the sideline, thinking that he was a _loooong_ way removed from the El Camino Real-Taft game. Robinson has gone through several incarnations at USC. Not everybody loves him as they once did. He deserves to be remembered for this moment. J.R. had gained some weight since 1976. He now self-deprecatingly referred to himself as "the fat man." Wearing his gold pants and white golf shirt with the "SC" logo, he put his arm around Mazur. Robinson looked to be as relaxed as a grandfather opening Christmas gifts. He smiled at Mazur, telling him that the reason came to USC was for moments like this; that it was the greatest moment of his life, no matter the outcome.

Mazur trotted on the field like a Catholic who had just seen the Virgin Mary. Many thought the call would go to Allen, but Oklahoma was looking for that. Robinson put his trust in Mazur. The quarterback rolled out and spotted big Fred Cornwell, whose open numbers were as inviting as a New Orleans "showgirl" to a man just let out of prison. Mazur made the little toss, Cornwell wrapped it, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum _exploded!_

"Young Juice"

Life was _goooooood!_ Allen was doing things nobody; not O.J., Dorsett or White, had done. He continued his record-setting rushing pace in a 56-22 win at Oregon State. Unranked Arizona came to town for Homecoming. With Allen running through the Wildcats, USC led 10-0 at the half. USC's boys and girls repaired to the beer aisles to talk things over until they started to hear groans and cheers from inside.

Arizona schools - both A-State and U. of A. \- would give USC their fair share of troubles in their first years in the Pacific 10 Conference, and this was one of those days. In a game horribly reminiscent of the 21-21 Stanford tie in 1979, USC's offense shut it down (Allen gained yards but they could not punch it in). Arizona quarterback Tom Tunnicliffe, a local product from Burroughs High School in Burbank, engineered Arizona's second half comeback all the way to a 13-10 upset. Nice Homecoming...

The Trojans traveled to South Bend, where Allen dominated. They prevailed over Notre Dame, 14-7, followed by easy wins over Washington State and Cal. At that point the third-ranked, 8-1 Trojans, featuring the sure Heisman winner, looked to have the inside track at the national championship. It was a year of upsets. All the usual suspects were down. The Clemson Tigers opened that season over powerhouse Wofford. They were unbeaten, but it looked unlikely that they would make it all the way.

Every year USC fans look at the schedule. If they see a game in the Pacific Northwest in November they say, "Uh oh." Especially if the game is at Washington. Unpredictable weather (read: pouring rain) and artificial surfaces create balls and shoes that take funny bounces. So it was on November 14 in Seattle, where 47,347 watched the Huskies knock Southern California out of the Rose Bowl and the national championship, 13-3.

USC found themselves in the role of spoiler against UCLA, who were strong with Ramsey having replaced Schroeder (who was concentrating on baseball) at quarterback. Ranked 15th, the 7-2-1 Bruins had the inside track at the Rose Bowl. Nothing seemed to make sense when Washington State upset Washington, but it would not matter to UCLA if they lost.

Allen came in with a gaudy NCAA record 2,123 yards and seven 200-yard games. Mazur found that the _L.A. Times_ and sportstalk radio, a relatively new phenomenon that found its best niche in commuter-crazy Los Angeles, was tougher on him than OU with two seconds to go. He was still hanging on to his job when the UCLA game came around, but freshman blue chipper Sean Salisbury and backup Scott Tinsley seemed to be reliable alternatives.

When Mazur passed, it was usually to Marcus, who had 25 receptions coming in. The two teams got it on, up and down the field, but six Southern Cal turnovers seemed to be their undoing through three quarters. The Bruins were ahead, 21-12. Allen just pounded and pounded and pounded until USC went ahead 22-21 with 2:14 to go on his five-yard run. When USC cornerback Joe Turner intercepted Ramsey with 1:19 on the clock, it seemed to be over except for a flag thrown on SC linebacker August Curley, charged with roughing the passer.

UCLA drove to the 29 before calling on kicker Norm Johnson with four seconds left and Southern California holding on by the skin of their teeth. Nose guard George Achica etched his name in the marble annals of Trojan memory by breaking through Dennis Edwards and Charles Ussery to block the 46-yard try, returning the Victory Bell to Figueroa and Jefferson. Curley awarded his first born son to Achica, and is still seen washing his car on Sundays.

Allen rushed for 219 yards on 40 carries. It was USC's 11th win over UCLA in 15 seasons, and redemption after the ignominious loss in "The Probation Bowl," in which Marcus had been held to only 72 yards.

A new era had come to college football by 1981. No longer were Pac 10 teams restricted from going to non-Rose Bowl games. The growth of various bowls created an extravaganza of post-season pageants.

The Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, once a sleepy game for the Western Athletic Conference winner (usually Arizona State) to host was now a major New Year's Day game. With USC heading to the desert to play traditional power Penn State, the team they had beaten in the first game ever played in the Rose Bowl Stadium (1923), the game looked to be a national marquee match-up between Allen and the Nittany Lions' Curt Warner. With Washington "backing in" to Pasadena, the glamour of that game seemed to dim.

Not so. Washington won the Rose Bowl to uphold the honor of the conference. USC entirely failed on their end. Allen fumbled the ball away on USC's first possession. 71,053 saw Warner demonstrate that on this day at least he and Joe Paterno's team were superior to the Trojans, 26-10. USC never scored an offensive touchdown. Chip Banks's 20-yard interception return was their only one. Robinson brought in Salisbury, but any promise he held would have to be unveiled on another day. At 9-3, USC finished 12th (AP) and 13th (UPI).

It was a strange year, one in which USC had beaten Notre Dame on the road and UCLA, played on New Year's Day, and their record-setting tailback won the Heisman. But the loss to Penn State was a devastating one, leaving their supporters with an uneasy feeling. There was no outward hint that the empire was on the verge of collapse.

Allen was of course the brightest of bright sports. Coming out of Lincoln High School in San Diego, he had been a quarterback who led his team to the CIF-San Diego Section title.

"I think they made me quarterback because they felt I was the team leader," said Allen, who also played baseball. "I was no passer of distinction."

The USC coaches switched him to running back when they saw him up close. In his freshman year he replaced an injured Charles White vs. Michigan State and almost broke a touchdown run.

"I'd broken for about 15 yards and there was one man between me and the goal line," he said. "Then I cut back on the wrong foot, slipped, and I was the loneliest man on that football field."

He played fullback as a sophomore and tailback as a junior.

"He made the switch without a murmur," said John Jackson, an assistant coach of the running game. He broke his nose in a scrimmage, but rushed for 649 yards.

"I don't think I ever recovered from that introduction," he said. "My nose has been put back together like a puzzle. But, playing fullback made me more aggressive. However, I was just looking forward to getting back to tailback."

"We recruited Marcus Allen as a defensive back out of San Diego," said Robinson in 1980. "He's six-foot three, 195 pounds and he's terrific. He came to me and said, 'Coach, I want to play tailback. I think I'm the type for the job.' He is, too."

Nicknamed "Young Juice" for his physical resemblance to O.J., he employed a similar style in the open field. He was the second leading rusher in the nation as a junior through 10 games, but missed the 20-3 win over Notre Dame with an eye injury.

"Marcus has a wide range of skills," said Robinson. "He's an excellent pass receiver along with his running ability. I think he could make it in the NFL as a wide receiver. He's also a fine blocker who picks up blitzes. And he's so durable. When he played fullback we rarely had to substitute for him."

When Allen broke all the national rushing records, earning the 1981 Heisman, combined with his good looks and natural charm, he became an iconic figure at Troy.

"That particular time when I won the award I was very happy because I'd achieved something I wanted to achieve, but I was really happy for my family," said Marcus in _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "It was more important for my parents than it was for me, because it was a reflection of all the hard work they'd put in, years ago, all the Pop Warner experiences, my mom being the team mother and my dad being the coach running back and forth and really giving up their lives for their kids' lives, so for me it was like the first time I had an opportunity to pay back my parents. I remember, my dad is a very loquacious guy, talks non-stop, but for the first time in my lifetime, he was just quiet, and he was speechless, and I know he was nothing but proud, it was _his son_. He could say, 'My son,' and my mom could say, 'My son' is known as the best college player in the country. That's for them, what it's all about, and for me that's what it was all about."

The captain of the 1981 team, Allen set 16 NCAA records and was the first collegian to break 2,000 regular season yards. He won the Walter Camp and Maxwell trophies, averaging 212.9 yards a game in his senior year. In 1982 the Raiders, in the process of moving from Oakland to L.A., made him their first pick.

Able to continue his football career in the same Coliseum where he had starred in college, Marcus was an instant hit on and off the field. He was the Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl running back in 1982. In 1983 he was the best player in the NFL.

The Raiders finished with a 13-3 record behind Marcus's heroics, then beat Joe Theisman and Washington in the Super Bowl. Allen had a spectacular game in the Raiders' 38-9 victory, breaking a long run to put the game away to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

Off the field, Marcus became a Hollywood figure, taken under his wing by the movie star O.J. Simpson. He dated starlets and became a _bon vivant,_ a man about town. It never effected his performance, however. He continued to star for the Raiders year in and year out. The team was upset by the New England Patriots in the 1985 AFC Play-Offs, however, and took a turn for the worse. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Raider attendance was down. A dangerous "gang element" permeated the Coliseum, which was a notable contrast to the polished alumni crowds at USC games.

Allen maintained his star status, but had a falling out with the irascible Al Davis, who showed no class in dumping Marcus to the Kansas City Chiefs. Now teamed with Joe Montana, who had lost his job in San Francisco to Steve Young and then gone to Kansas City, the two veterans led the Chiefs to their best years since the Mike Garrett Super Bowl teams of the 1960s. Allen retired after the 1997 season. He is an inductee in the USC, College and Pro Football Hall of Fames. Like many other Trojans, Marcus was media savvy and put it to good use as a TV commentator.

In 1994, when O.J.'s wife was murdered, Marcus found himself caught in the vortex of publicity and tabloid "journalism" surrounding the case. A persistent rumor made its way to the papers, that Marcus had been seeing Nicole Simpson, thus enraging O.J. Allen was able to distance himself from the rumor and O.J. while holding on to his status as a class act.

Offensive guard Roy Foster made All-American in 1980 and 1981. He went in the first round to Miami, playing in two Super Bowls for Don Shula's Dolphins before going to San Francisco.

Linebacker Chip Banks earned All-American, too. He was the third overall pick in 1982, ahead of Marcus, joining the Trojan alumni club in Cleveland. He played for three NFL teams through 1993.

Dennis Edwards (Bills) and Joe Turner (Bears) were also drafted.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

1982: THE LAST HURRAH

On probation again, the Trojans "win one for the fat man"

When the NCAA came down on USC prior to the 1982 season, imposing a two-year bowl ban on the team for further irregularities that were a carryover from the 1980 case, frustration set in. What was wrong at USC? Who was to blame?

John Robinson took responsibility. He was not a disciplinarian. He was never a fanatic about academics, but as caretaker of an institution as cherished as Southern California football he should have sealed every leak in watertight fashion. It is unfortunate that his legacy is marred by these realities.

The 1982 Trojans were a talented squad that could play with most teams in the country on a given Saturday. Penn State, the team that had beaten them in the Fiesta Bowl, would go on to win the national championship. It was a time of further upheaval in college football, though. The 1970s had been all about the traditional powers, but in the first half of the 1980s Georgia, Clemson, Miami and Brigham Young won titles.

Southern Cal had lost Marcus Allen, but they introduced sophomore quarterback Sean Salisbury. He had the high school imprimatur that had Trojan fans thinking that the team could open their offense up without missing a beat. Thoughts of an undefeated season and a "probationary" national title did not seem so unreasonable anymore. It had been four years since the 1978 title; a long, long time in the minds of Trojan fans by the early fall of 1982.

This notion was quickly disabused when USC opened in the middle of a _hot_ late summer Gainesville day at Florida. The history of great Trojan teams traveling into the lion's den and emerging unscathed looked to be a distant memory. The offensive line was utterly and completely overwhelmed. Salisbury was chased, harassed and tackled like a rag doll all day. He showed zero promise in a horrid 17-9 beating before 73,238 sweat-soaked fanatics, braving what was less like humidity and more like a steam room.

The game also marked a turning point. Florida had been a strong team since the 1960s. Florida State was emerging. Miami was still not a major power. But the Florida win over USC signaled a paradigm shift from the West to the Southeast, particularly to Florida. The three Florida colleges would dominate the next two decades while USC would wander through the weeds.

It was still a John Robinson team, however. Marv Goux was still on the staff. In game three, Troy traveled to Norman and shut out the Sooners, 12-0. It was a down year for Switzer, but shutting them down at Tinker Field is always a major accomplishment. They were 5-1 before losing at Arizona State, 17-10, but when Cal ventured south they found themselves trailing 42-0 _at the half._ The Trojans still had game.

The UCLA battle was one of those odd contests that could be described as "defeat with honor." UCLA students and alumni had, for 53 years, driven their cars the 10 miles or so from Westwood - or wherever Bruins hibernate on the Westside - up the Santa Monica Freeway, or if that was jammed, up Jefferson, or Centinela, or Olympic, Santa Monica, Wilshire or West Adams Boulevards, to the USC campus. Looking around at the dilapidated South-Central neighborhood with disdain, they would park their cars at the Coliseum, on side streets, on people's lawns or in shopping centers, then walk across the hallowed SC campus. They would pass Tommy Trojan, Heritage Hall, Doheny Library and Von Kleinschmid Center; USC landmarks all. The honest ones amongst them would admit that while the neighborhood "was no Westwood," the campus itself was first rate and traditional.

This time-honored tradition had worn thin by 1982, however. UCLA decided to end their relationship with the Coliseum for what many still think is the ill-fated choice of the Rose Bowl. It is ironic that when the campus moved from Vermont Avenue to Westwood, they were surrounded by farmland. They could have built an arena big enough to hold 200,000 people and park 150,000 cars, with unfettered freeways and roads leading to and from all directions in this then-virgin territory.

Instead, they decided to drive their jalopies downtown, share a stadium with USC. Over time, real estate surrounding the Westwood campus became some of the priciest in America. High-rise office complexes, shopping malls, freeways, luxury hotels and condos, sprawling mansions, mini-malls; as far s the eye could see, from the ocean to the mountains and to the basin flatlands, Los Angeles built and built and built until there was no real place to put a stadium near their campus. When they decided to build Ducky Drake Stadium for track next to an expanse of intra-mural fields, the window had closed.

The Rose Bowl was a cramped facility where fans sat knee-to-back, although they have made efforts since to increase the legroom. The Coliseum had years ago gone to theatre-style seating, making for a much more comfortable environment (at the expense of about 12,000 seats, but well worth it). There is no real parking at the Rose Bowl, although the Brookside Park Golf Course and adjacent baseball field serve this purpose. It is of course built into the Arroyo Seco, an expanse of canyons and valleys. It is a beautiful residential area, but a nightmare when a lot of cars are coming in and out. Many cars are parked in front of private homes, or even on the lawns of homes. Pasadena residents always braced for the once-a-year Rose Bowl, but it gets annoying to deal with six Saturdays every fall. Traffic on Colorado Avenue is abominable as people fight their way back to the two-lane, ancient 110 Pasadena Freeway. The only smart way to handle it is to designate a driver, then do some post-game drinkin' at what has fairly recently become a trendy downtown area of revived bars, restaurants and hot spots. The little secret is that the 210 access is much, much better than coming in and out via the Pasadena Freeway and Colorado Avenue.

The real problem with UCLA playing its home games at the Rose Bowl, aside from the fact that the cities of Pasadena and San Marino are major bastions of USC alumni, is that it is located, for all practical purposes, at least an hour from its campus. Absent traffic, maybe 30 or 40 minutes, but these games attract traffic. It is not close, whether they drive from the 10 to the 110, or the 405 deep into the San Fernando Valley, and then east on the 210. It is not convenient.

Students have to arrange for rides or a bus. Alums have to fight their way to Pasadena, usually not _from_ Pasadena. If UCLA had an on-campus stadium, their students could just walk to the games, then all the dusky delights of Westwood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills would be available for after-game revelers. Instead, they are stuck in cars and buses on dark highways.

Anyway, the first USC-UCLA game played outside the Coliseum was in 1982. USC came out in their road whites for the first time; a decided drag after years of clashing Cardinal (and blue) and Gold. The '82 Bruins were loaded at 8-1-1, led by the senior Ramsey. Donahue had become a defensive guru.

Salisbury was out with an injury. Scott Tinsley, a senior from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was tasked with the job of dealing with Donahue's schemes. He had weapons: Malcolm Moore, Jeff Simmons and Timmy White, but it was a very un-Trojanlike "tailback by committee."

95,763 filled the Rose Bowl, watching UCLA take a 20-6 lead in the fourth quarter. Tinsley and his teammates made their school proud by staging a marvelous comeback, driving for two touchdowns (the second a one-yard toss to Mark Boyer) to make the score 20-19 with no time on the clock. It was so typical of USC, their fans accepting this miracle as if it was the given order of things, while UCLA's fans sat in their "new" stadium waiting to see a movie they had watched before.

At this point, Robinson "cowboyed up," as they like to say; which is of course the Trojan way. A tie would give UCLA a Rose Bowl game berth. Robinson went for two and a win. Karl Morgan stormed across the line to sack Tinsley. A valiant effort fell short. It was a great game, win or lose. UCLA went on to beat Michigan on New Year's Day. That was another channel whose station had not been switched.

One week later, Notre Dame came to town. It was another donnybrook. USC got the ball with little time left. Tinsely gamely drove them to the goal line where, with 48 seconds left, Robinson again disdained a game-tying field goal in favor of a leap over the goal line in the tradition of Sam "Bam" Cunningham and Charles Whites. Michael Harper, a talented senior who had never reached his potential, managed to etch his name in the book of legend, leading his team to two victories over Notre Dame in three years by scoring the winning touchdown in a 17-13 thriller before 76,459.

The only problem is that, much like White's touchdown against Michigan in the Rose Bowl, Harper fumbled the ball. In White's case, the game was on the line and the team most likely would have recovered to win anyway. Not so with Harper. Notre Dame fans took this one hard. They would harbor resentment over it for a long time. They would get their revenge.

USC finished 8-3, ranked 15th in the nation. 6-7, 270 offensive tackle Don Mosebar, a "strong, silent" type from Visalia, made All-American. Also a trackman, he was drafted in the first round by Oakland, playing in their Super Bowl win over Washington.

Offensive guard Bruce Matthews earned All-American, too. He was the ninth overall selection in 1983, then had a long career as an All-Pro with the Houston Oilers (later Titans) until 2001. He played in the 2001 Super Bowl, a loss by Tennessee to the St. Louis Rams. His brother, Clay, played linebacker for the Trojans from 1974-77.

George Achica made All-American, too. A third round pick by the Colts, he played in the NFL and with the Los Angeles Express of the old United States Football League.

Showing that the 1982 team was loaded despite its share of disappointments, they had 11 players drafted. Defensive back Joey Browner went in the first round to Minnesota. August Curley went in the fourth round to Detroit. Kelli Thomas was selected by Tampa Bay. Jeff Simmons and Troy West went to the Rams. The Eagles took Byron Darby and Green Bay went for John Harvey.

Linebacker Riki Gray was chosen by San Francisco in the fifth round. Gray was and is an interesting story. Born in New Zealand, he was raised by a single mother who got her Master's degree at USC. Gray was raised in part in the USC student housing and childcare center. Gray starred at Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Arizona, then accepted a football scholarship to USC. He was a dominant force on the field and by dint of his personality. Gray, who also became known as Riki Ellison, starred on the San Francisco 49ers' World Championship teams of the 1980s. After football, he pursued post-graduate education, becoming a national expert on nuclear weapons and missile defense. He works on these issues in the Washington, D.C. area.

Other Sports 1960-79: Jess Hill presides over the greatest athletic department of all time

_"The three greatest teams I ever saw were the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, any Taiwan Little_ _League World Series team, and the 1968 USC Trojans."_

\- Bill "Spaceman" Lee

The 1960s and 1970s were the greatest period of athletic dominance by one university in history. Jess Hill led USC to the mountaintop. What is so incredible is that Southern California achieved this status at a time when UCLA's basketball program enjoyed the best decade of any major sports program ever. As an overall athletic department, UCLA was right behind the Trojans. These two schools set themselves far above and beyond the rest of the field.

When the 1960s began, USC and UCLA were about equal in basketball. Both teams had challenged nationally, but fallen short. In the Pacific Coast Conference, Stanford, Oregon State and Cal had won NCAA championships. The game was considered to be strongest on the East Coast or the Midwest. That was about to change.

In the early 1960s, USC played their basketball games at the sparkling new L.A. Memorial Sports Arena. Built adjacent to the Coliseum football stadium, it was state of the art for its time, spacious and convenient; one of the better college facilities at the time. Richard Nixon had dedicated the opening of the Sports Arena in 1959, declaring it to be "the finest indoor sports facility in the country." He also said the same thing about Candlestick Park in 1960.

The Sports Arena hosted the 1960 Democratic National Convention. Legend has it that then-candidate John F. Kennedy carried on his affair with Marilyn Monroe at the Malibu home of his brother-in-law, Peter Lawford, during that weekend. JFK then employed the "services" of a prostitute at his hotel room to "relax: before making his way to the Sports Arena, where he accepted his party's nomination for the Presidency. Also that weekend, the famous _tete-a-tete_ between Robert Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson occurred, with LBJ all but blackmailing the Kennedys into offering him the Vice-Presidency.

While USC played in these gleaming, nationally recognized facilities, UCLA on the other hand still played in second-rate gymnasiums. John Rudometkin stepped up as a top player for Troy, averaging 24.8 points in 1960-61. In 1961-62, UCLA won the first of 17 straight conference championships.

While USC was 10-16 under Forrest Twogood in 1964, UCLA went 30-0 to win their first national championship. In the 1964-65 season, UCLA again swept USC en route to the national title.

In 1965-66, UCLA no longer played in inferior facilities. After years at the "B.O. Barn," Santa Monica City College, Venice High, and the Pan Pacific Auditorium, they moved into Pauley Pavilion, the best arena in the land. USC under Twogood went 12-14 that year, prompting the school to fire him and bring in Bob Boyd. A famous photo shows Boyd with his eyes seemingly bugging out of his head. Under it somebody scratched the words, "Omigod, is that Alcindor?"

Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor III was the greatest high school player in America at Power Memorial Academy in New York. As a UCLA freshman in 1965, he led the frosh to an easy win over the varsity. Had freshmen been eligible that year, UCLA's frosh by themselves would have won the national title that Texas Western actually won. As a sophomore, he made his debut against the unfortunate Bob Boyd-led Trojans, scoring 56 points in a 105-90 UCLA victory. USC's Bill Hewitt, a J.C. transfer, scored 39.

Later, Boyd tried a stall on Alcindor, but UCLA still won, 83-55. In 1969, USC pushed UCLA and Alcindor before falling, 61-55 in double overtime. The next night, led by Mack Calvin and Ernie Powell, Southern California upset the Bruins, 46-44, to end their 47-game winning streak. It was also their first-ever loss at Pauley.

In 1961, USC's track team won their seventh NCAA title in 11 years under coach Jess Mortensen. In 1962, Al Wolf of the _L.A. Times wrote,_ "Track teams are getting better all over the country. Where USC formerly was one of the sport's few strongholds, improved coaching and brisker recruiting have produced a leveling effect."

New coach Vern Wolfe would have none of it, leading USC to an 11-0 dual meet record, including the 30th straight win over UCLA, and the NCAA title. Jim Bush was hired after Ducky Drake left to become athletic director at UCLA, with consequences that would eventually shift the balance of power. USC won the 1965 title, but Bush led UCLA to its second NCAA championship in 1966.

With football stars Earl McCullough and O.J. Simpson anchoring the 440-relay team, along with Lennox Miller and Fred Kuller, combined with pole-vaulter Bob Seagren dominating his event, the 1967 Trojans won the NCAA title. McCullough and Miller again led the 1968 Trojan tracksters to the NCAA championship.

Bruce Gardner led the 1960 Trojan baseball team. In 1961 Tom Satriano anchored the national champs (36-7). Satriano would play for the California Angels. They also had an outfielder from Hawthorne High School, Mike Gillespie, who would go on to become Rod Dedeaux's successor. They beat Oklahoma, 1-0, to win at Omaha. Pitcher Marcel Lachemann would play for the Oakland A's and become the Angels' manager after being Dedeaux's assistant. His brother, Rene, would play professionally and become a longtime big league coach.

In 1963 USC (35-10) earned the moniker, "Yankees of College Baseball" when they won another College World Series, led by football star Willie Brown, Walt Peterson and Kenny Washington Jr. They beat Arizona for the CWS title, 5-2. The coach's son, Justin was a standout infielder.

In 1964, Tom Seaver appeared at USC. He had grown up in Fresno, where great pitchers like Jim Maloney and Dick Selma preceded him, but Seaver was small, did not throw hard and was average. After graduation from Fresno High, Seaver joined the Marines, where he grew and developed strength. He returned to Fresno. Now physically mature, he developed into a star, going 9-1 at Fresno City College. Rod Dedeaux was interested in him. Before offering a scholarship Dedeaux wanted him to prove himself with the Fairbanks, Alaska Goldpanners. After making the National Baseball Congress All-American team with the Goldpanners in the summer of 1964, Seaver came to USC on a full ride. Rooming with Mike Garrett, he lifted weights with the football star to get stronger, and responded by going 10-2. Curiously, USC had a down year in baseball.

In 1966, Seaver entered a "special draft," going to the New York Mets. In 1969 he led the Mets to the World Championship. He won 311 games in his lifetime, earned three Cy Young awards, and made it to the Hall of Fame. He is considered one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. He is the greatest player in Mets history, and is on a very short list that includes Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Frank Gifford and Joe Namath, among those in that greatest of all pantheons of American celebrity worship: the "New York sports hero." This list includes two Trojans and three Californians.

Bill "Spaceman" Lee entered USC as a freshman in the fall of 1965.

"Tom Seaver was champagne and limousines," he said. "I was beer and a pick-up truck."

Lee was goofy, but a _USCion_ whose grandfather had been dean of the business school. Before his senior year (1968), Lee "held out," demanding of Coach Dedeaux that he be allowed to play first base in non-conference, mid-week games.

When the team showed up to play a game at U.C.-Santa Barbara, Lee discovered he had no sanitary sox, so he surreptitiously slipped into town to buy some, arriving late for a game he was starting. The equipment manager had plenty of extras.

Lee once said, "The three greatest teams I ever saw were the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, any Taiwan Little League World Series team, and the 1968 USC Trojans." In 1968 Lee was 12-3 with a 1.99 earned run average on a staff that included future big leaguers Jim Barr and Brent Strom. They dominated opponents en route to the College World Series championship.

Lee would be an All-Star with the Boston Red Sox, and a legend in New England. He gave up a key homer to Tony Perez in the classic 1975 World Series won by the Reds; theorized that a pigeon in the Fenway Park bleachers was deceased owner Tom Yawkey reincarnated; told writers that he sprinkled marijuana on his pancakes; threw Carl Yastrzemski's old raincoat in the trash every day, prompting Yaz to pull it out and dust it of each time; had his arm broken by the Yankees' Craig Nettles in a brawl; said "I don't advocate killing people, but the Unabomber had some good ideas"; and has managed to live a long life without ever going to work.

Spaceman.

Another 1966 teammate was Tom Selleck, the actor, who also dabbled in volleyball and basketball at USC.

In 1969, UCLA and Chris Chambliss knocked USC, with Barr, Dave Kingman and Bill Seinsoth, out of the play-offs.

In 1960, USC's swimming team won the first-ever NCAA title by a West Coast team under coach Pete Daland. They won more from 1963-66 with 11 straight meet wins. John Konrads was an Olympic Gold and Bronze medallist. Roy Saari won nine NCAA individual titles.

Neill Kohlhase, the 1960 U.S. Olympic water polo coach, led USC to AAWU championships in 1962-63. Roy Saari starred in water polo, too.

USC and UCLA dominated college tennis in the 1960s. The Trojans won the NCAA title seven times under coach George Toley after having captured three national titles in the 1950s.

Arthur Ashe starred for the Bruins in 1962. USC responded with future Wimbledon champion Stan Smith in 1965. In 1972, Smith played the two most memorable Davis Cup matches ever, beating Romania's Ion Tiriac and Illie Nastase before a partisan Communist crowd in Bucharest. _Sports Illustrated_ memorialized it with the headline, "Mr. Smith Goes to Bucharest." Dennis Ralston, the captain of that U.S. Davis Cup team, helmed the 1963 USC national champs. Another great Trojan was Bob Lutz, who would combine with Smith to form one of the great doubles combos in tour history.

In the three Olympics of the decade; Rome (1960), Tokyo (1964) and Mexico City (1968), USC captured 12 Gold medals and 37 overall medals. Bob Seagren set a world record in winning the Mexico City pole vault competition. Parry O'Brien won the shot put Silver medal at Rome. Lennox Miller won 100-meter Silver at Mexico City. Jim Hines also was a USC track star.

UCLA came into their own with 11 Golds earned in those three Olympics. Swimmer Donna DeVarona earned two at Tokyo. Decathletes Rafer Johnson and C.K. Yang earned Gold and Silver competing against each other at Rome. Walt Hazard won in basketball.

The 1970s were the greatest decade in the history of Southern California sports. The term _Southern California_ applies in this case both to the University that bears that name as well as the region as a whole.

It was a golden decade in every sport and at every level: high school, junior college, college, Olympic and professional. Over at UCLA, John Wooden's Bruins won five national championships. Bruin football was a national power of the first order, albeit never a national _champion._

USC achieved great heights. Basketball coach Bob Boyd challenged Wooden. At one point it looked like Troy would catch up with their cross-town rivals. In the 1969-70 season, USC pushed the Bruins to the brink before falling, 87-86.

The next year USC fielded the best basketball team in the school's history. UCLA was beaten by Notre Dame while the Trojans rolled to a 16-0 start behind the playing of Paul Westphal, Mo Layton and Ron Riley. When USC led UCLA, 59-50 with nine minutes left, it looked like a power shift had been made in the wake of Lew Alcindor's departure, and before the arrival of Bill Walton. But USC scored only one point after that. UCLA rallied for a 64-60 win.

Both teams went into the season finale with one loss, ranked first and second. This time the Bruins were clearly superior in a 73-62 win. In those days, the NCAA only took conference champions, so the Trojans were left out of it.

USC had good players over the next few years: Gus Williams and John Lambert. They were no match for UCLA and the "Walton Gang," who completed their record 88-game winning streak.

Westphal became an NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns and a successful coach. Calvin was a top player with the Miami Floridians of the ABA. Williams would play for the Golden State Warriors. Lambert was a star with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In 1985, Westphal was asked if a win over UCLA instead of that 64-60 come-from-ahead loss in 1971 might have changed the direction of the program.

"I don't think so," he said. "SC had recruited Gus Williams and John Lambert, but UCLA had already recruited Bill Walton. And no matter who USC got, they wouldn't have beaten Walton."

The 1973 Trojans played in the National Invitational Tournament. In 1974 USC and UCLA were both 22-3 (11-2 in the Pac 8), but Walton's gang trounced them 82-52 to end their hopes for a conference title. Bob Trowbridge came to USC. In 1975 the team won their first eight games and 13 of 15, earning a number six ranking. Dave Meyers held off a tough Trojan effort and UCLA continued to roll.

Gene Bartow and Gary Cunningham replaced Wooden. They kept beating Boyd and USC. In 1979, after losing a heartbreaker, 89-86, Boyd announced his resignation. He had a good team made up of Cliff Robinson, Purvis Miller, Barry Brooks, Don Carfino and Dean Jones, which pushed UCLA into overtime in their next meeting before succumbing, 102-94. In the 1970s, UCLA won 19 of 20 meetings between the two schools.

The 1970s saw Jim Bush's Bruins take over from USC as the dominant track program in America. Edesel Garrison, the football star, was a bright spot running for USC. In 1976, SC ended UCLA's dual meet win streak against them (42) at Drake Stadium, en route to a national title. Darrell Elder was a top-notch field man. In 1977, sprinter Clancy Edwards starred for Troy. Charlie White also starred in the late 1970s for USC's track team.

The 1970 Trojan baseball team (45-13) won their second College World Series in three years and sixth overall behind the pitching and hitting of Dave Kingman. They beat Florida State, 2-1, in the CWS final. Kingman would go on to hit almost 500 Major League home runs in a long career with many teams. Barr would be a standout for the Giants. John Vella played on the team

In 1971, sophomore center fielder Fred Lynn, released from football after Cunningham had knocked him around, led Troy (46-11) to another national championship. Lynn would be the 1975 American League MVP and Rookie of the Year with Boston. Pitcher Steve Busby became a 20-game winner with the Kansas City Royals. Steve Sogge's younger brother, Mark Sogge, was also a top pitcher.

USC won it all again in 1972. Russ McQueen won the MVP award at the CWS as Troy edged Arizona State, 1-0 for the title. The 1973 team was clearly, up until this time, the best college club ever assembled. Roy Smalley Jr., the nephew of longtime manager Gene Mauch, was an All-American shortstop who became an All-Star with the Twins. Rich Dauer, another All-American, replaced Brooks Robinson at third base in Baltimore. Lynn was the third player in the nation drafted. They had great pitching in McQueen (who threw a no-hitter in the very first game ever played at Dedeaux Field in 1974), Mark Barr and Randy Scarberry.

In the 1973 College World Series, USC was being dominated by Minnesota pitcher Dave Winfield, a future Hall of Fame outfielder with San Diego and the Yankees. Leading 7-0 heading into the ninth, Winfield had struck out 14 Trojans, but USC rallied to win it, 8-7, en route to a fourth straight NCAA title. Catcher Dennis Littlejohn would play for the San Francisco Giants. Pitcher Jeff Raccanelli would go on to be USC's pitching coach in the 1980s while attending medical school. Pitcher Pete Redfern was a standout with Minnesota. They beat Arizona State, 4-3 to capture the title at Omaha.

All-Americans Steve Kemp and Daur keyed the 1974 Trojans to a fifth straight College World Series victory, along with football players Marvin Cobb and Anthony Davis. Kemp would be a power-hitting outfielder with the Detroit Tigers. They beat Texas at Omaha before besting Miami in the title game. George Milke was the Most Outstanding Player. Kemp hit .435, still an SC record. Rob Hertel played on the team

The Trojans continued to be a national power in 1975, 1976 and 1977, but were upset in each of those seasons. Cal State Fullerton, under young coach Augie Garrido, hit the scene by knocking them out of the 1975 regionals. Texas under coach Cliff Gustafson won at Omaha. In 1976, Arizona upset Arizona State at Omaha, but in 1977 coach Jim Brock's Sun Devils ran the table to capture the national title.

The 1978 Trojans were considered, possibly until the 1995 Cal State Fullerton Titans, the best college team ever. They were 54-9, led by sophomore left-handed All-American pitcher Bill Bordley. Bordley was 14-0 as a freshman and 12-2 as a sophomore. Bordley had 20-game winning streak to begin his collegiate career before absorbing a loss. He beat Arizona State to clinch the College World Series. Bordley entered the January draft. He ended up signing with San Francisco, but incurred a rotator cuff injury in the days prior to laser surgery, which now repairs such things. Scouts and players recall him as not just the best pitcher in college baseball, but "the best pitcher in the world," according to Pac 10 umpire Roy Roth, who also umpired in the Major Leagues.

Bordley grew up in Rolling Hills Estates and was a superstar at Bishop Montgomery High School before USC. He was said to have ability along the lines of Sandy Koufax. Because of his injuries, his full potential was never realized. Bordley eventually became a Secret Service agent, assigned to the Chelsea Clinton detail when the President's daughter attended Stanford.

Rod Boxberger (12-1), Brian Hayes (11-2), and Ernie Mauritson (11-0) rounded out the pitching rotation. They beat Miami, Michigan, Arizona State, and then the Sun Devils again, 9-3 in the championship game. Boxberger was the MVP at Omaha. The pitching staff's ERA was 2.63.

Dave Hostettler became a power-hitting first baseman for the Texas Rangers. Dave Engle played for the Minnesota Twins. Jeff Schattinger pitched for Kansas City. Dave Van Gorder caught behind Johnny Bench at Cincinnati. Former Trojan Tom Seaver (who always wore a "USC Baseball" T-shirt under his big league uniforms) enjoyed pitching with Van Gorder behind the plate, so it was usually Seaver's turn when Van Gorder got his starts.

Anthony Munoz wore number 79 on the USC baseball team, just as he did in football. In one humorous story, a baseball recruit named Phil Smith (later a two-year starting pitcher) recalled a visit to Dedeaux Field.

"The game was on," said Smith. "Munoz must have been hurt or something, but he's sitting in the stands. I'm introduced to this guy and told he's on the baseball team. He's about seven-foot seven, 392 and one half pounds, wearing a cowboy hat and huge "s--t kicker" boots. He's got the voice of God and looks like Pancho Villa on steroids. I'm a lowly high school player from Canyon High, this is the first baseball player I met at USC, and I naively think to myself, 'This is what every Trojan baseball player looks like!' "

Other standout Trojan baseball players of the late 1970s included All-American shortstop Doug Stokke, first baseman Jim Connor (who led the team in batting in 1979), and pitcher Spiro Psaltis.

Eric Van Dillen was a tennis star at USC in 1970, but UCLA featured Jimmy Connors. The Bruins, as they did in track, surpassed the Trojans. In 1976, both schools tied for the NCAA team title.

USC saw no diminution of their swimming team in the decade, however, earning four straight NCAA championships from 1974-77. The 1974 freshman class included John Naber, Joe Bottom, Rod Strachan, Marc Greenwood and Scott Brown.

USC won the 1977 NCAA volleyball championship, but UCLA under Al Scates dominated this sport. While Scates's men's teams won consistently, USC hired Chuck Erbe to coach the women's team after Barbara Hedges was brought in to upgrade women's sports in the wake of Title IX. His Women of Troy captured two straight NCAA titles (1976-77). Under Dave Borelli, the SC women's tennis team captured two AIAW and two USTA national titles.

In the early 1970s, Craig Stadler, a future PGA star, was a member of the SC golf team.

There were only two Olympics in the 1970s, the star-crossed Munich Games of 1972 and Montreal in 1976. Trojans earned 10 Golds and 25 total medals. Had they been a country, they would have been among the world's leaders in medal counts. Bruce Furniss took two Golds in swimming at Montreal. Lennox Miller added another medal in Munich running for Jamaica. Don Quarrie captured Gold and Silver running at Montreal. Seagren picked up Silver in the Munich pole vault competition, while long jumper Randy Williams took Gold at Munich and Silver at Montreal. John Naber dominated with four swimming Golds and one Silver. He later became a TV swimming commentator.

UCLA, however, featuring such athletes as basketball star Ann Meyers, high jumper Dwight Stones, and swimmer Shirley Babashoff, eclipsed their cross-town rivals' Olympian efforts.

### PART SEVEN

### THE FALL OF THE TROJAN EMPIRE 1983-2000

17 years of frustration

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

PRIDE GOETH BEFORE THE FALL

So close, and yet so far

Former USC All-American tight end Charles "Tree" Young likes to quote Scripture: "Pride goeth before the fall." For USC, they were filled with pride and optimism over a seemingly rosy future. Instead, they fell from grace more completely than anybody, friend or foe, could possibly have imagined. The last tiny vestiges of "Trojan mystique" would be wiped away, sent to the dustbin of "ancient history." What remained of the Cardinal and Gold would be left for mockery, only to be replaced by final the final abuse: _sympathy._

Oh, how the mighty had fallen!

Rome fell, historians speculate, when the city became corrupt with power and drunk with immorality. Either way, the slaves who warned Caesar "all glory is fleeting" might have been waved off when the glory that was Rome seemed to go on and on, century after century.

The University of Southern California was a college football empire. They had become a highly successful program beginning with the hiring of Elmer "Gloomy Gus" Henderson after World War 1. Howard "Head Man" Jones turned them into a national powerhouse. For 20 years under John McKay and John Robinson, they enjoyed the greatest run in the history of the college game. Sports fans can sit around the bar and argue the merits of this statement until the beer runs out, but their case has as much merit as any other, and then some.

So Trojan fans can be forgiven if, like those Romans, they looked at the passage of many decades, their glories seemingly going "on and on," now etched into the sports landscape as immutable Truths; the birthright of _Scions_ , written into stone like the words on Tommy Trojan's statue.

****

At approximately four p.m. on the afternoon of November 27, 1982, Michael Harper went over the top, giving USC a 17-13 victory over Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. As Notre Dam fans trudged silently out of the arena and USC fans jabbered excitedly about what they had just witnessed, people who like to think about such things might have asked, "Who, now, is the greatest traditional college football program of all time?" A "team of the century," if you will, with the 20th Century more than three-quarters done with.

Southern California had just defeated Notre Dame for the fifth consecutive time. They were within a handful of games of tying the all-time record between the two teams, going back to 1926. Since John McKay in 1960: five national championships and four Heisman Trophies. Notre Dame had their three titles and their Heisman. Bear Bryant really only had his four "legitimate" championships, despite those holding just a little too tight to the reigns in Tuscaloosa, still trying to convince themselves that the 1964 and 1973 teams that walked away from their bowl losses were "national champions."

At Oklahoma, cheating may have been acceptable to Barry Switzer, but in judging history it must be used to discredit his team. Heisman winners from Norman: two. Legit titles: one.

Penn State? They would win their first national championship in 1982. Joe Pa's backers argue that he well could have been the champion in 1968 and 1969. Heismans in Happy Valley: one.

Michigan and Ohio State combined: one national championship, two Heismans (by the same guy) and a trail of tears forging rivers from Pasadena eastward forking to Columbus and Ann Arbor.

Texas: two national championships (the UPI gave them a third in 1970, just before Joe Theisman beat them at the Cotton Bowl, making it a piece of hardware they are forced to keep in the back room). Heismans in Austin: one.

Nebraska: two national championships and one Heisman winner.

Out of these storied programs, only Notre Dame, Alabama and Michigan could argue that their traditions of excellence stretched back as far as USC's first national championship in 1928. Alabama could say that they had won two national titles by then. Michigan could point to the 1902 Rose Bowl. Notre Dame, of course, had been big time since 1913, and bigger time since Rockne's hiring in 1918.

Out of the schools mentioned, Notre Dame could successfully make the argument that they were better than Southern California prior to McKay's hiring in 1960. Alabama and Michigan could make the argument, but that could go either way. Oklahoma certainly had a better decade in the 1950s, by far, but before that...?

Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas could not make that argument. A few of these programs only had big losses in head-to-head competition with the Trojans to show in the evidentiary proceedings.

The "traditional powers?" The Ivy League had not been good since the 1930s, and not _really_ good since the "Yale Wedge" was glorified rugby. Cal? Dominant in the early 1920s, pretty good in the late '30s and late '40s; miserable most of the rest of the time. Stanford? Pop Warner left Palo Alto because he could not beat USC, and he is the greatest coach in their history. UCLA? Wait 'til basketball season.

Minnesota was mostly the era of leather helmets. Army is first in war but first in football only when there is a war, but last during the peace. Pitt, Syracuse, Louisiana State, Maryland, Texas A&M, Tennessee. Michigan State, Auburn...

All good programs. Real good.

Trojans with an all-consuming interest in their school's football legacy are not as numerous as one might think. Many are wrapped up in business deals and like thought-consuming activities. But they are out there, growing every day actually. Notre Dame students and alumni wear their past on their sleeves. When asked what their qualifications are in job interviews, they have to contain themselves from blurting out Frank Leahy's record or Johnny Lujack's Heisman highlights. Interesting, considering the school is an academic powerhouse, too.

But Trojans? More laid-back in the California style. Artsy film types, a lot of 'em. Foreign students worried about palace intrigue back in Botswana. Blonde hotties like the ones in the reality show _Laguna Beach_. Pulleeeeaase! But in 1982, those Trojan football fans with an interest in the historical legacy of their school's tradition would have wanted to say that, _finally_ , their beloved football team represented something bigger in the big picture than those rascally Notre Dame Fighting Irish. What a coup!

Alas, being entirely honest about it, they would have to have said, "Well, not quite." But who was to say that in the next few years, perhaps by the end of the decade, this would not be an accomplished goal? It seemed entirely plausible at four p.m. on Saturday, November 27, 1982.

For those really willing to look deep into the situation, however, a disturbing cancer had already infected Troy. When the first microbe had wormed its way into the system is debatable. There were several turning points.

Having the best high school quarterback in the history of Los Angeles, John Elway, choose to go to Stanford instead of the defending national champions from USC might have been it. Of course, Elway never beat the Trojans, so there. What is a lesser known but probably more disastrous event was what happened after legendary fullback Sam "Bam" Cunningham approached the USC coaches to tell them about his younger brother in Santa Barbara, Randall.

Sam and Randall were told that USC would welcome him, but they were committed to starting Sean Salisbury. Salisbury came with all the appropriate "bells and whistles" out of Orange Glen High School in San Diego County. He was the prized prep recruit of the 1980-81 school year; at 6-5, 210 pounds the better picture of the pro style quarterback.

Randall went to UNLV, where he was an All-American, and then Philadelphia, where he was an All-Pro. Sam stayed away from Heritage Hall for years. Freshman Salisbury was brought into the 1982 Fiesta Bowl with the hopes of leading a miracle comeback. When he failed, people just dismissed it, saying that he was a pure freshman. The next year at Florida, Salisbury moved like a man with wooden legs. He was tall, which meant defensive linemen could tackle high or low. Watching him get tackled was like those slow motion "death scenes" in an _Austin Powers_ movie. He was physically incapable of avoiding the sack. If he tried to run out of the pocket, it just meant he would be sacked 10 yards farther back, so go for the lesser of two evils. He had a howitzer for an arm, which meant that footballs bounced off the numbers of short yardage receivers in the West Coast offense that Hackett had created and Robinson was trying to carry on. If he tried to go long, he telegraphed it by focusing like a laser beam on his primary target to the exclusion of all else. Defenders battled each other for the right to pick off his beautifully thrown spirals.

That being said, young Sean was a wonderful guy, a Mormon who traipsed around campus dressed in a golf shirt and sweater, looking like a Norman Rockwell portrait of American youth, circa 1951. He was polite and highly intelligent. He was never drafted by an NFL team, but forged a career after signing as a free agent rookie. He worked hard, and because he was intelligent, learned the pro system. At one point in the early 1990s, Sean Salisbury was a passable NFL quarterback with the Minnesota Vikings.

After football, he put his erudition to work as a broadcaster. Today he is a well-known ESPN TV and radio football analyst who also pays homage to his alma mater.

But he was terrible at USC.

Still, "Tailback U." is a school that has won national championships with mediocre quarterbacks. They were not the kind of program that needed the John Elways of the world.

So what other turning points are there? Well, losing Paul Hackett to the 49ers after the 1980 season was not a big help, but great programs expect their assistants to go on to the pros, or head coaching gigs. This had always been the case at Troy.

The NCAA penalties of 1980 were bad. The repeat penalties of 1982 were devastating, to be sure, but Barry Switzer had kept the Sooners boomin' blithely along as if their sanctions were parking tickets.

Many would of course point to the December day in 1982, shortly after the Notre Dame game, when John Robinson announced that he was "retiring" as head football coach at the University of Southern California. They would be partly right.

"I kind of got to the point where I just wasn't enjoying it as much," Robinson told Steve Springer and Michael Arkush in _60 Years of USC-UCLA Football._ That whole thing was a sham. Robinson's program had incurred the wrath of the NCAA twice in three years, at an enormous cost to recruiting, bowl and TV money, pride and on-field success. Whether he left voluntarily or not, it created an opportunity for him to go to the Los Angeles Rams, now playing in Anaheim.

The contract was not announced for three months. Of course, the contact had to be made and the deal worked out. To do it publicly before Notre Dame was at the L.A. Airport after that last game would have been bad form. What irked many Trojans was the fact that J.R. had been stolen by, or treacherously left to go and work for, Georgia Frontiere. Georgia is a former Vegas showgirl who had enticed Rams' owner Carroll Rosenbloom into marrying her.

Then Rosenbloom, an expert swimmer, went for a dip off the Florida coast. He drowned, much the way a man might drown if two hit men in scuba gear hired by the man's wife were dragging him under the waves. Just like that. Rosenbloom's son, Steve, was in line to take over the franchise. Georgia went through extraordinary, secretive and possibly illegal measures to wrest control of the franchise from the son of Rosenbloom's ex-wife. Once it was hers, she proceeded to dismantle what was the best-run organization in the NFL. General manager Don Klosterman left, as did every good football mind they had. Then she took a storied franchise that had been a Coliseum institution since 1946, a team that had been at the heart of father-son experiences, part of the very culture and tradition of a great city, and deposited them in the suburbs for some unimpressive "luxury suites" that were little more than couches with drink-holders.

Now she had stolen, er, hired the head football coach away from the city's most revered collegiate institution, leaving them to twist in the wind of post-NCAA repercussions. Beyond that, she would preside over a team that had dominated the 49ers as if they were redheaded stepchildren, but in her day the Rams would be an after-thought, the 'Niners a dynasty. Finally she would take pro football away from Los Angeles entirely, which was, to quote The Bard, "the most unkindest cut of all."

Ah, J.R. was a great coach. He actually had success in Orange County for a while until he, too, had had it with working for Georgia. He coached Eric Dickerson the year he broke O.J. Simpson's single-season rushing record. He always looked good and concerned on the sidelines while the guy he had beaten regularly in college, Bill Walsh, earned the moniker, "The Genius" on the other sideline.

But, no, losing John Robinson was not the final, Neroesque event that marks the "fall of the Trojan Empire." No, the moment things went south at Troy was the moment that Marv Goux left, with Robinson, to be an assistant coach with the Rams. They could afford to lose Robinson. They could not afford to lose Goux.

The "curse of Marv Goux"

Marv Goux was the heart and soul of University of Southern California football. Goux possessed a spirit and an enthusiasm that penetrated cynicism, lethargy and apathy. He was the difference. It is not a coincidence that the first "return to greatness of Trojan football" came about shortly after Goux had been thankfully retained on the staff by McKay 1960. The demise of the program coincided with his departure in 1983. It is a spiritual theory but a powerful one to consider that the second "return to greatness of Trojan football" comes on the heels of his 2002 passing.

It is a dreary exercise to examine in great detail the NCAA sanctions of 1980 and then 1982-83. Goux was involved. He took all the blame, more than he should have had to shoulder. That was his style. If he had been a Watergate "plumber," he would have volunteered, as G. Gordon Liddy did, to stand on the street corner so the assassin could liquidate him "for the good of the program."

He had a few detractors, mostly liberals in the _L.A. Times_ who never liked the fact that he was patriotic and told Brother Lennie what he could with his anti-war rhetoric. A man as loud, proud, boisterous, violently energetic and physically intimidating as Marv Goux will always have detractors.

Marv would despise the concept that his departure from the only place he ever wanted to work put a "curse" on that place. Indeed, Goux loved USC every bit as much when he was not there as he had when he was on the staff. Everybody who knew him attested to that.

Sports is the "toy store of society," not important along the lines of Supreme Court decisions, politics, wars. But it _is_ important. Too many people care too much about it to deny this truth. A curse? Rubbish, of course. There are no such things. But Karmic forces sure do _seem_ to have been at play when it comes to the timing of Marv Goux's departure, its aftermath, his eventual passing away, and events which follow that passing.

Marv left prior to the 1983 season. In that season, USC dropped off the football map. For the better part of two decades they were so far below the standards of the Goux era as to be thought an also-ran of college football. Certainly they were by USC's historical standards.

Everything Goux had fought for, advocated and been proud of evaporated, seemingly into thin air during the 19 seasons after he left. Then, in August 2002, at the age of 69 and just shy of his 70th birthday, Marvie met an untimely demise from cancer. A few weeks later, the University of Southern California Trojans embarked on an almost-miraculous football season, beginning a string of seasons that, like America's entrance into World War II, represents that embarkation point embodying the greatest dynasty college football has ever known. It was the beginning of a period of greatness that frankly eclipses even the glories of Goux's teams under McKay and Robinson; as if all the pent-up frustration and failure of those 19 seasons was unleashed in primal fury and revenge by the Trojans upon those college football opponents who had bedeviled them in those seasons. It is as if Goux, looking down from Valhalla, lifted the curse. With a vengeance!

****

After John Robinson announced that he was stepping down as head coach, Ted Tollner was hired. Tollner was a teammate of J.R.'s childhood buddy, John Madden, at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. They both survived the airplane crash that took half the team. He had gone on to a successful career as an offensive coordinator and passing guru. His latest accomplishments had occurred at Brigham Young, where in the 1970s and '80s, the Cougars under head coach LaVell Edwards produced great quarterbacks like Gifford Nielsen, Jim McMahon, Steve Young and Marc Wilson.

The theory was that USC needed to "modernize," to break away from its old Student Body Right and Tailback U. traditions, to develop an aerial circus. Tollner promised that he would respect USC's tradition as a running school, but would just be opening up the offense. He indeed did turn USC from Tailback U. into what many would eventually call with derision "Yesterday U."

Somebody thought USC would be good in 1983. They were ranked ninth entering the season. The powerful Florida Gators came calling in the opener. Temperatures seemed to hover somewhere around 150 degrees at mid-day. It was so hot, as Johnny Carson liked to say, "a dog was chasing a cat and they were both walking." The game was an odd one, with Florida going up by a large margin, but Salisbury courageously leading Troy back with a miraculous late-fourth quarter comeback to tie the game. 73,238 sun-stroked fans - those not receiving medical help - were thrilled, thinking that the Tollner era would be one of excitement and aerial heroics. USC lined up for the snap to win it, which they botched. Everybody's heart sank. It was the perfect metaphor for the season, the era, the next 18 seasons!

The crowd filtered out of the Coliseum not sure what to believe after the 19-19 tie; was the comeback a sign of more Trojan dramatics, or was the disappointing ending a portent of a dark future? It was the latter.

Kansas came to L.A. a few weeks later. When they beat USC, 26-20, the fans could not believe what they were seeing. _Kansas?_ At home.

On to Columbia, where the powerhouse that is the South Carolina Gamecocks laid waste to Troy, 38-14. Afterwards, South Carolina fans were saying that _they_ were the "real USC."

When Arizona State ran up and down the field on USC in a 34-14 blowout at the Coliseum, the season was lost. At least, USC fans said to themselves, the NCAA bowl ban was moot, since this team was not going anywhere anyway.

Ray Charles could see what would happen next. At South Bend, Notre Dame began "The Streak," 27-6 over a befuddled USC. USC would not know victory over the Irish until 1996. They had come within just a few games of tying the all-time series record. They appeared ready to say that they were the new, championship tradition of college football. So close, and yet so far! The difference between the optimism of November 27, 1983 and the pessimism of October 22, 1983 was a chasm as wide as all space.

Cal and Stanford were bad enough to let USC walk all over them, which was really a bad sign for them. Washington shut USC out, ending SC's string of 187 consecutive games without being shut out, an all-time NCAA record. The game was another symbol for this new, difficult era. The next week at the Coliseum, UCLA scored three third quarter touchdowns to beat USC, 27-17. After a bad start, UCLA fought their way all the way back to the Rose Bowl, where they defeated a supposedly strong Illinois team in a blowout.

Bright spots? Tony Slaton, a consensus All-American center. USC's captain was drafted by Buffalo, but after a trade became a prominent player for Robinson and Goux with the Rams through 1989.

Linebacker Keith Browner was drafted in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fred Cornwell went to the Cowboys, and Michael Harper to the Rams. Later, Harper played for the New York Jets, enjoying some success there.

The power of Florida college football took a giant leap forward in 1983, when the Miami Hurricanes, led by quarterback Bernie Kozar and coach Howard Schnellenberger (a disciple of Bear Bryant) defeated Nebraska, 31-3, in the Orange Bowl for the national championship. The Cornhuskers looked to be what **USC would become in 2004-05;** the greatest college team ever. They romped through their schedule, featuring Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mike Rozier and Outland Trophy-winning lineman Dean Steinkuhler. In retrospect one suspects that the team was pumped to the gills on steroids, but at the time people just thought it was because they had a really modern weight room. Either way, Tom Osborne's team missed their chance at immortality when, after trailing all game, they rallied then went for two at the end, only to fall short.

Nobody quite knew what to expect in 1984. The team entered the season unranked, but they had talent, headlined by all-everything linebacker Jack Del Rio. Del Rio was a huge three-sport prep superstar at Hayward High School near Oakland. He was a standout catcher on USC's baseball team.

The '84 Trojans are considered a successful team. The howling and criticism that came down on Tollner, much of it emanating from sportstalk radio, which by the mid-1980s was a big force, fails to recognize the fact that in '84 his team won the conference and the Rose Bowl.

That said, it was a team that seemed to play every game on a wing and a prayer. Luck was with them. Furthermore, while Sean Salisbury was a fine young man who loved his mother and respected his elders, any success the 1984 Trojans experienced can be attributed to the fact that he was injured, replaced by Tim Green. The situation was akin to a good baseball team that blows its games when the same relief pitcher keeps pouring "gas on the fire." After the reliever is hurt, replaced by just about anybody other than him, the team starts to win.

Green was a left-handed quarterback from Aviation High School in Redondo Beach (which shut down and became a TRW facility, the successor to the one where the infamous _Falcon and the Snowman_ espionage case had occurred in the 1970s). Green put up huge numbers at El Camino Junior College, earning All-American honors. His recruitment was seen as a huge coup at Troy.

In reality, Green was not a great runner and had an average arm. What he did have was a huge heart. His competitive fires pushed the team above and beyond itself. The season started well enough with a 42-7 win over Utah State, but in Tempe USC was abysmal on offense. However, their defense stepped up to stop the Sun Devils in a 6-3 win that had Trojans shaking their heads.

LSU blew them out, 23-3, but the team put together a string of close, hard-fought wins, with the breaks going their way. In one sense, it was as if all the close games Pete Carroll's team lost in 2001 had been won - barely. Number one Washington came to town. USC did themselves proud in a 16-7 victory. At 8-1, they were number seven when they went to Pasadena to take on the Bruins before 90,096.

The linebacker core propelled the team, but Del Rio, Duane Bickett and Neil Hope; and safeties Tim McDonald and Jerome Tyler could not stop UCLA's Gaston Green. He became the first runner to gain more than 100 yards on Troy all season. UCLA applied a thorough whipping of USC, 29-10, proving they - and not USC - should have gone to the Rose Bowl. But USC had the better conference record and went.

The rain that poured on the Coliseum in 1984 was symbolic of the way the USC-Notre Dame rivalry had turned. Playing in mud up to their ankles, their fans miserable in a driving storm that quickly emptied the cavernous stadium, a great game became the ultimate downer. Notre Dame walked all over Troy, 19-7.

Hopes for a national championship (improbably won that year by BYU, now without Tollner, when they beat Michigan in the Holiday Bowl) were replaced by hopes that USC would acquit themselves without embarrassment against a strong Ohio State team. The Buckeyes' Keith Byars broke a long run early, but USC stopped them at the four. After the first quarter it was 10-3, Ohio State. The defense stepped up with interceptions to set up two SC touchdowns. Green threw two scoring passes to Joe Cormier and Timmie Ware. Steve Jordan kicked two 51-yard field goals. Ohio State was stopped at the SC 38, clinching it for Southern California, 20-17. Green earned MVP honors.

USC finished 10th in the AP and ninth in the UPI. Del Rio was an All-American and co-Rose Bowl MVP. Drafted in the third round by New Orleans, he went on to NFL stardom in New Orleans, Kansas City, Dallas and Minnesota. He is currently the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Duane Bickett earned All-American, too, as well as Academic All-American. The Colts made him the fifth overall pick of the 1985 draft. He played for Indianapolis from 1985-93, then with Seattle and Carolina. Offensive tackle Ken Ruettgers was the seventh pick of the 1985 draft by Green Bay, becoming a star with the Packers. Five Trojans were drafted in all, including Brian Luft (Jets) and Mark Boyer (Colts). Other standouts were running back Fred Crutcher, defensive lineman Tony Colorito, and defensive back Tommy Haynes.

In 1985, USC had little going for it. A remnant of the various probations that had bedeviled the team made them bowl eligible, but not television-eligible, which of course pleased their opponents no end! Salisbury, who would normally have graduated, was a fifth-year red-shirt senior because of his injury in 1984. He would spend the season getting knocked down like a toy soldier being pummeled by a kid's marbles.

There was hope early. Tollner's team was ranked sixth coming in. They beat 11th-ranked Illinois, 20-10, on a sultry day at Champagne.

On another hot night in L.A., now ranked third after lulling their fans into believing the team was what Trojan fans expect of the Trojans, they fell all over themselves in an embarrassing 20-13 loss to Baylor.

Sun Devil Stadium was a house of horrors in a 24-0 shutout loss to Arizona State. The 37-3 drubbing Notre Dame put on USC was proof that the season would not go down as a memorable one in school history. The Irish sere coached by Gerry Faust, who had built Cincinnati's Moeller High School into a national power, but had presided over a major downturn in Notre Dame football annals. He would never lose to the Trojans, though.

USC seemed to be playing out the string, but as bad as it was, Trojan football even in these dark times still had bright spots.

Quarterback David Norrie kept things simple, hitting receiver Karl Dorrell (their current coach) with a series of efficient passes in leading the Bruins to an 8-1-1 record coming in.

"There is now role reversal," wrote Mal Florence in the _L.A. Times._ "UCLA, once identified as the 'guitty little Bruins,' a phrase not to be confused with the size of the team, just prevailing underdog attitude.

"So, it's now the 'gutty little Trojans' trying to knock the Bruins out of the Rose bowl. USC did it in 1977 and 1981 when it was out of the race. The Trojans also failed under the same circumstances in 1975, 1982 and 1983."

The Bruins played better, but USC managed to hang in there. Freshman quarterback Rodney Peete finally got the nod after Salisbury's fifth year of ineptitude. He engineered a last-minute drive, trailing 13-10. To Tollner's credit, he wanted to win, not tie, going for it on fourth-and-two at UCLA's six with the clock running down. Peete rolled out for three yards and the first down. Then, after UCLA held, he finally made it to the end zone on a quarterback sneak to give USC the 17-13 win. It was ultimately clinched by Tim McDonald's interception of a pass intended for Mike Sherrard. When Arizona beat Arizona State that night, UCLA still went to the Rose Bowl, where they beat Iowa.

USC actually "earned" a trip to the Aloha Bowl in Hawaii. This was a turning point in college football history, at least for a while, although few made much note of it. At the time, USC held the record for most bowl victories of any team. Alabama was one behind. When the Tide beat USC, 24-3, one of USC's last points of pride arguing that they might still be ranked at the top of all college traditions was knocked down. Things would get worse before they got better.

Jeff Bregel and Tim McDonald were junior All-Americans in 1985. Despite mediocrity, the school was continuing to produce excellent athletes, a fact that pointed to coaching. Nine players were drafted. Offensive tackle James FitzPatrick was the very first pick in the1986 draft by San Diego. He had a very successful pro career. Matt Koart (Green Bay), Matt Johnson (San Diego), Tony Colorito (Denver), Brent Moore (Green Bay), Elbert Watts (Rams), Zeph Lee (Raiders), Joe Cormier (Minnesota) and Garrett Breeland (L.A. Rams) were selected.

****

Barry Switzer's Oklahoma Sooners, led by linebacker Brian Bosworth, won the national championship in 1985. Ronald Reagan, after winning in a landslide over Walter Mondale, was inaugurated for his second term. Mondale admonished a conservative USC audience, which proclaimed the school to be "Reagan country." It was one of the few campuses where Mondale was not met by a Left wing faculty inculcating students with anti-American propaganda. He did not know how to handle it, excoriating the students for producing Donald Segretti.

In 1985, the American economy under Reagan hit one of its all-time historic highs. Mikhail Gorbachev began to liberalize the Soviet Union in response to America's overwhelming global strength.

****

Bregel and McDonald were back to captain the 1986 USC team. With no penalties assigned to the program, some hope emerged that maybe Tollner, who recruited good players, now had a team that might turn things around.

Sophomore quarterback Rodney Peete's father was a professional assistant coach. His uncle, Calvin Peete, was a pro tour golfer. Peete led USC to an impressive 31-16 win over Illinois. The team went to Waco, Texas to play number nine Baylor. They looked to be absorbing a second straight loss to the Bears.

Peete led USC back with an incredible fourth quarter comeback. Then an unbelievable driving rainstorm descended upon the stadium. The game was almost disrupted. USC escaped with their lives on a field goal as the final gun sounded. The Heaven's opened up on the stadium as if Noah's Ark was parked outside to ferry USC back to California with a harrowing 17-14 win.

Ranked 12th, USC had everybody shouting in the aisles with a 20-10 home win over number six Washington. Oregon came to town. USC pounded the Ducks into submission... until quarterback Chris Miller led Oregon all the way back... almost, barely falling short in an eventual 35-21 USC win that felt like a loss.

Up in the "Palouse Country" of Pullman, SC showed their weaknesses in a disappointing 34-14 defeat to Washington State. But Troy won some key games after that. They went into the UCLA battle with a fine 7-2 record.

The Bruins' quarterback, Matt Stevens, was absolutely unstoppable. Late-arriving fans at the Rose Bowl missed quick early scoring strikes. The game was over the in the first quarter. At the half UCLA led 31-0. It was uglier than that. As bad as it was, USC could hold their heads high because they refused to quit, actually saving some by pride in the second half of a 45-25 loss.

"They just knocked us off the ball and kicked our butts," said Peete. "Everything we did was wrong, and everything they did was right... They just blew us out."

On November 29, USC experienced one of its darkest days ever. Let Notre Dame's historians describe in detail how it all went down. The bare essentials: Tim Brown could not be stopped. USC blew a huge lead, grabbing defeat from the clutches of victory in an atrocious 38-37 home loss that Trojan fans point to as one of the all-time worst in school history. The game still gets played on ESPN Classic. It is as difficult to watch or believe today as it was when it happened.

Athletic director Mike McGee decided to fire Tollner after the Notre Dame game. USC supporters actually tried to convince themselves that losing to UCLA and Notre Dame was "worth it" if it resulted in the loss of Tollner. Poor Ted was a good guy, a very moral fellow who tried his best but was in over his head.

The Trojans limped into Orlando, Florida for a "lame duck" Citrus Bowl match-up against Auburn. For the second straight year they failed to uphold the honor of the school, the state and the conference against an Alabama foe, losing in poor fashion by 16-7. USC's only score came when linebacker Marcus Cotton intercepted a pass, returning it 24 yards. Auburn engineered two long scoring drives, spearheaded by running back Brent Fullwood. They added a safety. USC failed on fourth-and-inches at the Tiger goal.

There _was_ talent. Bregel made All-American again. Also a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-American, Bregel went in the second round to San Francisco. He was a member of the 1988-89 49er World Champions.

Safety Tim McDonald also was a two-time All-American. He went in the second round to the St. Louis Cardinals, starring in the NFL with the Cardinals and then the 49ers from 1993-99. McDonald also is credited with the famous phrase, "Show me the money!" uttered by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 1996 sports agent film _Jerry Maguire_ , starring Tom Cruise. McDonald's agent was the famous Leigh Steinberg, the Cruise model in director Cameron Crowe's movie. Steinberg recalled McDonald saying basically the same thing in response to a question about what motivated him to play: "The money!"

Four USC players were drafted off the 1986 team. Defensive back Lou Brock, the son of the Cardinal baseball Hall of Famer of the same name, went in the second round to San Diego. Brock was the second son of a former 1960s Cardinal to play at USC. Tim Shannon played at SC in the early 1980s. His father, Mike Shannon, was Brock's teammate on St. Louis's 1967-68 World Series teams. Tim went on to law school after graduation. Ron Brown (San Diego) rounded out the draft picks.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

FALSE GLORY

Larry Smith brings Troy back... almost!

Dr. McGee hired Larry Smith, who had achieved success at the University of Arizona, as USC's coach beginning with the 1987 season. Troy was ranked number 19 in the pre-season, but things looked bleak when they opened the year with a disappointing 27-13 loss before 77,922 fans at Michigan State.

Peete righted the ship, leading them to five straight wins. Hope was fairly high that the atrocious, now-four game losing streak to Notre Dame might come to an end. Notre Dame alumni were starting to say to their USC friends, "Why, that's one whole class that hasn't lost to USC." The situation would not improve.

The Irish were strong in 1987, putting the wood to USC by a score of 26-15. After USC beat Arizona on four field goals, 12-10, the Trojans found themselves with an 8-3 record and a shot at the Rose Bowl.

1987 UCLA game: Peete chases down Turner

Terry Donahue established himself as one of UCLA's greatest, if not their all-time greatest coach. His program was the dominant one in Los Angeles by 1987. It had been for several years. Junior quarterback Troy Aikman was easily the best the school ever produced. The Bruins were 9-1 when they came into the Coliseum.

92,516 saw Aikman saw through Troy in the first half. With the Bruins leading 13-0, just seconds left on the clock, Peete had USC on the UCLA goal line. He rolled out, trying to lob one into the end zone. Eric Turner picked it off. Turner ran the length of the field. The clock ticked to zero. Peete picked himself up and gave chase. The crowd watched - rapt - as Peete slowly gained on his tormentor. At the 11-yard line, Peete knocked Turner down. There was no time for a field goal or anything else.

The enormous disappointment of failing to narrow the gap was replaced by sheer relief that it was not 20-0 instead. In the second half, Peete outplayed Aikman. He completed 23 of 35 passes for 304 yards. Somehow, Smith's defense solved Aikman. He was only 11-of-16 for 171 yards with three interceptions. Considering that Aikman is a Hall of Famer, an All-American in college, an All-Pro in Dallas, truly one of the all-time greats, this rates either as one of the best defensive efforts ever, or one of the most disappointing performances by a star player ever. Aikman had sliced and diced Tollner's defensive unit one year earlier.

Southern California rallied, winning the game on a 33-yard touchdown pass by Peete to wide receiver Erik Affholter, whose feet may or may not have been in bounds when he caught the ball.

The Rose Bowl featured only the fifth match-up of teams that had played in the regular season. USC's huge win over UCLA emboldened them to believe that this time they could handle the Michigan State Spartans. Instead Michigan State broke a six-game Big 10 losing streak to knock off Troy, 20-17. Turnovers and mishaps did USC in despite outgaining the Spartans. Southern California missed injured All-Pac 10 running back Steve Webster.

After trailing by 11 at the half, Peete rallied his charges to a 17-17 tie in the fourth quarter. Then Michigan State quarterback Bobby McAllister teamed with receiver Andre Rison on connections, setting up a winning field goal, which broke Trojan hearts.

USC finished 18th in the Associated Press final poll. Offensive tackle Dave Cadigan from Newport Harbor High School earned All-American honors before his selection by the Jets, who he played five seasons for.

Marcus Cotton was a second round choice of the Atlanta Falcons. Tight end Paul Green made All-Pacific10.

1988: Almost a Heisman, almost a national title; "close but no cigar"

1988 was one of those really good years for Los Angeles and California sports, not unlike the halcyon age circa 1974, or the "salad days" of 1962.

In the spring, the Stanford Cardinal baseball team won their second straight College World Series. The Los Angeles Lakers won their second straight NBA title.

In the fall, the Oakland A's, led by USC's Mark McGwire, won the American League championship. In the National League, the scrappy Los Angeles Dodgers, managed by Tommy Lasorda and led by a gritty, oft-hurt outfielder named Kirk Gibson, overcame all odds to win the Western Division. They beat a powerful New York Met team in the National League Championship Series to advance to the Fall Classic.

Gibson had been a wide receiver at Michigan State. He had played in a 30-9 loss to 1978 national champ Southern Cal at the Coliseum. In the World Series opener, Gibson hobbled off the bench to hit a "miracle" home run off Oakland's ace reliever, Dennis Eckersley, which propelled Los Angeles to the World Championship.

Politically, Vice-President George H.W. Bush, riding a strong economy and the now-apparent fact that the Reagan-Bush Administration was winning (thus ending) the Cold War, cruised to the Presidency over Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis. It was the last time California voted Republican.

More L.A. sports heroics were promised by early season college action. Nebraska ventured to the Rose Bowl, where Aikman and UCLA dismantled them. Across town, USC was thought to be just as good. Talk was in the air that the City Game at Pasadena would be for the national championship. UCLA ascended to a number one ranking. Notre Dame settled into the second spot.

1988 was a pivotal year in USC football history. The school celebrated its 100th anniversary of grid play. Announcer Tom Kelly put out a book and narrated a documentary detailing that history, called _Trojan Video Gold._ Pre-season magazines featured L.A.'s glamour quarterbacks: USC's senior captain Peete, and Aikman. The USC-UCLA game had all the potential of a Hesiman battle, _a la_ O.J. Simpson vs. Gary Beban.

With the stars aligned for Troy's return to glory, USC traveled to Boston College. They put on a display, winning 34-7. The following week, they rallied in the last minute to beat Stanford at The Farm with a last-minute touchdown pass, 24-20, again disdaining the tie.

Number three Oklahoma came to town. Seemingly all questions about whether the Trojans were for real were put to rest when Peete engineered a ball control victory, complete with the total shut down of Oklahoma's vaunted running game, in a marvelous 23-7 win before 86,124 at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The crowd departed in jubilation, much as they had after sending the Sooners home in 1981.

Washington gave USC all they could handle, but a last-minute two-point conversion failed. Southern California prevailed, 28-27 at home. The season progressed, playing itself out with UCLA ranked first, Notre Dame second and USC third. When USC tore Arizona State apart, 50-0 in Tempe, Smith and his team were declared a program that had returned to glory, and then some at 9-0. Trojan fans were actually disappointed when UCLA was upset by Timm Rosenbach and Washington State, taking some of the luster off the City Game. It still promised to be for the Rose Bowl, the Heisman, a national title for USC and, with a little luck, maybe for the Bruins, too.

With Notre Dame at the top now, and SC second, the week of the UCLA game took a bizarre turn when Rodney Peete came down with measles.

"I had just returned home from the hospital following surgery on my right knee and wasn't feeling well," said tight end Martin Chesley, who shared an apartment with Peete, in _UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports._ "But I remember Rodney coming home and telling me he also was feeling bad."

The two players sat in the apartment. Both were getting worse, so team Dr. Richard Diehl was summoned to their mid-Wilshire address. Dr. Diehl determined that Peete had the measles, but Chesley was having an allergic reaction to medication for his knee.

"All hell broke," according to Chesley, when an ambulance was called. Somehow, the press got wind of it. A crowd gathered outside the apartment. They saw the ambulance, thinking it was for Peete, not Chesley. Cameras were popping. People held signs reading, "Go SC, for Peete's sake."

Peete was moved to a hotel to rest, but people still thought he was hospitalized in the confusion. Mal Florence of the _Times_ got ahold of Chesley. All Peete's roommate could say was that based upon what he knew of his roommate's spirit, "he'll be fighting to play."

Chesley was quoted in the paper as the source saying Peete would indeed play when it in fact was not yet medically determined. Peete was hardly able to talk, but he gamely did play, completing 16 out of 28 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown in a 31-22 win before100,741.

_L.A. Times_ sports columnist Scott Ostler thought the whole thing was a ruse orchestrated by USC to throw Donahue's team off-balance.

"...Remember that USC is the school that gave us George Lucas," he wrote. "At least they didn't have Rodney arrive at the Rose Bowl in a UFO."

Aikman was brilliant in defeat, passing for 317 yards and two scores. UCLA went on to beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl for Donahue's seventh straight bowl win.

The date was November 19, 1988. As USC fans poured out of the Arroyo Seco, they basked in the glow of USC's highest point since 1979. It was not just the win over the Bruins and the upcoming "game of the century" against Notre Dame.

In beating Aikman despite physical ailments, Peete, who had been promoted all fall by USC's excellent sports information department, a group acutely aware of just how to market such things, now looked to be the Heisman favorite.

The law of averages among other things of course seemed to favor USC to end the Irish five-game winning streak at the Coliseum on Thanksgiving weekend. After that, number one USC would beat whatever team the Big 10 sent to the Rose Bowl, probably just another Michigan team. Fodder. The national title would be rightfully returned to Los Angeles in this year of L.A. champions.

But that was not all. Sitting on the Trojan bench was red-shirt freshman quarterback Todd Marinovich. He had broken Haden's state passing records, then the national high school passing records. To this day, he is probably the most heralded high school player ever, surely the most heavily recruited, written about and ballyhooed. Despite the attention from everybody, there was never a question that he would follow in the footsteps of his father, his mother, his uncle, his grandfather, his cousins... and be the Trojan that he now was.

On top of _that_ , chortling Trojans smugly said, Crespi's Russell White would _surely_ come to USC. His uncle, Charles White, would see to it. He was the top high school player in the country. Visions of Marinovich teaming with White had USC fans confidently predicting multiple national champions.

What was it Caesar's slave whispered in his ear?

It was the high point of that 19-year period between Marv Goux's departure and his passing. It would all go downhill from there. There would be moments of glory, but never, not until Pete Carroll, would Southern California be so close to the mountaintop.

The 1988 USC-Notre Dame game was indeed said to be another "game of the century," comparable at least in its pre-game hype to the 1931 USC-Notre Dame, 1946 Army-Notre Dame, 1966 Notre Dame-Michigan State, 1967 USC-UCLA, 1969 Texas-Arkansas, and 1971 Oklahoma-Nebraska games that preceded it.

Number one Notre Dame, led by coach Lou Holtz, lowered their academic standards in an effort to revive their sagging football fortunes. It was described in excruciating detail by Don Yaeger in _Under the Tarnished Dome._ Quarterback Tony Rice was an all-purpose offensive force. Running back Jerome Bettis was a powerhouse.

In the first half, USC played miserably, but the crowd was encouraged by the fact that they were still within striking distance. Peete was way off. What the crowd of 93,829 did not know was that their star had incurred a serious injury to his throwing shoulder. He could not pass.

In the second half, USC was unable to move the ball. Their only hope would be good defense and breaks. The breaks went the other way. Peete's pass was intercepted by Frank Stams who, to the horror of the crowd, raced up the sidelines in front of the Trojan student body, band and alumni section to score.

There was still hope in the stands: talk of 1978, 1974, and1964. It was not to be. Notre Dame methodically put USC away, 27-10. It all just fell apart after that.

Out in Stillwater, Oklahoma, an unknown running back from Oklahoma State named Barry Sanders emerged from nowhere to put the final touches an incredible season, breaking _Marcus Allen's rushing record_ , for God's sake.

Peete, injured or not, was mediocre against Notre Dame, the very opposite of what a Heisman hopeful must be. The glamour boys from California settled for runner-up status. Sanders captured the Heisman.

Eventually, Russell White would choose Cal over USC, a seemingly inexplicable set of circumstances. Notre Dame beat West Virginia for their 11th national championship. SC: stuck on nine. Six straight over USC. The series gap was now an abyss for Troy. Tim Brown was Notre Dame's seventh Heisman winner the previous season, so make it 7-4, Irish when it came to the little statue man. Bragging rights: none.

None of this even includes what happened at the Rose Bowl.

The "Granddaddy of them all" is a game that is seemingly impossible not to get fired up over. Over 100,000 people, the colors, the pageantry, the warm sun on New Year's Day, with all the hope and promise that entails.

The USC Trojans who showed up to play Michigan on January 2 (it was one of those years when the NFL pushes the game back) looked like they had spent New Year's Eve and then New Year's _Day_ partying on the Sunset Strip. They were utterly devoid of emotion or, seemingly, pride. The Notre Dame game had drained them of their will, or so it seemed. These kinds of statements are made by members of the media, of course, who sit in the press box while the boys toil and sweat down below. In truth, credit must be given to Michigan, who _did_ come to play.

Larry Smith had once coached under Bo Schembechler. His old boss schooled him. The fact is, USC jumped out to a 14-3 lead at the half, and most likely got cocky about it. Led by running back and game MVP Leroy Hoard, the maize and gold just controlled the ball with three long scoring drives. With the game on the line, Hoard made a key 61-yard run to set up Michigan's last score. USC gave up five turnovers, committed 11 penalties, and had numerous missed tackles. Schembechler walked away with only his second win in nine trips to Pasadena, 22-14.

The year, which had looked so promising for California teams and this Southern California team, in particular, ended with USC losing two bitter games to Midwestern opponents.

Further embarrassment came when UCLA, having impressively won _their_ bowl game, finished ahead of USC, sixth to seventh in the Associated Press poll (SC was ninth in the UPI).

It was one heck of a talented team, though. Receiver Eric Affholter made All-American. One of the school's best pass catchers, a thrill-meister of the first order, he was picked in the fourth round by Washington, then later played for Green Bay.

Peete completed one of the most successful careers in SC history by earning All-American honors. He beat out Aikman for the Johnny Unitas Award and Pop Warner Awards, setting numerous records, a number of which have been broken by Rob Johnson, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart. Peete played for numerous NFL teams, never attaining stardom, but he was a valuable contributor to the Lions, Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins, Raiders and Panthers until 2001. Fun-loving, good-looking and intelligent, Peete was a fixture for a while in the L.A. party scene. Then he settled down, marrying the lovely actress Holly Robinson. In 2005 he joined the cast of the popular Fox Sports show, _Best Damn Sports Show, Period._

Three juniors, safeties' Cleveland Coulter and Mark Carrier, and defensive tackle Tim Ryan, also made All-American. Drafted: Chris Hale, Paul Green and Derek Marshall. Other stars included running back Leroy Holt, tight end Scott Galbraith, offensive lineman Brad Leggett, offensive lineman Mark Tucker, defensive lineman Dan Owens, and linebacker Scott Ross.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

The failures of Todd Marinovich symbolize an era

In the fall of 1989, Soviet Communism disintegrated while the Reagan Revolution was carried forward by the Bush Administration, which seemed almost unable to grasp its sudden Cold War victory. Instead of lofty pronouncements of triumph, George H.W. Bush expressed concern that freedom, which was breaking out all over the globe as a result of his predecessor's policies, would create "instability."

The question of instability at USC revolved around freshman quarterback Todd Marinovich, installed without question as the man who would lead Troy above and beyond where Peete had taken them.

He was 6-4, 210 pounds, literally "built" by the forces of God and man to be a quarterback, the "perfect" physique, throwing motion, instincts. He seemed to be the complete package. He was everything USC could want, but as the old saw goes, "be careful what you wish for, it might come true."

His father, Marv, USC's 1962 captain and a former Oakland Raider, groomed his son for greatness from the beginning. The rumor had it that he had never eaten fried, pre-packaged or processed foods. He did not party. He just practiced football, lifted weights, did drills for footwork, vision, mental acuity. He had access to every new technique, every coaching wrinkle. The word was that he was so smart he just absorbed it all like a sponge.

The first small blip on the radar should have come when Marinovich transferred from Mater Dei to San Juan Capistrano, supposedly because he or his father did not get along with the coach. The argument apparently came over the system, which Marv felt did not make full use of his son's extraordinary abilities. Todd had been a starter at Mater Dei as a freshman, a rare thing at the prep level. It is somewhat odd that these kinds of personality conflicts would come into play with the nephew of Craig Fertig, who was a real "yes sir, no sir" type, but Marv was not Craig.

At San Juan Capistrano, a south Orange County hamlet known for the flock of birds that nestle there every spring after flying in from Canada, Marinovich just passed and passed and passed until every known record had fallen. The superlatives describing him are too numerous to list herein. He was the best ever, or so they said.

Because USC had a senior Heisman candidate, Marinovich red-shirted in 1988. Some thought he was so good that he could even challenge Peete. He was dubbed "Robo Quarterback" after the popular film _Robo Cop_ , because he was supposed to be devoid of personality; plug him in and watch him pass, score, win, then do it again!

The next small question about all this "Robo QB" malarkey that might have set off a red flag was when, in his freshman year, the underage Marinovich became a regular, eating free pizza and drinking free beer provided by the 502 Club. This was the good-time sports bar and hangout of all hangouts for Trojan athletes, groupies, alumni, fans and, on Sundays, Raider players and Raiderette cheerleaders during the days that team played at the Coliseum.

The draw of beautiful Raiderette cheerleaders after home games on Sundays was strong enough to attract Marinovich and his USC teammates. They would have been better off studying and shaking off the hangovers they had from their Saturday nights in the same place. Rumors of drug use and even drug selling at the 502 Club (notoriously named for the California vehicle code number for drunk driving) began to circulate.

The "Five-Oh" had once been owned by the same guy who was supposed to have stayed up all night "partying" with Charlie White the night before the 1980 Rose Bowl. The guy White's girlfriend called "the devil." By 1989, it had been sold to a USC alum who meant well and _did not_ sell drugs. But _things_ did go on under the "Five-Oh's" roof. The owner was not diligent about stopping it.

The scene on Sundays after Raider games was a madhouse: Raider cheerleaders dressed in slinky outfits; their model-hot girlfriends; Raider players and other pro athletes; L.A. celebrities of every kind; groupies, gamblers, fans, low-lifes, "gangbangers," druggies; USC students, alumni and, of course, USC athletes.

After several hours, the "in crowd" would move the whole party to one of several discos and nightclubs in the South Bay, which was where most of the Raider players lived because their practice facilities were in nearby El Segundo. Marinovich, Gene Fruge, Scott Ross and other Trojan hangers-on would tag along for the ride. By mid-night, everybody was intoxicated. The girls would be doing _faux_ strip dances when they were not making out with each other, which the guys were all too eager to turn into _menage a trois'._

It was not the picture Larry Smith painted to parents on his recruiting visits, although truth be told it was the kind of scene that a young recruit found tempting. The drug rumors got to school officials. Larry Smith "banned" his team from the 502 Club, which also reputedly was a gambling den. Smith's ban was about as effective as the rule that coed students at Catholic high schools not have sex with each other.

Before any of those distractions manifested themselves, however, Marinovich had a bright, shining, albeit brief moment in the sun. It did not start out well, with an opening night game at the Coliseum against Jeff George and Illinois. Marinovich was handled with kid gloves, asked to hand off and throw the occasional screen pass. All seemed to be going according to plan when the fifth-ranked Trojans jumped out to a 13-0 lead. But Troy stopped moving the ball entirely. George surprised them with two touchdown drives to stun everybody, 14-13.

Marinovich was let go in a 66-10 win over Utah State. When Ohio State fell, 42-3, he and his team seemed to be for real. Perhaps his greatest Trojan moment occurred against Washington State. Trailing 17-10 on a two-minute drive with the always raucous Palouse crowd screaming to break up his calls, Todd led his team down field like a veteran; first for a touchdown and then a two-point conversion with four seconds left for a thrilling 18-17 victory.

After the game, ex-President Reagan called him to offer congratulations.

Against number one Notre Dame at South Bend, Marinovich was brilliant in leading Troy to a 17-7 halftime lead. Notre Dame rallied in the second half to win a thriller, which broke SC's hearts. Two key plays killed them. Todd inexplicably threw a telegraphed interception. A USC defensive player who shall remain unnamed missed a sure tackle.

Gambling elements were in play at the 502 Club. A top player for USC roomed with the club owner's brother. There are unconfirmed rumors that supposedly associate that player with a well-known L.A. real estate developer, a notorious high-stakes gambler and "Five-Oh" regular. There are those associated with this scene who today insist the 1989 USC-Notre Dame fourth quarter, if replayed, reveals a "missed tackle" not unlike that depicted in the basketball movie _Blue Chips._ One of the people making this assertion is the 502's former owner, the man whose brother roomed with the player. There is no apparent reason to believe that Todd might have been part of this, although he played a game of precision brilliance with one of the most bone-headed interceptions imaginable at just the wrong time. The 28-24 loss goes down as one of, if not the most, difficult losses in the Notre Dame series; far worse than the 1988 loss.

The star-crossed season and the star-crossed freshman quarterback met up with UCLA at the Coliseum. It was a re-union of sorts for Todd, facing Bret Johnson of UCLA, a former Orange County prep rival. Marinovich was on his way to becoming the fourth USC quarterback to pass for more than 2,000 yards.

"The record will always be there," said Bruin linebacker Marvcus Patton in the _L.A. Times_ prior to the game, "but we could say that we beat SC. Two of the most successful team's in the school's history didn't beat them the last two, so if we beat them, this year, it will make our year."

In the game, SC garnered 387 yards to UCLA's 202, but the game was marred by penalties and sloppy play. Rose Bowl-bound USC was unable put 3-7 UCLA away. Neither team won. USC was reduced to watching a Bruin field goal that would have won it bounce off the uprights. The mighty Trojans were neither happy to avoid the loss or about any other thing. It was a total downer.

Southern California was ranked 12th entering the Rose Bowl against third-ranked Michigan. In Bo Schembechler's last year they had a strong shot at the national championship. USC ended that dream. Notre Dame had hoped for a repeat title, but when the dust cleared, Miami took the crown.

USC went a period of years under Tollner with little at running back. Prep stars like Ryan Knight and Aaron Emanuel did not pan out. Tailback Ricky Ervins does not rate with all-time great Trojans, but he turned out to be a fine player. In the 1990 Rose Bowl he earned Most Valuable Player honors when he ran a touchdown in from 14 yards out with a minute 10 left to play, completing a 75-yard, 11-play drive.

Ervins grew up in Pasadena, parking cars at Rose Bowl games to earn money in high school. He gained 126 yards, catching five passes.

Dan Owens's blocked punt set the tone in the second quarter. Marinovich passed for 22 completions in 31 tries. Leroy Hoard continued his success against USC with a 108-yard game. The final score was typical of a USC-Michigan Rose Bowl game: 17-10, Trojans.

It was a moment of glory for Marinovich, named to the Freshman All-American team. He had three years left. The 1990 squad was expected to contend for a national championship. Russell White was not a Trojan, but the team appeared loaded with a great future; one in which USC fans could easily envision the tall, red-headed quarterback being an All-American two or three times, winning a couple of Heismans and a few national titles. **Kind of like what another southpaw from Orange County would do 15 years later.**

USC was eighth in the Associated Press, ninth in the United Press International, and seventh in the _USA TODAY_ /CNN polls. Tim Ryan earned All-American honors for the second straight year. The team captain was drafted by Chicago. After marrying a beautiful USC cheerleader-turned-Raiderette, he had a good career in pro football. Like other handsome, articulate Trojans, he went into broadcasting. Ryan was part of Troy's radio team from 1998 to 2001. He also did TV work.

Outside linebacker Junior Seau, one of USC's all-time greatest players, was an All-American that year. The Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Year, he turned down his senior year (a huge hit to Troy, as it turned out) to sign with his hometown San Diego Chargers after they chose him fifth overall in the 1990 draft. Seau led the Chargers into the 1995 Super Bowl, where they were beaten by Steve Young and the 49ers. He played years in San Diego before moving on to Miami. A perennial All-Pro, Seau is considered one of the finest college and professional linebackers in history. He is a guaranteed future Pro and College Hall of Fame selection.

Offensive guard Mark Tucker earned All-American honors in 1989. He was drafted by the Falcons, also played for the Cardinals, and in the Arena Football League.

Safety Mark Carrier, from Long Beach Poly High School, made All-American in 1988 and 1989. He won the 1989 Jim Thorpe Award. Known as "Aircarft" Carrier, he came out early when Chicago made him the sixth pick of the 1990 draft. He was a standout for the Bears, then played for Detroit and Washington until 2000 before retirement and work as a radio commentator. Carrier's decision to leave after his junior year, along with Seau, created holes in the Trojan defense they could not fill.

Senior safety Cleveland "Cadillac" Coulter, a 1988 All-American, played in the 1990 East-West Shrine Game. He did not play professional football.

Overall, 10 USC players were drafted in 1990. Dan Owens went in the second round to Detroit. Leroy Holt was a fifth round selection by Miami. Tailback Aaron Emmanuel was picked by the Giants. Bill Schultz (Colts), Scott Galbraith (Browns), Brad Leggett (Broncos) and Ernest Spears (Sainst0 were among the chosen.

Wide receiver John Jackson was an Academic All-American and All-Pac 10. He played on the USC baseball team and in the San Francisco Giants organization. Jackson became a Fox TV analyst as well as sportstalk personality on 1540 "The Ticket."

Offensive lineman Brent Parkinson was also a 1989 standout.

Ranked number nine in the 1990 pre-season, USC fully expected to be playing Notre Dame for a shot at the national championship in November. The team suffered when Seau and Carrier chose to leave school early, though. Baseball players had for years routinely been eligible for the draft after their junior years. The best ones almost always signed without staying the full four years. Basketball players often were drafted as "hardships" until it was just allowed. After a while there would be no rule preventing a player from going after any of his seasons. But football is a game in which it was felt players needed to attain full maturity over four years before they were ready for the rigors of the National Football League. Baseball players at least could season in the minors, but a top rookie was expected to play in the league, contributing by his second or third year. Seau challenged that orthodoxy. When he was an immediate sensation in San Diego, it opened the floodgates. The best juniors are often drafted now.

Still, the Trojans entered the season with very high expectations. The opener was a major showcase of their talents: the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Marinovich was given the full New York press treatment, giving every indication that he could be a Heisman winner as a third-year sophomore. When he led Troy to an impressive 34-16 victory over Syracuse, all seemed right with the world.

Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions came to L.A. USC took care of them in a hard fought game. Nose guard Gene Fruge made key plays. The previous 10 years had seen its share of ups and downs. The Larry Smith era had been mostly up (with some major disappointments). The beginning of the end was in Seattle, where Don James's Washington Huskies utterly dominated Southern California in a shocking 31-0 rout. The team responded with great character by traveling to Ohio State, where they beat the Buckeyes in inclement Midwestern weather, 35-26. Arizona beat them in the Homecoming game, 35-26. The season would now be played for pride and a decent bowl.

1990 vs. UCLA: Marinovich-to-Morton beats Tommy Maddox

Marinovich is a figure of some derision in the Trojan family, but he was an enormous talent. He orchestrated some great heroics. None was more spectacular than what he did with UCLA.

The Bruins were led by a freshman sensation named Tommy Maddox. Maddox would leave for the NFL early. A great talent, had he stayed for four years at UCLA he would have made history, probably creating a much better pro career than the hit 'n' miss efforts that marked his days in the NFL. Against SC, Maddox was unstoppable, passing for 409 yards and three touchdowns.

There was no defense in this one, with the lead changing hands and the teams charging up and down the field in an aerial display that lit up the Rose Bowl sky. 98,088 were exhausted by the end, when Marinovich led Troy down field. Then he connected with Johnnie Morton on a 23-yard touchdown pass into the corner of end zone with a mere 16 seconds to play. It was one of the most spectacular, exciting plays in USC history, at least comparable with Nave-to-Kreuger and Fertig-to-Sherman.

Mazio Royster added 157 yard for Troy, but the player of the game was Maddox.

"Move over Bob Waterfield," wrote Jim Murray in the _L.A. Times_ , calling him "the most dangerous quarterback in the land."

Problem child

Notre Dame came in. Marinovich was ineffective after moving the team in its initial possession. Jerome Bettis could not be stopped as Notre Dame won, 10-6.

USC went to the John Hancock Bowl in El Paso, Texas, losing for the third time in four years to Michigan State. Marinovich hit flanker Gary Wellman for a touchdown but tossed three interceptions, while fumbling at the Spartan goal. USC linebacker Craig Hartsuyker made two quarterback sacks and forced a fumble.

Marinovich appeared to give up. Moping about, yelling at the coach, he was benched in favor of Shane Foley, who moved the team but made a costly errant pitch recovered by Michigan State. The cameras caught the essence of the Marinovich dilemma, with Smith and his quarterback going at it.

It was the end.

Marinovich "landed on his feet" - temporarily - when Al Davis took a chance on him as the Raiders' first round draft choice. Given a multi-million dollar bonus, Todd moved to Manhattan Beach, near the Raiders training facilities in El Segundo. He continued to hang out at the 502 Club, paying for a notorious 1993 bachelor party held there for a former USC teammate marrying a _Playboy_ Playmate. The party, attended by numerous Trojan and Raider players, featured a wild porn actress who gave new meaning to the term "full service."

Marinovich showed flashes of promise in the NFL, but little more than that. He never panned out. He lived in a funky area of Manhattan Beach called El Porto. During his Raider days, the post-game parties usually started out at the "Five-Oh" and more often than not ended at his pad, where the boys and girls found ways to get in trouble with each other.

The nearby strand was a popular surf spot. He became a part of the whole beach scene. The rumor was that he liked to surf in the nude: "hang five."

He partied a lot, surfed a lot, smoked a lot of dope, and earned the sobriquet "Marijuanavich." Eventually Todd started a garage grunge band, took on a disheveled appearance, and has lived on the fringes ever since. He seems to be a modern version of Ronnie Knox with less integrity.

Every so often his name appears in a crime story involving drugs. He came from a family with money and of course banked plenty from the Raiders, so he likely will not be destitute, but he was the worst possible cautionary tale of wasted youth, parental pressure, and over-hyped expectations.

The 1992 L.A. riots caused major economic disruptions to the business community in USC's neighborhood. One of its casualties was the 502 Club. Marinovich's all-expenses-paid-for-by-him bachelor party was its "last hurrah." They shut their doors after that, probably to the relief of the school administration. It saddened many a Trojan, though, who found good cheer in the "Five-Oh" after games and on Thursday nights. Today, a ubiquitous Yoshinoya Beef Bowl occupies the once-notorious "landmark" in the corner of the U.V. Shopping Center.

The 8-4-1 Trojans of 1990 were 20th (AP), 22nd (UPI) and 22nd ( _USA TODAY_ ). Linebacker Scott Ross made All-American. He played one year for the Saints. The draft list demonstrated their lost potential. Eight USC players were picked, led by New England's top choice, offensive tackle Pat Harlow. He enjoyed success in the NFL.

Ricky Ervins was drafted by Washington and had an excellent career with them. Gary Wellman went to Houston, Mark Tucker to Atlanta, nose tackle Don Gibson to Denver, and back-up quarterback Pat O'Hara to Tampa Bay.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

YESTERDAY U.

USC sinks to the lowest point in its history

It would be unfair to blame Todd Marinovich for the terrible fall from the grace that was the USC football program of the 1990s. He is a symbol of their failures, but like the destruction of any great empire, many culprits swung the wrecking ball.

There may be some old-timers who will say that Don Clark's 1957 team, which went 1-9 in the wake of the payola scandal, was the lowest point in USC football history. They would be wrong. Clark's teams were competitive in the next couple of years. John McKay led them to a national championship within five relatively short years of that season.

1991 was the low point. The only question would be trying to identify the lowest point of the season. A good call would be the opener. Incredibly, USC started the year 16th, but Memphis State came to town, handling Troy 24-10. How USC beat number five Penn State the next week is a miracle worthy of Lourdes.

They were good kids who tried hard. They had more moral character than Marinovich. Captained by Matt Gee, SC played Notre Dame tough, losing 24-20 at South Bend, but the 52-30 drubbing at the hands of Cal - and Russell White - was tough to stomach.

That day - November 2, 1991 at Berkeley - marks the nadir, the abyss, the very lowest pit ever ascended to by USC football. _Cal_ , of all teams, was ranked 10th and had a national championship-contending squad under coach Bruce Snyder. They came in to the game having lost only once, 24-17 to eventual national champion Washington, one of the finest college football teams ever assembled (outside of USC, the best Pac 10 team in the post-World War II era).

Cal ran _wild_ on USC. 70,000 Berkeleyites bellowed forth every conceivable down-gradation of Troy; every cutting remark, every gesture, every possible symbolism marking their new "superiority" over the mocked men of "Yesterday U."

California quarterback Mike Pawlaski cut the Trojans to ribbons, but it was White, the nephew and namesake of a Trojan legend, who cut the deepest. White had first chosen California over the team of his family and his home city. Then, when his SAT scores did not meet new NCAA minimum standards, he showed class and loyalty to Cal by staying in school. He pulled his grades up to speed, earning his way back in.

Images of the 1991 USC-Cal game are images of White, running rampant on long sideline jaunts, chased by inept Cardinal and Gold uniforms, followed by wild cheering; the kind one might expect to hear whenever an oppressed people throw off the yoke of historical defeat at the hands of a hated occupier.

As bad as it was, however, there is a vestige of dignity that must herein be granted to Troy. Cal scored and scored and scored. At one point, it looked like they could actually win by the 74-point margin that Howard Jones's Thundering Herd once defeated them by.

In the 1991 game, however, USC scored several times late to make it less horrible than it could have been, 52-30.

Against UCLA, USC rallied from 17-0 down against Maddox & Co., only to fall short, 24-21. Final record: 3-8. Five players were still drafted, including running back Scott Lockwood to New England and Mazio Royster to Tampa Bay. Linebacker Kurt Barber was a second round pick of the Jets. Washington drafted Calvin Holmes, Miami went for Raoul Spears, and Mazio Royster was chosen by Tampa Bay.

Despite the awful record, there were bright spots. Offensive tackle Tony Boselli made All-Pacific 10 Conference. The freshman from Colorado would be on of the finest O-linemen ever.

Junior Curtis Conway also made all-conference. He was a speedster out of Hawthorne High; the same Hawthorne High where The Beach Boys went to school, although the neighborhood had changed. Conway was one of the most exciting players in USC history, a kick return specialist on par with Reggie Bush. He is not remembered particularly because he played in unmemorable years.

At least when Washington won the national championship, the conference could boast their first since 1978.

By 1992, Larry Smith was telling the press that a school like USC, a private college in an era of scholarship limitations, _blah blah blah_ , could compete with most schools but not expect to beat teams like Notre Dame. The last anybody checked, Notre Dame was also a private school. At the time, they still had higher academic standards than USC (USC was upgrading, and by the 1990s most incoming freshmen had G.P.A.'s in the high threes). Smith's remarks were _not_ what USC alumni wanted to hear, although they echoed the hollow protestations of Rod Dedeaux, too. Dedeaux, a legendary baseball coach and a great Trojan, had presided over a program that fell on hard times in his last years at the helm. Instead of taking responsibility as he should have, Rod decided USC baseball could not compete because they were a private school. In baseball, talented walk-ons often play key roles. With USC's high tuition costs, those kinds of players were more likely to play for UCLA and Cal State Fullerton, he surmised.

Dedeaux's theory fell like a rock when Stanford, another high-academics private school, won back-to-back College World Series titles in 1987-88, followed by 15 years competing at the very top of the college baseball world.

Once the bottom fell out, Smith wore out his welcome fast. In the opener, USC ventured to Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, where Marshall Faulk and San Diego State tied them, 31-31. Their traditional dominance of Oklahoma continued with a 20-10 win at Norman. A 23-9 loss at Stanford was galling, but the UCLA game was for the ages. The Dark Ages.

USC was led by quarterback Rob Johnson, the younger brother of Bret Johnson. They are the sons of Bob Johnson, a "quarterback guru" who worked with Marinovich at San Juan Capistrano. The elder Johnson would later coach Carson Palmer of Rancho Santa Margarita and Mark Sanchez of Mission Viejo.

"I dislike UCLA a little more than the rest," said Rob before the game, "because it's a big time rivalry. Throwing in Bret's situation just adds to it."

Bret lost his job to Maddox, transferring to Michigan State. UCLA was 5-5 with quarterback John Barnes replacing Maddox, who took off early to the NFL. This is a game that is replayed on ESPN Classic, Fox and other stations that show old games. It is as disturbing for USC fans today as it was in 1992. It is still hard to provide a true autopsy of the disaster. It is a game that, among a few others, symbolizes the ultimate futility that the Smith era became. USC led 31-17 in the fourth quarter. They possessed the ball, fourth-and-inches inside the UCLA five. They failed to convert. UCLA drove up and down the field after that. USC fans at the Rose Bowl just watched their impotent defense. They looked like Spanish matadors, ushering Bruin running backs and receivers past them in _Ole_ style. Either that or they gave the appearance of Patrick Swayze in _Ghost_ , with the Bruins seemingly running right through them, as if Troy no longer possessed Earthly powers.

Ray Charles could see it comin', and it _did_ come, until UCLA forged ahead 38-31, with Barnes throwing for 204 of his 385 yards in the last quarter. The fifth-year senior and one-time walk-on from Los Alamitos High School was transformed by his opponents into the second comin' of Johnny Unitas or something.

It would have been less painful if Southern California had just folded up its tent, driving in a caravan of tears back to South-Central L.A., a point driven home with great derision by the "sons of Westwood." _They_ lived on the fashionable Westside.

But Trojans are Trojans, meaning that they _fight_ like Trojans, just as Owen Bird said they did in 1912. They are like cops who refuse to let the bad guys get away without takin' a few down, even if it means buying a bullet themselves... Soldiers in a losing battle, preferring death before dishonor.

They rallied and scored. Now: _the decision_. With no overtime, Smith had decades of Trojan ghosts whispering in his ear, warning, "USC don't play for ties." The two-point try failed, like so much that failed in those unfortunate years. It was a gallant loss, but a 38-37 loss nevertheless. It was just another one to stick in our craws, although this one lodged into our guts for years. A shaman from Marin County finally rid the evil demons from our withering souls, but not before more "indecencies," as Goux called them, were applied to us, as if we were fighter pilots living like rats in the Hanoi Hilton.

Number five Notre Dame, still basking in the glory years of Lou Holtz, smothered USC at the Coliseum, 31-23.

On to the Freedom Bowl, a "home" game at Anaheim Stadium against Fresno State. Bulldog quarterback Trent Dilfer demonstrated that he was one of the nation's best. Fresno State formally introduced itself as big time college football program with a stunning 24-7 win. There were many low points over these years. Some think this was it. Basically, Trojan supporters have plenty of moments to choose from. Fresno State's ascendancy over the succeeding 14 years into a Top 25 program at least lightens the burden USC might otherwise feel about losing that game, although at the time it was downright embarrassing.

6-5-1, unranked.

Curtis Conway was a bright spot, making All-American. He was the seventh overall pick of the 1993 draft by Chicago, and an exciting player for the Bears. What is difficult to accept is that this team, like many of the mediocre Trojan teams in the 1980s and '90s, had some real talent. Tony Boselli was a sophomore All-American. Willie McGinest was on that team. Rob Johnson, who also played baseball, was a very talented signal caller.

Travis Hannah was drafted by Houston. Washington selected Lamont Hollinquest.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

J.R. REDUX

A larger-that-life legend meets real life disappointment

After the 1992 season, Larry Smith was out. John Robinson was back in. Bill Walsh made a comeback at Stanford during those years, too. It was retro time in the Pacific 10 Conference. Both Robinson and Walsh would re-live past glories. Neither would meet all the expectations. The legendary status of both coaches would be tarnished a bit. In Robinson's case, more was expected at USC that Stanford, so his "fall" would be greater. However, Stanford had some very bright moments in the early 1990s. They went back to South Bend and upset number one Notre Dame. For a brief, shining moment their alumni bought into the notion that the former 49er legend could get the program all the way back to where pop Warner and Clark Shaughnessy had them in the 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s. Stanford gets good athletes, particularly on offense. They traditionally are not deep enough to withstand injuries over turnover. This was the Achilles heel of Walsh's ultimate failure to lead them to the Promised Land.

The Trojan faithful fully expected J.R. to return their team to glory. The first order of business in the minds of many was to revitalize the running game, as this was Robinson's specialty both at USC and with the Rams.

With players like Johnson, Boselli and McGinest returning, there was reason for optimism. This optimism received a crushing blow when USC returned to the scene of the Freedom Bowl "crime," only to lose in no uncertain terms, 31-9 to that traditional powerhouse known as the North Carolina Tar Heels. They might have thought it was a basketball, not a football game.

Notre Dame made it 11 in a row, 31-13 at South Bend. In fairness to Robinson and USC, it was a pretty decent team, though. They were 7-4 going into the UCLA game. USC fans began coming to the realization that 7-4 is a good year and they should be happy with it. Perhaps they would have settled for it on a regular basis, but losing annually to Notre Dame and UCLA was utterly unacceptable. Bowl games played outside of Pasadena, especially on days other than January 1, were decidedly mediocre in their view, as well.

The '93 UCLA game was for the Rose Bowl, both schools. Johnson's pass into the end zone was intercepted with 50 seconds left. It was another trip to Disappointment City, 27-21. It also ended a 10-game UCLA losing streak to USC with the Rose bowl on the line.

So it was _back_ to Anaheim Stadium and the Freedom Bowl, which seemed more like the Purgatory Bowl. Only 37,203 came out to see a school located half an hour from the stadium, a major reason there is no more Freedom Bowl. For young Trojans fans who only know the glories of Carroll, Leinart and Reggie Bush, read this and let it sink it.

USC scored 28 points and for a while mesmerized themselves into thinking it was a big win, but even that false hope had no foundation. When it was done, SC was holding on by it fingernails, 28-21. To Utah!

They did manage to sneak into the Top 25. Of the UPI poll. 25th. They threw a party. Wide receiver Johnnie Morton made All-American. The winner of the Pop Warner Award and team MVP in 1993, the six-footer from South High in Torrance set a number of school receiving records before being drafted in the first round by Detroit. He starred for the Lions and Chiefs through 2004. His younger brother, Chad, starred as a running back at USC in the late 1990s before moving on to the NFL.

Linebacker Willie McGinest was a first round selection of the New England Patriots, where he became an All-Pro and a staple on the Super Bowl champion teams of 2001, 2003 and 2004.

Defensive back Jason Sehorn was a second round selection of the New York Giants. He too made All-Pro and was a major sports celebrity in the Big Apple. He is another one of those handsome glamour boys from USC that the school seems to have produced like apples falling from trees ever since Frank Gifford. Sehorn, who hails from Mt. Shasta, California, is on of the best athletes ever to come from USC. He also was a top volleyball player. In New York, Sehorn was a star of the so-called "neon league," the bright lights of celebrity, often seen in the company of supermodels. After retirement he parlayed his looks, intelligence and charisma into television work and is a regular "in the Jungle" on the Jim Rome Show.

Indianapolis drafted Bradford Banta. Another Trojan from the 1993 team was a 6-2, 265-pound nose tackle who grew up in Malibu, then prepped at Loyola High. He was Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus's son, Matt.

****

Bobby Bowden and Florida State finally broke through to win their first national championship in 1993. The NFL was dominated by a tremendous rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Jets hired Pete Carroll, then fired him after only one season. He took over as the 49ers' defensive coordinator at the height of their rivalry with Dallas and Green Bay.

The Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993, becoming the first "Canadian team" to do so. Duke was by this time an established college basketball power. UCLA was the Yesterday U. of hoops. In 1995, they returned glory to Westwood with an NCAA basketball championship, but shot themselves in the foot. They became Yesterday U. again.

The period from 1989-91 appeared to have been one of momentous world change. Some political scientists concluded that the fall of Communism ushered in the so-called "end of history." After the wildly successful Persian Gulf War of 1991, President George H.W. Bush rode 91 percent approval ratings. The Republican Party seemed on the verge of completely eclipsing the Democrats into the "dustbin of history," Ronald Reagan's wonderful phrase describing Communism's demise.

After the United States removed Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait, the United States stood like the Colossus of Rhodes over the Middle East and all global politics. President Bush all but proclaimed that America was the new Roman Empire, British Empire and Napoleonic Europe combined when he declared that a "New World Order" now existed, with its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Somehow, almost by miracle, by forces and events that seem impossible to explain, Bush quickly fell out of favor. In 1992 he lost to Bill Clinton, who took over in 1993. When Islamic terrorists tried but failed to blow up the World Trade Center, nobody paid much attention. After all, history had "ended," replaced by the New World Order!

In 1994, House Minority Leader Newt Gingrich orchestrated a "Republican Revolution" through his popular "Contract With America," which resulted in monumental shifts in the body politic that are felt to this day. He built on the nascent conservative swing that Bush had not understood in 1992. In so doing, Gingrich led his party into majority status, becoming Speaker of the House. With peace the dominant way of the world in the 1990s, domestic politics dominated the rest of the decade.

****

At USC, Robinson had a relatively successful season. Ranked in the Top 20, USC traveled to Penn State. They lost to a powerhouse Joe Paterno team, 38-14. They appeared to have righted the ship after that, which included a spectacular 61-0 trouncing of California. The Bears convinced themselves that they had achieved parity with Southern California, having tied them 31-31 in 1990; and beaten them 52-30 in 1991 (when the Bears lost only two games and finished eighth). But the third straight win over the Berkeleyites put them back in their proper place.

The Trojans rode a five-game winning streak against a down UCLA team, but Bruin quarterback Wayne Cook thwarted Troy in a 31-19 win at the Rose Bowl. It was UCLA's fourth straight win over USC, an intolerable circumstance at Heritage Hall. The "curse of Marv Goux" was in full force, it would seem.

It was uncharacteristically cold when Notre Dame, down after some strong teams in the Lou Holtz era but reeling from the revelations of Don Yaeger's book, _Under the Tarnished Dome_ , came to Los Angeles for a night game in front of 90,217 fans. It was a poorly played contest, sloppy with missed opportunities and botched field goals. The 17-17 tie ended Notre Dame's 11-game winning streak, but extended its unbeaten streak to 12. USC was not sure how to react to the tie. It was good not to lose, but the school still clung to its proud history. They could not get worked up over a tie.

Southern Cal was invited to an excellent New Year's Day bowl, however. Facing Texas Tech in their first appearance at the Cotton Bowl, the Trojans put on a display, breaking numerous records before a sellout crowd on national television. USC led 28-0 after a quarter and 48-0 late in the third quarter, when the reserves allowed Tech to score.

Wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson introduced himself to America. He was named the game's Outstanding Player. Quarterback Rob Johnson was spectacular. Safety Sammy Knight harried Texas Tech all day. It was John Robinson's sixth bowl win in seven games, propelling Troy (8-3-1) to 13th in both polls.

The talent level at USC was obviously still very strong. The alumni was continuously torn between being happy with the talent, the thrills and the success, but continued to ask whether this was the best they could now expect. The fourth straight loss to UCLA and the tie with Notre Dame could not assuage these doubts. After all, the Cotton Bowl is not the Rose Bowl. Number 13 is not number one. Despite the disparaging Yesterday U. moniker, USC continued throughout most of its down years (between Robinson I and Carroll) to be a "college football power"; that is, a team that was often ranked, usually went to a bowl game, and competed. When it came to producing NFL players, Troy was still a place the scouts thought of as a breeding ground for the pros.

Letters to members of the alumni association were by this time regularly trumpeting the school's wonderful academic progress; federal grants for research, new buildings being built, professors winning awards, better incoming freshmen classes. This was the trade-off.

Offensive tackle Tony Boselli made the 1994 All-American team. The 6-8, 305-pounder from Boulder, Colorado, the team MVP his senior year, a scholar/award athlete, was the second pick if the 1995 NFL draft by Jacksonville. He was a standout with the Jaguars, and then the Houston Texans, until 2002.

Six USC seniors were drafted in 1995. Linebacker Brian Williams was taken in the second round by Green Bay. Jacksonville chose quarterback Rob Johnson, who set a number of records in his three years as an SC starter and should be considered one of the school's better passers, albeit overshadowed by bigger names who have starred in better times. Johnson had a creditable professional career, which included some spectacular moments with the Buffalo Bills.

Other draftees: Edward Hervey (Cowboys), Jeff Kopp (Dolphins) and Cole Ford (Steelers).

The mid-1990s were tough times in Los Angeles all the way around. In 1991, a black motorist, Rodney King, was roughed up by white L.A.P.D. officers. When the policemen were acquitted by an all-white jury in nearby suburban Simi Valley in 1992, terrible riots engulfed the city. Many businesses around USC were destroyed, although the school was untouched. A large earthquake centered in Northridge, a San Fernando Valley town about 20 miles form USC, rocked the city in early 1994. The city and the school battled an image problem.

California's political center shifted to the north and, by consequence, to the Left in the 1990s. The state had always been dominated by the conservative Republican elements of the Christian Southland. This was embodied geographically by Orange County, and in personal terms by Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. In 1992, two Jewish women from San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, were elected to the United States Senate from California. The '92 campaign, in which Bill Clinton came to power, is known as the "Year of the Woman" in wake of the contentious Clarence Thomas Supreme Court hearings and the Navy's "Tailhook scandal."

The socio-political landscape of the 1990s was at odds with the traditional way USC viewed itself. The school's demographics changed in accordance with its surroundings. USC increased its enrollment of foreign and minority students, taking on the look of diversity that marks Los Angeles. Football recruiting took some hits when the newspapers reported that a USC football player was struck, without severe injury, by a stray gang bullet at practice. On the other hand, longtime L.A. residents began to notice that the smog in the basin was not as bad as it had been in the 1970s and early 1980s, most likely the result of auto industry emissions regulations enacted over the previous decade.

1995 might be considered the highlight of the second John Robinson era, although losses to UCLA and Notre Dame cast a giant shadow over an otherwise great year. Led by Keyshawn Johnson, Southern California marched into South Bend with a 6-0 record, ranked fifth in the nation. National championship fantasies were allowed to dance about. If for no other reason, the law of averages had Trojan fans thinking that this would be the year they would beat the Irish.

It was not even close. Notre Dame ran up and down the field, setting USC's program way back, 38-10. The team was so stunned they carried it forward in 21-21 tie at Washington. Then first-year coach Ty Willingham led Stanford into the Coliseum. Keyshawn Johnson saved the season, and in the historical flow of things, maybe even the program when he single-handedly led Troy in a spectacular last-minute comeback, 31-30.

After winning, 28-20 at Oregon State, quarterback Brad Otton, linebacker Scott Fields and safety Sammy Knight, along with Johnson, established Rose Bowl-bound USC as solid favorites over 6-4 UCLA. _Surely_ they would end _that_ losing streak!

The game introduced one of UCLA's better quarterbacks, freshman Cade McNown, who passed the Bruins to a 24-20 win at the Coliseum. This one had USC tearing its hair.

Ranked 17th, USC faced number three Northwestern. Coach Gary Barnett led the Wildcats to their first winning season since 1971 after years of less-than-mediocrity. They challenged for the national championship, although Florida and Nebraska would decide that (with many people feeling the Cornhusker team that beat the Gators, 62-24, was the best team ever).

John Robinson had the magic touch in Pasadena, improving his record in the Rose Bowl game to 4-0 with a thrilling 41-32 win before a sellout of 100,102. Key Johnson, a Trojan ballboy as a kid who had gone to Dorsey High and West Los Angeles J.C., earned MVP honors. Brad Otton was 29-of-44 for 391 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Trojan cornerback Brian Kelly made 11 tackles with two deflections. It was a see-saw game, with Northwestern showing great firepower, but Troy held them off in the end to finish the season 9-2-1, good for 12th (AP), 11th (UPI), 11th ( _USA TODAY_ ), and 11th (Hall of Fame).

Johnson was a unanimous All-American, made the first pick in the 1996 draft by the New York Jets. He became an All-Pro and wrote a book called _Throw Me the Damn Ball_.

Tackle John Michels was also a first rounder, chosen by Green Bay. Israel Ifeanyi went in the second round to San Francisco. Quarterback Kyle Wachholtz, who had shared the QB position with Otton all year (as Bill Nelsen had done with Pete Beathard in 1962) was picked by Green Bay. The Cardinals went for Johnny McWilliams and Norberto Garrido was drafted by the Panthers. John Stonehouse was All-Pac 10.

USC entered 1996 sure that _this_ was the year. Pre-season polls ranked them seventh. They had an early challenge: 11th-ranked Penn State in the Kickoff Classic at East Rutherford, New York. All hopes were quickly dashed when the Nittany Lions ran roughshod over them, 24-7.

When Cal won, 22-7 at the Coliseum on October 5, many just threw up their hands. A 24-20 loss at Stanford \- a sweep by the Bay Area teams - might have been the final injustice. That is, until the UCLA game.

Bob Toledo took over in Westwood. His 1996 Bruins were only 4-6 coming in. Led by R. Jay Soward's 260 receiving yards, USC led by 17 with five minutes left. There was _no possible way_ they could lose. USC pessimists still remembered insane "grab-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory" defeats that mark the "wilderness years" of Marv Goux's "curse": 1986 vs. Notre Dame... 1992 vs. UCLA...

A Bruin field goal narrowed it to 14. UCLA held, then scored a touchdown. An on-side kick was recovered by the Trojans with 1:37 to play to, up by seven.

The Trojan Nation just wrung their hands hoping they could hold on.

When a turnover gave the ball back to UCLA, the Trojan Nation looked on in abject horror.

_This isn't happening!!_ But it was the price to pay for the sin of pride, which goeth before the fall.

Skip Hicks ran it in to tie it up. Overtime was now in play. Theoretically, both teams entered the extra period even. Not so this day. USC entered a beaten team. It was made formal when Hicks ran it in as if there was no defense, from 25 yards out. 48-41, Bruins.

"If you told me when I got here I'd never lose to USC and I would be the second straight UCLA graduating class to say that," said Bruin senior defensive back Karim Abdul-Jabbar, "I would have never believed it... It couldn't have been written better by a screenwriter."

Niiiice.

The University of Southern California is a proud institution. 99 percent of college football teams would have been so demoralized they would have just given up. Instead, in the most improbable of games, USC upset number 10 Notre Dame, 27-20. The overtime win ended "the horror," as Jim Rome likes to say in fair imitation of Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz. From 1983-95, the Trojans tasted bitter failure at the hands of the Irish, but they kept _"Fighting On!"_

Defensive tackle Darrell Russell was the first choice of the Oakland Raiders. Four USC players were picked in the 1997 draft. John Allred was chosen by Chicago, Matt Kenelly by the New York Giants and Chris Miller by Green Bay. Linebacker Sammy Knight made all-conference and went on to a successful pro career. Running back Daylon McCutcheon was a standout.

1997 was another year of contradiction. On the one hand, it was one of the low points in the school's football history. The team had zero running game. They were dropped by their longtime powerhouse AM radio station, KNX, finding themselves _on FM!!_ Garrett fired John Robinson via voicemail.

On the other hand, this team actually went into South Bend and beat the Irish, 20-17. The paradigm shift in college football's power base was evident in the opener, when Florida State beat the Trojans, 14-7 before 72,783 at the Coliseum. Brian Kelly played a spectacular game. SC's defense held the powerful Seminoles, but the offense was shut down totally. The appearance of the game was one in which Florida State seemed to be so much better, so much more talented, so much _faster_ and stronger; USC just looked like a program that could no longer compete at the highest levels of the college game. The best football was being played in Florida. The West Coast? Yesterday.

Yesterday U.

The 27-0 loss at Washington was just another low point, almost expected by this point. Cade McNown led a strong seventh-ranked UCLA team into the Coliseum on the strength of eight consecutive victories. The UCLA band chanted, "Six more years."

91,350 thought maybe it was USC's day when, on the first play from scrimmage quarterback John Fox, who was really a defensive back, hit Soward for an 80-yard scoring pass. Later, Chad Morton's 49-yard scamper gave them a 21-14 lead, but McNown was too much. He threw three touchdown passes. Hicks ran for 117 yards to power UCLA to a 31-24 win. That was the end for Robinson.

J.R. started out 4-0 against UCLA. He finished 5-7. It was a tough way to go. In December of 1997, Robinson was not a legend. As time has lifted, and his career is assessed, that status changes. Robinson was a great coach who presided over a period (1976-82) that he accurately described as "Camelot." The inability to re-capture lost glory does not diminish his record. Furthermore, like so many other Trojans, his place in the scheme of things is lifted by the success of Carroll's teams. That is the essence of what it means to be a Trojan! Robinson competed hard. He is also an integral figure in the City Game.

"The thing about the rivalry (is) that both teams were powerful," Robinson said in _UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports._ "They were both ranked in the Top 10 nearly every year and the winner of the game always seemed to go to the Rose Bowl... The games were extremely close and competitive."

Robinson finished 104-35-4 (67-14-2 from 1976-82, 37-21-2 from 1993-97).

"The SC-UCLA rivalry has always been different than other rivalries," he said. "Because people have always been...in the same community, the rivalry doesn't have the hate that some other rivalries have... You know how you hear stories of how a Michigan guy would not go through Columbus, Ohio? I don't think the SC-UCLA rivalry has that element to it."

Maybe because the Trojans have always enjoyed dining, partying and attending movies in Westwood...

Against Notre Dame he went 7-3-1. Robinson's star does not rise as high as John McKay's or Howard Jones. He did not do what Pete Carroll was able to do. But he _is_ a legend at Troy; a noble Trojan.

Defensive back Brian Kelly, who had played so well against Florida State, went in the second round to Tampa Bay.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

THE PAUL HACKETT ERA

It is always darkest just before dawn

1998 started out with embarrassing revelations about President Clinton's relationship with an intern, a young Jewish girl from Beverly Hills named Monica Lewinsky. It led to his impeachment.

USC fans would love to have found out Monica was a UCLA grad, but alas that bit of halftime fodder was not to be.

Mike Garrett went after and hired Paul Hackett, who was Robinson's offensive coordinator from 1976-80. Hackett furthered his reputation working with Joe Montana during the glory years of the San Francisco 49ers. He was bright, energetic and filled with optimism that he could bring the program back.

The first step towards accomplishing that goal occurred when Carson Palmer was signed to a scholarship. Palmer was approached by Robinson, as well as every other big name program in the nation. He was the proto-type pocket quarterback; big, tall, strong, with a gun for an arm. At Santa Margarita High School in Orange County, Palmer worked closely with Bob Johnson, Rob's quarterback guru dad. He established himself as the best high school player in the nation in 1997. Landing a player of his caliber, especially at a school that had been using John Fox to call signals, was a major event.

"I'm very excited about Paul Hackett becoming our coach," said Garrett. "Paul is the right man at the right time for USC."

"If there had to be a change at USC, I can't think of a better hire than this one," said Bill Walsh, who had worked closely with Hackett in San Francisco.

"Having Paul is a huge coup for USC," said Paul McDonald, who played for him at USC as well as with the Cleveland Browns. "He understands USC."

Hackett played football at Miramonte High School in Orinda, a wealthy suburb of Oakland. He was a quarterback at U.C.-Davis. Hackett coached quarterbacks at Cal under Mike White and at USC under Robinson before moving to the pros. He was with the Browns from 1981-82, then at San Francisco for three years (including the 1984 Super Bowl championship team).

A three-year head coaching stint at Pittsburgh did not go well. In retrospect Hackett appears to be one of those coaches well suited for staff work, not head coaching responsibilities. There is no doubt, however, that he had strong credentials. When USC hired him the Trojan Nation was excited.

"He's the best young mind in the game," exulted Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum.

"Without question, he's the best quarterbacks coach I've ever seen in my life," said Kansas City coach Marty Schottenheimer, who employed Hackett as his offensive coordinator for teams that, from 1993-97, featured players such as Joe Montana and Marcus Allen. "I've never been around a guy who is a better technician of quarterbacks."

"Paul Hackett is a good guy and a good coach," Robinson graciously said of his former employee. "He'll do a good job."

"Paul will take a great college quarterback, work with him a couple of years, and he will be an NFL quarterback, guaranteed," said 49ers offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick.

USC opened the 1998 campaign with a rare Sunday home game, which started for TV purpose, at 11:30 in the morning. The so-called Pigskin Classic was played in unbelievable 118-degree August heat on the floor of the Coliseum, a stadium without an inch of shade.

By halftime, the aisles of the Coliseum resembled a scene from the Bosnia War. Fans passed out and were being treated for heat exhaustion, pouring water over each other with steam rising from the floor.

Purdue was the opponent. Palmer was thrust into action right away: no bench time, no red-shirting for him. Led by linebacker Chris Claiborne and running back Chad Morton, with Palmer showing leadership qualities and great ability, USC scored 17 points in the last two minutes, 11 seconds of the game to beat the Boilermakers (which is what it felt like), 27-17 before 56,623 "boiling" people.

USC managed to control Purdue's star quarterback, Drew Brees, who would go on to stardom with the San Diego Chargers. Brees passed for 248 yards. Palmer hit three passes on six attempts for 79 yards, in relief of starter Mike Van Raaphorst.

After beating San Diego State, 35-6 and Oregon State, 40-20 (the latter was closer than the score indicated), USC was brought down to earth when they traveled to Tallahassee. Florida State thumped them, 30-10, before 79,815. Like the loss to the Seminoles the year before, which was not as close as the 14-7 score, the game against a team in contention year in and year out for the national title made it glaringly clear: USC was not a program in the same league, figuratively, as schools like Florida State and Nebraska.

Palmer assumed the starter's role from Van Raaphorst but found it tough sledding. Florida State was just too tough, led by their eventual Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Chris Weinke, and talented receiver, Peter Warrick.

The power had shifted. The Southeastern Conference was the toughest in the land. Tennessee would win the 1998 national title. There were still good teams in the Pac 10. In 1996, Arizona State had rebounded from a 77-28 1995 loss at Nebraska to beat the Cornhuskers, 19-0 at Tempe. That had propelled them to an unbeaten regular season. After ASU lost in the Rose Bowl, however, Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators would take the title.

In 1997, Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf led Washington State to the Rose Bowl, but any hopes they had for a national title were lost in a thrilling Michigan victory over the Cougars in the Rose Bowl. It was Michigan who became the first Big 10 team since Ohio State in 1968, and the first Wolverine team since 1948, to win the national championship (which they split with Nebraska).

The 1998 USC-Cal game at the Coliseum had little riding on it. Thankfully, it is not well remembered. It may not be as "low" a moment as the 1991 Russell White debacle at Berkeley, but in the entire history of USC football it may have been the worst game they ever played.

Mistakes, penalties, bad coaching decisions; the utter and complete way USC fell apart, losing to a mediocre Cal team, 32-31, was so disgusting as to cause many to just give up on the program. The Trojans let a 21-point lead slip through their fingers, but still led 31-30 with seven minutes and 21 seconds to play. Palmer was sacked for a _safety_. Petros Papadakis's long touchdown run was nullified by a penalty. Overall, penalties and turnovers of the most hideous conceivable nature did USC in. Two USC fumbles led to Cal touchdowns.

While USC floundered, UCLA under coach Bob Toledo and quarterback Cade McNown was off to a fast start. They looked to be a big time challenger for the national championship. The Bruins were unbeaten and ranked third when the 7-3 Trojans ventured into the Rose Bowl. Freshman running back DeShaun Foster scored four times in a convincing 34-17 victory. It was the Bruins' eighth straight win over Southern Cal.

On a cold night, the rain threatened but held off until after USC won a 10-0 victory over Notre Dame. It was the first shutout of Notre Dame in the series since 1962, and their first blanking overall since 1987. It also ended Notre Dame's eight-game winning streak, marking the third straight Trojan victory over the Irish. Notre Dame was without offense, since talented quarterback Jarious Jackson was out with an injury.

On a sad note, the game was the first USC-Notre Dame game, in South Bend or Los Angeles, not attended by Trojan "super fan" Giles Pellerin, who had died the previous Saturday. Pellerin attended 797 consecutive USC games, home and away, since 1925. He watched games through wars, sickness and crisis. He had a brother who had gone to almost as many, as well.

Supposedly, it was the "last" game ever called by "retiring" ABC announcer Keith Jackson, but he had a change of heart and is still around.

Beating Notre Dame three straight times took the edge off the UCLA disappointment; after all, UCLA was a national championship contender. Trojan fans were hoping UCLA could pull it off, for the sake of conference prestige at the least. But their season unraveled (in a way, similarly to USC's 1988 campaign) when the Bruins traveled to Miami. The Hurricanes had been down early in the season, when UCLA looked unbeatable. Over the course of the year, UCLA's defense revealed itself to be full of holes; they won with offense. A game scheduled at Miami had been called off due to a hurricane threat. When the game was re-played, the...Huricanes were at the top of their game, winning a spectacular shootout with UCLA.

Hackett may very well have gone into the off-season with kudos for a good season, but at the Sun Bowl, Palmer looked like Sean Salisbury in a 28-9 loss to 16-point underdog Texas Christian. It was an embarrassment that did not portend well for Hackett.

The 8-5 Trojans were unranked. Linebacker Chris Claiborne, who wore the famed number 55, was their first All-American in three years, adding the Dick Butkus Award to his trophy case. Team captain and MVP, the 6-3, 250-pounder from Riverside was drafted in the first round by Detroit. He played for the Lions and Vikings until 2002.

Five USC players (Claiborne left as a junior) were drafted, among them running back Daylon McCutcheon (third round, Cleveland), Larry Parker (Kansas City), Rashard Cook (Chicago) and Billy Mille (Denver). Other standouts were Ennis Davis and Rashard Cook.

When USC opened the 1999 season behind an explosive performance by Palmer in a stunning 62-7 win at Hawaii, many were lulled into thinking that _this might be the year._ It was not.

A squeaker three-point home win over San Diego State was the wake-up call. Arizona beat the Trojans in Tucson, 31-24. Hackett earned no points when Notre Dame rallied from 24-3 down with 22 points in the second half to stun USC, 25-24. Bad Day at South Bend. When Ty Willingham's Stanford Cardinal upended Troy, 35-31 in L.A. to put themselves in a position to go to the Rose Bowl, Coliseum leather lungs were booing Hackett, yelling, "What have you done with our program?" It was ugly.

Palmer injured himself in the third game of the season, the only "bright" spot when all was said and done. It allowed him to red-shirt, giving him the fifth year that he ultimately would need. Cal beat USC again, 17-7, in a game of more unbelievable mistakes: turnovers, sacks, penalties. But the Trojans put smiles on the faces of their fans when they finally beat a depleted UCLA team in the battle of Nowhereseville, 17-7.

"Being carried off the field, there's no greater feeling," Chad Morton, who gained 143 yards and had "guaranteed" victory, was quoted in the _Los Angeles Times._ "You wouldn't believe the amount of pressure that's been placed on me since I made that guarantee. I haven't slept all week. I've been pacing, and haven't been able to eat. The team was so fired up, and they backed me up."

USC fans from Newport to Hermosa to Santa Monica; from Pasadena to Riverside to Fullerton, were pouring into bars to toast the end of the eight-game losing streak to the UCLA Bruins.

Still, the essentials of an SC season, victories over both the Bruins and the Irish in the same season, seemed a long ways off. A Rose Bowl and a national title, in 1999, seemed ever further out of the question.

R. Jay Soward was a first round choice of the Jaguars. Travis Claridge (second) went to Atlanta, followed by Windrell Hayes (fifth) to the Jets, Chad Morton (fifth) to New Orleans, and David Gigson (sixth) to Tampa Bay.

The 2000 Trojans were just another part of what had become the same old story: high hopes dashed. They were led by co-captains, linebacker Zeke Moreno and running back Petros Papadakis. Papadakis's father, John, had played in the 1970 USC-Alabama game that changed America. His brother, Taso, had played for John Robinson. Petros, a star at Peninsula High in Rolling Hills Estates, transferred to USC after starting at Cal. He was an unusual fellow who could quote Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Trick Daddy in the same sentence. He would never play in the NFL, but he became a successful Fox Sports TV football broadcaster, teamed with Barry Tompkins. He would also host a highly entertaining radio program on 1540 "The Ticket."

"USC is the best place to be for me," Papadakis said. "I was born going to USC games. The Trojans were my heroes... My grandfather (Tom) loved USC. He got the whole thing started. He has never missed a Trojan home game..."

Of his literary interests, Papadakis said, "When I was in high school, I was obsessed with Jack Kerouac. I loved the whole beatnik thing. Then I got into Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller. That's why I wore number 22 when I first got here < _Catch-22 >_. I'll read, like Henry James now. I read _Moby Dick_ for the first time. John Updike, that was pretty depressing. Sylvia Plath? She's really depressing. The dead Greeks are way beyond me...

"My Dad's into philosophy. He says, 'become a philosopher, like the Greeks. Be a man.' My father thinks he's Achilles or Agamemnon."

"What Heisman Trophy winner ever referred to the Industrial Revolution on sports talk radio?" said Robyn Norwood of the _Los Angeles Times_ , in reference to Papadakis. She was also highly impressed with Petros's reference to Javert in the Seine scene of _Les Miserables_.

"This is a very important year for our program," Hackett said prior to the season. "This is the year to turn the corner and become a legitimate contender for the conference championship... We're a better team than we were in either of the last two years."

Palmer was, back after a year off due to a collarbone injury.

"Carson is one of the best young quarterbacks in the country," Hackett said. "His pure passing ability sets him apart. He was off to a great start last season before getting hurt. He is 100 percent healthy now and there is no reason that he can't be ahead of where he was last year by the time the 2000 season starts."

Ranked 15th, USC opened with an impressive 29-5 victory over Penn State in the Kickoff Classic in New Jersey. This author, covering the USC beat in 2000, interviewed Carson and became the first writer to predict that he would win the Heisman Trophy in a column entitled, "Is is too early to hype Palmer for the Heisman?" The column engendered some criticism when Palmer's season did not prove a spectacular success, but when he indeed did win the Heisman it proved to be prophetic.

When Arizona came to L.A., making the Coliseum field look like a track meet in a 31-15 romping, Heismans and national championships again looked to be bitter mirages at the end of rainbows that do not exist. To quote T.S. Elliott (which Petros Papadakis liked to do), USC was going down "not with a bang, but a whimper."

Insult was added to injury (with a little salt in the wound) when Stanford and Cal knocked USC off in two consecutive weeks. Hackett's job was in major jeopardy. He needed to beat both UCLA and Notre Dame in the last two weeks, which would make the team bowl eligible, in order to retain the job.

Trying to fire up his charges, Hackett played great moments from the City Game at Heritage Hall all week. Back-up kicker David Bell missed his three field goal attempts during the year, but was straight and true when it counted to give Troy a 38-35 win.

"It was the ugliest best kick I ever had in my life," he said.

USC was unable to stop the Bruins, but Palmer stepped up to go 26-of-37 for 350 yards and four touchdowns, engineering the 47-yard drive with a minute left to set up Bell's kick.

"This was our bowl game, and we needed to win this game," Palmer said to the writers. "This win will help get some people off our backs."

"We lost to the worst team in the Pac 10," UCLA's Brian Poli-Dixon said. "We basically gave them the game."

Hackett was unceremoniously dumped after his team finished 5-7, having been smoked by Notre Dame, 38-21 before 81,342 fans at the Coliseum. The conference record: 2-6. Hopes for the future? Hey, USC was named "hot school" and "school of the year" by _Time_ and the _Princeton Review._ They were now considered one of the 20 best academic institutions in America. The film school had long taken over as the dominant producer of directors, producers and agents in Hollywood. The Norris Cancer Research Center was making major breakthroughs. The dental school was considered second to none. The Marshall Business School was prestigious, its graduate programs top notch. Trojans just decided to have pride in this, telling themselves that classroom excellence is what it is really all about.

Who needs football?

Besides, the baseball team won the national championship a couple years earlier. The track program was coming back, especially with the women. Hey, what more do you want?

The best teams played in Florida, the South, the Big 12. Florida State won the 1999 national championship, beating Virginia Tech. Bob Stoops and Oklahoma won it in 2000. Those were the kind of places that were bound and determined to have a school their football teams could be proud of. The great football-academic school was a thing of the past by 2000. Notre Dame was proof of that. They were not doing all that much better than USC (all they were definitely doing better).

Oklahoma, Alabama... A lot of the traditional powers had experienced down years, but they all made it back. Nobody had been down as long as USC. It looked pretty hopeless at Heritage Hall.

Linebacker Markus Steele was a fourth round selection of the Dallas Cowboys. The other linebacker, Zeke Moreno, went in the fifth to San Diego. Ennis Davis was chosen by New Orleans. Not a single Trojan made first team All-Pac 10!

When Hackett - like Tollner, Smith and even Robinson before him - was fired after failing to restore the Tradition of Troy, it was a very dark time for Trojan football. It is always darkest just before the dawn.

****

The world took some turns in 2000 and 2001. First, George W. Bush of Texas won the closest, most closely contested election in American history over Al Gore. On September 11, 2001, planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The decade following victory in the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, the decade in which: "peace broke out all over," a decade of peace and prosperity, the "end of history" came to a conclusion. A new century, a New Millennium now presented dangerous challenges to America. The country would respond, leaving behind a period of splendid isolation to assert itself as the most powerful, influential empire in the history of the world!

Other sports 1980-2006: "Big Mac," the "Big Unit," the Boone Brothers, and the legendary Dedeaux retires

The 1980s were down years not only for Trojan football, but for USC sports in general. That said, some of the greatest non-football players in school history played on curiously average Trojan teams.

In 1979-80, Larry Brown led UCLA back to basketball prominence when his team, led by Kiki Vandeweghe, made it to the Final Four. New SC coach Stan Morrison, who had played for Cal's 1959 national champs, managed to end the Bruins 10-year, 19-game winning streak over Troy in his first try. But USC folded, and in the second meeting fell, 91-64. After that 1980 season, UCLA's basketball fortunes took a turn for the worse. In the decade they only beat their rivals, 13 out of 20 games.

In 1985-86, it appeared that USC finally made their breakthrough in basketball. UCLA was just another team by then. Morrison went all out in recruiting, much the way the fictional coach played by Nick Nolte did in the entertaining 1994 basketball film, _Blue Chips_ , starring Shaq O'Neal.

He brought in the best recruiting class in the nation that year. They called them the "Four Freshmen." Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers were prep phenoms from Philadelphia. Tom Lewis had starred at a Catholic high school in Orange County long known for football. Mater Dei High, under coach Gary McKnight (who bears a striking resemblance to actor Ned Beatty), developed the Monarchs into a basketball powerhouse, as well.

The Trojans showed promise, but Morrison let the team fall apart amid conflicting personalities. It was a typical "star syndrome" that comes when too much talent is in one place. Morrison was fired. George Raveling was brought in. Despite Raveling's old Philadelphia connections, Gathers and Kimble could not be persuaded to stay. Lewis transferred to Pepperdine. Only guard Rich Grande remained for his whole USC career.

In 1990 Gathers, by then a scoring sensation at Loyola Marymount University, died on the court of a heart attack.

USC's baseball program took a total nosedive in the 1980s, although a review of their talent base indicates that only coaching can be to blame. They were some of college baseball's most loaded teams, but failed over and over. UCLA moved into their sparkling new Jackie Robinson Stadium in 1981, a move many thought would lead to national prominence. But Bruin baseball, like USC basketball, remains an enigma; a great school with great weather, a great location and great facilities, with the world's best high school baseball players prepping in their shadow; yet they have never won a College World Series.

USC struggled after their 1978 national championship season, failing to make the regionals and slipping below .500. But from 1982-84, they featured the best hitter in college baseball.

Mark McGwire was a star pitcher-third baseman at Damian High School in Claremont. After he led the 1982 Alaskan Summer League in batting, Rod Dedeaux made him a full-time first baseman. "Big Mac" responded by leading the nation in home runs and earning All-American honors in his sophomore and junior years (1983-84). In 1984, McGwire set the Pac 10 home run record (32, with 80 RBIs) and was named _The Sporting News_ College Player of the Year. He played in the 1984 Olympics. The U.S. team lost to Japan at Dodger Stadium.

McGwire was a first round pick of the Oakland A's. In 1987 he set the Major League record for homers by a rookie (49). He starred on the 1989 A's World Champions. After being traded to St. Louis McGwire broke Roger Maris's single-season home run record with 70. Ironically, a college rival, Arizona State's Barry Bonds, broke Big Mac's record with 73 in 2001. McGwire retired with over 580 career homers. Steroid allegations have clouded his legacy, but he is absolutely ticketed for Cooperstown.

McGwire's teammate was Randy Johnson, a 6-10 southpaw flame-thrower from Livermore. To think a team could feature McGwire and Johnson in college, yet not win the College World is, in retrospect amazing, but that is what happened. They never even made it to Omaha, getting blown out in the regionals.

Johnson was mediocre at the college level, full of wildness. After getting into professional ball, then being traded by Montreal to Seattle, he settled down. He has won five Cy Young awards. The "Big Unit" led Arizona to the 2001 World Championship, when he was named Series MVP. He is a sure Hall of Famer.

The Trojans of that era also featured Sid Akins, who pitched on the 1984 Olympic team (coached by Dedeaux), along with Bib Gunnarrson, Craig Stevenson, Terry Marks, Mickey Meister, Phil Smith, Randy Montgomery, and two football stars: Jeff Brown and Jack Del Rio.

Dedeaux, despite his sainted record and place in the school's history, was increasingly criticized towards the end, when his team lost 11 of 12 to UCLA. He finally retired at age 71 in 1986. His replacement was Mike Gillespie, an outfielder on the Trojans' 1961 national championship team.

Gillespie went to Hawthorne High School along with most of the guys who would form The Beach Boys' musical group. After USC he coached at Rolling Hills High School, where one of his players was John Papadakis. Pap became a linebacker on the 1970 USC football team that went to Alabama, beat the Tide, and helped to end segregation.

Gillespie had a successful career at College of the Canyons, a perennial junior college power in Valencia, near the Magic Mountain amusement park. He came on board in 1987. In the summer of 1983, Gillespie coached the North Pole Nicks of the Alaskan Summer League. He brought his family with him to Fairbanks. His daughter, Kelly met Chad Kreuter, a catcher who went to Pete Carroll's alma mater (Redwood High) and was at the time playing at Pepperdine. They got married. Kreuter was the Dodger catcher behind the plate when Barry Bonds hit his record 73rd home run in 2001. He is currently on Gillespie's coaching staff.

In his rookie year, Gillespie's team struggled to a 12-18 league mark. His third baseman was Rodney Peete, the Trojans' football quarterback. His assistant coach was Don Buford, who had played at USC before a career with Baltimore. His son Damon came into the program before going on to a big league career of his own.

Gillespie's specialty is recruiting. Nobody can argue his success. From 1987-91, his teams included future Expo Bret Barberie (who was married to TV sports hottie Jillian Barberie for a time), Seattle Mariner star Brett Boone, and Colorado Rockie line drive hitter Jeff Cirillo. On the field, however, the Trojan struggled. Stanford was the class of college baseball in the late 1980s. USC's teams lost in the regionals.

In the 1980s, USC track was a mess.

"UCLA has outnumbered us in athletes two to one," lamented coach Vern Wolfe. It was the same lame excuse the baseball and football teams were making: NCAA scholarship limitations. The theory was that good walk-ons could not afford the private school tuition. The theory was blown out of the water by Stanford's consecutive College World Series titles in 1987-88, plus a string of national titles in men's and women's sports throughout the 1980s and '90s.

"It's a shame," UCLA track coach Jim Bush said of his team's dominance over Southern California. "It was one of the great rivalries in the history of the United States in any sport."

USC never beat UCLA in a single 1980s track meet.

The good news was that USC became a dominant volleyball powerhouse in the 1980s, winning two men's and two women's national titles. Great rivalries of the game emanated from the USC-UCLA confrontations, featuring the likes of Karch Kiraly and Sinjin Smith of UCLA vs. Steve Timmons of USC.

Tracy Clark was a three-time All-American for the Women of Troy (1982-85).

In 1980, 1983 and 1985, coach Dave Borelli's USC women's tennis team won national championships. Anna Lucia Fernandez, Anna Maria Fernandez and Kathleen Lillie helped lead the undefeated 1983 Trojan women (30-0) to the title.

Coach Dick Leach's men's team could not break past Stanford. John McEnroe led Stanford to the NCAA title a few years before. The Cardinal dominated the sport over the next couple decades.

In 1987, the coach's son, Rick Leach (who would go on to success on the pro tour), along with the Jensen brothers (the blonde twins who also played on the tour), took USC to within reach of a title, but it was not enough.

In the 1967 classic, _The Graduate_ , Dustin Hoffman plays a college grad pursuing a girl, Katharine Ross, who is still attending Cal-Berkeley. The scenes at "Berkeley" are all actually shot at USC.

In one, Hoffman (Ben Braddock) woos Ross (Elaine Robinson) during a women's basketball game. It is actually played in USC's "old gym." In the background, the girls are seen running up and down the court. They are not very good.

How things had changed by 1982. From 1982-84, USC's women's basketball teams were probably the strongest that have ever graced the court, with all due respect to the champions that have dominated at Old Dominion, Tennessee and Louisiana Tech.

Twin superstars Pam and Paula McGee (pretty girls who gained the romantic attention of baseball star Daryl Strawberry, and after spurning his attempts, went on to legal careers) combined with Cheryl Miller to lead the Women of Troy to two straight NCAA championships.

Miller is the brother of Reggie Miller, a UCLA hoops star who was a scoring demon with the Indiana Pacers. Cheryl eventually became USC's head coach after earning a Gold medal in the 1984 Olympics, then becoming a TV basketball analyst.

It was a down decade for USC...by USC standards. Most other colleges would love to have had the success they had. However, there was no denying that Pac 10 rivals Stanford and UCLA surpassed them as overall athletic departments, both men's and women's.

USC still had plenty of Olympic glory in the Games of that decade: Moscow (1980), L.A. (1984) and Seoul (1988).

President Jimmy Carter kept the Americans from participating in the 1980 Games after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, but an Australian Trojan, Michele Ford won Gold and Bronze swimming medals. Jamaica's Trojan, Don Quarrie picked up a Bronze 200-meter (1980) and a Silver 4x100-meter medal (1984).

Cynthia Cooper and Pam McGee joined with Miller to take home basketball Gold in '84. Steve Timmons took home the Gold when the U.S. won in volleyball1 (1984 and 1988). Overall, USC earned 13 Gold and 21 overall medals in the three Olympics.

The 1984 L.A. Games are generally considered the most successful in Olympic history, showcasing USC, which served as the Olympic Village. The campus was the venue for many of the sports, as well as the cultural centerpoint of the world for two weeks. The Coliseum was, of course, the main stadium, with the Sports Arena hosting numerous events. McDonald's built a beautiful new swim stadium on campus, used by the school to this day. Many renovations to the Coliseum, the school and the surrounding community added to the overall revitalization of the neighborhood surrounding USC in the years since then.

In the early 1990s, USC basketball coach George Raveling orchestrated a small revival of Trojan basketball with the arrival of Harold Miner, a left-handed longball shooting sensation from nearby Inglewood. Miner was nicknamed "Little Michael" because he resembled Bulls' superstar Michael Jordan; a little bit in terms of playing style, too.

Miner's heroics and the ascension, for a while, of the program had some believing what might have been, had Gathers, Kimball and Lewis stuck it out. They would have been seniors when Miner came in. The team just might have been a Final Four contender. They might have been able to build on it for the future. Alas, it was not to be.

In 1992, Miner scored 29 points against UCLA to lead USC to an 83-79 win over a Bruin team ranked in the Top 10. It completed USC's first basketball sweep of UCLA since 1985. The Trojans went to the NCAA Tournament with a 24-6 record. Miner went on to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

By 1995, UCLA returned to glory, winning the NCAA title. USC was in turmoil. Raveling was fired. Charlie Parker was fired. Former Bruin Henry Bibby was hired. By 1997, UCLA coach Jim Harrick had been fired over an expense account discrepancy and the sale of a car to a player's sister. Steve Lavin replaced him.

Lavin was from Drake High School, a one-time basketball powerhouse in Marin County. He brought in two old high school teammates, Jim Saia and Steve Spencer. The L.A./Marin connection was furthered when Pete Carroll was hired as USC's football coach in 2000. Carroll went to Drake's rival, Redwood High. The head coaches of, arguably, the two most prestigious college sports programs in the nation - USC football and UCLA basketball - were both from Marin County high schools. It did not end there. Lavin was fired. Saia became for one year USC's interim basketball coach. In addition, Chad Kreuter, who played at Redwood, was hired as an assistant USC baseball coach.

The 1990-91 Trojan baseball teams were loaded, but always managed to find a way to lose. In 1991, Troy won the Pacific 10 Conference Southern Division, earning a berth as the host team in the West Regionals, only to blow a late lead in the regional final against Hawaii, losing a shot at Omaha. They had not been back there since winning it in 1978.

USC lost to eventual national champion LSU in the 1993 NCAA Regionals. Mike Gillespie continued his great recruiting, and started to see more success on the field. In 1994-95, he had such stalwarts as Aaron Boone and Geoff Jenkins on his club. Boone would be immortalized in pinstriped lore for hitting the game-winning, 12th inning home run at Yankee Stadium, propelling the Bronx Bombers into the 2003 World Series, in a game many consider the best ever played.

Jenkins was a consistent .300 hitter with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1995, USC had an excellent team, going 49-21 with a 21-9 conference record. This time Troy made it to Omaha - finally - behind the pitching of left-hander Randy Flores, a minister's son from La Mirada. Flores reached the Majors with St. Louis, his brother Ron with Oakland. Unfortunately, USC met the Cal State Fullerton juggernaut. Led by Player of the Year Mark Kotsay, the Titans were one of the best teams ever. They held off a valiant effort to defeat USC in the CWS title game.

USC looked to have what it took to go all the way in 1996, but were tripped in the regionals.

In 1998 the Trojan baseball team went 49-17, advancing to Omaha. This time, they overcame an opening round 12-10 loss to defending national champion Louisiana State; beat Florida, 12-10 in 11 innings; Rik Currier shut down Mississippi State, 7-1, striking out 12; Seth Etherton beat LSU, 5-4; then a 7-3 win over the LSU Tigers advanced them to the championship game for the second time in four years. Gillespie finally reached the Promised Land when his charges knocked off Arizona State, 21-14 for their 12th title (and his first).

Third baseman Morgan Ensberg was a 2005 National League Most Valuable Player candidate with the perennial-contender Houston Astros. National Player of the Year Seth Etherton pitched in the big leagues with several teams, including Oakland. All-American Eric Munson is with Detroit. Jason Lane became a top player for the Astros.

In 1999, USC's ace was left-hander Barry Zito. Zito became the 2002 American League Cy Young award winner with Oakland.

Dick Leach's tennis program made a huge comeback in the 1990s when they captured three NCAA championships. In 1990, they were led by Byron Black, a future pro. In 1994, Wayne Black and Jon Leach powered a second straight national title.

The 1990 Trojan volleyball team captured the NCAA title, but Al Scates and UCLA continued to be the class of the sport.

In 1992, Jess Mortensen was voted into the track Hall of Fame. With the emergence of sprinter Quincy Watts, USC hyped their track program: "The Tradition Continues." It improved.

Athletic director Mike McGee hired former Bruin coach Jim Bush. When Mike Garrett took over in 1994 he combined the men's and women's programs under one coach, Ron Allice from Long Beach City College. USC built a beautiful on-campus track stadium, Cromwell Field. Allice promoted the program by harking back to the glory days when USC-UCLA dual meets drew 30,000 to the Coliseum, 12,000 to Drake Stadium.

Ex-Bruins' and Trojans' Gail Devers, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Quincy Watts and Kevin Young were invited for an invitational meet at USC, drawing over 3,000 fans. In 1997, USC beat UCLA in the Pac 10 championships.

In 1998 the Trojan men, and in 1999 the Trojan women, won NCAA water polo championships. In the early 1990s, Lisa Leslie arrived at USC. Now a star of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, Lisa may be the most recognizable women's basketball player ever.

There were two Olympics in the 1990s: Barcelona '92 and Atlanta '96. Seven Trojans earned Gold, 17 medalled. Baseball player Jacque Jones, now a star with the Minnesota Twins, took the Bronze at Atlanta. Lisa Leslie won Gold in basketball (Atlanta). Quincy Watts took two Golds at Atlanta, for the 400 and the 4x400-meter relays. Volleyball star Steve Timmons took Bronze at Barcelona.

The 2000s saw revival of sports at USC, anchored by the return to glory of Pete Carroll's football program. The rise and fall of Trojan sports is tied to the fortunes of its football program, in terms of money raised, ticket sales, prestige and overall good vibes.

The 1999-2000 Trojan basketball team under Henry Bibby ended UCLA's 10-game wining streak against them (and his own six-game skein against his alma mater) when a talented Trojan squad led by Jeff Trepagnier, David Bluthenthal, Brian Scalabrine and Sam Clancy won, 91-79 at the Sports Arena. The team made it to the NCAA Tournament.

By 2000-01, USC was ranked in the Top 25 for 10 straight weeks. They made it to the NCAAs. In 2002, when Bibby's team beat UCLA, it was their ninth straight win. In 2003 USC swept both games over UCLA. That was the last straw for Lavin, who was fired at season's end.

USC hired Jim Saia as interim coach after Bibby was fired in 2004. They then hired former Utah coach Rick Majerus, who promptly quit, saying he did not have the heart for it anymore! Garrett scored a coup, however, by getting former Charlotte Hornets' coach Tim Floyd, who before his NBA career was a successful Big 10 coach.

In 2006-07, they open their brand new on-campus arena on land purchased at Jefferson and Figueroa, adjacent to the Harbor Freeway. Paul Westphal, who came to USC in the 1960s, joked that he chose USC over UCLA with the promise that they would build a new arena before he graduated! This one, however, is almost built as this is being written. It promises to turn USC basketball around, as well as bring some more life to the area in the form of community development, restaurants, bars and the like. USC is located just down the street from the STAPLES Center, where the Lakers play. ESPN announced plans to build a huge new Hollywood movie and production studio, complete with entertainment complex, shopping centers and a mall, near the site. All of this promises to be a huge boon to USC, the neighborhood and the city.

Dick Leach won still another NCAA tennis title in 2002, then retired. Mick Haley, the U.S. Olympic coach, established a dynasty in women's volleyball with two NCAA titles in the 2000s.

In 2000, USC's men's track team featured a football connection, led by sprinters Sultan McCullough and Darrell Rideaux. In 2001, the Trojans ended a 21-meet track losing streak to UCLA.

"It is truly a great feeling," coach Ron Allice told the _Los Angeles Times._ "Because these guys will forever be known as the jinx busters and remember this for the rest of their lives."

Alllice scored a tremendous coup when the Women of Troy's track team captured the 2001 NCAA title. Angela Williams earned an unprecedented four 100-meter individual titles from 1999-2002.

Jovan Vavic's men's and women's water polo teams earned national championships in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Not much can be said for USC women's basketball since Lisa Leslie left, except that a movie was made about it called _Love and Basketball_ , starring Omar Epps.

The beat goes on for USC in the Olympics of the 2000s. Lisa Leslie won another won Gold medal for basketball at Melbourne in 2000. Lindsay Benko, Kim Black and Lenny Krayselburg (three Golds) led the way, with USC earning 15 medals at the Games.

In 2001, the Lexus auto dealerships of Southern California created The Gauntlet, given each year to the winner of the overall competition between USC and UCLA.

"Two legendary teams," the motto's inscription reads. "One legendary challenge."

The winner gets a 150-pound cast bronze trophy, separate from the Victory Bell awarded the winner of the football City Game. The Lexus Gauntlet is modeled after the piece of armour knights would throw to the ground as a challenge in a fight-to-the-death duel.

18 men's and women's sports teams compete for it each school year. A point system is established to determine the winner, with 57.5 needed to secure it. 10 points go to the football winner. USC took the 2001-02 Lexus Gauntlet, with UCLA capturing it the following year. Both times, the scoring system was driven into a "tie-breaker." USC baseball's win over UCLA earned it for Troy in '02. UCLA's tennis win returned it to Westwood in '03. In 2004 the Gauntlet made its way back to Heritage Hall.

From 2001, Trojan ace Mark Prior was so impressive that many experts judge him to be the finest collegiate baseball pitcher of all times. In a game dominated by aluminum bats and high scoring, it was Prior who dominated with a 15-1 record, 202 strikeouts in 138.2 innings, and an earned run average of 1.69. He took USC to the NCAA Regionals in 2000, and in 2001 led them back to Omaha. He won his start before the team squandered a late lead to Miami, then lost to Tennessee, sending them home disappointed. In 2003, Prior established himself, along with teammate Kerry Woods, as part of one of the most intimidating pitching combinations the game has seen in years. He had the Florida Marlins shut down before he was lifted for a relief pitcher in the play-offs. When a fan interfered with an easy foul ball, the Cubs blew that game and their chance to go to the World Series.

In 2002, Stanford beat USC in the Super Regionals. In 2005 they had their hopes for a return to Omaha dashed in the Regionals at Oregon State.

**Shining diamonds: In** 2004, 14 Trojans played in the Major Leagues. One Trojan has been an MVP (Fred Lynn of Boston, 1975). Between Tom Seaver (three), Randy Johnson (five) and Barry Zito, the school boasts nine Cy Young winners. Three are Rookie of the Year recipients (Lynn, Seaver, Mark McGwire). Johnson was a World Series MVP in 2001. The list of USC baseball players in All-Star Games and the World Series goes on and on.

Additional Trojan big leaguers who deserve mention:

John Berardino, a member of the 1948 World Champion Cleveland Indians, was a star on the soap opera, _General Hospital._

Outfielder Len Gabrielson (1959), played for San Francisco and Los Angeles, among others. He is the father of ex-USC outfielder Randy Gabrielson.

Pitcher Tom House (1967) was a member of the Braves when he caught Hank Aaron's 715th home run in 1974. He was a well-regarded pitching coach for Texas.

Outfielder Bobby Kielty (red-shirt) is now a teammate of Zito's in Oakland.

Infielder Bob Lillis (1950-51), a journeyman with the Dodgers and Houston Colt .45s.

Infielder Gary Sutherland (1964) played for Gene Mauch at Philadelphia and Montreal.

Fay Thomas (1924-25), USC's first Major Leaguer with the 1927 "Murderer's Row" Yankees of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Catcher John Werhas (1957-59), a Dodger in the 1960s and a Christian minister.

263 Trojans have been drafted as of the 2004 June selections. No school has as many draft picks, first round draft picks, Major Leaguers, professional players, All-Stars, Play-Off and World Series participants, Rookies of the Year, MVPs and Cy Young winners. USC has won 12 national championships. Several colleges are tied for second with five.

Coach Rod Dedeaux retired as the winningest coach in college baseball history. USC has the most All-American and the most Olympic baseball players. In addition, 27 USC ball players have been on _Sports Illustrated_ covers.

In 2000, Dedeaux was named "College Baseball Coach of the Century." USC was voted "College Baseball Team of the Century" and "College Athletic Department of the Century."

### PART EIGHT

### RESURRECTION 2001-2006

Pete Carroll and the Trojans establish the greatest half-decade dynasty in college football history

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

"WIN ONE FOR THE GOUX"

The "curse" is lifted

_"When you hear_ 'Fight On!' _you think of Marv Goux. You never quit, you never back down. It doesn't matter what the adversity is, you_ 'Fight On!' _We're Trojans!"_

\- Dr. Art Bartner, USC band director, Marv Goux Memorial, August 2, 2002

"To the Trojans, remember to 'win one for the Goux.' "

\- Kara Kanen, Marv Goux's granddaughter, Marv Goux Memorial, August 2, 2002

History will record that Trojan football began to rise like a Phoenix bird from the ashes of disappointment and defeat beginning on August 2, 2002. That is the date in which the football elite of the battered, bloodied but unbowed University of Southern California gathered at a Trojan warrior's funeral. Marv Goux passed away at the age 69. A man of utter vitality and life, a man who had been a physical fitness and health buff his whole life, was taken by his Maker just shy of his 70th birthday.

The memorial quickly took on the form of a ceremony when a singer crooned the song that described Goux's life, "My Way" by Frank Sinatra. Then former Goux disciple Charles "Tree" Young, an ordained minister, presided over the beginning of the service.

"Coach Goux before a game would always have us say a prayer," said Young.

Young led the audience in prayer. Then he said it was not a sad day "but a day of celebration of Marv.

"I grew up in Fresno, and Coach Goux in 1968-69 came down to a hot place, Fresno, and gave a chance to a man like me. He was a leader of men, and I am an example of that. Everything Coach Goux did is with us. Coach Goux is no longer with us, but he is because he lives inside of you and inside of me. He stands as a man among men, the epitome of the Tommy Trojan statue: 'scholarly, academic achievement, bravery, faith, ambition.' This is what Coach Goux...

"When they took the statue and commissioned it in 1929, they took four football players and took the head, the body, the legs, but it is just a statue; but Coach Goux is the spirit of this statue. He came to Fresno and won me and my family over, and told my mother he'd take care of me. And when it got tough, he was there. And when I could not find my way, he was there.

"Coach Carroll asked me, 'What is the essence of the University of Southern California?' He embodies SC, so I said he was the spirit. I am one of his guys. I've known him for 33 years, he came to me at a time I needed mentoring and nurturing and he was there. I am privileged this day to let you know, this is a glorious time, not a sad time.

"In those days we didn't have all this luxury. There was no Heritage Hall, we practiced over on Bovard, or in a beat up gymnasium down in the basement, and we were playing Notre Dame. I was a freshman, I've never seen such tremendous fanfare. I'd played before 500 people if I was lucky, so now the band lined up on the field and we ran - Goux didn't allow us to walk - we ran and the band played 'Conquest.' And we came to a dark dungeon, and I was privileged; the 'blue chipper' he made me believe I was, to believe in myself, so I am in this sanctuary, the band's playing, music's reverberating, 'Conquest's' playing, and when it played it meant something.

"I came in a winner and left a winner because Marv taught me how to win. He was a winner in the truest sense, a true man. Coach Goux was a warrior, a motivator, and we knew we were going into battle. He told us it was like war. So the band plays in the dungeon, and a hand goes up in the air, and it was _huge_. The program said he's 5-10, 186 maybe. He's on the platform but now I see a thick, stubby hand. So he raised his hand, and the music played slowly and pitched, and he raised his voice and he says, 'We go to South Bend,' and he paints a picture of battle in such a way that you looked forward to it. You were ready to go and play.

"He says, 'Gentlemen, we take no prisoners...' Forgive me as I paint on the canvas of time, his hand rises and he says, 'We will burn their barns, rape their women, and if you get injured we'll walk by and take your weapon and leave you that way.'

"That was Coach Goux, and you don't disappoint him. He was a man among men.

"It is a tradition in the truest sense. He was a man of honor and integrity. A man of his word who taught me as I stand before you today, because of what he meant to me, when you see me you see a reflection of Marv, he was a true Trojan, they should call Tommy Trojan Coach Goux...

"He took a chance in the '60s on a black kid in Fresno, California who didn't know anything about the University or higher education and didn't care, but he said I'm a blue chipper and we only recruit them, and he said, 'Once a Trojan, always a Trojan.' "

Mike Garrett, fighting tears, then took to the podium.

"My story about Marv is simple," he said, "although a little frightening. I don't think any 18-year-old person is ready to met Marv.

"It was my first game on the 1962 freshman team. We played at Palo Alto, and it was during the Yankee-Giants World Series. It was canceled from rain, it was like a showerhead. So we had 13 freshmen on scholarship, and the field was flooded, and we thought Coach Goux would cancel the game. All of it was flooded. I thought it was going to be canceled, and I looked out the window; it's sheets of water, the field was flooded. I think somebody could drown on this flooded field.

"We get dressed and he says to warm up. We stood and ran in place and did belly flops in the mud, we did it about 10 minutes, and I thought, _This man is insane!_ Now we're in the dressing room, shivering wet, and I thought, _Now we cancel_.

"And he says, 'Today we play the Indians' - before that they were some other things before they were a tree - 'and we take no prisoners.'

"We fought and won 7-0, and back in the dressing room we are cold, soaking wet, but we played because Coach Goux never looked bothered. Afterward he says, 'You played like Trojans.' The great lesson I learned that day was to go beyond myself, I did not want to go there and play, but I learned if you make the commitment, it is amazing what you can achieve.

" _Fight On!_ meant no matter the conditions, no matter the opponent, you always played your best. I knew Marv was fighting cancer, I just told him I was awestruck, I was so proud, I told him he fought like a Trojan, and he said, 'Michael, I'm tired.'

"I had to gather myself, because my hero was being human. I told him I understood my prayers are with you. His spirit, his soul, his dignity is what I remembered the most, and now he showed such integrity to admit he was in pain. I want to say, 'I love you Marv Goux.' "

Linda Kanen is Marv Goux's daughter and a USC graduate.

"My daddy instilled in me from the start to be honest, respectful, proud of who you were," she said, "and that you can succeed at everything you try for. Friends were always welcome even if daddy gave them chores, but he had a well stocked 'fridge.

"Trojan football was our life, from hall to den there was memorabilia. We had a white flock Christmas tree with Cardinal and Gold ornaments. God blessed me with such a wonderful father and best friend. He loved his family, his grandbabies, he kept us up on current events.

"My father had many young men he turned into men...

"He was fiercely loyal to his country and to his family."

Then his granddaughter, Kara Kanen, a USC student, stepped forward.

"He always addressed to me the importance of family unity," she said. "It's remarkable to think that one man could have so much impact on so many. I learned from my mom that my grandfather was truly a legend. A lot of people knew him as Mr. Trojan, or the 'spirit of Troy,' but I just knew him as Grandpa Goux. I could talk about his amazing career, but while he was aggressive and stern, with unwavering beliefs, and that's true, while he was devoted to USC and football; but his family was his first priority.

"He gave his grandkids incredible bear hugs. He was very ordered and made us clean our rooms. He'd carve out the Halloween pumpkin and scare us half to death. The sight of his grandchildren always put a smile on his face. I had a close, wonderful relationship with him, he had me strive to work hard, he molded me into the best person I could be. He demanded that I speak as a lady, although he did not always practice what he preached. He carried himself with dignity and pride, he had a lust for life. I loved his laughter, and he loved a good time with his old buddies, telling old stories, there never was a dull moment. Life to him was a fiesta. I'm blessed to have had him be such a big part of my life.

"To the Trojans, remember to _'win one for the Goux.' "_

USC's longtime bandleader, Dr. Art Bartner, came on next.

"Back in 1970, Marv took me under his wing from the University of Michigan, and taught me how to be a Trojan," said Dr. Bartner. "His hand was like a vice, and he says to me, 'I'll see you out at football practice. I want you to see how see these guys get down low and eat dirt, and I want you to run your band like that!'

"Marv loved music, loved old Frank Sinatra tunes; 'My Way,' soupy romantic tunes, movies like _Casablanca._ I'm thinking, What kind of guy was this? He understood the power of music, that it could inspire his players, the student body, the alumni; he understood this. He took the band down in the locker room, and I'm afraid for my life with all these huge athletes. The band members are like, what's going on?

"He always had a trick up his sleeve. He'd rip a locker out of the wall, although he'd unscrewed the screws ahead of time. At a jock rally he picks the prettiest song girl and he'd have the whole team out there with the band, getting fired up.

"Notre Dame was so important to Marv, it was like going into battle, and it was like foot soldiers where the band was to be thrown in there first, to be sacrificed ahead of the infantry or special forces. He didn't see us as the band but as soldiers taking the crowd out of the game. Marv would look at the band and say, 'This is what being a Trojan is all about.'

"Marv is the epitome of _'Fight On!'_ When you hear _'Fight On!'_ you think of Marv Goux. You never quit, you never back down. It doesn't matter what the adversity is, you _'Fight On!'_ We're Trojans!"

Longtime assistant coach Dave Levy offered humor and pathos.

"I had just been hired by McKay from Long Beach Poly and the first guy I met was Marv Goux," recalled Levy, "and he sticks out a gorilla paw and I notice the deepest, darkest eyes, with from-froms for eyebrows. And he shook my hand harder than anybody I ever remember.

"Marv got a haircut every four days. He was a very meticulous person, and he said, 'You gotta have a Mexican barber, they know how to cut hair.' That guy earned his money, because if he had not done his hair right, Marv would insist it was done right.

"This is a true story: we'd finish work about 10 at night during two-a-days, and he'd get in his car and drive to the valley, wash both his cars, mow the lawn, and come back. I thought he was totally insane. He did that for years. He mowed the lawn, then he'd have regular scissors and he'd get down on all fours and make sure that everything, every individual strand of grass, was cut just so. That was Marvie.

"My first year, Marvie was the head frosh coach. I'm an assistant. At six a.m. he'd wake up the dorm, and he was charming, with a full range of vocabulary. At 6:30 in the morning he'd want a lukewarm baked potato, cold peas, and a steak that had been run over some _steam,_ because to Marvie that was well done. We'd walk like soldiers to the Coliseum, and it was a great experience.

"His relationship with his players was, the first year they feared him. Until we got the letters of intent, we'd fed 'em at Julie's. It was like a fattening pen. Then he got 'em on the field, he got the frosh and said, 'Remember all those steaks at Julie's, all that prime rib? That's over with. Now your ass belongs to me.'

"He scared 'em a little. Right after the fear came a mild form of hate, because he'd take you and drill you and embarrass you, but afterward he'd go in and tell you you were still his guy.

"A year and a half in, they'd start to respect him, because they could see themselves improve, and they'd see others come into the program and go through it too. Then they began to admire him, and when they'd finish, and five years later, they loved him.

"Here's an assistant coach at a great university, and he's no shrinking violet, but Marv was up to the task, with vigorous speech chatter. He used to practice with the defensive line on the early 'Dedeaux Field' before we called it that. People would park in the lot just beyond the fence, and they could hear him while parking and call in and say, 'I can't believe what I'm hearing.'

"We never scalped their tickets. He told 'em if you win you'll sell your tickets for more, and before the UCLA game he told 'em they were after our Christmas money. We had a band rally every Friday, home or away, and McKay would tell him, 'Hey Marvie, get 'em going.' McKay didn't want to show that emotion, he left it to Marv.

"I roomed with Marv. At 10 at night he'd order three raw hamburgers on Wonderbread with salt and pepper and three beers. Then he'd sleep like a baby.

"Marv was a truly patriotic American. One year we had construction going around Tommy Trojan, so there was a big mound of dirt right here, and they had a speaker to a sociology class, and he got on this mound of dirt. 'Brother Lennie,' I'll never forget his name. He gets up before 300 or 400 students, and Marv looks out the window and says, 'Who's that guy?'

"I say I don't know, some guy out there talking. Marv comes down and heard what he was saying about the Vietnam War, and he considered it un-American. So he told him, 'Get your ass out of here.'

"Now this angered some of our liberal students, so they go to President Topping, so he has McKay call Marvie. He says to him you've got some people upset and he's got a choice, to apologize or not. So Marv says he'll go home and think about it, and Marv comes in the next day and says, 'I'm not apologizing.' And for about a week the _L.A. Times_ ran 'for and against Marv' stories, but no, he never apologized and he was proud of it.

"Marv had a million little scars over his hands. I said, 'You got hands like a parrot.' I asked if he'd ever had a manicure, he said no, so I said, 'Give it some thought.' And he got a manicure. So Craig Fertig says, 'Hey Marvie, nice nails.' Marv says, 'Oh, yeah,' and chases Fertig and grabs him in the back of the pants and pulls 'em up, and almost made him a eunuch.

"Any time over the years the players talk about Marv, two things you always hear is, 'Remember the time?' or 'Do you remember when?' Well we always remember the time, and we never forget when..."

Former Outland Trophy winner Ron Yary then spoke.

"Marv was the greatest Trojan who ever lived," he declared. "Marv benefited my life in ways I could never imagine. He had an impact on me above all that one can imagine. His life influenced mine as a husband, father, coach, alumni, friend. He gave unselfishly, he lived for his players, USC, his country. He saw the potential of others and made it realized. Players who played for him were blessed. If you measure greatness by those who loved him, he was unmatched. He had insight, judgment and advised confuse young men through despair. Without false hopes or promises. As a coach he taught us how to win with dignity but how to lose without forfeiting it. He never pointed a finger of blame. He'd give credit to opponents. Marv always rose to the occasion and realized personal sacrifice, and never embarrassed this great university. When the NCAA investigated the recruiting violations of 1980, Marv never implicated anyone, but took the blame himself at the affect of his career, but he continued to love USC and triumph over adversity. He was the most noble Trojan of them all. I'll never forget his legendary pep talks at Bovard. He made a challenging game fun. Marv was my hero."

Ex-lineman Bob McCaffrey spoke, too.

"My life was impacted by Coach," said McCaffrey. "In 1970 I had a pen in my hand and was ready to sign with Stanford, when I kid you not at that moment the phone rang and it was Marv. He must have had ESP. He asked if I'd signed the letter of intent to play at the University of Southern California. He said, 'You can play with the best or play against the best.'

"His love of USC football came over the wires that day. He believed there was no greater honor than to play for USC, and I signed and played in three Rose Bowls, won two national championships, and best of all met my Trojan wife Karen. He said the practice field was 'hallowed ground,' where men were made, and he was so much of a general who would go to war for any of his players. On the field we loved and hated him, but we respected him and knew he cared for us, and had faith in us.

"We'd go to Universal Studios to see first-run movies. We see _Patton_ before it appeared in theatres. For those of you who remember that movie, as you'll recall, George C. Scott walks up a ramp in front of this country's flag. He says, 'We're gonna grab 'em by the nose and kick 'em in the ass, and go through 'em like crap through a goose.' And the whole team just stood up and chanted, 'Goux, Goux.' That was Coach Goux.

"After graduation I became a parent and I realized what a person and mentor Coach Goux was. He taught me to be the best you can be. Skill's not enough, you have to have passion, you have to commit to the team and the game, and do the little things right. You've got to love it and have fun at it, and for that I'll always love that man. He kept in touch with USC football and ex-players, and when my son Brent played, Coach Goux called him weekly to inspire him, and after we lost to Notre Dame in 2000 we stood on the sidelines, and Coach Goux approached and said to my son, 'Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and hold your head high, and go into that other locker room and congratulate Notre Dame for a good game, then fight the good fight tomorrow.'

"That night he had us all mesmerized with his passion for USC. He could motivate anyone, in any walk of life. He was tough but not gruff, always positive, encouraging, and he believed like Patton that his army could conquer the world. You wanted to be part of what he was. Instead of shedding tears, he'd want us to share his stories and make others laugh and be inspired.

"He loved to play Notre Dame. I had the good fortune of playing in one of the most famous Notre Dame games, the 55-24 game in 1974. Halftime epitomized Couch Goux. He came in and he said, 'We got these silly bastards where we want 'em.' We were down 24-6, but he still had passion, conviction and enthusiasm. In the second half, we win and I see my opponent and I see Goux on the sidelines, with his hands on his knees staring at me, and I say to the guy opposite me, 'I'm gonna kick your ass,' because I don't want to face Coach Goux. I'd rather fight the opponent than disappoint Coach Goux."

Former All-American lineman Brad Budde spoke.

"In talking about Coach Patton, excuse me, Coach Goux, leaders need to know why he was so special to so many men," said Budde. "One word brings it together, and that word is: _passion_. He had the freedom to be himself. In today's milquetoast society, leaders are afraid, but he was transparent and had the freedom to be himself.

"Most men and women never understand this and live in the great twi-light of life, knowing neither victory nor defeat. But he touched our hearts in three ways: as a leader, as a seeker of truth, and as a 'tough love' father to some, but he could also be a friend in need.

"My first year I met Coach Robinson, and he said his philosophy was to win, and he said we have the best coaches and the best players. In return for committing to USC, you get Rose Bowls and national titles. Then Coach Goux addressed the freshmen, and he said, 'Welcome, we wined and dined you, now we're gonna kick your ass.'

"Some who are Politically Correct don't like that word, but frankly I don't give a damn. I don't mean to be sarcastic, but if you want to make an impact, you gotta get down where they are. It's a tough sport, so don't cheat them by lying. He said, 'You are special, you are good, but you have a ways to go, but I'll be there for you after practice.'

"Coach Goux oozed truth. He touched our hearts. After a game my sophomore year vs. Oregon State we barely won, and I think the guy opposite me was 'player of nation' that week, and I don't need to tell you that I didn't need that kind of attention.

"As we returned to L.A., Coach Goux called me over. I was already embarrassed to say the least, but what made it harder was Coach Goux recruited me and I wanted to make him proud. And he said in a lovely tone, _'Budde get over here.'_ And I'm anticipating the velvet glove, but I got the iron fist. He told me I'd embarrassed him, USC, and my family, so again, not to be P.C., but how could he do that?

"It never happened again. It was the tough love of a leader. He also taught me how to be a friend. I go to the Chiefs, and what a contrast it was to go from 'all-everything' to 'all-Gatorade.' It was horrible. It sounds funny now but it's not. We played the Rams, and I'm on a team with players and coaches that come and go. It takes away the thunder and you lose passion. I lost the passion, the support system of USC, and Coach Goux saw that, and he sought me out afterwards and said, 'Never let the pretenders steal your thunder in life, as a man and an athlete.'

"He could recognize something about himself in me, and from that day forward I improved as a man, a husband, a contributor in my community. We're only here a short time on Earth, then we're gone, so what good is life if we don't leave a baton to carry on? He sought truth, not feelings, and he loved you enough to be honest and tough. He had the humility enough to be there for you.

" The stars shine so bright to give mere mortals light to see the path,' and he is up there saying, 'Trojans, _'Fight on!'_ in the spirit of love.' "

Pete Carroll, about to begin his second season at USC, coming off a 6-6 rookie year and with a quarterback generally considered to be overrated, sat listening to all of this; the impassioned speeches, the tears, the love of the University of Southern California. He heard the band play _"Fight On!"_

Carroll played at the University of Pacific. He coached in the impersonal world of pro football, but he had grown up a USC fan at the height of McKay's greatness. He had worked at Bob Troppmann's Diamond B camps, soaking up the inspiration of a youthful Marv Goux, circa 1968-69. Now he was asked to say a few words. The unspoken feeling among the audience was, "Will this guy live up to the proud tradition of Marv Goux, or just pass through this job as others before him have?"

"Now I know why Marv talked to me the way he did," said Carroll. "I dealt with Marv every week, he talked like he did to his family. He had love, compassion and kindness. People think Marv just said, 'Run 'em into the ground, stomp 'em.' That's not the way May talked to me. What Marv is, what I want to impart is, Marv will always be here, he'll never go away. He's been sick the whole time I have been at USC, but his presence never left, and was always in the moment."

Up in Heaven, Marv Goux smiled at Pete Carroll and the University of Southern California. The "curse" was lifted.

As if Goux's passing was not enough of a symbolic, even spiritiual omen, another "good sign" that the Trojan past was now officially linked with the Trojan present, John McKay's widow, Corky, secretly spread the ashes of John McKay on the Coliseum turf. McKay, who died shortly before Goux, had made it clear that he desired this.

CHAPTER FORTY

SAVIOUR

By an act of fate, Pete Carroll comes to the University of Southern California

Prior to World War I, the best college football was played in the Ivy League by Harvard, Yale and Princeton. "Out West," Michigan took to the game in a big way, too.

In the aftermath of World War I, California's Wonder Teams were the top power in the nation. In the succeeding years, until World War II, Notre Dame, Southern California, Alabama and Minnesota led the way.

Michigan, Ohio State and Oklahoma joined the party in the 1940s and 1950s. Traditional powers USC, Notre Dame and Alabama re-asserted themselves, dominating the landscape of the 1960s and 1970s.

After Southern California defeated Notre Dame for the fifth year in a row in 1982, they could point to their recent dominance of the Fighting Irish; their national championships, their Heisman Trophies, and assert that if there was such a thing as an Associated Press-style "All-Time Top 25" poll of the best programs in history, it would read:

1. Notre Dame

  6. Southern California

  7. Alabama

  8. Oklahoma

When John Robinson announced that he was stepping down; when he and Marv Goux departed for the Los Angeles Rams; when the school was hit by a series of NCAA sanctions; when a long losing streak to Notre Dame began, the possibility of closing that narrow gap between number one Notre Dame and number two USC evaporated.

Had that "All-Time Top 25" poll been taken at the end of the 1992 season, USC would have fallen at least to third. Alabama caught them as the all-time bowl leader in victories when they defeated Troy in the 1985 Aloha Bowl. Glory again reigned in Tuscaloosa when the Crimson Tide captured the 1992 national championship.

Over the next decade, a series of new teams boldly stepped forward, challenging "old school" programs like Notre Dame and USC, now derided as Yesterday U. Miami, Florida State, Florida, even Virginia Tech, competed with the likes of traditional powers Penn State, Nebraska and Michigan for national supremacy. The best football was no longer played in the Pacific 10 Conference. The Southeastern Conference, the Big 12, that's where it was at.

As USC goes, so goes the West. They represent a gold standard in the conference, like the Yankees in baseball. The fall of the Trojan Empire created an egalitarian landscape in which Washington, Washington State, Arizona State, Arizona, California and Stanford, like "breakaway republics" from the Old Soviet Union, felt they had the right to freely challenge the vacated throne.

Oklahoma, another great program that experienced down years, made it all the way back to win the national championship in 2000. It was the year of the New Millennium. Everybody had their lists, their all-century teams, their "man of the century," "athlete of the century" and "team of the century" compilations and pronunciations.

When Oklahoma, under first-year coach Bob Stoops, finished number one, that mythological "Top 25" poll was in need of re-shuffling. Notre Dame still tenuously held to the top spot, but USC had tumbled further. Oklahoma was by now challenging Alabama for number two, for the chance to play in that fictional "BCS Game of the New Millennium."

USC still had enough history, there was still enough respect for its traditions, its Heismans, its white horse and its dramatic finishes to keep them in the top four or five. But Michigan, Nebraska, even Miami; a few more years of losing and Troy's statues would have to be mothballed, or sent to the Smithsonian as part of an "ancient sports history" exhibit, complete with old men telling wide-eyed youngsters about A.D. and McKay and Charlie White.

"The gleaming trophies that were a lineage of Troy were beginning to tarnish," said narrator Roger Birdsall in _The History of USC Football_ DVD, produced in 2005.

USC is a school of glamour and mystique. This imprimatur of supernatural glory rings forth like the entreaties of Trojan warriors who battled ancient Greece. The ancients were inspired by the beautiful "face that launched a thousand ships," the legendary Helen of Troy. Advocates of the modern Troy feel this gives them license to invoke Biblical imagery on its behalf.

"The Trojan Nation prayed for the Second Coming of McKay, and just days before Christmas in the year 2000, the University introduced the man who would be Savior," said Birdsall.

"The Savior" was an unlikely one by the rough-hewed standards of John McKay and Howard Jones. He was a new age kind of guy, born in the Stanford-Cal bastion of San Francisco; raised in the 1960s, in a land of hot tubs, peacock feathers and free love: Marin County

"Not the first choice of USC, and certainly not a popular choice to its fans, Pete Carroll gets to start his Trojans coaching career with a taste of what he views as one of his best attributes: communications," wrote Phil Collin in the _Daily Breeze_.

"He hadn't been a failure as an NFL coach," said USC historian Joe Jares, "but he hadn't been a huge success, either. It was a little bit of wait and see and a little bit of disappointment, I think."

"There was talk of Dennis Erickson and Mike Riley and some other people that they had obviously looked into first," said Steve Bisheff of the _Orange County Register_. "So the Carroll thing came up almost as an after thought."

"No I was definitely not their first choice," said Carroll. "I was the fourth or fifth choice on the ladder there, and it kind of hit as a bomb. I took that as a challenge. Right from the first press conference I wanted to come off with a clear sense of purpose and what I wanted to do. I was really excited about that challenge."

"If you're a horse player, you're always looking to perform, and you're always looking for that surprise," said Garrett. "If you're a sports fan, you're always identifying with those who win. Hopefully for us in the athletic department, you're always looking for coaches who are right on the cusp of that, so my question was, 'why not?' "

Carroll grew up in an upper middle class family in Greenbrae, an unincorporated section of Marin County. The county is well known as an affluent, leafy, highly educated San Francisco suburb located on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge.

He had grown up playing all the sports, competing for the Redwood Junior Giants Pop Warner team. Their main competition came from the Drake Junior Pirates, whose quarterback was a kid from the wealthy San Anselmo enclave of Sleepy Hollow. Dan Fouts would go to high school in Marin for one year, then moved when his father, the public address announcer of the 49ers, re-located the family to San Francisco.

Carroll went to Redwood High School in nearby Larkspur. It was the largest school in the county, drawing from its richest communities, among them Tiburon, Belvedere, Kent Woodlands and Ross. A few blocks from the school, the old houses of Larkspur drew an eclectic group of artists, which included the rock star Janis Joplin. Groups like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane were living in the dilapidated houseboats of Sausalito, along with blacklisted accused Communists like actor Sterling Hayden.

It was a place where parents smoked dope with their kids, where traditional ideas about morals and religion were considered passe. The sexual revolution was alive and well in Marin. Wife-swapping, "key parties," swinging, the EST movement, Indian mysticism; a movie, _The Serial_ , would make fun of this ultimately shallow pursuit of "enlightenment."

Across the bay to the north, San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district and adjacent Golden Gate Park was the epicenter of a hippie community, where the "Summer of Love" evolved in the seminal year of 1967.

Across the bay to the east, across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the University of California-Berkeley campus was embroiled in anti-war protest. A few miles further down the 80 Freeway, the FBI and the Oakland Police Department were engaged in a psychological power struggle with the radical Black Panthers.

It was a place one might expect great actors, musicians, artists and odd characters to emanate from. At Redwood, Carroll's classmates included the eccentric comic, Robin Williams.

But there was another side of Marin County. That was the side that most influenced Pete Carroll. With the building of the Golden Gate and Richmond-San Rafael Bridges, Marin became a growing bedroom community of City commuters. For 25 years since World War II, it grew with Baby Boomers; young families, schools, churches, communities. Carroll was part of a growing population. In his day the little leagues, the Catholic Youth Organization, Pop Warner football teemed with kids and eager parents volunteering their time.

At Redwood High, the support system was traditional. It in no way resembled the far out, Left wing politics of mythological Marin. North Beach in San Francisco was a West Coast haven of Italian emigration, and by the 1960s second, third and fourth generation Italian-American families made the move up to home ownership in Marin. Consequently, their large families formed a community around the St. Patrick's and St. Sebastian's Catholic Churches, the Italian Athletic Club, and the CYO basketball leagues that fed the high school.

High school sports were a big deal in 1960s Marin. As a child, Carroll was the ball boy in a legendary Thanksgiving game between rivals Redwood and Tamalpais, played on the old College of Marin field. He was hooked. At Redwood, he starred in football for coach Bob Troppmann, in basketball for coach Dick Hart, and in baseball for coach Al Endriss.

Troppmann developed the Redwood program into one of the leading prep teams in the Bay Area by the time Carroll got there. He created the Diamond B summer camps, attracting numerous grid hopefuls from far and wide. It was there that Carroll worked, becoming familiar with Marv Goux barking orders at the youngsters. It was also at the Diamond B where guest coaches Paul "Bear" Bryant and John McKay discussed, in Troppmann's presence, the possibility that a football game between USC and Alabama could help push along Bear's goal: segregation.

When Carroll was 13, Troppmann waived his tuition to the Diamond B camp, held in the wine country town of Booneville, in return for Carroll's help in running the camp. In effect, it was his first "coaching" assignment. Caroll, ready to enter his freshman year in high school, was assigned the task of organizing and running practices for the Pop Warner-age players.

The camp, run by Troppmann and Piedmont High coach Bob Muenter, was located on a remote piece of property owned by the former Olympic decathlon champion Bob Mathias, 23 miles off the beaten path of Highway 101. Troppmann saw Carroll's leadership skills. He convinced him that he could handle the responsibility.

"He was born to coach," said Troppmann. "That old neighborhood of his, they were always out on the street playing (football). In the Greenbrae schoolyard, they had an eight-foot basket. Everybody could dunk it."

The mandatory weight to play football as a freshman was 115 pounds. "Little Pete" Carroll "put rocks in his pockets," recalled Troppmann, laughing. Of the Diamond B years, "It was a great experience and I did it all the way through high school and all the way through college for eight straight years," said Carroll. "I'm pretty dyed in the wool Diamond B. Coach T and coach Bob Muenter were the two characters that ran that crazy camp we had."

The campers slept in A-frame cabins, their beds made of rope that they placed their sleeping bags on - "poor man's hammocks."

When the kids kept the coaches up by talking well into the night instead of falling asleep, Troppmann "walked them in the dark and made them carry rocks."

Then the coaches rigged a loud speaker. At two a.m. they played the sound of an on-coming train.

"They ran out of their huts," said Troppmann. "They thought there was going to be a train crash. But then we couldn't get them back to sleep. They were up all night."

The players would run for five miles on a dirt road, then transport back to "base camp" in a rickety bus.

"We all improved as football players and we left camp a little tougher," said Carroll. "But the real blessings of Booneville were Coach T and Coach Bob."

Both Muenter and Troppmann have been flown at Carroll's expense to numerous USC games over the past years.

"I'm just one of a million guys Pete treats well," said Troppmann. "It definitely makes you feel like a part of it. He hasn't forgotten anybody and he's the number one coach in America. I don't think he realizes what he is."

Even though Marin is in Northern California, USC was a very popular football team there in the 1960s. At Kent Middle School, kids would chant, "Stop. Look. Listen. We are the mighty Trojans."

"I grew up in the years when SC was really doing great things," said Carroll, "so I held the University in very high esteem, and there was something about the formula here, about being in Southern California, a private school, the weather, Hollywood; that sparked my interest. And the fact it could continue to be that way - I'd missed a lot of the years in between, and I only pictured it being great."

Carroll's Redwood High career coincided with the years in which San Francisco products O.J. Simpson and Al Cowlings were All-Americans; when a San Francisco prep star named Mike Holmgren was a Trojan back-up quarterback; when USC won national championships and Rose Bowls; and went into Birmingham to beat the Crimson Tide.

His college career coincided with the time when a San Francisco prep QB and former rival (Dan Fouts) competed for Oregon against the Trojans.

In the 1980s Carroll, who had not yet become a pro head coach but was already a celebrity in Marin sports circles, granted an interview to the _Marin Independent-Journal_ in which he was quoted saying, "I always loved USC. I had a Trojan banner on my wall. I fell in love with the Trojans when Sam 'Bam' Cunningham ended segregation in Alabama."

Troppmann is a front-and-center guest at all of Carroll's Bay Area speaking engagements. He is treated as an icon by Carroll and, by extension, everybody associated with Carroll.

"His mind was always going," said Troppmann. "Even when he was playing Pop Warner and freshman football, he was the guy in the huddle drawing plays in the dirt. He was always off someplace working out new drills. He's really an ingenious type guy. He's always been an innovator, always been a step ahead."

Carroll, the team captain in every sport, led Redwood to Marin County Athletic League championships in football, basketball and baseball. His home in Greenbrae became a gathering place for the jock kids. They would crowd around their 1960s version of a "big screen" television to watch college and pro football games, the Saturday _Baseball Game of the Week_ , and the like. Thanksgivings became a tradition when Carroll would call his friends with a one-word phone conversation: "Ball game." That meant a "mud bowl," a highly competitive "tackle" football contest often played in or after a rain on the local field.

Carroll was extremely popular; good-looking, charismatic and funny. He hated to lose. He was loyal. As he made his way up the coaching ladder, in college, at Minnesota, San Francisco, New England, and finally at USC, friends were increasingly hesitant to contact him, whether it be for tickets, favors, invitations to events, or just to hang out or talk.

Sensing this, Carroll consistently reached out to Skip Corsini, Jim Peters, Bob Troppmann and his many other good friends, assuring them that it is okay to "bother" him; that he would be bothered if they stopped doing it. Carroll is legendary for taking time for his friends even during stressful Rose Bowl weeks. He is possibly the most gracious, conscientious, helpful, accommodating celebrity personality in the United States, and make no mistake about it, Pete Carroll has become a celebrity.

"He could be Mayor of Los Angeles," says Troppmann.

"He's the Prince of L.A.," says Petros Papadakis. "He's a good-looking guy, he's as big a name in this town as any actor."

It is a fact of supreme irony that in the most plastic, insincere city in America, it's greatest hero is a man of the most sincere values.

Carroll was good in high school, but no blue chipper. He went to the College of Marin for two years, and excelled enough to earn a scholarship to the University of Pacific in Stockton, about 80 miles east of San Francisco. Stockton is the furthest inland port in the world, serving the Sacramento Delta that is connected to San Francisco Bay. Carroll the worker improved even more at UOP, earning All-Pacific Coast Conference honors as a free safety.

"I loved Pete as a player," said his UOP coach, Chester Caddas. "He was a tremendous college player. He truly loved the game. He was intense and he was smart and he looked forward to every snap. I knew once he committed himself to coaching 100 percent, he would make a great coach. He had an idea every 30 seconds. He also had great knowledge of the technical aspects of the game, on both sides of the ball. But most importantly, the players liked him. He was honest and upbeat. Whatever Pete tells you, you can go to the bank with. I think players appreciate that. One thing Pete has always had is an ability to deal with people. I think people enjoy his enthusiasm. He's always upbeat, but he's never out of control. I don't think I've ever seen him down."

After graduation, he became a graduate assistant while earning a teacher's credential and a Master's degree. In 1977, Carroll had a chance to become a head coach at a high school in the East Bay, near San Jose. He was also offered the chance to work on the staff of a rising star coach at Arkansas named Lou Holtz.

It was a moment of important choice for Carroll, who had to consider his wife, Glena, an L.A. native and volleyball player he had met at UOP. Glena was willing to support her husband's ambitions, even if it meant moving around. This decision may be the key to his success. Carroll worked with the secondary on a Razorback team that went to the Orange Bowl, knocking unbeaten Oklahoma out of the national championship. He was hooked. He was also in the loop now. He would not have stability in terms of geographic location, but he would have football employment as long as he wanted it.

From 1978 to 1982, Carroll worked as a valued assistant under great coaches at Iowa State, Ohio State and North Carolina State. At Ohio State, Carroll learned under Earle Bruce. He was a member of the 1979 staff, on a team that was beaten by USC, knocking it out of the number one spot.

An important move came in 1983, when Carroll went back to Pacific and was given assistant head coach and offensive coordinator responsibilities. It gave him a chance to upgrade his overall coaching as well as offensive credentials.

"I've always been known as a defensive coach," Carroll told College Sports TV in 2005, "but in my mind I've always been an offensive guy, the high school quarterback."

By this time, Carroll was a father of two kids. Glena continued to support her husband even when it meant moving away from their native California after only one year. The Buffalo Bills hired Pete as their defensive backs coach. The chance to coach the very best was impossible not to take. Minnesota hired him away. It was with the Vikings where Carroll's star truly began to shine. The team went to the NFC Play-Offs three times in his five years in Minneapolis. His name began to come up whenever openings occurred.

"He's got that intangible I think head coaches have to have," said Vikings' ex-coach Bud Grant. "There's an instinct you have to have. A lot excellent coaches can't be head coaches. We used to talk a lot. He was always interested in the whys of things, and not just in his sphere. He wanted to know: 'Why do this? Where do you get this idea? Where did you come up with that? You do it differently? Why?' I think that has made him a better coach. Pete is special. He's the right kind of guy. Honorable. He has a good philosophy of the game, he teaches good technical skills, and he understands the abilities of his players. The thing that helps Pete the most as a head coach is the ability to see the whole picture. Some head coaches don't have that ability to stand in the middle of the practice field and know everything that's going on. And he's secure enough in his knowledge and ability to take what he learns on the practice field and use it to make the tough decisions and stand by them. Pete has all of that and more."

"There was something there about Pete that Bud Grant saw," said Paul Wiggins, the Vikes' defensive line coach when Carroll was in Minnesota. "The thing that was so interesting about Pete is that he always studied Bud. Pete has football genius about him. He knows how to simplify and unscramble. The thing that's neat about Pete is that, when he calls a meeting, players will look forward to that meeting."

Hired as the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets (1990-93), Carroll's big break occurred in 1994 when the Jets made him the head man.

"He's a very good technician," said Bob Sutton, a Jets' assistant coach of that era, "yet he has that other side of him that lets him reach outside the boundaries. That's one thing he does very well. He's not afraid to try something new."

"USC got a dandy coach," Ed Donatell, a Jets' assistant under Carroll, said when Mike Garrett hired him. "He'll be a phenomenal recruiter. I think the college game is probably where he belongs. He's just a unique individual. He knows what's important in life. He knows the coaches don't have to be in the offices until midnight. But if people think he's easy, they're wrong, and the players will be the first to find that out."

In his one season as head coach in New York, the Jets were 6-10. Carroll was let go.

"Jets' owner Leon Hess made a huge mistake when he fired Carroll after only one season," wrote Bob Glauber in _The Sporting News._ "Carroll's ingenious schemes and player-friendly personality would have eventually turned around the Jets."

The reason Carroll was let go has never been made very clear. His record was as good as previous Jets' coaches who achieved success eventually. His sunny California demeanor may have rubbed some of the East Coast media or team brass the wrong way, which in retrospect is beyond idiotic, especially when considering that some of the greatest idols in New York sports history - DiMaggio, Gifford, Seaver - were Californians.

"He's a good guy in a business not famous for good guys," said Steve Gutman, the Jets' president during Carroll's tenure. "He's achieved a rare balance as man-husband-father."

"His optimism and enthusiasm," cited Art Monk, a star Jets' end under Carroll. "I've never been around a coach like Pete. He gives energy."

"He is the kind of guy who can take a player to unexpected heights by sheer force of enthusiasm," said C.W. Nevius of the _San Francisco Chronicle._ "The Jets' players loved him in his years as defensive coordinator, which is why he was a popular choice to become their head coach. He's a great guy, talkative, bright and cooperative."

"He is a good coach," said Mike Lupica of New York's _Newsday._ "Everyone talks about how hard the Jets played for Pete Carroll. I think he's better suited to coach college than the pros. He's a good person with a good heart."

"Pete Carroll permeates his energetic lightning-rod touch among his players and coaches," said Mark Cannizzaro of the _New York Post_. "But part of Carroll's style is toughness."

From 1995-95, Carroll was the defensive coordinator under George Seifert with the San Francisco 49ers. It was a dream opportunity to come home and be a part of the 49er dynasty at a time when they were still one of the great teams in pro football (11-5 in 1995, 12-4 in '96, NFC West champs both years).

"He's got quite an energy level," said ex-49er coach George Seifert, who guided the club to two Super Bowl victories. "In fact, we kid him about being so hyper. I've been impressed by the way his players play, the enthusiasm with which they play."

"Pete is on of those unique, dynamic people with great charisma who has a gift," said ex-49er coach Bill Walsh, who held a number of positions with the club in the years following his retirement in 1990. "I don't think there's anybody better."

"If he walked into my living room and recruited me, there's no way I'd turn him down," said San Francisco's Hall of Fame quarterback, Steve Young.

"Anyone who calls corner blitz when there's 99 yards to go has some big kanoodles," said 49er safety Tim McDonald, a former USC All-American. "And he's definitely got them. He's not afraid to take a chance. He also makes it fun. He tries to get a vibe for what a team needs. He's willing to whatever a team needs to get it going."

"He listens to the players," said San Francisco's All-Pro cornerback, Eric Davis. "We had a voice. He's a teacher. He wants to make sure that not just everybody knows what to do, but why they're doing it. That made us better."

"He's a diverse individual and he knows there's more to life than just football," said Gary Plummer, a star 49er linebacker under Carroll. "He forges relationships with people. There are coaches out there who will leave you hanging, and if it doesn't work, you get hung out to dry in the papers. Pete Carroll isn't one of those guys."

"He's bright and personable, able to relate to players and the media," said _San Francisco Chronicle_ sports columnist Glenn Dickey. "Carroll did a great job in both coaching the 49ers defense and coming up with imaginative game plans. One of his biggest assets is his flexibility. The trick, always, is to keep the offense off-balance. Carroll is a master at that."

"Carroll's belief is to make fun what is often taken so darn seriously, this business that masquerades as a game," said John Crumpacker, who covered the 49ers for the _San Francisco Examiner_ during Carroll's two years there.

Fate works in funny ways. Carroll may well have been the 49ers' head coach. He certainly thought about the possibility. Because of his upbringing it would have been a natural progression. The team made a head coaching change in 1997. They were still strong. If Carroll had been given the reigns in San Francisco, with a little more patience than in fact would be accorded him on the East Coast, it seems likely that he would have maintained San Francisco's great run, which Bill Walsh had started in 1981. In the near-decade since then, Pete Carroll might have forged a Hall of Fame pro coaching career, winning some Super Bowls.

He never would have been the head football coach at the University of Southern California.

The 49ers did not choose Pete Carroll. Without him, the 49ers slipped farther and farther, year by year. Now they are a second rate football organization, which is what they were prior to Walsh's arrival from Stanford in the late 1970s.

San Francisco hired California's head coach, Steve Mariucci. Mariucci had enough talent to maintain the appearance of competence for a while, but it did not last. Neither did he. He is not a bad coach, but does not stand out head and shoulders above his profession the way Pete Carroll does.

The fateful road that led Carroll to Troy still needed to take some twists and turns. First, the New England Patriots _did_ hire Carroll as their head coach in 1997. New England snuck into the Super Bowl the previous season, but they were lucky to get there. They were no match for Bret Favre and Green Bay. Nevertheless, expectations were high for Carroll. He did not disappoint, leading the Pats to the AFC Eastern Division title with a 10-6 record, advancing to the second round of the Play-Offs.

In 1998, Carroll's team was 9-7, then 8-8 in 1999. He was 1-2 in the post-season. His 27-21 record is the second best percentage in club history. He was fired following the '99 season.

"We all believed in his system, we all believed in the type of coach he is," said New England strong safety Lawyer Milloy. "He's a great coach and I loved playing for the guy."

"Pete is a good coach, he's approachable, you can speak to him, he's energetic, he knows how to motivate guys, and he's also knowledgeable about the game," said former Trojan star Willie McGinest, an All-Pro at New England who played in Boston under Carroll. "His style fits the college game, especially USC. College kids will definitely relate to him. His energy suits college guys. They'll love him. That type of enthusiasm he has will be great in the college game. He's fun to play for. He gets you fired up to play for him."

"Some day I want to write a book about coaching pro football in Boston," Carroll remarked in 2003 of his experiences in baseball-crazy Beantown. "I'll call it _In the Shadow of the Green Monster._ "

"Pete Carroll is the perfect coach for USC," said Dan Shaughnessy of the _Boston Globe_ , who got to know him during his Patriot tenure.

For the first year of his adult life, in 2000 Pete Carroll was not coaching football. It is darkest just before dawn. Carroll's life, and Trojan football, were about to see in this New Millennium the dawning of a New Age!

First, three professional football teams - the Jets, the 49ers and the Patriots - had to decide that Carroll was not their guy. Next, Mike Garrett had to decide that Paul Hackett, who beat UCLA in 2000 but lost to Notre Dame, thus ensuring his team a losing mark and no bowl berth, was not his guy anymore. His contract was not up yet, but Garrett fired Hackett, a well-respected football mind with a USC pedigree. That was two USC coaches from the "Camelot" 1970s fired by Garrett within three years of each other.

Next, Mike Riley and Dennis Erickson, possibly among others, turned down the USC job. This is a further twist in the story. The 49er job Carroll coveted became available again. By the 2000s, their organization was a joke. Amid internecine York family squabbling worthy of Renaissance Venetian politics, they hired Erickson. He presided over more losing in the manner of an Italian infantry commander "admiring" the advancing American Armies of World War II.

The fact that Riley and Erickson told Garrett "no" is the most telling indication of how far USC had fallen. Outside of Notre Dame, it was the most prized job in college coaching. Today, thanks to Carroll, it is _the single most_ prized job in college coaching!

Garrett himself was hanging on to _his_ job by a very thin thread. He could not talk these so-called "prized candidates" into working for him, losing them to comparative unimpressives like Oregon and Oregon State. Garrett loves USC. Wearing his suit and tie, he often likes to stand on a balcony adjacent to the press box, overlooking the sell-out throngs which now come to see Carroll's teams work their magic. In so doing, the man gives the appearance of Hadrian on his wall, surveying all he rules. God bless him, he is a nice guy, but he was some kind of lucky. Pete Carroll saved his job and made his reputation.

Despite Riley's and Erickson's passing on Garrett, like Hollywood producers rejecting a fledgling screenwriter's unsold script, there still were a few more twists and turns in the story. First, Carroll had to _make his presence known_. There is little indication that Garrett even _thought_ about Pete Carroll.

Carroll's father-in-law, Dean Goranson, earned his master's degree at USC. His wife, Glena, was raised in the Los Angeles area. Carroll himself grew up in the Bay Area rooting not for Cal or Stanford, but for John McKay's Trojans. He had a daughter, Jaime, who was a great volleyball player. As fate would have it, Jaime was playing for the Women of Troy at the time of Hackett's firing.

Carroll was in L.A., spending a lot of time watching his beloved child play volleyball. The football job opened up. A light went on in his head. Carroll approached Garrett.

"Hey, uh, Mike, my name's Pete Carroll... By the way, don't know if you know it, but I've got 24 years of experience... 16 in the National Football League.... Four as a head coach in the pro media spotlight: the Big Apple and Boston... Defensive coordinator for the 49ers when they still were the 49ers... Coached Deion Sanders... Coached Ken Norton Jr... Coached Ronnie Lott... Coached in the Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl, the AFC Play-Offs... Learned from a few guys you may have heard of: Lou Holtz, Earle Bruce, Monte Kiffin, Bud Grant, Bruce Coslet, Bill Walsh, George Seifert... It's all in the resume.

"Just to let ya know, rooted for the Trojans when I was a kid... Never went for that radical stuff at Berkeley. Dug it when Sam 'Bam' told those crackers what they could with their segregated football team. Sent my daughter here, you might know here. Jaime, plays volleyball for the Women of Troy. Here's my number. Call me."

To the everlasting credit of Mike Garrett and the eternal gratitude of the Trojan Nation, he did. In retrospect, it seems obvious that Carroll was not just a good choice but the _only_ choice.

"Carroll is the perfect fit for USC," wrote Clark Judge, a contributor to FoxSports.com and a writer with the _San Jose Mercury News_. "He is from the West Coast. He was a successful defensive coordinator and experienced head coach in the NFL. He is a superb tactician. He is energetic. He is charismatic. In short, he is everything you'd want from your college football coach. Don't you want someone who can coach your team who can, first, get the talent, then, know how to use it? He proved he could win with ordinary talent and without having complete authority in New England. He is young, he is enthusiastic, he is articulate, he works well with the media, he works better with his players and, most important, he does his job as proficiently as anyone in the business. Nobody will accuse Carroll of running with the pack. He quotes Jerry Garcia, splices film clips of beavers at work in with defensive highlight footage, used to surf the aisles of charter flights on cafeteria trays and yes, spends afternoons after practice running with a football."

While knowledge of Jerry Garcia is a nice bonus, the fact is that the previous USC head coach, Paul Hackett was, like Carroll, a Northern Californian who was bright and articulate, knew how to handle the media - and was a fan of Jerry Garcia. The last two coaches, in fact, were Northern Californians. Garrett could have been excused if he had wanted to get away from that paradigm and look for a tough-as-nails guy like the men he had played for, McKay and Goux.

"I was very, _very_ fortunate to get involved with the job here," Carroll told College Sports TV in 2005.

Carroll stated many times what he needed and did not get in New York and Boston was control: drafting, trades, player personnel. If he had been given control and time, he would have achieved success in those cities as he has in Los Angeles, because he _knows_ his program works. In an hour-long conversation Carroll had with this author in 2005, he stated, "I knew I'd be successful, I knew we'd win, because if I'm given the chance to operate freely, my program is designed to succeed and will succeed."

These words do not accurately reflect the pure _sense of confidence in himself_ that emanated from his voice. This was a man who was _sure_ that he had a better plan than anybody else. He maintains a semi-humble approach; in press conferences and more open public settings he tones it down, but in private conversations such as this one, his attitude is not arrogant, but one in which he _does not think_ he is the best, he _possesses knowledge of it!_

The reason Carroll is better suited for college than professional football is because of the difference in acquiring players. In the NFL, a socialist system exists in which success is punished. The best team gets the last draft pick. In college, the best team can get all the best players they can attract. In the pros, a player has little choice over who selects him. He takes a mercenary attitude with him. In college, the player invests himself in the program, picking them of his own free will, and buying into what the coach is trying to sell. Carroll may be the best recruiter who ever lived. There is something about him that allows him to connect with everybody, whether it be a black kid raised by a single mother in the inner city; a country boy; a street-wise tough guy from Jersey; or a surfer dude from "The O.C."

"I love college," Carroll says, "because I don't get one first round draft pick, I can get the whole first round."

After Carroll's initial press conference, he needed to go after the first two kids who would turn his program around. The first was an All-American defensive lineman from Los Altos High School named Shaun Cody. Cody came from a tight-knit family in Hacienda Heights, a pleasant hill community located about half an hour east of USC between the San Bernardino and Pomona Freeways.

Cody's father was nicknamed "The Colonel" because he was an imposing disciplinarian. He was a tough sell. Shaun's friends were badmouthing USC, telling him the school was in "the ghetto," that they played in a "half-empty" Coliseum; it was "Yesterday U." and now "Coach Who?"

Carroll's gregarious style was not the kind that normally would influence the elder Cody. Marv Goux or John McKay could have marched into the Cody's living room, flashed their national championship rings, and impressed the old man with their military-style bearing.

Carroll had nothing to sell but sincerity, a belief in himself, a vision of the future. Both the Codys saw it. So, too, did Mrs. Cody. The commitment was made.

The second player on the agenda was Matt Leinart. Hackett had laid the groundwork, which he deserves credit for, but Carroll needed to re-sell USC. He had one edge working in his favor: Matt Grootegoed.

Grootegoed may have been raised in "surf city," Huntington Beach, but he was a "country boy" at heart; strong, silent, liked to hunt and fish. He was considered one of the finest high school football players in Orange County history at Mater Dei. He starred at safety on defense and at running back on offense. When injuries required him to make the switch, he had played quarterback and done so brilliantly. Grootegoed was already a freshman at USC.

His teammate at Mater Dei High School _was_ a "surfer dude from 'The O.C." When Matt Leinart was briefly hurt his junior year, Grootegoed replaced him at quarterback. Grootegoed was so good that, when Leinart came back, he had to compete to re-gain his job. Coach Bruce Rollinson gave it a lot of thought before installing Leinart back into the number one position.

They were friends but different kinds of people. Leinart was Orange County all the way. Grootegoed more closely resembled Fresno, or Texas. But Carroll exploited the high school connection in an effort to make sure Leinart came to USC.

In 2000, a prep "battle of the titans" was played in front of 20,000 fans at Edison International Field of Anaheim (now Angels Stadium). De La Salle High School of Concord - an East Bay Area community about 30 freeway minutes east of San Francisco - traveled south to play Mater Dei. De La Salle, the best team in the nation, was in the midst of their national-record 151-game winning streak. They won one of their four "mythical national championships" in 2000, handed out each year by the likes of _USA TODAY_ and _Student Sports_ magazine.

De La Salle was criticized by those who tried to say their Bay Area competition was not as fast as the ball played in the L.A. area. In beating the likes of Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei, those critics were silenced. Mater Dei was the class of Southern California, and in the minds of many before the game, the best in the country.

In that 2000 contest, De La Salle ran up and down the field, taking a big lead into the fourth quarter. Matt Leinart then went to work, finishing 31-of-47 for 447 yards and four touchdowns. He led Mater Dei on an impossible comeback, but a game-tying field goal with no time left failed in their losing 31-28 war. Some called it the best high school game ever played. Leinart's performance in it the greatest by a quarterback. These may b exaggerations, but the game was a foretaste of things to come.

Grootegoed was considered the big prize at Mater Dei. Leinart was good, a prep All-American with all the bell and whistles: SuperPrep this, All-Far West that, _Parade_ magazine so-and-so. But despite being 6-5, 225 pounds, Leinart was not considered the prospect another Orange County quarterback, Carson Palmer, had been. There were other quarterbacks in Southern California, including Kyle Matter of Hart, who was more coveted. J.P. Losman, Kyle Boller, David Koral, Chris Rix, Matt Cassel, John Sciarra Jr. and others from the 1999-2000 period were considered prospects on an equal footing.

But Paul Hackett's staff had gone after Leinart, especially when Matter indicated that he was Stanford-bound. When Carroll took over, his first order of business (after Cody) was to complete the Mater Dei duo of Grootegoed and now Leinart. When Leinart signed with Troy, the first big steps towards Carroll's initial goal had been taken.

Carroll had two other early priorities. They were tied in with each other. The first was to hire Norm Chow as offensive coordinator. He was the guru who masterminded Brigham Young's great offensive teams under Lavell Edwards. His quarterbacks included Gifford Nielsen, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Marc Wilson, Robbie Bosco, and Ty Detmer. In one year at North Carolina State, he tutored Philip Rivers.

Chow's immediate task was to make Carson Palmer's long-dormant potential become a reality.

Carroll moved into a home on the beautiful Palos Verdes Peninsula, a place that might be described as, "A conservative Marin County by the beach." His eldest son, Brennan, was a tight end at the University of Pittsburgh. His goal was to get into coaching after graduation. Carroll wanted to create a situation where he could hire Brennan after he got out of Pitt. Jaime was still playing volleyball at USC. He wanted it to be a family affair. His youngest, Nathan, enrolled at the prestigious Peninsula High School. He was said to have football potential. All the pieces were in place.

Pete Carroll went from press conference to signing day to spring training to summer camp until, on September 1, 2001, all of 45,568 Los Angelenos ventured to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to see what there was to see. The game against the San Jose State Spartans was televised on Fox Sports Net cable TV. The captains were Charlie Landrigan, Troy Polamalu and Antuan Simmons. Tailback Sultan McCullough rushed for 167 yards. The defense held a pretty good San Jose State running back named Deonce Whittaker to just 65 yards. Carson Palmer was 21-of-28 for 213 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. The final score was 21-10, USC. It was a win, and little else.

Next came Kansas State. It is instructive to recall that while USC was unranked, Kansas State, coached by Bill Snyder, was 12th. Snyder had turned the program into a major powerhouse. They represented the seismic shift in college football. It was a new day, a day in which Kansas State, Virginia Tech, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington State, Wisconsin - these were the new powerhouses, replacing dinosaurs like USC, UCLA, Alabama.

It was very similar to the 1997 Florida State opener at the Coliseum. 69,659 showed up, as much to see a marquee Kansas State team as to _"Fight On!_ for old SC." Kansas State scored 10 points in the first half but Carroll, the defensive specialist, presided over an excellent second half effort. The Wildcats were held scoreless. USC's offense was utterly devoid of life. No running, no passing. Palmer was harried, forced continually out of the pocket. He hit 16-of-36 for 197 yards. Final score: Kansas State 10, USC 6. National championships and Heisman Trophies still seemed a million miles away.

****

Three days later, Islamo-Fascists blew themselves into hell at the Pentagon and New York City. College and pro football, and Major League baseball games, were canceled while America re-grouped. Sports were both unimportant and important. The games eventually resumed. At first nobody cared. Then, curiously, the mood changed.

During World War II, Major League baseball offered to cancel its seasons out of respect for the war effort. President Franklin Roosevelt rejected the notion, stating that it was important to the nation's morale that these diversions continue. Colleges also stayed in session, their rivalries unimpeded. Over time it all became a source of pride: America was so strong, so powerful and so great that we could defeat Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo; fight a two-front war on three continents, from Africa to Sicily to Italy; from France to Belgium to Germany; in the Philippines, on Iwo, Guadal, Okinawa, "island-hopping" all the way to Japan; _all while USC was playing UCLA, Ohio State vs. Michigan, the Red Sox vs. the Yankees, the Bears and the Packers!_ It is possible that, of all the many pieces of evidence pointing to American superiority, this might be the single most telling fact in support of the notion.

So it was after 9/11. Before the Americans went into Afghanistan and annihilated the Taliban; before all the Rudyard Kipling warnings and the stories of British and Russian defeats in the Great Game were shown to be things that happened to someone else; before any of that, what captivated and made Americans feel alive again was sports.

First, Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants continued his inexorable pursuit of the single-season home run record, eclipsing the mark set by a great Trojan, Mark McGwire, when he hit 70 in 1998.

Next, the New York Yankees won a miraculous comeback from two games to none down to beat the Oakland A's, advancing to the World Series. Somewhere in a cave in Tora-Bora, Osama Bin Laden thought that he had brought America down. He thought that New Yorkers would cower in fear, choose to hide, run for the hills, spend no money, stay out of sight.

The War on Terror is of course a hard slog that, like the Cold War, takes time to completely win. Of course, like everything the United States of America decides to do, it will be won completely. The truth is the War on Terror was won in October of 2001 when Yankee Stadium was packed night after night by exuberant Yankee fans. They decided, because they are Americans, to live. Therefore, they decided to win.

Some day, after his corpse is retrieved and the Army guys scour his cave, or when evidence is compiled for his trial, the story will be told about how Osama Bin Laden heard about those crowds at Yankee Stadium, thus realizing that the _very opposite_ of what he wanted to happen is what _actually_ happened!

Los Angeles, of course, is a major city. It was immediately identified as a possible terrorist target, but the USC Trojans quickly went back to work. On September 22, 45,765 in Eugene showed no signs of being affected by Osama Bin Laden when they packed Autzen Stadium to cheer their number seven Oregon Ducks, who would go on to finish second in the nation at season's end.

USC trailed, 21-6, half way through the third quarter, but Palmer rallied the troops. He was 25-of-40 for an incredible 411 yards. After leading Troy to two fourth quarter scoring drives, capped by a touchdown and field goal, USC led 22-21. But Oregon's Heisman candidate quarterback, Joey Harrington, engineered a late drive to set up Jared Siegel's 32-yard field goal to put a heartbreaking loss on Carroll and his team, 24-22.

SC lost its third close game in a row, 21-16 to Stanford at the Coliseum. They were now 1-2 for the first time since 1961, and 0-2 in conference play. Again, however, there was a silver lining. Stanford led 21-0 at the half. USC showed the fight that would mark the Carroll era by scoring 16 unanswered second half points, barely falling short. Three losses by 11 points. Palmer was 22-of-42 for 240 yards. He was starting to pick up Norm Chow's schemes, but with little in the way of a running game it was "live by the sword, die by the sword": two interceptions.

The date was September 29, 2001, game four of the Pete Carroll era. It would be the last time the UIS Trojans would lose at the Coliseum.

At number 11 Washington, Troy lost again on a late field goal, 27-24, before 72,946 at Husky Stadium. Safety Troy Polamalu intercepted a pass, returning it for a touchdown. McCullough managed 132 yards on the ground. Penalties hurt USC. Palmer tried to play ball control. He still completed two passes for touchdowns.

Only 43,508 came to the Coliseum to see USC snap their four-game losing streak, 48-17 over Arizona State, but at South Bend the season appeared to take a major turn for the worse when Notre Dame, after trailing midway through, dominated the second half of the game for a 27-16 win. There was little to cheer about. There seemed to be no discernible difference between Carroll's team and Hackett's teams. At 2-5, the critics were out in force. In was too early to call for Carroll's ouster, although not too early to question Garrett's competence. Worse, there was a sense of apathy, as if it did not matter who the coach was; the program would never see a re-birth of its past glory.

Turning point: 2001 at Arizona

On October 27, USC traveled to Tucson to take on the Arizona Wildcats. Neither team was ranked. It meant nothing in the Pac 10. No major bowls were on the line. If SC lost, there would be no bowl, period.

"It was hot and dusty, and nobody cared," recalled Carroll in an interview with College Sports TV. "Our guys practiced the day before, and I could just see they had just about given up. They barely even wanted to be there."

USC was still USC. When they arrive at a rival stadium, especially in the Pac 10, the fans and other team gets up for them. Arizona came out fired up, forging a 10-3 lead after a quarter. The game developed into a shootout, apparently with neither team committed enough to play real defense. USC picked off four Wildcat passes, however, and went ahead 31-10, but it looked to be the same old story.

Arizona rallied to score 24 of the next 27 points, tying the game at 34-all. They had the ball and were driving. All they needed was a field goal. Sean Keel already made three for the Wildcats, including a 46-yarder. It was a repeat of their first three losses; close but no cigar.

Then cornerback Kris Richard, in a play Carroll to this day reverently thinks of in spiritual terms, picked off a Jason Johnson pass, returning it 58 yards to give Southern California a stunning, turnabout 41-34 win. Richard was the Pacific 10 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. He remains a major figure in Trojan lore.  
"Turning points" are spoken of in the media when a team is successful. There is no doubt this is what happened on this dusty night in Tucson. Instead of being 2-6, they were 3-5, but more importantly they had something to celebrate. Carroll's enthusiasm seemed to give them _raison d'être._

Oregon State, a program ranked fourth in the country as recently as 1999, gave USC everything they could handle in Los Angeles. Palmer, Carroll and USC refused to give in. Infused by newfound spirit, they fought the Beavers into overtime. First, they held Oregon State to a field goal after the stopping them on a first-and-goal situation. Then Palmer ran a "naked bootleg" for a score to give SC the Homecoming win, 16-13.

USC traveled to Berkeley. Carroll would get to strut his stuff in the area where he was raised. Palmer completed 18 out of 35 passes for 230 yards. The Trojans exploded on both sides of the ball in a smashing 55-14 slaughter of Cal. It evened Troy's record at 5-5, gave them hope for a bowl, and convinced a few that the program might be headed in the right direction.

Shutting out the Bruins

When Carroll was growing up, he made the trek to Los Angeles to watch a USC-UCLA game, which makes the so-called Big Game between Cal and Stanford pale in comparison. The game he went to was one of the best in rivalry history. It was the masterpiece 1969 contest in which Jimmy Jones hit Sam Dickerson in the back of the end zone for a 14-12 Trojan victory. It sent unbeaten USC to the Rose Bowl, and UCLA (8-1-1) back to Westwood.

"That was such a classic game to watch, and I knew then that this was as good as it gets," Carroll recalled in _UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports_.

In his first year at USC, Carroll ran into Terry Donahue and his wife, who were on the SC campus to watch their daughter play a tennis match.

"We talked for a while and then I invited him to take a walk through Heritage Hall," Carroll said. "Well, they finally decided to go in, and it was so fun to watch them. They were like little kids looking at all the trophies and talking about different games and players. Terry had grown up with the rivalry, played in it and coached in it.

"But what I remember most is that Donahue told me that he had lost the first four games in the rivalry. I know he won a lot at the end and ended up with a winning lifetime record against USC. But the intensity that he carried about the matchup and how it worked on him for years, I will never forget. I felt very fortunate because it gave me a chance to see what to expect if I lost."

Carroll's recollection of giving the Donahue's a "tour" of Heritage Hall reminded this author of a conversation I had with Mrs. Donahue at the San Francisco 49ers' Santa Clara headquarters in 2001. Working as a sports columnist for the _San Francisco Examiner_ , I was on hand to cover Bill Walsh stepping down as their general manager, to be replaced by Donahue. He had his family there for the occasion.

I spoke off-handedly with Mr. and Mrs. Donahue about the USC-UCLA rivalry. When I told them I was a USC graduate, Mrs. Donahue said, "Oh my, I was just on that campus for the first time not long ago. I was really surprised. You have a beautiful campus."

In all the years she had lived in Los Angeles; married to a former football player who played his home games at the Coliseum; who was an assistant coach and then the head coach of a UCLA team that played its home games there for the first six years of his tenure - across the street from the USC campus - she _had never been there._ She acted as if she expected it be an old slaughterhouse, or a converted oil refinery, or a series of abandoned warehouses. Oh well.

When USC shut out UCLA, 27-0 before 88,588 at the Coliseum (the first blanking of the Bruins in the series since 1947), Carroll left the field in triumph. It was USC's third straight win over their cross-town rivals. It gave them a 6-5 record and an invitation to the Las Vegas Bowl, marking another big turning point for the new coach and his team.

"We've got to be the best 6-5 team in the nation," Carroll said afterward. A swing of fortune had taken place in Los Angeles. Carroll and USC were on the rise. UCLA's Bob Toledo was heading in another direction.

Palmer completed 14-of-23 for 180 yards, including a scoring strike to Keary Colbert.

The Las Vegas Bowl, however, was a disappointment. Palmer had one of his worst games as a Trojan. In a defensive struggle Utah held on to win by 10-6. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, a review of Carroll's first season is revealing. They were 6-6, but five of the losses were by five points or less (15 total). The only real loss of substance - that was only 11 points - came at Notre Dame. The team easily could have been 11-1 instead of 6-6.

Kris Richard and Chris Cash were drafted off the 2001 team were. Kevin Arbet was another standout.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

TRADITION RESTORED

Palmer wins the Heisman; by season's end, the Trojans were the nation's best team

There was a strong sense that 2002 would be a make-or-break year at USC. Despite the loss in the Las Vegas Bowl, Carroll had some people excited that perhaps he could right the ship. However, other coaches had gotten the fan's hopes up in the past, only to let them down.

The Associated Press ranked Troy 18th coming in. The main source of optimism came via reports that Norm Chow was making major progress with Carson Palmer. One of the most celebrated high school quarterbacks California has ever produced, in four years he had shown sparks of brilliance interspersed with terrible glimpses of Sean Salisbury. He was not an all-conference player, much less an All-American. This author's 2000 speculation that the 6-6, 230-pounder would win a Heisman seemed a cruel joke by 2002. USC, whose marketing machinery is as adept at promoting Heisman candidates as any in the country, did not even see fit to put Palmer on the cover of their 2002 football media guide. Troy Polamalu graced it instead.

Baseball pitcher Barry Zito, a Trojan All-American before winning a Cy Young Award winner at Oakland, was asked about Palmer before the opening game of the season vs. Auburn.

"I think he's overrated," said Zito honestly. It was a fair assessment of Palmer, except that by 2002 he was not really overrated any more. Expectations for him were not exceptional.

That being said, his work with Chow, the new life Carroll promised to breathe into the program, and his status as an experienced, fifth-year senior who had started since his freshman season, gave reason to believe that maturity was in his corner.

Carroll's first recruiting class was solid; not national best, but solid. He brought in Leinart and Cody to join Grootegoed in between his hiring in December 2000 and the signing deadline in February 2001. But his first "true" recruiting class in 2002 was considered the best in the country. First, he landed a wide receiver from Plant High in Tampa, Florida named Mike Williams.

A look at USC's media guide reveals an astounding amount of brand new talent. Listed among "newcomer biographies" - first year freshmen and junior college transfers - are such additional names as:

6-2, 220-pound safety Darnell Bing from Long Beach Poly.

6-3, 250-pound freshman tight end Dominique Byrd from Minneapolis.

Running back Hershel Dennis from Long Beach Poly.

6-6, 205-pound offensive tackle Winston Justice from Long Beach Poly

(There is a reason _Student Sports_ magazine, and later _Sports Illustrated_ , named Long Beach Poly the "Sports High School of the 20th Century.")

Sophomore placekicker Ryan Killeen from Mt. San Antonio Junior College.

6-1, 245-pound linebacker Oscar Lua from Indio High School.

6-3, 305-pound freshman lineman Fred Matua from Banning High.

Wide receiver Chris McFoy from Chino High.

Cornerback Ronald Nunn from San Francisco City College.

265-pound defensive end LaJuan Ramsey from Compton Dominguez.

6-5, 210-pound linebacker Dallas Sartz from Granite Bay near Sacramento.

6-6, 280-pound offensive tackle Kyle Williams from Highland Park High in Dallas.

6-6, 285-pound defensive tackle Manuel Wright from Long Beach Poly.

Cornerback Justin Wyatt from Compton Dominguez.

A close look at Carroll's 2002 recruiting class is revealing. It indicates his priorities and understanding of what he needed to build the program. There were no freshman quarterbacks in the class. He signed Leinart the year before. In addition, he inherited Matt Cassel, an L.A. prep phenom who was waiting in the wings. If neither Cassel nor Leinart worked out, he had a transfer, Brandon Hance. He had been a star in the San Fernando Valley, then started at Purdue before transferring to his hometown team, USC.

Carroll had speed at the skill positions along with huge size and strength to protect his quarterbacks and running backs. His guys were all the bluest of the blue chippers; All-Americans with long pedigrees, lists of membership on all the various _Parade_ , _Student Sports_ , _USA TODAY_ , Tom Lemming, SuperPrep, "Best of the West" selections... plus all the rest.

The prognosticators could see Carroll was a natural recruiter, and that he was set for the future. But the 2002 team were still mostly holdovers from the Hackett era. This was still a question mark. Even the media guide acknowledged that the team was a work in progress.

"Although the plans were first drawn in the final days of 2000 and the foundation was set throughout 2001," it read, "by no means is the reconstruction of the USC football program finished. The building will continue at Troy in 2002."

"Our goal is to win the Pac 10 championship and win the Rose Bowl," said Carroll. "That's our goal this year and every year. In 2002, we must pick up where we left off last year, continuing to develop a winning attitude. And style of play. What's evident is that we are much further ahead going into this season than we than we were last year."

He had 14 returning starters: eight on offense, five on defense, and one on special teams.

"We signed outstanding players from premier programs and we were able to cover all positions with an incredible level of talent," said Carroll. This is further revealing. Carroll had indeed signed superstars from the top prep programs in the L.A. area; powerhouses like Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly and Banning. He was establishing recruiting dominance in his backyard at a time when UCLA was at loose ends.

Plus, he had one from J.C. power City College of San Francisco. He went out of state to cherrypick Williams away from the Florida competition, on the strength of a recommendation and recruiting help from Keyshawn Johnson, then playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had gotten Dominique Byrd from Minnesota.

Carroll made it clear that there would be competition at all positions. Veterans were not assured of jobs. A young buck could come into his program and steal some thunder. He also did not dissuade walk-ons. Two non-scholarship players who came in 2002 and eventually made their marks included safety Andre Woodert and linebacker Collin Ashton, whose father had gone to USC.

"We want to play great defense, be aggressive and efficient on offense and always count on our special teams to be a factor," said Carroll. "That's the classic blueprint of a successful team. Last season, our strengths were on defense and in the kicking game, and we won the turnover battle. If we can do that again and run the football this year, we can be a factor in the Rose Bowl race."

Palmer would be passing to Williams, Keary Colbert and returner Kareem Kelly. The running game would be led by Sultan McCullough, Malaefou Mackenzie, Sunny Byrd, and an important transfer.

Justin Fargas starred at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks. The son of actor Antonio Fargas, who played "Huggy Bear" in the 1970s TV police show _Starsky and Hutch_ , started at Michigan before returning to L.A.

Jacob Rogers, Lenny Vandermade and Norm Katnik anchored the offensive line. All-American safety Troy Polamalu led the defense. The secondary was fast, featuring Kevin Arbet, Darrell Rideaux and Marcell Almond.

The defensive line would include some more of Carroll's most important 2001 signees, Shaun Cody and Kenechi Udeze. Matt Grootegoed, who started as a 2000 freshman, was back.

The schedule promised to be one of the toughest in USC history. Seven opponents had played in bowls the previous season, with five ranked in the Top 20, and three in the Top 10. Colorado had been ninth, Washington 19th, Oregon second, Washington State 10th, and Stanford was number 16. That did not include Auburn, plus rivals Notre Dane and UCLA.

"It's an extraordinary schedule," said Carroll. "It starts with a great _Monday Night Football_ opener and picks up from there, finishing with both of our traditional rivals. With the caliber of non-conference opponents we'll face, we'll certainly be game ready when we get to the Pac 10 part of the schedule."

USC also introduced the jerseys that have marked the Carroll era, the first major change in 30 years; a retro style hearkening back to the 1958-69 era. Carroll had decided not to go with names on the back, a common feature in both pro and college sports. The sense of "team" pervades his philosophy, or as 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks used to say, "The name on the front of the jersey's a helluva lot more important than the name on the back."

Carroll told the media he planned to throw more effectively, but with more control. That was Chow's job, to harness Palmer's talent, making him less wild. Injuries hurt the running game in 2001, forcing Palmer to rely too much on the aerial game.

"We anticipate a big year from Carson Palmer," said Carroll, calling him one of the "premier quarterbacks in the country."

Carroll looked to create as much competition as possible at running back, the big sore spot of Trojan football for years. The last good running back - there had been some talented players who did not live up to potential - had been Ricky Ervins. Fargas promised to push his way in. A red-shirt freshman, David Kirtman made his presence known. Of his receivers, Carroll said that he had "depth, speed and play-making ability across the board." Another red-shirt freshman, William Buchanon, would challenge for playing time.

Tight end Alex Holmes returned, plus a talented 6-8 basketball-football star, Greg Guenther was on board. Carroll saw "high potential" in his tight ends."

Defensively, Carroll's reiterated philosophy was to "be an aggressive, big play defense that scores points... to capture the ball. Turnover ratio is a very important statistic for us and we took a huge jump in the right direction last year."

Both defensive linemen Cody and Udeze made the Freshman All-American team in 2001.

"Shaun Cody and Kenechu Udeze give us a good young nucleus to build around and we're fortunate to have Bernard Riley back," said Carroll. Another key sophomore on the line was the sophomore from Los Alamitos High School, Mike Patterson.

The linebacker corps, traditionally the strength of any USC defense, promised to be strong with Grootegoed, Mike Pollard and Melvin Simmons anchoring it, along with newcomers Dallas Sartz and Oscar Lua pushing the veterans.

"We're in good shape at linebacker," said Carroll. "The returning starters are proven veterans now and there will be quite a fight among the others for playing time. This can be a really good unit for us. We're much farther along here than we were a year ago."

Returning All-American safety Polamalu drew high praise from the coach, who had mentored the likes of Ronnie Lott, Tim McDonald, Aaron Glenn, Merton Hanks, Eric Davis and Lawyer Milloy.

Troy "is one of the best players I've ever coached," said Carroll. "He is a tremendous football player and it shows in every phase of the game: pass defense, run defense, blitzing and special teams."

Polamalu's strength was extraordinary. He could squat 600 pounds and was one of the leaders in USC's now legendary off-season conditioning program, which may be the single biggest reason - above recruiting, coaching, skill - why the Trojans are now at the top.

Matt Leinart? The man who would one day be considered **"the greatest college football player of all time,"** the biggest celebrity in Los Angeles, a guy who would hang out with celebrities, date starlets, and command the biggest star on America's biggest stage, was a red-shirt freshman in 2002. He sat on the bench in 2001. He briefly thought he could challenge Palmer for the job, since the veteran was at times inconsistent. Heading into the year, he was mentioned as a possible candidate to hold for field goals. He has admitted since that his attitude was not good, his confidence down. He questioned whether USC was his best choice. He was, for now, along for the ride while his high school pal, Grootegoed, was a starter for the second straight year.

The opener was a night game on national television against Auburn. Palmer was good, bordering on spectacular. Number 18 USC maintained a balanced attack, playing a hard-fought game against the Tigers before 63,269 at the Coliseum. Auburn came in with some offensive weapons, namely running backs Carnell "Cadillac" Williams and Ronnie Brown. Quarterback Jason Campbell was a big high school star, but had yet to mature at the collegiate level.

Coach Tommy Tuberville's team was unranked, but a Southeastern Conference opponent is always a challenge, home or away. The game was tied late when Palmer demonstrated senior leadership by engineering a winning touchdown drive. It took a long time before USC fans could breathe easy, but the 24-17 win was a very important one for the program.

Palmer's numbers were eye-catching: 23-of-32 for 303 yards. His one-yard sneak with a little over a minute to play clinched it. Cadillac Williams of Auburn rushed for 94 yards. Defensive tackle Mike Patterson, making his first USC start, had a good one with eight tackles

At Boulder, Palmer shredded Colorado's defense in an impressive 40-3 victory. Freshman Mike Williams made seven catches. Defensive stalwarts were Oscar Lua, Mike Ross, LaJuan Ramsey and Patterson (two sacks).

That set up a huge challenge against Bill Snyder and Kansas State in Manhattan, Kansas. A capacity crowd was on hand. While USC was ranked 11th and Kansas State 25th, it was quickly obvious that the Trojans were not in their league. Not yet.

Through the better part of three quarters, the Wildcats' Eli Roberson and Darren Sproles created havoc for USC. Palmer seemingly had no protection, constantly being forced to scramble for his life.

Freshman wide receiver Mike Williams kept getting open. Palmer, flushed constantly out of the pocket, kept hitting him in the numbers.

Williams dropped the ball. Over and over again.

If he had made his plays, USC would have won. Instead, they fell further and further behind. Palmer, with little help, had to do everything himself. There was no cohesion in the offense. Kansas State's dominance of USC - albeit a misleading dominance, since Williams's dropped balls made the difference - gave a similar impression to the Florida State clampdowns on USC in 1997 and 1998, and of course the 2001 game in which K-State held Troy to six. For wary USC fans, not wanting to let their hopes get too high, there was a disturbing sense for three quarters that they could still not compete with the dominant teams in the land.

In the fourth quarter, however, USC dispelled that notion. In many ways, that quarter represents the resurgence of Trojan football under Carroll. Discouraged, playing poorly, on the road in a hostile environment, with defeat a certainty and embarrassment accompanying it, Palmer engineered a near-miracle, bringing USC from 27-6 down to 27-20 with a chance to tie it and force overtime. To the astonishment of Wildcat fans and the amazement of Trojan supporters watching the game on the "super station," WTBS, Palmer put USC on the Kansas State 33 before a fourth down try with 30 seconds to play came up short. Palmer's performance and the comeback nature of the game was reminiscent of USC's great come-from-behind efforts with Pat Haden and Paul McDonald. It resurrected a horrible game and created hope.

In the end, USC ran out of time and fell short. But the first half mode, in which Kansas State was so obviously dominant, had been totally turned around by the game's conclusion. It was of course a loss, with all the attendant disappointment that comes with a loss. Nobody wanted to talk much about "moral victories." Disappointment and failure could still haunt them down the road, but there was reason for optimism.

USC dominated a supposedly strong, 23rd-ranked Oregon State team, 22-0, at the Coliseum. In shutting out Dennis Erickson's team, Carroll achieved a bit of vindication, since some wanted Erickson instead of him. Matt Grootegoed, DeShaun Hill, Mike Patterson and Shaun Cody harried Beaver quarterback Derek Anderson throughout the game, limiting him to a piddling eight-of-30 for 809 yards and two fumbles.

Southern California then ventured to the Palouse for a shootout with coach Mike Price's Wazzou Cougars.

Coming off a 10-2 season, which included a Holiday Bowl win over Purdue, Washington State featured a talented quarterback, Jason Gesser, who at that point was rated higher than Palmer.

A capacity crowd braved the night chill of October in eastern Washington. They made the usual noise when Palmer tried to call signals. This game represents, when one looks back, the last of the "old" USC. Everything that the Trojans have become came after this game.

Palmer was spectacular. Williams, while showing flashes of brilliance, was still very unreliable. The teams battled each other up and down the field for four quarters. It was lost when Ryan Killeen made neither a key extra point, nor a field goal in overtime.

USC battled back from 24-14 down in the fourth quarter to take a 27-24 lead. Palmer scored a touchdown on a three-yard scramble with 7:54 left to narrow Washington State's lead to 24-21. After safety Jason Leach's interception, Palmer threw a long, 55-yard touchdown strike to Williams with 4:10 remaining. Killeen's point-after however, missed. Instead of leading 28-24, the three-point edge gave WSU a chance to tie with a field goal instead of forcing them to go for six. The Cougars did drive and tie it.

After Killeen's field goal try failed in the overtime, Washington State's Drew Dunning was surefooted. His field goal gave the home team a 30-27 win. Gesser was 23-of-44 for 317 yards. Grootegoed had nine tackles. Hill added eight.

A game that USC seemingly had won was first tied and forced into overtime, then won by Washington State. It was disappointment almost beyond the ability to accept. Palmer had played so well, the team had deserved victory; instead, they were 3-2. Hopes for a national championship, and probably even a Rose Bowl, were again dashed.

Again, this game and its aftermath represent the heart of Pete Carroll's leadership abilities. Just as his team was not allowed to quit when "no one cared" on that hot night in Tucson, the bedraggled Trojans found strength as they made their way home late on a Saturday night from Pullman, Washington.

" ' _Fight On!'_ meant no matter the conditions, no matter the opponent, you always played your best," Mike Garrett said two months earlier at Marv Goux's memorial service.

"When you hear _'Fight On!'_ you think of Marv Goux," band director Art Bartner said on that same August day. "You never quit, you never back down. It doesn't matter what the adversity is, you _'Fight On!'_ We're Trojans!"

The words these men chose to use embody what USC has always been about. The spirit of Marv Goux was with Carroll's team when they battled back in the fourth quarter at Manhattan, Kansas. He was with them when they boarded a silent plane in eastern Washington, trying to find meaning in a season that, unless they found a way to be spectacular fast, promised to end in failed expectations.

College kids _do_ get discouraged. They are not professionals, paid whether they win or lose. They must find inspiration from other sources. It was in giving his charges that inspiration when they needed it - not pumping up an unbeaten team vying for the record books, but rather keeping a struggling club from folding - that Carroll proved his worth.

Carroll listened to Garrett and Dr. Bartner riff on the meaning of the words, _"Fight On!"_ To him, they _were_ fighting words. Goux had graced him with advice in the final year of his life. Carroll took it to heart. Goux's granddaughter told the Trojans to "win one for the Goux." Corny stuff, maybe, but not at USC. The University is one of the few places where the cornball phraseology of a hundred season's past still has meaning to the modern generation. The ghosts are dug in too deep at the Coliseum. Notre Dame has nothing on Troy when it comes to finding inspiration in an inspiring history.

Since that day - October 5, 2002 - the Southern California Trojans are _49-1!_

The Cal Bears came to town. At first it appeared as if the Trojans would go the way of so many teams who give all the blood, sweat and tears they have, only to lose and have the air taken out of them. California went up by 21-3. It looked like _another one of those years_ to the 63,113 Trojan faithful. But Palmer took charge, passing the team to 27 straight unanswered points in a 30-28 win.

In a shootout of former L.A.-area prep stars, Palmer was 25-of-39 for 289 yards. Former Hart quarterback Kyle Boller was 20-of-30 for 221 yards. Sultan McCullough rushed for 176 yards. The key to the game was a spectacular 21-yard scoring catch by Williams, now coming into his own, in the back of the end zone with 1:06 left in the first half. Cal fans complained, but replays showed the score was good. It made the score 21-17 Cal at the instead of an 11-point deficit.

After that game, Southern California played like a team possessed.

In the 2002 season, the unbeaten Ohio State Buckeyes played the unbeaten Miami Hurricanes in the so-called BCS national championship game at the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe. In that game, Ohio State won an uninspiring, defensive struggle, ending Miami's 34-game winning streak and their hopes for back-to-back titles. The rules are the rules. USC plays by them, but the fact is that in the last seven games of the 2002 collegiate football season, the USC Trojans were far and away the best team in the land.

Had their been a play-off, USC would have won it in 2002. As good as their successive national championship teams of 2003, **2004 and 2005** turned out to be, it is not inconceivable to say that USC in the last seven games of '02 would have very possibly beaten them. They became a juggernaut like few teams the game has ever seen. That a team could improve so much so quickly - from getting blown out for three quarters against Kansas State and handing victory to Washington State - in so little time is a testament to what happens when Pete Carroll's coaching is allowed to reach full fruition.

Number 22 Washington had no chance. 41-21, USC. Williams caught nine passes for 159 yards. Palmer threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Justin Fargas scored on a 13-yard run. The defense stopped Washington's Cody Pickett, led by Grootegoed with an interception to set up a score. Simmons, Hill and Polamalu dominated on defense.

Against 14th-ranked Oregon in Eugene, Southern Cal laid 30 unanswered points on the Ducks to shut them down, 44-33. Fargas rushed for 139 yards. Palmer passed for 448 yards with five scoring strikes, setting three school records in the game. Killeen showed that he was recovering from earlier jitters with a 48-yard field goal. Grootegoed had eight tackles. Simmons and Darrell Rideaux slowed down the dangerous Duck passing game with two interceptions.

Stanford was no match for USC, now in the Top 10 again. The 49-17 shellacking kept 'em down on The Farm. Palmer hit for four touchdowns, completing 22 passes for 317 yards and two strikes to Colbert. Williams caught eight passes, one for a score. Fargas scored one touchdown. Kyle Matter of Stanford (who had succeeded Boller at Hart) was ineffective. Polamalu, Simmons, Grootegoed and Udeche were all over the field.

Homecoming: number eight USC put on a display in a 34-13 wasting of Arizona State. Palmer threw two touchdowns and ran for another. Fargas, reviving Tailback U. in great fashion, exploded for 125 yards. McCullough added 69. Freshman Hershel Dennis showed promise when he got five carries. The national WTBS audience saw Palmer hit Williams and Holmes for touchdowns. Killeen further eased worries some more by making two field goals and all his point-afters. Tom Malone kicked a 72-yard punt. Rideaux, Simmons, Hill and Udeze hassled Arizona State's Andrew Walter with an aggressive, blitzing defense, now marking Carroll's signature style. He had the best athletes and he was using them, just as John Wooden had always disdained a zone defense in favor of man-to-man.

2002: no longer too early to hype Palmer for the Heisman

The college football world - ESPN's _GameDay_ , the talking heads on Fox Sports and the networks; the Lee Corso's, Kirk Herbstreit's and Craig James's - suddenly were saying that the best team in the nation was not Miami or Ohio State, but USC. Furthermore, the Heisman winner was their supposedly washed-up red-shirt senior, the guy who did not even make his school's media cover: Carson Palmer.

Palmer and USC decided to take it not to the next level, but to levels both he and his school may not even have thought were possible. The Trojans ventured to Pasadena to take on a solid 7-3, 25th-ranked UCLA squad before 91,084.

Tab Perry fumbled early. USC recovered. Palmer hit Kareem Kelly from 34 yards out 16 seconds into the game. In the early days of the series, when UCLA was establishing itself as a school and a football team, USC beat them by some enormous margins. However, the 52-21 trouncing they put on the Bruins in their house may be the most impressive single performance in the history of the City Game. Palmer's "watch-me-win-the-Heisman" performance may be the most impressive. He dominated the Bruins in an unstoppable offensive extravaganza.

Williams caught six passes for 66 yards. Kelly caught four for 94, Colbert four for 84. Palmer had four scoring strikes. Fargas scored a touchdown. Hershel Dennis made a 38-yard run. The defense was spearheaded by Patterson, Simmons, Grootegoed and Simmons. Keneche Udeze made four stops for losses with two sacks.

If there was any doubt in anybody's mind, Palmer secured the Heisman Trophy the next week before 91,432 at the Coliseum in a totally devastating, 44-13 annihilation of seventh-ranked Notre Dame. His numbers were nothing less than gaudy: 32-of-46 for 425 yards and four touchdowns. The contrast for Notre Dame coach Ty Willingham's offense was embarrassingly dramatic. Irish quarterback Carlyle Holiday was held to 70 yards in the air. Fargas ran for 120 yards and added 41 on receptions. Williams caught 10 for 169.

Linebacker Mike Pollard made six stops, while his partner Melvin Simmons had seven tackles. Rideaux and Hill had interceptions.

USC moved up to number five in the final regular season rankings. They beat UCLA and Notre Dame in the same season for the first time since 1981 (the first time in back-to-back games since 1978), when Marcus Allen had won the school's fourth Heisman. The combined 62-point margin of victory over their two rivals was the largest in USC history. Troy was the co-Pacific 10 Conference champion for the first time since 1995.

Palmer made it Heisman Trophy number five when the Downtown Athletic Club of New York anointed him in their ceremony shortly after the Notre Dame game.

"It's such an honor, it's indescribable to me, it's unlike any other award," said Palmer in _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "Because of the closeness of the people who've won it in the past, and the respect for the people who've won it and just for the Heisman Trophy itself, and I still can't believe it to this day, to be put into that group of people, it's just incredible to be included with all the past winners, so to this day I still have to pinch myself and feel blessed to have been in a position to be there."

The 10-2 Trojans were invited to the Orange Bowl against number three Iowa. They featured a quarterback who had been touted for the Heisman himself, Brad Banks. Troy Polamalu pulled up lame just before the game, but nothing was going to stop Troy. Palmer left no doubt that he was the best player in college football with a spectacular aerial show, hitting Kareem Kelly with a 65-yard bomb to set up Justin Fargas's touchdown.

After going in to the locker room tied at 10, Palmer led Troy to 31 unanswered points in a display of utter domination. It removed any question regarding Palmer (although in actuality no questions were being asked). After the lackluster BCS championship game between Ohio State and Miami, the Trojans convinced most everybody that the best team in college football actually was USC.

Iowa was the ninth AP-ranked team that USC beat. Their 2002 schedule was judged by the computers to be the hardest in the country. It was their eighth straight 30-point effort, a school record and a remarkable statistic. USC gained 550 yards on offense. It was their ninth straight 400-plus total yardage effort.

Palmer was 21-of-31 for 303 yards, earning MVP honors. Mike Williams set an NCAA freshman record for receptions (81), receiving yards (1,265) and touchdowns (14). His improvement since the Kansas State and Washington State debacles directly correlated with the team's - and Palmer's - success. Matt Grootegoed had six tackles.

USC finished fourth in the polls. They averaged 35.8 points a game while allowing an average of 18.5.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

"IT'S A GOOD DAY TO BE A TROJAN!"

Carroll establishes a new paradigm to coaching football

One of Pete Carroll's favorite expressions, which he often exhorts to his team in the locker room just before taking the field, is "It's a good day to be a Trojan!" Perhaps it is because he rooted for USC as a kid, or because his wife's father was a Trojan, or because his daughter chose to play volleyball for the Women of Troy before he took over a head coach; whatever the reason, Pete has never been a mercenary coach. From the very beginning, when he asked Charles Young, "What is the essence of the University of Southern California?" and spoke weekly with Marv Goux on that very subject, he has always understood the special nature of USC. He embraced it in 2001. When he restored a grand tradition in 2002, the University embraced him.

"In just his second season at Troy, Pete Carroll had silenced the cynics," said narrator Roger Birdsall on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "It now became evident that USC football was back. It's future meant building on its past, a rich legacy of accomplishment established some 80 years earlier."

"He has a different way of going about things," said Palmer of Carroll. "He was very inspirational, very positive, he makes it very easy to play for him, his attitude, the way he loves the game, the way he loves the University, so you really want to play for him."

The praise just poured in.

"Pete has done such a great job of making sure this is a football team," said Norm Chow, who garnered almost as much praise for his handling of Palmer as Carroll. If the All-Americans who Chow molded were assembled in his living room as trophies, it would look like Heritage Hall. "Everyone feels like they're contributing... He creates an environment that allows young people to be successful. He presents himself in such a way that the atmosphere is conducive to success."

"He's the best," added Palmer, who not only owed success and the Heisman to Carroll and Chow, but would in a few months owe newfound pro football wealth to them, as well. "He's the coach whose going to make USC what USC used to be. He's going to take the school back to the top, just because of the type of person he is and the way he treats his players and his coaches and the people around the program. He's the answer that USC has been looking for."

"He's one of us," said Mike Williams. "He's not about ego. He really just loves football and loves being around young people and everything having to do with football. Guys will line up and play for him. His competitive nature has rubbed off on the whole team. Guys will support him, and whatever he asks us to do, we'll just go there and do it 110 percent."

"The last thing he is is soft," said Marcell Almond. "He knows when to have fun, but he is extremely serious about work. And if someone gets out line, he's the one who's going to bring the wood."

"Carroll has rebuilt the Trojan program from mediocre to excellent," wrote Diane Pucin in the _Los Angeles Times,_ "from stagnating to electric, from boring to intriguing, from number two in its own city to maybe the best in the country."

Carroll had done it all with enthusiasm that, as his former 49er center Bart Oates said, was "infectious."

He was also happy as all get out, a man who could not wait to get up and go to work. Like McKay before him, he was able to enjoy a relationship with his son at USC. In 2002, Brennan went to work as an offensive assistant and special teams coach. One can only imagine that with his pedigree he is a guy with a bright future.

Young son Nathan also showed potential at Peninsula High. Carroll was a guy who actually made it to his son's games on Fridays. Life in Palos Verdes Estates, and at Heritage Hall, was as good as it gets. Carroll no doubt was whistling his way to work, L.A. traffic jams or no traffic jams.

Palmer, who along with Polamalu was the team captain in 2002, set or tied 33 Pac 10 or USC total offense and passing records. Aside from the Heisman, he earned the Johnny Unitas Award as the nation's best quarterback; the Pop Warner Award for MVP on the West Coast; _The Sporting News_ Player of the Year; the conference co-Offensive Player of the Year; and team Most Valuable Player award. He finished fourth in NCAA history in passing yards (11,388); first in conference history in total offense (11,621) and passing (11,818). He made it into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, and was the number one pick in the entire draft by Cincinnati. Signing for $14 million, Palmer became a starter in 2004. In 2005 he **led the Bengals...** while coming into his own as one of the NFL's finest signal callers. A genuinely nice guy, the reports from Cincinnati are that he is a community leader and one of the most popular athletes the city has known in years.

"I didn't really know much about Coach Chow until the first day he got here," Palmer said of the man many credit with much of his success. "When I saw his bio, I was like, 'Wow!' I had no idea. I thought, 'I can't wait to work with this guy...' He has no ego. And he's old school. When I say he's old school, I mean he dresses old school, too! His shorts are up over his belly button and his shirt is tucked into his shorts."

But Chow's offense was anything but "old school." USC ran "a lot of routes that are completely different now. I had never thrown a comeback or a hook-and-go off a five-step drop before... Coach Chow wants to throw it all game. And I love that... The key to it is taking what the defense gives you... I had been greedy, trying to throw the long ball when there's a guy five or six yards in front of me who's open. He told me I just have to be more patient."

Palmer said all the early attention, such as the 2000 _StreetZebra_ feature begging the question, "Is it too early to hype Palmer for the Heisman?" was "crap...

"A lot of that stuff about me is false - the Golden Boy, Golden Arm... It's just the media talking. I think I know who I am. I really don't pay attention to what all those other people are saying."

Prior to the 2002 season, Palmer said, "There are a lot of people on magazine covers, so it really doesn't mean a whole lot. What matters is who's on the magazine covers at the end of the season."

Palmer had graced all the covers in his first four years at USC - _Street & Smiths_, _Athlon_ \- but the "Golden Boy" with the "Golden Arm" was so disappointing that he had ceded, probably gratefully, the media guide cover to Polamalu. After winning the Heisman, he was gracing the covers _after_ the season! In the 2000 "Heisman" column, Palmer said, "It's our goal to play in the Orange Bowl for the national championship."

After going 5-7, he played in no bowl, but got the last laugh in 2002 he was the Orange Bowl MVP. Palmer probably had some regrets about choosing USC before Carroll and Chow, but he had grown up with the tradition. Now was one of the school's crown princes.

"It probably started when I was in the ninth grade and some of my friends' parents would take us to USC football games," he recalled. "I just fell in love with everything about their football games and the tradition. I always imagined myself running out of the Coliseum tunnel toward the field."

"If given the weird-science project of building a proto-typical quarterback, the specifications would be easy," said Jason Simon of FoxSports.com. "He'd be tall and big. He'd have a cannon for an arm. He'd have the scrambling ability to elude pressure. He'd have a square jaw with chiseled good looks. He'd have natural leadership ability and an ease with people. Basically, he'd be Carson Palmer."

J.A. Adande of the _L.A. Times_ said that Palmer "has it." The _El Paso Times's_ Shane Newell's prediction that he "could become USC's biggest name yet" - at least among quarterbacks - reached fruition.

Chow said that Palmer was "better than most" of his BYU quarterbacks, which of course included Jim McMahon and Steve Young.

"Someday I can tell my kids that Carson Palmer handed me the ball once," said Petros Papadakis. "...Carson has that innate ability to lead guys."

"He has an aura," said Malaefou MacKenzie. "He's a great person and a great leader."

"In high school," recalled former USC wide receiver Matt Nickels, a teammate at Santa Margarita, "the whole varsity would watch his freshman games and just stand around in awe. I knew this guy was going to be big time some day."

"I knew he was the guy the first time I walked into the huddle," said receiver Billy Miller.

"Carson has the size of Troy Aikman and the arm strength of John Elway," said Jim Hartigan, his high school coach. "He's got the super quick release of Dan Marino and the ability to put zip on the ball or touch depending on what the situation calls for. He is extremely calm and poised and always makes the right decisions. He thrives on pressure. The bigger the game, the better he performs."

"The first comment anybody made to us, since he was a quarterback in the ninth grade, was how much poise he had," said his father, Bill. "Don't misread him. He's very competitive. He doesn't like to lose. He's always been easygoing. What's going on inside is probably different... When he was young, if he threw an interception, he wouldn't get upset. He'd come right back and throw a touchdown."

Polamalu, the team captain in 2001 and '02, earned All-American honors for the second consecutive season in his senior year. The nephew of former USC player Kennedy Pola, an assistant coach at USC during his years there, Pola was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been involved in some huge games against his old roommate, Palmer.

Polamalu, who prepped at Douglas High School in Oregon, said of making All-American, "I hate to get an award that separates m from the team." His philosophy was to, "Go out there and give it everything you've got. I have developed the Samoan mentality - you have to be a gentleman everywhere but on the field. On the field, play like it is a game of life."

Polamalu may well have been responsible for initiating the work ethic that is now legendary - and mandatory - under Carroll. USC became a team that is in better physical condition than their opponents. They are stronger, more conditioned, and less winded. This is the result of superior off-season workouts and in-season commitment on the practice field, which Marv Goux dubbed "hallowed ground."

Today, with national championships and Heisman Trophies just waiting for the taking, the motivation for training hard is there. Carroll and his staff take advantage of this hunger, feeding it in practices and work out sessions.

But when Polamalu was making his bones, the team struggled. In Carroll's first year, when USC tried to find themselves, it was Polamalu who stayed after practice every day to get in extra work. This had a profound influence on the team. At Tucson, playing in the desert heat, sucking for air in the fourth quarter, it may very well have been the extra push that Polamalu provided, giving the team just enough to pull out this "turning point" game.

"There are so many thing you can do to get better," he said. "A lot of people just take things for granted. They just want to get through practice... I believe God has blessed me with a gift, an ability, and that it's something I need to keep working on."

Polamalu had been the "least recruited" player when he arrived at USC. He put a big hit on receiver R. Jay Soward, causing the "big star at the time" to cuss him out, but "later he told me I was okay. I think that got me noticed a little bit."

He felt that, "God named me Troy for a reason. I was born to come here." Of the game he loves, Polamalu said, "Say it is first-and-goal, we're playing Notre Dame and we're down by two points. Someone needs to make a big play. That's a tough situation in football. If I was actually able to make a play in that sort of situation, I can tell myself in life, when my back is to the wall, I can pull myself up because I've been in a similar situation. I think that is what God is trying to tell me, that he is trying to teach me lessons through the game of football rather than in life. That's why I take football so seriously."

"He's as good a safety as I've ever coached," said Carroll, an extraordinary statement. "He's a brilliant football player. He's just as effective as those NFL guys I coached."

In addition to Palmer and Polamalu, Justin Fargas was drafted by Oakland in the third round. Fargas must be credited with making USC's running game strong after a long drought at Tailback U.

The Saints chose Kareem Kelly in the sixth round. The Jaguars went for Malaefou MacKenzie in the seventh.

USC was still a very young team with a bright future, but they had lost a Heisman-winning quarterback. They faced a challenge: would they build on this great season, or take a step back?

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

KINGS OF L.A.

The new royal family: Carroll, Leinart, Williams, Bush, and White

Evangel Christian High School in Shreveport, Louisiana is one of those legendary prep football powerhouses that epitomize what people say about the South: "Football's religion down here."

Throughout the 1990s, Evangel Christian competed with De La Salle, Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly and other schools for national recognition. A quarterback named Josh Booty starred at Evangel Christian in the early 1990s. Josh was also a top baseball star who signed a large bonus contract with the Florida Marlins. After a brief big league "cup a coffee," he chose to go back to college football, playing at Louisiana State for two years before going to the Cleveland Browns.

Josh's father, a good college quarterback in his own right, was the quarterbacks coach at Evangel Christian. The school has unique eligibility requirements, since it is not just a high school but houses grades kindergarten-through-12th grade.

Josh's younger brother, John David, was raised to be a quarterback, just like his father and brother. He was so good that he played varsity ball while still in the seventh and eighth grades. As a freshman, he played very well. In his sophomore year he led Evangel Christian to the Class 5-A state title, passing for 4,330 yards and 50 touchdowns, earning All-American and All-State honors.

As a 2002 junior, Booty threw for 4,144 yards and 38 touchdowns, repeating as an All-American and All-State selection. He led his team to another Louisiana 5-A championship.

In his career, which by this time included an amazing five years of varsity experience, Booty passed for 8,474 yards, completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 88 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

2003 would be his senior year. He was expected to lead his team to another state title. The 6-3, 195-pound superstar, a devout Christian, was projected to be the best prep player in the nation, one of the most recruited and honored in history. As a high school player, he was being compared to Palmer, Todd Marinovich, John Elway, Ron Paulus and other all-time great prep signal callers.

Then a funny thing happened. His father had a disagreement with the head coach and was fired as the quarterbacks coach. John David Booty, a strong student, earned enough credits to graduate. He made the decision to become the first high school football player ever to graduate a full year early, enrolling in a major Division 1-A university. That university was the University of Southern California.

It was an extraordinary recruiting coup that caught college football by surprise. Booty saw a major opportunity. The number four team in the country lost their Heisman quarterback but returned almost the whole team. Their third-year coach and offensive coordinator were considered the most innovative minds in the game. The quarterback job was wide open, his for the taking. Certainly, Booty had proven all there was to prove at Evangel Christian.

"Because my dad was fired as our quarterbacks coach, I felt like it was time for me to move on..." he said. "I felt like I was standing up for my dad and for what I want... I don't want people to think I did this just to do it. I had every intention of finishing my high school career until this came up with my dad... If I had stayed there, I would have been unhappy. It would have been a tough time... I realize that high school is so much fun and so a big part of your life to leave it with one year left. I never planned on doing this. It just came about. I had a decision to make and I felt like I made the right one."

At a meeting of his hometown Marin Old-Time Athletes Association at San Rafael Joe's Restaurant in 2003, Carroll all but gushed about Booty. From his sky-high praise of him, it appeared that Booty very likely would be his starting quarterback in the fall.

The 2003 USC recruiting class was easily the best in the nation; so good that the already young Trojans would be impacted immediately by the influx of blue chip talent. In addition to Booty, there were two junior college transfers, 350-pound offensive guard John Drake out of Long Beach City College, and All-American cornerback Will Poole from Ventura J.C. Poole was a starter at Boston College before leaving for junior college.

The list of high school all-everythings was truly impressive, and almost boggles the mind in looking back. It included:

6-5, 315-pound Super Prep All-American offensive guard Sam Baker from Tustin High in Orange County.

Running back Reggie Bush from Helix High near San Diego. Helix is the same high school that produced former UCLA All-American basketball star Bill Walton. Bush's high school teammate was quarterback Alex Smith, a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2004. In 2005 Smith became the number one pick in the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Bush was considered the best prep running back in the country and, along with Booty, the most prized of all recruits.

Safety Darnell Bing enrolled in school in the spring of 2003 after overcoming academic obstacles, following a blue chip career at Long Beach Poly.

6-2, 225-pound tailback LenDale White, one of the best players in Colorado history out of Chatfield High School in the Denver area.

6-5, 265-pound offensive guard Travis Draper out of Paso Robles, California.

280-pound defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis from Chino, east of L.A.

6-5, 250-pound All-American defensive end Lawrence Jackson from Inglewood.

6-4, 270-pound center Ryan Kalil from Servite High in Anaheim.

Speedy prep superstar Whitney Lewis, a wide receiver from St. Bonaventure High in Ventura.

Defensive tackle Fili Moala from Western High in Anaheim.

Defensive end Alex Morrow of Rancho Cotate High in Sonoma County.

Cornerback-safety Desmond Reed of San Gabriel, a super athlete who would make the switch to running back as Ricky Bell and Marcus Allen had once done.

Lightning quick receiver Steve Smith, a blue chipper from Taft High in Woodland Hills.

Lineman Matt Spanos of Corona High east of Anaheim.

Terrell Thomas of Rancho Cucamonga High School.

Jonathan Turner of Corona.

Tailback Chauncey Washington from Torrance South High.

Ryan Watson from Louisiana.

Linebacker Thomas Williams from Vacaville, California.

Cornerback Eric Wright out of Riordan High in San Francisco, the same Catholic school that produced Trojan placekickers Frank and Steve Jordan.

In addition, other early enrollees included the twin brothers Brandon and Ryan Ting from James Logan High in the East Bay, between Oakland and San Jose. Their father, Dr. Arthur Ting, was the San Francisco Giants' team physician; the man who operated on Barry Bonds's knee.

Linebacker Drean Rucker from Riverside, a top recruit, tragically passed away prior to the season, which would be dedicated to him.

Whereas Carroll's 2002 recruits did not include great running backs, this team had three, and a fourth when one includes Reed. There was, of course, a quarterback (Booty), lots of speed, size, and defensive talent. It was also heavily Californian, further establishing the Golden State as Carroll's personal fiefdom. The best Southern California superstars were in the fold, with several pick-ups from Northern California. The out-of-staters were few but top-of-the-list: Booty and White. A nice surprise, Poole, fell into their lap.

These talented newcomers join a team that already included:

Senior cornerback Marcell Allmond.

Senior cornerback Kevin Arbet.

Sophomore tight end Dominique Byrd.

Sophomore wide receiver Greg Carlson.

6-4, 275-pound junior defensive tackle Shaun Cody.

Senior co-captain and wideout Keary Colbert.

Talented sophomore running back Hershel Dennis.

Junior linebacker Matt Grootegoed.

Tight end Gregg Guenther.

6-3, 265-pound senior tight end Alex Homes.

305-pound offensive tackle Winston Justice, a freshman All-American in 2002.

Centers Kurt and Norm Katnik.

Kicker Ryan Killeen.

Sophomore fullback David Kirtman, who was also seen as a receiver.

Junior safety Jason Leach.

Sophomore linebacker Oscar Lua.

Sophomore punter Tom Malone, who had a booming foot.

Freshman offensive guard Fred Matua (6-3, 305 pounds).

Freshman receiver Chris McFoy.

Junior wide receiver Jason Mitchell.

6-5, 240-pound senior defensive end Omar Nazel.

Junior cornerback Ronald Nunn.

Junior defensive tackle Mike Patterson.

6-3, 265-pound defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey.

6-6, 305-pound senior offensive tackle Jacob Rogers.

6-4, 240-pound hybrid linebacker and defensive end Frostee Rucker.

Sophomore Dallas Sartz.

Senior co-captain and linebacker Melvin Simmons.

Sophomore linebacker Lofa Tatupu, a surprise whose father, Mosi Tatupu, had starred at USC in the 1970s. Lofa grew up in New England, where Mosi had played for the Patriots. He came to USC with little fanfare, but plenty of potential.

Junior defensive Keneche Udeze.

Guards Lenny Vandermade and Travis Watkins.

Junior fullback Lee Webb.

Freshman offensive tackle Kyle Williams.

Sophomore wide receiver Mike Williams, who as a freshman (after adjusting in his first few games) had some people saying he was already the best receiver in college history!

Safety Andre Woodert.

Cornerback Justin Wyatt.

It was a loaded team, but what is striking in going down the list is how _young_ they were. It was the greatest group of underclassmen ever assembled, bar none. That does not include the quarterbacks.

First, there was 6-5, 225-pound red-shirt junior Matt Cassel. Cassel was a Super Prep, Prep Star, Tom Lemming Top 100, Super Prep All-Far West, Tom Lemming All-West, _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ Best in the West first team, _Orange County_ _Register_ Fab 15 third team, _Tacoma News Tribune_ Western 100, _Las Vegas Sun_ Super 11 second team, and All-Los Angeles City Section second team pick as a 1999 senior at Chatsworth High School in the northern San Fernando Valley.

He also led Chatsworth to the 1999 City baseball title at Dodger Stadium, having played on the 1994 Northridge team that went to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He was drafted by the Oakland A's. His older brother played in the Padre organization. His younger brother was on the team at U.C.-Irvine.

A solid B student, Cassel was featured in an HBO documentary, _Freshman of the_ _Year_ , filmed at Chatsworth High. It depicted him as the proto-typical "big man on campus" - handsome, craved by the girls, attended to by coaches, alumni and recruiters; popular and admired by friends, yet still focused.

Cassel was one of Paul Hackett's major recruits at a time when a lot of good prep quarterbacks were emerging in the Southland. Not all of them were staying in the Southland. Chris Rix, a rival of Cassel's, took off for Florida State. Kyle Boller of Hart decided to venture to California.

L.A. prep football scribes wrote of the so-called "exodus" of top high school players in the state who, in the late 1990s and early 2000s - before Carroll arrived on the scene - decided to go to school in Florida and throughout the Southeastern Conference. Cassel was seen as a major keeper. He patiently waited his turn. He was the best known of the 2003 quarterback prospects. To the average fan, who barely heard of Matt Leinart and might have thought a guy with a name like John David Booty was a porn star (a notion Carroll laughingly proposed), he seemed the logical successor to Palmer.

Then there was sophomore Billy Hart, a 6-3, 205-pounder from "quarterback country." Partly because of the influence of Rob Johnson's father, Bob, south Orange County seemingly replaced western Pennsylvania (Unitas, Namath, Marino, Montana) with the likes of Marinovich, the Johnson brothers, Palmer, Hart, and later Mark Sanchez. Hart was an All-American at Mission Viejo High School. He was also an exceptional baseball player on coach Mike Gillespie's team.

The job easily could have gone to Brandon Hance, another one of those "exodus" quarterbacks who was an All-American at Taft High in Woodland Hills. Taft was a school known for producing famous people. Many athletes had gone there, most notably Brewers' Hall of Famer Robin Yount, but numerous big name actors, entrepreneurs, political, business and legal figures prepped there.

Hance played two years at Purdue. He was the Boilermakers' starter for nine games as a 2001 sophomore, leading the team to a 6-3 record in those games. He completed 53 percent of his passes for 1,529 yards before transferring to USC, where he red-shirted behind Palmer in 2002. His Big 10 experience and high school pedigree made him a strong contender.

Then there was Leinart, who in the 2003 spring prospectus was said to "compete for the starting job as a sophomore in 2003." He red-shirted in 2001, and was third-string behind Palmer and Cassel in 2002. He would likely have been fourth string had Hance been eligible. He held on snaps and threw zero passes.

Those familiar with Southland prep football knew his name, but no more so than Cassel or Hance. Boller, Kyle Matter, Chris Rix, league rivals J.P. Losman of Venice and David Koral of Palisades; these names were as big as Leinart's. There were plenty of other celebrated prep signal callers. Leinart had by no means been as highly thought of in Orange County as Palmer was three years earlier.

Matt Grootegoed, one year Leinart's senior, was an all-purpose offensive and defensive star at Mater Dei. Some observers felt Grootegoed was one of the finest all-around prep athletes they had ever seen. He had garnered most of the attention in the county playing for Bruce Rollinson's Monarchs, who wear red-and-white colors with stripes on their helmets similar to what the Michigan Wolverines look like. As a senior in 1999, Grootegoed had even been given the reigns at quarterback for a while. Normally a running back on offense, he threw for over 300 yards in relief of Leinart, who had missed his sophomore year with a shoulder injury.

With Leinart earning Serra League Offensive MVP honors (Grootegoed was Defensive MVP and overall league MVP), Mater Dei captured the CIF-Southern Section Division I co-championship in 1999 after tying Long Beach Poly. But in Leinart's senior year they were 9-3 and did not repeat the trick.

Leinart had all the numbers and honors on paper: 62 percent completion rate, _Parade_ All-American, Gatorade California Player of the Year, _L.A. Times_ All-Orange County Back of the Year, All-Southern Section first team. He was between six-foot five and 6-6, a wiry 215 pounds, but did not have the muscular, athletic look of Palmer (while 10 pounds lighter than Cassel).

He was sharp, personable and coachable, but extremely laid back. He liked to surf the Orange County strands. In fact, his girlfriend at the time was a world class pro surfer herself. He enjoyed listening to his iPod, playing video games and was soft spoken. In the minds of some, imbued by Marv Goux's "eat dirt" philosophy, he was not tough enough to handle the pressure of a capacity Coliseum crowd; or for that matter a Notre Dame or even a Washington State crowd, as Palmer's successor.

After all, Palmer was the "perfect" quarterback. It had taken him five years to come into his own. Leinart said that his mind was not right his first two years at USC. After the glory of Mater Dei, riding pine was a major downer. But he also overcame things in his life. He had been roly-poly as a child, which is hard to envision considering his current build. He had vision problems, was cross-eyed, wore glasses, and was kidded by classmates who called him "four eyes." He came from a middle class professional family in Santa Ana, not the Orange County wealth depicted on popular reality shows. He received first class coaching under Rollinson, the best preparation possible. Of course, he also was the recipient of an excellent Catholic education at a school that, not unlike USC, stands its ground in a Santa Ana neighborhood that has gone down around it over the years.

Leinart looked at the considerable competition arrayed before him in the spring of 2003. He knew that it was now or never. If he lost the starting job, the man who won it would probably hold it for the remainder of his career, and maybe beyond. If the starter would fall to injury or play poorly, there was no guarantee that Leinart, number three in 2002, would be the go-to guy.

Chris Carlisle is not a household name. Norm Chow, by comparison, became a nationally known figure. But Carlisle, USC's strength and conditioning coach, is one of the people most responsible for the success of the program under Carroll. _ESPN the Magazine_ did a feature on his rigorous program. He turned boys into men; created strong, powerful football players out of just plain big guys. The Trojans are stronger and cardio-vascularly better than their competition.

John Wooden, when asked why his Bruins were the best, always stated that first and foremost they could outrun their opponents for 40 minutes. Bill Walton certainly reiterated that. In the years since Marv Goux left, Southern California lost that. Bob Troppmann, Carroll's coach at Redwood High School, was a wonderful fellow who loved his kids, who in turn loved him back. But Tropp had been a Marine drill sergeant before getting into teaching. Carroll never forgot the grind-'em-out practice sessions in high school. Nor had he forgotten Goux, who had his charges "eat dirt" at Troppman's Diamond B summer camps.

Leinart took to weight lifting. He would go from 215 to 225-230 pounds, which would make an enormous difference in his performance, mentally as much as physically. The commitment Leinart chose to make to himself and Carroll is a very telling difference, separating so many hotshot prep stars from college greats.

Clem Gryska, a longtime assistant coach under Bear Bryant at Alabama, said that Bryant won his first three national championships using mostly Alabama born-and-bred players, willing to sacrifice for the team and work as hard as Bear would work them. When national success came to the program, blue chippers from all over America wanted to play for Bear. When these "prima donnas," as Gryska called them, came to Tuscaloosa, they did not sacrifice up to the program's high standards. The team suffered. It was a return to basics, to the "kind of players Bear wanted," Gryska insists - as much as the integration of black athletes - which was responsible for that program's 1970s renaissance

Matt Leinart took to the challenge posed to him in the spring and summer of 2003.

"I was actually third string going in to the spring and I just remember it being a battle," Leinart said on _The History of USC Football_ DVD, "but I remember working very hard that whole off-season. My whole mindset was that it kind of miraculously shifted from March to the three months before the first game to where, this is my opportunity, and my confidence kind of built as the practices went on because I could see the coaches gaining confidence in me, and I was gaining confidence in myself. From then on out I just took the reigns and went with it and then slowly the players started respecting me and gaining confidence in me, and that's when I knew it was my team and that I could actually play here and be successful."

Carroll, the laid-back Marinite, went for Leinart, the laid-back Orange County surfer. Leinart was slated to open the season as the starter, but he and everybody else knew that if he faltered, a talented core of quarterbacks was waiting in the wings. It is to the great credit of every one of those back-ups that they maintained a team attitude throughout the entire process. Nobody complained. Nobody whined to the press. Nobody quit. They were Trojans and they acted like it!

As the season got closer, Carroll's concern was that the team not rest on its laurels from 2002. He wanted to instill a sense of hunger in his Trojans. His two main ways of doing that were Chris Carlisle's intensive off-season program, and the open competition on the club. He made it plan and simple that nobody's job was secure; no senior or junior was safe from a talented freshman or sophomore. Winning was what mattered. Individual glory would flow from that.

"It's a long, hard road to play at a top-notch level every year in and out," he said. "It feels like we're just getting started. We're building a championship program here and 2002 was just the start. Our goal every year is to win the Pac 10 title and win the Rose Bowl. We have to keep last season in perspective. We have to remember it's just one season. And it was the very first very successful season at USC in a while. So, it's too early yet to say we've arrived.

"We have to find that high level again, and it's not automatic. I won't allow our team to think that we already have it. We have to earn it again.

"It's real important to put the parts back together with the players we have coming back."

The Trojans entered the season with 14 returning starters, not including Bush, Dennis, White and Leinart. 22 players on the roster started at one time or another. They were joined by an astonishing 28 prep and junior college All-Americans. The premier recruiting class of 2003 may have been the greatest ever, up until that time.

"The players in the recruiting class all chose USC because they want to do great things," said Carroll, who played 12 freshmen and two transfers in 2002.

Indeed, the words of Marv Goux had come true:

"USC is unique. It's in the middle of a huge city, with a giant population base. You don't have to travel all over the land to recruit guys, they live close by, they can just drive to campus, it's easy to see them play, visit with their families.

"The thing of it is, at the University of Southern California, once you start winning it's a snowball effect. They'll just come to you. You hardly have to recruit anymore. And when the guys who want to play for you come out of the biggest population base in the country, comprised of traditionally the best high school athletes in the nation... _watch out!"_

Goux described USC's program in the McKay and Robinson years. It was a prophecy of the Carroll era. The way Carroll was doing it, it seemed easy. How come it had taken so long? Carroll wanted to dispel the notion that it _was_ easy, but he has never been a good enough actor to hide his enthusiasm.

"I plan on being here for a long time because I can't find a better job description than this," he said. "It's perfect. It's really clear that this is a great setting to work in and I love being here."

Dennis Erickson was taking over the moribund San Francisco 49ers, the job some thought Carroll might still covet. However, many members of the media were beginning to point out that _USC HAD BETTER PERSONNEL_. They were not joking!

The amazing "go get it" defense of Udeze, Nazel, Patterson, Cody, Simmons and Grootegoed returned from a team that had 71 takeaways the previous two seasons against only 37 giveaways (a 1.33 ratio). For years, turnovers and penalties marked the difference at USC, explaining why teams with All-Americans and first round draft picks lost far too often.

The "starters" did not tell the story on defense. Leach, Arbet, Nunn and Buchanon were all experienced so-called "reserves."

On the offensive line, Troy returned Jacob Rogers, Winston Justice and center Norm Katnik. Marcell Allmond, a one-time wide receiver, was now back at cornerback.

Colbert and Holmes were back, as was Williams. Punter Tom Malone and placekicker Ryan Killeen returned. The schedule promised to be tough again. In 2002 they had played 11 bowl-bound teams, nine ranked by the Associated Press, and only one with a losing record. Entering 2003, Troy was looking at eight 2002 bowl teams and three in the previous year's Top 20.

"Last year showed that we're willing to play anybody anywhere," said Carroll. "This year's schedule again is very challenging from the first game to the last. We'll have to play championship football every week. It's also a very attractive schedule, so I can see why people are saying that USC tickets are the hottest in town!"

Of his offense, which was full of potential but would feature new players at key positions, Carroll said, "It was fun to watch last year's offense. We were balanced and could put up points often and from anywhere. But we won't have the luxury anymore of being able to rely on such great players as Carson Palmer, Justin Fargas, Malaefou MacKenzi, Sultan McCullough, Kareem Kelly and Zach Wilson. So we'll have to adapt.

"Offensively, we should be very strong up front and at wide receiver this season. But we have some holes to fill in the backfield and we'll have to call on some younger, relatively untested players. I expect great competition for these spots."

Of his quarterbacks, Carroll showed guarded optimism. He stated before Booty arrived, and prior to the decision to start Leinart, that neither of the Matt's had "separated from one another. That's either a cause for concern or we could be really lucky because it could be that they're both good."

The running back corps was as young and as talented as it gets. Dennis was a sophomore who had been the Southern Section co-Offensive MVP as a senior at Long Beach Poly in 2000. He then followed that up with a huge, All-American senior campaign, averaging 134 yards a game, including 161 against national champion De La Salle; then 189 vs. Edison of Huntington Beach in the Division 1 final.

But freshmen Reggie Bush, Chauncey Washington and LenDale White were also prep All-Americans with sparkling pedigrees just as gaudy as those of Dennis.

"We expect big things out of Hershel Dennis," said Carroll. "...We should have some healthy competition for playing time. It's also imperative that someone emerges who can help us at fullback. We have high hopes that Brandon Hancock will be a good fullback. He's perfectly suited for the position."

Darnell Bing and Justin Wyatt came in as running backs, too, but they were switched to defense. Desmond Reed, on the other hand, came in on defense and was eventually given a chance to carry the ball.

Senior Keary Colbert and sophomore Mike Williams would handle the assignment of catching the throws of Leinart.

"You can count on Keary Colbert," said Carroll, but it was Williams who had people shaking their heads, thinking about Keyshawn Johnson. His freshman year concluded with him making 81 receptions for 1,265 yards (15.6 average) and 14 touchdowns - all NCAA records in earning Freshman All-American and Pac 10 Freshman of the Year honors.

"Mike Williams had a huge freshman year and set a standard of greatness," said Carroll. "He's a special receiver who uses his size and speed well. He should only get better in the coming years."

Freshmen Whitney Lewis and Steve Smith came in with unlimited potential, as well.

Senior Alex Holmes and junior Gregg Guenther combined with sophomore Dominique Byrd to give the team size, blocking and short yardage pass catching ability. Byrd would eventually develop into more than that; a legitimate medium-long threat.

"The strength of our offense is the line, and that's how it should be every year," said Carroll of a unit combining veterans with youth. "This is an experienced, veteran unit with some high-quality youngsters looking to break in."

Of the defense, Carroll said that in the last year they "played almost exactly how I hoped it would. We dominated at times and were opportunistic... We'll have a lot of players competing hard to get into the rotation."

The defensive line would be nicknamed "The Wild Bunch II" after the 1969 group that led USC to an unbeaten season. Four key vets returned from a unit that was sixth in the country versus the rush (83.2 yards per game). Over half of the 2002 sacks the team had in 2002 came from this group.

"Our defensive line is exceptional," said Carroll. "Shaun Cody, Kenechi Udeze, Mike Patterson and Omar Nazel are outstanding players, among the best in the nation."

Linebacker Matt Grootegoed (two-year starter, all-conference in 2002) "is an excellent football player, plain and simple" said Carroll. "He has great instincts and uses all of his abilities. And Melvin Simmons gives us real steady, veteran-type play."

Pete Carroll headed into the 2003 season with every possible tool needed to win Southern California's first national championship in 25 long years. But it was not just his knowledge and enthusiasm; the talent level of his team or the hard work they put in. Carroll is a man with no real ego, at least not the kind that finds it hard to defer to others. One of the keys to his success was the fact he accumulated a fabulous coaching staff.

This had gone back to his early experiences, with Bob Troppmann at Redwood and Chester Caddas at Pacific. Both men surrounded themselves with quality assistants, and valued their in-put. Some assistant coaches are made to feel like second class citizens, low men in the pecking order of things. Not so with Carroll. Just as all his players, young and veteran, competed for jobs, his assistants felt free to put forth their expertise in order to help the team. Carroll just absorbed it like a sponge.

Aside from Chow, the 2003 staff included secondary coach Greg Burns, offensive line coach Tim Davis, linebackers coach Nick Holt, wide receivers coach Lane Kiffin, running backs/special teams coach Kennedy Pola, and a talented quarterbacks coach, Steve Sarkisian.

Kiffin was the son of Monte Kiffin, who employed Carroll as his defensive coordinator at North Carolina State from 1980-82. He worked closely with Williams after coming to USC from the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he had coached the secondary.

Sarkisian learned under Chow as a college quarterback at BYU from 1995-96. Ed Orgeron, the assistant head coach (only a "no ego" like Carroll even creates a job called "assistant head coach"), defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, assumed the long-dormant "Marv Goux role." An experienced assistant before Carroll hired him, Orgeron was a talkative, excitable, energetic motivator with a gift for recruiting.

The staff was rounded out by safeties coach Rocky Seto, offensive assistant and tight ends coach Brennan Carroll, Pete's son, and of course Chris Carlisle, who had helped Tennessee win the1998 national championship before coming to Southern Cal.

When anxious USC fans bought all the pre-season publications, they were surprised to discover that Leinart was the designated starter. With all the talent USC had accumulated, some expected Troy to be ranked number one entering the season. Various publications rated them that high, but most said the Trojans would be anywhere from second to seventh. The Associated Press had them a disappointing eighth coming in.

Oklahoma looked to be the favorite, along with Miami, whose 34-game winning streak had been snapped by plucky Ohio State in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. _Sports Illustrated_ , however, featured on its cover two running backs from Auburn, Ronnie Brown and Carnell "Cadillac" Williams. The Tigers, _S.I._ informed, would finish number one this year.

Auburn would open their season at home. Their opponents: the USC Trojans.

Football in the South, as it has been said, is a religion. Few programs have more invested in their religion than Auburn. During the Civil War, an Auburn University student fighting for the Confederacy was charged with maintaining an eagle, used as a signal bird to inform the troops of movements. During desperate battle, the Auburn man's unit was all but destroyed, but he had survived - clutching the eagle to his chest.

When he made his back to the Southern lines, the sight of the living eagle inspired the others. The eagle became a mascot and a symbol. The man kept the eagle, protecting and nurturing it in the years after the war. In the 1880s, when Auburn played its very first intercollegiate football match against Georgia, the man brought the eagle to the game, releasing him.

Most in the crowd knew the story of the eagle. As he landed gracefully on the field, a simultaneous, spontaneous chant went up: "Waaaaaar eagle!!!"

This act became a tradition. It survived the man and the first War Eagle. For well over a century, the Auburn University veterinarian's school has nurtured eagles, training them to fly and land at football games. Fans have always watched while chanting, "Waaaaaar eagle!!!"

But USC had a tradition in Alabama of its own. Carroll ingeniously made the most of it. He invited Sam "Bam" Cunningham and John Papadakis, two of the players from the 1970 team that had beaten Alabama at Legion Field, helping to ease the way for integration. They flew with the team, rode the bus, roamed the sidelines, and spoke to the team.

Inspired by this link to their storied past, USC took the field with a mission. Darnell Bing intercepted a Jason Campbell pass. Offensively they played ball control, driving on Auburn until they reached their five-yard line. Then...

"Leinart threw a touchdown pass his first throw, his first play, so we were underway and he was totally at ease right away, totally in command," said Carroll on _The History of USC Football_ DVD.

There were 86,063 fans. Very few were Trojan supporters. The weather was hot and steamy, but in front of a national CBS audience, USC quickly took the crowd out of the game. They never let them in, shutting out _Sports Illustrated's_ "number one team in the nation," 23-0.

Mike Williams caught Leinart's initial toss for the score. The defense simply shut down Carnell Williams (40 yards), Brown (28) and Campbell (121 yards). USC dominated the turnover game. In truth they could have won by a bigger margin, but chose to keep things simple for their sophomore quarterback.

"He had fun playing the game, and we beat a very good Auburn team is what we did," recalled Carroll. "We were very fortunate to beat them at the time, and then things just started going and we put together wins one after another and put together a great season."

In the first game of what indeed became a great season, Leinart was 17-of-30 for 192 yards, mostly working short yardage in Chow's up-dated version of the "West Coast Offense." Williams caught eight passes for 104 yards. Dennis rambled for 85.

Unheralded linebacker Lofa Tatupu established his "presence with authority," as Nuke LaLouche in _Bull Durham_ once said, by making 12 tackles, including two sacks, three and a half for losses. Leach and Patterson starred. Malone's punts established field position all game.

It made USC 3-0 all-time in Alabama (1970, 1978 and 2003), moving them to number four in the polls going into the Brigham Young game at the Coliseum.

75,315 came to see Norm Chow's alma mater take on USC. SC took an impressive early lead, let the Cougars get back into it, then pulled away at the end for a 35-18 win.

Williams caught a short pass for the first score. Leinart hit Keary Colbert on a patented Chow play called "catch-and-run," which took advantage of the receiver's speed and open field abilities. A Nazel interception return made it 21-0.

USC was dormant in the second and third quarters while Brigham Young pulled back into it. When the score was 21-18, panic began to descend. This was the kind of game the Trojans lost in the past 10-15 years. Momentum lost, mistakes piling up, compounded by penalties and turnovers.

The success of 2002 looked to be old news. A national title looked not just to be in jeopardy, but not within this team's ability to achieve. But a Pete Carroll team is a second half team, a fourth quarter team, a well-conditioned team.

Leinart led a drive, ending with a nice 18-yard touchdown toss to Williams. After a BYU fumble, SC scored again to make the final tally more impressive. It was not an outstanding game, but Tatupu and Grootegoed _were_ outstanding. Will Poole intercepted a pass. Malone's punting earned him Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week.

Williams caught 10 passes for 124 yards. Freshman Reggie Bush got his first carry ever. Leinart completed 19 passes for 235 yards. Chow let him open his game up more.

Hawaii came to Los Angeles next. The attendance of 73,653 was higher than such an opponent would have attracted in years past. As Ronald Reagan once said, "You ain't seen nothin' yet."

Hawaii's fabulous, NCAA-record breaking quarterback, Timmy Chang, was tremendous. He passed for 306 yards, but there was no stopping Troy. White, Bush and Dennis all got equal opportunities to run with the ball. Leinart hit Williams and Colbert for touchdowns in an easy 61-32 victory.

Now third in the nation, USC traveled to Berkeley. Coach Jeff Tedford, an offensive guru, had a young junior college transfer named Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Few saw any real threat. It was Carroll's homecoming, of sorts. Of course the usual caravans of Trojan students made the trek north on Interstate 5 to party in San Francisco and watch football.

Only 51,208 showed up at cavernous Memorial Stadium, probably because they had little appetite for seeing the mighty Trojans run rampant over their Bears. Most chose to watch it on Fox Sports instead.

The game did not go according to plan. In three overtimes, California defeated USC, 34-31 on Tyler Fredrickson's 38-yard field goal. His earlier two attempts were blocked. Rodgers and the Bears played a great game, but the Trojans blew it.

Fredrickson's kick should not have mattered. That was not the half of it. In the first overtime, USC had the game won - finally - with the ball on the Cal one before fumbling it away!

In the first half, Cal took it to the Trojans, building a 21-7 halftime advantage, forcing Leinart to come of age, which he did. In the third quarter, Leinart engineered a drive resulting in White scoring from the six. Rodgers was intercepted on his first try from scrimmage after that, with Tatupu rambling in from 26 yards out to tie it. Fredrickson's field goal put Cal up by three in the fourth quarter.

With the game winding down Leinart led USC on a patented Trojan drive, the kind that Fertig, Haden, McDonald and so many others before him had made famous. Leinart maneuvered USC into the "red zone."

Pete Carroll became a sainted figure at USC, a man who seemingly can do no wrong. Every button he pushed has been the right one, every call was instinctively on the money. If there is _any criticism_ that can possibly by leveled at Carroll in his tenure at USC, it would be the decision he made, with USC within striking distance of the Cal goal line. With a chance to win by scoring a touchdown, the Trojans played it too close to the vest. Obviously, with the sophomore quarterback, Carroll did not want to risk an interception. He went for overtime on the road. USC played it into the middle of the field, taking no chances. Killeen's 33-yard kick tied it.

It all would have been moot had the Trojans not fumbled at the one. There were other mistakes, including three interceptions of Leinart, who was 21-of-39 for 277 yards. Cal's Rodgers was 18-of-25 for 217 yards. He came of age.

Naturally, the Berkeley faithful descended on the field afterwards, tearing down the goal posts as if they had won their first national championship since 1937. It dropped Troy to 10th. At that moment _their_ national title hopes were dim. There was some consolation, since the game was early in the season. The theory is that if you are going to win a title with a loss, that loss better come early. The theory would prove true.

"We came out after not playing well at the beginning, came roaring back after halftime to tie it, but just for whatever reason had just a couple plays that just didn't allow us to win," Carroll said on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "We missed a field goal that day, an extra point, we fumbled on their two-yard line and went into overtime; the kinds of plays where if they don't go well for you against a team that's pumped up and you get upset. The great thing about that game wasn't that we lost but that we've not lost since. It didn't knock us off pace or knock us off course."

In an interview with Brian Curtis of College Sports Television, Carroll reiterated that, "The best thing about that game is that we haven't lost since."

The coach learned another valuable lesson: go for the win, not the tie. Two years later at Notre Dame, that lesson proved the decisive factor in a Trojan victory.

Leinart goes into the desert and emerges a man

In looking for turning points, Carroll and those close to the program pointed to the Arizona game in 2001. In 2002, it was the ability to re-group after the devastating Saturday night loss at Washington State that spelled the difference between a good season and a great one.

In 2003, another turning point took place, again in the daytime heat of the Arizona desert, this time at Sun Devil Stadium. Leinart injured his knee and ankle in the second quarter. At the half, the score was tied, 10-10.

"Matt was limpin' around," Carroll recalled in the CSTV interview. "I just challenged him to play through it because we needed him."

Surely the game was a turning point for Leinart as well as the program. Cassel replaced him, completing four of 10 passes. This was his chance. Behind him, Hance and Booty watched anxiously, not rooting for injury or failure. They were keenly aware that if called on this would be their one and only chance.

The Arizona State faithful were in a frenzy when the Sun Devils took a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter, as road crowds always are when they think the home team has a chance to upset the "Roman Empire of college football."

The challenge was made. Leinart responded, with a little help from his friends. White rushed for 140 yards off the bench. Killeen kicked three field goals. Overall, Leinart hit on 13 of 23 attempts for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He led Troy to 27 unanswered points and an ultimately convincing 37-17 win.

The defense, led by the usual suspects - Grootegoed, Nunn, Cody, Leach, Poole, and linebacker Daniel Urquhart, applied aggressive pressure to Andrew Walter, who still passed for 305 yards.

Now 4-1, USC proceeded to go on a roll that few teams have ever matched. Meanwhile, across the country, teams ahead of them lost, allowing USC to move up and up and up in the polls.

Williams caught three touchdown passes, White scored twice, and Leinart was 18-of-27 for 267 yards in an easy 44-21 win over Stanford at the Coliseum. White finished with 108 yards. Dennis had 80. John David Booty saw action late. Dallas Sartz made seven tackles. Udeze had three sacks, two forced fumbles and blocked a field goal.

Napoleon once instructed his generals that, "If you take Vienna, _take Vienna!"_ There was to be no fooling around. So it was when Carroll's number five Southern California Trojans entered South Bend like Napoleon invading Austerlitz, destroying the Irish with no mercy, 45-14 before 80,795 at Notre Dame Stadium. "Touchdown Jesus" signaled for USC all day long.

USC compiled 551 yards in total offense against a statistically strong Irish defense. Leinart engineered five drives of 80 yards in compiling 351 yards and four touchdown passes. Williams and Colbert combined for 17 receptions and 232 yards, with one touchdown each.

Reggie Bush asserted himself with 89 yards on the ground. White adding 75. Defensively, Simmons, Bing, Tatupu, Patterson and Udeze spent most of the afternoon on Notre Dame's side of the line, making tackles for losses in a spectacular display.

In Seattle, Leinart completed four touchdown passes, two to Bush. The USC offense showed new wrinkles from Chow, who was now convinced that the young quarterback had come of age. Running backs were now receivers. Defensive coordinators have been shaking their heads ever since. Multiple splits, alignments, stunts and every kind of play-action, short or long, mixed in with running and unconventional play calling, has marked the USC offense. Like a baseball pitcher who throws breaking balls on fastball counts and fast balls on breaking ball counts, Chow would mix it up, throwing on first down, running when the defense looked for the pass. More importantly than the plays called, however, was the talent. USC was loaded like few teams ever get loaded. Now they were clicking on all cylinders.

Leinart finished 19-of-29 for 351 yards with four TD strikes (and no interceptions) in earning conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. Bush had 270 all-purpose yards. Dennis rushed for 98. Poole, Udeze, Frostee Rucker and Leach spearheaded the defensive effort. The final score: Trojans 43, Huskies 23.

82,478 came to the Coliseum for number six Washington State, but USC's defense stopped them cold while making more big plays on the offensive side of the ball. "Wild Bunch II" forced four Cougar turnovers behind the inspired play of Nazel, Udeze, Patterson, Sartz, Rucker, Bing, Cody and Leach.

White rambled for 149 yards. Colbert caught nine passes for 80. USC won going away, 43-16.

When the "Super Station," WTBS opened their broadcast of the USC-Arizona game on November 15, they showed highlights of the 1978 Trojans interspersed with the 2003 version, while running the sound track of Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant singing, "Been a long time since I rock and rolled." The lead announcer then stated that it had indeed been a "long time" - 25 years - since USC's last national title, but that the current edition was making a strong bid to do just that.

When USC crushed Arizona in Tucson, 45-0, the "Super Station's" studio analyst, Brian Bosworth, said now second-ranked Troy was the best team in the country. The former Oklahoma star was asked about his Sooners, who behind quarterback Jason White were unbeaten, had won each game by huge margins, and was ranked number one.

The Bos looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. He tried to correct himself, as if he had "forgotten" about Oklahoma. Call it a _faux pax_ or a Freudian slip, but he was a man who had seen enough football in his day to know that USC was, indeed, the best team in the land, loyalty aside.

Leinart passed for 292 yards while holding back. Booty and Hance got some snaps. It was a game USC could have won 70-0, which is what Oklahoma was doing to some opponents in 2003. But Carroll was establishing himself as a coach who does not run it up. Late in games, he would play it close to the vest, often choosing to walk off the field instead of making a last-ditch try at the end zone.

Williams caught 11 balls for 147 yards, Bush returned a kick 58 yards. The defense was impenetrable. At 9-1, Southern California was right where many pre-season prognosticators thought they would be.

When UCLA entered the Coliseum, 93,172 fans watching the modern version of Christians being eaten by lions. USC scored on offense, defense and special teams. UCLA, like Notre Dame, does not benefit from the kind of "hold the score down" mentality that sometimes permeates Carroll's game management. In the rivalry games, USC pulls out all the stops to the delight of their fans. The game marked the fifth straight win over UCLA. USC decided to crush all memory of the Bruins' 1991-98 winning streak into non-existence. Or, as Marv Goux once said, "...the indecencies of those people over there" were avenged to the satisfaction of all.

After four possessions Southern Cal led, 30-0. Troy went through UCLA in the manner of Patton's tanks rolling through the Low Countries. Cornerback Ronald Nunn tackled UCLA quarterback Drew Olson in the end zone, forcing a fumble that was picked up for a touchdown by Kenechi Udeze. Later, a Marcell Allmond tackle of Olson forced another fumble, which Mike Patterson picked up and ran 52 yards for a score.

Bush earned conference Special Teams Player of the Week, returning a kick 96 yards and officially entering the pantheon of Trojan lore. Leinart methodically hit 23 passes out of 32 attempts for 289 yards (273 in the first half), with Williams snaring 11 for 181. UCLA managed all of 11 yards on the ground, committed four turnovers, made 13 frustration penalties, and saw Olson get sacked six times.

Carroll, almost as if he felt sorry for UCLA, or wanted to preserve the notion that the rivalry still featured real competition, called off the dogs in the fourth quarter with reserves, including appearances by Hance and Booty. Final score: Trojans 47, Bruins 22.

USC fans were less "sorry," chanting "five more years" as the teams left the field.

Oklahoma was still unbeaten, but to all observes of the college football scene, USC had the earmarks of being the nation's finest team, with little doubt. Two weeks later, that doubt was erased when the Trojans vaulted into the number one position in both the Associated Press and _USA TODAY_ /ESPN polls, utterly annihilating Oregon State, 52-28 at the Coliseum.

Oklahoma lost in ignominious fashion to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game, making it easy to decide who was number one entering the bowl season. In the final regular season game, Leinart tossed five touchdown passes, with Williams and Bush (who was now regularly catching the ball almost as much as he was running it) grabbing two each. Beaver quarterback Derek Anderson was able to throw for over 400 yards, but Oregon State, after opening the game with a touchdown, never got close after that.

Leinart's 22-of-38 game for 278 yards set conference records for touchdown passes (35) and consecutive passes without an interception (212 before a first quarter pick). Williams established a season touchdown mark (16). Tatupu made 14 tackles. The game also helped USC set a school and conference average home attendance record of 77,804.

At the Rose Bowl: 2003 national champions

"I'm not looking for the money. I'm not looking for the hype. I'm not looking for a one-shot deal."

\- Pete Carroll

Ranked number one in both polls, Southern California advanced to the Rose Bowl against Michigan. A December 31, 2003 _USA TODAY_ feature, titled "Carroll re-energizes Trojans: Turnaround complete as Southern Cal goes for title," by David Leon Moore, painted a picture of an enthusiastic coach who was totally at home amongst his college-age charges. Accompanying photos showed the coach whooping it up on the sidelines, being very athletic and active in practice.

"Pete Carroll doesn't mind being known as a players' coach," it read. "He might even embrace the label if it weren't for the notion that being too much of a players' coach got him fired by the New England Patriots. Or if it weren't for the connotations that sometimes come with a reputation of being close to players.

"Soft.

"Pushover.

"Undisciplined.

"That's the part that rankles him and, in his astonishingly successful turnaround of the once-and-again-proud Southern California football program, he has the evidence to prove that the head coach can be companion and taskmaster."

The program had become "mediocre and stale" before Carroll's hiring, wrote Moore.

"His players love him," Ed Orgeron was quoted saying. "But they don't take him for granted. He'll get on their tail. He's really strict on them but in a way they know it's the right way."

"My first reaction was, 'How _can't_ you play for this guy?' " said LenDale White. "People say he's a players' coach, and some people say that's a bad thing. But I know when it's time to get the job done, he'll stick his foot in your butt and make you take care of business. But I also know when it's time to have fun, he'll be right there having fun with you."

Carroll, the article read, was a "gym rat," always looking for competition. At "52 going on 22" he enjoyed playing pick-up basketball, participating in seven-on-seven quarterback drills, and jumping into the pile in a full-pad drills as if he was still playing for Bob Troppmann at Redwood High School.

"When I saw him do that," said Keary Colbert, "I thought, 'Is he crazy?' He needs to get some pads on."

"Hey," said Carroll, "you've got to capture those teachable moments."

"We have this thing called S.T. Wild Bunch, a special teams thing," White said. "We all jump around and bang a drum and take off our clothes. One day he came in and to get everybody hyped for practice, he started banging on the drum, took off his shirt and started running around doing all kinds of stuff."

It all sounded kind of like the Bohemian Grove, or the "Burning Man," both of which are bacchanalian festivals born, naturally, in Carroll's neck of the woods, Northern California.

"I'm absolutely convinced that the only way you can do this is to be yourself," Carroll said. "You don't have a chance to succeed if you try to be like somebody else. You're going to fail for sure because you're going to get found out. You're too visible.

"What's important is that you know who you are, so you can be authentic and consistent. If you're unsure of that, it's a pretty difficult job, I think."

"The coaches weren't as approachable," said Jacob Rogers of Paul Hackett's staff, which was said to have been distant and cliquish. "The head coach had a policy where you had to schedule an appointment to meet with him. A lot of times, that would be a week down the road.

"With Coach Carroll, his door is always open."

Observing the way Carroll operates, the way he makes times for his friends, keeps his door open for his players, handles his staff democratically, is accessible to the media, is a workaholic who still has time for his family and for fun; it seems as if he either does not sleep or somehow lives in a 40-hour-a-day world, as opposed to everyone else. His calm approach amidst so much activity and attention draws comparison to Phil Jackson, the "Zen master" coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Moore made note of the "unselfishness" of USC's players, despite the plethora of talent and "logjam at some positions, particularly running back...

"Carroll has proved to be a recruiting powerhouse, the force of his personality one of the programs greatest selling points," continued Moore, citing as an example the fact that Williams was from Florida, Booty from Louisiana, and "the top local kids are again thinking about USC first."

"Pete being able to know to know the right players for our system, being able to evaluate talent, I think that's been real critical," said Orgeron. "Going into the homes and being personable, I think that comes natural for him."

"Coaches who don't like to recruit haven't recruited at USC," said Carroll. "When you recruit for this university, recruiting's a blast. We're recruiting the top kids in America. That's exciting."

Moore pointed out that at one time, "national championships and Heismans seemed to fall from the sky in the 1960s and 1970s," but that "the aura was gone for good," or so it seemed when higher academic standards were put in place.

Hacket called USC's previous standards "unrealistic" in light of NCAA scholarship restrictions and the university's new academic excellence.

"I heard that a lot," said Carroll. "Some people close to the program thought it might be difficult. I didn't know. My thought was always, well, let's find out. If we coach really well and we recruit really hard and we bust our tails to see how far we can take it, we'll know what the answer is. Maybe there is a ceiling on it. Maybe you can only take it so far. I didn't know. My expectation was that this would be a really big-time opportunity. And it's being fulfilled as we speak. It's happening."

"The energy he brings to the field every day and the work ethic he brings on and off the field, it's just inspirational," said Shawn Cody. "You go out to practice, the guy works so hard. He's with you in the huddle. He's all around. You can feel his presence everywhere."

This certainly broke from previous coaches. McKay often sat imperiously in a golf cart, observing in passive silence behind sunglasses most of the time while Fertig, Levy, Goux, Wayne Fontes, Joe Gibbs, John Robinson or any of his other great assistants dealt with the players.

Bear Bryant was even more distant, watching like a king from a tower.

"You can much more freely deliver an all-encompassing message about how to deal with the rigors and the challenges and the ups and downs and the growth experience of going to college," Carroll said of the contrast of his current job with the NFL - the "No Fun League," as he liked to call it.

"I think you can take kids farther than you can take them in the NFL as far as going through an extraordinary blossoming time in their lives. It's just different. I think it's more fun. This is more like being a parent than being a coach. It's rewarding on both levels. I think this is just more fun because of the freshness and the naivete of the kids and just the way they respond."

With success of course came the "elephant in the corner" that will always follow the former 49er assistant and NFL head coach: the allure of big money and the chance to coach at the very highest level of his profession, in the pros.

Carroll "believes he got a raw deal" at New York and New England, the article said. "Whether he feels he needs to get back to the pros to prove himself remains to be seen. His stance is that he's as happy as a Trojan in the Rose Bowl. The NFL coaching carousel is beginning again, however, and Carroll's name will be in the mix."

"It's likely to happen, and I understand why," he said. "I had success in the NFL. I'm having success now. I've already heard some stuff. But this is just the best place for me to be. I couldn't be having more fun."

Carroll at the time was believed to in the third year of a five-year contract that had been raised from $1 million per year to $1.5 million based on his success. A private school, USC is not obligated to reveal coaching salaries.

"We anticipate NFL teams will make a run at Pete, because he's just that good," said senior associate athletic director Daryl Gross (who was enticed to take the A.D. job at Syracuse a year later). "We're flexible about that, but I can tell you that I know Pete is very happy here. I think I know him pretty well, and I know where his heart is, and it's here."

"I'm not looking for the money," said Carroll. "I'm not looking for the hype. I'm not looking for a one-shot deal."

Pete Carroll was looking to make history. He took a giant step in that direction when Southern California won the national championship in the Rose Bowl. It was a manner befitting the Trojans, just as eight of the previous nine SC national champs had done (the 1928 champs did not play in the Rose Bowl). It marked the ultimate goal of a Pete Carroll team: beat UCLA and Notre Dame, win the conference title, win the Rose Bowl, and finish number one. With the history would come all the things he was not looking for: the hype, the money, the "one-shot deals."

In the same edition of _USA TODAY_ that featured Moore's article about Carroll, there was a piece featuring the top high school football recruits of 2003-04. While USC was playing for a national championship with a team filled with freshmen and sophomores, it was obvious that there would be more to follow. Among the eight blue chippers profiled, two were committed to USC.

Jeff Byers, an offensive lineman from Colorado, was the National Player of the Year, according to some publications. Linebacker Keith Rivers of Lake Mary, Florida, reminded people of Junior Seau.

When asked why he picked USC, a school some 3,000 miles from home, Rivers just said, "I mean, USC is the best in the nation."

Byers was asked how much USC's playing for the national title influenced his decision to go there.

"It's a big deal, especially for recruits like us," he said. "When you're a high-caliber player, you don't want to be sitting back watching some other team playing for the national title. You want to be part of it."

"I didn't even think of a non-BCS team," said Rivers.

Regarding USC's high academic standards and 61 percent football graduation rate, Byers said, "If you take school seriously, you want the guys around you to take school seriously. I don't want guys bailing out, not graduating."

There are few teams that have the unique chance to win national championships at "home," which is what USC calls the Rose Bowl - their "winter residence" - despite the fact that UCLA rents the building in the fall.

UCLA's only national title in 1954 came in a year in which they did not play in the Rose Bowl. At the time, the PCC instituted the ill-advised "Big 10 rule" of repeat champions not going to Pasadena.

Miami won the 1983 national championship at the Orange Bowl. Texas won in 1963 and 1969 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, which is 169 miles from Austin. But for the most part, the big names of collegiate football - Notre Dame, Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, et al - are cold weather schools or are located in small markets where major New Year's bowl games are not played.

"We've prided ourselves on doing well in all areas of the program," said Carroll of the 2003 national championship on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. "The tension mounts when you see the position you're in at the end of the year, and it's a great challenge to programs to continue to perform at a high level. We had opportunities to go against great football teams. The year before against Iowa, a marvelous game in the Orange Bowl, and then that great match-up against Michigan in the Rose Bowl that was a marvelous experience. They had a phenomenal team, experience at every spot, draftable players at every position on their football team, and we played a really solid game against a great team, so we earned our way, it was a great finish against a great team, to do that, to win right here in Southern California and to achieve that national championship status right here at home was really a great deal for us."

"Guys stepped up," said Leinart. "Keary Colbert stepped up big time in that game. Mike Williams did his part, the offensive line did great. We ran the ball when we needed to and I just got the ball to the open receivers, so it was a memorable moment for me. I remember after the game, earning MVP honors and holding the sword up to 'Conquest' and kind of doing it to the fans after the game, it was definitely great."

"...USC came out it, they got to stay home, they got to play in the Rose Bowl, which they love," said Steve Bisheff of the _Orange County Register_. "It helps their recruiting, they bring all their recruits to the Rose Bowl. It helps their recruiting locally and in state in talent rich California, playing in the Rose Bowl, winning the Rose Bowl is a great thing for recruiting. You know, they had the best of both worlds."

USC indeed was the national champion and the "people's champion," as ESPN's Michael Wilbon said on _Pardon the Interruption_. They did it the way they had done it all season. The big question was who would have won a game between Palmer's 2002 Trojans and Leinart's 2003 version? Both teams, in their stretch runs from October through November and on into the bowl season, had been as good as any team has ever been. Since halftime of the fifth game, October 4 at Arizona State, the 2003 Trojans were a juggernaut.

The Rose Bowl seating capacity had been re-configured, and the stadium no longer held 100,000 people. The 93,849 who saw the Trojans beat Michigan, 28-14 had one of the hottest tickets in L.A. sports history. In the game, Leinart threw three touchdown passes and caught another. The defense recorded nine sacks.

Michigan came in fourth, led by quarterback John Navarre and running back Chris Perry. Many pundits thought they, not LSU or reeling Oklahoma, who played a lackluster, dull, I-don't-know-how-to-win Sugar Bowl, was the second best team in the country. When USC was finished with them, however, they were just another badly beaten foe. The truth is, it was like so many games Pete Carroll has coached: not as close as the score. USC could have won 45-14 - or by more. There was a sense that USC dictated and dominated to such an extent they were essentially just writing the game story according to their whim.

It marked USC's 21st victory in 29 Rose Bowls, the most wins and the best percentage of all Rose Bowl teams. SC led 21-0 until late in the third quarter. Cody blocked an early Wolverine field goal. Four plays later Leinart had USC in the end zone with a 25-yard aerial to Colbert.

After a Tatupu interception, White took a short pass in for the score. Later, Colbert made a spectacular 47-yard grab and score. USC went to Chow's bag of tricks when Williams pulled up and passed _to Leinart_ for the last touchdown. Leinart earned the MVP award on the strength of his 23-of-34, 327-yard, three-touchdown afternoon. Colbert and Williams were unstoppable. USC put up 410 total yards.

Tatupu added 12 tackles. Poole made two quarterback sacks. Udeze had three more. The game added to USC's all-time records for overall (946,482) and average attendance (72,368).

After cheering the team, who according to tradition came before the student section and put their fingers up in the "V for Victory" sign while the band played "Conquest!" single digits were raised to shouts of, "We're number one!"

Carroll accepted the Rose Bowl trophy and told the multitudes that his team "just won a national championship." USC and their fans left the Rose Bowl having won their 10th national title since 1928, and their first since 1978. If USC did not have a loss on their record, the 2003 Trojans may very well have gone down in history as the greatest team ever, instead of just one of them.

"We've had a fantastic season," said Carroll. "I think these guys should be rewarded accordingly, and I think they will be."

"Everybody knows who the people's champions are - it's the USC Trojans, baby," said Omar Nazel.

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr agreed that USC was the deserving national champion. The _USA TODAY_ headline, "Trojans render Sugar Bowl meaningless," told the entire story.

"It's over," it read. "The team ranked number one, decisively, in both the Associated Press and the _USA TODAY_ /ESPN Coaches' Poll, won it's high-profile bowl game, decisively, on New Year's Day" to capture the national title.

"...If you look at the polls, there is no controversy. The number one team in the land - USC - has successfully completed its run to the mythical national title," and that "the true game for the national championship occurred Thursday night in Pasadena."

USC scored four touchdown passes on a defense that previously allowed five all year. They gave up 15 sacks; then nine to USC. Various coaches throughout the country were quoted in _USA TODAY_ saying the very idea of somebody other than USC being the national champion was "a joke." The article said evidence of USC's national championship was self-evident because "people watched the game." It was like a crime committed on videotape. No witnesses are necessary. Simple observation of it renders knowledge that it is.

Res Ipsa Loquitur

USC celebrated its title knowing that only Colbert was graduating among their offensive skill players (although Mike Williams would declare for the draft). Just three senior starters would be leaving on defense. They ranked second nationally, allowing just 61.1 yards a game.

"We're going to be a scary team next year," said White.

"When the nation's eyes were on them Thursday, they responded with the kind of quick-strike offense that produced at least 40 points in each of their last seven games of the regular season," wrote _USA TODAY's_ Vicki Michaels in an article titled, "Southern California loaded for another shot: _Almost every key player back next season."_

USC's 506 points in the regular season were a Pacific 10 and school record.

After the game, wrote Michaels, Leinart "led the USC marching band in the school fight song, with his helmet in one hand and a sword in the other."

"We still think we're just getting going," said Carroll, who in contrast to Carr was simply the future as opposed to the past. "We have a lot to get done in the future, and we have a lot of players to get that done."

Leinart was asked if five months ago he would have thought a team starting five sophomores on offense and three on defense in the Rose Bowl, plus freshmen, could win the national title.

Leinart said "there were a lot of unanswered questions... It's exciting. We're Rose Bowl champions; we're national champions. We're going to savor it."

"They absolutely brought a lot more pressure than we expected," said Michigan tackle Tony Pape. "They usually rushed four guys and dropped into coverage, and they brought a whole lot of heat against us. We didn't game plan against all that pressure."

"We could not handle the pressure up front, and that was the difference in the game," said Carr.

"We overwhelmed them," said Cody. "Coach Carroll threw everything out of the bag. He was not going to hold back in the last game of the year for a national championship."

Keary Colbert, a rare senior, went out with a flourish, including a spectacular, _Sports Center_ highlight one-handed grab of a Leinart touchdown pass, which has been shown periodically ever since.

"Keary Colbert was just a star today," said Carroll. "That catch he made was a catch for all times and maybe the biggest play of the game. He'll have a great career after he leaves us."

"This is so special for me," said Colbert. "I had a feeling at the beginning of the week it would be special. When we got sized for our Rose Bowl rings, I got sized for my index finger because I had a feeling we'd end up number one."

USC's Hollywood connection was in evidence at the Rose Bowl in the form of actor Will Farrell, the star of _Old School_. He had a sideline pass.

"He walked on for a day as a kicker and was an intern in our sports information office for one semester," sports information director Tim Tessalone informed the inquiring media.

_Sports Illustrated_ featured Matt Leinart scoring on his touchdown _reception_ , trumpeting the 2003 national champions with the headline, "USC's the one!"

Five 2003 Trojans made All-American. They included wide receiver Mike Williams, offensive tackle Jacob Rogers, defensive end Kenechi Udeze, punter Tom Malone, and quarterback Matt Leinart.

Williams was a consensus choice after a two-year career in which USC was 23-3. A Biletnikoff Award finalist and CBS.Sportsline.com's National Player of the Year, he had also been a Freshman All-American and Pacific 10 Freshman of the Year in 2002. Williams set school records for career receptions (30) and season receptions (16 in 2003), plus NCAA freshman records for receiving yards (1,265) and touchdown catches (14).

While Pittsburgh wide receiver Mike Fitzgerald drew a great deal of applause in 2003, many felt Williams was better. Others went so far as to say he was the best wide receiver ever, pro or college.

When Williams was denied his 2004 eligibility, Carroll said that winning the national championship "without the greatest wide receiver ever" was even more remarkable because of that fact. At the very least, he reminded many of former Trojan All-American, Super Bowl MVP and Pro Hall of Famer Lynn Swann. Mike Williams, quite simply, made _impossible catches!_

The Williams saga is in fact sublime proof that USC has reached a level above and beyond all other programs. He was taken from the team and barely missed! In 2004, he very likely would have won or contended for the Heisman. In his absence Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush just took his place as easily as a child playing "musical chairs."

In contemplating the 2005 team, which is the greatest in history, it is almost mind-boggling to contemplate that had he stuck around, Williams would have been a senior. With a little marketing, the 2005 Heisman Award ceremony could have featured four Trojans - Leinart, Bush, LenDale White and Williams! Such was their monopoly on America's football talent.

What is amazing is that the Florida schools "just didn't think I could play wide receiver," said Williams. "They thought I was too big or not fast enough or whatever. At USC, they had a clear-cut picture of what I could do."

But Keyshawn Johnson had his ear to the ground in Tampa, where he was a star for the Buccaneers (leading them to the 2002 World Championship) when Williams was earning his way onto Tom Lemming's 2001 All-American team. First, he told his alma mater about the kid. Then, he told the kid about his alma mater.

It worked out well.

"I thought I would try and fit the persona of 'number one' here and do some great things," Williams said of his uniform number and philosophy.

"Williams...is the best college football player I've seen in several years..." wrote Steve Bisheff of the _Orange County Register._ "He is a six-foot five, 230-pound leaping, twisting freak of nature. If he is not as fast as Randy Moss, he is bigger and stronger... Williams is like Terrell Owens without the attitude or the silly end zone gyrations... Most longtime USC observers will tell you he is already the finest receiver in Trojans history... In less than a season and a half, Williams established himself as the finest all-around receiver USC has put on a football field. He is faster than Keyshawn Johnson, bigger and stronger than Lynn Swann and a more complete package than Hal Bedsole... It was Williams' presence as a go-to receiver that had much to do with teammate Carson Palmer running away with the Heisman in 2002... If you don't believe it, ask Carson... Nobody since Bedsole, who was a jumbo-sized, All-American receiver on John McKay's first national championship team in 1962, has broken more tackles after catching the ball than Williams."

"He's a great, great player," said Leinart. "Big, fast, all the things. He makes big-time, big-time plays. He's such a natural, he's phenomenal. He's confident. He's got a real presence about him."

"Mike is a tremendous talent," said Carson Palmer. "He's real mature. He's the type of guy who makes quarterbacks looks good. I know that all I had to do was put it up there and he was going to get it."

"There really isn't anyone like him in the NFL," said Dan Pompei of _The Sporting News_. "Never has been. He will be a physical mismatch for every defender he plays against. He will make catches when he is covered. He will be an extraordinary weapon in the 'red zone' and a playmaker over the middle."

"Williams' numbers are sick, twisted and perverted - if you're looking at it from the opponents' perspective," said Michael Ventre of MSNBC.com. "...Some USC observers think Williams may be the best receiver ever at the school, because of his unique amalgam of gifts."

Jim Rhode of the _Los Angeles Times_ called Williams "the best receiver in college football."

"...Is there anything physically we can do?" to stop Williams, asked Notre Dame defensive coordinator Kent Baer rhetorically. "No."

"William just diced us up," said UCLA defensive end Matt Ball. "That dude is Terrell Owens."

Whether he had bad advice or just made a poor choice, Williams chose to make himself eligible for the 2004 NFL draft. He attached himself to an ill-advised lawsuit brought by former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarrette. Clarrette led Ohio State to the 2003 BCS Fiesta Bowl win over Miami as a freshman. He had a falling out with the Buckeye program. He did not play or attend school in 2003. The NCAA agreement with the National Football League, stemming from the late 1980s when Junior Seau left after his junior year, was that a player could not be drafted until his class completed its third year (much like baseball).

Clarette's class would not be eligible until the 2005 draft, so he sued to be eligible a year early. Williams did the same. Prior to the April 2004 draft, the ruling came down denying Clarette and Williams draft eligible status. Clarette had no options left, having burned his bridges in Columbus. He would just sit out another year. He apparently never listened to the scouting reports that said he was not a big prospect, anyway. He was drafted low in 2005, then cut, left to ponder his life's mistakes.

Williams, on the other hand, would have been a surefire big money first round selection in 2004. With pro football not an option for another year, he decided to return to USC. Carroll welcomed him back. He never hired an agent. He went to summer school, meeting all NCAA academic requirements. A laundry list of things needed to do for eligibility were provided by the NCAA. The school worked diligently to comply with every detail, and succeeded.

The summer came and went. The week of the opener against Virginia Tech, the NCAA, an organization of such little value or common sense as to eclipse the ability to describe in words, told him no.

A good kid who had met all the requirements and, in reading the rules was undoubtedly still eligible, was forced to sit on the sidelines for a year instead of playing the game he loved.

An example of the stupidity of the NCAA comes in reviewing how baseball eligibility differs. A college junior can be drafted and begin negotiations with the Major League club that drafts him _while still playing in the College World Series!_ If he is not satisfied with the money offered, he can go to the Alaska-Hawaii Summer League, the Cape Cod League, or any of the other "collegiate summer" or semi-pro leagues that are located from California to Maine, from Calgary, Alberta to Fairbanks, Alaska.

At the end of the summer, he has until the first day of the fall semester to sign. If after three months of money-haggling negotiations that mark the very essence of professionalism, if he does not sign he can return to his college for his senior year, as pure as the driven snow in the eyes of the NCAA.

Mike Williams never was drafted, never negotiated a contract, never signed with anybody. He just wanted to play football. He was dismissed. The situation was somewhat similar to USC's Tom Seaver, who was declared ineligible by the NCAA in 1966 because he had been drafted by the Braves and was ready to sign a bonus. Because he pitched in an exhibition game against a Marine Corp team, Seaver was declared ineligible for the Major League draft, which was in its infancy at the time, created confusion; especially regarding the so-called "winter draft" in January that is separate from the June draft.

Seaver, like Williams, just thought he could return to USC to play out the 1966 season, but of course the NCAA said he could not. He ended up in a "special draft" and was selected by the New York Mets, who rode his pitching to the World Championship just three years later.

Williams became the "odd man out," a lonely figure forced to watch his teammates from the side; part of the team but not really. A bright young man, he stayed in school, the ultimate irony, and worked out with his friends in preparation for the 2005 combines. In 2005 the Detroit Lions did make him their first pick. He signed for millions, and is off to what promises to be an All-Pro NFL career.

Rogers also made All-American, going in the second round to Dallas.

Junior Kenechi Udeze came out early after making All-American. He was a first round selection by the Vikings.

Keary Colbert was chosen by Jacksonville (second round), a team coached by former Trojan All-American linebacker Jack Del Rio. Will Poole went in the fourth round to Miami.

Williams and the rest of the team would have been drafted in 2004, but they were loaded with underclassmen. There never has been a team so young and so good. The only other comparison was in basketball, when UCLA's "Walton Gang" of Bill Walton and Keith Wilkes won the 1972 NCAA Tournament as sophomores.

Additional standouts who made All-Pac10 included Katnik, Cody and Patterson. Bush was on everybody's Freshman All-American teams and made honorable mention All-Pac 10. LenDale White earned all the same honors.

Then there was Coach Carroll. He was named the 2003 American Football Coaches Association Division 1-A Coach of the Year, the Home Depot, Maxwell Club, ESPN.com, and Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. Coach of the Year; and the All-American Football Foundation Frank Leahy and Pacific 10 Conference Co-Coach of the Year. These were just a small number of the awards that came his way, not to mention various other honors and awards in which he was a finalist or semi-finalist.

"It's his personality, how he relates to players, how he coaches," said Leinart. "He coaches with tremendous enthusiasm. Also, he's a defensive genius. He makes us want to play with him, go all out for him. You don't get that in coaches today, where he's kind of a little kid inside of a grown man."

"Players love the style of play we play here," said Will Poole. "Freshmen get an opportunity to come in and play. The coaching staff is just great, they're jumping around, they're in your face. And you're in L.A. Who wouldn't want to come to L.A.?"

"Pete Carroll is the total package," said former USC All-American quarterback Paul McDonald, who sent his son to play for him. "It's amazing how he relates to everyone - players, recruits, parents, alumni - all of those things are important."

"He's really the hottest coach in America," said Allen Wallace of _Super Prep_ magazine.

"Today, he's the best coach in the country, the perfect man for a perfectly impossible job," said Bill Plaschke, a sports columnist for the _L.A. Times_ and a regular on ESPN's _Around the Horn._

"USC became a recruiting champion because Carroll's enthusiasm, charisma and competitiveness are resonating among prospects in Southern California," said Eric Sondheimer, the resident prep guru of the _Times._

"The perfect coach with the perfect staff at the perfect school makes the perfect storm," gushed Dennis Dodd of CBSSportsline.com. "Carroll looks like he is ready to rule Los Angeles, the Pac 10 and college football for years to come. The formula is simple: round up all the best talent in Southern California with work ethic, charisma and charm. Then go out on Saturday and beat the heck out of the opponent. Nothing is going to change for the foreseeable future."

"USC rules the city," said Petros Papadakis on his noonday radio program on 1540 "The Ticket." "With all due respect, nobody wants to talk about UCLA. Right now, USC under Carroll represents Hollywood; the Lakers are down, there's no pro football, these guys are riding as high as it gets."

"A few years ago the Coliseum was half-empty," said iconoclastic national radio sportstalk host Jim Rome, who also had a show on ESPN called _Rome Is Burning_. "Now you drive around L.A. and everybody's got SC gear; it's on mailboxes, car bumpers, storefront windows... People are wearing SC gear, buying SC gear... It's all about SC in L.A. right now like I've never seen.

"Who's to say Carroll can't win five or 10 national championships, like John Wooden did? Right now it looks like he's gonna run out this decade."

"Carroll is a New Age kind of coach, who makes points without yelling, plays pickup hoops with his players and even will throw himself into drills..." wrote Josh Dubow of the AP. "His players say it's a big reason why Carroll returned the Trojans to the top of the polls... He has won his team over with his backslapping, low-key approach. But he bristles at the suggestion that he runs a loose ship. He points to the way his team plays on the field to show that he's a disciplinarian."

"What Carroll can do at USC is create a community," wrote sports columnist Mark Whicker of the _Orange County Register._ "There are players, coaches, staff, and parents, and the modern coach gets them involved, and the grinding season becomes a joy ride. Pete Carroll will try to build a Cardinal and Gold brick road for the Trojans."

"...Pete Carroll earns rating points for mature behavior, rational perspective and for showing his players the advantage of taking the high road rather than engaging in rancorous whining," wrote Dave Boling of the _Tacoma News Tribune_. "Carroll has added class to college football. Thank you..."

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

"LEAVE NO DOUBT!"

The 2004 Trojans make their bid for history

In January of 2004, Carroll and his team basked in the sunlight of national championship glory. For a few days. Actually, Carroll picked up a few Coach of the Year awards at some banquets, but he and his staff were quickly back to work with recruiting.

The players took a few weeks off, maybe, to drink beer and chase girls, which is a well-perfected USC pastime with a long tradition (a bar and night club on campus is actually called "Traditions.") But in February, _ESPN the Magazine_ ran a small article alongside a photo of USC's so-called "princes of L.A." engaged in rigorous dawn workouts.

The theme of the 2004 season became quickly apparent: "Leave no doubt!" The inherent meaning of this term was that USC did not want to be a one-year wonder, like so many teams that reach a peak then stumble into a valley. They wanted to make their bid for history, to establish this program as the best of all time!

As for recruiting, Carroll and his staff developed a unique method. First, Carroll is nothing less than a genius when it comes to evaluating talent. He personally watches recruits play, in person when possible and in thorough film study. He not only can tell if an otherwise blue chipper might disappoint, but he can spot something in a less-ballyhooed performer. Players like Will Poole, Lofa Tatupu, and later Collin Ashton, are examples of this.

He is the "master of the living room," taking to the task of recruiting, which other coaches look down on. Many coaches, after working 18-hour days, having climbed the slippery pole of coaching success, find it demeaning to bow and scrape to an 18-year old kid and, on occasion, his uneducated single mother. Not Pete Carroll. He looks at a teenage player and his family and sees potential. He sees himself. He wants to give that kid a chance, to reach out and invite somebody into his family as UOP's Chester Caddas once did, knowing that if they accept the challenge, their lives will never be the same.

Parents see it. Players see it. It cannot be faked. He is simply genuine, just as Bob Troppmann was genuine to a teenage Pete Carroll, who showed up, wide-eyed, to play football for the Redwood Giants in the 1960s.

"Pete is totally real," Troppman said in a 2001 _San Francisco Examiner_ column penned by this author. "He is genuine and people see that. He'll succeed at recruiting at USC based on those qualities."

Indeed he had. But he had another edge in the recruiting game: confidence. Carroll had confidence in his scouting reports, and in his own ability to land the players he wanted. This meant that he often waited until near the end to close the deal.

There are exceptions - some players like USC quarterback Mark Sanchez just want to get it over with and commit early - but most of the really good preps milk it for all it is worth, which Carroll understands. Second rate players are begging for scholarships, offering to sign because they know that if thy wait better guys will take their place.

But the best of the best want to make all their trips. They get wined and dined. Alumni are "nice" to them. There are campus parties to attend, attractive hostesses and other "talent" to explore. A scandal at Colorado revolved around sex parties used to entice players to sign with the Buffaloes.

Carroll is old school in the Marv Goux spirit. He tells them they can play for the best or against the best. He promises nothing, but states unequivocally that if they beat out an older player, they will play as freshmen. If in later years a youngster comes along to challenge them, they had better be prepared. They will get a first class education in great surroundings and be dealt with fairly. Nobody at USC needs to set up "sex parties." One walk-through of the campus tells the recruit that the school has the best-looking girls in the nation, but the place is classy and they are expected to be classy, too.

The weather and the nightlife is good, the city exciting and filled with opportunities for the rest of their lives. As Carroll has built up his program, he does not need to resort to tricks to get recruits. National championships and Heismans are all the allure necessary. The sight of Heritage Hall is simply awe-inspiring.

In 2005, _Spike!_ TV ran a reality show called _Super Agent_. It featured Shaun Cody, in preparation for the draft, choosing his representation from among five hopefuls. One scene is shot at Heritage Hall. As the agents gaze at the Heismans, the national championship trophies, the All-American plaques, immersed in the imprimatur of excellence, one of them just says, "Wow. If I'm a player I'm comin' here!"

So Carroll knows that. He knows that the guys _he_ wants have been deluged with phone calls, emails, letters, text messages and God knows what else; and what they really want is to wait until the end of the process to make their announcements.

He knows that he will be the one they choose. He and his great program. Consequently, recruiting services two weeks from signing day say that SC is "down" or "late," ranked 11th or 14th or 17th.

Then a funny thing happens. On the last few days, a flurry of faxes arrives at Heritage Hall. Like a fourth quarter Trojan comeback, they pass _everybody!_ Carroll had had a good 2001 class. Getting a future Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart, is all that needs be said. His 2002 and 2003 recruiting classes were the best in the nation.

But in 2004, Carroll outdid himself. That class was immediately hailed as _the finest in history._ The very best ever, and this was in a program that already won a national title led by freshmen and sophomores, and was a heavy favorite to win it in 2004. The 2004 class would not really make their marks until...2006, 2007. It never seems to end, and as Jim Rome said, "This guy can win five or 10 national titles."

They used to say, "Break up the Yankees!"

Occasionally in college football, all the stars are aligned. A team enters the season with a chance to be a little more "perfect" than other so-called "perfect" teams. Perfect is not merely going unbeaten, untied and winning the national title. Many teams have accomplished that.

"Perfect" in the sense discussed herein means running the table ranked number one from the pre-season polls (or, in USC's case, since the previous regular season) until the bowls have been played and the title decided. It means winning the Heisman Trophy and having the best recruiting class. It means that people start using words like "dynasty," and begin positing the notion that the team may just be the best ever.

Two teams come to mind among those discussed as "the best ever" before the season even started. The 1979 USC Trojans and the 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers both entered their respective seasons with this kind of hype surrounding them. They both were tripped up

The 1979 Trojans were defending their national championship, returning their All-American running back, Charles White, and their All-American candidate quarterback, Paul McDonald. White would win the Heisman. Brad Budde would win the Lombardi Award. But their wire-to-wire number one ranking was broken up by a 21-21 home tie with Stanford.

The 1983 Cornhuskers featured Heisman running back Mike Rozier and Outland Trophy lineman Dean Steinkuhler. Tom Osborne's team ran the table, but lost a thriller to Miami in the Orange Bowl, denying the coach his first national title.

Prior to 2004, the greatest single-season teams ever were generally thought to be teams from USC and Nebraska, as well: the 1972 Trojans and the 1995 Cornhuskers. But in 1972, USC had no major Heisman candidates, opened with a new quarterback, and were ninth in the pre-season polls (although they are one of only **seven teams** that have been number one in every poll from game one until the last poll after the bowls).

In 1995, Nebraska was not number one coming in and had no Heisman or Outland winners. Years later, a review of the recruiting class that made up that legendary team revealed that they had been ranked as low as 22nd by the services that determine such things.

USC's star-studded team was also reminding people of legendary champions of the past, which included: Cal's Wonder Teams of the early 1920s; Knute Rockne's Four Horsemen of Notre Dame (1924); Howard Jones's Thundering Herd at USC (1928-32); Army's Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside champs (1944-45); Frank Leahy's 1947 Fighting Irish; Bud Wilkinson's Sooners of 1955-56; the 1971 Cornhuskers; 1979 Alabama Crimson Tide; and 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

In 2004, USC was looking to be only the second team ever to be ranked number one in the pre-season AP poll, then hold it right through the trophy ceremony. Florida State had pulled that off in 1999.

The marketing people were quick to connect the Heisman race with the George Bush vs. John Kerry Presidential race. In a spin-off of the Bush/Cheney '04 ticket, they distributed t-shirts that read, "Bush/Leinart '04 Championship Campaign."

As Carroll readied for the historic opportunities - and the pressure that comes with it - a few changes were made on his coaching staff. Ex-NFL player Todd McNair was brought in as running backs coach. Carl Smith came over from the Cleveland Browns to work with quarterbacks. Lane Kiffin was given further responsibilities on the offense.

One of the real coups was the edition of Ken Norton Jr. as a defensive assistant working with the linebackers. Norton was an All-American at UCLA in1987, then an All-Pro (and a Hall of Fame candidate) with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers, where he won three straight Super Bowls (1993-95). After retirement and a stint as a football commentator Norton, the son of former world heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton Sr., decided he wanted to get into coaching. He approached Karl Dorrell at UCLA and was rejected, for reasons that make little sense.

Here was an All-American and pro legend, raised in Los Angeles, a prodigal son returning home to his alma mater, offering his services.

No!

Norton was so dedicated to coaching that he volunteered his time at Hamilton High School in L.A., to gain experience and show that he was serious. Dorrell would have none of it. When Pete Carroll found out that _Ken Norton Jr. wanted to coach_ , it was to him what insurance salesman like to call a "no brainer." He coached Norton when he was the 49ers' defensive coordinator, so a relationship was already established.

When Norton was hired, the players were thrilled to have somebody of his stature and background coaching them. As if USC's success was not enough of a knife to UCLA's gut, Norton was quoted saying in the _Los Angeles Times_ , "What they say at USC, about being a Bruin for four years but a Trojan for life; well, their right!"

USC's spectacular 2004 recruiting class was nothing less than astounding. Leading the pack was the 6-3, 275-pound center from Loveland, Colorado, Jeff Byers. All he had been was the Gatorade and EA Sports National High School Player of the Year. He was a _USA TODAY_ first team All-American and _Parade_ All-American MVP who led Loveland High School to two consecutive Colorado state Class 4A championships.

Quarterback Rocky Hinds from St. Bernard High School in nearby Playa Del Rey was an All-American who the coaches said was more athletic than any quarterback in the program. Hinds rolled the dice coming to USC, where he faced competition from Leinart with two years left; plus Booty, Cassel and eventually Mark Sanchez. He eventually transferred to Nevada-Las Vegas.

Wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett was the New Jersey Offensive Player of the Year and "everybody's All-American" at New Brunswick High School. He represented Carroll's ability to go out and get the best talent from out of state. He would be homesick in Los Angeles... until he started catching touchdown passes, hearing the cheers of 90,000 fans and being bathed in glory. It will do that for a kid!

Carroll identified prep talent in areas, like New Jersey, not represented by major college football programs in the region. As far as he was concerned, they were his for the asking.

Offensive tackle Taitusi Lutui, a 6-6, 370-pound All-American from Snow Junior College in Utah, was brought in.

6-3, 220-pound linebacker Keith Rivers, as widely heralded a prep All-American in Florida as Byers was in Colorado, signed on. He was assigned the legendary number 55, the same as Seau and Chris Claiborne. He lived in nearby San Bernardino in his youth.

6-4, 250-pound defensive end Jeff Schweiger, an acclaimed consensus All-American from Valley Christian High in San Jose, was another enormous recruit.

The hype, the demand for tickets, the talk about back-to-back national championships, Heismans and history swirled around the program in the months, weeks and days leading up to the season opener against Virginia Tech.

"The talk is beyond our control," said Carroll. "Our goal always will be to win the Pac 10 championship and the Rose Bowl

"But because of our accomplishments the past two seasons, we know we'll be challenged to the max each game now. We understand that we'll always see our opponents at their best. So we must take our game to the next level and be ready for everyone's best shot."

15 starters returned (seven on offense, six on defense, plus both kickers). Overall, 79 squadmen were back. 56 had played, 50 earned letters, and 31 had been on the season-ending two-deep list. 24 had started at least once. 20 new scholarship players and three spring enrollees joined a team that in 2003 had two players finish among the top 10 Heisman vote-getters (Leinart and Williams); five All-Americans and nine All-Pacific 10 Conference first teamers.

"The key for us this year will be whether we can return to the work ethic that made it possible to have the success we've had the past few years," said Carroll. "It's a work ethic we must have in workouts, in practices and in games. We'll have a very competitive environment each day to determine playing time and starting roles. Each player must bring his best every day. If we can have that kind of work ethic, we'll be on the right track."

USC's "fundamental approach" will be to "control the ball on offense, go get it on defense and make things happen on special teams," said Carroll. Leinart was the headliner, especially in the absence of Williams. He was named Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Year (only the second sophomore, along with Stanford's John Elway in 1980 to win the award) in 2003.

Bush and White entered the season spearheading the running game. Dennis violated a team rule and faced a two-game suspension. The Dennis story is proof that Carroll is no pushover. He had been every bit as effective as Bush and White in 2003. In straying from the course he landed in Carroll's "dog house" and would have to earn his way back into good graces.

Winston Justice was another one. He got into some minor trouble and was out, despite his value on the offensive line. Carroll was not one to fool around.

Seniors Cody and Patterson came in with a combined 81 tackles, 24 for loses, 13 sacks, three fumble recoveries and three blocked field goals. They were joined on the defensive side of the ball by linebacker Matt Grootegoed, 2003 Freshman All-American Darnell Bing and tackle leader Lofa Tatupu, a junior. Other key players were Dallas Sartz, Frostee Rucker, Ronald Nunn and Kevin Arbet.

Carroll, after winning one national championship after losing a Heisman Trophy winner, knew what it takes to accomplish something like that.

"We understand how to handle personnel losses and move on," he said. "Our team is well-prepared for this because it presents a great opportunity for others to step to the front. They'll take this challenge on with great excitement this year. It'll be fun to see who steps up.

"We did a great job offensively last season. We had a lot of weapons and scored a lot of points. We were efficient and took care of the football. A lot of the key players from that offense return this year.

"But we must overcome several obstacles on the offensive side of the ball. First, a starting wide receiver must emerge and we must reconstruct the line. Then, we need to continue developing those young players who contributed so much last year and hope that they can elevate their play. Finally, senior leadership must surface even though we might not have more than two or three seniors starting on offense.

"Matt Leinart is coming off a great year. He far exceeded our hopes. He assumed control of the job immediately and soon was playing like a veteran. He's a smart quarterback who understands our offense. He has a good arm and is a good leader. But we have a great group of quarterbacks behind him, and they all want to take the number one spot, so Matt will have to continue to work hard if he wants to hold them off.

"The tailback position is a strong one for us. While we've been effective rotating these young players, it will be interesting to see if any of them can take over a leadership position this season."

Of the loss of Williams, Carroll said, "The competition in the wide receiver group will be critical. We lost one of the greatest receivers in history and it will be challenging to replace him. But we have a lot of players fighting for playing time, including some exciting young guys who will be fun to watch."

Aside from Jarrett and Steve Smith, USC featured Whitney Lewis and Chris McFoy. Gregg Guenther decided to quit football after having been a key player on the 2003 champions. He chose to devote himself to basketball full time.

Fred Davis entered USC early in the spring of 2004. He would be put to use either as a wide receiver or as a tight end. Davis was another huge recruit, an All-American at Rogers High School in Toledo, Ohio. Carroll went right under the noses of Ohio State, snatching a 6-4, 215-pound phenom, the best at his position in the state. It was becoming all too common.

"I don't know if I can replace Mike Williams," said Davis, "but I can try to be good. I want to be better than anyone who plays receiver here."

"The past two years," said Carroll, "we were really good on defense and we played just how we drew it up. The challenge is whether we can keep it up. I really like what our returning defensive players bring. There's a lot of leadership in this group. We'll attempt to continue to play defense fast and aggressively, looking to take away the football.

"Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson are the best defensive linemen in college football. They're both really hard to block and are relentless in how they play the game. We have some talented players among our other ends, but we need some to emerge. I'm really looking forward to watching the competition there and seeing how it shakes out.

"Linebacker is the strength of our defense. With Lofa Tatupu, Matt Grootegoed and Dallas Sartz, it's like we have three returning starters. Each of them had very productive seasons last year and we're hoping for more of the same this year. We also have some talented young players who can make a mark."

Defensive back Darnell Bing "is headed for greatness," said Carroll, "and Jason Leach does such a solid job back there... With Ronald Nunn, Kevin Arbet and Justin Wyatt, it's really like we have four returning starters in the secondary."

Bing, a sophomore safety who like so many others had been a prep all-American at Long Beach Poly, wore number 20. The same number 20 that Mike Garrett wore when he won the Heisman Trophy in 1965. The same number 20 that was draped over the peristyles at the Coliseum...in retirement.

"When I was being recruited by USC, Coach Carroll asked what number I wanted to wear," said Bing. "I said, '20.' They asked me if I wanted to wear another number. I said, 'No.' Then they said it was retired. I was like, 'I didn't know it was retired.' "

"I said if Bing's that good, let him have it," was Garrett's response. "But if he's not, I want my number back."

Bing showed himself worthy of the digits.

Matt Cassel entered his senior year as a back up, but he "is a perfect representative of the attitude that's needed to play on this team," said Carroll. "He could have thrown it in at the end of 2001 camp, he could have quit. But he hung in and started the Cal game at H-back."

Cody, the 6-4, 295-pound defensive-tackle, was loaded for bear. He, Patterson and Leinart formed the nucleus of Carroll's all-important 2001 recruiting class; the guys who stuck with USC despite the transition of coaches from Hackett to Carroll amidst recruiting pressures from other schools.

Cody a _Parade_ , _USA TODAY_ , and _Student Sports_ All-American, just to name a few, as well as first team All-CIF Southern Section and Division VII Defensive MVP at Los Altos High School. In 2001 on Carroll's first team, he earned Freshman All-American and all-conference honorable mention honors. On the 2003 national champs he made All-American. He was a _Playboy_ magazine 2004 pre-season All-American and team leader (co-captain along with Grootegoed and Leinart).

Intelligent and articulate, from a solid family headed by a taskmaster dad, Cody was a sociology major who had the letters "SC" tattooed on his right biceps, signaling his school and his initials.

"Every play is war," he said. "You're in the trenches. You've got to play hard because every play is a battle..."

"He's the kind of player you build around," said defensive line coach Ed Orgeron. "He has savvy, maturity. And he's so down to earth... The thing about Shaun is he makes everyone around him so much better."

"He's awesome," said ex-All-American teammate Troy Polamalu.

6-4, 350-pound senior John Drake matured from a good player at Long Beach Wilson High to a star at Long Beach City College. He was "an enormous, NFL-sized offensive lineman" who "battles all the time and hustles and finishes well." According to Carroll.

Senior linebacker Matt Grootegoed, one of the best high school athletes ever to come out of Orange County, represented the transition from old to new at USC. A former national finalist in the Punt, Pass and Kick competition, he made All-State as a sophomore at Mater Dei, All-American as a junior, and his list of senior accomplishments took up half a page in the media guide. Grootegoed signed and played for one year under Hackett. Then he was joined by Mater Dei teammate Leinart in 2001.

A Butkus Award contender and All-Pac 10 pick as a junior, he was a top All-American candidate heading into 2004.

"I'm not a flashy guy," he said. "I just do my job."

"Things just happen when he's on the field," said Carroll. "He knocks the ball down, knocks the ball loose, forces plays in the backfield and makes plays getting off blocks. You can't hold him down."

"Playing with him is like having a twin on the other side of the field... He's better than I am," said Polamalu of his ex-teammate.

"He's quieter than a churchhouse mouse," said another ex-teammate, Darrell Rideaux. "But he's definitely a presence on the field."

Senior tight end Alex Holmes was an All-American at the exclusive Harvard-Westlake High School in North Hollywood.

Senior safety Jason Leach was an All-American in the storied Bishop Amat High program that produced the likes of Adrian Young, J.K. McKay, Pat Haden and Paul McDonald. A 2003 all-conference pick and winner of the Bob Chandler Award, Leach just said, "I like to hit."

Six-foot, 290-pound senior defensive tackle Mike Patterson, an All-American with the Los Alamitos High Griffins and a two-time All-Pac10 pick, entered the year as the other part of bookends featuring he and Cody.

"If I could create a nose tackle," said Orgeron, "it would be him."

"...He's a Baby Sapp, for sure," said Leinart, referring to All-Pro Warren Sapp, who Patterson called, "my favorite player, for sure," adding that as he came to his own he was "finally making a name for myself."

"Mike Patterson is like hair in the sink," said NBC announcer Pat Haden, who may have spent too much time working around Keith Jackson. "He just kind of clogs thing up."

A typical example of Carroll's "touch" was six-foot, 225-pound junior linebacker Lofa Tatupu. His father, Mosi, was a member of USC's 1974 national championship team before a long career with the Patriots. Lofa had made all-state... the state of Maine, that is. He enjoyed some success at the University of Maine. Sensing that he had big-time ability that was not being tested, Lofa transferred to his dad's alma mater. It was a risky move. He found himself surrounded by players with long high school pedigrees, but it turned out his genealogy was pedigree enough. He had inherited his father's size, strength and competitiveness, making all-conference in 2003. Tatupu promised to be a star in 2004. Having a player like Tatupu fall into his program like "Manna from Heaven," without all the hassles that go into recruiting a star, was another sign of Carroll's seemingly endless good luck, which is, as Branch Rickey once said, "a residue of design."

Senior fullback Lee Webb, a former All-City running back at Crenshaw High, was a spiritual guy who had overcome on- and off-field obstacles to earn a place at the table.

Prior to the season opener, Dave Albee, a sports columnist with Carroll's hometown paper, the _Marin Independent Journal_ , wrote a feature about the county's most famous native son entitled, "Keeping his lust for life." It was accompanied by a photo of Carroll holding the Rose Bowl hardware that was, on January 1, 2004, also the national championship trophy, with the caption: "ON TOP OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WORLD."

"How does Pete Carroll do it?" wrote Albee. "Marin's native son is the all-grown-up, still-a-kid-at-heart coach of the most talked about college football team in America." The article quoted Rhodes Scholar Christopher Morley: "There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way." Carroll most definitely achieved success, to paraphrase Frank Sinatra, "his way."

"More than anything, it's just let me by myself," said Carroll. "That's the part that's so great. I know how I want things done."

Of the expectations for a repeat national championship, "It's a tremendous challenge," Carroll said. "I didn't know how good we were going to be last year. I don't know that right now. But we're going into this season with the same mindset."

Albee listed Carroll among "A-list celebrities around town, though in December 2000 he was considered by some a B-list choice for the USC job."

His friends knew he would never "go Hollywood," though.

"He's a Marin County guy and he's thriving in Southern California," said longtime friend Donny Macklin of Stinson Beach. "It's an amazing story."

Regarding his firing in New England, Carroll said, "I've always lived seeing the good side of things and I've really wanted to create it. I don't allow myself to be down or stay down. I choose not to live that way.

"I'm really driven to do that and I consciously do that. I choose not to dwell in the past, whether it was leaving the Jets or leaving New England. I was not going to stay there for very long. I'm going to focus on something else."

"Carroll was considered an outsider in New England because he was from California," Albee wrote. "He was perceived as an outsider in Southern California because he was from Northern California. That and he was a pro coach coming back to be a rookie college head coach."

"The alumni thinks he walks on water," said Dave Perron of Kentfield, who played football with Carroll at College of Marin. "It's the Second Coming. He took them from the Spanish Inquisition to the Renaissance."

"Carroll, the little kid from Greenbrae who used to play center in Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl football games on an old field where the Bon Air Shopping Center now sits, is the center of attention in attention-grabbing L.A.," continued Albee. "He is bigger in Troy that Brad Pitt..."

(Pitt starred in a 2004 blockbuster spectacular about the Trojan Wars called _Troy._ It was jokingly being referred to as a "USC recruiting film." In fact, excerpts from it were spliced into a highlight DVD produced by the school.)

"He's not going to show up on any _Entertainment Tonight_ shows," joked his son, Brennan.

Pete is "in his element," said longtime pal Skip Corsini of San Rafael.

"All I know is he's having a wonderful fun, fun, fun time," said Perron. "He's enjoying life and appreciating life."

The article went on to point out that Carroll's Palos Verdes Estates home was only 20 minutes from where his wife, Glena, grew up. After all those years following her husband around the country she discovered that, contrary to the words of Thomas Wolfe, "You _can_ go home again."

Carroll invited Coach Troppmann to South Bend for the 2003 game. He led his whole team on a walk-through of Notre Dame Stadium, "Touchdown Jesus," and other landmarks on the famed campus - a distraction he found exhausting, not something he wanted to repeat in 2005 because, "It was exhausting. I'm glad we did it, but we're not doing it again."

Ken Roby, a lifelong friend of Carroll's, was invited with Coach Troppmann on that trip.

"He's having a serious conversation with me on the field and had to excuse himself," he recalled. "He left me to go talk with Joe Montana. Do you believe that?"

Prior to the 2004 Rose Bowl, with the national championship on the line, Carroll called Coach Troppmann from his cell phone to the coach's Corte Madera home.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked in deadpan "Kick off or receive?"

At a Bay Area alumni banquet, Carroll invited all his pals.

"He's obviously got that whole group excited," said Corsini. "They gave him a standing ovation without much excuse... This is your old high school buddy and there he is up on the podium getting...love."

Carroll, despite his busy schedule, visits Marin whenever possible.

"It makes the experience more rich for me, but the hardest part is they always feel like they're imposing," Carroll said of his friends. "They don't understand how much it means to me."

Carroll's accessibility is above and beyond the call of duty. When this author spoke to him - for almost an hour on a Monday night at 10 p.m. the night before opening Spring Training- telling him I was writing two books about USC football history, Carroll offered without asking, "Just let me know what I can do to help."

He agreed without hesitation to endorse my efforts as a "true USC historian in the tradition of Jim Murray, Mal Florence and John Hall." Without prompting, he offered to let me have access to his team at summer camp, to sign books on campus, and to have some kind of practice field event involving his players.

I would like to point out that I went to Redwood High School years after Carroll and am not a personal friend of his. I do not know him like Bob Troppman, Skip Corsini or Ken Roby, yet he was as gracious and inviting to me as if I had been the best man at his wedding. I can honestly say that I have to check myself from calling on him to ask things of him. I know he is busy and I do not want to impose, because I know he would try to accommodate requests, perhaps even unreasonable ones. This is the kind of thing Pete Carroll, a guy who has a job that causes ulcers and coaches to sleep in their office, says is the _"hardest part, because they always feel like they're imposing. They don't understand how much it means to me."_

He is as rare as they come.

An example of this came when Roby and his wife celebrated their wedding anniversary in Los Angeles. Roby planned to see a USC practice. When the original workout time was re-scheduled, Carroll _made four phone calls_ to make sure he got the word.

"Typical Pete," wrote Albee. "The teenager who used to drive a Dodge Dart and listen to James Brown, who used to draw football plays in the sand at Stinson Beach, is no different as the 53-year old head coach of the number one-ranked college team in America."

"To all of us, he's still the same guy," said Macklin. "He entered into his perfect fit down there."

While Carroll's essential giving nature has remained the same, when asked about how much his friends would know about his football philosophies today, Carroll said to this author, "In that respect they wouldn't know a thing about me. The football guy I was then is so far removed from the football guy I am now, it's light years apart. I've spent my life in this game, absorbing every surrounding, it's like a scientist, a Ph.D. from what he learned in high school science class."

Macklin played at Tamalpais High School and UCLA. Carroll asked him for advice about the job. Macklin suggested he call Ronnie Lott. So he did. Right then on his cell phone.

"He was a lot more connected that I thought he was," said Macklin of Carroll.

Of his lack of control in New England, Corsini said, "I think that bugged him. I just think he's so much happier now. He really has total autonomy. As much as you can have as a college coach."

"The greatest thing about him is his whimsical child-like personality, but he's got a lot more dimension than people think," Perron said. "He's always had the fabric and textures of a man who really cares. But he's so smart."

"He's really smart," said Roby. "In high school, he never studied much, but he was smart."

"He's a hard-working guy and he's intelligent, but I think the thing that drives him is his joy of sports," said Macklin.

"...Competition is Pete's middle name," said Corsini.

"That's precisely right," Carroll said. "My whole life has been about competition. Trying to make the best of a situation. To me, that's competition."

Carroll told Albee his biggest regret at New England was in not installing himself as the defensive coordinator, which he did at USC.

"I'm more connected with the players," he said. "They kind of know how I am and what I'm about."

"For Pete to have a validation of that is a huge lovefest," Perron said. "Peace, love and happiness. That's the period he's living in now."

"The guy has nothing but fun," said Macklin. "Even in our own work, it's hard to keep that joy. He has a knack of keeping it fun for himself and it's a mystery."

Goin' Hollywood: believe the hype

The pre-season college football magazines usually come out around late May and June. They include _Athlon_ , _Street & Smith's, The Sporting News_ and others. Their rankings are invariably all over the map, because nobody _really_ knows. In 2004, _they all_ picked USC. They also listed their recruiting rankings, which are even more hit and miss. Not this year: USC, number one across the board.

_Sports Illustrated_ always gets it wrong, usually picking some offbeat contender like Auburn in 2003. In '04 they picked USC, which might have been cause of concern since their cover has been referred to as the _"Sports Illustrated_ jinx."

Everybody chose the Trojans.

The Heisman favorite? Same thing. It was not Jason White, the 2003 winner who immediately played a terrible game in the Sugar Bowl loss against LSU. That cost him. Now, somehow, he was a sixth-year senior (due to an earlier injury in his career), but he was seen as neither the top Heisman hopeful nor a pro prospect.

(After the season, he would not be drafted or even given an opportunity in the NFL.)

The Heisman Trophy favorite was also the man who most experts said would be the number one choice in the 2005 NFL draft if he chose to come out early: USC's junior signal-caller Matt Leinart. _ESPN the Magzine_ featured Leinart on the cover of its college football preview edition.

Of White, the magazine said, "Yes, OU's unstoppable passing game looked plenty stoppable in a 35-7 Big 12 championship drubbing by K-State and in a 21-14 Sugar Bowl loss to LSU. And yes, QB Jason White crashed hard, completing just 46 percent of his passes with four interceptions and seven sacks in those games. And yes, the Big12 media didn't pick White as the best QB in the conference (he tied with Missouri's Brad Smith)."

USC, on the other hand, was ranked number one and looked golden. The team, it said, was built for _this year_ , not last, when they finished number one!

"Free Mike Williams" was jokingly mentioned as a possible mantra at USC, but instead it was said to be "6-6," Carroll's 2001 record.

"Some guys here don't know what it's like to lose," said Leinart, who was on that 6-6 team. "It's our job to keep them hungry."

"Okay, we admit it," read the magazine's lead, "These pre-season rankings look a little familiar. USC's at the top, followed by Oklahoma... blah, blah, blah. Yes, the same dogs that woofed it up in January are barking again this August."

ESPN analyst (and former Georgia coach) Jim Donnan rated each team in a sidebar called, "Donnan Takes the Edge Off."

"To compete with the USC defense, your brain had better be as ready as your brawn," he wrote. "They use tons of multiple looks, especially with secondary blitzes from FS Jason Leach and CB Ronald Nunn (four combined sacks last year). Whatever you do, don't panic... It is tough enough to beat these guys, but if your team isn't composed, you will not have a chance."

The question was posed, "Is Mike Williams the difference between a repeat and a no-peat?" (Apparently, the magazine had not picked up on the obvious term re- _Pete_ ).

The answer to the Williams question, it was decided, was Reggie Bush and his 4.3 speed at running back, wideout and returner. USC said they wanted to triple his touches. Norm Chow, the magazine reported, visited St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz to learn how best to use a multi-talented running backs like Bush, in the style of Marshall Faulk. Shaun Cody was featured as one of the top defensive players.

But the big story, the cover boy, the headline maker, was Leinart: black hair, dark eyes, a little stubble on a chiseled face, tall and strong, a golden arm, the master of his universe. In other words, the very essence of what Central Casting would call for in a quarterback... or a leading man.

Make no mistake about it, that is what he was now, on and off the field. The rumors were flying. Leinart was seeing Jessica Simpson. Actually he was friends with Jessica's pop singer husband, Nick Lachey, a big USC football fan (or front-runner, at least).

Then he was dating cute-as-a-bug actress Alyssa Milano. Rumor had it that before it got started she dropped him. Apparently, this was Alyssa's _modus operandi_. She would be seen with some high-profile actor or athlete, then be off to the next port in a storm. The scoop was that she had done the same thing to Oakland A's ace lefty Barry Zito, who had been so "devastated" by the break-up that it affected his performance on the field for half a season, at the cost of a division title.

The papers could not help making note of the fact that Alyssa had a taste for tall left-handed Trojan athletes (Zito and Leinart). Whether any of this was really true or not was just speculation. Mandy Moore, another actress-singer cut out of the same cute-as-a-bug mold, parodied the syndrome herself on the HBO program, _Entourage_ in which she played herself as a fickle girlfriend going through various "flavor the day" guys, leaving the show's main character, Vince, "devastated" when she dumped him - like Zito?

At USC, which ESPN Hollywood once called the "University of Sexy Chicks," Matt Leinart saw girls as cute as Mandy Moore and Alyssa Milano just walking from the locker room at Heritage Hall to Howard Jones Field. These girls had a lot less baggage, too.

Whether the stories of Leinart's increasingly legendary prowess with girls was rooted in fact or not, either way he was focused when it came to football. He worked hard, he was a leader of men, and he was all about winning.

Bruce Feldman's long, in-depth _ESPN the Magazine_ article about Leinart painted a picture of the artist as a young quarterback, a guy with a mind that allowed him to see things - openings, defensive shifts, "vivid images" - that other players were clueless about.

His coaches ran out of superlatives describing him. His teammates were in awe of him. Opponents feared him like out-numbered _Werhmacht_ looking at Ike's D-Day machine descending on the Normandy Beaches.

Chow, who Feldman wrote, "grooms QBs the way MIT cranks out physicists," said Leinart's mind was "perfect." His mother said he had a photographic memory.

"I just blow the horn," jazz great Miles Davis once said. Leinart just shrugged, saying the game "slowed down" for him, the way Haden described the final drive against Ohio State in the 1975 Rose Bowl.

Peyton Manning had "it." Ryan Leaf did not. Chow said Leinart definitely had "it."

"Some people have it and some people don't," said Leinart. "I guess I just process stuff differently. But really, it's never been something I've worked on."

Leinart's dad, Bob, who played baseball at Loyola Marymount, told Feldman about a Mustang League World Series duel between Matt and a kid from Puerto Rico. He described the Puerto Rican as "a guy who looks like Cerrano from _Major League_." After 15 pitches his son won the match-up by taking "just a touch off it," which describes many of his passes. "Cerrano" flailed in vain for the game-ending strike three.

Bruce Rollinson, Mater Dei's coach, recalled trailing mighty De La Salle, 21-0 in the first half of the biggest high school game of 2000, maybe the decade. Leinart of course led the Monarchs back, "going passing league" as Rollinson said in reference to their seven-on-seven summer program. 400 yards and four touchdowns later Leinart had the big Edison Field crowd going bonkers before the kick failed. The Spartans winning streak stayed intact, but his quarterback's winning imprimatur was secure.

Rollinson showed a replay of that game to Leinart in the spring of 2003. Leinart, by his own admission, was "terrible," in danger of losing the job to a laundry list of former prep All-Americans named Booty, Cassel, Hance and Hart.

Carroll revealed that it was Hance, the Taft _wunderkind_ with Big 10 experience, who might be the safest replacement for Palmer. But it was Leinart who Carroll ultimately chose. He was his first choice and his best choice. Call it luck, call it instinct, but a lot of coaches would have made the wrong call. **Three national championships** later it is hard to be more right than Carroll turned out to be!

Against Arizona State, "The rest of the team wrote him off when they spied him in the locker room at halftime, sitting on a training table with his face in his hands," Feldman wrote.

Carroll saw the X-rays: negative. His guy had a badly bruised knee, a high-ankle sprain, and a limp. Carroll had an instinct. In the movie _Miracle_ , U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) has a player in great pain at halftime of an early round contest at Lake Placid. Further playing time, while painful, would not cause further damage. Brooks challenged the kid, called him a "candy ass," told him to act "like a hockey player."

The kid, incensed at the threat to his macho sense of himself, explodes in range and has to be held back by his teammates from going after Brooks. The coach just walks out of the room muttering to his assistant coach, "That oughtta fire 'em up." The assistant smiles at this "crazy like a fox" approach. The kid plays, more determined to show the coach than he is with his pain. The team rallies to win.

Whether Carroll had seen this movie, which came out in February of that year, is not revealed.

"If you limp, you're not playing." Carroll said to him. Leinart gritted his teeth, put the pain "up in his attic," and hit his first three passes in the second half. 27 unanswered points: Trojans. 37-17. His teammates knew he was not a pretty boy, a Tinsel Town guy, a party kid, girl crazy.

"After the game, teammates raved about Matt's toughness and effort," wrote Feldman. "They even started calling him Lion Heart."

Matt was not a Hollywood character, but his life was becoming a movie. But where did "it" come from? At age nine, father Bob "died" on a hospital operating table. Matt prayed and stayed strong for his mother. Miraculously - and miracles _do_ happen - Bob came back. Now, every Wednesday afternoon he made the drive from Santa Ana to L.A. to have lunch with Matt. They had only missed one lunch. The week of the Cal loss.

"We didn't miss one after that," Leinart said.

Matt's field vision? Maybe it was a matter of turning a liability into a plus. He had grown up cross-eyed. In adjusting to the problem, in overcoming it, maybe he had created an extra-sensory ability to see the field of play as it developed in front of him.

Leinart suffered an arm injury as a freshman at Mater Dei. It forced Leinart to live without sports for a year, missing his chance to lead the Mater Dei varsity as a sophomore, the ultimate fantasy for a 15-year old. Two effects: he learned there is more to life than playing games, and that he wanted to play the games.

Matt Grootegoed stepped forward to take his place, but Leinart fended that challenge off. _You can play running back and safety, dude, but quarterback...that's mine!_

Matt's ability to play well in hostile environments, with loud crowds, crazy-ass linebackers pretending that he had stolen their sister's milk money and _now you're gonna pay, motherf----r!_ His mom thinks being razzed as a kid for wearing thick glasses hardened him. The perfect preparation for what he now had to deal with. It had bothered him, but he never showed any sign of it.

Now, the "ugly duckling" was the beautiful swan. Those kids who razzed him could only look on in envy when Leinart arrived at the Playboy Mansion as part of the magazine's popular annual pre-season All-American and Top 20 edition

The photo shoot showed Leinart prominently sitting in a chair, out in front of the rest of the team. It was noteworthy that the _Playboy_ selection, the most prestigious of the pre-season teams, chose Leinart as their quarterback, not the returning senior Heisman winner, Jason White.

Other Trojans included punter Tom Malone and lineman Shaun Cody. _Playboy_ football expert Gary Cole predicted the Trojans would be number one again. He saw LSU at number two, with Oklahoma at number seven. Pac 10 rival California was number nine.

"Thanks to fourth-year coach Pete Carroll's stellar recruiting, tradition-rich USC is back as one of college football's perennial powerhouses," wrote Cole. "Quarterback Matt Leinart will put up Heisman-worthy numbers." The defense would be "dominant," and the team "doesn't have many" weaknesses.

The sportstalk shows - _Rome Is Burning_ , _Best Damn Sports Show, Period, Around the Horn_ , _Pardon the Interruption_ \- trumpeted not just the possibility that USC was in the middle of the best college dynasty ever, but that the team and its marquee names had achieved a level of name recognition and celebrity power never before achieved by a college.

Everybody said that Carroll and Leinart, and maybe even Bush, was a bigger name around town than any actor. The Lakers were down. Pro football had been gone for 10 years. USC _was_ L.A.'s "pro football" team! It was pointed out that in college towns like Baton Rouge, South Bend and Tuscaloosa, the local players were gods, but this could not compare with the true celebrity status USC had in the biggest glamour market in the world, _and they were college kids._ Then there was Carroll, who had ascended to heights of popularity that even John McKay never approached.

EA Sports came out with a popular college football game. Of course it featured Bush and Leinart.

The AP and _USA TODAY_ released their pre-season polls. There was no doubt: USC's the one!

With all the hoopla, all the hype, all the fanfare, there was only one thing left to do. Willie Mays once was asked, "Whose gonna win this year, Willie?"

"Hey, man," he said in that whiny voice of his, "that's why we play the games!"

Indeed, the _games_ would have to be played. 13 opponents would face Troy over the next four months. Every one of them was reading _Playboy, ESPN the Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Street & Smith's_. They heard all about the "unbeatable" Trojans, their celeb quarterback and New Age coach. They all circled the date of their respective games with USC as _the moment_ to achieve greatness, maybe for some the best window of opportunity ever presented to them.

As for USC, yes, they say they do not, but they too read their press clippings...and they believe them, because they _were_ that good. Now, to prove it.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

DYNASTY!

The best back-to-back national champions ever

John McKay used to say he wished he could play the first game as the third or fourth, instead. He wanted a nice, soft schedule so he could build his team's record and maintain high poll standing.

In recent years, most college programs have followed McKay's advice. U.C-Davis, Cal State Sacramento, Louisiana-Monroe, U.A.-Birmingham. These are just some of the weak sisters who regularly show up on the schedules of so-called "big time" programs. Not so at USC. Never has been.

In 2004, the Trojans outdid themselves, however. Maybe Carroll was taking this competition thing a bit too far. The team accepted an invitation to play Frank Beamer's always tough Virginia Tech Hokies in the Black Football Coaches Association Classic. It kicked off the season, the only game of the first weekend on Saturday, August 28. A night game at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, the home of the Washington Redskins. It was the featured attraction of ESPN's college football coverage.

As things developed, the Trojans might have been asking themselves if the appropriate people had done their homework. They found themselves in a sticky thicket. First of all, August in Landover, a D.C. suburb which in the summer is described as a "swamp," is nothing less than very hot and _very_ humid. It does not get like that in California.

Then, they might have asked if somebody should have looked at a map. The BCA Classic was supposed to be a "neutral" game. Yeah, right. Blacksburg, Virginia is just a few easy freeway hours from Landover. The state of Virginia is just a county over. It was a _home game for the Hokies_ , whose fans - _and there were more than 90,000 of them!_ \- can get, well, fired up!

Then there was Mike Williams. Just days before the opener with Virginia Tech, the Williams case was not settled. In a related matter, a Colorado football player named Jeremy Bloom was ruled ineligible by the NCAA. Bloom was a world champion freestyle moguls skier and 2002 Olympic champion. He accepted endorsements for skiing. The incongruity of the NCAA's logic remained baffling. Bloom's endorsements paled in comparison to huge bonuses paid to baseball players like John Elway and Drew Henson, who were free to play minor league ball - some for years - and then return as grizzled veterans driving their expensive sports cars back to campus for college football careers.

Carroll was utterly frustrated by the association.

"Even today there are still some holdups in the processing - not on our end," he said. "We have done all we can and we still can't get the word as to what is going on. It has been very, very difficult to get Mike back on the playing field.

"It has been extraordinarily frustrating for Mike and his family."

Williams began practice with the team in August, confident that he and the school had covered every base, but the NCAA told him to stop. In the mean time, began taking fall classes, which start in August at USC.

"Mike passed his units, got his coursework done," said Carroll. "Mike has done everything you can do to get himself back. It's been a very difficult process - it's just been hard. It's still very much in question."

Athletic director Tim Tessalone confirmed that some necessary paperwork was sent to the NCAA. As if making everybody wait and wait and wait was not bad enough, the NCAA in the end barred Williams from eligibility. The Trojans would have to go to war without one of their deadliest weapons.

The great Matt Leinart was not as great as he usually was, but to the forefront of collegiate football stepped the man they were calling "The President," because he shared the last name with the man in the White House.

"Bush carries Southern California," was ESPN's assessment after the game, in tune with the campaign theme of a hotly-contested election to be decided in a little over two months.

"Just his presence on the field was felt by the defense and he's a big weapon out there, so I had to step up and be a leader on this team and go out there and make plays and be a weapon all across the board," Bush said on _The History of USC Football_ DVD.

"Step up" he did. Bush caught three long touchdown passes from Leinart in a very hard-fought, comeback, 24-13 win. Considering all the hoopla, it was probably just the thing the team needed to get their minds right. Bush had 258 all-purpose yards (127 on receptions, 60 on punt returns, 44 on kickoff returns, 27 on rushes).

Tatupu intercepted a pass to put USC in position to score. Bush scampered 35 yards in the first quarter. Leinart struggled while Virginia Tech answered with a field goal and a touchdown to go into the locker room leading 10-7.

"We struggled at times but Reggie being the big player he is made big plays," recalled Leinart. "I just kind of got in a groove. I struggled in the first half a little bit. We were off our timing a little but. It was loud, I remember it being super loud, like 80,000 or the 90,000 people there were for Virginia Tech, so it was definitely a hostile environment, and I really believe that that game really prepared us for the whole game to do what we did. Playing a team like that that early, battling back from halftime, playing a championship caliber team playing in a BCS game that only had two losses the whole year, so it definitely helped us the rest of the year."

Virginia Tech was still winning late in the third quarter when Bush pulled in a 53-yard bomb to put Troy ahead, 14-10. The stubborn Hokies came back with a field goal to narrow it, 14-13 in the fourth quarter. The Trojans did not secure it until Leinart hit Bush on a 29-yard scoring strike. After Ronald Nunn's fumble recovery, Ryan Killeen iced it with a 41-yard field goal to make up for a first half miss.

Patterson and Bing were defensive standouts. All in all, Carroll and his team were happy to get out of Landover with their winning streak still going. They had trailed, they had not beaten the spread, and the question of whether they were truly the best team ever, better than the 1972 Trojans, was very much in doubt.

But they had two weeks off before taking on Colorado State at the Coliseum. 85,521 were on hand. It was nothing less than a show.

"The brochure that USC mailed out to season ticket holders trumpeted the Trojans as 'Still the Hottest Ticket in Town,' " wrote _L.A, Times_ writer Gary Klein, who covered the USC beat.

"Apparently, there is some truth in advertising."

White ran for four scores and 123 yards. Four interceptions spurred a 49-0 shutout before the ABC TV audience. Leinart hit 20-of-31 for 231 yards. Freshman Jeff Schweiger, defensive tackle Manuel Wright, linebacker Matt Grootegeod, cornerback Eric Wright and safety Jason Leach were all over the field. USC could have dictated the score. They held it down instead of running away with a 70-point win, which a lot of coaches would have done.

The same at Brigham Young, where USC rolled up 515 total yards, 278 on the ground (led by Bush with 124 and White with 110). Dwayne Jarrett came in to his own, overcoming his homesickness. Leinart was workmanlike (22-of-24, 236 yards, two scores). Tatupu was wherever the ball was. The rest of the defense, led by Cody, Grootegoed, Cody, Bing and cornerback Terrell Thomas created sacks, turnovers and opportunities.

There was no reason to believe the Stanford game would pose any troubles. The Cardinal under coach Buddy Teevens had some talented players, but not in USC's class. Instead, quarterback Trent Edwards looked like Joe Montana for a half. USC had to pull out all the stops.

Before half the crowd was even in the stadium, USC drove down the field to score on a 23-yard Killeen field goal. Kevin Arbet intercepted a pass, returned it 66-yards, and Smith caught a two-yarder for a touchdown to make it 10-0 USC. The Trojan fans who made the traditional Bay Area trip probably thought they were in for a trouncing. Maybe they could score 60 or 70? Maybe they could find a bar and watch the second half on WTBS. Maybe head up to San Francisco and see what's coookin' there.

As it turned out, USC and Stanford fans were stuck to their seats until the end. Troy needed every minute of this one to leave with a victory. After USC's fast start, Edwards engineered four straight scoring possessions. Stanford pulled out all the stops, including a fake field goal. Holder Kyle Matter, the guy many thought was better than Leinart when they were both Southland blue chippers in 2000, scampered 11 yards for the touchdown.

Trailing 21-10, Leinart led USC on a drive to pull close by halftime. Bush broke a tackle and went in from the 17. USC breathed easier. Stanford got the ball with seconds left. They decided to run out the clock. Somehow J.R. Lemon broke an 82-yard touchdown score to make it 11 again, 28-17 at the half.

Instead of panicking, Carroll just told his team, "Let's go take this piece by piece by piece and put this game back in our control. In the fourth quarter, that's when we're gonna get this done."

Stanford received the kick to start the second half. USC stiffened. Leinart led a methodical scoring drive to make it 28-24. Carroll solved Stanford's offense. In the fourth quarter, Bush returned a punt 33 yards, running all over the field. USC drove inexorably until, with a little over six minutes to go, White hugged the ball into the end zone to put Southern California ahead, 31-28.

Stanford was held again. Leinart controlled the game from then on out. USC got down within site of the Stanford goal. They could have scored to make it more impressive, but chose not to chance a fumble or interception. When the clock allowed it, Leinart just went to his knee. USC left with a win. They would not come up for air until a few days later.

"It was crazy, it was intense," Leinart said in the locker room.

"I just asked for 30 minutes of heart," Lofa Tatupu said he told his mates at the half. "That's what we got."

"In their minds, their young minds, there was no doubt," Carroll said. "The coach might have had a little bit."

"That was probably the most meaningful win of the season for us, because that was the game when we solidified who we were and what we were all about," Carroll said on _The History of USC Football_ DVD.

Given two weeks to prepare for a home game against Jeff Tedford, Aaron Rodgers and number seven Cal, it seemed the Trojans were on their way. The Golden Bears were unbeaten, but had a game at Southern Mississippi postponed until the end of the season because of a hurricane. Their early schedule was tepid.

Cal's special teams botched a punt. Patterson recovered a fumble. USC followed those opportunities with a touchdown and field goal to make it 10-0 after a quarter. It looked like Southern Cal's day.

90,008 were on hand on a perfect, sunny afternoon. The game was nationally televised. ESPN's "Game Day" crew did their show from the Coliseum. The hype was lived up to when Rodgers stormed California back. He led them on a drive resulting in a field goal. USC came back with a 39-yard field goal by Killeen. Rodgers got the ball back and hit Geoff MacArthur, a former L.A. prep star at Palisades High, for a touchdown. USC managed to squeeze a 42-yarder out of Killeen with only three seconds left in the half to make it 16-10.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter; Leinart to Jarrett from 16 out followed by Cal's Marshawn Lynch with a two-yard run. It was 23-17 USC, entering the fourth quarter.

Bush ran a kick back 84 yards, but Leinart was intercepted. On the game, White was held to 52 yards on the ground, Bush a mere 23. Cal's J.J. Arrington ran for 111 yards. Leinart was 15-of-24 for just 164 yards.

Rodgers completed an NCAA record 23 straight passes, but Carroll's defense kept him to short yardage, 267 yards total. Rodgers out-played Leinart, putting his name in the Heisman conversation. Cal out-played USC, but Tedford did not out-coach Carroll. The game was won by a "bend but don't break" defense. They gave Rodgers a little but would not yield a lot. They were strong in the all-important "red zone," and SC's special teams made the difference.

When it was all said and done, it was defense at the goal line that won the game. With 1:47 to play, Rodgers had Cal on the USC nine, first-and-goal. Manuel Wright sacked him. Rodgers, despite completing 23 straight earlier, could not get it in the end zone when it mattered. On a fourth down play for all the marbles, Rodgers's pass into the end zone could not connect with well-defended receivers. Southern Cal had a desperate 23-17 win.

Lost in the hoopla over Rodgers's great performance was the fact he was sacked five times and lost two fumbles. It was the highest-rated Cal team to play at USC since 1952, when Pappy Waldorf's number four Bears lost, 10-0. It reminded people of the 1951 game, when USC and Frank Gifford traveled to Berkeley, beating number one-ranked Cal, 21-14. It was the first time since 1968 that both teams were ranked when they played each other.

"Obviously there was a lot of hype going into that game," said Leinart on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. " It was kind of a revenge game for us; I wasn't really thinking like that but inside of everyone else including the coaches we just wanted that game bad, and I just remember it was a battle from the get-go. I mean we got on 'em early, we got up 14-0 or seven or something like that, and the defense was playing good, but the one thing was they kept the ball so often and kept the defense on the field so long, and we kept going three-and-out, four-and-out, and the defense was getting tired and all that, and it came down to the last series of the game - back and forth, back and forth - and then four plays on the nine-yard line. With a potent offense like that, with a smart offense, it's like, this is gonna be tough. I remember just sitting on the sidelines just thinking to get ready for a two-minute drill and try to score and get the game, but our defense; the first play we had a chance, the second play, now get down to the third and fourth play, you're getting down, it's critical, the two biggest plays of the year, and we stop 'em."

There was just as much hype the following week. Number 15 Arizona State came to the Coliseum with a 5-0 record. The week of the game, John Kerry and George W. Bush debated each other on the Arizona State campus. Fox News reported that as big a deal as the Presidential debate was, the game was just as important to Sun Devil fans.

A lot of them made the seven-hour drive from Tempe. A second straight sell-out crowd (90,211) and an ABC TV audience watched Southern California dismantle ASU, 45-7. Leinart threw four touchdown passes. It was 14-0 USC after the first quarter, 42-0 at the half. Again, as is his style, Carroll eased it up.

Grootegoed made an interception. Sartz and Bing combined for 13 tackles between them. Leinart passed for 224 yards before giving way to Cassel. Bush hit one trick play for a 52-yard pass. Arizona State's Andrew Walter was held to 181 yards in the air.

"The crowd and the players together played the first game series," Carroll said. "From then on we didn't look back."

Washington came to the Coliseum in the middle of a very down year. The rise of USC may well have had a more negative effect on the Husky program than any other in the conference. Traditionally, Washington recruits heavily in Southern California. If they are unable to attract blue chippers from the Southland who choose SC instead, it spells trouble. They also shot themselves in the foot with bad coaching moves and Rick Neuheisel's ill-conceived gambling lottery adventure.

It was just more of the same, with Leinart hitting for two and White running for two more. USC allowed only 113 yards to shut out Washington, 38-0. Frostee Rucker recovered a fumble. Grootegoed made two tackles for losses. Keith Rivers asserted himself with an interception and four stops. Leinart passed for 217 yards before handing it to Cassel.

Unlike Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, who the previous year routinely ran up scores pad Jason White's statistics, Carroll continued to stay on a classy course despite the fact his team could dictate the score of games.

Bush caught six passes for 41 yards. Dominique Byrd had five for 57.

At Pullman, the beat went on with Bush and White both scoring twice. Leinart hit Jarrett for two more. In taking a 21-0 first quarter lead, Cody and Patterson created defensive opportunities. After scoring on its first drive of the third quarter, it was another "slow it down" decision by Carroll. USC did not score again. In judging the great teams in history, particularly high-scoring juggernauts like the 1995 Cornhuskers, who loved laying 70 on hapless opponents with big fourth quarters, it is very important to note the way Carroll chose to go about things. Considering he had not one but _two_ Heisman candidates who could benefit from late-game statistic padding, it is even more impressive.

In 2004 in fact, Texas Tech's high-powered aerial offense scored 70 _on Nebraska_. Tech coach Mike Leach was asked about running it up on those poor old Cornhuskers. He was more than willing to point out that Tom Osborne's teams did that with impunity. Out in L.A., Pete Carroll and his Trojans just regally stood above such mundanities.

Bush had 143 all-purpose yards with impressive punt returns. Leinart was almost perfect at 23-of-28. Hershel Dennis got a chance to carry the ball, making 55 yards. Tatupu, Grootegoed and Patterson dominated. USC, 42-12.

"I'm a kid from San Diego," Bush said afterwards, in reference to the cold. "I can't wait to get out of here."

Bush had to face more cold and fog in a night game the next night at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. It did not bother Carroll, who grew up with fog in San Francisco.

"This is fantastic," he said while tossing a football around before the game with his son, Brennan.

Byrd caught two scoring passes from Leinart while Bush made a scoring punt return for the second straight week to lead USC to a hard-earned 28-20 win over Oregon State. Derek Anderson threw for 330 yards, 119 to Mike Hass. The Beavers led 13-0 before Byrd's fist touchdown catch in the second quarter.

Tatupu's interception in the third quarter set up Byrd's 25-yard touchdown catch. USC scored 20 straight points before a late-game Beaver touchdown narrowed the final to 28-20. Byrd had seven receptions for 85 yards. White rushed for 116, Bush for 88, and Leinart passed for 205.

"It was a horrible, cold, foggy night," recalled the _Orange County Register's_ Steve Bisheff on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. _"_ You couldn't even see the field from the press box part of the time. You know, you're on the road, most teams are just like, 'We had a bad night, that's it, we're gonna lose' - but there's something about a Pete Carroll team. They play in the second half, they make adjustments, they always play better, almost in every game, you watch 'em over a full season, they're always the better team in the second half."

It was around this point of the season when HBO's _Real Sports_ with Bryant Gumbel did a feature on Carroll

"He's Marin County cool with tofu sticking out from the side of his mouth," Gumbel said.

"I never liked tofu," said Carroll, expressing mild annoyance at these kinds of characterizations.

A shot of Carroll jumping off the diving board at USC's McDonald's Swim Center, in response to a challenge met by his team, was the nexus of the story. USC's coach had found a new way, a different system; a paradigm shift in the way success can be achieved in the game of football.

In comparing USC's teams under Carroll, the 2004 version - the one that might have been the best ever up that point - was probably not as strong as the 2003 version; maybe not as good, in the last seven games at least, as the 2002 team. But they were holding onto glory with every fiber of their being, refusing to let go. It was a wild ride.

Arizona came to the Coliseum and fell, 49-9. White scored three times. Leinart throwing for three more. Jarrett caught two TD passes. The Homecoming win clinched the Pac 10 title and a Rose Bowl berth, but USC was set on the BCS Orange Bowl for the national championship.

USC toyed with the Wildcats for a while, letting them make a first quarter field goal for a 3-0 lead. Then Troy scored 14 in the second, 21 in the third and 14 in the fourth quarters. Fullback David Kirtman emerged to score a touchdown. Desmond Reed and Jarrett show dazzling ability on a 55-yard reverse from Reed to Jarrett. Dennis got in and scored a touchdown.

USC had 558 yards in total offense. White had 119 yards, while Leinart hit 27-of-35 for 280 yards. Brandon Hance relieved him. Byrd made eight catches. On defense Tatupu, defensive end Lawrence Jackson and cornerback Justin Wyatt were big-play makers.

Dominating Notre Dame: "Thunder and Lightning," Heisman secures the Heisman

The Trojans held the number one spot in the AP and _USA TODAY_ /ESPN polls since the pre-season. They had in fact been ranked number one since the end of the 2003 regular season, through the bowls, and on into 2004. They were approaching the all-time record of 20, held by Miami from 2000-2002, followed by Notre Dame from 1989-90, and then by the 1972-73 Trojans (17).

Notre Dame arrived and 92,611 sat in a slight drizzle. It was a night game at the Coliseum, nationally televised on ABC. For the second time ESPN's _College GameDay_ broadcast from outside the stadium.

If there was any doubt Matt Leinart was deserving of the Heisman, like Palmer in 2002 he sealed the deal with his best game ever against Notre Dame. He hit five touchdown passes and 400 yards on 24-of-34 passing in a dominating 41-10 trouncing. It "left no doubt" who the best team in the land was, at least until the bowls. It was USC's 20th straight win and 21st in a row at home. They were 11-0.

After fiddling around for a while, as occasionally was their wont, SC scored 38 straight points. Jarrett caught two scoring strikes. By this point in the season, people were calling White and Bush "Thunder and Lightning." Bush scored on a 69-yard pass, catch and run. USC had 488 total yards. Tatupu, Grootegoed and Cody stopped Notre Dame and their quarterback, Brady Quinn, all day.

In USC's last home game of the season, they set a season record for attendance, with a Pac 10 per-game record average of 82,229.

The UCLA game showed that Leinart's Heisman competition would not just be Oklahoma's Jason White and Adrian Petersen. Reggie Bush would be one of his main rivals for the award. On December 4 before a sold-out Rose Bowl crowd of 88,442 and another national television audience, Bush put himself on the cover of _Sports Illustrated_ with two dazzling touchdowns, 335 all-purpose yards, including 204 on the ground. Bush went down in USC-UCLA history along with O.J. Simpson. He made 65-yard and 81-yard touchdown runs. He added 73 yards on six catches, 39 on kickoff returns and 19 on two punt returns. His combination of running and kick returning was reminiscent of Anthony Davis's great 1972 and 1974 games against Notre Dame.

USC had a total of 477 total yards. White rushed for 75. Leinart connected on 24-of-34 for 242 yards. Dwayne Jarrett caught five passes. Lofa Tatupu made 10 tackles. UCLA's Drew Olson was 20-of-34 for 278 yards. His touchdown pass to Marcedes Lewis late in the game created some Trojan tension, though. Visions of an on-side kick followed by a "Miracle in the Arroyo Seco," which Bruin fans could talk about until 2099, did not happen. USC won, 29-24 to remain number one heading into the BCS national championship game.

"You knew it was a tough game, they played us a lot harder," Bush said on _The History of USC_ DVD. "We didn't expect 'em to come out and play us as hard as they did, but it was a great game from the start to the end and it was a part of history. It sent us on our way to the national championship."

The next week the "perfect season" got more perfect. Ranked number one in both polls from the pre-season to the end of the regular season, USC was also ranked first in the each of BCS computer rankings that surface after seven weeks.

They would face Oklahoma, number two in both polls every week, as well as in the BCS computers. The FedEx Orange Bowl would feature two unbeaten, untied teams with storied traditions.

In addition, an added element created extra excitement. The five Heisman finalists at New York's Downtown Athletic Club included two Trojans (Leinart and Bush) and two Sooners, quarterback Jason White and freshman running back sensation Adrian Peterson.

As if there was not enough serendipity in the room, the fifth contender was Bush's teammate from Helix High School in La Mesa, California: Utah quarterback Alex Smith.

Smith was a junior, expected to come out early for the NFL draft. At that point, many felt Leinart would do the same. The general feeling among experts like Mel Kuiper Jr. was that if this occurred, Leinart would go number one with Smith number two or lower.

In the end, Leinart won the Heisman balloting in a landslide. This meant the winner, the runner-up (Peterson) and four of the top five finalists would face each other in the national championship game on January 4 in Miami.

There have been many great games played over the years. Some would live up to the hype, some would not. When it came to pre-game expectations, the 2005 Orange Bowl was far and away the most anticipated, built-up game ever played by college teams.

Leinart, who along with Carroll, Bush and the team was walking on water in Los Angeles, somehow managed to stay focused.

"I really accepted that award as part of the team," Leinart said modestly on _The History of USC Football_ DVD. " Obviously it's mine and I get recognized, but I don't think I could have done it without my teammates, and I think any passing quarterback will tell you that they needed their guys around them to do that. I think it will mean more to me when I get older, but it's just a very special thing to be a part of, not a lot of people can do it, there's only been 72 winners. Not a lot can say they're part of that. It's definitely changed my life, but I think it's gonna mean more to me in 20 or 30 years, when I'm looking back, because now I'm a kid and it's just a reward I got this past season."

USC 55, Oklahoma 19: "It's the greatest performance I've ever seen" - Lee Corso

Carroll prepared his team for Miami in perfect fashion. He let his charges go home for Christmas. Freshman Fred Davis stayed a day too long in Ohio. He was not at a mandatory team meeting because of it. Davis was not a major player on the team. He came to USC as one of the most prized receivers in the nation, an absolute blue chip All-American. He would have started almost anywhere in the nation. He had discovered at USC the roster was filled with talent at his level or beyond.

Still, he had years ahead of him, years in which he could compete for national championships and All-American plaques. Carroll laid out his rules. Davis failed to comply. Carroll told Davis he would not be making the trip to Miami, a very difficult choice for the coach and disappointment for the player.

This incident is very telling when it comes to Pete Carroll. The "players' coach," the "soft" coach, the New Age mystic from "I'm OK, you're OK" Marin who liked to have fun, joke around, not employing Frank Kush-style discipline, indeed was as hard as nails on those who disappointed him.

The Fred Davis incident, just like the benching of Hershel Dennis and the season-long sidelining of Winston Justice, was proof positive that Carroll would not go the route of Tom Osborne. Osborne played perennially criminal running back Lawrence Phillips. Even Joe Paterno played quarterback Rashard Casey after a brush with the law prior to the 2000 Kickoff Classic against USC.

The list was endless: coaches who looked the other way. Not Carroll. Yes, it is true, he had so much talent he could afford to do it right. Without Dennis, he still had Bush and White. Without Justice, he still had Fred Matua, John Drake and Ryan Kalil. Without Davis, he still had Dominique Byrd.

According to unconfirmed rumors, ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso got his start under Amos Alonzo Stagg, sometime around 1920. Okay, that is an exaggeration, but the man has been around, as has Keith Jackson and Beano Cook.

Beano thought the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers were the best team he ever saw. Keith Jackson said it was the 1972 Trojans.

In 2004, Corso went on record saying that the greatest _single performance in a game_ that he ever saw was USC's 55-19 annihilation of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. "Big Red" faithful point to the 62-24 win over Steve Spurrier and Florida in the 1996 national title game. They have a point. Spurrier's team would rebound from it and win the 1996 national championship themselves.

Whether Corso or 'Husker fans or Cooke is right, the fact is that what the University of Southern California did to Oklahoma was a game for the ages, one of the most dominating if not the most dominating performance - certainly considering the opponent, the setting and the stakes - ever. In SC annals, it ranks with the 55-24 win over Notre Dame in 1974. While the game was important for other reasons, it is to be included with the 42-21 win at Alabama in 1970.

"Looking at them on film I thought that was probably the best defense we faced on film; the fastest, athletic, big, and not intimidating, but just killing everybody they faced, and the hype was this is the greatest game ever, two teams are gonna face off and everyone wanted to see it, and had waited for this game for two years," Leinart said on _The History of USC_ DVD. "And they finally got it, and I just think we were more mentally prepared than they were, and they came out fast and scored and we came out and got a turnover here and there and they were just in shock, they didn't think it was gonna happen. We kept pounding on 'em, kept crushin' 'em, until they just couldn't breathe anymore and they gave up in the second quarter and we just kept playing the way we knew how. Really, we expected to play like we did, we knew we were gonna beat 'em, but we knew it was gonna be a tough challenge, and it was still a tough game, just not as tough as we had thought."

"It was surprising," said Bush. "It was for the national championship, you expect to see the best from both teams so it was a great game in the first half, it was a pretty solid game, things didn't look out of order, but in the second half we just came out and we were stronger even than in the first half, it was definitely a shock to me. I did expect it to be a closer game, but sometimes things just work out like that."

"You can't do that, you can't dream about winning a national championship and making it happen," said Carroll. "You have to work at it every single day that you're out here and apply yourself really with tremendous focus. There's so many distractions and so many issues that you deal with, from the media, from inside, from outside, from every direction, that if you don't have an approach on how to handle it I think you're gonna get knocked off, you're gonna be like other teams that have struggled through that kind of notoriety. I think we've become comfortable with that, with this position, where it's normal to be in this position, to be the number one team and to have guys in the Heisman race and all the pomp and hype that goes with that. We've taken and embraced that opportunity, to be comfortable there, and that's really important. If you're all full of yourself and you're all jacked up about your last win, you're gonna go up and down. We try to stay steady about each game and each challenge that we meet and not get too full of ourselves, too full of the situation, too full of the polls or the hype or any of that stuff. Our ability to hold our position is our biggest challenge, and if we can hold on to that then we have a chance to be here for a long time."

Hal Bedsole: "Well, first of all, I think Coach Carroll is one of the great people that I've ever met at this university. I happen to love Pete Carroll. I love his attitude, I love his philosophy. I would give anything to have the opportunity to play for him."

Charles White: "This great institution has always gotten it done on the field and in the classroom, and for a period of time it was like, we got to bring back that glory, that mystique, that history, that tradition."

Pat Haden: "I didn't think anything would ever resurrect the program, not because you don't have good coaches and good players, but because the NCAA rules had changed. Scholarship limits, for example. I thought SC would be good but couldn't dominate. I was completely surprised, happily, by what Pete Carroll and his staff have done here. At USC over the past four years, particularly the last three years, and I say these last three years have been the best."

J.K. McKay: "It's great for all of us. The great thing with my class is, my class when I was here is, we always had bragging rights, whenever there was a reunion we always had two national championships, so we stepped to the front of the line, so to speak. Now this class has the opportunity to put up three national championships that would move them right to the front of the line, if they're not already there."

Carroll: "To be able to represent them and be able to make them feel good about it is hard for me to describe. It's connected and sharing the pride they have felt and give them the sense of feeling so good about where they've come from. It's going beyond that too, it's also connecting with the alums that have been here in the past and knew the championship years and talked about it with their kids and their grandkids and said, 'This is what it used to be like.' For them to able to say and point the finger and say, 'This is what I was telling you about, this is what I was telling you. This is how it was,' and to see their kids get to share in the fun, in their accomplishments, it's the most rewarding aspect of all of this, it's been a very special part of this whole thing. That's why it's so important to keep working hard, to keep pressing and pushing to keep it going so we can share this as long as we can hold on to it."

Vince Evans: "I was a young kid coming from Greensboro, North Carolina watching USC play UCLA for a berth in the Rose Bowl. USC was losing at the time, they hand the ball off to this pretty good back they had at the time named O.J. Simpson, and he runs 64 yards for a score, and the crowd went _nuts_. But what captivated me was this white horse with a Trojan on it galloping around the field, and the people are _just going crazy_ , and I'm a kid looking at this; never been out of the state of North Carolina before, but I said - and I watched a lot of games, but there was something about that run, about the enthusiasm of the crowd, and the colors and all of that just captivated me 3,000 miles away - and I told my dad, 'I'm going to that school.'

"He said, 'Boy, you've lost your mind.' But when I finally got here I knew that what I saw from 3,000 miles away, what that was, and when I stepped on campus there was an _aura_ \- a uniqueness that was steeped in tradition; heritage, winning and just an _air_ that was on the University, and I don't know how to explain it, I know that it's here and guys embrace it. And you can go into the NFL and you can be in other parts of the country and people recognize that thing. It's that thing we have, and yes, it is refreshing and really outstanding to see that tradition and that sort of thing sort of coming back under the headline of Pete Carroll."

Charles White: "We were staying at South Beach there, and that's where the Oklahoma fans were. Me and my buddy wanted to go out to a little bar, close by and stuff, so we get there and it's packed with a bunch of Oklahoma Sooner fans, and I have my USC hat and jacket on, and their fans were just like, 'We can't wait...we're gonna kick your...you know' - and I'm like, yeah, well, okay we'll see - but they did have some good Oklahoma women in there, oh my goodness...

"But you know it was just shocking. We had a good time, it wasn't more than verbal or a fight, it was just people having fun. I just say, 'Tomorrow we'll tell what you guys are made of.'

"I went in the SC locker room and they had a stare in that room; no way we're gonna lose this game. We're gonna do something special. As an ex-player I can feel that energy.

"After the game I call my friend Billy Sims, the '78 Heisman winner from OU, and Steve Owens, and they'd talked a lot of stuff, so I call 'em and say, 'Whaddaya think, guys, of our program now?' and I just took it with a grain of salt."

In a matter relating to White's _tete a tete_ with Sooner fans in South Beach, one OU football booster said something that is interesting. It tells much about the Trojan character and sense of class.

"I was in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl between OU and LSU in January 2004," he said. "That whole week in the French Quarter, we'd run into LSU fans, and it was a donnybrook. Fights, foul language, insulting each other's women. These LSU fans would just go around saying, 'Tiger meat, Tiger meat!' like they had nothing more intelligent to say. It was mean spirited from both sides.

"The next year, I was at the BCS Orange Bowl, OU vs. USC. These SC people were a whole different breed. Beautiful women, well dressed, professional demeanor, classy. We'd run into them and they'd just tell us how much they admired our team, thought Jason White was a fine quarterback, how much respect they had for Sooner football tradition. On and on like that. We're exchanging business cards, they were just as nice as can be. USC has class!"

Yes, they do.

Bob Stoops could see it all unraveling when his own players started to open their mouths, thus providing perfect bulletin board material for Troy. Defensive end Larry Birdline of OU said that "beyond Bush they're an average team...Leinart's definitely overrated."

Of Taitusi Lutui, Birdline mispronounced his name as _Pitooie_ , saying, "He's strong, but he may not be as strong as other guys I've seen. If God blesses me with three sacks, so be it."

USC wore home red, Oklahoma road whites. USC was favored to win by only and a point and a half to two points. Before the game, in the privacy of a meeting room, Ed Orgeron, dispensed with diplomacy while looking at video clips

"He ain't gonna block Mike Patterson," Orgeron said of Sooner center Vince Carter.

When the game started, Leinart tried to draw Birdline out with verbal taunts. Alex Holmes blocked him with one arm.

"I was blocking him with one arm and telling him, 'You're not going anywhere, buddy,' " said Holmes. When USC went up 45-10, Holmes asked Birdline, "Is he still overrated?"

For the record, USC beat Oklahoma 55-19, behind the performance of game MVP Matt Leinart, who was 18-of-35 for 332 yards and five touchdowns. The statistics of the game do not lie. The greater meaning of what happened at Pro Player Stadium is that USC achieved Carroll's admonition to "leave no doubt!" that they were without question the finest team in the land. Beyond, the Trojans reached for and made a bid for history; they put themselves on that short list of teams who must be mentioned when historians argue "who is the best single-season team ever?"

Furthermore, when combined with the 2003 juggernaut (not to mention the 2002 "best in the country if there had been a play-off" team), Troy established themselves as the best back-to-back national championship team of all time.

USC trailed a few teams at times during the season. They got more than "pushed," which was the word Pat Haden used to describe the best any opponent could do against the1972 Trojans (arguably the Stanford game, 30-21, and the Oregon game, 18-0). SC had not beaten the spread every time. They had to rally against Stanford, hold off Cal. An honest assessment of this team may possibly reveal that the '72 Trojans and 1995 Cornhuskers are better. Maybe.

The harder argument would be to find a _dynasty_ greater than Carroll's Trojans from 2002-04. Leahy's Irish in the '40s, Wilkinson's Sooners in the '50s, Jones's 1930s Thundering Herd. It is a short list. USC can make a valid argument with any of them. Alabama fans would point to their "back-to-back national championships" in 1964-65. Pointing out that the '64 Tide lost their bowl game ends that argument with a loud slam of the door. The 1978-79 Tide makes a better case.

77,912 people were at Pro Player Stadium, a national audience tuned in to ABC. What _they_ saw was the greatest team most of them ever have or ever will see. As they scratched their head walking out, the realization that the team was still quite young and mostly returning in 2005 made them realize they had seen something unprecedented.

This was USC's 11th national championship. It was only the second team to hold the number one ranking from the pre-season through the bowls, and the sixth to hold it from game one to the bowls. They were the 10th team to win repeat AP national championships, but only eight of those were legitimate, either claiming titles when the polls were taken before bowl games they lost, or teams on probation. The "real" repeaters were Minnesota (1940-41), Army (1944-45), Notre Dame (1946-47), Oklahoma (1955-56), Nebraska (1970-71), Alabama (1978-79) and Nebraska (1994-95).

Prior to the AP, USC had done it in 1931-32, and Alabama from 1925-26. Minnesota also made a claim.

The 55 points tied the most ever allowed by Oklahoma, who four years earlier sat atop the college football world while USC was 5-7. Now, the chasm between their 12-1 record and USC's 13-0 was as wide as the Grand Canyon. They would not recover easily.

SC scored 38 points off OU turnovers. Steve Smith caught three scoring passes. Incredibly, OU had USC worried early when White drove them 92 yards for the first score to make it, 7-0, Sooners. Southern California just came right back down the field until Leinart hit Byrd, who made an absolutely spectacular one-handed catch for a 33-yard strike to even it up. SC scored 28 unanswered points.

Trojan safety Josh Pinkard recovered a botched Oklahoma punt. LenDale White just ran it in from the six to make it 14-7. Jason Leach then intercepted a Jason White pass. Leinart nailed Jarrett on a 54-yard bomb. 21-7. Cornerback Eric Wright picked White. Three plays later Leinart hit Smith from the five. 28-7, 9:17 to play in the half.

Oklahoma managed a field goal, so USC just responded by scoring on four plays, with Leinart hitting Smith for another one of those one-handers from the 33. After Grootegoed recovered a fumble, Ryan Killeen made a 44-yard field goal with three seconds left to send Troy into the locker room leading 38-10.

The game was over. The only "bad" news for Southern California was that they won so convincingly people looking for competition did not see much of their second half, which was as impressive as the first.

The Trojans took the ball down the field on their first third quarter possession, until Leinart hit Smith again from the four. After holding Oklahoma, they got it back and set up a 42-yard Killeen field goal. Unrelenting, they stuffed the Sooners, got it back, and marched down the field in five plays. White powered it in against a helpless Sooner defense.

USC went to their reserves, the ultimate insult. The Trojans gained 525 total yards, averaging 8.3 a play. They had no turnovers. White rushed for 115 yards on 15 carries, Bush for 75 yards and 149 all-purpose yards. He made two catches for 31 yards.

Lofa Tatupu made 12 tackles, Darnell Bing 10 and Grootegoed had seven. OU's White threw three interceptions, making some yards against fourth quarter reserves. Adrian Peterson was held to 82 yards.

Glory days

On the morning of January 5, 2005, USC fans, students, and alumni awoke bathed in glory.

"Conquest!" was the one-word headline in a special _Los Angeles Times_ Orange Bowl section, complete with gorgeous color photos depicting what may have been the greatest, most complete victory in school history. A photo of Leinart holding his finger in the "number one!" sign was accompanied by the caption: "LIVING UP TO THE HYPE."

"It was a perfect way to end a perfect season," wrote _Times'_ USC beat writer Gary Klein from Miami.

"USC players stood joyously atop a stage on the field at Pro Player Stadium on Tuesday night taking turns cradling the crystal football that is awarded to the bowl championship series champion.

"They had showed the college football establishment that they had no equal. That they deserved to stand alone."

"I think we proved tonight that we're the number one team in the country - without a doubt," said Leinart, who set an Orange Bowl record with his five touchdowns

USC's 22nd victory in a row "came so convincingly against the previously unbeaten Sooners," that it "surprised even Coach Pete Carroll."

"We wanted to see if we could make them look like everyone else," said Carroll, who was now 36-3 with three BCS bowl game victories in the last three seasons. "I was surprised it happened as quickly as it did."

"We thought we could get the ball downfield against them," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "Matt was as sharp as a tack."

Sophomore tailback LenDale White showed no pain from the high ankle sprain that prevented him from practicing during the week. Glena Carroll reportedly said a "prayer" for his ankle. In keeping with USC's sense of exceptionalism, this earned her the sobriquet, "Our Lady of the Lobby."

"It was important to come out and make a name for ourselves," said tackle Sam Baker. "To do it in this fashion, to leave no doubt, that's awesome."

"We knew where he was going to throw it every time," cornerback Eric Wright said of Jason White.

Peterson's longest gain covered nine yards.

"The quarterback had a couple of big plays - that was OK - we were not going to let Adrian Peterson run on us," Ed Orgeron said.

Tom Malone's kick rolled inside the Oklahoma five-yard line. OU's Mark Bradley tried to field it amid a swarm of USC players, with Collin Ashton knocking the ball loose so Josh Pinkard could recovered it at the six. Bradley shrugged.

"Just a bonehead mistake," he said. "I have to live with it."

"I was as shocked as everybody in the stadium," said Stoops.

"This is the way to go out," said Orgeron, who was leaving to take over at the University of Mississippi. "Four years ago, when Pete came in, we set out to get the job done. We did."

The front page of the _L.A. Times_ depicted Byrd's spectacular one-handed touchdown catch with the caption: "No doubt."

The paper's other SC beat writer, David Wharton, wrote an article entitled, "USC Is Better Than OK for Title Win."

"Somewhere amid the long passes, dazzling runs and leaping interceptions, one of the most-anticipated bowl games in college football history turned into a coronation," wrote Wharton.

"It was really that kind of a night for us, a fantastic night," said Carroll. "It all happened exactly as we pictured it."

"We were dead set not to let him run the football," said Orgeron, referring to Peterson. "We were going to hit him before he got started."

"The big 'D' word," Carroll said with a laugh, deflecting the question of a dynasty at Southern California.

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, whose team lost twice to the Trojans in the past three years, just said, "Chow is not a guy you want to face with a month off."

"To come out and dominate them every snap of the game," said tight end Alex Holmes, was "just incredible."

Each team in the Orange Bowl received more than $14 million. USC shared that with the other schools in the Pacific 10 Conference, with an extra allotment to cover their expenses. Add to that increased ticket sales and television revenue, plus the revelation than an alumnus had donated $35 million toward a new basketball arena, and the Carroll era proved to be most lucrative.

"The USC fans in attendance celebrated during the game's final minutes, even as Oklahoma fans began to file out in the third quarter," wrote Wharton.

"There is nothing you can say," said Stoops, "except we just got whupped." "Welcome to college football's new capital," wrote Bill Plaschke in the _Times._

"The address is 55-19 Trojan Way.

"Not another soul for miles."

"We showed we have the passion, we showed we have the intensity, we showed we have the stuff of champions!" Steve Smith shouted.

"It was so lopsided, Oklahoma's fans barely saw three quarters of it, nearly all of them fleeing Pro Player Stadium early, with all the clumsiness of their silly covered wagon," Plaschke continued.

"It was such a beating, Oklahoma's players seemingly quit before their fans, many throwing up their hands before trudging inside with a 38-10 halftime deficit."

"At the end of the first half, their defense would take the field like, 'OK, the offense put us in another bad position, what do you want us to do about it?' " guard John Drake said. "No more confidence, no more swagger."

"We knew we had them beat from the time we watched them on film," Alex Holmes said. "We spent all month listening to them run their mouths, but we kept quiet and were gentlemen because we knew, when we came out, we would punch them in the mouths."

"You really soul search as a coach, how this can happen," Stoops said.

"I really thought it would be a tougher game," Reggie Bush said.

"We were shouting, 'We know we can do this thing,' " Drake said. "We knew we could go right at these guys. We've been a team all year, and we were still a team. We just had to tune it up. I looked at the man next to me after Byrd's catch, just to make sure we saw the same thing. He looked back at me with the same look. We didn't say anything. We just looked at each other."

"The thing we saw on film was, Oklahoma played like individuals while we play like a team," Holmes said.

"Afterward the feeling continued, with Leinart throwing oranges from the victory podium to his lesser-known teammates standing behind a fence, with Holmes holding out the crystal ball so his teammates could touch it," wrote Plaschke.

"Imagine a high-powered Los Angeles team acting as unselfishly as this.

"Imagine a star-filled Hollywood team acting as humble as this.

"They were the best team two seasons ago, but early losses kept them from the title game. They were the best team last season..."

"22 consecutive victories, 14 of 22 starters returning next season, maybe even Leinart coming back for a senior season although nobody would blame him for taking his Heisman and five national championship touchdown passes to the pros.

"Welcome to the new Miami, the new Tallahassee, the new Norman. Enjoy the view. It isn't going anywhere."

_Times_ sports columnist J.A. Adande's headline read, "Return Could Mean Back-to-Back-to-Back."

"Matt Leinart can't top this," he wrote. "It can't get any better for the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. Most Valuable Player of the Orange Bowl, holder at last of the bowl championship series version of the national championship. That's exactly why he should stay in school.

"At this point it's not about surpassing, it's about sustaining. I wouldn't blame him for leaving a year early and seeking a two-comma salary in the NFL, for wanting the challenge of playing against the best in the world.

"But he'll never get a chance to be a part of something this special again, to be in the center of a mini-dynasty like the one Pete Carroll has going. He can be a pro, maybe a good one. He won't be a star again, though.

"Right now he is the upper-case Man...

"What we revere in sports is the athlete coming through when it matters most. That's what Leinart has done every chance he gets. If you thought last year's three-touchdown passing performance in the Rose Bowl was good, he had that beat by halftime Tuesday night. By the third quarter he had tied a team and Orange Bowl record with five touchdowns. And talk about accuracy: he was so locked in by the third quarter that he hit Steve Smith right in his solitary number two."

"He's terrific, isn't he?" Norm Chow said. "He's absolutely terrific. He's sharp as a tack."

"I still plan on coming back," Leinart said. "It's going to take a lot for me to leave. It's something special that we're a part of, to have a chance to do a third national championship in a row at the Rose Bowl in our backyard and the young guys we have... I can't answer right now. It's going to take a lot for me to leave."

Of all the returning superstars, Adande wrote: "What do all of those players have in common? They all have more eligibility."

"This is the time of their life," said Carroll. "These are the best times they'll ever have. The NFL does not feel like this when you play and you perform."

"I would love for him to stay," Bush said of Leinart. "I would love to have Matt back. I would love nothing more. He also has to look out for himself. He has to do what's best for him."

"He could spend the next few years playing for a directionless franchise, running for his life behind a porous line," wrote Adande.

"Or he could play for the biggest force in major college sports right now. One reason you have to put trust in his choice: his best asset has always been his decision-making."

Of the 70 Heisman Trophy winners, 45 played in bowl games after they were awarded the trophy. Only 22 won. Houston's Andre Ware was the only recipient to miss a bowl game since 1969. Leinart was the eighth Heisman Trophy winner to go to a bowl game the same season with a chance to win the national championship, and the fourth to win.

In 1998, Michigan's Heisman-winning cornerback Charles Woodson had seven tackles and one interception in a 21-16 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl.

In 1997, Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel led his team to a 52-20 Sugar Bowl win over Florida State.

In 1994, Heisman winner Charlie Ward completed 24-of-43 for 286 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in an 18-16 Orange Bowl win over Nebraska.

The 2003 winner, Jason White, completes 13 of 37 for 102 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions in a 21-14 Sugar Bowl loss to Louisiana State.

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch, winner of the 2001 Heisman, completed five of 15 passes for 62 yards with one interception and no touchdowns, rushing 22 times for 114 yards as the Cornhuskers were routed, 37-14, by Miami in the Rose Bowl.

In 2001, Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke was 25-of-52 for 276 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a 13-2 Orange Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

1992 winner Gino Torretta of Miami lost, 34-13 in the Sugar Bowl to Alabama.

"It's just unreal," said linebacker Lofa Tatupu. "We worked hard for it and believed in the system and Coach Carroll.

"We thought that if we took away the run early and make them pass, pressure them, that would work. It seemed to work out."

"Defensively, we shut down a running game we thought was the best we'd seen in years," said Carroll, whose team finished in the top 10 in the nation in every defensive category.

"It started as a normal game, but as the game took shape, our guys played well. As it went on, they wouldn't let it happen any other way."

"We figured it was gong to be a close game," Matt Grootegoed said. "There was no panicking,"

After initially saying the Trojans didn't change any of their defensive schemes, that they "just kept playing," he acknowledged they made some adjustments.

"We ran some stunts and some things that might have confused [White]," said Grootegoed. "And a couple of blitzes."

"Notre Dame talked [trash]," defensive end Lawrence Jackson said. "Cal talked. We just stayed quiet."

Bowl meetings involving the number one and number two-ranked teams in the Associated Press's college football poll (the number one team: 9-6):

DATE RESULT BOWL

Jan. 4, 2005 No. 1 **USC** 55, No. 2 Oklahoma 19 Orange Bowl

Jan. 3, 2003 No. 2 Ohio State 31, No. 1 Miami 24, 2 OT Fiesta Bowl

Jan. 4, 2000 No. 1 Florida State 46, No. 2 Virginia Tech 29 Sugar Bowl

Jan. 4, 1999 No. 1 Tennessee 23, No. 2 Florida State 16 Fiesta Bowl

Jan. 2, 1996 No. 1 Nebraska 62, No. 2 Florida 24 Fiesta Bowl

Jan. 1, 1994 No. 1 Florida State 18, No. 2 Nebraska 16 Orange Bowl

Jan. 1, 1993 No. 2 Alabama 34, No. 1 Miami 13 Sugar Bowl

Jan. 1, 1988 No. 2 Miami 20, No. 1 Oklahoma 14 Orange Bowl

Jan. 2, 1987 No. 2 Penn State 14, No. 1 Miami 10 Fiesta Bowl

Jan. 1, 1983 No. 2 Penn State 27, No. 1 Georgia 23 Sugar Bowl

Jan. 1, 1979 No. 2 Alabama 14, No. 1 Penn State 7 Sugar Bowl

Jan. 1, 1972 No. 1 Nebraska 38, No. 2 Alabama 6 Orange Bowl

Jan. 1, 1969 No. 1 Ohio State 27, No. 2 **USC** 16 Rose Bowl

Jan. 1, 1964 No. 1 Texas 28, No. 2 Navy 6 Cotton Bowl

Jan. 1, 1963 No. 1 **USC** 42, No. 2 Wisconsin 37 Rose Bowl

_Times_ sports columnist T.J. Simers's column was titled, "The Trojans Owe It All to Good Ol' Uncle Pete""

If it's true that the game isn't over until the fat player leaves the stadium, then Oklahoma had to be a little concerned when they saw Shaquille O'Neal leaving the Orange Bowl with 4:01 still to play...in the third quarter.

Most of your former L.A. residents, of course, are used to leaving early, but this number one coronation took on the look of a BCS exhibition game after Oklahoma made the mistake of ticking off the Trojans by scoring first...

USC has Uncle Pete, and Miami Dolphin owner Wayne Huizenga has Louisiana State's Nick Saban to coach his team next year. You ought to be thrilled that Huizenga doesn't have higher standards.

Huizenga was chatting seriously with Carroll before the start of the Orange Bowl, and how would you have felt today knowing that, had Huizenga not already filled the Dolphins' vacancy?

The 49ers might have an opening if they dismiss the guy USC wanted to hire in the first place, Dennis Erickson.

But Uncle Pete had a chance to go there two years ago and never pursued it because he knew the 49ers' ownership wouldn't spend the bucks necessary to win.

Right now it doesn't appear as if Uncle Pete is going anywhere, but after the spanking he gave Bob Stoops, until now the darling of college football coaching, the suitors are going to come calling.

USC is a private institution, so little is known about Carroll's contract. A school spokesman would only say that Carroll signed a five-year deal four years ago, and while standard procedure is to roll those deals over each year, how do you like his bargaining power now?

I've joked with him that he's my choice to coach Los Angeles' new NFL team, and his response: '2008, huh? Interesting.'

The Bruins extended Karl Dorrell's contract by two years recently, in part because he kept the score close against USC, and that's what football in Los Angeles has come to these days.

I've been behind Carroll as long as I've been a die-hard Trojan fan. A solid two years now.

There's no need to go back much further than that and rehash newspaper commentary that had USC settling for an NFL also-ran after failing to land their top three choices.

The Trojans have had three BCS assignments in a row and they've demolished the competition. While that has put USC back on the big-time football map, Carroll has had a remarkable ability as field commander to prepare his team for every big game, every distraction and accept it as business as usual.

There might not be any tougher job in the country than coaching a team picked No. 1 before the season and keeping it there, week-after-week as every motivated giant killer takes aim.

"This a great moment for the University of Southern California for us to get an opportunity like this, and cash it in," Carroll said. "Hard to believe now, but we took this step by step.

"I just want to see if we can keep doing well.

"When you look back and someone says you got a record here or there, that's cool, but that's not what we're doing here. We're just trying to do well."

"Immediately after USC had taken a 28-7 lead over Oklahoma, the scoreboard operator posted an announcement for Sooner fans interested in drowning their sorrows: 'Alcohol sale ends at the end of the third quarter,' " wrote Simers.

The Orange Bowl was a star-studded event. Snoop Dog, who showed up at a USC practice during the regular season, was not there. Simers joked that it was a "reunion of the Simpsons: Jessica, Ashlee and O.J."

Ashlee Simpson performed, uh, poorly in a halftime show that did nothing to help her image after a lip-synching fiasco on _Saturday Night Live_. Her sister and her husband were of course Leinart's cool friends. USC kept their fingers crossed that the "third" Simpson, O.J., a Miami-area resident, would not make his presence publicly known.

The former Heisman winner's image had not improved in the years since his 1995 trial. A civil court subsequently found him responsible for the murders and ordered him to pay restitution to the family. O.J. succeeded in protecting his assets. He was living a golf course lifestyle in South Florida, showing no remorse, and granting occasional interviews in which he said he still wanted to find "the real killers."

The good news was that he was old news. The team created headlines on the field, pushing the O.J. talk to the back burner.

The _New York Post's_ Mark Cannizzaro wrote: "If you watch the Jets offense and wonder if their offensive coordinator has any feel for the game in his play calling, you're not alone... It's likely that Herman Edwards has seen enough of this and [he] will lose his job whenever the Jets' postseason is finished."

That offensive coordinator? Paul Hackett.

On January 6, Chris Dufresne's article in the _L.A. Times_ headlined, "With simple formula and fresh approach, Carroll builds a potential Trojan dynasty." It was underneath photos of Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne and Bud Wilkinson.

"In terms of posterity, nothing can stop the USC pound machine now except, well, the usual culprits - avarice, greed, sloth and any number of billionaire NFL owners," he wrote.

"Trojan Coach Pete Carroll has engineered a program game plan that is comparable to any that have been conjured.

"USC is a football conservatory of enthusiasm, competition, education, talent and inertia.

"Carroll has constructed a paradigm that was once forbidden in the NCAA - promising incoming freshmen the chance to unseat seniors.

"In the era of 24-hour cable and me-first, Carroll has put no age-limit restriction on career advancement.

"Old coaches used to say you lost a game for every freshman you started, yet Carroll started Dwayne Jarrett at receiver this season and went 13-0.

"USC has so many destiny-bound players in storage the Trojan football factory almost needs to move inventory to keep customers happy.

"It's not that Carroll wants quarterback Matt Leinart to turn pro - he's saying the exact opposite - but you sense Carroll relishes the idea of the next great thing."

"I'm not trying to make room for other guys," Carroll said. "I just try and keep them competing. If a young guy can take an older guy's spot, I don't mind a bit."

Mike Williams, Heisman candidate, was replaced by Reggie Bush, Heisman candidate. Carson Palmer, Heisman winner, was replaced Matt Leinart, Heisman winner.

"And if Leinart leaves early for the NFL, which is exactly what he should do, Carroll is ready to replenish," wrote Dufresne.

"Waiting on the tarmac are three touted quarterbacks - John David Booty, Rocky Hinds and Mission Viejo (California) quarterback Mark Sanchez."

"Our program is built on competition, and it's just part of the way we think," Carroll said. "There's another guy just chomping at the bit to take your spot."

Dufresne's article examined USC's historical legacy under Carroll"

The question at USC now is, how long can they keep this up?

Dynasties are fragile, tenuous things, much more difficult to care for than when Notre Dame ruled the Earth under Knute Rockne, a roaring '20s time when the NFL was a fledgling and inferior product.

Red Blaik established lasting moments at Army in the 1940s, Bud Wilkinson at Oklahoma in the 1950s, Bear Bryant at Alabama in the 1960s.

John McKay and Tom Osborne made indelible stamps, but they almost seem like museum portraits now.

These days, dynasties are more easily disrupted.

In 1977, the NCAA leveled the playing field by limiting scholarships to 95. Since, that number has been whittled to 85.

It is tougher now for programs to stash star players, although USC seems to be making a go of it.

Dynasties can be derailed by any number of things:

  6. Scandal. Miami was going full tilt in the 1980s until it was sanctioned back to the basement, only to rise again. Oklahoma dominance in the 1980s was curtailed by tall tales of guns in dormitories.

  51. Player defections. Miami finished number two in 2000, number one a year later and number two in 2002, but a mass of NFL defections (Miami had six first round draft picks last year) has made it tougher to reload.

  12. Coaching salaries. Simply put, the NFL pays more. Butch Davis left what he had built at Miami for the Cleveland Browns. Louisiana State might have challenged USC for years to come had Miami Dolphin Owner Wayne Huizenga not lured away Nick Saban.

  12. Special circumstances. Osborne's Nebraska program finally reached dynasty status in the 1990s - winning two AP titles and a coaches' crown - and then he retired.

Bobby Bowden has won two titles at Florida State but never strung together more pearls because of the epithet Bowden vows will be on his tombstone: ' ... but he played Miami.'

Joe Paterno enjoyed sustained excellence - until recently - at Penn State, winning national titles in 1982 and '86, yet the Nittany Lions haven't really been the same since joining the Big 10 a decade ago.

Posterity is precarious.

Had Oklahoma won its second title of the 21st Century Tuesday night, momentum might have shifted to Norman.

Instead, the Sooner psyche might have been irrevocably damaged.

Dynasties are about timing and momentum, and there seems little doubt that USC's dominance has a chance to be long lasting.

Carroll can be Blaik or Bryant, yet he operates in a different time and place.

A guy who coaches as if he has ants in his pants, Carroll might get the itch to do something else.

Coaches tend to see their careers as a series of mountain climbs.

You scale McKinley, then Kilimanjaro - how can you not climb Everest?

How long before an NFL team comes along and blows away Carroll with an offer he can't refuse, even if his heart tells him he was born to coach college kids?

How long before Carroll, now emboldened, has to prove he can do in the NFL what he failed to do before?

There is no way of handicapping any of this, just as it was impossible to predict USC would blow the doors off Tuesday's Orange Bowl.

There is a sense, however, that USC can put together as good a five-year run as any in college annals.

King Carroll is on the threshold of something historic.

Yet, the tether that separates success from failure is subject to fraying.

Paterno and Bowden are dinosaurs in terms of long-term college commitments. They were men who resisted NFL overtures and temptations to build long-lasting memories.

They are also unique men in unique circumstances.

Sport, by nature, is an ephemeral creature.

The big money being passed out now can flat-out wear you down.

It can decay character.

It can cloud clear minds, alter perspective and context.

Carroll knows he has a good thing going but, at one point, didn't they all?

Re- _Pete_

"Leinart Will Take His Time," read _Times'_ staff writer Ben Bolch's article, in which he wrote, " About the only way Matt Leinart could have topped his Orange Bowl performance in the eyes of adoring USC fans was to return to campus and declare that he was sticking around for his senior season."

At USC's on-campus celebration, the students chanted, "One more year! One more year!" Leinert just said he would wait until the January 15 deadline before deciding whether to make himself eligible for the NFL draft.

"I'm still uncertain about that," Leinart told the crowd. "It's going to take a lot for me to leave despite the game last night and the Heisman Trophy.

"There's still some things I want to do here.

"There's talk about building a dynasty, and I know Coach Carroll doesn't like to use that term, but I don't really see us slowing down. We can kind of see where this thing might be going."

Carroll brought four national championship plaques back to Heritage Hall: the Grantland Rice Trophy, presented by the Football Writers Association of America; the MacArthur Trophy (National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame); the Associated Press Trophy and the ADT National Championship Trophy, presented to the winner of the Bowl Championship Series title.

"Pete Carroll is the most dynamic coach in all of football right now," was 49er Hall of Famer Bill Walsh's assessment. "He's able to motivate men and bring them together, assemble a top coaching staff, and he has so much enthusiasm and energy."

Walsh felt that the combination of Carroll and Norm Chow was the "best in _all_ of football...

"Pete is the ultimate in a new wave of American football coaches who are actively involved with their players and heavily contribute to the strategies and tactics of the game."

"You give me one pick of all college football players and I'm taking Reggie Bush," said ABC's Bob Griese. "There's so many things he can do: punt returns, receiving from the outside, running from the tailback position. And he's so explosive. Any time he touches it, he can go all the way."

Shaq O'Neal watched the game on the sidelines along with Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield and Brad Pitt, among others.

"I'm not surprised. They're a great team. They're showing a lot of pride out there. They're showing a lot of dominance..." he said.

Wth the firing of Dennis Erickson in San Francisco, the _Times_ created some panic in the Trojan Nation with the January 6 headline, "49ers to Go After Carroll." The 49ers were said to be "desperate" to land Carroll.

"Of somebody's going to call you, they're going to call you," said Carroll. "If they want to come after you, they'll come after you. If people are calling about jobs, you have to feel good about the fact they're considering you. That's always nice. But I'm not interested.

"I can't imagine a formula where somebody could get me interested... At SC, I have so much control and call every shot, and that's such a difference to me. I've seen the other side of it. There aren't very many opportunities that have ever existed in the NFL where you can do all that the way you want to do everything. That's why I'm not interested.

"I don't see any reason to even think to be interested. I'm having a great time and love being here."

Some NFL sources suggested Carroll might eventually take a job with an expansion franchise in L.A. if the Coliseum were to be renovated. His son, Nathan, was coming along nicely at Peninsula High. His wife is a Los Angeleno. Maybe some day he could hand the USC reigns over to Brennan and then...

Of the L.A. expansion scenario, Bill Walsh said: "I think that's logical to think that at some point that would occur. But I just can't believe he'd leave USC. It's about being happy where you are, and he seems very happy there."

The "nightmare scenario" for USC in January 2005 was Carroll taking the 49er job, then Leinart declaring for the draft with the promise that Carroll would make him the first pick, which San Francisco held.

"The University has taken great care of me," said Carroll. "Everything is in great shape contract-wise."

"Routing Oklahoma only the start for USC," was the headline of sports columnist Kevin Modesti's day-after story in the _Los Angeles Daily News_.

"The fans have been rewarded with a new high point in the history of a team that lays claim to 11 national championships," wrote Modesti. Of the combination of winning streak, Heismans and national championships, Modesti made the point that, "They've had those things before.

"But they've never had all of those things at once before."

"This is just a breakthrough year," said Bush after the 2004 Rose Bowl win over Michigan. "Now we're going to try and get better and better. We lost two games last year, we lost one game this year..."

"The best advice is for the champs' fans to celebrate like there's no tomorrow," wrote Modesti.

"It doesn't get any better than this.

"Does it?"

"It's pretty surprising to see that score with all the hype," said Grootegoed. "We expected it to be closer."

"I'm speechless," said Jarrett.

"We didn't expect it to be this easy, but the game went our way from the beginning," added Carroll. "We controlled all phases of the game."

"They didn't do anything we didn't expect," said Jason White. "They are just a great football team."

"I expected a blowout," said Tatupu.

"Hopefully, people will remember me," said Josh Pinkard, who picked up Bradley's fumble. "It didn't make any sense to me, but I was happy to make something happen."

"...I think Oklahoma was just shocked we punched them in the mouth early," said Lawrence Jackson.

"I couldn't imagine this situation two or three years ago under Carson Palmer," said Leinart of the down program he came to.

"I knew this was the biggest stage of my career," said Byrd.

"The alleged championship of college football was such frolicking fun for the USC Trojans Tuesday that they did not even wait until the third quarter to turn this football field into a night club," wrote Dan LeBatard of the _Miami Herald._

"We lost a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback when Carson left, and we've been through a lot of situations like that," said Carroll of Leinart's possible early NFL departure. "We want to play with Matt next year. It would be an extraordinary opportunity for him in our area, and we'll talk about all that stuff as we continue through figuring this thing out...

"You know, if you get to a point when you're relying on one guy to get it done, then you're not a strong program."

"I couldn't be more proud," said Mike Williams, who aced himself out of a second title and maybe even a Heisman. "I regret not being a Trojan this year because I knew what happened in the Orange Bowl was possible.

"The only thing that came out of this year for me was that Dwayne Jarrett didn't break my freshman record."

When asked if he wanted Leinart to come out early so his school passing records would not fall, Carson Palmer, who was at the game, jokingly said, "Yeah, I hope so."

Palmer was standing on the sidelines next to former Trojans Daylon McCutcheon, Jacob Rogers, Rodney Peete, and Tony Boselli, along with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley.

"Trojans don't horse around" and "Southern Cal could be just warming up" headlined _USA TODAY'S_ coverage, carrying over the theme that USC _might just be better next year!_

"Back-to-back national champions - I don't think you can get any better than that," said Leinart, but of course that was precisely the game plan. Prodded by his teammates, Leinart added, "I don't see why we can't do this next year. That should be enough motivation to come back to do a three- _Pete._ I don't think that's ever been done before."

Carroll modestly defused the "dynasty" talk with the understatement of the young century:

"I think we're a program that's on the move," he said. "I think we're coming up, and we've got a lot of high hopes for sustaining over a long haul." Carroll did not want to start talking in the "third person" about things he felt were the media's responsibility to address.

"Despite all this talk about the past entering this game, about both programs' storied traditions, about Student Body Right, the Wishbone, John McKay and Barry Switzer, this national title game was about the future," wrote Kelly Whiteside in _USA TODAY_.

"This shows this is a great program," said Bush. "Coach Carroll has brought this program back up to where it used to be. USC was down for a while, but Coach brought us back and today speaks for itself. We're definitely a dynasty."

"USC distorted any notion of this game being between two equals," wrote Whiteside.

"We really didn't think it could happen like this," said Carroll. "They wanted to leave no doubt."

Smith emerged as Williams's legitimate replacement, along with Jarrett.

"He's a veteran of the receiving corp and only a sophomore," said Leinart. "He's so young, it's just so scary... It's something special we're a part of, and to have a chance to do a third one in our own backyard, the Rose Bowl, with all the guys coming back; some saying it could be the greatest team ever..."

"We've probably got a couple more Heisman winners playing in this game," White said of the star-studded cast that included Bush and Peterson in addition to the two winners of the past couple seasons.

"I never believed in any jinx," said LenDale White - **who should not be counted out of future Heisman consideration himself** \- of the theory that Heisman winners fail in their bowl games. "Matt came back from New York after winning the Heisman and told us we were going to win the game."

"People said we were too young this year and we had a lot of question marks," said Leinart. "But we battled through some tough games, and I'm proud of the way everyone stepped up tonight."

Noting that USC had the best recruiting class in the nation the past two years, David Leon Moore said in an article titled, "Carroll's Trojans have talent to maintain prime position," that even if Leinart did leave, they were "loaded."

"We've got players _everywhere_ ," said Lofa Tatupu, sounding like the people who describe the McKay era. He stated with a straight face that the team was better in the second half because, "that's when the second string comes in, and they're better than _we_ are."

Christine Brennan of _USA TODAY_ wrote that there was "no need for a play-off in college football" this year, since Southern California stood so far and above the rest of the pretenders who made up the playing field.

"Such was the magnificence of Southern California's performance..." she wrote. She just wanted to know if Troy could have reached "triple digits" had they had Williams.

"Can you imagine the offense with _him?"_ she wrote.

"Rarely has such a hyped college football game turned into such a rout."

"These days they can do little wrong at Heritage Hall," wrote Steve Dillbeck, sports columnist for the _L.A. Daily News._

"There were the John McKay and John Robinson eras, and Tuesday officially confirmed the Pete Carroll era.

"And as good as the Trojans are now, there doesn't figure to be any drop-off next season. This whirlwind of flash and _panache_ , of incredibly skilled players and dominating seasons, is unlikely to end soon...

"The Trojans are a remarkably young team, with more high school All-Americans waiting on the depth chart, with more highly touted prospects on the way.

"It's a party without an end in sight, a celebration to be continued."

"We could have played all night long," said Carroll. "We were just having so much fun... We have a real good team coming back next year. We're going to be real hard to beat. I don't think we're overwhelmed by what we've accomplished. It's a program flying right now and we're going to continue to ride this wave."

"Coach Carroll told us if we believed in the Trojan way and the way we finish, it'll come easy," revealed Byrd.

The _Long Beach Press-Telegram's_ Scott Wolf joined the bandwagon with a story headlined, "Analysis: Can Trojans win a third title in a row?" Much of the post-game punditry concerned how good they would be as much as how good they had been.

Norm Chow was rumored to be leaving, probably to take over as the offensive coordinator under Brian Billick with the Baltimore Ravens.

"I know he was frustrated by not getting the Stanford job," said Carroll of the position that went to former Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris. "It was one that he really coveted and would have liked to have taken over, so I think he's just checking things out and seeing where he is right now.

"I think that's basically what's going on. We've had a great relationship, we've had a wonderful time together and we have a lot of wins ahead of us, so we'll see how things go."

Regarding the possibility of losing both Leinart and Chow, Carroll said, "I'm not going to let it bother me because I can't do anything about it once they're gone to tell you the truth."

Tatupu and punter Tom Malone also contemplated the NFL Draft.

Regarding the recruiting class, which had a signing deadline only a month away, Carroll said, "Last night helped. We had a couple phone calls last night that were really exciting in recruiting for us, but we just have to keep bringing in kids. If we continue to bring the kids, which it looks like we have a chance, there's nothing to stop us, and that's a pretty good thing."

"Man, they're on a roll right now," said Jason Leach. "If Matt comes back, they should stay on top."

"We'll try and get a third (championship)," said White. "I thought we would win our second one but not by 40 points. That's crazy. I never thought the national championship would be that easy."

"That's why the only irreplaceable part of USC's budding dynasty is Carroll himself," wrote Wolf. "Unless the NFL beckons, this could be the start of the most successful era of USC football."

"The vogue word employed by journalists describing the Trojans victory was coronation..." wrote the _Press-Telegram's_ Doug Krikorian.

"It must not forgotten that USC also was the king of its sport last season...

"Pete Carroll has put together one of the greatest teams ever seen on the college football landscape, one that dispensed a performance of...exquisite precision and total dominance...

"No doubt Norm Chow has an innovative mind and is a master at developing quarterbacks, but this astounding USC revival is a tribute to Pete Carroll.

"This charismatic fellow with the infectious personality is now at the top of his profession and has, in a mere four seasons with the Trojans, achieved things that not even such noble predecessors as Howard Jones and John McKay managed.

"He is a tireless recruiter, a prime motivator and, oh, those game plans he keeps successfully orchestrating aren't bad, either.

"As long as Pete Carroll remains at USC, the Trojans will continue to flourish and be a serious national championship contender."

When the team returned to L.A., Carroll revealed that he "challenged" them to party until daybreak.

"I was right there with them," Carroll said of the team's all-night victory party at their Hollywood, Florida hotel. "I have people tell me, 'Relax.' Don't tell m to relax! I'm havin' a freakin' ball."

Carroll's Redwood High School pals reported that as Carroll and his team partied the night away, both after the 2003 and 2004 national championships, they received calls at all hours of the night from their old friend. He wanted them to share in the moment with him.

The game was "one of the most amazing single performances in the history of the sport," wrote Kevin Modesti of the _Daily News._ He pointed out that of all the games ever played between the AP number one and two teams, only two had been a bigger blowout: Number one Army over second-ranked Notre Dame, 48-0 in 1945; and number one Nebraska over number two Florida, 62-24 in 1996.

"A new generation (or two) saw a USC dynasty in action for the very first time..." wrote Kevin Chavez of the _San Gabriel Valley News._ "We're talking all-time elite performances now."

Chavez wrote that none of the current Trojans were alive when the team won a title in 1978. To most of them Anthony Davis was "related to the lead singer of Korn" or Ricky Bell "used to sing with Biv and Devoe" or O.J., "uh, check that, let's not go there.

"A USC football dynasty" was "ancient history," but "not anymore.

"Today's Trojans rock harder than Slipknot. Their moves are as smooth as Usher's. If Paris Hilton watched the Orange Bowl, she probably said, 'That's hot.'...

"The history books have come to life. Forget Notre Dame, the echoes have been awakened at the Coliseum.

"Once again, the Trojans are the single, undisputed, pre-eminent kings of college football.

"Parents and kids, teachers and students, be-boppers and hip-hoppers, stood together and saw it.

"I remember it like it was yesterday."

Finally, _Sports Illustrated_ completed the coronation, with Leinart gracing their January 10 cover, the second straight year the magazine anointed USC number one:

_Trojans_ _:_

55-19

USC Hammers Oklahoma to Win The National Championship

BY AUSTIN MURPHY

Only a month prior, Bush's headlong dive into the end zone against UCLA made their cover with the headline, "Trojans Roll." The school that produced more of SI cover athletes than any other had added two more in quick succession. There was also an advertisement for a special SI picture book of the 2004 national title campaign, just like the one the magazine had published after the 2003 national title, under the heading "TROJANS RULE!"

"Without a Doubt" the article blared:

"After a thundering Orange Bowl victory, a young USC team has back-to-back national titles, 22 straight wins and the makings of a dynasty."

Murphy referred to the boos coming from the Oklahoma rooting section - what was left of it after most had filed out by late in the third quarter, then stated, "So comprehensive was Southern Cal's domination in this 55-19 rout, so cool and lethal was Leinart, so airtight and opportunistic was the defense, so elegant was the play-calling off offensive coordinator Norm Chow, that it seems mean-spirited to point out the national championship game didn't come close to living up to the hype: The Game of the Century, as some had taken to calling the matchup of 12-0 teams, was not even the game of the Week...

"USC is in a league of its own - and the Trojans might be there for a while. With only six seniors in the starting lineup, USC has the makings of a dynasty."

Of Lofa Tatupu picking up on White's plays: "You should have heard him back there, calling out their plays - 'Left!' 'Right!' 'Screen!' " said Cody. "It was like he was in their huddle."

Murphy made his early 2005 predictions. Number one? USC, "Even if Heisman QB Matt Leinart turns pro, Reggie Bush will power the offense, and Jeff Schweiger will anchor the D."

As for 2005 the Heisman, Murphy said if Leinart went pro, Bush would compete with Adrian Peterson and Texas quarterback Vince Young, among others.

The 2004 Trojans were so young that only four of them (three seniors) were drafted into the National Football League, plus Mike Williams.

Prior to the draft, _Spike! TV_ , brought their cameras out to Hacienda Heights to follow Shawn Cody around while he decided who his agent should be. In the show, called _Super Agent_ , five slicksters in suits competed for the chance to represent the Trojan defensive end in what was really excellent publicity for all things Trojan.

Cody was the first high school star Carroll went after (even before Leinart), making _Parade's_ All-American team in 2000 after making 255 tackles and 57 sacks at Los Altos High.

"I remember thinking, 'Wow, I think they can <win a title),' " Cody recalled of his recruitment. "I just didn't think it would happen so fast.

"Guys would ask me, 'Why are you going to SC? They're not winning. The Coliseum's half full. The school's in the ghetto.'

"Look at us now. I feel so fortunate to have made that choice... It's been an incredible ride."

The 6-4, 295-pounder was a Freshman All-American first team selection in 2001 and a finalist for the Lombardi award in 2004, when he was team captain. He was the Pac 10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, capping his career as a four-year starter with 130 tackles and 31.5 sacks by making consensus All-American, before joining Williams with the Detroit lions. Detroit's two picks were both Trojans.

Cody's partner on the defensive line, Mike Patterson, was also chosen to the 2004 All-American team before being made the first pick of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Linebacker Lofa Tatupu, the surprise transfer from the University of Maine, was chosen as an All-American. After declaring his eligibility as a junior, he was picked in the second round by Seattle, where he became a rookie starter.

Matt Cassel may have been the Swen Nater of the USC Trojans. Nater had been a 6-11 center at UCLA who backed up Bill Walton. Walton said the toughest competition he ever faced was against Nater in John Wooden's practices. Nater never started for the Bruins, but he was drafted and had a fine NBA career.

Cassel, the blue chipper out of high school, sat on the bench without complaint. He was picked in the seventh the round by the New England Patriots.

Tom Malone was chosen as an All-American after averaging 49 yards a punt, but was denied the honor of leading the nation in that category because the team hardly _needed_ to punt, so he missed qualifying by five kicks.

Leinart was, of course, a consensus All-American, his second selection, and Reggie Bush was also a consensus pick.

Matt Grootegoed, chosen USC's co-Most Inspirational Player and captain, made All-American, too. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then went to Miami.

Ryan Killeen went to the Detroit Lions; Lee Webb and Jason Mitchell to Jacksonville; Alex Holmes to Miami; Jason Leach to San Diego; and Kevin Arbet to Tampa Bay.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

**THREE-** _PETE_

The quest for an unprecedented third straight title begins

The Trojans returned home amid as much glory and hoopla as any sports team in L.A. history, including the 1931 team met by some one million fans in a city hall parade.

Most teams just bask in their victory, but this team was so young, with expectations for the next season so stupendous, that the subject could not be avoided. They could be the greatest team ever in 2005, the first-ever three- _Pete_ Associated Press national champion.

Carroll went to Hawaii with Glena, but after a quick day or two was back in LA. dealing with recruiting.

The first big "recruit" was Leinart. The NFL experts were in virtual unanimous agreement. If he declared, he would be the very first pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. To the surprise of some - but not all - Leinart chose to stay! When he did that, he turned himself into a hero on campus and in Los Angeles, an athlete of legendary status.

Carroll hugged Leinart. The 2005 national championship seemed all but assured. It would not come easy, though.

Booty, to his credit, was classy and supportive of his teammate, even though it meant that his big shot at starting, which he would have to earn in competition with Mark Sanchez, would be pushed back to his junior year, 2006.

USC had the best recruiting class in the nation in 2002, 2003 and 2004 - it's '04 class was said to be the best ever, at the time. The February 3, 2005 issue of _USA TODAY_ announced that Tennessee and Nebraska had the top recruiting classes of the year. However, Allen Wallace of _SuperPrep_ rated USC third behind Tennessee and Michigan, while Tom Lemming of ESPN.com rated USC third behind Nebraska and Tennessee. Lemming did not have Nebraska in his top five.

It was generally felt that the only reason USC did not rank first was because Long Beach Poly receiver DeSean Jackson, also a baseball standout, chose California. He had done it however, because USC landed the best receiver in the nation, Patrick Turner of Goodpasture High in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jackson did not think he could play ahead of Turner, repeating a scenario that has been playing out in the Pac 10 for decades. There are Trojans, and those who wish they could be Trojans. They make up most of the competition.

Defensive lineman Kyle Moore of Warner Robbins, Georgia signed with USC along with linebackers Rey Maualuga from Eureka, California and Brian Cushing from Oradell, New Jersey.

Tom Lemming's "top 100" was dotted with USC signees, including defensive end Averell Spicer of Ranch Cucamonga, California and defensive lineman Walker Ashley of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

However, there is always "fallout" from signing day; players change their minds, academic problems materialize. When it was all said and done, and all the various recruiting services and adjustments were taken into account, the general belief was that Pete Carroll and USC had the best recruiting class again, for the fourth straight year. One of the reasons for the adjustment was because of Carroll's "late grab" policy. He again waited until the last days to get the top kids, often going into geographic regions supposedly "dominated" by the local school.

Moore was taken from under the nose of the University of Georgia, Turner chosen from Tennessee Vol territory.

Because USC was ranked as low as 13th until the last few days, it was difficult for the services to properly assess just how well they did until everything was added up.

Andy Bark of _Student Sports_ , considered the most reliable and comprehensive of the services when it came to judging recruits and high school national champions, announced that they adjusted their analysis in favor of 2005 being another USC year.

The biggest prize of the group and maybe the country was, of course, Mark Sanchez, the kid who committed early, so his signing was no surprise. He was a 6-4, 215-pound total All-American from Mission Viejo, where he had played for Bob Johnson. Sanchez was named the prestigious _Parade_ magazine Player of the Year, probably the most recognized of the various National Player of the Year honors awarded. He came from the same "quarterback factory" that produced Palmer and Leinart; the so-called "hot house" of QB camps, elite coaching clinics and high school dynasties that have turned the art of developing prep signal-callers into big business.

Ashley came in as a 6-5, 295-pound All-American from Eden Prairie High in Minnesota. He is the son of a former Vikings linebacker, also named Walker Lee Ashley. The younger Ashley's high school coach was Mike Grant, the son of Bud Grant, the longtime Viking head man who had coached his father. Carroll had been on the Minnesota staff when the older Walker played there.

6-6, 250-pound tight end Charles Brown was an All-American from Diamond Bar High in Orange County.

6-3, 235-pound linebacker Luther Brown was an All-American, All-State first team, CIF-Southern Section Division I Defensive Player of the Year and Moore League MVP at Lakewood High School, a longtime prep sports powerhouse located near Long Beach.

6-4, 235-pound All-American Brian Cushing, one of the bluest of the blue chippers, was the best defensive player coming out of the Northeast, maybe the whole East, and possibly _the whole country_ at Bergen Catholic High in New Jersey.

Cornerback Cary Harris made All-American at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, where he had been All-Southern Section as a junior and sophomore, and a Cal-Hi Sports Sophomore All-State pick in 2002. He also ran a 10.75 100 meters in track.

Safety Will Harris, another All-American from Charter Oaks High in Covina, was also All-Southern Section and Miramonte League MVP in basketball, in addition to having long-jumped 22-7 1/2 feet for the track team.

Big offensive tackle Nick Howell, the son of ex-Trojan great Pat Howell, was a _Super Prep_ All-Farwest pick from Bullard High in Fresno.

Linebacker Kaluka Maiava earned All-American honors at Baldwin High in Hawaii. His uncle, Dwayne Johnson, is better known to pro wrestling fans and moviegoers as "The Rock."

6-3, 250-pound linebacker Rey Maualuga was a prize two-time All-American from Eureka High who spent his freshman year in Ventura, on the Southern California coast.

Carroll was hoping cornerback Mozique "Zeke" McCurtis would be one of his yearly "finds." Injuries curtailed his high school career, but the scouts were impressed enough with his comeback at Grossmont Junior College in San Diego to bring him in.

Kyle Moore, 6-7, 265 pounds from Houston County High School in Georgia, was a _Parade_ All-American and state Defensive Player of the Year in the 5A class.

Averell Spicer, 265 pounds, All-American defensive tackle from Rancho Cucamonga High, started for four years and finished second in the shot put at the California state track meet.

Cornerback Kevin Thomas was an All-American at Rio Mesa in Oxnard, where he also ran a 10.84 100 meters in track.

Wideout Patrick Turner was simply the best at his position in the nation. Whether he, Sanchez, quarterback Ryan Perrilloux from Louisiana, or Penn State-bound Derrick Williams was the best of the senior class, well, that was a matter of conjecture.

Placekicker Troy Von Blarcom made All-American at small school power Orange Lutheran High School, but he would have to compete with walk-on Mario Danelo.

With the departure of Norm Chow to the Baltimore Ravens, Lane Kiffin took over as the offensive coordinator. Carroll anticipated this possibility, elevating Kiffin's responsibilities in 2004. It gave him a chance to work right alongside Chow. Now he had his chance.

Steve Sarkisian was given the task of coaching quarterbacks after spending the 2004 season with the Oakland Raiders.

Former Trojan and NFL player Sam Anno was brought in to coach the special teams. He played for Carroll at Minnesota.

"The greatest college football player who ever lived"

Of the returning players, Matt Leinart was of course the headliner. He entered the season with a chance to break all of the USC career passing records, become the second player ever (Archie Griffin of Ohio State did it from 1974-75) to win two Heismans, plus win the Davey O'Brien and Maxwell Awards (he had won the 2004 Walter Camp Award). He was again a _Playboy_ magazine pre-season All-American selection, going for a third All-American season.

Leinart, the returning team captain, shared 2004 Pac 10 co-Offensive Player of the Year honors with Bush after having won that award outright as a sophomore.

Michael Wilbon of ESPN's _Around the Horn_ openly said if he repeated a Heisman-winning national championship campaign, Leinart would have to go down in history as "the greatest college football player who ever lived."

He was featured in every possible spot and commercial, promoting college football on CSTV, interviewed with Bush on the _Best Damn Sports Show Period_ and quite simply continuing to be the most hyped amateur athlete anybody had ever seen.

His name was continually linked with more Hollywood actresses and models. He needed a bodyguard to walk the campus. He was, along with Carroll and Bush, a guy who reached the very top of L.A. celebrity status.

His decision to turn down NFL millions engendered some criticism, but most applauded the value he placed on loyalty, USC, Carroll, his teammates, and the college experience. It was an incredible endorsement of USC, worth as much to the school and the program in terms of revenue, prestige, recruiting and goodwill as his on-field performance.

"The things I value at this school are more important to me than money," he said. "I realize the money I could have made if I had gone to the NFL, but I wanted to stay in school. I wanted to be with all my friends and teammates, living the college life and going through the graduation process. All those things make up my college experience and I didn't want to give that up...

"Being in college is the best time of my life... There is something special going on at USC that I didn't want to give up... I'm having fun here. It's all a part of growing up, all part of being a kid, and I wasn't ready to pass that up... A lot of people said they didn't envy me being in that situation. In a way, it was a great position to be in, but on the other hand it was one of the biggest decisions of my life... There's still a lot of motivation for me to play college football... I realize that some say there's really not much more I can accomplish. But I can get a lot stronger physically and mentally. Another year of experience can only help. It's not about the awards. It's not about trying to win another Heisman. It's really about trying to win a third national championship and getting better as a player...

"The next level is business. I'm playing for passion and for the love of the game. There's nothing like this right here... Sometimes I just kind of look around and think it's cool being in the position I'm in. Yeah, life is pretty cool."

As for his celebrity status, Leinart said, "It's crazy. I get linked with people because they're celebrities I've hung out with. It's kind of sad that I can't go hang with them without getting my name in the paper. I just want to hang out. I don't want to be in all the magazines. That's not who I am... When I go out, it's all over the TV. That's the thing about celebrity life. You never know who's watching you. You just have to be really secure in what you're doing... I'm a normal guy, just like any other 21-year old college student. Really, there's nothing special about me... It's hard to trust a lot of people and know what they're after."

Leinart reflected on the 2004 Heisman Trophy.

"I remember when Carson was sitting up there and won it," he recalled. "He said his heart was beating out of his chest. Mine was about to do the same thing... I just kind of dropped. My legs were weak. My heart was beating 20 beats a second. It was probably one of the greatest feelings I've ever had in my life... I was a fat kid, cross-eyed, and other people made fun of me. So I'm extremely honored...

"But when I got home, I put the trophy away and acted like nothing had happened. I was still the same guy. I let my team know that I thanked them. Then, I continued to work hard...

"I feel like I still have so much more to accomplish... I'm still the same person and act the same. All my friends treat me the same, as a goofball. They still could care less... I remember talking to Jason White after he won and him saying how winning the Heisman changes your life completely... My life has changed drastically. A few years ago I was a nobody. To me, I'm still a nobody, but in the eyes of a lot of people I'm a role model, which I take pride in. It's been an incredible journey so far."

Leinart had a huge target on his back. He was no longer the unknown sophomore playing in his first game at Auburn.

"I love it," he said, and he meant it. "I love having pressure on my shoulders. I've been having pressure my whole life. This is a spot where we want to be as a team. We like being on the national stage where everybody's watching us... I've got great players around me. Our system works, obviously. We recruit the best players every year. We have backups who are awesome.

"I'm not the most physically gifted kid. I'm not going to scare anybody with my arm or with my running ability. But I feel like my mind sets me apart. And my accuracy.

"I'm laid back. But I expect perfection. I'm very hard on myself... On the field, I have a cool confidence. I've never been arrogant. I could care less about awards. I just want to win... I don't like being in the spotlight. I just like playing. Obviously, you're going to be the hero or the goat when you're the quarterback. But I'm kind of a more roll-with-things kind of person... As a person, I'm pretty boring. I play video games. That's my favorite hobby...

"If you told me when the 2003 season started that I'd do what I did, I never would have believed it... The season I had, that the team had, I think no really expected that. It was a dream come true. It was kind of surreal in a way... I learned a lot from Carson Palmer on how to lead a team. He was the same all the time, never nervous, always calm under pressure. And that's kind of how I've been... The way Carson carried himself, even when he was getting ripped by everybody, I really admired that. I tried to be the same way... And with all the talent around me, it would have been hard not to be successful."

Leinart was asked about the "turning point" game of his sophomore year, when he played in second half pain (as Paul McDonald had done in the 1978 Notre Dame thriller) to beat Arizona State in the desert heat.

"I was trying not to limp, but I was in a lot of pain," he said. "Sometimes, you've got to play through it... The guys realized I was willing to do everything, even though I was just doing my job... I really didn't realize it that much at the time. But then I read the next day that some of the guys said they wanted to play for someone like that. I thought, 'Wow, these guys really have my back.' That was a huge turning point...

"Mike Williams had my back from day one. He was constantly in the newspapers saying I was the man. When one of the best players in the country is saying, 'This is our guy. He's going to lead us wherever we go,' that gives you great confidence.

Leinart was down the depth chart his first two years. Obviously, it was Palmer's job, but Leinart appeared to have made little impact or good impression in his red-shirt and second-year freshman seasons.

"My attitude was a big part it and that needed to change," he admitted. "It was tough working all the time and not playing. There were times when I really didn't care and didn't want to be there... I was upset with myself. In high school, you're the man. You come here, and it's a reality check... I wondered if this was what I really wanted to do. And I was down on myself, too... But it seemed like as soon as Carson Palmer left, everything changed. I realized I couldn't be that way anymore. I had to grow up and become a leader... Once I got comfortable in the system and running the offense, I just never looked back, and here I am today, confident, knowing the system like its my own and just very capable of running it."

Football fans might listen to Leinart's analysis of his maturation process think that he is exaggerating the growth it took to get to where he is. After all, he was talented, a huge high school star in a system designed to produce college players, and ultimately even Heisman winners (John Huarte having played for Mater Dei in 1960). However Trojan football historians need look no further than their not-all-that-distant past to see just how difficult the role can be.

John Mazur came to USC a ballyhooed prep star; a left-hander who earned the starting job as a sophomore in 1981. He immediately seemed destined for glory at Troy when he engineered a comeback against Oklahoma that is still marveled at today. But Mazur did not maintain his confidence, allowed a promising season to become a semi-disappointing one, and after losing his job transferred to another school.

Then there is another Orange County prodigy, Todd Marinovich, who came in with all the "bells and whistles," lived up to it in his Rose Bowl-winning Freshman All-American season, then fell apart on and off the field.

Perhaps because Leinart was not a "stud" from birth - as Marinovich and frankly most of the great ones often seem to be - he may have put this in perspective better than other prize athletes, coddled and "handled" all their young lives.

"I used to get made fun of for being cross-eyed," he said. "It's just a terrible thing because kids are so cruel to the fat kid, to the kid with the glasses. So I turned to sports."

Looking at Leinart, at 6-5, 225 pounds, with the looks of a movie star and a campus, if not a whole city of hotties who would love to be part of his entourage, it seems incongruous that he ever lived through such experiences, but he did. Far more people can relate to that than they can to superstar teenage athletes who seemingly waltz through a series of gently opened doors. Because this makes up part of who Leinart is, it makes him more sensitive, a better leader, and a very sympathetic figure who is extremely easy to root for.

Perhaps because of Leinart's qualities, and no doubt because of Pete Carroll's influence, the Trojans are a team of Leinarts: well spoken, easy to get along with, accountable, confident but not arrogant; not troublemakers. This is in stark contrast to many, many programs of the past 15 years - Miami, Colorado, even Notre Dame under Lou Holtz - in which the players are part of the problem, not part of the solution. There have been players who have gotten into trouble under Carroll. Fred Davis missed a meeting and was removed from the Orange Bowl roster. Hershel Dennis apparently took liberties with a young lady and paid for it with a suspension and demotion to the third team. Winston Justice fired a weapon into the air and lost the 2004 season. Eric Wright earned a police call. While no charges were filed, he was told to take his business elsewhere (UNLV).

Carroll is a player's coach, but a taskmaster. To those who want to understand him, they need look no further than Bob Troppmann, his Redwood coach. The year after Carroll graduated, Troppmann was challenged for making his raised-in-the-1960s Marin County adolescents cut their hair. The case went to court. Troppmann fought it. When the ruling did not go down in his favor, he resigned rather than go against his principles, which were based on the idea that the coach makes the team rules. He lost a job he loved, was admired for, and would have succeeded at for at least another decade.

Carroll was bound and determined not to follow the path of so many other coaches who excused player behavior in favor of on-field success. To his great good luck, stars like Bush and Leinart _are_ role models!

"Leinart is a reminder to all those athletes out there who are thinking that they have to get their names on a pro contract before they've finished college - or sometimes before they've even started it - making piles of money isn't the only route to happiness..." wrote Phil Taylor of SI.com. "He seems to understand what very few athletes in his position do - that it's OK if he doesn't get rich tomorrow. Or maybe he realizes that he already is."

"Matt Leinart had an even more impressive season in 2004 than Carson Palmer had in 2002 when he won the Heisman," wrote Steve Dilbeck of the _Los Angeles Daily News_. "Leinart also had a better year than in 2003, when he finished sixth in the Heisman."

In fact, many argued that sophomore Leinart was better in 2003 than fifth-year Heisman winner Palmer in 2002.

"He put up equal or better numbers, despite losing his top three receivers and despite playing behind an almost all-new offensive line..." Dilbeck went on. "The most dramatic thing about Leinart might be his consistency... And the way he takes advantage of all the talent around him is Palmeresque."

It certainly was an accomplishment for a player just a few years removed from college to have the moniker _esque_ attached to his name, but Palmer indeed has ascended to that level. In 2005, he emerged to rival Eli Manning as one of the game's elite quarterbacks, earning an _ESPN the Magazine_ cover story that emphasized his physical toughness, leadership skills and, like Leinart and other Trojans, self-effacing qualities in the light of public adoration.

"Matt Leinart's best quality is his poised leadership..." wrote Matthew Zemek of Collegefootballnews.com in a sentence that could have been lifted from 2002, just removing the name "Carson Palmer" and replacing it with "Matt Leinart." "Leinart is a true college leader, a quarterback more important for his intangibles than for his numbers... He's held his team together emotionally, and that's why USC had a perfect season."

"In the celebrity-driven culture of Los Angeles, it's been suggested that Matt Leinart might be L.A.'s new leading man," wrote Kelly Whiteside of _USA TODAY._ "Though as unassuming as a movie-set backdrop, Leinart has Central Casting qualities. A Heisman Tropy-winning quarterback for the two-time defending national champion Trojans, with boyish good looks and big-lug charm, Leinart's got everything going for him."

"Go ahead, pick a fantasy," wrote Matt Hayes of _The Sporting News._ "Dream it up. You know what? Matt Leinart has got you beat. And the ride is just beginning. Come on, who among you wouldn't want to switch places with this guy? A hip quarterback at a private Los Angeles university with a stars-aligned, bathe-in-the-glory-of-it-all lifestyle. He looks like a Ken doll, a 6-5 statue glowing amid one of the most storied programs in the history of college football... Leinart could be one of the biggest college football stars in decades. He already is the king of the city that's fashionably late... But he isn't who you think he is. It's touchdowns and titles and Tinseltown on the surface. It's just plain Matty inside."

"Matt Leinart went from unknown to unstoppable in the course of one season," wrote Ivan Maisel on ESPN.com. "He owns two national championship rings. He owns a post position in the Heisman Derby. And if he were any calmer, he would be asleep."

"Matt's got the world in his hands," said Reggie Bush, who Leinart said would have gotten his vote for the 2004 Heisman, and was fairly sure to get it in 2005. As a past winner, Leinart earned voting privileges while still in college. In fact, his jersey number (11), while not officially retired, was unveiled along with the other Heisman numbers: Garrett's 20, O.J.'s 32, White's 12, Allen's 33, and Palmer's three, in the persistyle of the Coliseum at the home opener with Arkansas.

"Early in his career, he knew the system, he knew what was going on, he impressed the coaches that way," said Carroll of his star quarterback. "But he really didn't deliver the ball well. He didn't throw the ball hard. He was kind of a touch guy... He just improved steadily. His strength just became tremendous strengths for him, his smarts and his awareness and his poise... He's very comfortable with everything that we're doing. Nothing fazes him."

Leinart proved that he had a strong arm, could gun it into gear when needed and definitely could, as Terry Bradshaw loved to call it, "go deep." However, it was his "touch," which was not super impressive in the context of practice sessions when compared to gunners like Cassel and Booty, that probably separated him from the pack when it came to game conditions.

"We were all a little surprised at how well Matt has done..." said Norm Chow. "We were hoping and wanting him to be good, but obviously he surpassed a lot of expectations... His two years, he was in every quarterback meeting, but hardly set foot on the field. When he did, he was ready for it. The bullets were flying fast, but we had confidence in him because of the time h spent in the classroom. He's now beyond the coaches' being able to surprise him. He knows. He understands... His smarts are what helped him have the kind of years he has had... He gives his team efficient, effective leadership... It really became his team when he came back at halftime of the 2003 Arizona State game when he came back from the injury. The most important people you have to show your worth to are your teammates. He showed his worth on that day."

"He is a very smart player," said assistant coach Steve Sarkisian. "He understands when there are opportunities to take his shots and he sees when those shots aren't there and he checks it down. He does a great job of not forcing the ball."

"First and foremost, his confidence is the difference," said fullback Brandon Hance. "When you're confident in yourself, in the system, in the players who surround you, everything starts clicking. Once he got that, the velocity picked up, he started throwing prettier balls, he had accuracy, leadership. It all just started clicking in the right direction."

"He's a pretty calm and collected dude," said John Drake. "He has so much understanding of what is going on. When he gets to the line of scrimmage, he has an understanding of what checks to make. To me, that is when a quarterback shows he grasps what is going on, when you leave the huddle. He gets us out of so many bad plays."

"He has great accuracy, great size, great intelligence," said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. "He's going to be one of those guys whose going to have a career that we will all remember."

"You don't know Matt"

The July 18, 2005 edition of _ESPN the Magazine_ featured an article about Leinart by Tom Friend. Titled "Finishing School," it showed Leinart on the SoCal strand making the "hang five" surfing sign. The theme of the piece was, "You don't know Matt," as in if you did, you would know he really is a normal college guy who stayed in school for purely altruistic reasons.

Another photo showed Mattie holding his girlfriend, Brynn Cameron, an attractive, athletic, California beach blonde - who played basketball for the Women of Troy. Apparently, she was be the one who he would take his "famous" one-night-a-week ballroom dancing course in the fall, which was all he needed to graduate. The apparently happy couple dissuaded the notion somewhat that Leinart was running amok amidst USC's - and L.A.'s - impressive female population.

Leinart lived in an off-campus apartment near USC in a bad neighborhood, which had his mother constantly worried. On the night that USC beat UCLA to assure a place in the BCS national title game, his roommate Kevin Knutson went out to buy beer. He was mugged by gangbangers. When Leinart saw his friend, bloodied but unbowed, he went running after them, yelling back at Kevin, "What'd they look like?"

"I was praying he didn't find them," said Kevin. "They could've ended his career. So that's what I'm saying. You think this guy thinks about the money?"

You don't know Matt.

Of the low-rent pad, Leinart just said, "Whatever. I'm easy to please."

The morning he stunned the world, announcing he was staying at USC, he just got up and told Kevin, "Dude, I'm staying."

"Sweet," was the reply.

"Then they played Halo," wrote Friend. "In their boxers."

"I know," Leinart said. "Nine out of 10 guys would've left."

After Kevin's mugging, Matt went to dinner with his family at a Claim Jumper restaurant in "the OC."

His mom, Linda, voted for the NFL. Her main reason? Kevin's mugging and fear for Mattie in South-Central L.A. The truth is, Leinart could walk those mean streets and be hailed as a hero. When Roberto Clemente played baseball, he was once abducted at gunpoint in New York City while carrying a bag of fried chicken back to his hotel room.

The criminals then recognized who he was, gave him his money back, and returned him to the hotel. The getaway car drove off, but returned shortly. The window rolled down and a stunned Clemente caught the bag of chicken tossed his way. Such was Leinart's place in L.A, whether it be Watts or Bel Air.

His older brother, Ryan, also voted for the money.

"Bro, there's nothing left to prove," he said.

His father, Bob, a _huge_ USC fan, was neutral but really for staying, even though he was convinced that his son would go number one, and was "Tom Brady, only better."

Leinart revealed fears that he was banged up from the hard season. He needed some minor surgery, which would prevent him from going through the whole NFL Combine process. As it was, he would miss USC's 2005 spring practice, giving his backups a chance to show their stuff.

Matt's family was not wealthy. He drove a clunker with bumps. His father made him a bet: win the Heisman and he would buy him any car he wanted. Matt won the award, but then told his old man to forget the car. He liked his 1999 Ford Ranger pickup (dubbed the "Danger Ranger"), and knew that "we didn't have the money." But this was motivation to go for the dough.

"I had to get out of bed carrying my leg," he told his folks. "At the UCLA game I couldn't move."

These previously unknown injuries might have stirred him to keep 'em fooled until the checks were signed, but that was not Leinart's style.

"I'll say it again," he told the family. "I just want to be 100 percent."

The deal to stay was sealed when Leinart promised his mom he would move out of his ratty apartment, called "The Bean," to safer accommodations.

"Josh knows him, and Josh wants to tell you about L.A.," wrote Friend.

"He'll tell you L.A. has a pseudo pro football team: USC. And that L.A. likes to fawn over its one pro quarterback: you-know-who.

"So Josh Richman - actor, producer, Hollywood event director and son of former USC SID Don Richman - invited Matt Leinart into his world. Took him to the hot club Mood. Introduced him to his friends Vince Vaughn and Adam Sandler. Threw him a birthday party. Soon Matt was hanging with Chris Rock and the Timberlake posse. One night, Alyssa Milano spasmed at the mere sight of him."

At one party, Kevin tagged along and approached singer Nick Lachey.

"What's up, dude?" he said to Lachey.

"Did you hear Matt Leinart's here?" asked Lachey.

So introductions were made and that L.A.-style friendship began.

But Leinart avoided attention, cameras, paparazzi, wearing a hood.

"He'd Johnny Depp it," said Josh.

A cop asked him for his autograph.

"Yeah, I can live the life of an NFL player right here in L.A.," said Leinart. Leinart said he fell for Brynn, in part, because she _had never heard of him_. His previous girlfriend was surfer/model Veronica Kay. Of course he met girls in Hollywood, "But this was real," wrote Friend.

She was shooting a free throw when the P.A. announcer of her USC women's basketball game announced that Matt won the Heisman. She missed. When he stayed in school, she owed him $500 because she bet him that he would enter the draft.

Carroll obviously lobbied for Leinart to stay, promising to let him call some of his own plays. He also called his people in the NFL to get an honest assessment of his draft status.

The 49ers were still organizing their staff, but their eventual choice of Alex Smith indicated they wanted a quarterback. Nobody would choose Smith over Leinart. When he decided to stay, spring practice for Leinart, unable to perform because he was recovering from corrective procedures to his elbow, became a constant effort to perfect his play-calling and audible skills. From there, Leinart spent countless film hours studying not just opponents, but NFL defenses in an effort to be as sophisticated as possible.

"Wow," said Bob Leinart. "When he interviews with pro teams next year, they're going to say, 'This kid knows my defense more than I do.' "

Leinart was not totally on the hook. The family took out a large Lloyds of London insurance policy that would pay off just in case Matt got hurt.

"Look at Willis McGahee," said Matt. "Perfect example. Totally shredded knee. Comes back and gets picked in the first round. It's pretty hard to have a career-ender, unless I have a neck thing. But either way, I'm insured."

As for Linda, she was happy. Matt, entering his senior year, moved out of The Bean and into a gated complex near the STAPLES Center.

"The President"

While Leinart was the team's MVP as a 2003 sophomore, following that up with a Heisman campaign in 2004, it was Reggie "The President" Bush who earned the team MVP award for 2004. Entering the 2005 campaign, all the other awards - Heisman, Maxwell, Unitas, O'Brien - promised to be less competitive than this singular honor, which spoke volumes about what Pete Carroll had built in Los Angeles. In addition to being an almost-guaranteed New York finalist for the 2005 Heisman, Bush also was a Doak Walker Award contender with a chance at breaking various USC records.

As a sophomore, he had finished fifth in the nation in all-purpose running yards (179.2 a game). His 2,330 all-purpose yards were the most by a Trojan since Marcus Allen. He averaged 10.1 yards each time he touched the ball. In addition to finishing fifth in the Heisman vote, in which he was a finalist in New York City, Bush was named the 2004 College Player of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. He was a consensus All-American and, along with Leinart, the conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year. When the 2003 national champions visited the White House, the real President Bush singled Reggie out for his last name.

He earned Freshman All-American and all-conference honors in 2003 after coming out of Helix High, where the local prep media alternated between calling him the best high school football to come out of San Diego since Marcus Allen, or the best high school football player _ever_ to come out of San Diego.

That is quite a compliment. Aside from Bush and Allen, Ricky Williams, Rashaan Salaam, Junior Seau, Terrell Davis and Cotton Warburton played high school football in San Diego County.

"I expect great things out of myself," said Bush, a deeply religious young man from a strong, tight-knit family. "I expect to make great plays, great moves. In my mind, I can never be good enough... It just comes with the territory of making the most of what God has given you. I'm just trying to make the most out of a blessing I was given...

"To do it all," was how he saw his role. "My favorite role is to get the ball in my hands. Any way I can do that. I just like getting the ball in my hands and making a play for my team... Ever since I started playing football it just felt right. It just felt like something I loved to do. I just loved being able to entertain the crowd and to go out there and make plays happen. It was fun at the same time... I have to know a lot more about the playbook than the other players. But that goes with the territory and I love it...

"I don't really look at other people's moves and copy them because, when I'm on the field, I'm not going to remember them. It's just something that has a lot to do with instinct and vision and all those running back aspects that you have. You put them all into a basket, and you just use them on the field and go out there and make plays...

"I'm a competitor," he said of splitting time with LenDale White. "I love having the ball in my hands... What's important is winning... It's a little tough for a running back to get into a rhythm when you're not in there getting all the reps and feeling the defense. But we did it the whole season and when you got in there you had to take advantage of it... There's no jealousy on the team at all. We're all out here pulling for each other and trying to make each other better...

"The hard part has been learning to wait for my opportunity. They can't double- and triple-team me the whole game. If they do, that opens up opportunities for the other guys and, once that starts, I know I'm going to get my chance... I feel if I ran the ball 30 times, I could definitely do some damage. But it's a different situation and it's working out...

"Off the field, I'm quiet. On the field, I'm probably the exact opposite of that. Split personality on and off the field."

After finishing as a finalist for the 2004 Heisman, Bush just said, "I'll be back next year." The _real_ speculation immediately began; would he come back in 2006, either to claim his first or _second_ Heisman, and maybe a fourth national title? The talk about Leinart being the best collegiate player ever could easily switch to Bush holding that lofty position.

"A punt return is almost freedom of speech," was the way Bush described what many felt was the most exciting part of his game. "You get to go out and do whatever you want. It's not a set-up play. You go out and catch the ball and do something for your team. I do what I want. You can't get in trouble. I just get to go out there and express me, my athleticism, my personality, the type of player I am...

"You have to stay humble and do everything the right way. You have to represent the team the right way... I don't mind all the attention. But it makes me hungrier. It makes me want to do bigger things."

"He's the best running back I've seen since Tony Dorsett," said Stanford play-by-play announcer Ted Robinson.

"If you've got a linebacker covering him, you might as well start singing their fight song," was Washington State coach Bill Doba's interesting observation of defending Bush.

"Every time Reggie touches the ball, anything can happen..." said Leinart. "He's an awesome weapon... A lot of people think he's an outside runner, but he's tough. He can run in between the tackles... When he first came to USC, he was running all over our first defense in fall camp, cutting back, reversing his field. We knew he was special. Anytime he has the ball, something special can happen. It's unbelievable what he can do."

"He's fun to watch," said former USC defensive end Kenechi Udeze. "I remember his first day of practice, he must have run a circle around the whole defense and sprinted for a touchdown. Then to see it happen in the games was really funny."

"Reggie's the ultimate weapon," said Mike Williams.

"He's a special guy," said center Norm Katnik. "He can shake people like no other. I almost tackled him two times myself. He has the ability to make people miss."

"He's going to be one of the best ever," Mike Garrett said of him early in his career, before he _actually became_ one of the best ever. " He looks like another Gale Sayers."

"I told him, 'You're the most valuable player on the field, for what you're creating by your presence...' " said Carroll. "The overriding element of his game is he's just got fantastic hands. You can look at the speed and all the rest, but few guys catch the ball so well. I'm talking about anybody, not just running backs."

"He releases adrenaline in every bloodstream the minute he touches the ball," wrote Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com.

""He's a human highlight tape," was the assessment of Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com.

"Bush is definitely the most exciting player in college football," wrote Steve Bisheff of the _Orange County Register._ "Bush with the football in open space is like Barry Bonds at the plate with the bases loaded. Immediately, your senses heighten. Your pulse races. Your eyes refuse to look anywhere else... No one in college football has anyone like him. No one else is even close... The Trojans' flashy hummingbird of an all-purpose player is an amalgam of all the great USC backs through the years."

"Bush is one-of-a-kind," wrote Steve Kelly of the _Seattle Times_ early in Bush's career. "So good, so versatile, USC's coaching staff is just beginning to see all the ways he can be used. When he touches the ball, defensive coordinators hold their breath. Every play called for him can be a game-breaker. Every touch can be something you never forget... Bush zigzags through defenses as if he has a sixth sense for the location of the next sliver of daylight. He cuts as sharply as a Ferrari in a chicane. He shimmies like a dancer in a music video. A football field is 53 yard wide, and there are plays where Reggie Bush seems to use every inch from sideline to sideline... 'The President' is carving exquisite, artful dodger runs through desperate gasping and grasping defenses. Re-awakening the echoes of all the great Trojan running backs who preceded him. Hail to the chief."

"The call him 'The President,' " wrote Dennis Dodd of CBSSportsline.com. "They might soon be calling him 'The King...' He is that rare back with the speed and strength to run through the line and the ability to make defenders miss in space when he goes out for a pass... He is a symbol of what USC was, is and will be."

"Even if he got to carry or catch the ball on every down, I would never tire of watching Reggie Bush, USC's electrifying running back," said _Orange County Register_ sports columnist Randy Youngman. "Bush has so many open-field moves, he's more elusive than _The Fugitive_. Now you see him, now you don't... Touchdown, Trojans!"

"Reggie Bush looks like a creation from a video game - an almost unreal character who was created by a kid who finds all the secret codes to make his player faster, quicker and better than everyone else on the field..." wrote Arash Markazi in the _Daily Trojan_ student newspaper. "He always makes the impossible seem possible. The scary thing for USC's opponents is that this creation isn't imaginary. He's not from a video game. He's a living, breathing joystick who terrorizes defenses with his blinding speed and ankle-breaking shimmies... His speed borders on blinding and his knack for eluding defenders borders on ridiculous."

"I don't care what formation they're in, you better know where number five is, OK?" said former Washington coach Keith Gilbertson. "End of story."

"If he could throw, he'd be Michael Vick," said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer.

"If he's not the top player in the country, he's one of the top, no question..." said California coach Jeff Tedford. "He is so talented that that any one-on-one situation, he's going to win. You have to pay attention to where he is."

"The kid is unbelievable," said ex-Oregon State quarterback Derek Anderson. "I've never seen anything like it, in the NFL or wherever."

"You can't really stop Bush, to be honest," said ex-Stanford coach Buddy Teevens. "He's in a class by himself."

"He is the most versatile player in the country and, in my opinion, he's the best player in the country," said former Stanford assistant coach Tom Williams.

"He can do it all," said Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter. "Every time he touches the ball, you hold your breath."

"He's as good as any receiver on their team, and the next moment, he's running with power, makes one guy miss and he's so fast he can go the distance," said Brigham Young coach Gary Crowton. "He just has the ability to create lots of matchup problems without them changing personnel groups. That's a real luxury they have. It kind of reminds me of Marshall Faulk."

"The thing that makes him so darn good is he's such a confident young guy and he's never out of the play, no matter how bleak it looks, no matter how much you have him surrounded," said Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick.

"The most explosive player in college football is Reggie Bush," stated ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit. "The best player in the country wears number five for USC. If you get a chance, check him out. Reggie Bush...he's the most electrifying player in college football. Every time he touches the ball, he can score."

"There is little doubt that Bush is the most dynamic player in the nation," wrote Bud Withers of the _Seattle Times_. "He may not win the Heisman Trophy, but voters ought to think long and hard if defenders' broken ankles, Bush's gasp-inducing cuts and spinning, serpentine dashes matter."

"Bush is Shakespeare," gushed Ted Miller of ESPN.com. "He's gifted with speedy brilliance and flourish. Bush is 200 pounds of sound and fury signifying touchdown. He doth rise from the ground like feathered Mercury striding the Heavens... He resembles the elusive Gale Sayers or the versatile Marshall Faulk."

"Bush is basically a sworn enemy of a straight line," wrote David Leon Moore in _USA TODAY_. "He's all switchbacks and zigzags, spin moves and ankle-breaking shimmy. Some people think he is already the most entertaining, and maybe best, college football player in the country... He is a quiet sort, polite, humble, good grades, solid citizen... On a football field, he gets around like nobody else. Here, there, this sideline, that end zone, he's running, receiving, returning, making plays, scoring touchdowns, winning games... He runs with a can't-take-your-eyes-off-him style that seems part Marshall Faulk, part Barry Saunders, part Gale Sayers."

"Bush, who runs like a witch flies, has developed into the most dangerous player in the country," wrote _San Diego Union-Tribune_ sports columnist Nick Canepa.

"What defenders see are hips and elbows and ankles and forearms and shoe bottoms, all of it twisting and spinning until what remains is a trail of vapor and shadows and empty-armed opponents... USC uses him to create Maalox matchups for the opposition. When Bush is positioned anywhere but the backfield, 10 defenders can be seen pointing and waving, motioning as to his whereabouts," wrote Jeff Miller in the _Orange County Register_.

"He's smooth," said LenDale White. "He's got mad, crazy speed... If Reggie's not the best there is, he's one of the best. He opens this offense up so much just by being there."

"We just sat back on Saturday and watched the show..." said Lofa Tatupu after one of Bush's scintillating performances. "Not to take credit away from the offensive line because they've done a great job, but Reggie sets his blocks so well that they can miss their man completely and he still gets through... I've told guys on the other team, 'Don't feel bad. He got me with that play twice in practice this week.' "

"Practicing against him was great training for us," said Shaun Cody. "You want to improve your quickness, try chasing a rabbit around."

"When he's in, you heard linebackers screaming all the time," said former tight end Alex Holmes. "They were all shouting about 'number five.' Reggie is a guy who literally changes the game just by being there."

"He's the best player I've ever played with or against," said former cornerback Kevin Arbet. "When he's running an option route against you, you just have to guess. It's impossible."

"His combination of track sprinter speed and music video shiftiness makes him a one-man show," wrote Patrick Kinmartin in the _Daily Trojan_.

"Bush awes his teammates daily with his ability to get to full speed on his second step," wrote Dan Weber of the _Riverside Press-Telegram_.

"Bush is a highlight show fixture with physiology defying, did-he-do-that moves," wrote Todd Harmonson of the _Orange County Register_. "The easy comparison is to Marshall Faulk because of the similarity in all-around games, but those who saw Gale Sayers recognize the speed, spins and spellbinding cuts... He is a speed demon who sees Christmas morning when a linebacker tries to defend him and a winnable challenge when a quick corner draws the assignment... Off the field, Bush is a quiet leader who is on track to graduate in three and a half years."

"Around USC now, they're simply wondering what Reggie will come up with next," wrote Phil Collin in the _South Bay Daily Breeze_. "The thing is, they know it's coming. Opponents do too... As brilliant as he can be on the football field, Bush is simply that humble off of it. He smiles sheepishly at mention of his nickname, 'The President.' "

"Keith Gilbertson half-jokingly labeled the situation unfair," wrote Gary Klein of the _L.A. Times._ "Bill Doba called the potential problems monstrous. Mike Riley found only one word to describe it - horrible. That's what these Pac 10 coaches said when asked to assess difficulties created for defenses when Reggie Bush lines up at receiver."

"Bush is young and multi-talented," wrote Michael Ventre of MSNBC.com. "He's a running back. He's a receiver. He's a kick returner. He's a punt returner. He's even a passer. If you try and pigeonhole him, you'd better have lots of pigeonholes... Bush can stop on a dime, give you nine cents change, then blow past you before you can bend to pick it up... When it comes to pure, all-around, pound-for-pound value from a college football player, it's hard to beat what Bush brings to the table... He's a genuine once-in-a-generation player... And he's a good kid - smart, down to earth, respectful of others yet supremely confident... He has turned a run-of-the-mill punt return into an event. He causes teams to kick away from him on kickoffs. When he comes into games, defenders cast desperate looks to their sidelines for advice."

Mr. White: future Heisman winner?

Where Bush was "Lightning," six-foot, two-inch, 235-pound powerhouse LenDale White, his alternate at the tailback position, was "Thunder." White was All-American, All-State for three years, and the Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year as a senior at Chatfield High in Denver. He gained a state record of 7,803 yards as a four-year starter (the first three at Denver's South High).

As a 2003 freshman, White ran for 754 yards, earning Freshman All-American, All-Pacific 10 and Pac 10 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year honors.

In 2004 he made All-Pac 10 and Collegefootballnews.com's Sophomore All-American team.

Despite his reputation for "running inside the tackles," White insisted, "I'm shifty, but I have the power when I need it. I used to be a scatback, but I got to USC and gained some weight."

White actually was the starter in 2004, although Bush started in the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma. White, with the exception of one reported flare-up that may not have happened or been overblown, accepted his sharing role as a complete team player.

"There's not even competition between us," he said of Bush and, in 2003, Hershel Dennis. "Our competition is how we can push each other to be our best... All of the tailbacks here believe we're great, and great as a group...

"We were the tailback. It's like there was no special tailback and there was no main tailback. We all just went out there when we got our chance and just tried to make things happen. All of us were capable of doing it. We had fast guys, big guys, quick guys. We were all special in our own types of ways. When they called on us, we all cheered for each other. It was like a family to me... When I saw them doing well, I wanted to do well, so they helped me elevate my game."

Still, White envied Bush in one respect.

"I want to line up wide and go deep, too, just like Reggie," he fantasized. "That's my dream, to have Reggie at tailback and me catch a bomb."

"White is the thunder and has drawn comparisons to bruising backs from Jamal Lewis to former USC great Ricky Bell..." wrote Todd Harmonson of the _Orange County Register_ early in White's career. "He is a tackle-breaking bulldozer who delivers punishment with a try-to-stop-me grin. It's too early to anoint White as the next great tailback at USC, but his quiet confidence and thunderous running style are enough to inspire Trojan imaginations. Fans with decent memories compare him to Ricky Bell. Offensive linemen who must make their blocks point to Justin Fargas... Off the field, White is the fun-lover who raves about seeing Beyonce at the BET Awards, adds tattoos the way he does yards and always seems to be laughing."

Ted Miller of ESPN.com, after saying that "Bush is Shakespeare," then added that, "White is Hemingway. He is six-foot two, 235 pounds of power and streamlined footwork; he cuts and goes without a lot of decorative maneuvers. He is good... White has been compared to former Trojan great Ricky Bell or Eddie George."

"He's very physical. He softens them up and I run by them," said Bush, managing to sound like a general describing invasion strategy. "I love watching LenDale play. I like his style. And when he makes big plays, it makes me hungry to go out there and make an even bigger play. We try to outdo each other. It's a friendly competition and it makes us better."

"It's an honor to play alongside Reggie," said White.

"Reggie is our physical mismatch, but LenDale is the law," said John Drake.

White, despite a brilliant career, labored in the shadow of both Leinart and Bush entering 2005. The season promised to be more of the same. But Leinart would graduating and Bush was prognosticated to leave early, possibly even going number one (ahead of Leinart) in the 2006 NFL Draft. The possibility remained that in '06, White would be USC's marquee name, and very possibly its **eighth Heisman Trophy winner!**

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

THE GREATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM OF ALL TIME (2005 EDITION)

The most publicized college sports team ever sets out to do things never done before

The 2005 USC Trojans entered the 2005 season shooting for a string of superlatives that included:

  12. Passing Notre Dame as the greatest collegiate football tradition ever.

  13. Becoming the greatest single-season team ever.

  14. Becoming the greatest half-decade dynasty of all time.

  15. Quarterback Matt Leinart becoming the best college football player in history.

  16. The Leinart-Bush duo passing Army's Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside Blanchard-Davis combo to become the most ballyhooed teammates ever.

Bush, Leinart and White had a supporting cast to out-do all other supporting casts. Without Leinart or Bush, White would have been a Heisman candidate coming in. If not for all the big stars, players like Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith may well have entered into that discussion. If all the prep hype was to be believed, third-year sophomore John David Booty just might have been draped in glory had he won the job back in 2003.

Linebacker Collin Ashton, a fifth-generation _Scion_ , walked on after playing at Orange County powerhouse Mission Viejo High. He entered his senior year with a chance to get significant playing time at linebacker and special teams.

"A lot of people didn't think I could do it," the 6-1, 220-pound Ashton said. "A lot of them laughed at me and said I was wasting my time... I'm not dumb. I looked out on the field in my first few weeks here and I could see everyone was bigger, stronger and faster than me. So I kept working on my skills and spending time in the weight room."

While Ashton's USC pedigree and affluent upbringing dissuade the comparison somewhat, he still remains the Trojans' version of _Rudy_ , except that he is a far better player and legitimate game-time contributor, not just a senior "practice dummy."

"This is a great college football success story," said Carroll, who no doubt saw himself in Ashton. "For a guy to come in the way Collin did and make this happen is pretty amazing. He's a fantastic example for all the kids out there who don't think they have a chance."

Sophomore Sam Baker was back to start at offensive tackle. After making All-American at Tustin High in Orange County, he earned Freshman All-American honors in 2004.

Junior safety Darnell Bing, he of Garrett's number 20, helped anchor the secondary in 2005. The _Parade_ All-American from Long Beach Poly had been a 2003 Freshman All-American and a 2004 All-Pac 10 selection. In 2005 he asserted himself in the Jim Thorpe Award discussion.

"I know what Mike Garrett meant to this program," he said of the number. "...I just have to show that I'm worthy of wearing number 20. Mr. Garrett said that if I don't do it, he'll take it back."

"He's got a golden horseshoe in his pocket," Carroll said, referring to Bing's natural "luck." "Sometimes there are safeties who are like that."

Senior wide receiver William Buchanon, who made All-American at Oceanside High but had yet to crack the line-up, entered the campaign with high hopes of making a significant contribution.

"People I talk to said he was like the Deion Sanders of his day," said his father, also named Willie, a Pro Bowler during his long career with Green Bay and San Diego. Buchanon's uncle was the great Trojan tailback C.R. Roberts.

Jeff Byers, the 2003 Gatorade National Player of the Year at Loveland High in Colorado, entered 2005 with question marks. In the classroom he was right on the mark with a B-minus average. As a 2004 freshman, it might seem incongruous, but despite earning the starting job at season's end, making Freshman All-American and Freshman All-Pac 10, he had not pushed Ryan Kalil out of the center's job. This was, in fact, a testament to Kalil and to the high competition at SC, not any indication that Byers was a disappointment as a true freshman.

However, he had hip surgery that kept him out of spring practice. His injuries prevented him from entering the year on the active roster. Instead, Carroll planned to red-shirt him.

"I knew when I came here that USC has the most talented players in the country," said Byers, who as a Colorado lineman at Southern Cal followed in the large footsteps of Tony Boselli. "I get my eyes opened every day."

"He has very high expectations for himself," said Carroll.

The 6-3, 260-pound senior tight-end-who-plays-like-a-wideout, Dominique Byrd, enjoyed a spectacular, if sporadic, junior year. He starred in the Orange Bowl, but missed the first four games with an injury. Amidst all the talent he did not get as many touches as he otherwise might have.

Battling small-scale injuries, Byrd was a Mackey Award candidate in 2005. The All-American from Breck High in Minneapolis interned for Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton. He seemed philosophical about life.

"I believe that my injuries were blessings in disguise," he said. "I think everything happens for a reason, and it was just time for me to mature as a person."

Freshman tailback Michael Coleman was part of the spectacular 2005 recruiting class. He had entered school in the spring. A _Super Prep_ All-Farwest, All-Southern Section and San Bernardino County Player of the Year in 2004, the 6-1, 235-pound Coleman played quarterback at Arroyo Valley High, but was switched to running back where he showed phenomenal promise. His speed and size seemed to be a younger combination of Bush and White. His quarterback-to-running back transition could not help but remind people of Marcus Allen.

6-4, 225-pound wideout-turned-tight end Fred Davis, two-time prep All-American and prized 2004 recruit from Ohio, hoped he could make an impact his sophomore year after the unfortunate missed-meeting episode, costing him a trip to Miami.

Another high school All-American, tailback Hershel Dennis from Long Beach Poly, also looked to find some redemption in a disappointing career that had seemed so promising when he starred as the starting tailback on the 2003 national champions.

Another former track standout, Dennis got off to a bad start when police were called to his apartment. A girl complained about his actions prior to the 2004 campaign. No charges were filed, but he had been suspended, played rarely, then hurt himself, missing the Orange Bowl.

In 2005 he was still recuperating from torn knee ligaments, but had buckled down, kept his mouth shut, and stayed with the program with a legitimate chance at being a big part of the 2006 team as a fifth-year senior.

"He's in this for the right reasons, knowing the team can accomplish something," said Carroll.

"It was difficult," Dennis said of his up-and-down fortunes at USC. "I have to believe things will work out for me. God has good things planned for me... I wanted to stay a team player, support my teammates and help out any way I could."

Defensive tackle Travis Draper, the first team All-Southern Section defensive lineman from Paso Robles, had signed in 2003 but not entered until 2004 as a red-shirt freshman with lots of promise.

So, too, would 285-pound sophomore defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. The All-American from Chino entered 2005 looking to start at nose tackle.

Freshman safety Kevin Ellison was part of the 2004 recruiting class, but entered in the spring after graduating early from Redondo Union High School, where he earned South Bay/Westside Player of the Year honors.

Junior fullback Brandon Hancock looked to get significant playing time after recovering from an injury. The former All-American from Clovis West High in Fresno was a Phi Beta Kappa.

235-pound freshman Thomas Herring, another '04 recruit who came in late after qualifying, was a _Parade_ All-American two-way tackle at L.A.'s Fremont High.

6-5, 265-pound sophomore defensive end Lawrence Jackson, a consensus prep All-American and two-time CIF-Southern Section first teamer at Inglewood High, was a 2004 Freshman All-American.

"He's a specimen - big, fast and strong," said Shaun Cody of Jackson. In addition, Jackson was known as a contrarian, a debater who philosophizes "about stuff the average person doesn't think about."

6-5 wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, a sophomore in 2005, was New Jersey's Offensive Player of the Year, a _Parade_ All-American, and considered to the top prep receiver of 2003 at New Brunswick High School. He followed that up with a spectacular rookie year, earning Freshman All-American and all-conference honors.

"I wasn't used to being away from home," Jarrett said of his first year in Los Angeles. "It was a shock to me. In the first couple of weeks of camp, it was like, 'Oh, man. I don't like it here.' I talked to Coach Carroll a lot. I told him, 'I'm not sure this is the place for me.' But I got through it. It made me a better person."

"That's not Mike Williams? That's not Lynn Swann? That's not Keyshawn Johnson?" marveled Keith Gilbertson. "Jarrett is the next great one. He's tremendous. He's a lot like Keyshawn and Mike - tall and rangy and really, really good."

"He is extremely talented," said Carroll. "If you watch him on the field, you see he is just so natural and so gifted. He is all we could have hoped for. We were hoping to find someone to fill the Mike Williams role. Dwayne can do all the things that Mike can do."

"He's reminiscent of Mike Williams in the height, the athleticism, and just the way they make plays and create mismatches," said Leinart. "But Dwyane might be more athletic."

Six-foot, six-inch, 300-pound junior offensive tackle Winston Justice returned to the field in 2005 after a student conduct violation. Justice was an All-American and the _L.A. Times_ Southern California Lineman of the Year at Long Beach Poly in 2001, a Freshman All-American in 2002, and All-Pacific 10 in 2003.

He trained with Mike Tyson at a Hollywood boxing gym during the off year.

"It was hard," he said. "But life goes on... I learned a lot about certain situations during my time off. I learned you can't take things for granted because they can be taken away from you... I feel more mature now."

Justice considered moving on to the NFL, where he most likely could have forged a career, but chose to be part of something special again.

Junior center Ryan Kalil won USC's 2004 Courage Award in 2004, holding on to the job coveted by the heralded Jeff Byers.

"He's the type of kid you dream of," his father, Frank Kalil, said of his son, an All-American at Servite High School in Anaheim. "He's a throwback. He doesn't drink or smoke. And I'd always hear him playing Sinatra in the bedroom..."

230-pound fullback David Kirtman, an All-American at Mercer Island High School in Washington state, was a senior. He grew into the job, showing himself to be a versatile runner, blocker and, to some surprise, a great pass catcher, not just on the short routes or as a safety valve.

Sophomore Whitney Lewis red-shirted in 2004. A _Parade_ All-American, winner of the Glenn Davis Award for top high school player in Southern California, two-time All-Southern Section and two-time All-State wide receiver at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, Lewis dazzled when he got the opportunity in 2003.

"I just can't come in here and do things," Lewis said of the "reality check" that goes with being a prep superstar on a team filled with them. "I have to do the extra work just like everyone else."

240-pound junior linebacker Oscar Lua made a great impact since his freshman year, receiving little fanfare amidst his heralded teammates. Growing up rooting for ex-Trojan and Charger All-Pro Junior Seau, Lua was an All-American, All-Southern California and All-Southern Section pick at Indio High, located in a desert community east of L.A. He also hit .485 with 11 home runs, earning two-time All-Desert Valley League honors in baseball.

6-6, 365-pound senior offensive tackle Taitusi Lutui dominated his Orange Bowl matchups. An All-State selection at Mesa High near Phoenix, he earned All-American kudos at Snow J.C. in Utah.

Married with a child, he said his parents "brought us to this country for a purpose" from the Tongan Islands.

Senior punter Tom Malone could have entered professional football, but the 2004 All-American, All-Pac 10 and Ray Guy Award semi-finalist wanted to stick around. He was a _Playboy_ magazine pre-season All-American in 2005 after leading the nation in punting (without full credit because the offense was so good he did not get enough attempts to qualify in '05).

Malone was an All-American in his sophomore year (2003), a Freshman All-American and all-conference in 2002, after an All-American career at Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore, California. A political science major, Malone had enough credits to graduate had he chosen to do so. Instead, he was bidding to be a rare three-time All-American.

"Tom Malone is college football's vanity plate, the chocolate trouffle at the end of five courses," wrote Mark Whicker of the _Orange County Register._ "...He's an indulgence on a team that never punts."

305-pound junior offensive guard Fred Matua was All-L.A. City Section at Banning High School in 2000; All-American in 2001, Freshman All-American in 2003, and Sophomore All-American in 2004.

His uncle played at USC. He had assorted other relatives played and coached at high levels.

"When he first came in, he was a wild man," said Shaun Cody of Matua.

"He's a player with a defensive temperament" on offense, said offensive line coach Tim Davis.

6-1 junior wide receiver Chris McFoy started nine games in 2004 after an All-American and two-time All-Southern Section Division II career at Chino High.

6-2, 265-pound freshman defensive tackle Lawrence Miles was an All-American out of La Quinta High School in Riverside County.

6-5, 250-pound freshman tight end Jimmy Miller was an All-American at Westlake High School in Ventura County.

Sophomore defensive lineman Alex Morrow was an All-American at Rancho Cotate High, north of San Francisco.

Safety Josh Pinkard had been All-American at Hueneme High on the Ventura County coast.

Senior linebacker Ryan Powdrell earned All-American honors at both Rancho Santa Margarita High School and Saddleback Community College in Orange County.

300-pound freshman offensive guard Chilo Rachal was an All-American and two-time All-Stater at Dominguez High in Compton.

6-5, 300-pound sophomore offensive lineman Drew Radovich earned consensus All-American honors in a star-studded career at Mission Viejo High School.

290-pound senior defensive lineman LaJuan Ramsey was a CIF-Southern Section first team pick at Dominguez High.

Sophomore tailback Desmond Reed, who if it were not for Bush and White would have been a national figure already, earned All-Pac 10 honors in 2004 after an All-American career as running back and defensive back at Temple City High in the San Gabriel Valley.

"Desmond Reed is the best kept secret in college football," said Leinart.

6-3, 220-pound sophomore linebacker Keith Rivers (wearing the famed number 55) was simply the best player at his position in the 2003 recruiting class after an All-American and three-time All-State career at Lake Mary High in Florida.

A Freshman All-Pac 10 pick playing alongside Matt Grootegoed in 2004, Rivers was "really fast and tough," said Carroll. "He has an unusual body in that he can strike guys in a small space and unload on them." He was beginning to remind some people of Richard "Batman" Wood and Charles Phillips of 1974 national championship fame.

6-3, 260-pound senior defensive end Frostee Rucker was a typical example of Carroll's democratic system. He earned a place at the table through hard work, out-playing more heralded blue chippers. Rucker had not been an All-American at Tustin High, although he was a CIF-Southern Section Division VI first teamer and Golden West League MVP. He went to Colorado State, then transferred to USC when he realized that he had the chops to play with the very best.

6-5, 240-pound senior linebacker Dallas Sartz started for two years after making All-American (and National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete) at Granite Bay High in Sacramento County. He also starred in track and basketball.

"He is the playmaker of the linebacker group," said ex-teammate Lofa Tatupu. "He's always around the ball..."

6-4, 260-pound sophomore defensive end Jeff Schweiger entered 2005 with high expectations. Austin Murphy of _Sports Illustrated_ predicted that USC would anchor defense of their national championship around his defensive leadership. Schweiger was one of the very highest-rated All-Americans in the nation as a senior at Valley Christian High School in the San Jose area.

Junior wide receiver Steve Smith was one of the most heralded prep athletes in America at Taft High; a track star, All-American basketball player, three-time All-State receiver, L.A. City Section MVP, and 2002 _Parade_ All-American. He made numerous big catches in his freshman and sophomore years, entering 2005 on the Biletnikoff and Maxwell watch lists.

"I didn't feel any pressure replacing" Mike Williams and Keary Colbert, said Smith.

Sophomore cornerback Terrell Thomas was an All-American at Rancho Cucamonga High. Sophomore tight end Dale Thompson had been an All-American at Santiago High School in Riverside County.

The identical twin Ting brothers, Brandon and Ryan (junior safeties), were both All-Americans at James Logan High in the Bay Are. Both were Academic All-Americans at USC.

"We're always competing with each other," said Ryan.

Senior cornerback John Walker was an All-American at Birmingham High School in the north San Fernando Valley. Senior safety Scott Ware made the All-American team out of Santa Rosa J.C. Junior offensive tackle was a former All-American at Highland Park High in Dallas. Sophomore linebacker Thomas Williams was an All-American who also hit .430 on the baseball team at Vacaville High in Solano County.

Senior cornerback Justin Wyatt was an All-American at Dominguez High and an all-conference pick in 2004.

As the season approached, the natural talk about "three-Petes" became inevitable, along with the ridiculous notion that the school could not market the theme "three-Pete" because former Laker basketball coach Pat Riley had patented the term; a peculiarly "only in L.A." oddity.

It was the most loaded, talented, hyped collegiate football team of all time; prep All-Americans _everywhere_... A Heisman winner, Heisman contenders, All-Americans, Lombardi, O'Brien, Unitas, Maxwell, Belitnikoff, Ray Guy candidates... The only thing that could stop USC was USC.

The chance to win an unprecedented third straight title, something no team had ever done, and to do it at the Rose Bowl, added to the "perfection" of the situation.

"It's an exciting challenge to be the returning national champion and we look forward to dealing with everything that goes with that," said Carroll. "We'll handle it well. Our approach will be the same as it always is. Our goal always is to win the Pac 10 and the Rose Bowl."

USC had 11 first team All-Americans, two of three Heisman winners, winning 22 straight and 33 of the last 34 over the previous three years.

"We're really proud of our recent accomplishments," said Carroll. "But we view those now as things in the past. All indications are that we have been able to move forward. Our focus is on the 2005 season."

14 starters returned (eight on offense, five on defense, the punter) along with 75 squadmen (58 of whom had seen playing time, 49 lettered, and 28 on the two-deep chart). 24 players started in the past. 19 new scholarship players joined the roster.

"Our primary objective is to recapture the intensity and competitive atmosphere that we've had the past few years here," said Carroll. "If our returning players and the group of outstanding new players we have coming in can do the job, then we have a chance to have another good season.

"We have grown comfortable with being in this environment, with all this attention on us. We've been there. We went through the whole season last year as the nation's number one team. We deal with that kind of thing as we do with everything, by going about our business in a normal fashion. We aren't concerned with the hype and the future. We'll just try to prove our worth week to week. I love that kind of challenge. We have to see if we can do it.

"We don't know yet how we are going to do. But I do know how we are going to attack the challenges. Knowing that, I like our chances of being a really good team this year...

"In previous years, we've shown the ability to deal with the loss of great players. I'm confident we have the personnel who will seize their opportunities and step up, especially among our new and our younger players. This kind of an annual challenge is what makes college football so fun...

"From start to finish, we realize this is a very demanding schedule. We'll have to be at our best each game because we know our opponents will fire their best shots at us. But if you're a USC fan, or just a college football fan, we think it'll be fun to watch. We're counting on getting the same kind of fan support last year, especially at home when the Coliseum was so electric and we had such a home field advantage, to help us be successful again...

"We return lots of starters and key players from an offense that was very productive last year. We were a very diverse, yet very balanced and efficient offense, and we didn't turn the ball over very much.

"But we're still young and developing on this side of the ball. We need to work hard to maintain our production level and to improve our depth. There will be some spirited competition to get into the playing rotation at many positions. I anticipate a lot of players seeing action and contributing on offense

"The offense should be improved over last year. Our confidence on this side of the ball is high."

Leinart came in with gaudy numbers: 65.3 percent completion rate, 3,322 yards, 33 touchdowns against six interceptions in 2004. His 71 career touchdowns in two years was one behind Palmer, who needed the better part of five seasons. He was 25-1 as a starter with a 22-game winning streak.

"Matt Leinart's decision to return for his senior year really sent a message about him as a person and how much fun it is to play college football," said Carroll. "He has two outstanding seasons under his belt now and is in such command of our offense. He's a gifted quarterback and a true team leader. We expect him to pick up right where he left off."

Aside from Bush, Carroll had "Thunder and Lightning" - Bush and White.

"With LenDale White and Reggie Bush, we have an unusually effective combination of running backs," said Carroll. "LenDale packs a punch on every down. He's the engine of our offense. Reggie creates problems wherever he lines up because of his speed and elusiveness, so teams always have to pay extra attention to him. He has the potential to score every time he touches the ball."

Desmond Reed, the "biggest secret in college football," according to Leinart, was just itching to get in there.

"Desmond Reed was maybe the MVP of spring practice every day," said Carroll. "He seemed to make a big play every day...

"We have some nice depth at tailback. We'll work to continue developing the roles of our players and see how they all fit in...

"The return of Brandon Hancock really bolsters out fullback group. We use our fullbacks in a lot of ways and we have the type of players who can handle all these roles."

The Trojans offered the best wide receiver corps in the nation, set to catch Leinart's assorted array of passes.

"Steve Smith is such a steady, reliable player who knows how to come up with big plays," said Carroll. "Dwyane Jarrett had a fantastic freshman year and should build upon that in 2005. He creates lots of mismatches with his size and catching ability...

"The wide receiver corps is about the same as it was last year. We're still young, but we're pretty good here. This year, we'll look to expand everybody's roles."

The spectacular Dominique Byrd hoped to fly in his senior year.

"Dominique Byrd can do it all as a tight end," said Carroll. "He can block, he can catch the short pass in traffic, and he has the speed to go long.

"We like to use lots of tight ends in our offense. So we'll see who emerges behind Byrd. It'll be a very competitive battle."

The offensive line looked to be spectacular in 2005.

"This is an exciting position for us because our offensive line remains basically intact and it's the best depth we've had since I've been here," said Carroll. "We have 10 players who can play for us now and we rotate them in. Beyond the play and leadership of Sam Baker and Ryan Kalil, our line did a great job last year of opening holes for the running backs and protecting the quarterback. We hope they can improve as much this year as they did last season. I think they will. They are now an experienced, savvy group."

Defensively, USC was "dominating" in 2004, said Carroll. "But this year we have some big issues to deal with because of the loss of a pair of All-American defensive tackles and another pair of All-American linebackers. So that's our focus defensively, as well as developing depth at every position, especially at cornerback.

"Our defensive philosophy will remain the same: play fast, play aggressively and take away the football. Our defense is structured to play solidly and make it hard for people to score...

"We'll count on Lawrence Jackson and Frostee Rucker to be our veteran leaders up front. They'll be more in the limelight this year...

"With the loss of Cody and Patterson, the defensive line will be a major project for us and will be an area of great focus. We need some players to emerge...

"The linebacker corps will be the most competitive position on our team. That competition will continue all the way into the fall. Dallas Sartz needs to take over a leadership role and continue his steady play, while the others need to step up in a hurry."

The defensive questions posed the only real area of concern. Th secondary no doubt would be tested.

"Darnell Bing is a great player to have anchoring the secondary," said Carroll. "We expect him to show the same kind of improvement that he showed throughout last season. And I'm real excited about Wyatt. His ability allows us to do lots of things defensively...

"This will be a very physical and very fast secondary. And there's some depth among the mix of youth."

The special teams had won the Cal game in 2004, and possibly the Oregon State game, too.

"We should be strong in special teams again this year," said Carroll. "How can you not with Reggie Bush returning punts and kickoffs and Tom Malone being such a weapon as a punter? They've both already been recognized as All-Americans for their performances on special teams. But the key is developing a new placekicker. If we can do that, we have a chance to be as effective overall as last year's special teams."

In a private phone conversation with this author in March 2005, Pete Carroll expressed more than his usual optimism and confidence. Of the Orange Bowl blowout, he said, "We were so confident. I just knew that our program couldn't be beat. What we've got here, it works, they've bought into it, and honestly the Sooners couldn't beat that. There was no doubt left by the time that game came around."

Just as in 2004, every single magazine and poll chose USC as the pre-season number one prediction. The Associated Press gave them the highest number of pre-season number one votes in the poll's 70-year history, with Texas a distant second. USC entered the 2005 campaign having been ranked number one by the AP for 17 straight polls. Miami held the record from 2001-2002. Notre Dame in the late 1980s was second at 19. USC was tied with itself (the 1972-73 Trojans) for third. If they could be number one for the first four polls, another big-time college record would fall.

_USA TODAY_ /ESPN also ranked them first. _Athlon Sports College Football_ magazine was typical of the plethora of publications gushing about the supposedly unbeatable Trojans. Featuring Leinart on the cover with Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson (Leinart and Bush, sometimes together, dominated all the covers), they rated USC number one on the field and number one in recruiting - again.

_Athlon's_ top quarterback units? Leinart and Booty. Top running back units? They said Oklahoma, a huge miscalculation. USC was their second choice. Top wide receiver and tight ends? USC again, with McFoy, Byrd, Jarrett and Smith pictured. Best offensive line? Texas, followed by Cal and USC. First team All-Americans were Leinart, Jarrett and Bush. Third team: White. Honorable mention: Bing.

"What do you give an offense that already has everything?" their analysis of Troy opened. With Leinart back, "USC's offense looks like the best in the nation once again...

"The only question about the offense is whether it will be as effective without departing offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Then again, with this much talent, does it really matter what they call...?

"The only question about the two-time defending national champions is in the heart of the defensive line."

Aside from Cody and Patterson leaving, Manuel Wright had not made his grades. Eric Wright was kicked off the team. Carroll had weakened his weakest link in the name of integrity.

As if USC's number one-ranked team was not enough, _Athlon_ rated their cheerleaders as the "best" in the country, too. When you're hot, you're hot!

Speaking of beautiful girls, _Playboy_ featured the "Girls of the Pac 10" in 2005. In their college football pre-season edition, USC was again their pick to win the national championship. A nice photo of Leinart was accompanied by a story in which Leinart talked about his weekly lunch at Togo's with his dad.

"Nothing fancy, but it's become a ritual," Leinart told Gary Cole. "The last time I missed our Tuesday lunch, we lost to Cal. We're not going to miss another one...

"I'm watching a lot more film this year. I want to be better prepared... My favorite day of the week is game day. I'm not nervous, just excited. It's the greatest feeling in the world."

The _Playboy_ coaches' interview was with Carroll. Asked about Leinart's return, Carroll responded, "A lot of other people were surprised, but I can't say I was. Matt said all along he wanted to stay in school. I knew his situation here was a good one. And knowing how supportive his parents were about his decision, I wasn't surprised at all."

Of the players replacing Cody and Patterson, he said, "...while I think it will be difficult for us to be better than we were last year..." he remained optimistic.

"Our philosophy and systems remain in place, so the changes are to personnel only, not approach," Carroll said of the departure of Chow and Orgeron. "In the spring I saw signs that our coaching transition has taken place seamlessly."

Of his feelings about coaching in college vs. the NFL, Carroll replied, "There's nothing I don't like about my situation at USC, but I wish we had a playoff system to determine the national championship rather than the current BCS setup...

"My goal as a coach is to try and establish a long-standing tradition of excellence. You can't do that by jumping from job to job. I remember walking out of the stadium when I was with the Buffalo Bills and looking up at the wall listing Marv Levy's accomplishments. He may not have won a Super Bowl, but he established a winning tradition over the long haul. That's my goal, and I think USC is the right place to do it."

_Sports Illustrated_ , notorious for their bad pre-season college football predictions, had hit it right on the button with USC in 2004. The Trojans were their pick again in '05, followed by Texas, Florida, Michigan and Texas.

Bush graced their cover with the headline, "Gamebreakers, REGGIE BUSH, He's One of Those Unstoppable Players. Can He keep USC on Top?"

"Sometimes I go back and watch myself <on tape>," Bush told Austin Murphy. "To be honest, I'm not really conscious of what I'm doing while I'm doing it. Even after that, I don't really remember what I did."

_"You can do everything right, be in perfect position to stop him, and Bush will hurt you,"_ Murphy wrote of the defenders' mindset facing Bush.

"I think he's the best player in college football," said Leinart. "With his ability to change a game in one play, to make a defense look silly, to be a threat to score every time he touches the ball, there's no one else like him. He's the best."

"He's a tailback on one snap, a receiver on another," said Bob Gregory, California's defensive coordinator. "They'll put him in the slot or motion him out of the backfield to try and get a mismatch."

"Bush can hurt you so many ways," said Arizona coach Bob Stoops. "You're more conscious of him than you are of Leinart."

"He's such a dynamic force that you have to know where he is, whether he's getting the ball or not. You have to watch him and do something about him."

The Notre Dame linebacker had verbally announced he was covering Bush in the 2004 game at the Coliseum.

"Basically, he was telling me he had me in one-on-one coverage," said Bush. "He was telling us we were going to score a touchdown before we scored a touchdown."

Carroll called Bush's yards-per-touch average his "slugging percentage."

"At the Heisman ceremony," Bush recalled, "I'm sitting up there with Matt and Adrian and Jason White. They've got all these great numbers, and I'm there based on...athletic ability."

Bush's mom, Denise Griffin, a San Diego deputy sheriff, recalled Reggie's days with the Grossmont Warriors Pop Warner team.

"In his first game he had seven touchdowns and 287 yards," she said.

"In his third game he had eight touchdowns and 544 yards," said his stepfather, Lamar Griffin, a security officer and part-time Christian preacher. "He still does his stuff, but back then there was more spinning and cutting."

"When he was small, he'd play keepaway with the neighborhood kids, and all these moves would just _come out,"_ added Denise. "He'd get such a kick out of faking them out - he would just crack up. He still gets joy from that."

The household Bush grew up in was devoutly Christian.

Reggie "doesn't spend as much time in the Word as he should," said Denise, "but he knows where he comes from."

"...It became apparent very early on," said Helix High principal Doug Smith, the father of 49er quarterback Alex Smith, "that Reggie had a special feel for the game, a special sense of balance on the field."

Two other Helix players, Todd Watkins (BYU) and Charles Smith (Washington) played major college ball.

"Reggie didn't bitch about not getting as many touches as he could have," recalled Alex. "There were times he might have been frustrated because he _knew_ he could beat someone. But he wasn't the guy coming back to the huddle saying, 'I'm open! I'm open' "

His Helix High coach, Donnie Van Hook, recalled thinking an intruder broke into the weight room at six a.m. It was Bush pumping iron.

"Reggie, what are you doing here?" Van Hook asked.

"Doesn't practice start today?" Bush replied.

"Here he is, a senior, getting recruited by everyone in the country, climbing in a window 10 feet off the ground in the dark so he can lift weights before practice," Van Hook enthused. "What else you do need to know about the kid?"

Bush would rush for 1,691 yards on 140 carries (a 12.1 average) and 27 scores, despite missing four games with a broken wrist. Bush was recruited hard by Tyrone Willingham and Notre Dame. He gave it strong consideration because Willingham is a black coach and the program has so much tradition. His Christian faith also factored in to that consideration, but he had a hard time picturing himself playing in cold weather so far from home.

USC coaches did not promise that he would start right away, only that he would get the chance. They "kept it real," he said.

"I've talked to NFL coaches and scouts who question whether he can run between the tackles," said Smith. "Because of the system they have, he's getting labeled as a tweener."

"With the pounding <NFL runners> take, I don't know if he can be an every-down back," said one NFL coach. "How many 195-pound running backs are there in this league?"

Bush's 2004 punt returns for touchdowns were set up as "red return - or righty return," said USC's director of football operations, Dennis Slutak. "Both of them ended up being returned right, Reggie left. And that's O.K."

"It may throw us off, setting up a return right and Reggie going left, but you've got to figure it's going to throw off the other team more," said Dallas Sartz, describing blocking for Bush on returns. "The thing with Reggie is, he's never going to give up on the play, so we can't either."

"No matter where you have your guy, Reggie's able to make a play," said special teams coach Sam Anno. "If you block the guy this way, and the guy who's blocked that way, he'll be influenced. Know what I mean?"

_"So sublime are Bush's moves that they often defy description, forcing middle-aged men to attempt to reenact them,"_ wrote Murphy.

"Reggie leads you to a spot, gets you close to him, and then he _jukes_ ," said sports information director Tim Tessalone.

SI promoted Texas as the Trojans' top national challenger, and their talented quarterback, Vince Young, as the main Heisman contender in season-ending showdowns with USC, Leinart and Bush. Their pre-season All-American predictions were Leinart, Bush and Darnell Bing.

In the analysis of USC as their number one pre-season selection, Murphy emphasized the loss of assistants Chow and Orgeron, plus the departure of the Wrights, Manuel and Eric, for academic and disciplinary reasons. Carroll seemed to be without a care, however, "zipping around on a Segway borrowed from University security that day, a manic grin on his face."

"A 10-year-old," Leinart called him.

Asked whether he should "grow up?" Carroll just replied, "Why would I want to do that?"

Murphy, like fellow SI writer John Walter, just loved to throw in references to Leinart's "other" life, joking that Troy's plays could be "signaled in by close friend Jessica Simpson..."

One Pac 10 coach was quoted saying that White is "a better pure running back <than Bush>, a big, strong, physical guy who sees the creases and has great vision."

Of the departure of coaches, veterans and miscreants, Murphy wrote, "Carroll has put 40 true freshmen on the field over the last three seasons, and look how that's hurt the Trojans."

The rest of America's college football world looked at the monopoly of attention USC was getting. They wanted nothing more than to knock them off their high horse. The accolades continued. _The Sporting News College Football_ pre-season edition: Leinart for Heisman, USC number one. Every paper, daily, weekly and monthly, saw it that way.

_ESPN the Magazine_ featured Leinart literally riding on Bush's back: "ON BOARD FOR MORE." Inside were color photo after photo of the two with their male model smiles.

The loss of Orgeron seemed the only chink in the armor, according to Bruce Feldman. Orgeron won titles as an assistant at Miami. The departures of top assistants Chuck Amata and Mark Richt from Bobby Bowden's staff were seen as possible reasons for the decline of Seminole football after a very strong late 1990s run.

"I'm not saying there was anything wrong with the new guys," Orgeron said of the people who replaced him at Miami, "but they just didn't know those kids. You gotta know how to act and how they respond. You have to respect them and they have to respect you."

But Carroll, Orgeron insisted, was different.

"That cat's so aware of every facet of his program," he said. "Nothing's getting through the cracks."

Newcomer Patrick Turner was called "unreal," by Leinart.

"They could average 70 points," one rival coach said in awe. "The 49ers wish they had this kind of talent at the skill positions."

"Carroll's recruiting pitch is straightforward," Feldman wrote. "If you're good enough, you'll play right away. Some insiders say that if two players are even close to even, he'll play the younger one. Think that might be why USC collected the best group of blue chippers for the third straight year? In addition to Turner and Mark Sanchez, the nation's top QB recruit, Carroll landed a quartet of linebackers (Rey Maualuga, Luther Brown, Brian Cushing and Kaluka Maiava) who will make a quick impact."

"It's just an opportunity for the next guy," Carroll said of the loss of stars.

"He's their Rodney Harrison," an NFL scout said of Darnell Bing.

Regarding all the hype, Lawrence Jackson called a team meeting.

"There's a little too much going on, and this team is not acting as one unit," he told his teammates, and he was right.

"STAR POWER: These guys have been on more magazine covers than Brangelina," wrote Feldman. "USC boasts favorites for the Davey O'Brien (best QB), Doak Walker (RB), Biletnikoff (WR), Lombardi (lineman), Thorpe (DB) and Ray Guy (punter) awards, and, of course, the Heisman and Bobby Dodd (coach) awards."

He could not resist the usual star references.

"Who knows?" he continued. "With Leinart hanging out with Nick and Jessica, can the cover of _People_ be far behind."

Of course, Feldman was right. Leinart was destined for _GQ_ , _Vanity Fair_ , and probably _Time_ and _Newsweek_ at some point after - or maybe even before - his college career ended. Madison Avenue was ready to pounce. How soon would he be endorsing products after New Year's Day, 2006?

For a player and his team to deal with all of this head-filling stuff while still in college was, quite literally, _mind boggling_. Notre Dame in its greatest glory had never gone through one-third of this. Neither had Miami, OU or any other power. The attention paid to John Wooden's Bruin dynasty was quaint by comparison. The fact is, few _professional_ teams had ever been paid this kind of attention.

The Yankees, of course, had been down this path. Maybe Joe Montana's 49ers. Nationally, USC was getting as much ink as the three-time Super Bowl winners from New England, and half of their star power came from _their_ GQ quarterback, the California boy Tom Brady. The Red Sox were huge in New England and nationally, but in a quirkier, sect-like way.

There were others, but few others, and nobody from the college ranks.

"When you enter into this velvet-rope level, you have to handle the tricky tentacles of fame," wrote Feldman. "After winning the Heisman, Leinart got to cherry-pick the late-night talk-show circuit. He chose Kimmel (Nick was a guest, too). Even Malone, the punter, now has a web site touting him for the Heisman."

Marty Lurie, the host of wonderful Oakland A's pre- and post-game radio programs called _Right Off the Bat_ and _Memories of the Game_ , interviewed some L.A. baseball media during a key stretch drive series between the A's and Los Angeles Angels.

He wanted to know if the sports radio programs in the Southland acknowledged the excellent Oakland pitching staff.

"What are they talking about down there?" he asked one writer.

"USC football," was the reply.

Indeed, L.A. talk radio seemed to be Trojan radio 24/7, without exaggeration. There was KMPC 1540 "The Ticket," a derivative of the old Gene Autry-owned Golden West Radio Network. They had gone through a series of genres, ownership and management changes since the "Singin' Cowboy's" death. Formerly found at 710 AM, they now had a new physical location, as well: Santa Monica, with improved signal wattage.

Petros Papadakis, Fred Roggin, Joe Smith, John Jackson and others poured forth constant USC interviews, tidbits, opinion and analysis. They were not the only ones. Various stations popped up all over the AM sports dial; Fox Sports Radio, ESPN Radio, _The Sporting News_ Radio networks. A lot had changed since 1991, when USC had their broadcasts on an FM station which starts to fade when one drives into Orange County.

UCLA fans were apoplectic, occasionally calling in to complain about SC's monopoly. Their complaints were duly noted, followed by another 45 minutes of calls and homage describing USC as anything form the "best thing since baked bread" to the Second Coming. For Bruins, it did look like a Sign of the Apocalypse!

USC's radio tentacles spread far and wide throughout California and beyond. Their popularity, at least on a bandwagon basis, was approaching that of Notre Dame or the St. Louis Cardinals' KMOX-inspired devotion in the Midwest.

Then there was television. There is the rest of the country, then there is L.A. Everybody just seems happy with Fox Sports. L.A. has that, plus Fox Sports West Net. Then there was Fox College Sports, ESPNU, College Sports TV, et al. All, seemingly at times, devoted to Troy.

The _Southern California Sports Report_ provided nightly forays to the SC practice field, interviews with Carroll, coaches' shows, features on players, assistants, office personnel. ESPN Classic and other stations would throughout the season show old USC games, re-played Trojan games, Trojan press conferences and _Trojan Rewind._

Through it all, sports information director Tim Tessolone and his main football assistants, Jason Pommier and Paul Goldberg, worked overtime to keep up with the requests for knowledge and information about this team. 10 years earlier, _Sports Illustrated_ contributor and author Don Yaeger was approached about a book detailing how the Marinovich controversies had brought down a great program.

"Nobody cares about USC," said Yaeger, turning it down as unpublishable. A Tallahassee, Florida resident who at that point thought Seminole football "shot the Moon" while USC's players were likely to get shot by a gangster's bullet, as 2005 approached he was angling to write a book about USC's storied past himself. The bandwagon was, indeed full.

Feldman pointed out in his article that Reggie Bush's sibling had a number five USC jersey with the name "BROTHER" on the back. His step-dad had one with the name "DAD" on it. At the USC spring game, they were _signing autographs!_

"We're cognizant that we're in L.A. and in a fishbowl," said Carroll. "We'll be in a battle with ourselves. It's going to be a challenge."

"As making history should be," concluded Feldman.

Bush was highlighted under a section called "REPLAYMAKERS."

One Pac 10 defensive coordinator outlined a paragraph's worth of strategy on how to deal with Bush, but in the end figuratively threw up his hands, concluding by saying, "But there's only so much you can do."

The magazine's official top five: USC, Texas, Michigan, Virgina Tech, and Ohio State.

The _San Francisco Chronicle's_ September 1 college football preview led off with a forecast of USC becoming the first team to win three consecutive national championships.

"Didn't Oklahoma win a lot of games in a row way back?" asked Carroll.

Indeed, they had won 47 straight, but in 1954 the AP and the UPI split the tile between UCLA and Ohio State (the Sooners also won in 1950).

The _Chronicle's_ football writer, Jake Curtis, wrote about Frank Leahy's Notre Dame teams that went unbeaten (with a tie) for four years in the 1940s (but Michigan and Army won national titles in 1945 and 1948). He also mentioned Army under Red Blaik (unbeaten for three years).

"Yet none of those teams won three consecutive national titles, which is what USC is trying to do this year," wrote Curtis.

"If USC pulls off a three-Pete," former quarterback Rodney Peete was asked on ESPN Classic, "will they be the greatest team of all time?"

"I think so," replied Peete. "In today's era, with the competition, the scholarships, the national level of the game; yes, they'd have to be."

USC entered USC as the sixth back-to-back national champion to enter the third year ranked number one.

"I think it would be monumental, especially in this day and age," said Washington State coach Bill Doba.

"I don't think 'these days' has anything to do with it," said Carroll.

"I think winning three in a row is tougher to do today," said Ara Parseghian. "You look at the number one and number 25 teams now, and there's just not as much difference as there used to be."

Curtis also pointed out a hugely relevant fact, which was that since 1990 the best players usually left after their junior years. Of course the best players usually play for the best teams. USC had retained Leinart, yes, but lost Williams as a _sophomore_ and then Lofa Tatupu, both All-Americans. The common wisdom was that juniors White and/or Bush would leave after 2005, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

"We didn't really pay any attention to the polls back then," said Johnny Lujack, Notre's Dame 1947 Heisman Trophy winner. "I don't recall the players or coaches ever even talking about the polls. We were just thinking about winning the next game. At the end, they just said we were number one."

Two-time champion Notre Dame opened the 1948 season number one, but a season-ending tie with Southern California allowed Michigan to sneak in. The Irish finished second (9-0-1). 1955-56 champion Oklahoma started 1957 at the top, but a 7-0 loss at Notre Dame ended their 47-game winning streak and hopes for a "three-peat." They finished fourth (10-1).

The 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide, still ranked first, claimed two straight titles coming in (despite losing their 1965 bowl game to Texas after the "final" polls), but the "Catholic vote" gave it to the Irish, with Michigan State second, both with their tie against each other. 'Bama finished third (10-0).

Nebraska (1970-71) opened the 1972 campaign number one with a 30-game unbeaten streak (going back to a 1969 season-opening loss to USC, interrupted also by a 1970 tie with the Trojans). They must have been cursing the Golden State when UCLA ended their dream for a third one with a 20-17 win at the Coliseum. The Cornhuskers finished fourth (9-2-1), although Johnny Rodgers won the Heisman.

The 'Huskers again opened in the poll position in 1996 after two straight titles from 1994-95, but finished sixth at 11-1.

Curtis pointed out that many title strings had been accomplished in Major League baseball, the NBA and the NHL, while UCLA had won seven straight in basketball from 1967 to 1973. With only a dozen games in a college football season with no play-off, a single slip, injury, bad bounce, bad call or bad day can do a team in.

"Plus, there's the pressure of being in Los Angeles," wrote Curtis. "The Trojans are in the second biggest media market in the country, surrounded by the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers and Kings, yet they still have the focus almost entirely on them during football season, with no NFL teams in sight. The myriad media outlets are hanging on USC's streak."

"I don't think there's any question it can be a distraction," Carroll said. "It's our greatest challenge to maintain that focus."

Curtis mentioned Leinart's name being "romantically linked to some pseudo-star in that celebrity-craving town," but that he was handling all the attention with ease.

Alex Smith, not nearly close to Leinart's equal, made $49.5 million coming out early.

"That's a pretty cool number," said Leinart, who probably could have gotten 55, but turned it down to live at "The Bean," God bless him.

"It would be an amazing feat," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said of the third straight title, "something they could talk about for awhile."

"Until next year, at least," wrote Curtis.

Finally, this year's "next year" had arrived. With all their tradition - six Heismans, 11 national championships, 135 All-Americans - the Trojans entered this new campaign with higher expectations than any past team.

"We've come to be used to all the attention, guys being in Heisman contention, the national titles, and now we embrace it as part of what this program's all about," Carroll told Brian Curtis on College Sports TV.

"Can you repeat?" Curtis asked him.

"We're gonna be good," Carroll replied. "We have a chance. I do know if you're going to beat us, you're going to have to play good football."

After it was all said and done, the University of Southern California Trojans boarded a plane for Hawaii to open the 2005 season in quest of perfection, history and destiny. It was indeed time, as former USC great Frank Gifford liked to say, to "Strap it up and get it on!"

As Southern California prepared to make football history, the rest of the sports world was in a slightly down period. In Los Angeles, the Dodgers won the 2004 National League West, but nothing else. The Angels won the 2002 World Series, but hopes for a dynasty in Anaheim were not realized.

The Yankees, after one of their most dominant periods from 1996-2000, found themselves year after year losing close and sometimes bizarre post-season play-offs. A succession of champions emerged in the wake of their latest period of dynasty, not unlike the late 1960s and early 1980s.

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox turned the baseball world on its head by winning their first World Series since 1918. The next year the White Sox reminded baseball that the real "curse" was not Babe Ruth's trading to the Yankees, but the "Black Sox" scandal of 1919. The White Sox had not won the World Series since 1917. Besides, if there was a Red Sox curse, it was in not signing Willie Mays in 1950 because of their racist attitudes (thus denying the world an outfield of Mays and Ted Williams).

No California pro football team emerged to take any thunder from the Trojans. The Raiders, after losing the 2003 Super Bowl, fell on hard times, the 49ers on harder ones. The San Diego Chargers improved under quarterback Drew Brees, but nobody was comparing them to the 1976 Raiders.

The Los Angeles Lakers, after a huge three-title run from 2000-2002, became a soap opera, with Shaq O'Neal leaving, Phil Jackson leaving then returning, and Kobe Bryant fighting rape charges.

UCLA basketball and football was ordinary. USC basketball, after some success in the early part of the decade, again was ordinary but hopeful with a new coach and a new on-campus arena.

Overall, the California sports landscape was not as it had been in the McKay era, when not only had the Trojans dominated, but the A's, Warriors, Raiders, 49ers, Bruins, Lakers, Dodgers and Rams had all been division, league, national and World Champions.

The New England Patriots were the pro version of USC: three-time Super Bowl champions with a marquee quarterback admired by ladies and gentlemen alike. Hockey was almost non-existent due to a strike. College basketball was as popular as ever with no defining team rising above the fray. The Americans dominated the 2004 Athens Olympics, as they usually do.

Empire

The world of the mid-2000s took a giant leap forward from the previous decade, when the New World Order was in place and history seemed to be have _been_ made, rather than _being_ made.

After winning the 2000 Presidential election by the narrowest of margins, George W. Bush led the country through the crisis of 9/11, overseeing the resurrection of the American economy.

He took the nation to war in Afghanistan. Prognosticators predicted that no country could win in that nation. The Russians and the English failed during the "Great Game" that Rudyard Kipling liked to write poems about in the 19th Century. Former Soviet soldiers were trotted out, warning that America would meet the same fate which sealed the doom of their Communist empire in the 1980s. Critics predicted tens of thousands of G.I.s "returning home in body bags."

Instead, the U.S. went in, within a few months had the place cleaned out, sent Osama Bin Laden into a mountain cave, broke up Al Qaeda, and now it is a fledgling democracy. Unfortunately, the heroic former Arizona State and Arizona Cardinal football star Pat Tillman, who gave up NFL millions to become a Ranger, was killed there.

Next came Iraq. Same thing. Saddam Hussein was a "modern day Saladdin." Taking Baghdad would be tantamount to the Nazi disaster at Stalingrad. The obligatory tens of thousands of G.I.s would again be "returning home in body bags." The "Arab street" would be in flames. Terrorists would wreak havoc on American soil.

Rather, the military accomplished the mission of deposing Saddam, defeating the Republican Guard, and taking control of Baghdad by May 1, 2003. All the terrorist's money, effort and focus was directed away from American targets onto a "home field defense" of Iraq. It was a hard slog but ultimately an American triumph, with Iraq becoming, like Afghanistan, a fledgling democracy.

With the United States now asserting its position as the mightiest empire in the history of Mankind, the dominoes began to fall in order. Syria pulled out of Lebanon. Yasser Arafat died. Peace finally began to brake out in Israel. Iran, suddenly isolated, was left to make empty threats. North Korea decided to negotiate on their so-called nuclear weapons program after _their_ empty threats landed them nothing.

In 2004, Bush won a close election against John Kerry. It was ultimately a mandate in favor of his War on Terror, albeit with "red state" and "blue state" divisions. Bush won because there were many more "red states." USC remained a small "red state" in the middle of a blue one.

While the Presidential race was close, the Republican Party enjoyed one of the most sweeping victories in the history of electoral politics. It was the culmination of a 24-year swing, beginning with the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s to the Contract With America of 1994. The GOP generally won at the Congressional level throughout the 1990s. In 2002 they made historic consolidations at all levels. 2004 was more of the same.

The America of USC's mid-2000s dominance was one also dominated, to one degree or another, by conservatism in the Senate, the Congress, the Supreme Court, state legislatures, governor's offices, religion, culture and, to a slowly changing extent, even Hollywood and Europe.

Bush's War on Terror was successful: no act of terror had been committed on U.S. soil since 9/11.

Terry Marks grew up Irish Catholic in a blue-collar family of 10 in Rochester, New York. As could be expected he rooted for Notre Dame and wanted to go to school there. Because he was good in baseball and had the grades, he could go pretty much go wherever he wanted.

Because he was good in _baseball_ , he chose the warm weather of SoCal and USC. He had never been to L.A. before. Terry had actually seen a dishonest promo that depicted the USC campus on the edge of a beach, _a la_ Pepperdine, complete with pretty song girls, pomp and football circumstance. He was hooked.

When he arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, he told the cab driver to take him to USC. About $50 later he had been driven through some of the worst neighborhoods he had ever seen (and Terry spent plenty of time in New York City), convinced he was in Beirut. He finally saw the Coliseum loom above the houses, liquor stores and street lamps ahead.

Once at the off-campus apartment he was assigned to by USC housing, Terry decided to buy groceries. He made his way by foot to the 32nd Street Market in the University Village. There was little sign that a college was nearby. All he saw were Mexicans speaking Spanish.

The cab fare and the groceries left Terry with about $15 to live on for a month. Carrying the groceries by their handles in plastic bags, Terry began to venture "home." The temperature hovered around 100 degrees in the late afternoon August sun. After about 15 minutes, Terry Marks realized he was lost in L.A. He had taken a wrong turn, was sweating profusely, his hands full of groceries, gangbangers eyeing him like predators, exhaust fumes from busses, the smoggy air beginning to affect his ability to reason.

After close to two hours of this increasingly intolerable situation, Terry Marks gave up. He came perilously close to not caring whether he lived or died. He was in despair. He looked to the Heavens, convinced that his Lord Jesus Christ was punishing him for choosing the sun, sand, girls and party atmosphere of L.A. and USC over the school of his ethnicity and religion, Notre Dame. He became utterly convinced that he made the wrong _moral_ choice by attending the University of Southern California. What _was_ this place, anyway? Nothing was real anymore, or so it seemed. His dreams and fantasies, memories of Anthony Davis and Charles White; of Tom Seaver and Red Sox hero Bill "Spaceman" Lee; all the things he had associated with this school, seemed to have been wiped from his consciousness. An awful cosmic trick had been played on him, he was convinced. There was no USC. No football games with song girls. It was a fantasy, which he had allowed himself to be tempted by. Now he had been delivered unto evil.

God was revealing his sins to him. Punishment came in the form of these mean streets, this brutal heat. Terry began to question himself from an existential standpoint. Tired, jet-lagged by coast-to-coast air travel, he was hungry, totally discombobulated and removed from all of his normal comforts and surroundings. Now jarred by the total rejection of his expectations in favor of this _place_ , he stared at his dreary surroundings, becoming gripped by the horrendous possibility that he indeed was in hell.

Terry Marks put the groceries down and recited the Lord's Prayer. Then he picked them up and started walking, asking for guidance. Five minutes later, while humming "Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame, wake up your echoes, hallowed be thy name," he was at the apartment that he and this author would share at USC. Terry went on to be, not in order of importance: my college roommate; the best man at my wedding; Godfather to my daughter (his Trojan wife introduced to him by me, would be Godmother); a baseball player for the Trojans; a USC graduate; a professional baseball player in the Giants organization; an MBA graduate; a lifelong fan _not_ of Notre Dame but of the University of _Southern_ California; and at the time of this writing, the man considered to be the most eligible candidate to take over as the next President and Chief Financial Officer of Coca-Cola International!

Terry had opinions and he expressed them. Sitting in our apartment at the Regal Trojan Arms, 870 West Adams Boulevard, Apartment 39, Los Angeles, California 90007; drinking beer, chewing Copenhagen and watching sports, Terry announced that he "liked empires." Other than the New York Yankees (Terry is a lifelong Red Sox fanatic), Terry liked things "big. I like things that are regal."

Despite being Irish he admired the British, in addition to "the American Army; U.S. history and our influence in the world; the Catholic Church; New York City; Los Angeles, California; the Boston Celtics; Frank Sinatra; the Republican Party; Notre Dame and the University of Southern California. Things that are traditional, larger than life, hallowed ground, the biggest dog in the hunt, loved and vilified because of its excellence, because their _better_ than the rest!"

As it has been stated, former USC All-American and 49er Super Bowl tight end Charles "Tree" Young, now a reverend, loves to quote the Biblical phrase, "pride goeth before the fall."

Charles knows that all great empires come to an end. In God's plan, all great things are used by Him for His purposes until their time reaches a conclusion. Biblical scholars point this out: Israel, the birth of Christ, followed by the "church age." In recent years, some have increasingly pointed to the Information Age being used to evangelize to masses who previously never could hear the Word.

In the liberal, secular Bay Area, of all places, radio station KFRC, a one-time "golden oldies" outlet that also was the home of Oakland A's broadcasts began to spread, when the A's were not on, a fundamentalist Christian message, increasingly preached throughout the world, based on Revelations.

The creation of modern Israel; the liberalization of churches; the scandals of TV preachers and false prophets; the education of people; the easy flow of information, immorality, homosexualization of the culture, mainstreaming of pornography; the ease of travel; "signs and wonders," earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, temperature change, "wars and rumor of wars"; are all signs, according to the modern prophets, that the "end of the church age," roughly occurring in 1987, has been replaced by the "Great Tribulation," which leads inevitably to the Second Coming: the end days of Apocalypse

The end of the world. Some point to the year 2011.

For UCLA fans observing the dominance of their cross-town rivals, this seems to be just such a natural sign that, indeed, the end _is_ near.

"Pride goeth before the fall" is a phrase worth understanding not just as it relates to Biblical concepts such as the destruction of empires, nations and kingdoms, but also one that hubristic politicians and even college football programs would do well to consider.

So, in considering the prophet Charles Young, the Bible, Revelations, and Terry Mark's's love of "big things," it is instructive **to understand that in 2005-06** , America had become bigger, more powerful and more influential than any previous power, kingdom, nation, army or empire. At the same time, while college football is not as important as empires, world politics and religion, pundits do routinely use words like "empire, dynasty, juggernaut," previously reserved for descriptions of Napoleon's _Grand Armee_ , Hitler's legions, Patton's forces; to describe the "rise and fall" of Notre Dame, Nebraska, Alabama. At this time, USC football is in a place above and beyond anything that has come before it. They have done it in a way and a time in history when the so-called experts said nobody could ever be that good again.

Therefore, using Terry's logic, it is natural that in the "end days," it is America that is flexing its muscles, wielding its power, exerting its influence in a manner above and beyond anything in its or anybody else's history. Why would it not be logical, then, that the "hallowed shrine" of Southern California, the "biggest, the best, the most successful," as Terry saw them; the school that Vince Evans said "had an aura, I can't explain it but it's there"; why not, then, would the Trojans ascend to the highest point just before the greatest fall? Why not the Trojans, the greatest rival of one of the greatest symbols of the so-called Church Age, Notre Dame University: why would it not be the Trojans who would, in the New Millennium, replace Notre Dame as the greatest of all college football powers?

Only God, it seemed, could bring defeat to the American behemoths; the country and its national champion.

If the prophets are right, then Pete Carroll, who if he worries about the end of the world, has until 2011 to keep building and building until _his_ dynasty falls along with the rest of the human race.

So Carroll, entering the 2005 campaign, may have done well to address his assembled charges; so young, so gifted, living in the fleshpot of L.A. college life, the world seemingly theirs to do with as they pleased, like modern Masters of the Universe: he may have done well to bring in the Reverend Young to give his "pride goeth before the fall" sermon to his team.

Or Caesar's slave and his equally cautionary admonition that "all glory is fleeting; you are mortal."*

*Beware false prophets.

****

On September 3, 2005, it was highly unlikely that Carroll, his coaches or many USC fans were thinking that they had until 2011 to keep their winning streak going before the Lord would destroy what no team could tear asunder. The "prophet" they listened to was Jim Rome and his advice that their is "no reason" why Carroll and his "army" could not win five or 10 national titles in the manner of Wooden's basketball dynasty at Westwood. There was plenty of pride with no sign of any fall.

On that Saturday afternoon in Honolulu, Southern California more closely resembled Caesar's legions on the march, the Fifth Army breaking out of "hedgerow country," Schwarzkop's guys making the badlands of Iraq their personal desert kingdom.

It was over before it started. After all the talk, the build-up, the interviews, the magazine cover shoots and TV appearances, a football game more resembled a prop. When Darnell Bing intercepted a pass from Colt Brennan (a Mater Dei guy like Leinart) and ran it in from 65 yards out, the capacity crowd of 48,803 knew that all pretense of competition was just that, pretense.

The line was more of the same: Leinart, 332 yards in the air, three touchdowns (to shatter Palmer's career record).

Jarrett: three catches for scores. Smith: seven catches for 185 yards. Bush: 82 yards rushing. White for 69.

USC 63, Hawaii 17.

23rd straight, 26 of 27 under Leinart, 34 out of the past 35. There were only two questions apparent at that point. The first was, who would win the Heisman, Leinart or Bush? But the real, burning question was, who would be team MVP, Bush or Leinart?

All glory is fleeting.

America's team: the Trojan Nation

With one week to "recover" from their vacation on the islands, the Southern California Trojans returned to a fawning student body, a fawning press, a fawning city. The newspapers were filled with daily missives about their latest comings and goings, usually at the expense of the page six Bruins, and truth be told, to the consternation of the town's Hollywood celebrities, suddenly sharing their spotlight and sex appeal with a bunch of college guys living in dorms and run down South-Central apartments called The Bean.

Coach Houston Nutt brought the Arkansas Razorbacks to town. They lost to USC in the 1972 opener and again in 1973, but knocked Pat Haden and the Trojans down, 22-7, in the first game of 1974. The Trojans won the national title in '72 and, despite the '74 loss at Little Rock, did it again that season. Nutt was a ball boy on the Razorback sidelines in the two games played at War Memorial Stadium.

On Friday Nutt's team walked through the silent Coliseum. It had the same effect as Notre Dame Stadium and Yankee Stadium, thrilling and simultaneously intimidating visiting teams. The "ghosts" of Gifford and White; Hornung and Montana; Ruth and Mantle seem to manifest themselves before them, reminding them that they are in the presence of greatness, and _they will have to play against it!_

In the case of the Coliseum, images of more than just USC and college football reverberate when one stairs at the Olympic torch, the replica jerseys. It is, without a doubt, the most famous of all stadiums, precisely because of the diversity of its events: two colleges, two pro teams, Super Bowls, Pro Bowls, high school play-offs, soccer, college track, two Olympics, the Dodgers, the All-Star Game, the World Series, rock concerts, religious revivals, military homecomings...and of course monster truck shows!

"Lot of history here in this stadium," Nutt said. "You always hear about it and see it on TV. It makes it that much more special to tee it up here."

90,411 showed up for the home opener September 17. McKay's teams in their greatest glory would have drawn 60,000 or 70,000 tops for an unranked early season non-conference foe.

That afternoon, 56,522 showed up at the Rose Bowl to see UCLA beat Oklahoma, 41-24, making it a good day for Southern California - the region, not just the University - college football: 146,933, in addition to both televised audiences.

On that same day, the Dodgers played their biggest rivals, the Giants on television. The Angels played a television home game against Detroit, winning 3-1 en route to their hard-earned division title, before 43,831 at Angels Stadium.

These numbers (190,764 at three sites roughly within 40 miles of each other, two of them sharing the same starting time) tell the story of Los Angeles sports: highly competitive, their fans want winners, and the area is still as sports-crazy as ever, despite inaccurate depictions of the people as laid-back front-runners.

The atmosphere on campus, on the walk past the Rose Garden, in and around Exposition Park, and in the Coliseum, resembled a paradigm shift in USC football. The essence of the program had changed. There was intensity and a fervor surrounding the team that never existed before, with the exception of really big games.

Gimmes like Arkansas previously produced expectant alumni who took the victories as an article of faith; and relatively apathetic student bodies as interested in beer and the opposite sex as the game, which if not close by the third quarter meant license to pursue the opposite sex over by the beer lines.

But in the last few years, under Carroll, the game day campus came to look like _Mardi Gras_. _Best Damn Sports Show Period_ did its Friday show in front of Tommy Trojan. The bookstore filled with lines of consumers buying every possible book, pennant, tee-shirt, girls' sexy half-shirts, guys' baggy shorts; "SC gear everywhere; on cars, mail boxes, in the office..." as Jim Rome said.

The old Coliseum seemed to literally come to life as never before, it's ghosts dug up, memories re-lived in an exciting new combination of tradition and modern. A giant video screen produced graphic replays, highlights, constant scores, new features and amenities.

The sound system seemed to reverberate as never before, a gong or drum sound echoed each third down defensive "hold 'em" situation, with a fan response that would have been ignored in the pre-Carroll era.

When the baritoned P.A. announcer intoned that the "2003 and 2004 national champion USC Trojans" were taking the field, the crowd reacted in a way that can not be described as quite Southern in its rabidity, but rather something new in the West, or at least in L.A. It seemed like a rock concert.

The 2004 national championship banner was unveiled. Leinart's number 11, while not retired (yet) was hung with care alongside the five other Heisman jerseys.

The game? Oh yes, they played a game. It was an extension of the Honolulu festival. Bush touched the ball. Thus, Bush scored after a 76-yard run.

The offense waited around a little bit, handed Bush the ball a second time...and Bush scored from the Arkansas 29.

In the first quarter, USC had the ball a total of one minute, 32 seconds. In that time they ran off four touchdown "drives" to lead 28-7.

"USC scores so fast, it just messes you up," said Houston Nutt.

"I definitely think we're starting to send a message about this offense - that we've got a lot of weapons," Bush said. "For the teams that are going to be playing us, you just better be ready."

Ya think, Reggie?

By halftime it was 42-10. Carroll emptied his bench after three quarters. They came out to play like kids on the last day of school.

745 yards in total offense. Leinart just handed it off and made a few passes when called on, not wanting to embarrass one of the country's most prestigious college football traditions, and a Southeastern Conference foe to boot. He passed for 264 first half yards seemingly without effort, resulting in 429 overall yards on 32 plays. On the night he was 18-of-24 for 381 yards, plus a 17-yard touchdown scramble of his own. The final score: Trojans 70, Arkansas 17.

Carroll, not wanting to just jump and down, had to find something to concern himself. The defense, why, they had surrendered _17 points!_

"We've got a lot of work to do," he said. "Hopefully, if you're growing with your defense, you need your offense to be really productive, and we're fortunate to have that."

All six of USC's first half possessions resulted in touchdowns. Almost immediately after halftime they had two more to lead 56-10.

"We are very confident in what we can do and we expect to go out there every time and score," said Leinart.

"It's scary," Dwayne Jarrett said. "It can happen so fast at times."

"USC's march toward destiny turned into a sprint," wrote Todd Harmonson of the _Orange County Register_.

"How much more can you ask of your offense?" asked Carroll. "We can't ask them to score slower. We're not going to do that."

"We can sore at any time or we can grind it out," said Leinart. "We knew we were going to find them in a lot of man-to-man coverage."

"It was definitely not hard for us," said Bush. "I didn't think we were capable of so much fun. It was easy and it was fun at times."

"Right from the start nothing mattered," said Carroll. He told an SC alumni group over the summer about his time at Fayetteville under Lou Holtz, laughingly saying the arrival of their fans would be like the _Beverly Hillbillies_. "Watching the film I never thought this would happen against Arkansas. I never thought we'd get that much open space. It was way better than I could have imagined."

Then Carroll actually found room to _criticize_ the offense.

"We did not do well on third downs tonight and we didn't do well on those in the first game either," he declared. "We've got a lot of work to do."

If there was anything to be concerned about, it was the kickoff defense, which had allowed a 67-yard return by Arkansas' Felix Jones, the only chance for the unfortunate Hog fans to cheer (hopefully they left early and partook of some L.A. night life to make the trip worthwhile).

"...The Trojans actually tried to grind out an 85-yard drive just to give their defense some respiration," wrote the _Orange County Register's_ Mark Whicker.

Bush's first touchdown started as an ordinary handoff, but after making a cut Bush turned it into a track event.

"The offense kind of washed everybody down, a big gaping hole opened up in the middle and our fullback led me right through there," said Bush, who _looking at the video board to see if any Razorbacks were chasing him!_

Desmond Reed returned a kick 51 yards. Smith caught a 44-yarder from Leinart to score. Jarrett caught one from 24. Josh Pinkard intercepted a pass. John David Booty was three-of-five for 46 yards. Michael McDonald threw a late, short touchdown pass that his father, Paul, "announced" in the press box. Knowing fans turned, waving the "V for Victory" sign at him.

Bush rushed eight times for 125 yards (15.6 a carry). White gained 60 on 10 carries. White got few carries against Hawaii, showing some unhappiness. Asked if there was a problem spreading the ball between the two, White responded, "I don't understand why people think that is a bad thing. It's awesome...

"Matt Leinart is the lucky one, he gets to sit in the middle of this thing."

Carroll acknowledged that White wanted the ball more. Carroll understood it implicitly.

"I hope our guys are frustrated..." he said. "I hope they want the ball more. I hope they are chomping at the bit."

White got an early carry, gaining 10 quick yards to extra cheers from the crowd, which wanted him to be happy, too. He got the ball three more times over the next 12 plays and caught a 19-yard pass before scoring from the three. In addition, Patrick Turner caught his first Trojan touchdown pass. Senior David Kirtman scored on a 21-yard run.

"Sometimes we don't know" what players opponents should try and single out when studying game film, said Carroll.

Amid all the pomp and glory of victory, however, USC did have two players "chipped off," as Marv Goux and John Wayne had called it back in 1966 when the Duke's make-up guy passed away the night before SC's 10-6 win at Texas.

Senior linebacker Dallas Sartz suffered a dislocated shoulder, a big blow to USC's defense, the closest thing to a chink in their mighty armor. Sophomore cornerback Terrell Thomas sprained his knee and had to leave the game.

The fans were denied their first look at highly anticipated freshman linebacker Brian Cushing because he suffered a dislocated shoulder in practice. Of the injuries and replacements, Carroll said, "That's one of the fun things about college football, bringing in new guys."

One of those "new guys," in a sense, was Sedrick Ellis, taking the place of Mike Patterson, who Mark Whicker called the team's MVP of 2004.

"Mike showed me a lot," Ellis said of the man now playing for the Eagles. "I practiced next to him practically every day. He was great on those get-off drills, where you see how quick you can get off with the snap. He was great with his hands, too.

"He showed me how hard I have to work. When you come out of high school you don't realize how tough it is. I say now that high school was play, and when I came here it became a job.

"I know what people are saying. I can't be the same player Mike was, but I've got my own style...

"We're expected to make plays. We're slashers, not guys who just take punishment."

"Sedric as a sophomore is very comparable to Mike as a sophomore," Carroll said. "He doesn't have to go out there and be a senior. And LaJuan Ramsey is making great strides during practice and showing a leadership role. That's so cool about this game. I can't wait to see how our new guys pan out."

"There were things I liked about Coach O, things I didn't," said Ellis of departed assistant coach Ed Orgeron, who was replaced by ex-Green Bay assistant Jethro Franklin. "But I have to say that you hated to have him on you so much, sometimes it forced you to do things right.

"Coach Franklin is different. He can get on you, but he's a real teacher. He knows how to get to the NFL, so you really listen to him."

"Sedrick's got a chance to carry the torch," Franklin said. "He's following the bridge Patterson built, and now he can build his own."

At the Coliseum for the Arkansas game was highly regarded 6-1, 200-pound cornerback Antwine Perez of Camden, New Jersey, considered the 37th best prospect in the country by www.rivals.com (and the second best in New Jersey). With Jersey guys Jarrett and Cushing already on the roster, Carroll was quite convinced he could outbid Rutgers and Princeton for the best the so-called Garden State has to offer.

The Arkansas game started after seven p.m. With all the scoring it lasted long into the night. Many left, departing for dinner, drinks and revelry at the Pacific Dining Car, the House of Blues, Barney's Beanery, the Rainbow, Hennessy's and all the myriad hot spots that dot the city from the beaches to the edge of the Hollywood Hills.

Hours after the game ended, as people settled into their cars to head on home after a long Saturday that was now well into Sunday, they turned on 1540 "TheTicket," only to hear John Jackson still fielding phone call after phone call from the Trojan Nation. The callers could not get over what was going on in the City of the Angels. Some freshman who had gotten into the game late and showed great moves. Comparisons between who was better, Jarrett or Smith; Smith or Williams. The team MVP? Bush. Heisman? Leinart.

"But LenDale White's better than Bush," somebody would call in and say.

"Is this the greatest Trojan team ever...?"

"The greatest college team ever...?"

"Better than the 49ers or the Texans even..."?

"Is Carroll the best coach ever...?"

"Better than McKay...?"

It when on like that into dawn's early light, until fans could wake up on Sunday, shake off their hangovers, and gorge over the feast of color photos and running commentary in the Sunday _Times_ , the _Register_ , the _Daily News_ ; all describing what had not been a game but a pageant.

All men are mortal.

A week later, USC traveled to Eugene to take on the 24th-ranked Oregon Ducks (3-0). A capacity crowd of 59,129, par for the course whether the Trojans were at home or on the road by now, filled Autzen Stadium.

When Oregon went up 13-0, as Oregon State had done in the Corvallis fog a year earlier, concern marked the Trojan sideline. As good as they were, could they be _vulnerable?_ Sports is a crazy thing. There is no such thing as a lock, or at least when you think there is, some "absolutely unbelievable, phantasmagorical" thing happens, to quote ex-Oakland A's announcer Monte Moore.

All the _hubris_ , pride and arrogance endemic to the pre-season hype, to what was now four years of almost-uninterrupted success and glory - which was turning out not to be all that fleeting - it had a way of building itself into a tight ball of pressure. On the road, in front of a capacity crowd of hostiles, it can strangle a team. There was another truth made apparent to observers of Carroll's Trojans: like a great pitcher who has to be knocked out early or not at all, Troy was a team that, if they were to be had, could only be had on the road early, in September or October

Not so this day.

Oregon struck early with Paul Martinez' 37-yard field goal.

Leinart's pass was intercepted by Aaron Gipson in the end zone and returned 38 yards. Oregon drove to the USC 36. Quarterback Kellen Clemens hit Demetrius Williams for the touchdown to make it 10-0.

Oregon held. Martinez hit a 48-yarder to make it 13-0. Los Angelenos watching on the tube began to squirm.

But Leinart calmed everybody down, manufacturing two second quarter drives. The first ended with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Bush. After holding Oregon, SC pushed into field goal range for Mario Danelo's 36-yarder just before halftime. It allowed Carroll's team to go in with momentum and confidence. Every Oregon fan and player was now on their heels.

USC made the field their personal fiefdom in the second half. Leinart led a long drive culminating in an 11-yard strike to Jarrett. Clemens and his team suddenly looked befuddled. USC scored on White's one-yard bull rush, then followed up with a six-yard Leinart-to-Jarrett touchdown catch with two Ducks draped all over the receiver to put it out of reach, 31-13.

Oregon went to highly regarded quarterback Dennis Dixon out of San Leandro, California, but nothing mattered. Bush scored from 11. The once huge, screaming crowd, now totally out of the game, booed and streamed out of the stadium. White later scored, closing it out at 45-13.

"History has shown we're a really good second half football team and particularly good in the fourth quarter," said Carroll. "We count on that."

Leinart, 12-of-25 in the first half, finished 23-of-39 for 315 yards and three touchdowns.

"We know you can't win a game in the first three quarters," he said. "It's how you finish."

Bush caught a scoring pass, ran for another and gained 122 yards rushing plus 43 by air. Jarrett caught eight for 94 yards and two touchdowns. White had 11 yards and two scores.

"We were slowly and slowly rolling and once we got the train moving there was no stopping us," said Bush.

Clemens was 15-of-30 for 168 yards and a touchdown for Oregon.

"Kellen got a little dinged," said Oregon coach Mike Bellotti. "He answered our questions on the sideline, but I don't think he was the guy we've had out there playing for us. He was a little out of it there in the third quarter."

"They were getting tired, definitely, toward the end of the game," said Bush. "I think we really out-prepared them and out-conditioned them."

Be careful what you wish for.

Pete Carroll said he and his team "embraced" all the attention, defending the national title, "guys being mentioned for Heismans." Of course he cited as one of his driving theses the whole aspect of USC being a "private university, Hollywood, the weather," all the things that made it special, but could also make it a pressure cooker.

Being number one in Tuscaloosa or Lincoln is not the same as being number one in Los Angeles. Only Notre Dame carries as much baggage, what with its "national" reputation, its ghosts and the hopes of Catholics from Dublin to Detroit.

But this USC team had taken on so much. They rejected nothing. They decided they could run an undefeated table while doing handstands. Nobody said that Leinart was messing up because he was hangin' with Nick and Jessica when he should be studying film. He and Bush were playing at a solid Heisman level.

But when Troy fell behind, 21-3, at Arizona State, all bets were off. Best team ever... Dynasty...

71,706 fans yelled, screamed and stomped. The stifling mid-day heat was 100 degrees with no abatement, giving special meaning to the name Sun _Devil_ Stadium.

Maybe it was all hype. Or, maybe it was just a chance for the Trojans to show that they were not only a great team, but also a team of heart, of guts, of great will.

Most teams quit, die, wilt. Not just teams of lesser ability, but lesser moral fiber, or character, or will to win - choose your description. The landscape is littered with lesser lights, unimpressives - the Cal's, the Stanford's - all the teams that never had what it took to challenge Troy and its right to the throne.

What USC had, what few teams have had over the years; what the Irish, Tide, Sooners, and Nittany Lions have had - maybe a small handful of others - is what everybody wants but nobody wants to pay for. Peace without a price. The sports version of appeasement. Victory in a bloodless skirmish.

Faced with a guerilla war against a skilled tribe of desert terrorists who knew every inch of the terrain, Pete Carroll's troops still relied on the fact they had the better training, the better men, the better leadership. In the end it would pay off.

The pundits in their suits, sitting in their air conditioned studios, oblivious through years of the soft life, had no idea what Chris Carlisle had put these so-called "Hollywood Trojans" through since 2001.

"I don't think they can come back," said Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN.

Terry Richardson got Arizona State out to a quick 7-0 lead, exposing USC's special teams weaknesses on an 84-yard punt return. Quarterback Sam Keller, one of those former highly rated prepsters who looked at USC and saw a school that had chosen the Palmer's, the Leinart's, the Booty's and the Sanchez's ahead of him, took his revenge out on Troy. His passes were precision-perfect, his receivers swift and sure.

Leinart and the Trojans looked as if they were lying in bed the night before when somebody came by and said, "Hey, let's go to Martini Ranch." They looked as if they had snuck out of their hotel rooms for a night on the town in nearby Scottsdale, which is world-renowned for it's nightlife and _Girls Gone Wild_ atmosphere. They looked as if they had spent the night drinking Long Island Ice Teas, as if the last half-dressed party chick had not left until the team bus was pulling up. They looked as if they were paying for their sins in this awful heat, their heads pounding amid this terrible noise, their pride battered by those _very good_ Sun Devils who, by the way, looked like they had all been tucked in safe and sound by nine.

"They didn't try anything fancy in the second half," said Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter. "They just ran the two tailbacks at us."

It looked like the old days. Tailback U... Student Body Right. Simpson, White, Allen on a sweep, only their names were Bush and White. In the third quarter, Southern California decided to separate the boys from the men. No more screwin' around. Time to go to work.

After White's 32-yard scamper and Bush's 24-yard scoring run, Arizona State, a team that had not trailed all day, entered the fourth quarter with a 21-17 lead, but felt more like a guy who just busted open an indoor bee hive, only to realize the room was locked.

USC capped a scoring drive in the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown by Leinart to make it 24-21, but the Sun Devils were worthy foes. Keller led them back into the end zone to regain the lead at 28-24.

From there, it looked like a replay of the last drive of the 1980 Rose Bowl. Substitute numbers five and 21 (Bush and White) for number 12 (Charlie White). They ran it wide. They ran it up the gut. They just ran and ran and ran.

The Sun Devils suddenly felt their own Apache sun, unable to stop Geronimo's daredevil raids. Carlisle's better-conditioned athletes turned the fourth quarter into _their party_.

A 34-yard burst by Bush gave USC the lead, 31-28, with a mere 3:44 left. That was followed by a 46-yard explosion by White to secure it, 38-28, although the talented Keller had no quit in him. The possibility of a late Sun Devil touchdown and on-side kick remained until almost the end.

When it was finally secure, the TV cameras found White on the sidelines. He smiled the smile of champions, raised his fingers in a V like Churchill at Yalta or Ike at the Rheims schoolhouse, and said, "too dominant."

Dominant or not, most Trojans did not come up for air until after Sunday church services.

White finished with 197 yards on 19 carries. Bush was good for 158 yards on 17 attempts. USC outrushed 14th-ranked ASU, 373-68. The win, SC's 26th straight, broke a Pac 10 and school record.

"We just pounded the football in the second half," said Carroll. "It was a beautiful job by the offensive linemen, a beautiful job by Reggie and LenDale."

"They came out and fought hard for a couple of quarters," White said. "Here at SC, we 'finish.' It's not about how the first and second quarter ends or the third, it's about how you finish in the fourth quarter."

Keller was 26-of-45 for 347 yards and two touchdowns, but his five interceptions were proof that if one "lives by the sword, they die by the sword." Oscar Lua's second quarter pick was a key turnaround at a time when Troy was reeling.

"We very well could have won that game, and I think they were scared, too, at a lot of points in that game," Keller said. "A few bad plays by me, if they don't happen, we win the game."

He failed to add that "scared" does not mean "defeated," at least not at USC.

Despite Bush and White taking most of the credit, Leinart did not hurt his Heisman chances. He completed 23 of 39 for 258 yards, but most important, as opposed to Keller he had no interceptions. His management of the game when the team trailed, his steady leadership as they inexorably crept back into it, was masterful.

David Kirtman was spectacular, catching seven tosses for 97 yards. Jarrett caught seven for 90. Leinart took a vicious, unsportsmanlike late hit that drew blood and gave him a concussion

Look homeword, angel.

On Saturday, October 8, the unbeaten Cal Bears ventured into the Rose Bowl to play the unbeaten UCLA Bruins. It was an offensive shootout, with UCLA winning 47-40. The throng of 84,811 was far more animated than the usual sit-on-their-hands UCLA crowd, which often consist of too many alums and not enough students making the trek all the way from Westwood.

The size and enthusiasm of the crowd, combined with UCLA's unbeaten record and steady ascent towards the Top 10, indicated that college football in the Southland was very healthy. Whether USC wishes to admit it or not, it is better for them when UCLA and Notre Dame are both strong. The legend of McKay and Robinson was built around the notion that great teams have great rivalries. The Bruins' record lent some precarious hope that the season-ending City Game would be between unbeatens for a shot at the national title, as in the 1967 classic. There are certainly enough college football historians and purists at USC to consider this a more delicious prospect than a 50-7 blowout over a 5-5 team.

Earlier in the day, 90,221 people packed a sunswept Coliseum to see the Trojans compile 724 total yards (337 on the ground, 387 through the air) in a dismantling of Arizona, 42-21. The size of this crowd was indicative of what was new at Troy under Pete Carroll. McKay's teams would have draw around 65,000 for a game of this caliber.

UCLA's crowd for a night game may have been enlarged by increased interest in the college game, partly because of USC's popularity and partly because Karl Dorrell's team looked darn promising. It all combined with a 10th year without pro football.

175,032 people showed up in person to see two games about 10 miles from each other. On that same day, the Los Angeles Angels' American League Division Series game at New York was rained out. However, it is not likely that a baseball TV audience, or a live game in Anaheim or even Dodger Stadium, would have greatly diminished the crowds. Had a big league play-off game been played in the Southland on October 8, the combined attendance would have been around 225,000, a staggering total. L.A., the town that in the 1960s and '70s billed itself as the "Sports Capitol of the World," was back.

Carroll fervently denied he was looking ahead to Charlie Weiss and Notre Dame at South Bend the following week. Arizona was a "sandwich game," played at home in between two tough road encounters. It was the only home game out of five since the Arkansas contest.

Admit it or not, Carroll and his team could be excused if they spent some time watching Notre Dame film, getting ready for Irish quarterback Brady Quinn and Weiss's pro style offense, in between preparation for a spirited but out-manned Wildcat club.

Arizona gave the Trojans everything they had, created a few tense moments, and had people saying that SC had been "pushed" and made to "work" instead of gliding through as they had against Hawaii, Arkansas, and in the second half at Oregon.

Truth be told, Troy toyed with the 'Cats, chose not to try and score from about a foot out at the end, and probably could have hung 70 on Mike Stoops's team if they had decided to.

"I don't care how we win," said Carroll. "There are prettier ways and more comfortable ways, but I don't worry about that."

USC gained 39 first downs. Leinart recovered from his concussion at Tempe, which had caused him to sit on the bench with his head in his hands in between possessions of that tense game. He was forced to shave his stylish beard in order to stitch the cut to his chin. He delivered two touchdown passes vs. Arizona.

What was again disconcerting to Troy was their kick return deficiencies. Syndric Steptoe of Arizona made two long returns. Nerves were on the edge of fraying before safety Ryan Ting's fourth quarter interception repelled the stubborn Wildcats.

"I was nervous," admitted Leinart, who completed 26 of 40 passes for 360 yards, but threw an uncharacteristic interception. "It was probably a lot closer than most people thought, but we still won by three touchdowns."

"Sometimes they set it too high," said White of fan expectations. "They want us to come out and score 70 points and hold the team to zero."

White gained 179 yards on 24 carries. Bush had 110 yards on 14 carries. He suffered a minor knee sprain, but nothing serious.

"We're taking everybody's best shot and we just keep fighting and winning games," he said.

Jarrett caught nine passes for 116 yards, Smith seven for 135. Everybody got in at the end. Michael Coleman ran the ball four times, Desmond Reed six times.

Next on the docket: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name...

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

THE GREATEST FOOTBALL GAME EVER PLAYED (2005 EDITION)

" _Sometime, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys - tell them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."_

  51. Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne's apocryphal description of former Irish star George Gipp's dying words

On a cold November 1920 afternoon in Evanston, Illinois, Notre Dame's first All American, halfback George Gipp, sat shivering under a blanket on the bench as his teammates controlled Northwestern. He had a sickly complexion. He was racked by pain. He coughed violently. Coach Knute Rockne was looking ahead to the big game the following week against Michigan State.

According to a teammate, the star player had fallen behind in his gambling debts. The rumor is that his bookies promised to forgive what he owed if he would sit out the Northwestern game. For three quarters, Gipp did just that.

For reasons that can only be speculated on, Gipp then ignored his respiratory problems, coming off the bench in the fourth quarter to throw a couple of meaningless touchdowns. The scores extended Notre Dame beyond the spread.

In the wake of that game, Gipp was hospitalized. Less than a month later he died of strep throat and pneumonia. Coach Rockne visited him one last time.

"I've got to go Rock," Rockne says the 25-year old Gipp told him. "It's all right. I'm not afraid."

Eight years later at Yankee Stadium, an injury-depleted Irish team trailed at halftime against heavily favored Army. Rockne gathered his team together in the quiet locker room. He told them Gipp once asked a favor of him. Rock told his breathless team that the dying Gipp had said to him:

" Sometime, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys - tell them to go in there with all they've got and 'win just one for the Gipper.' I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."

Notre Dame rallied to defeat Army, 12-6. Over the years it became "common knowledge" that the story was fabricated by Rockne. Rock died tragically three years later in a plane crash. He insisted it was true.

In August of 2002, when the Trojans gathered to pay final respects to Marv Goux, his USC student granddaughter, Kara Kanen, exhorted her fellow Trojans to go out there and "win one for the Goux." In retrospect, that event appears to have been timed to launch USC's period of greatest grid triumph, almost as if the whole thing had been planned by the old school coach himself.

For three years his boys whipped on Notre Dame under Ty Willingham, winning by 31 each time. In 2005 at South Bend, it was "rock of ages meets a game for the ages."

When the season started, Notre Dame was a giant question mark. New hire Charlie Weiss was brought in to restore what Notre Dame historian Alan Grant called their "tarnished legacy." In a scathing pre-season ESPN.com article, Grant asked the rhetorical question: were the Irish still "relevant...?"

Grant's resounding answer was, "No! Notre Dame isn't relevant. Once upon a time, it was. Once upon a time, it stood for something real and dignified. Notre Dame was a symbol of college football excellence, just as UCLA once represented the best in college basketball and the Green Bay Packers stood proud at the top of pro football. Knute Rockne, and movies about him, propelled Notre Dame into the stuff of legend.

"The Irish mattered. They inspired people who hadn't even gone to school there.

It's a cool thing when you really are better than anyone else. It is not a cool thing when you just think you are.

"Today, Notre Dame is just another football program that will ransom anything - its coach, what's left of its reputation - to get a piece of BCS lottery money.

"Oh, Notre Dame remains legendary... but only in its own mind."

Grant stated that "Notre Dame the football team" is not to be confused with "Notre Dame the university. If you ask me (and even if you don't), I'll tell you that a football team and a university are not one and the same.

"One consists of players such as Quinn, Stovall and McKnight, who get dressed in the locker room and play games on a football field. The other is a business run by the board of trustees, new president John Jenkins and athletic director Kevin White, who get dressed in administration buildings and do administrative things.

"And those people treat us like we don't know what's happening there. They act as if we don't see their cold, condescending, cloaked-in-righteousness arrogance.

"I hate that Notre Dame.

"Maybe I should have said that more clearly in the book a few years back. I hate that Notre Dame with a white-hot passion.

"When it's convenient, that Notre Dame is a scholastic institution. But when they're hungry for championships, that Notre Dame turns up the heat on its football program.

"The heat is being turned up now for one reason. Every school on its schedule hates Notre Dame, but Notre Dame only hates one school back: ultra-successful Southern Cal, which has displaced the Irish at the top of the heap."

There is hype, and then there is Notre Dame hype. For USC, the week of the Notre Dame game taught them that while they may have been the most hyped college team extant, they owe much of their tradition and star power to the simple fact that the Irish are their greatest rival.

The 2005 BCS Orange Bowl was called an event of super-hype, and it was. A month preceded it. It was for all the marbles. National title games, Rose Bowls, big games of every stripe take on this circus atmosphere.

But for a regular season game, few if any events matched the serious anticipation attached to the arrival of Southern California at South Bend the week of Saturday, October 15. Just as SC owes much of its national and even international prominence to its relationship with the Irish, the hoopla of their arrival demonstrated that Notre Dame owes much of their fame to USC, too.

ESPN News's _Classic Now_ featured a plethora of USC-Notre Dame pre-game comparisons. They brought in ex-USC announcer Tom Kelly, former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theisman, and a host of Trojan and Irish luminaries of the past to compare the teams, the fight songs, the traditions, everything but the quality of dorm cafeteria food.

Tom Kelly admitted that _Wake Up the Echoes_ was a "magnificent piece of music," but pointed out that _Conquest_ , which usually follows _Fight On!_ following USC touchdowns, had come from a 1950s movie, _Captain of Castile_. He added that he expected to hear a lot of it on Saturday.

John Walter of _Sports Illustrated_ , a Notre Dame graduate, called it, "The Son of God vs. sunblock... The two schools are a mutual admiration society. It's kind of like Nick Lachey staring at Jessica Simpson for the first time across a crowded room."

Austin Murphy, a Colgate man and colleague, finally had enough of the Lachey-Simpson references (although his articles liberally mentioned it). He pleaded with a smile on his face for Walter to "stop."

ESPN's movie analyst pointed out that while USC was located next to Hollywood and "many SC graduates are heavy hitters in the film industry, when it comes great college football movies, the score is decidedly, Notre Dame two, USC nothing."

Of course, the Irish could point to _Knute Rockne: All-American_ , a blockbuster of its time which also owed a great deal of its renewed fame to the Presidency of "George Gipp." Ironically Ronald Reagan, who uttered the mythic words of the card shark Gipp, became a big-time Trojan football fan after moving to Los Angeles.

The other, of course, was _Rudy_ , which is a bit of an oddity. The real Rudy Ruettiger enjoyed less than great relations with various coaches over the years since his 1993 film. Many questioned why with all the great Irish players a movie about a scrub captured so many hearts. But it had.

Charlie Weiss pulled out all the stops. He invited Ruettiger, along with Joe Montana, Tim Brown and many others, to all the campus festivities, including a rally that drew 45,000 people on the Friday night before the game.

USC, for all its famed Tinseltown connections, indeed never had a great movie made about its exploits. They do not even get mentioned in _Knute Rockne: All-American_ or _Rudy_ , although most football movies featuring prep stars show them enthused about USC.

"I'm going to SC... I'm gonna play in the Rose Bowl," says Chris Penn in _All the Right Moves_ before he knocks up his girlfriend.

"Boobie Myles" gets an envelope with USC letterhead in _Friday Night Lights._ The doomed black football hero of _Boyz In the Hood_ (directed by USC film school grad John Singleton) is killed after being recruited by the Trojans.

There was a TV movie about Ricky Bell, who was at least as tragic a figure as George Gipp, but it did not elicit tears like Reagan's character. _Love and Basketball_ was about...basketball and love at SC, with mixed results.

It is worth mentioning that a TV movie, Fighting Back (1980), starring Robert Urich, had once been made about Rocky Bleir, the Irish running back from the 1966 team. Bleir fought in Vietnam, where he sustained supposedly career-ending injuries, but he had battled back to become an integral member of the Steelers' great teams of the 1970s. In the movie, as Bleir is about to go under the knife, he learns that the surgeon about to perform the operation is a USC graduate. The doctor tells him, "I was in the Coliseum that day you beat us, 51-0." Bleir must go under with this knowledge. It was not as comforting as the doctor who said to Reagan, "We're all Republicans today, Mr. President." Reagan had admonished them with, "I hope you're all Republicans," after his 1981 assassination attempt.

The ESPN movie analyst was unaware that a book by this author, _September 1970: Two Teams, One Night and the Game That Changed A Nation_ ; about Sam "Bam" Cunningham and the USC-Alabama game 35 years earlier which had helped end segregation in the South, was slated for a 2007 publication. It had been considered for development by two heavyweight Trojan producers. Ron Howard, the famed director, and his partner, Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment, are both USC alums.

ABC, WhiteLight Entertainment, USC alum/independent producer Wayne Hughes, and Warner Bros. also entered talks regarding the project. It had received major heat in the trades (mentions in the _L.A. Times_ , _Hollywood Reporter_ and Allen Barra's _The Last Coach: The Life of Paul "Bear" Bryant_ ).

In addition a screenplay, called _The Turning of the Tide_ existed, and a director was trying to develop the project. Allan Graf, a lineman on the 1970 Trojan team, had become a Hollywood stuntman. From there he became a well-respected second unit director specializing in football movies. Most of the top football films of the past 20 years had their on-field action sequences shot by Graf. These included, among many others, _Any Given Sunday_ and _Friday Night Lights_. Graf was determined to make his feature directorial debut telling the story of something he had personally lived through.

The ESPN movie analyst was also apparently unaware that his own company was considering a proposed reality TV series about USC. ESPN Hollywood was at the spearhead of construction of the upcoming movie studio and shopping complex adjacent to STAPLES Center, just a few blocks from USC. It would be a major part of the revitalization of downtown L.A. that SC is so much a part of.

ESPN Hollywood was looking into a show, to be filmed at spring camp, summer camp and throughout the 2006 season, following Coach Carroll and his players around. Its working title: _It's A Good Day to Be A Trojan!_ It is based on a proposed book by this author, to look at Carroll's "new paradigm" coaching style much the way Michael Lewis did in his examination of Oakland A's G.M. Billy Beane in _Moneyball._

The USC-Notre Dame game is unique in another respect. It is one of the few games between non-Southern schools that tend to vote conservatively. Several of USC's "blue state" rivals jeered Troy over this very issue, waving credit cards, calling it the "University of Spoiled Children," and various other acts of unimpressiveness.

Insurance executive Kevin McCormick, whose parents both graduated from Notre Dame, attended the school for one year. Born and raised in California, he felt out of place and transferred...t o USC.

"It's a different crowd at South Bend," he said. "Just think of a lot of Republicans cheering against each other."

_ESPN the Magazine's_ Bruce Feldman wrote, "While the Trojans have beaten archrival Notre Dame by 31 points each of the past three years, they can't expect winning to come quite so effortlessly now that former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss has taken over in South Bend. Think of the Irish mastermind as a lumpy Reese to Carroll's _Terminator_ , sent back from Foxboro to neutralize USC's domination."

ESPN's _GameDay_ crew would be there on Saturday. Whether they were trying to pump up false excitement or really meant it, several of their analysts pointed to SC's shaky defense, poor pass protection, injuries, inexperience, and kick defense problems. They pointed to Notre Dame's extraordinary history of ending long winning streaks in Notre Dame Stadium, including SC's 23-game unbeaten record in 1973.

Between the tradition, the emotion, USC's perceived vulnerabilities, and the stacked odds against winning without an end in sight, there was plenty of Notre Dame sympathy. John Walter was more realistic, however. Asked if the score was 21-0 Irish at the half, to a loud moan from Murphy he said, "No, I'd still have to go with SC. I think it would have to be 31-0. I just don't see anybody stopping this team."

Mark Spino, secretary of the Trojan Football Alumni Club, was given the Trojan For Life Award in a formal ceremony featuring athletic director Mike Garrett and Marv Goux's lovely widow, Patti Goux. The week of the USC-Notre Dame game, wrote inspirational messages, letters and remembrances of the old coach. Notre Dame was special to Goux, above and beyond all other games.

"This week is about Marv Goux," Carroll acknowledged.

Mrs. Goux in turn forwarded Spino's emails to a large list of former Trojans that included Anthony Davis, Sam Cunningham, Manfred Moore, and many, many more. Wrote Mrs. Goux:

"Dear Fellow Trojans,

"This inspiring piece was sent to me by a good friend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did." Spino called his missive, "The Field Marshal," but it could just as easily have been called "This Game Is Different":

The doldrums is over for our players.

Every man who slips the Trojan helmet on (past or present) feels it.

The new coaches will learn it.

Pete Carroll went to Marv Goux to inquire about it.

It's been alive since Howard Jones and the Thundering Herd went toe to toe with the Four Horsemen and Knute Rockne.

John McKay nearly preached it.

John Robinson embraced it as if it was the Crown Jewels.

USC's ex-players will physically pull aside current players and explain, in a manner where there is no chance the player doesn't understand (nose to nose), it.

Ronnie Lott won't be able to talk but if you get the rare opportunity to look into his eyes as he's lacing his cleats on the day of the Notre Dame game, you will know it.

Anthony Munoz can only whisper but he speaks only about the all out commitment to physically assault Notre Dame's players, all of them, on every play all game long or else you cannot be on this team and you are not a Trojan football player and he never wants to hear of your existence again.

Not a lot was ever said about doing your assignment, holding onto the ball, converting third downs.

This Game is different.

This Game is for the Greatest of men, only.

The mentality that is demanded and that, will, be given by every man wearing the Trojan helmet, whenever matched up with Notre Dame.

Spino's message created a number of email responses from other Trojans who had played for Goux:

Sweeney Dawg,

I realize you are making the trip with the team to "back water Indian no

place" this weekend for the game. Thus, I could not help but share the attached story from one of our teammates about Coach Goux. Still today - the only thing I hate more than UCLA football is Notre Dame football. Reading the attached makes me wish I could go back to South Bend. Support the cause and help in the burning of their barns and pillaging of their villages.

Let the troops know that this game is different. In the words of General

George S. Patton, "their health is of no concern and from this point forward, if they are not victorious, let no man come back alive!"

Fight On!

...

Coach Goux would gather us around him and he'd start to tell us a story about a young player at USC who although undersized and outweighed, started at center and middle linebacker. This player was the pinnacle of desire and hard work often leading not just by example but by inspirational speeches during a game. His love of the game was unmatched.

As he spoke he wondered around the field, always starting down by the end zone and slowly working his way out toward mid-field as he stayed in the middle of all the players.

During much of the story he would stare down at the field, kind of kickin' at it and pawing at it with the bottoms of his shoes. It seemed to me from the first time I witnessed this ritual that he was actually looking for something. I was wrong. He wasn't looking for something. He was looking for a spot. As he continued the story, this absolute pillar of strength and determination, the cornerstone of the entire football program at USC, a man who had been at McKay's side every step of the way, the defensive line coach, started breaking down.

I remember elbowing the guy next to me and asking, "What's happening to him?" The player, who was a few years ahead of me, turned to me with tears streaming down his face, and said, "Shut up." Coach Goux started moving around the field, faster and faster as we struggled to stay with him. In one lightning bolt of gut-wrenching passion, he screamed out, "Where is it, where is it?" as he crisply walked around, sometimes in circles like he was getting close, all the time looking down at the Notre Dame Stadium's grass. Tears flowing like a river.

Then, in a split second, in a moment of recognition, this man exploded into a sick combination of Pain, Regret, Fear, Determination, Desire, Retribution, Passion and Sorrow. Crying in an uncontrollable manner, bawling, weeping, Coach Goux snaps his head up, to expose himself to us. So that we would always know. So that we would never forget. The face I looked into was unrecognizable to me. I didn't yet know what IT was. Coach Goux was possessed with all that his life had been and all that his life was at that point. Like a big cat, he spun around and made sure that every player made direct eye contact with him.

"This is the spot," he screamed looking down again. "This is the spot." Looking up at us, he said, "This is where they got me," his voice trailing off. Instinctively, we all started backing up, until Coach Goux stood alone, looking down at the grass and pawing at it with his shoes. I realized that the player in the story was him. For what seemed like minutes you could here a pin drop, as we watched this man deal with the moment that ended his dreams as a player, forever.

When he looked up again, the meaning, the feeling that makes this football program what it is. That thing that makes USC football special, whatever it is, shined like a lighthouse beam in the Indiana night from his eyes.

"I wouldn't trade my time as a USC football player for anything." Then he said while looking down and getting more and more animated in a hurry, "I was clipped from behind right here," as he pointed at the grass. "Got me in my lower back and hip" he growled.

I don't recall seeing anger in a man's eyes, like his at that moment. "Get in here," he demanded as the entire team closed in on him. "Tighter, tighter, until you can't breath. Now listen to me. Notre Dame ended my dream as a player. They ended it right here where we stand together. I'll never be able to forget it or change it. I can, however, bring a football team here every other year with the best players the world has ever seen. A football team that is a great big family. A team who loves each other and will go to war for each other. A team who doesn't care about the last play. A team full of men who's only, living, breathing desire is to be allowed by God one more opportunity to hit a Notre Dame football player as hard as humanly possible."

The tears we're flowing and we we're mesmerized by the entire experience. The emotions of the team were laying on the table for Coach Goux to mold. He paused, so as to look you in the eye. Then he looked down and started to shake his head back and forth. Still looking down, he slowly said with a deep voice, "I can't hit them anymore but God knows that I want to. More than awakening tomorrow morning, I want another shot at a Notre Dame football player. Just so I could send the clear message that the University of Southern California's football team was in town and that today will end in Pain for you and your team and your fans and your school. That USC was here and we're taking everything you have."

His head rose up.

"There won't be anything left when we're done here," he screamed. At which point the entire team exploded together.

"They got me but they're not going to get you. They f----d me right here but their not going to f--k you. Not tomorrow, not tomorrow. Tomorrow we wake as one. Tomorrow we take the body. Tomorrow each and every man on this team will attack his opponent in a way that has never been seen before. Tomorrow we are relentless. Tomorrow we play the most powerful brand of football ever seen. Tomorrow we are devastating, play after play, every man until the final whistle. We're not even going to look up at the scoreboard during the game. If I see any man look up at the scoreboard, I'll kill him. F--k the score, we came here for more than that. Tomorrow we take a program's heart and tear it to pieces with our bare hands. Tomorrow we play with Pride and Dignity. Every play, every player on the field for Notre Dame gets knocked to the ground. All of them, every play. Then you reach down to help them back up. That's who we are. Tomorrow we play like MEN. Tomorrow we play like TROJANS.

The week of the game, the media had a field day. Carroll was interviewed on _CMI_ : The Chris Myers Interview. Then at the pre-game luncheon, Carroll expressed his thoughts on what it all meant:

"This is a wonderful opportunity. It is a great matchup for college football, for those former players from both schools that love this game, and for the fans. It is a beautiful opportunity for us to match it up. We are excited to be in this situation where we can draw this much attention and focus. It is a huge game for our program. It is a huge game for Notre Dame's program. I think it is interesting, the backgrounds of the head coaches... I know it is interesting to you that Charlie and I have gone against each other in games in the past. This is about a bunch of kids that get to play in a great setting, in a great football game with memories to be made. We are thrilled about it. We are going to work really hard in practice to put together a great week. We take off on Thursday to take care of the travel. Those guys that are almost healthy are going to get healthy this week. I am sure for both teams everybody wants to be apart of this and be involved in it. I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity. I like our chances against Notre Dame. This is a fantastic and improved football team; the impact of the head coach is obvious. He has done a wonderful job to train their players to adapt to a new style of offense in 15 days of spring football and in the weeks of camp. To execute like they have is really a credit to their ability to teach, their philosophy and knowing what they want to do, because they can really put it together. The play of their quarterback is really emblematic of their philosophy and of their style. Brady Quinn is having a fantastic season. We have seen him for years; we have watched him grow up. He has always had games where he looked terrific but now he is just absolutely on the money. He is in control of his game and his team. There is a lot here with two winning football teams. It is everything we could have asked for."

_On special teams:_ "We are going to go back and fix our problems as we always do. We had some problems covering kickoffs, we missed some tackles. That has been our issue, covering kicks."

_On looking at first string guys for special teams:_ "We are working with some guys on the depth chart. We have been very young in our coverage teams, starting with the kicker. We have a couple of thoughts in mind, we will wait and see how they pan out when the decisions are made."

_On the difference Coach Weis had made:_ "Their offense is really functioning at a high level. They can run the ball and throw the ball. They can protect very well. It is really a high efficiency offense. Their style of offense has always been very patient. They make first downs and move the sticks, and work their way down the field, much like New England has been doing over the years. It has been very effective, and it is the same offense. It is clear they have been able to get their thoughts across to their player, and they have been able to execute. They could easily be undefeated right now."

_On Notre Dame's sophisticated NFL-like offense:_ "They do a great variety of things. They do something in one game and you won't see it again for a couple of weeks. They execute them very well. The choices that they make and the things they implement in a game plan are taxing and well designed, and they are able to do it well. In the NFL you get so familiar with your opponents you can't do the same thing week in and week out, people will catch up on you. Well they have brought that same concept. They have a broader spectrum of things that they do in their offensive game plan. The thing I am really impressed with is how well they can execute that. That is the reason why most teams don't do something like that, because you can't execute new things week in and week out. They do a wonderful job of coaching. This two-week opportunity for them really makes them dangerous."

_If looking at film will help:_ "It helps enormously. It is all that we have to go on. I do respect that we are going to see things that we haven't seen before. We have to be ready in a broad sense to handle and to adjust as the game goes on to figure out what they are going to do. We spent a lot of time, we have gone through a lot of history here to come to a point where we feel comfortable about the plan we are putting together. That has to encompass a lot of stuff."

_If Reggie Bush is 100 percent:_ "We will have to wait and see when he gets to practice today. There is no damage at all to his knee, it is sore from getting banged on it, but he is going to practice today. We will ease him through the week until he is feeling 100 percent. He might feel 100 percent today. He is real encouraged, and I am not really concerned about it."

_Why the new offense works for Charlie Weis and not the many other teams that have tried it:_ "I think it has to be his command of what he has. He has to be a great teacher. You have to have the right stuff and in the right proportions, and you have to convey that to the coaches for one, and then to the players. Obviously he is running it and he has commanded the process of the teaching. This is a really good indication that a new coach can play. This is not the same football team; this is not the same offense. The players are the same but they are performing at a higher level because of the guy who is running the thing. I couldn't say enough positive things about how his abilities show what he is all about, early on. It makes for a great matchup. It makes for a very fun challenge, hopefully for both of us."

_On why Carroll decided against instant replay:_ "It's because they gave me a choice. Nothing went into it, they gave me a choice and I didn't want it. We had a chance to not have it so now we don't have it. I hope it doesn't come down to one of those replay situations."

_If their defense is as dynamic as their offense:_ "Rick Minter is a terrific defensive football coach. He was a great coordinator when he was at Notre Dame in the past. He carried the load as a defensive-oriented coach when he was the head coach of Cincinnati. He was brought up in the same background system that I was brought up in. He was at Arkansas with Monte Kiffin and we coached together at N.C. State. We were there together for three years. We have been friends and coaching buddies through the years. He has always been aggressive and effective, innovative and he does a lot of difficult stuff. They made a big jump because they put together a beautiful staff of their own."

_On the atmosphere at Notre Dame vs. USC:_ "It is a great stadium, it is very close. The student section is extraordinary. It is a beautiful football setting. To me the football stadium that is closed in and rolls up just like theirs does that is the way you picture it. Everybody is hanging over the field, the bench is close to the wall, you can't separate the fans from the game, and they are connected to it. That stadium has that, and of course it is very special. Of course it is very loud."

_How they are not going on a tour at Notre Dame as they did four years ago:_ "No, we are not going to do that again. We went earlier, we went to the hall of fame, and the grotto and we had a great time. It was more then we could do in that trip. I am glad we have done that before, to say we have done it, but we don't need to do that again."

_On the slow starts to the games:_ "I am concerned, I like to start smoothly and get rolling. If you look at it we had some terrific drives and some great starts on defense in the last games. In the course of the long drives we were faced with, we had a few turnovers that set us back. We fumbled and we threw the interception so we kind of stopped ourselves. Other than that we played some pretty good football. But that is what football is all about. That is why it works. You have penalties or you have turnovers. Those are the mistakes that keep you from playing at your level. When you play against good competition those can be factors that set the tempo of the game for you. That has happened to us in the past three weeks. Hopefully we can rid ourselves of that. I am not dwelling on it thinking that it is the kind of team we are. If anything it shows that we can finish. We just have to clean things up, play good football and do the best that we can."

Finally, Carroll concluded with a story. He and his wife traveled to France a few years prior. Outside Paris they had come upon an old Catholic church. Inside the church was an artist's rendition of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"He was holding his fingers like this," said Carroll, demonstrating the traditional SC "V for Victory" sign adopted from Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower.

"That's all I'm gonna say about that," Carroll said with a smile. "I'll let you reach your own conclusions."

The Truth will set you free.

"We'll be up for them and they'll be up for us," said Leinart. "It's the great stadium and there's a lot of tradition in the rivalry, but we're going to treat it like any other game. That's how we do it. We don't care if it's Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Arizona, whoever. It doesn't matter."

Turnovers "is what it takes to disrupt rhythm. That's not characteristic of the way we want to play," said Carroll.

"Coach Carroll champions the call of finishing," said Oscar Lua. "That's the motto of this team. Everything we do from warm-up to the game, it's ingrained in our training...

"We hadn't had the running game in our focus and they came out exploding," Lua added regarded the performance of Bush and White against Arizona. "They did a great job."

"We can't control the intangibles," Ryan Ting said. "But as long as we keep doing our job and doing things right, then there's no stopping us."

"This is a different year, different coaches," said Notre Dame defensive tackle Derek Landri.

"A lot of guys not putting the pedal to the metal when they have a chance to," said coach Charlie Weis. "There are times to pull off, and there are times to just keep on pressing. Because especially with a team like this, when you know they have the firepower they do, you really have to be thinking the same way in the third quarter as you are thinking in the first quarter."

Weis had some tricks up his sleeve but was not going to reveal it.

"Playing a 60-minute game," he said. "You can set up three touchdowns on them and this team doesn't bat an eye."

"We're playing good football teams that are giving us problems, that know us well," said Carroll. "Nobody's rolling over and letting us just go.

"We need to be hardened. We need these tough games. We need to be faced with these kinds of challenges if we're going to be worthy of doing the things that we might be able to do."

One sub-plot of the matchup involved the two coaches, who had faced each other for years in the NFL. Before Weis was the Patriots offensive coordinator, he held that position with the Jets, the team Carroll had coached. Carroll was at New England before Bill Belichik and Weis led that franchise to three Super Bowls. Without Weiss, the Pats were having some early season problems in 2005.

When Weis had first been hired, he gathered his new players together. The question of "handling... _beating_ Southern Cal" was tenderly brought forward. Weis's response was good bulletin board material:

"I never lost to that motherf----r in the pros and I don't plan to start now!!!"

USC entered the contest on pace to break several NCAA records, including yards per game (640); yards per play (8.1); and scoring average (51.6). Their 27-game winning streak, however, looked like a giant target on their chests. In 1946, Johnny Lujack had tackled Doc Blanchard late in the game to preserve a 0-0 tie at Yankee Stadium, ending Army's 25-game winning streak.

In 1953, the Irish beat Georgia Tech, 27-14 to end the Yellowjackets' 31-game streak. In 1957, they defeated Oklahoma, 7-0, ending their all-time best 47-game streak. In 1973, they ended USC's 23-game streak. They had also taken care of Miami and other teams with long streaks.

_The Sporting News_ featured Brady Quinn and Leinart on its "BIG GAME WEEKEND!" cover: "USC @ NOTRE DAME. The Irish _can_ win: Our five-point plan."

"I'm going with the Irish," wrote Matt Hayes. "Why? Because I'm stupid. Can there be any other reason? Turnovers, my friends, turnovers. ND will capitalize on turnovers and score, and USC will press on offense and make more mistakes. Notre 34, USC 31." His article was called, "TROUBLE for the Trojans... Yes, Notre Dame can slay the dragon on Saturday in South Bend. Here's how."

Texas, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Georgia, Alabama, Penn State, Texas Tech and UCLA were all unbeaten and angling for a spot in the BCS, whose computer rankings would be released after this important weekend.

_Sports Illustrated's_ "COLLEGE FOOTBALL MIDSEASON REPORT" posed the question, "Can Anyone Beat USC?" Austin Murphy still liked Leinart and Bush for the Heisman, but suddenly Brady Quinn, averaging 324 yards a game in the Weis system with 13 touchdown passes, was in the picture.

The whole Leinart-Lachey-Jessica love triangle was starting to get old by now, probably mostly to Leinart. Lachey and Jessica were happy for the publicity and the chance to bathe in the sunlight of L.A.'s biggest celeb. Murphy, normally an excellent writer, posed a cheap gimmick in which USC's only real chance of losing would be based on Lachey, who presumably did not have enough dough for a hotel or his own pad, crashing at Leinart's off-campus digs after his blonde bombshell wife threw him out of the house.

Murphy wasted several paragraphs proffering the notion that Leinart would lose sleep keeping Lachey's fragile Hollywood ego solvent, with too many pop music references, which modern sportswriters seem to think they need to do to show how with-it they are.

Murphy's "theory" was that Leinart would fall asleep watching film, thus failing to prepare the Trojans. Fat chance.

Murphy asked Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay, the last quarterback to pull off the trick two years prior, how to knock off Troy. Rodgers made sense: keep Leinart & Co. off the field via a ball control, short-passing offense. This would be Weis's strategy, but as he himself said, "You still have to put the ball in the end zone."

That had been Rodgers's problem in 2004. Despite moving the chains up and down the field, throwing NCAA-record 23 straight completions, Rodgers failed to own the "red zone," particularly when he had four shots at the Promised Land from the nine with everything on the line.

When Leinart was on the field, Rodgers advised to "make 'em one-dimensional," forcing the run or the pass, but not both. Easier said than done. Cal defensive line coach Ken Delgado told Murphy that the way to stop Bush is to spread the defense, thus denying him the whole field that he likes to use. Of course, that opens it up for White on the inside and Leinart's quick-outs.

Knocking Leinart around, unsportsmanlike as it is and as likely to draw big, hurtful penalties, looked to be the best defense against the Heisman winner. That was ASU's plan. It had almost worked. But Leinart was tough as nails.

However, the Sun Devils thought that they would force Leinart to air it out and make errors. Instead, Bush and White looked like Marcus Allen and Charles White, with predictable results.

Then there was David Kirtman, who could block, run and catch on fairly deep routes.

"Name off their weapons," Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter said, "and nobody's out there saying, 'You've got to stop the fullback.' "

"I've been amazed at how some schools with great athletes don't do very well against them," said Delgado. "Arkansas should have been able to match up with those guys." Instead, the Razorbacks lost, 70-17.

"Oklahoma seemed bewildered," he added, referring to the 55-19 national championship game blowout. "I think it has something to do with the sophistication of the ball played in our league. These schools from other conferences, where schemes are more vanilla, where they rely more on athleticism and physical play, get manipulated by SC's schemes."

Delgado was right on the money. The Renaissance of USC football created a vast improvement in the Pacific 10 Conference in general. By mid-2005, it was becoming increasingly obvious that the conference was close to regaining the prominence it held in the 1960s and '70s, when it was the best in the nation.

The SEC and Big 12 were still strong, but no longer stronger than the Pac 10. The Big 10 was flat-out weak.

"We told our guys, 'They're a wonderful team, but they're <just> guys,' " ex-Stanford coach Buddy Teevens said of the close-call 31-28 loss to Southern California on The Farm in 2004. "They're 18 to 22, they lift weights, they work out just like you. They're good athletes, but they're only human - with the exception of Reggie Bush."

Murphy pointed to gimmick plays like Stanford's fake punt and USC's porous defense against kick returns. But other teams have no margin for error. It was precisely superior special teams' play that made the difference in the Trojans' 23-17 win over Cal the previous season.

Ryan Ting was getting a lot of playing time because others were injured. He had responded. However, there were no Ronnie Lott's in this secondary. Truth be told, they had not dominated every minute the previous season.

"No offense to them, but that secondary wasn't the greatest," said UCLA wideout Junior Taylor.

The Ting brothers, John Walker and Justin Wyatt remained "suspect," in Murphy's view. Arizona went after Walker on a 42-yard scoring strike. Where USC remained hopeful was the fact Carroll was a defensive specialist. He would make adjustments. Injured players would heal. Youngsters would become vets with experience as the season wore on. The Trojans would get better in late October and November, as they always do.

Whether Quinn, Cal's Joe Ayoob, Fresno State's Paul Pinegar, UCLA's Drew Olson's or Texas's' Vince Young would pass their team to a three-touchdown lead, they would have to "SURVIVE THE ONSLAUGHT," wrote Murphy.

"It doesn't matter how far ahead you are," said Rodgers, who had taken the Golden Bears into halftime leading 21-7 in 2003, but had to come from behind to eventually force the overtime win. "You've gotta take your best shot and survive it."

These close games were just the tonic, at least according to the spin Carroll put out. He seemed to subscribe to the philosophy of the German theorist Friedrich Nietzsche, who said, "That with which does not kill me makes me stronger."

Of the teams USC could face in the BCS Rose Bowl should they run the table, Murphy pointed out that number two Texas could go "toe-to-toe with the Trojans up front."

Virginia Tech was outstanding on special teams, which was SC's weakness. Alabama was fast enough to stay with USC's speed. Notre Dame really only had Weis, Quinn, tradition, emotion, home-field noise, and revenge motive for a three-year deficit of 130-37. Cal had balance and the confidence that they had done it once and almost pulled the trick a second time.

Murphy said the biggest mid-season surprise was UCLA; the biggest flop, Michigan, who he said would be the second best team in the nation but was second best in its state instead.

"Longtime observers of the program say the frenzied buildup for today's game has not been seen since 1993, when Florida State arrived here ranked number one and lost to the second-ranked Fighting Irish," wrote Gary Klein in the _L.A. Times._

"We approach every game the same way," White said. "This one is no different."

"Every college program wants that dynasty - and they are on the verge of doing it," Notre Dame linebacker Brandon Hoyte said of USC. "But, at the same time, every college program wants the opportunity to be that team that stops that dynasty. We are fortunate to be in that situation."

"Notre Dame broke USC's 23-game unbeaten streak here in 1973 and went on to win the national title," continued Klein. "The Irish also won the national championship in 1988 after ending Miami's 36-game winning streak here 17 years ago today. <Actually a 36-game _regular season_ winning streak, interrupted by the 1987 Fiesta Bowl loss to Penn State.>

"Notre Dame, however, has had four shots at USC when the Trojans were ranked first and missed them all."

USC's thorough whipping of Notre Dame in 2002, 2003 and 2004 resulted in one of the program's more unfortunate moments: the firing of Tyrone Willingham before his contract expired, a practice unheard of in South Bend. Because Willingham is black, it was one filled with racial implications not favorable to Notre Dame.

"It's clear what his offense is - I've watched it for years," Carroll said of his counterpart. "I know who I'm going against in that regard, as he does. We don't have anything over on each other."

"Pete knows me very well," said Weis. "He knows what I like to do. I like to think I know what he likes to do. It's just going to come down to us having to execute very well against what they do."

Notre Dame's season had taken some interesting turns. Road victories at Pittsburgh and Michigan looked impressive until Pitt and Michigan looked unimpressive in succeeding games. A home loss to Michigan State in overtime was disappointing, exposing defensive frailties, but it now looked like the Spartans might be the class of the Big 10 (unbeaten Penn State would lose on the same day SC played the Irish).

Notre Dame, like USC opening with mostly road games, won at Washington (beating Willingham) and Purdue. They had two important weeks to prepare for USC.

Early on Saturday morning, October 15, this author went to the health club for a work out prior to getting ready for the USC-Notre Dame game. I finished doing bicep curls and put the barbells back in their holders. A few feet away, somebody else had placed their barbells precariously on the side of the holder instead of in it. I did not notice that. When my barbells were placed in the holders, it caused enough of a jarring sensation to shake the loose barbells off its perch. It smashed the adjacent mirror, shattering it in a five-foot wide circle. It was not my fault, but as soon as I saw what happened, I thought about the old adage that to break a mirror is to create bad luck. Bad luck on this day meant the "luck of the Irish." I thought about it.

"Naw," I thought to myself.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

"Outlined against a blue, gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore, they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden."

\- Sportswriter Grantland Rice, 1924

Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Once named Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden, the gladiators of the New Millennium are men of youth, color and American diversity. Their real names are: Leinart, Bush, Jarrett and White. These new Four Horsemen of Southern California came to the land of destiny riding their famed white steed Traveler, that dreaded Coliseum sight of Irish past. They relegated the old Notre Dame ghosts to their place and time, a time when the only color was white, myths were protected, lies told as Truths. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another Fighting Irish team was swept over the precipice at Notre Dame Stadium on the afternoon of Saturday, October 15, 2005. 80,795 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below.

These fans observed the changing of the guard, the team of the New Age, the University of the 21st Century. For the better part of the previous century their team held that loftiest position on the grid landscape. No more. Their ancient rivals arrived at their house of worship, paid homage to their shrines, and honored their traditions.

Their skill, class and guts emanated like water pouring forth upon a barren valley, informing all whose eyes saw that Truth, when witnessed in an American arena, is never misunderstood.

The Truth of October 15, 2005, in that most perfect of settings, was that the Trojans of Southern California had taken over from the previous title-holders, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, the lofty moniker Greatest Collegiate Football Tradition of All Time! They did as their legendary old coach, Marv Goux, advised countless legions to do. They did as Goux's beloved granddaughter asked them to do. Four games in four years passed since Kara Kanen advised that future Trojans, "Win one for the Goux!"

For four years now they took on the Irish at home and away. Each time they left them heartbroken in noble defeat. On this day, they would take more than a shillelagh back to Heritage Hall. There was no plaque, no crystal football, nothing inscribed.

There was only pride and knowledge that what they did secured for them everlasting glory. Legends were made. Expectations had been met. 80 years of excellence had not only been lived up to, but exceeded by a new generation. They took the foundation laid brick by brick by decades of Trojans, erecting a higher statue than ever before.

Lion heart

A modern Lancelot led them, for indeed the times he was living in were those of a Camelot quality. His name is Leinart. The similarity to "Lion Heart" is not insignificant. It is, rather, cosmic, for he does not lace his cleats in a land of mere mortals. He is part of something ancient and utterly sacred The standards this tallest and sturdiest of the new Horsemen set under that blue, gray October sky, with the wheat of an Indiana harvest swirling about like so much stardust, are standards that nobody will ever be expected to meet. To strive for, but not to meet.

The second new Horseman's name is Bush. On a field of play where 81 years ago he would have been invited to leave, this step-son of a preacher man stepped up and took a nation, a Trojan Nation, and with his loyal partner with the "Lion Heart" he thus moved mountains on the flat Midwestern plains.

The third new Horseman's name is Jarrett. A babe in the woods, a child desperate to return to his Jersey roots rather than accept the challenges that God graced him with the ability to meet, he did meet them on the green plains of South Bend. He met them; soft of hands and swift of feet did he meet them as he raced through the gauntlet set forth before him. His was a moment of mystery and wonder, a Shakespearean marvel: "There are more things on Heaven and earth, Horatio, than can be dreamt of in your philosophy."

Finally, in the "most Gracious" Shakespearean of seasons, did the fourth new Horseman emerge. His name is White, a famous last name and one he lived up to, as he had taken the previous man's number, 12, and turned it around: 21. In the glare of the spotlight, Mr. White did what makes him splendid. He sacrificed for his team. His name will not be synonymous with the glory and memory of this challenge met under the watchful eye of "Touchdown Jesus," but his mates knew that they would not have been there without his sacrifice.

Thus was history made. Leave no doubt? Thus is the statement made.

Before these heroics could be played out in all their glory, this author spent the better part of four hours thinking about that broken mirror. It was not just the ghosts of Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden that had to be overcome, but a dumb superstition as well. But it took some doing.

USC was not tested, they were out-played. But championship teams do what championship teams do. On the game's final play, Leinart pushed into the line, then did a spin move that looked like something he learned in that Tuesday night ballroom dancing class. With three seconds left, he found a seam, and might have gotten a push of momentum from Bush, which may or may not have been an uncalled penalty, to score the winning touchdown. Number one USC escaped with its 28th straight victory, 34-31 over the ninth-ranked Irish. The game more than lived up to expectations. It was the greatest game in the history of the storied rivalry that goes back to 1926. Depending on one's perspective, and considering the pressure, the stakes, and the atmosphere, it may have been the greatest football game ever played, college or pro. It was watched by the largest TV audience of any regular season college football game in a decade. To say it meant the rivalry was revived was as obvious as saying Pamela Anderson possesses sex appeal. The college football world, increasingly complaining about Trojan hegemony, now saw a reason to tune back in.

"You gotta believe you're going to win the way that happened," Carroll said.

Notre Dame came in 4-1. They broke out their Kelly green jerseys. Before Leinart's dive, they and their fans thought victory was theirs. Trailing 31-28, there was enough time for one pass play from around the five. The southpaw Leinart rolled to his left. He could pass for a game-winning touchdown, throw an incomplete pass or run out of bounds. Options tow and three would stop the clock and probably set up a game-tying field goal to send it to overtime. Instead, Leinart went for a fourth option, one fraught with consequences bathed in glory or cloaked with agony.

Leinart, Carroll and the Trojans did not want to go to overtime. They were beat up, exhausted, hurt. Leinart was decidedly not right. He was shook up, his head in cobwebs. LenDale White inadvertently stepped on his back after Leinart fell _leading a block_ for Bush early in the game. Former USC quarterback Pat Haden, announcing the game for NBC, said over and over again that he was not right. Sideline camera shots showed him sitting silently, in pain, head in his hands. One shot showed the Mater Dei graduate making a small, quick sign of the cross.

He needed every ounce of strength and inspiration he could muster. Overtime was not a good option. Too tired, too beat up. They played for a tie at Berkeley in 2003. The ball had not bounced their way. It was to quote George Patton, victory "or let no man come back alive."

When Leinart scrambled from inside the five and headed towards the goal line, not the sideline, he committed himself. If he could not make it, USC had no time-outs. The clock would expire to an agonizing 0:00. The field would explode in Irish green and the kind of rabid football happiness that only Golden Domers are capable of. USC would have to slog their way through the mess to their losing locker room and their losing flight home, facing the rest of their probably Rose Bowl-less season.

The 6-5, 225-pound Leinart, who turned down multiple millions to do all of this for free, built up momentum and launched himself toward the end zone. For a split second it looked like he might make it, but a wall of Notre Dame defenders sacrificed their bodies, meeting him at the line. It is not an exaggeration to say Leinart was stopped _one inch_ from the end zone. It was close enough that the referee could have seen him in. All he needed was to have the ball cross the plane. It was agonizingly close.

In a desperate effort to do just that, Leinart one-handed the ball towards the end zone, hoping the pigskin, if not his body, would cross that plane for the six points. Quinn basically did the same thing on his touch score just two minutes earlier.

But Leinart was stopped short by a phalanx of defenders, led by Corey Mays. The referee was right there. He saw it correctly. USC wanted his arms to go up, but they did not. The ball, precariously held in Leinart's hand, could not withstand the pressure of the defenders who made themselves into a veritable Irish wall. The ball was knocked out of Leinart's hand and sent flying...out of bounds.

Had Leinart not fumbled the ball out of bounds, the clock would have ticked down. They would have lost. Had he fumbled and it was recovered in bounds by USC, time would have expired. It was a lucky break.

In the USC broadcast booth, announcer Pete Arbogast saw clearly what happened. He knew the ball went out of bounds with three seconds left, stopping the clock and giving USC the ball wherever the referee spotted the ball's plane going out of bounds. However, the clock continued ticking, probably because the clock master did not see the fumble amid the bodies and confusion. But Arbogast calmly assured listeners that the clock stopped and the refs were on top of it.

_TV viewers_ , on the other hand, only saw the clock tick down to 0:00. For Trojan fans, it was like watching a car crash. Notre Dame fans, most of whom did not see the ball pop loose, just saw the clock tick to zero. They rushed the field. Charlie Weis raised his hands in victory.

But Carroll knew what happened. He ran down the sideline. The officials, to their credit, saw it correctly. After clearing the field and holding a conference, they put seven seconds back on the clock. Leinart probably lost close to a yard via the fumble. He had been stopped inches away but the spot after the fumble placed it on the one.

Some pundits would later say the spot favored USC, that it should have been the two or the three, but no post-game film verified this. Others said that the ball was fumbled out of the end zone, and should have resulted in a game-clinching touchback for Notre Dame. That argument does not hold weight. If the ball was fumbled in the end zone, then it would have meant Leinart crossed the plane, which is all he would have needed to score. But he did not.

The clock stopped but Leinart and USC had to make a decision. They could spike it and take their time instead of the quick formation required with no time outs, although Leinart would not be able to go to the bench to confer with Carroll. In terms of confusion and player decision-making, it had all the earmarks of the 1931 game. Howard Jones did not trust Johnny Baker to make a game-winning field goal. He missed an extra point and Troy was down a point because of it.

But Orv Mohler and Baker had been practicing field goals all year. They knew he could make it. On that day, when they lined up Notre Dame thought they would run a regular play, but they quickly formed into field goal formation. Baker kicked it true. Troy escaped with the16-14 win.

"GO FOR IT, MATT!!"

In 2005, the teams lined up as Leinart approached the line. Carroll could be seen making the "spike it" motion. Apparently it was a deke. In the NFL, Miami's Dan Marino approached the line against Carroll's Jets, looking to spike the ball to stop the clock, luring the Jets off-balance before throwing a touchdown pass.

Leinart looked at the stack of Notre Dame defenders. The play called was a sneak. He turned to Bush.

" _What should I do?"_ he screamed. _"I don't think I can make it, Reggie, what should I do? You think I should go for it?"_

_"GO FOR IT, MATT!!"_ yelled Bush.

Then the Irish crowded the line. Bush had second thoughts.

_"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!"_ he screamed. Leinart never heard him.

Leinart took the snap, heading into the line. It was not even close. He had no chance to muscle through the pile. But it was all in one place. He pirouetted. The ball was precariously held half-way tucked against his shoulder and half-way in the air, where it could be swatted away. He somehow found a hole. Bush rushed into the fray and was right up Leinart's back.

It is a penalty to "push" a ball carrier on one's team forward. Replays were not totally conclusive. Bush's action was part of the natural body contact that happens when 22 behemoths crowd into one area a few feet wide. With the game safely won, Bush was happy to take credit, though.

"I used all 200 pounds of my body to push Matt in," he said.

In the previous confusion of the time clock, Brennan Carroll approached the officials. TV cameras showed him making a "time-out" signal with his hands. Critics said he was calling a time out the team did not have, similar to what basketball player Chris Webber did in costing Michigan an NCAA Final Four championship game some 15 years earlier. But it was not a correct assumption. Carroll was not calling time out, just making the time out sign to indicate to the officials that the time _should already_ have been called.

The "Bush push" did not appear to be what got Leinart in, either. It was his footwork and drive. A penalty would have been outrageous. In the end it was Leinart who propelled the final drive and the phantasmagorical ending, but it was Bush had kept his team alive for four quarters, running for 160 yards on 15 carries with three touchdowns. It was his fifth straight 100-yard game. Arbogast and Paul McDonald were appropriately excited. Pat Haden seemed stunned. An ending this extraordinary required the unique talents of Bill King, who called dramatics for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders in the most eloquent, descriptive manner possible. Tragically, King died of complications from hip surgery in a Bay Area hospital a few days later.

Trojan men

The field goal, according to Carroll, was not an option.

"We did _not_ want to have to keep playing them in overtime," he said.

"I just saw it, I thought it was there and I just wanted to get in," Leinart said. "I didn't want to spike the ball so I made the choice and they were looking down from up above and we got in. That was all that mattered."

Brady Quinn gave Notre Dame a 31-28 lead with 2:02 left, rolling and then running to his right end for a five-yard touchdown, extending his right arm across the goal line with the ball in a manner somewhat similar to what Leinart would try a couple minutes later. SC may have won the game on Quinn's touchdown, curiously enough. Had he not made it, the clock would have ticked away while Notre Dame lined up. They likely would have scored, but too much time would have passed for USC to be able to get it back and drive. As it was, USC had the necessary two minutes to run a "two-minute drill."

But it was not a "smooth" two-minute offense.

Bush returned the kickoff 20 yards to the USC 25. Leinart was deep in his own territory, where the crowd is loudest. In the history of Notre Dame Stadium, _never_ were the echoes awoken quite so loudly. Leinart threw incomplete on first down. He was sacked by defensive lineman Trevor Laws for a nine-yard loss on the next play.

Faced with a third-and-18, Leinart split the difference with a pass to Bush. The hope was that Reggie would break it after the catch, racing down the field for a first down, maybe get out of bounds. But Bush was tackled after a 10-yard gain.

There was one minute, 32 seconds left. Fourth-and-nine, ball on the USC 26. The game was all but over. USC fans were virtually relegated to a smile and the consolation that it had been a great ride. If it had to end, this was the fitting place for it against a worthy foe.

This author's mind was half-consumed with visions of that mirror broken hours earlier, which was all to blame.

The crowd was beyond comprehension: a wall of sound desperately pounding their noise into Leinart's ears. His signals could not be heard, an audible could not be called. Leinart brought the Trojans to the line. In the huddle he had exuded confidence. Desperate confidence, but the hope that sprung from years of pulling games out of the fire, from Mustang League to Mater Dei to now.

But Leinart's heroics had not led Mater Dei to victory in that 31-28 loss to De La Salle in 2000. He had done all he could do, but the game-tying kick had failed. Now, a kick could again tie, but Leinart wanted to control his team's destiny. He and his coach wanted a touchdown.

Leinart looked at the Notre Dame defense. Something was not quite right. To the horror of USC fan's from Maine to Manhattan Beach, _Leinart called an audible!_

He's calling an audible. Nobody can hear him.

But Dwayne Jarrett was ready for it. He was paying attention. He was focused. They practiced with noisemakers and they had a system. They tuned the crowd down and let time slow down, let their God-given skills take over. Pat Haden said the same thing about the final winning plays of the 1975 Rose Bowl. Leinart could have looked to the sidelines in deference to the clock. Charlie Weis had what was called the "Two Tampa" defense in place. It was designed as a prevent; nothing long, nothing over the middle, narrow it to the lanes.

Leinart decided to throw into the heart of it, knowing that Jarrett, the child from New Jersey who wanted to go home a year earlier, had the speed to beat his man.

_"Nobody_ throws a pass like that into a 'Two Tampa' defense," said Weis.

But Leinart did. A _perfectly thrown_ half-floater, half-bullet that _threaded the needle_ directly into Jarrett's hands, right on the numbers, just before the outstretched hands of Irish defenders, including cornerback Ambrose Wooden, who only needed to touch it, deflect it, block it, screen it off, blur Dwayne's vision, obstruct him; but could not.

Jarrett got it, his hands as soft as a child's, the ball nestled into his grasp. Now he had _momentum_ up the field. He ran and ran and ran, 61 yards, finally dragged down by Wooden saying penitence with every step, at the Notre Down 15.

After Leinart called his own number a few plays later to win the game, he sat on the bench with his helmet still on, looking exhausted.

USC trailed at the half, 21-14 after Tom Zbikowski's 60-yard punt return gave the Irish their first lead. _Zbikowski?_ Nobody with a Polish name like that ran kicks and had speed in the modern game any more, did they? He was a throwback to those kinds of names who starred for Notre Dame throughout its history, but as Slim Pickens might have said, "What in the wide, wide world of sports is goin' on here?" Who was gonna take the field next, Bronco Nagurski?

Bush tied the game with a 45-yard touchdown romp early in the third quarter, giving rise to Trojan hopes that the second half juggernaut would roll from here. It was not to be.

Notre Dame kept up the pressure on D.J. Fitzpatrick's field goal to make it 24-21. USC was held. The Irish came back. USC bent but did not break. Quinn's third down pass was wide on a short try for a sure first down, forcing Fitzpatrick to try a field that would still keep Troy within a touchdown instead of down by 10. When the kick missed from 34 yards out, it gave life to Southern California.

The fourth quarter droned on, the crowd wild, fervored, rabid. The ghosts echoed and groaned; shrill, screaming, frantic. Trailing by three, USC drove the field. It was mostly Bush. The playbook was straight out of the 1980 Charles White Rose Bowl. Reggie was up to the challenge.

Down to the nine the Trojans moved, until with a little over five minutes left he went around the left corner for a touchdown. The kick made it 28-24, USC. The first thought in every Trojan mind was that they had given Quinn and Weis too much time. It was followed by the conviction that if truly they are the national champions, then they stop the opposition right now, as they had done to Aaron Rodgers a year before.

The kick pinned Notre Dame on their own 13. 87 yards to go. An Elwayesque challenge. Then it was Quinn's turn to carve a place in the Notre Dame shrine. He brought out a big, sharp knife for the occasion. With it he cut an 87-yard swath through the Trojan defense, to quote Patton, "like s--t through a goose." He completed all three of his passes, scoring with 2:02 left, but as mentioned his score came, for Notre Dame now, too early.

He finished 19-of-35 for 264 yards.

When USC failed to stop Notre Dame, they realized that they failed to live up to the national title challenge, the same one Cal had posed in '04. Notre Dame deserved it. That thought was then immediately replaced by 80 years of collective memory: Johnny Baker, Nave-to-Kreuger, Fertig-to-Sherman, Ayala, Jordan, A.D., McDonald, White, Haden-to-McKay, Fred Cornwell, Keyshawn. Oh, yes, the ghosts of Trojan Men, a storied past, were not residing only in the blue, gray shadows of the South Bend autumn. They traveled from L.A. and points north, east, and south, wherever the soul of this most storied and legendary program, the _one_ program that had the chops to match Notre Dame's gloried history, had given pleasure and thrills to a million fans across a Fruited Plain.

What USC did in those two minutes, two seconds surpasses all the previous names. It was Caesar entering over Rome, surrender on the Missouri, Ike with his two pens. It was USC at the very height of their glory. Like Daniel in the lion's den, Christ upon the cross, they entered that most perilous of enemy territory, emerging triumphant over the most implacable of foes. For Carroll's Trojans, and Trojans of generations long removed from this day, no matter how many national championships lay in their future - and Jim Rome's "five or 10" looked very possible at that moment - well, none of it could be more dramatic or perfect than what had happened on those green plains.

The tall grass of autumn

USC came in averaging 51 points per game, with the best running attack in the nation. Weis had a devious plan. He let the grass grow like tall stalks. It looked like the cornfields out beyond Kevin Costner's baseball field in _Field of Dreams_. The idea was to slow Bush and Leinart. It was the kind of semi-cheating that Notre Dame thinks they have the right to get away with, but USC chooses not to engage in out of a sense of moral fairness. It is the kind of thing USC accepts from Notre Dame, possesses knowledge of, yet classily deals with without making a fuss of; choosing instead to let the facts simply speak for themselves.

Res Ipsa Loquitur.

In 1962, Maury Wills of the Dodgers was a base-stealing demon. When Los Angeles visited San Francisco in the heat of the pennant race on a sunny, windswept afternoon, the base paths were a quagmire of mud. The Giants decided to cheat, thus instructing their groundskeeper to water the dirt until it looked like the rice paddies of Indochina.

The last time USC pulled off such a stunt was in 1934. The Cal freshman football team, led by the great future Hall of Famer Vic Bottari from Vallejo High School, traveled to L.A on a 90-degree September day to play the Trojan frosh at the old Bovard Field. The groundskeeper claimed to have "accidentally" left the sprinklers on all night, thus creating a swamp. Cal's team, which as seniors formed the nucleus of their last national champions in 1937 (beating Alabama, 13-0 in the Rose Bowl), defeated the Spartans, 6-0.

Tall grass or not, the Irish played a perfect game. They put pressure on Leinart, intercepting him twice, the first time since 2003 he tossed two picks.

LenDale White, possibly affected by the tall grass, was held to 26 yards, but he gamely blocked for Bush and Leinart. Bush challenged Leinart for Heisman hopes in a big way. Leinart later made no bones of the fact he believed his teammate was the better player and deserving recipient. The chance that two teammates would finish one-two in the voting, as Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard (the legendary "Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside" runners of Army lore) had done in the mid-1940s now seemed very real.

As good as Bush was, however, it was still Leinart who called the audible, hit Jarrett, and led his team through the minefield at the end. His 301 yards passing was nothing to sneeze at.

It stopped Notre Dame just when it looked like their history of ending those streaks would continue. There had been, in addition to the Army, Georgia Tech, Miami (regular season) and USC streaks, which had ended here - a veritable "boulevard of broken dreams" - Oklahoma at Norman and Texas's 30-game streak ended by Notre Dame at the 1971 Cotton Bowl; plus two UCLA basketball streaks (47 and 88) ended in the nearby Convocation Center on campus.

Regarding that OU loss in 1957, Ross Porter, a longtime play-by-play partner of Vin Scully with the Dodgers, announced that game and offered memories. An Oklahoma native, he recalled entering the Notre Dame locker room after the 7-0 win.

"This is for all the Catholics in Oklahoma," somebody yelled.

"Yeah," said somebody else, "all two of 'em."

No broken mirrors in the gym, no tall grass, no Notre Dame mythology could match the new resiliency and greatness of this greatest of all Trojan teams.

Keith Rivers picked off Quinn's tipped pass in the first half, setting up Bush's burst through the line, jumping a tackler on the way to a 36-yard touchdown to put USC out front, 7-0. At that early moment, Notre Dame's fears and USC's plans looked like they were ready to come to fruition.

For the Irish, the team and their fans, after having lost by 31 three straight times; they could not help it if they were silently, and maybe not so silently, thinking, "Here we go again."

The unsaid truth that USC took into this game, which they always take into this game in fact, was that no matter how good, how arrogant and how ballyhooed they are, they are still mere humans. The emotion and history of the stadium and the fan base, if allowed to manifest itself, can alter all other realty. It can create pressure points that make all facets of their approach moot. A giant lump in the throat, a kick to the stomach, a nail in the tire. Heads flutter, panic sets in.

The plan was to score early, score often, take the crowd out, and create a killing field. The strategy had military connotations. Call it "shock 'n' awe." Dishearten the terrorist insurgency. Scatter them to the four winds. Disrupt command and control. Destroy their will to live.

After Bush's touchdown, had USC held, converted turnovers into more points, divided and conquered through passes and runs leading to more scores - 14-0, 21-0, 28-0, 35-0 - then it would have been the Third Army marching into Palermo.

Instead, it looked more like Dien Bien Phu.

Notre Dame responded with a long drive aided by consecutive15-yard penalties by USC. Replays indicated that three large penalties assessed against USC were either bad calls or questionable. The Irish went after John Walker. There was incidental contact on two pass interference calls, but frankly the kind that accompanies almost every play and should be treated by the officials under the overall theme, "Let 'em play."

The second call against Walker more likely should have gone against the Notre Dame receiver, who was draped over Walker, who had his back to him and, while touching him, was not overtly interfering.

Another bad call was an unsportsmanlike conduct call that went against the Trojans when helmets touched each other in a pile. That a football game is played, piles are had, and helmets touch each other innumerable times gives rise to the legitimate complaint that penalties can be called in football on almost any play. Officials seem sometimes to call them sometimes and not call them other times, based on no rhyme nor reason.

Let 'em play.

After the two consecutive calls against Troy, Travis Thomas scored with a 16-yard touchdown. USC came back with White's three-yard touchdown run. Notre Dame played ball control after that. A USC drive deep into Notre Dame territory resulted in a Leinart pass bouncing off his intended receiver into an interceptor's hands. That was when Southern California knew they were in for a long, serious afternoon. That was when the Fighting Irish thought they could beat the USC behemoth.

As the game wore on, with Notre Dame gaining confidence and USC seeing all their hopes and dreams slipping away; with Leinart returning each time exhausted to his sideline, not to chat it up with teammates but to sit in silence, his head in his hands, looking like Chuck Wepner trying to survive Ali; with Haden remarking how bad the kid looked, the cameras caught him giving that beautiful sign of the cross on the sidelines.

There are many story lines to the game. USC had it all on the line - streaks, rankings, goals, and expectations. When it was fourth and nine on the 26, Leinart had just been sacked two plays earlier, and frankly, he had been ordinary all night. Jarrett was obviously not himself, his vision blurred.

Still, a 22-year old college student had (1) the _cojones_ to shed the play called by his trio of offensive coaches; (2) the composure to audibilize at the line of scrimmage in a stadium so loud it hurt; (3) the courage to call a pass route which would require a precision toss; and (4) the talent and mental toughness to nail the receiver in stride carrying his team to the Promised Land.

A photo of Carroll holding his hands aloft in the touchdown sign quickly made its way around the Internet. It's title: "The _real_ Touchdown Jesus!"

The casual fan had no idea the magnificence and significance of what occurred on

that fourth down play, other than that it worked. It was a moment USC fans will never forget, even if Troy had failed after that. The nobility of the effort was worthy of Platonic righteousness.

"We feel very fortunate to come out of here with a win," said Carroll afterward. "This is one of those games you will see on one of those classic channels somewhere soon. It was a tremendous win. I am very happy to come out of here with a win today. Notre Dame played an awesome game and I am very happy with the way my guys played today as well...

"I have been in a couple of games like this. It was a very special win out there today. There are so few times you get the opportunity to win a game like that at any level. That it is just awesome to come away with a win."

Carroll was asked whether he called the last play or Leinart.

"Matt Leinart has the choice on that play to either spike it or go for the quarterback sneak," he said. "We were telling him from the sideline to go for it. He didn't think he could make it and he turned to Reggie Bush and Reggie said go for it. He wasn't all that confident he could do it, but he snapped the ball and made it."

Regarding the pressure, Carroll responded, "When you are playing with a streak, you try not to think about it. The streak is not a topic we ever discuss. We all just want to keep it going and these guys showed tonight that they are not just going to give up no matter what the odds are.

"This Notre Dame team is a very good team. The defense is going to come around and they are going to be a dominant force in the years to come. The offense is very good with quarterback Brady Quinn and running back Darius Walker they are going to have a very good rest of the season. I just know and hope that this rivalry will continue to be a very good game for years to come."

"By far the best victory I have ever been a part of, just for how we won the game," said Bush. "We never gave up and the world didn't think we were going to win this game. It's just great to win a game like this...

"I was not surprised at all by Notre Dame's effort. They have a great team over there and a great coach. We really kept them in the game by the amount of mental mistakes we made and the dropped passes we had and we didn't pick up the blitzes right."

"Everything is about finishing," linebacker Keith Rivers said. "You can't win a game in the second or third quarter but you can win the game in the fourth quarter and that's what we did.

"We were expecting the pass a little more. Brady Quinn is a great quarterback and he certainly showed that today. We were just trying to keep the ball underneath and in front of us and we were able to do that for the most part. They did wear us down a little bit mentally since we were on the field a lot."

Rivers was asked about Notre Dame's drive to take the lead with two minutes left.

"Anytime the opposition gets on your side of the field that quickly, you are going to be surprised," he said. "Luckily, our offense came through and we came out with a victory."

"I was in shock," said Leinart of his touchdown. "I didn't want to celebrate 'till the clock hit zero because who knows what can happen in three seconds. It was just a great game and I'm still really speechless. I would imagine this will go down as one of the greatest games ever played."

While Leinart did not want to celebrate, his teammates did. The referees called a penalty on what might be the dumbest rule in all of sports: too much celebration. It actually pushed the point-after back. It missed, which could have had a big effect had Notre Dame had enough time. As it is, they tried some laterals like The Play between Cal and Stanford in 1982, but after a few moments the final tackle was made. It was over.

"They played exactly how we thought they would," said Leinart of the Irish defense. "They did pressure us a little more than we thought and put pressure on me and that can get you off rhythm a little bit, but they did what we thought and I missed some easy throws that would have been big plays."

Of the rollout that resulted in the clock-stopping fumble, Leinart said, "We were trying to throw it low and get a quick hit but it is tough to hit those and they covered it well. I probably could have got in the end zone on that play but the ball got popped out."

Of the fourth and eight during the final drive, he had this to say: "Dwayne made a great move on the defensive back and the ball just fit in there perfectly and he just took off and did the rest. I actually thought I underthrew the ball."

"Obviously we're disappointed, but at the end we had a chance to ice the game on special teams, on offense and on defense," said Weis. "When you have a chance against a team like USC, you better take advantage of it...

"We wanted to possess the ball by not turning it over and ball possession. That was the plan. For the most part, we took care of business. We kept moving the ball, making first downs. We wanted to shorten the game and for the most part we did...

"If you're waiting for me to say it was a good loss, you won't hear that here. Losing is losing, there are no moral victories. What I did tell them was not to hang their heads. That was a slugfest; a street fight. That was a good football game...

"We went in expecting to win. I like to see that. I don't know what anyone else thought, but they thought that they were going to win. They're disappointed. They played hard for 60 minutes. We just didn't make enough plays; the coaches didn't make enough good calls."

Regarding Bush, Weis was in admiration.

"He's a dynamic player," he said. "He's the reincarnation of Marshall Faulk. He can do it all, and he did today. He's a great player."

Weis was asked about the green jersey gimmick, which considering the scope and importance of the game, resulting in a defeat, may or may not signal the burial of the greens after a 28-year life span.

"Henry <Scroope, Notre Dame equipment manager> and I talked in the summer and I told him to have a set made," said Weis. "I thought maybe if we made it to a bowl game, it would be a nice way to fire the kids up. This game was like a bowl game. If you could have seen how fired up they were when they went back in the locker room and saw them. They worked so hard preparing for this game. I thought that I'd give them something back."

Notre Dame maintain its ninth position in the polls, but fell way back in the BCS rankings, which might say something about the continued existence of the "Catholic vote." Weis faced what would be his greatest challenge: to keep his team ready in the remaining games. History tells us that the letdown can be deadly.

Just a few weeks earlier, Arizona State had given its heart and soul to beating USC in the 100-degree heat of Sun Devil Stadium. After losing, Dirk Koetter's team sagged perceptibly, losing to a team that had been fairly manhandled in the second half by Troy, Oregon. The Ducks' more thorough beating at SC's hands probably gave them a more realistic ability to shake it off and bounce back than ASU's "so close" disappointment.

It can affect winners, too, a cautionary tale Carroll would be well to take mental note of, because USC had a history of this. Its 1981 win over Oklahoma was monumental, but later they deflated against an inferior Arizona team at home. The 1970 Trojans played one of the most intense football games of all time at Birmingham, only to falter four times vs. lesser lights.

Within recent years, Miami quarterback Brock Berlin engineered a miracle comeback against Florida. Instead of propelling his team to the national championship, they seemingly fell flat in subsequent weeks.

Weis now had to prepare for BYU.

"I knew that as disappointing this was that I would have to talk about BYU," he said. "This was such an emotional game. I changed the schedule for next week, giving the players tomorrow off to spend time with their families and friends. They're disappointed, but it's our job to bring them back."

"The streak could have died here," wrote Gary Klein in the _Times. "_ It could have joined other historic winning streaks buried deep in the legend that is Notre Dame Stadium, one of college football's most hallowed edifices."

"Notre Dame listened to Joe Montana the night before the game for inspiration. It broke out green jerseys Saturday for an added boost. And for 58 minutes, the Fighting Irish gave USC all it could handle.

"But the Trojans would not give in. Reggie Bush had a highlight-reel day and quarterback Matt Leinart overcame early struggles..."

USC's winning streak was now at 28 games. At 6-0 they were halfway - what pre-season "experts" thought was the hardest half - to the national championship game. With UCLA's thrilling win at Washington State, however, the Bruins were also 6-0. The possibility of an undefeated Coliseum match-up with Drew Olson and Maurice Drew for the city, conference and national titles now loomed as an enticing possibility.

"We just don't know how to lose," said Leinart. "The game is not over until that fourth quarter ends."

It was the 77th meeting between the storied rivals. Carroll said it was his team's best win in the streak. That placed it ahead of the Rose Bowl win over Michigan in 2004, two UCLA games, the Oklahoma rout, and of course two previous Notre Dame victories.

"This is pretty awesome," Carroll said. "To do it here, against a great team and with all that went along with the matchup, this is a hell of a win."

Quinn's 19 completions included a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Samardzija, in addition to his touchdown run. Notre Dame had 17 more possession minutes than USC, which was the nexus of Weis's plan.

"Obviously we're disappointed, but at the end we had a chance to ice the game on special teams, on offense and on defense," said Weis. "When you have a chance against a team like USC, you better take advantage of it."

"He checked out of the play and said he's coming to me," split end Dwayne Jarrett said of the fourth-and-nine audible.

Jarrett had blurred vision throughout the fourth quarter after he hit the ground attempting to make a diving catch. Bush collapsed on the bench with a sore knee, drained.

"I thought, this is what college football is all about," Bush said. "I thought, these are the moments you remember forever...

"I told him, 'Man, you go for it, you go for it.' "

As Leinart trotted toward the line, the defense crowded the middle. Bush saw it.

"I was like, 'No! No! No!' " Bush said.

"I've never seen anything like this in my life," said Keith Rivers.

"There was no way I was going for a field goal, I didn't even think about it," Carroll said. Regarding the Marino "fake spike" in the NFL, he said, "It absolutely crossed my mind. I swear, it did. I was thinking about that."

Between Carroll making the spike motion and Bush telling him, "No, no, no!" perhaps Leinart was able to catch Notre Dame by surprise.

"You go for the win, you be the hero," said Leinart. "You do it... I just kept saying to myself, 'You don't want to hit the ground.' You keep pushing and pushing... Man on man. That's the way it's supposed to be."

Charlie Weis, pulling a class act with Bear Bryant overtones, visited the USC locker room afterwards.

"I just want to wish you good luck the rest of the way," he shouted to the Trojans. "That was a hard-fought battle. I hope you win out."

"It took all day long to get this win," Carroll told the cameras as he walked off the field. "It took every second."

"It was just a great game, and I'm still really speechless," said Leinart. "I would imagine this will go down as one of the greatest games ever played."

"That was the greatest college football game I've ever seen," said KNBR sportstalk host Ralph Barbieri.

A photo of Leinart being hugged from behind by assistant coach Pat Ruel reveals no joy in Leinart's face. He just exhales, his cheeks puffed, his eyes closed; a look of pain and exhaustion mixed with utter relief. It is the face of a combat soldier.

When Leinart began the drive with two minutes left, he stepped into the huddle and said simply, "Let's make a big play." Then, "He gave us a big smile," said offensive lineman Fred Matua.

"I was off all day," he said. "I don't know what was wrong."

He threw a 52-yard completion to tight end Dominique Byrd as USC built a 14-7 lead, but after one quarter had only two completions in six attempts for 66 yards. He underthrew Steve Smith in the end zone, causing a deflection and interception. A pass intended for Brandon Hancock seemed telegraphed right to cornerback Mike Richardson.

"I have no excuse," he said.

He was sacked twice and pressured. His receivers dropped passes. USC played a bad football game, and yet it was precisely because he and his team did perform poorly that, in the end in these conditions, their comeback win is even more impressive than the blowouts of previous years. It is why the USC-Notre Dame game is the greatest football ever played (2005 edition).

In the end Leinart, at 17 of 32 for 301 yards, Leinart could boast Heisman numbers, albeit with an un-Heisman touchdownless, two interception accompaniment. The Heisman race definitely got tighter, with Bush and Texas quarterback Vince Young having great days. Young scored five times in leading the unbeaten Longhorns to a huge 52-17 win over Mike Leach's offensive juggernaut, previously unbeaten Texas Tech. All of that meant nothing, because what Leinart did at the end rendered the previous 58 minutes moot.

"He showed his perseverance," Byrd said. "He showed his toughness."

Of the fumble out of bounds to stop the clock - frankly, the perfect example of an athlete being luckier than good - Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski said, "I saw the ball go flying. I got a little excited, but it was obviously premature."

There was some bad news. Reserve tailback Desmond Reed suffered what appeared to be a season-ending injury. Awkwardly trying to reach for a kick sailing over his head, he stumbled, twisting his knee. The high grass may very well have caused it.

It was the first time Notre Dame had lost in green jerseys to USC. Previous wins came in 1983 and 1985. The game left the series with the Irish leading, 42-30-5.

"Carroll vs. Weis is going to be good for years to come," wrote Chris Dufresne in the _L.A. Times_. "Very good."

The making of a classic Jones-Rockne or McKay-Parsheghian rivalry for the next decade (at least?) had college football fans licking their chops. However, in the aftermath of defeat, most of the Irish could not look ahead that far. Notre Dame tight end Anthony Fasano simply described the final seconds as, "a twisted dream.

"It's like the highest of highs and then the lowest of lows. It's a moment no one should go through."

The Notre Dame locker room mixed tears with anger.

"For me, it was a mixture of both," tailback Darius Walker said. "For me, it was thinking there was always something else I could have done."

"Give Weis one or two more recruiting classes and this is really going to get interesting," wrote Dufresne.

What was also interesting was the latimes.com's assertion that Notre Dame cheated. In an on-line article after the game, Rudy Ruettiger was reported telling 40,000 fans at the Friday night rally to remember the two "Cs."

"Courage!" he shouted.

"Character!" he cried.

"Cheating," added the _Times_ :

At a pep rally on the eve of today's basilica-sized showdown, the Irish revealed the drug with which they would slow down the fast Trojans.

Grass.

Ankle-deep grass. Pitching-wedge grass. Crass grass.

The deep green stuff on the field at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday night was long enough to choke a Bush.

One of the fastest teams in college football history was not amused.

"It's terrible," said LenDale White.

Notre Dame claimed the field had been damaged in the Michigan State game and needed to be grown as thick as possible to withstand a string of five consecutive home games. Of course, the Michigan State game was played weeks before. Across the Fruited Plain, football was played high and low, on Pop Warner, high school, college and NFL fields. Game after game after game. Endless numbers of games.

Yet Notre Dame's high grass was unique. It was, quite simply, the kind of thing they do there. It is not necessary to complain about it. USC does not offer the kind of protestations that mark the world's lesser lights. Criticism is not necessary. Just knowledge of it.

"One supposes that it has nothing to do with the fact that, while USC can run, Notre Dame is as slow as, well, watching grass grow," continued the latimes.com piece. The high grass was dubbed, "Z-X Red Right Fertilizer."

"That would play at the U.S. Open," Carroll said when he walked through the jungle during the team's walk-through. It was what it was. He knew it. He chose to say nothing beyond letting it be known he had knowledge of what it was.

Amid all the talk about Notre Dame's great history of "ending winning streaks" was incessant chatter about their ending "Miami's 36-game winning streak" in 1988. It might have been a 36-game _regular season_ winning streak, which is simply _that with which is not a winning streak!_

A winning streak is what USC had going: 28 straight games, regular season and bowl games, in which they came, they saw, they conquered. Oklahoma had a legitimate 47-game winning streak in 1957 ended by the Irish (and the Trojan now had their sights on that).

A winning streak is also different from an unbeaten streak. Notre Dame made a huge big deal about ending Army's streak in 1946, but it was a tie, which as everybody knows is like "kissing your sister." USC, for instance, had theoretically ended Notre Dame's 11-game winning streak in the rivalry when they tied Notre Dame in 1995. Nobody at USC ever talks about that game. It was a tie, which was treated as a loss at Heritage Hall and therefore earns no real place in Trojan memory banks.

Notre Dame students had also gone overboard with their posters of O.J.'s mug shot. There are probably few places in America where O.J. is more vilified than at country club USC. He is as welcome back as a skin rash.

USC students have certainly maintained enough class not to mention the Spanish Inquisition (possibly because "Conquest!" was allegedly played by the Conquistadors after pillaging Aztec and Inca villages). The Pope who sat on his hands while the Holocaust went on under his nose also has been conveniently left out of the repartee.

Defensive end Frostee Rucker, who was probably too young to know about the O.J. murder when it happened, just said, "Guess they don't like us."

"Inside Notre Dame Stadium the Trojans get their first feel of the turf," wrote Notre Dame grad John Walter in a post-game si.com article. "It is long. How long? The last time I saw anything approaching foliage this long associated with sports, 'Shoeless Joe' Jackson was bidding adieu to Ray Kinsella."

"They gonna cut this before tomorrow?" LenDale White asked administrative advisor Terrel Ray.

"Hell no," Ray replied, laughing.

Res Ipsa Loquitur.

"It's like USC vs. America"

Arash Markazi of si.com left the press box and took to the sidelines for the last two minutes of the game. He wanted to get a close look at USC's faces, towards the end of the game and especially after their streak was broken.

After Brady Quinn's score to give Notre Dame a 31-28 lead, he walked behind USC's bench. He saw a "few players, including QB Matt Leinart with slight smirks on their faces as they looked up at the scoreboard and looked around at the raucous crowd," he wrote. "As Leinart would later tell me, 'That's why you play football. You dream about moments exactly like that.' "

Not that USC did not have some doubts when "the boys were up against it," as George Gipp never said. Notre Dame in all their hallowed history had never been up against it and come out alive as USC did.

"I won't lie," Bush said. "For the first time I wasn't sure if we could do it."

Markazi had the very best view of all the goal line action. Color photos in Sports Illustrated showed him standing right in there. He stood next to former Michigan great Desmond Howard on the Leinart-to-Jarrett pass, then moved right to the goal for Leinart's run-dive-fumble, then the final quarterback sneak. He wrote:

Three plays later, I would witness one of the biggest plays in USC's history from about six feet away. With 23 seconds remaining and no timeouts left, I watched as Leinart dropped back to pass, rolled left and attempted to run for the winning touchdown before getting blasted by Corey Mays, who popped the ball loose and out of bounds, hitting my knee at about the two-yard line.

That's the picture that appears in SI this week. I'm the dude with the gray SNL sweatshirt and jeans next to the down marker guy. Some of my friends have asked me what I was thinking during the play and the only thing I can remember is wondering why Leinart was running towards the goal line with no timeouts and two defenders in front of him. In the end, it turned out to be a great play as Leinart snuck the ball in on the next play and kept USC's streak and hopes for a three-Pete alive...

There should be no controversy about time being put back on the clock at the end of the game. After Leinart fumbled the ball out of bounds, I looked up at the clock after the ball hit my leg and there was still nine seconds remaining. Despite the ball laying out of bounds and out of play, and one official waving his arms to signal the clock to stop, the clock continued to run. I'm still not sure what game the game clock manager was watching.

• _I don't buy the belief that if Leinart didn't fumble he would have been stopped short of the goal line and the game would have been over. He was about to stretch the ball out when it was knocked out of his hands and when he came down he landed in the end zone. I think if Leinart holds on to the ball, he scores the winning touchdown._

• _If I were a Notre Dame fan I wouldn't be upset about the 'Bush Push' because it looked like Leinart was going to fall down into the end zone anyway with all the room that was open after he had rolled over to his left..._

... _Despite winning 28 straight games, and 38 of their last 39, including two consecutive national championships, the Trojans have never shown more emotion than they did after Leinart's game-winning touchdown. Players were crying and hugging each other on the field and on the sideline as they tried to catch their breath. 'It was the greatest feeling of my career,' Bush said. 'Easily the best win I've ever had.' And easily the best game I've ever seen._

_Trojan Rewind_ , a highlight show on Fox College Sports re-played a few days later, caught numerous USC players kneeling in Christian prayer on the field after the game.

Many USC players said it felt just like after Orange Bowl, as if the season was over, which was a major challenge for Carroll to deal with.

Ted Robinson of KNBR said the NFL season was a "race for Reggie Bush," that USC "definitely would beat the Houston Texas," and probably the 49ers, too.

SI.com's Cory McCartney also made a prediction:

Matt Leinart's last-second pirouette in South Bend and Maurice Drew's overtime dive into the end zone in Pullman - two one-yard touchdowns saved one of the best story lines in college football this season.

"We're talking Los Angeles, the City of Angels, Dr. Dre, Magic Johnson, throwing up a 'W' and all that good stuff. But we're also talking undefeateds, and for the first time since Rodney Peete's Trojans beat Troy Aikman and the Bruins 31-22 in 1988, both L.A. teams are 6-0.

You'd have to go all the way back to '69 to find the last time both UCLA and USC went into their season-finale rivalry game unscathed (the Trojans won, 14-12). Could it be time for another sequel?...

... _An undefeated L.A. showdown isn't out of the question..._

The Trojans' escape from South Bend had everything except Snake Plissken, but a UCLA squad looking like a mirror image of the Men of Troy could be the team that gives USC the most trouble.

USA TODAY's headline on Monday read, "Leinart cements legend with late heroics."

"Matt Leinart's head was in his hands," wrote Malcolm Moran. "He was not thinking of the sudden, dramatic expansion of an already-enduring legend at the University of Southern California. There had been enough time to manufacture a Hollywood ending here on the Gipper's campus, perhaps the most gripping in the 77-game series between theTrojans and Notre Dame, but not nearly enough to grasp its wonder.

"When there was joy on the Trojans' sideline and disbelief in the stands at Notre Dame Stadium, after Leinart's quarterback sneak with three seconds left gave USC an unforgettable 34-31 victory, the most recent Heisman winner took a seat, bowed his helmeted head and cradled it with his hands."

"I was really in shock," he said. "...Everyone was coming over to see me, and I was just looking at the clock. Let it go to zero, and then I can smile or do whatever. I'm still really speechless."

Leinart had been bloodied, dazed. His concussion from Tempe was re-ringing in his ears. He had been very slow to get up after a third quarter hit.

"I was off all night," he said. "I don't really know what was wrong. I threw two bad interceptions. But what matters is how we finished the game."

"This is why he came back?" wrote Moran.

"This is why he came back.

"So he could be part of the hoarse, off-key, a cappella chorus. Fight On it screamed, banging fists against lockers in a sweaty, cramped dressing room at a rivals's home."

"That's what it's all about," said Leinart. "It's coming to South Bend, Indiana. One of the best rivalries in college football coming down to the last second on a QB sneak trying to get in the end zone."

"It's like USC vs. America," said Fred Matua. "Everyone wants to knock us down. But at the same time, what other position would we rather be in? It's the greatest position to be in, when you're on top and everyone else is trying to grab your ankles to pull you down. It almost happened today.

"But you know what? Matt Leinart picked his legs up, and they barely missed."

"This is the most exciting that I've ever seen," said Joe Jares, the ex-USC player, longtime writer and author of Trojan football history. He said this was "exciting," as opposed to "astounding," the word he applied to the 55-24 win over Notre Dame in 1974.

The comparisons were endless, of course. Fertig-to-Sherman; Johnny Baker; Frank Jordan. According to Moran, Leinart had "set himself apart."

The emails wore through the Internet like there was no tomorrow until even former Trojan All-American Marlin McKeever had enough.

"All this Cardinal and Gold b------t is starting to get out of hand," he wrote.

"He told me if he was going to check out of it, he was going to come to me," Jarrett said of the hand signal Leinart gave him on the fourth-and-nine impossible audible. "When he checked to it, I felt tons of pressure... To have a smart quarterback like that just check out of the call that we were originally running that wouldn't have worked - for him to make a call that would work, that says a lot about his intelligence."

"I just took the choice and we went for the win..." Leinart said of the last sequence of plays. "You can play for the tie and hope to go to overtime. Or, you're on the one-yard line, you know? It's really man-to-man. It's get in the end zone or go home.

"They gave me the choice. We could either (spike) it or I could sneak it. They just said, 'You do your thing.' I just saw it. I thought it was there. And I just wanted to get in and I didn't want to spike the ball, so I made the choice. They were looking down from up above and we got in, and that's all that matters.

"It's either you go for the win and be the hero or you do it and you don't make it and you kind of second-guess yourself."

Leinart maintained his own popular web site in 2004. In 2005, the USC official site directed people to another site featuring both Leinart and Bush. The opportunity for ridicule was high should the players fail to live up to the hype, but what they were doing was so far and above manufactured, web site hype as to be beyond imagination.

"That's probably one of the greatest finishes ever, of all time, in college football history, "said Leinart, who also said he "wasn't on" and "missed some easy throws."

"It's something I'm going to remember forever," said Bush. "I'm going to tell that story to my kids when I'm old and whatever a long time from now. I'm still kind of soaking it in."

Call it beatin' the "Domers in the Gloam."

Call it Reggie Bush havin' his web site partners' back, literally.

"Thanks, dude," said the surfer guy Leinart.

Call Leinart, Bush, Jarrett and White the Four Horsemen of Southern California. Call it a classic.

"These are the type of games we live for, we die for, we love to be in," said Bush.

After the USC-Notre Dame game, Rick Reilly's column in Sports Illustrated was based on the writer's visit to Leinart's ballroom dancing class. He revealed that all the girls in the class angled to the instructor, Jesus Fuentes, whose credits included Dirty Dancing, for a chance to dance with Leinart. Fuentes, in a fact that says a lot about USC and would be unheard of at Notre Dame or the South, had never heard of Leinart. He knew something was up, however, when the class filled quickly.

The quarterback has "no moves at all," according to Leinart.

"This is the Heisman Trophy winner?" wrote Reilly. "The superstud who will go number one in next year's NFL draft? The Houdini who pulled out USC's did-you-see-that? 34-31 win at Notre Dame last Saturday?"

Despite apparently having two left feet in ballroom dancing, Leinart told Reilly, "I've got no worries. It's all for love, for team, just being with my guys."

One Domer scoffed at Leinart's one class needed for graduation, asking what the difference between Leinart and Brett Favre was. Reilly provided him with that with which was, to quintessential effect, the answer to the question:

"I'll tell you what - $10 million a year," he wrote. "...loyalty over bucks."

The other answer to that question very possibly might have been that by 2005 Leinart was better than Favre.

"People can say what they want," Leinart said. "I worked my ass off for four years. This is my reward. I only need two credits to graduate, so all I need is one easy class."

Reilly wrote that in fact Leinart would make more money because of his decision to stay; that he had assured his legend, his aw shucks charm was marketable, and that in L.A. he was not a sports star but a People and Us celebrity. Lachey, by the way, was not sleeping on his couch. Leinart was far ahead of Alex Smith, the multi-million dollar about-to-be bust. If Smith could get $49.5 how much would a guy with Leinart's star power, on and off the field, get?

"I know I could be living in some NFL city right now, maybe being thrown into the mix when I'm not ready," Leinart said. "Instead, I'm hangin' out with my friends, cherishing my senior year...I'm just any other college guy."

Of course, Leinart needed a security phalanx to make his way, but other than that...

Of course, Leinart's birthday party guests included Jessica and Lindsay Lohan...

Of course, he was shooting for Esquire and GQ, was a guest on Kimmel and had his own Internet TV show...and

...He was "hanging out with Maria Sharapova, Wayne Gretzky and Adam Sandler; and being linked to more hot L.A. women than Frederick of Hollywood," wrote Reilly.

Despite all this Reilly, who cannot stand egomaniacs like Barry Bonds, begrudged Leinart nothing. At a time when pro athletes like the Minnesota Vikings were embroiled in a huge "sex boat" scandal, he just said that the USC leader was "smart, humble and loyal," the three pillars of real strength; the keys to success.

The October 24 SI also was filled with gorgeous color photos of the SC-Notre Dame highlights, including definitive proof that Leinart's fumble had been correctly spotted, and that his forward momentum had carried him across the goal, not a "Bush push." The key to the play, obviously, was that Leinart had turned, pivoted, and found a seam. In the end, what Leinart told the ABC cameras as he walked off the field said it best: "We just don't know how to lose. The game is not over until that fourth quarter ends."

Austin Murphy's article also said USC practiced that play regularly, just like the Yankees practiced the unusual Derek Jeter flip that nailed an Oakland baserunner in the 2001 play-offs.

"I have a way to go," said Leinart. "I can spike it or sneak it."

"He had the O.K. to do it, but it didn't hurt to have a little reassurance," said Bush of his admonition that he "just do it," which of course was as tailor made for a Nike commercial as reality TV ever gets.

Murphy wrote that Leinart and his teammates wept for joy - not an exaggeration - while "some of their opponents merely wept" - equally true. The depth of emotion demonstrated at South Bend, he wrote was "college football's greatest advantage over the pro game," which was right on.

It was revealed that Weis the night before given their fans specific instruction on how and when to be loud, so as to cause the most trouble for Leinart.

"Make noise when they have the ball," he told them.

Regarding the backbreaking pass to Jarrett, Weis said, "We had the perfect defense. They threw a fade route into our Two Tampa. It's complete by an inch. I mean, you don't throw fade routes into Two Tampa, but this guy did."

14 blue chip recruits were guests of Notre Dame, all of whom met for a half-hour with Weis on Sunday. Weis said in February that he was hoping USC would be unbeaten when they arrived at South Bend. While the recruits no doubt were impressed with Notre Dame's performance, its coach, the surroundings and the campus, Weis might well have taken his best shot on a day other than the SC game. Those blue chippers witnessed first hand the Four Horsemen of Southern California; the new champions of the college landscape; the coach of a brave new age. There had to be at least a few who would choose USC over Notre Dame based on what they saw that afternoon.

Carroll's high school coach, Bob Troppmann, was again invited to South Bend. A Catholic himself, Tropp considered these trips to be more pilgrimage than vacation. Coach Troppmann went with Bob Muenter, his long ago partner in the Diamond B football camps that Pete started attending at age 13 in Booneville, California.

"It was an honor," Troppmann said. "It was a fantastic game. Nobody should have had to win or lose...

"You felt sorry for them," he said of the Notre Dame fans at the end. "The people in the stands just stood - they stand all the time anyway - but they didn't move. They were in a state of shock."

Troppmann borrowed a credo from General Douglas MacArthur, which he used as the Diamond B's motto. Carroll in turn borrowed it and adjusted it for Troy, which would have made Marv Goux smile: "On the fields of USC are sewn the seeds that on future fields and other days will bear the fruit of victory."

One of the rarest of all events was occurring, in South Bend on that Saturday and over the course of this season; over the course of three or four seasons, actually. The hype, the talk, the hero worship - best team ever, best player ever, most talked-about team and quarterback ever - was actually being lived up to and exceeded. All the seeds were bearing the "fruit of victory."

In the end, however, after all the cameras had left and the crowd departed, the words of Leinart as he left the field said it all: "We just don't know how to lose!"

The monumental trip, the game, the week, came to its conclusion. The team stayed over, with Carroll and Leinart meeting the ESPN GameDay team in the gloaming of a now-dark stadium. They flew home to a hero's welcome; dealt with pagan idolatry from a campus and a city; read, watched and listened to the endless flow of praise and prose from the papers, the web sites, the magazines, local and national television; and of course the incessant, can't-get-enough world of sportstalk radio.

UCLA won a thriller against Washington State. Along with USC's headline-grabbing season, the Bruins' winning ways helped create that much more excitement for football in a city without the NFL. The prospect of an undefeated City Game, with thrills on par with what the nation saw in South Bend, had Los Angelenos giddy with anticipation.

CHAPTER FIFTY

TEAM OF THE CENTURY

USC replaces Notre Dame: the best football tradition and athletic program of all time

The Notre Dame game changed things perceptibly. A seismic shift had taken place. USC, already the "Athletic Program of the 20th Century," also passed Notre Dame as the "College Football Tradition of the Century." Not just the 21st Century. As Muhhamad Ali says, "The greatest...Of ALL TIMES!"

Acronym: G.O.A.T.

But they had tread on this hallowed ground before. After dominating the Irish in the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, winning multiple national championships and Heisman Trophies, Southern California seduced themselves into believing that by 1982 they had surpassed the mythological bar of all-time greatness dividing them from their ancient foe.

If indeed for a brief period this was true, it was just that: brief.

1983-1996: 13 straight years without beating Notre Dame. Notre Dame: one national championship and 18 straight number one AP rankings from 1988-89. USC: zip. Notre Dame: one Heisman Trophy winner. USC: zip.

USC had reached the mountaintop. Now they had to stay there. Seven games (including a bowl) still had to be played. If they could run the table, if Leinart or Bush could win the Heisman, if they won the national championship for a third consecutive season...THEN they could commission the stone-cutter, hire the mason, sample the marble, pose for the statues that would decorate Heritage Hall.

If they could accomplish these tasks, then history would be written not on paper but on rock. Something that would last 50, 100 years. Something for the ages.

This meant reviving themselves after South Bend. It meant getting up for the conference again. The 1970 Trojans gave it all on the field in Birmingham, leaving nothing for Stanford, Oregon, Cal and UCLA. For Carroll, the guy who said he became a Trojan fan because of that game, the cautionary tale offered a valuable lesson.

It was another short week to get ready, with a trip to Seattle. They were getting sick of travel, and would have a hard time really getting up for the game, no matter what platitudes they offered. Waiting for Troy was 1-5 Washington, winless in conference.

The Trojans made it 29 straight and 7-0 (4-0 in the Pac 10) in a ho-hum 51-24 victory before 64,096 at Husky Stadium. It was a sunny day on Lake Washington. Leinart completed 20-of-26 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Bush returned a punt 84 yards for a score on what may have been his most incredible return ever; a twisting, spinning run. Leinart hit Jarrett for three of his scores. Jarrett finished with seven catches for 95 yards.

USC's school record road winning streak reached 14. They tied the conference record of 19 straight.

"Yeah, it was finally good to feel good about ourselves again," said Leinart. Jarrett's third catch was a one-hand job over Husky defender Roy Lewis, reminiscent of past spectacles by Williams and Byrd.

It gave Jarrett 25 touchdown catches in 20 career games.

"It had nothing to do with wake-up calls," said Carroll, who again demonstrated his great ability to keep his team on track. "I didn't feel any concern at all. I saw once the game got (going) we could do whatever we need to on offense."

In two and a half years as a starter, Leinart had also broken the conference record for touchdowns with his 84th, 85th, 86th and 87th career scoring tosses, eclipsing Arizona State's Andrew Walter (84). John Elway once held the record with 77.

It also separated Leinart from Ryan Leaf (34) for most TDs in a season, now at 38. Leinart threw 33 the previous year. Carson Palmer had 33 in 2002. The next day, the Trojans were ranked number one in the AP poll for the 27th straight week, increasing the record previously held by Miami at 20.

The next week, USC reached the rarefied air of 30 wins in a row, extended the AP streak to 28, with a completely devastating, take no quarter 55-13 Homecoming rout of Washington State.

After playing five of its first seven games on the road, Troy was more than happy to stay at the Coliseum. Another sellout of crowd of 92,021 saw LenDale White toss the ball to rapper Snoop Dogg after scoring a second-quarter touchdown.

"Where else can you do that besides L.A.?" White said.

USC compiled an astronomical 745 yards, which elicited gasps of disbelief from the ESPN GameDay guys. The defense established itself after a few shaky outings, as did the kick defense. Washington State (3-5) came in averaging 39 points a game and 519 yards per game. They featured nation's sixth-ranked offense and one of the nation's best running backs, Jerome Harrison. Harrison was impressive but not nearly enough. The previous week they carved up the Cal defense in a high-scoring loss at Strawberry Canyon. The Trojans improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Pacific 10 Conference with their 24th consecutive home victory.

"This is a clear statement about what we wanted to get done, how we wanted to look and what we've expected from our guys," Carroll said. "I'm really pleased with this day."

"It's definitely something in the back of our minds," said flanker Steve Smith of the BCS standings, which would determine who would go to the Rose Bowl.

USC went over 700 yards for the third time in 2005. Leinart passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns. White rushed for 155 yards in 20 carries, scoring twice. Reggie Bush gained 97. Troy had a total of 312 on the ground.

"I've been in college football for 30 years and it's as good as I've seen," Washington State coach Bill Doba said of the Trojan offense.

Harrison gained 147 yards with a touchdown, but the Cougars were held to a season-low 284 yards, with a mere 89 by air. Josh Pinkard made his first start at cornerback, responding with a team-high 10 tackles. Washington State completed no pass for more than 12 yards.

"People were saying they were going to come out and go deep and things like that," Pinkard said. "So that's what I was worried about, not getting beat deep."

USC came in ranked eighth in the conference in opponent third-down conversion rate, but the Cougars converted only two of 13 times against them.

"They looked like a hell of a team on film," safety Scott Ware said. "It just didn't seem like that team showed up today."

USC had 459 yards and a 38-6 lead at the half. On their first possession, Leinart hit Dwayne Jarrett for a 29-yard touchdown. Jarrett had 11 receptions for 200 yards.

Harrison scored a 13-yard touchdown run on a draw play before SC returned the favor with 31 straight points.

Bush fumbled in the end zone after a two-yard run, but it was recovered by tackle Winston Justice for a 14-6 lead with 5:50 left in the first quarter.

Trojan defensive end Lawrence Jackson recovered a fumble, followed by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Leinart to Smith.

USC went up 28-6 on Leinart's pass to Smith from 24 yards out. White ran it in from the two, then tossed the ball to Snoop Dog, who apparently had it planned out in advance. Snoop was talking to an ABC sideline man, predicting the "play" ahead of time. Cameras caught him heading up the tunnel with the ball, Heisman-style. It was indeed a unique "L.A. moment," indicative of Troy's unheard-of popularity and star status. The Trojans led 35-6. Snoop had a souvenir.

"I had been talking to him all week and said I would do that if I scored," White said.

Mario Danelo kicked 27- and 22-yard field goals and White added a 21-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for a 48-6 lead.

"Can he get on a Heisman list or what?" Leinart said of White. It was the 12th 100-yard game of his career.

"I calmed down and the offensive line opened up amazing holes, huge holes," said White, who averaged 7.8 yards a carry. "All I had to do was run forward."

"This is what we're capable of doing," Carroll said, happy to be at home and in state through season's end (including, in his plans, for the Rose Bowl). "This is what we're counting on. Hopefully we can keep it in California."

As if Snoop Dogg was not enough, the team got a surprise visit from Malcolm X director Spike Lee.

"It was a proud day for us," Carroll said in the post-game press conference. "The opportunity with Homecoming and all and returning home, we did it all today. Our offense was ridiculously effective. The execution, from top to bottom, was on the money. What was different was our third down efficiency. We've been struggling with it for the past couple weeks, but we put it together today.

"Our defense shut down their great passing game. It was a huge game for Dwayne Jarrett. He had a sick catch down the sideline. LenDale was big too. He really took the tempo for us and hammered it home. Matt had his normal game and Steve was big with his two touchdown catches...

" Today, LenDale got it going. Like I said, he really stepped up. It's just part of the cycle. We don't focus on any specific player...

"I was happy with our pass defense. Washington State did a good job of running the ball, and I was surprised they kept going with the run with them having fallen behind. It's tough to keep that going. There were times we didn't do our job with the run, but our secondary definitely stepped up."

"He just continues to dominate every Saturday," Leinart said of Jarrett, now accorded icon status after what he had done at Notre Dame. "He's so athletic, so confident and he's just playing awesome. I'm lucky I get to throw to him."

"Our line is amazing," said White. "I just got the ball and the line went straight. We started off slow, but really toward the second half, we could do whatever we wanted to...

"I don't think I get overshadowed," White said in response to a question of whether Leinart and Bush get more attention. "Those two guys are two of history's best. I feel like I do a lot of things, score a lot of touchdowns and I've won two titles. I don't feel overshadowed at all."

"Our game plan was working today," said Darnell Bing. "We executed it well. Our line got to the quarterback and he couldn't do much with it and our DBs did their job. Our DB's wanted to prove we could stop the deep balls today.

"We're getting better every game. I'd say this was our best performance. We were breaking up passes and getting all over them."

"We battled, but got beat fair and square," said Doba. "They have such good speed. It took us a while to get adjusted to it. Their offensive line is very good and came off the ball well. You've got their backs, their receivers. Leinart did a great job...

"With Reggie Bush and LenDale White and the wide receivers and the guy making it all go, Leinart, they all do a great job. We played a lot of kids. If their ones are better than our ones, then their twos are probably better than our twos. They played a lot of players..."

The Cougars reaction to USC was "shock as much as anything," Doba said. "I thought we could compete better than that."

"They're definitely the number one team," said WSU wide receiver Jason Hill. "The best I've faced..."

Defensively "they're criticized by people from the stands like you," added Hill. "I've seen the film. They played hard. They have a powerhouse defense, too."

"...I'd attribute their success to playing smart," WSU strong safety Eric Frampton said. "They executed all their plays. They're a really smart team. That's the difference between them and other teams we've played."

USC finished with 40 first downs. The Cougars were held to 13.

"You can't compare defense and offense, but they've got a powerhouse defense," Hill said. "They've got powerhouses on both sides of the ball."

Hill averaged 166.1 receiving yards in his team's first seven games - second best in the country. The Trojans held him to six catches for 49 yards.

"We worked hard this week on our schemes," said Pinkard. "We made a big statement today. We held their big receiver to a minimum."

"We're back-to-back national champions," White said. "You can't spell BCS without USC."

USC was now just one big highlight film. ESPN's SportsCenter features the initials "SC," which by this point might as well have stood for you-know-what. Lawyers in L.A., researching statutes in the Federal codebooks, look up laws under the acronym U.S.C., which also seemed to stand less for "United States Codes" than the other familiar moniker.

The 30th straight win tied Texas, who ran their string between 1968 and the 1971 Cotton Bowl. In addition to the 24-game home winning streak, USC also increased to a 20-game streak against Pac-10 opponents, another school record.

"We got our butt kicked, period," Doba added. "They got my vote. In the first quarter, their speed was something we had never seen.

Leinart moved to second on USC's career completions list with 693 behind Carson Palmer's 927. Leinart also tied Palmer's Pac 10 record by reaching 200 passing yards for the 32nd time.

Later that night, Drew Olson and UCLA scored three touchdowns in the final seven minutes of play to tie and then beat Stanford, 30-27 in overtime up north. UCLA's penchant for fourth quarter comebacks was now every bit the equal of past thrilling SC teams, including the "Cardiac Kids" of 1969. AT 8-0, the Bruins were still in the hunt. Football-crazy L.A. was licking its chops in anticipation of a showdown between unbeatens for all the marbles on December 3 at the Coliseum. Visions of 1967 were everywhere.

At this point in the 2005 season, an obvious development was making itself known to America. The Pac was back. After a number of down years, the Pacific 10 Conference certainly resembled the best in collegiate football again. The Big 12, the Big 10, the ACC, the Big East and even the SEC looked totally human. The Big 10, in particular, was made up of mediocrities.

What was made manifest was something experts long knew: as USC goes, so goes the Pac 10. When USC was down, the conference was down. When they were strong, the conference was, too. It was similar to the phenomenon in baseball, where the Yankees elevate the American League and particularly their big rivals, Boston; or in basketball, when the rise of the Celtics seems to make the Lakers also rise, and the league with it.

So, too, USC: their greatness was bringing out greatness in UCLA and Notre Dame. Oregon was strong again. Cal made themselves into a power in recent years. A perfect example was UCLA running back Maurice Drew and Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Drew, who had come out of the De La Salle juggernaut, was not considered as good as Reggie Bush, or even LenDale White. Other than that, he was turning himself into a Heisman candidate.

Jackson, a football-baseball superstar at Long Beach Poly, chose Cal because SC took Patrick Turner from Tennessee.

Bruin quarterback Drew Olson looked superlative. Cal running back Marshawn Lynch heard some early Heisman talk, too. Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller was outstanding. The point was, SC upgraded the league. They were getting the best of L.A., the region, the state and the country. That left a lot of studs who wanted to compete against the best; to take their shot at the title. It had always been that way. These players were choosing the Pac 10 over other conferences because they knew it was the biggest challenge again. They were playing for Notre Dame, too, because they wanted a piece of SC. By the time they were experienced sophomores, juniors and seniors, they were improved and catching up with the blue chippers who were chosen ahead of them in the high school recruiting game.

The week of the Stanford game, with USC sitting atop the AP, USA TODAY, Harris and BCS polls, San Francisco Chronicle football writer Jake Curtis wrote an article which argued that Southern California was the greatest offensive football team ever, maybe the best period. His evidence was fairly overwhelming.

Troy came in to the Stanford game averaging 7.8 yards per play; not per run or per pass completion, but per play, including sacks and incompletions. Army (1945) was the only team ahead of them (7.9). None of the other "contenders" for "best team ever" were in the top 11.

On total offense, USC was second only to the 1989 Houston Cougars (624.9 to 601.6). The 1995 Nebraska team was sixth at 569.4.

At 49.9, Troy ranked fifth all-time in points-per-game behind 1944 Army (56), 1989 Houston (53.5), 1995 Nebraska (52.4) and 1993 Nebraska (52).

They were on pace to become the second Division I team ever to average more than 600 yards a game, but were the most balanced team ever by far. USC was ranked fourth nationally in passing and fifth in rushing, the first team since World War II to place in the top five in both categories. Since 1973, no team ranked in the top 10 in both categories.

Leinart, with a 160.2 career passer rating, was ranked fourth best all-time. Curtis rated him on par with Sammy Baugh, John Elway, Peyton Manning and Ty Detmer.

Plus, "There are not five players in the NFL better than Reggie Bush," said ESPN's NFL analyst, Sean Salisbury. Bush was at 8.2 yards a carry, with White right behind at 6.7. Jarrett was fifth in the country in receiving yardage (and first in touchdowns, 13).

"They are arguably one of the best offensive lines, not just in the nation, but in the history of NCAA football," said Oregon coach Mike Bellotti.

Stanford came to the Coliseum with a 4-3 record (3-2 in conference) for a night game played before 90,212. Having played USC tough in a 31-28 2004 loss at Stanford, the Trojans were not about to take the Cardinal lightly. Stanford, under new coach Walt Harris, stumbled early but regained their footing with a series of road wins to go over the .500 mark. The previous week, however, they blew a late lead to UCLA.

The game pitted Carroll against the man, Harris, who came to his Greenbrae home to recruit him to Pacific out of College of Marin in 1971. Harris, a native of the Bay Area who prepped at South San Francisco's El Camino High School, is a lifelong friend and colleague of Carroll's. They shared pro and college experiences. With Texas beating Baylor earlier in the day, 62-0, there was some pressure on Carroll's team to run up a score in order to impress voters and the BCS computers. The chances that Carroll would do that to his friend were not good. It is not his style anyway, especially against Harris.

The game, like most of SC's encounters, especially their last three since the Notre Dame thriller, gave the appearance of a giant animal toying with a tiny one before killing it. The score was 51-21. The impression was that if the Trojans really wanted to win 80-0, they could have done just that.

In the first quarter, USC moved through Stanford as if they were running plays with no defense lined against them. They thundered down the field, scoring at will, pounding the poor Cardinal into utter submission. Leinart passed for 259 yards and four touchdowns. He did not pass for 500 yards. There was no reason for this other than the decision not to try for it.

Bush rushed a mere 10 times for 113 yards and another score. He did not get 300 because it was decided to hold him back, avoiding injury and arrogance.

Troy was the football version of America, which can conquer the world with overwhelming power, but doesn't for only one reason: the choice not. Vince Young played every down for Texas, running and passing for 351 total yards. Coach Mack Brown desperately tried to promote his team in the polls and his quarterback for the Heisman. Carroll seemed oblivious to such mundanities. The truth was available for those willing to look. He figured, with a packed stadium and a national TV (WTBS) audience, enough were doing just that.

Leinart was gone in the third quarter, replaced by Booty, who probably had as much to prove as anybody on the team. The battle for the starting position in 2006 was already well underway. An array of Parade, Gatorade, Tom Lemming, USA TODAY and "Best of the West" Players of the Year, prep All-Americans and blue chippers, all on USC's second, third and even fourth teams, took the field against Harris's first team. Stanford stuck it out to the bitter end and, to their credit, never gave up. The "respectability" of the final score was due in part to their heart. The Cardinal players, many of whom traditionally are from the Southland, were determined to reduce the embarrassment before the giant throng and TV cameras.

Incredibly, USC gained less than their season average in total yards (529, 601.23 coming in) and barely passed their scoring average (51 to 49.75). The 44 first half points were the most in a half since the amazing 49 scored against Notre Dame in 1974. The points set a school record for most 50-point games (five).

Trent Edwards went after USC's secondary, which was short due to injuries. They became sloppy as the game got out of hand. He was 21-of-34 for 245 yards and one touchdown with three interceptions. Edwards had been spectacular in the first half of the 2004 game before Carroll solved him.

Frostee Rucker and William Buchanon intercepted passes for USC. Fred Davis, the hotshot receiver from Ohio, inched his way into the consciousness of the coaches. He caught a TD pass for SC.

USC fans did not know what to make of UCLA, whose comeback magic ran out in an embarrassing 52-14 loss at Arizona. Any "joy" in seeing the Bruins lose was tempered by the fact many wanted UCLA to be undefeated going into the City Game, for the sake of conference prestige and "strength of schedule" computer components.

The week of the Cal game at Berkeley, Ray Ratto, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle declared that USC was the "new Notre Dame" and "America's team." If USC could beat the Bears at Memorial Stadium, they would tie the all-time conference winning streak, set by Pappy Waldorf's teams of the late 1940s. That is precisely what happened.

On November 12, a capacity crowd of 72,981 sunburned fans sat baking in Berkeley's beautiful Strawberry Canyon. Temperatures approached 80 degrees. "Tightwad Hill" was dotted with picnicking fans. It was the kind of perfect day that for 150 years drew the multitudes to the Golden State in droves; the kind of atmosphere that might be called a "Chamber of Commerce" day from Berkeley to Burbank.

When Cal had the ball on the USC eight but could not score, it reminded some of the 2004 game, when Aaron Rodgers had his four shots from the nine for the win but could not get it done. The Bears' offense was both ineffective and totally stuffed by improving USC's defense, now established as the best in the conference. USC won, 35-10, for its 32nd straight victory (propelling themselves to a 30th straight week atop the AP polls).

It was Jeff Tedford's worst defeat at Berkeley. It ended any discussion about Cal "having SC's number."

"California has been right behind us for a while," said Carroll. "And we talked about putting some separation between us, and we did this game."

"It didn't take them long," said Cal offensive lineman Aaron Merz. "They usually don't have that swagger against us."

Bears' quarterback Joe Ayoob, a highly regarded transfer from juco power CCSF, was in over his head against Troy.

"Yeah, my confidence is a little down," he acknowledged. "I've never really been through something like this. I've never heard my home fans boo. I've never had enough people to boo."

The huge throng was actually quite subdued. Cal fans had low expectations, which were met. The truth is, most of the fans were wearing Cardinal and Gold. An enormous SC contingent was on hand, but for various reasons they sat on their hands, too.

The previous evening, the USC band headlined a rally in San Francisco's Union Square, the revival of a tradition that for a time had been discontinued. After that, the Trojans spent their money and energy in the bars of The City and in Walnut Creek's popular nightlife district. By game time, with the mid-day sun beating on them, they had little left over for a humdrum game.

The whole thing had the sense of inevitability to it. When the defeated Cal fans made their early exits, Trojan supporters mocked them as if to say, "Thank you for your support of the empire. With the cessation of resistance, as promised we are effectuating the benevolent release of the prisoners from Gaul."

Ayoob was held to nine-of-19 for 98 yards. He was picked four times. Cal's excellent young running back, Marshawn Lynch, managed 87 yards on 13 carries. The game was never in question, with USC building a 21-3 halftime lead.

Reggie Bush was held to 82 yards on the ground. His longest run was for 20 yards.

"I've never been prouder of our defense," said Cal safety Harrison Smith, a telling statement. Getting blown out by 25 was cause for celebration when it was all the mighty Trojans did to them.

Matt Leinart did not throw any TD passes, but he ran for two. There were no long, spectacular plays. Leinart's longest pass was 49 yards to White. All five USC scores were on runs of six yards or less.

USC's 434 offensive yards were 170 below their average. It was the first game ever in which Leinart did not throw a TD pass in a game when neither Bush nor White had 100 yards. White finished with 90. It was still a dominant performance.

"It was probably easier than we expected," said Bush.

Rey Maualuga had a sack and an interception.

"I loved this, to have a good dominating win from start to finish," said Carroll. "It was going through my mind that Cal was 2-3 at the time we played them here last time, and I was thinking how well they played that day and maybe that would happen again."

"The defense deserves the credit," said White. "Our defense is playing at the top of their game." It was the lowest point total by a Tedford team.

"Coming into the year we had a lot of questions about our defense, and I think we answered them," said Keith Rivers, who had six tackles. Cushing had seven. "Definitely the idea was to stop the run. The big difference was the quarterback was a young quarterback and couldn't do the same stuff."

Ayoob "was not the same guy we saw on film in earlier games, for whatever reason," said Carroll.

Heralded wide receiver DeSean Jackson looked small and ineffective - certainly not in Turner's class.

"We're playing better D than other teams in the conference," said Carroll, noting the high score of Pac 10 games. Cal came in averaging 35.9 per game. USC finished with an aggregate score of 86-31 over the two Bay Area teams. They won the two-game turnover battle, 11-1. It was Cal's most lopsided loss since a 55-14 defeat to SC in 2001.

Carroll revealed that he snuck a peak at Ayoob in pre-game drills, where he was missing receivers without a defense lined against them.

"I thought, 'Maybe we've got a shot if he's throwing like that,' " said Carroll.

Some of Cal's defensive players went to the old "dirty Trojans" card, which losing Bear players said of winning Trojan teams for time immemorial. Cal also tried to revive the memory of Joe Roth by wearing his jersey number "12" decal on their helmets.

"I hope they win the national championship," said Tedford. "They are very difficult to move the ball on, and they have great schemes...

"Matt Leinart, when things are covered, he has the poise to find a soft spot or to make plays with his feet."

Overall, Leinart was 20-of-32 for 246 yards. He moved ahead of Bush in the Heisman race. Texas's Vince Young passed for 281 yards and four touchdowns (but negative rushing yards) in the Longhorns' 66-14 pasting of Kansas.

"The experience and knowledge is beyond last year," Leinart said. "I feel quicker. Just the experience and knowledge of the game has made me better."

"We played our butts off," said Cal's Smith. "We hustled to the ball, we tackled well. The final score...we were on the field a lot."

Jarrett caught five passes for 69 yards. Smith had five for 36. Turner caught two passes.

UCLA won shootout with Arizona State. Oregon held off Washington State. Both teams improved to 9-1.

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

_"FIGHT ON!"_ **: THE MIGHTY EMPIRE OF TROY REACHES THE HEIGHT OF ITS POWER**

Another Heisman, another national championship, and earning the title "greatest college football team of all time"

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette added to the growing speculation that USC was the best team ever assembled. Using computer simulations, he pitted Matt Leinart and the 2005 Trojans against some of the other all-time great teams of college football history.

Lance Haffner, who runs a computer gaming business out of Nashville, Tennessee, matched the '05 Trojans against a 12-game schedule of some of the all-time great teams, including '69 Texas, '71 Nebraska, '45 Army, '91 Miami, '56 Oklahoma, '79 Alabama, '88 Notre Dame, '72 USC, '95 Nebraska, '59 Syracuse, '76 Pitt and '83 Nebraska.

The 2005 Trojans lost in the computer game to the 1972 Trojans!

"It uses all of the players and ratings from the teams," Haffner said. "It's a very accurate way of playing a playoff with any team from any era."

"If you're not into computer games or a statistical analysis, college football experts have some opinions on the subject," wrote Fittipaldo. "Football, of course, is so much more than numbers. It is hard to quantify, for example, the intestinal fortitude it took for Matt Leinart to call an audible at the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-eight from his 26 with less than two minutes remaining against Notre Dame, or the courage it took for him to call for a quarterback sneak with six seconds remaining with no timeouts. It is because of plays like that and games like the USC-Notre Dame clash...that this Trojans team is garnering consideration among experts as one of the greatest."

ESPN college football analyst Beano Cook said that if USC could win a third consecutive championship, he would give them consideration for the "title."

"USC, if they win three straight, that is probably one of the three greatest feats in college football since World War II, along with Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak and Notre Dame winning three national championships in a four-year period," Cook said.

Cook added that the non-conference schedule the Trojans have played during their dynasty would add to their feat.

"They don't play cupcakes," Cook said.

Dan Jenkins, who covered college football for Sports Illustrated for years and wrote the uproariously funny Semi-Tough, said the 2005 Trojans would be among his top picks if they pulled off the three-Pete, but he still liked the 1972 USC team. He also gave kudos to Alabama ('34), USC ('31-32), Army ('44-45), Oklahoma ('55-56), Texas ('68-69), Nebraska ('70-71), Notre Dame ('46-49), Georgia ('42) and Pitt ('76).

"The greatest teams need to win at least one mythical national championship in somebody's poll or rating system," Jenkins said in an email. "They can lose one game maybe, but preferably shouldn't. I lean toward teams from the old days, when the guys played both ways, but there have been some great modern teams. If the Trojans do it all this year they definitely deserve to be" mentioned.

"Kent Stephens, the curator at the College Football Hall of Fame, said a few things have to be taken into consideration when ranking this USC team," continued Fittipaldo. "He pointed out that many teams from eras gone by played fewer games, didn't play in bowl games or, if they did, weren't always matched up against teams that were highly ranked. In the modern era of the Bowl Championship Series, teams are playing between 12 and 14 games in a season."

"The thing that is impressive about USC now is that they're playing more games than any of these other teams, so there is more of an opportunity to get beat," Stephens said. "Another consideration is the tougher non-conference schedule they're playing. And teams are getting matched up in BCS bowl games against teams that are perceived to be the next best team in the nation."

Bob Boyles authored 50 Years of College Football, a college football encyclopedia that covers the sport from 1955-2005. Boyles and co-author Paul Guido said the one-loss '03 Trojans team gets ranked ahead of the undefeated '04 team because it had wide receiver Mike Williams.

"It's an interesting debate because so many teams could be considered," Boyles said. "And not always did the best teams meet on the field. Many times the best teams in a given year didn't play each other. It's all speculation. That's what makes it fun, I guess."

MSNBC.com flat stated that Matt Leinart passed Herschel Walker as the greatest college football player ever.

The vendors ringing Exposition Park, the Rose Garden perimeter, and the Coliseum were out in full force with t-shirts exclaiming all manner of "Three-Pete" and like messages. One depicted Leinart hitting Jarrett at Notre Dame with the words:

"1:32 to go. Fourth and nine on your own 26. Down by three at South Bend.

No problem."

"Fresno may be the best team we've played all year," said Carroll of the next one. The game, scheduled for a 7:15 start at a sold out Coliseum on Fox Sports TV, promised to be a major challenge. In many ways, it was the true "battle of California." The cultural and social significance of the game was the subject of John Branch's article in the New York Times.

20,000 Bulldog faithful caravaned the three and a half hours from Fresno to Los Angeles. The theme of the game for Fresno State coach Pat Hill was "acceptance," both of his 16th-ranked team and his beleaguered city.

"Everyone says, 'You have nothing to lose,' " said Hill. "We're trying to establish ourselves. We have a lot to lose."

The game was billed as the "biggest in the program's history." One man secured 900 tickets and reserved 18 motor coaches - the self-dubbed "Red Wave" - for the pilgrimage.

"Ever since I've been here, this is the type of game we want," said senior quarterback Paul Pinegar, the latest NFL prospect in the tradition of Trent Dilfer, Billy Volek and David Carr. "A big game against USC where we can show the nation who Fresno State is."

Actually, that was already an accomplished act. Fresno State may bill itself as the "little engine that could," but the secret was long out. They are a first rate program that competes year in and year out on a national basis.

It was Dilfer who put the program on the map when he led Fresno State to a stunning 24-7 Freedom Bowl victory over Troy in 1992. Oddly, this was an event that gave mighty USC some motivation for revenge, rather than the other way around.

The validation for Fresno supporters was more about the city than the program. Their athletic department - not just football but other sports - had all the respect they could ask for. Fresno the city does not. Three hours from San Francisco, a little further than that from L.A., two hours to the ocean, an hour-plus from Yosemite, Fresno is just there. It is a valley town, hot in the summer, foggy in the winter. Agricultural smog hangs heavy over the fertilized farm fields where migrant laborers dot the countryside, observed by motorists passing through on Interstate 5.

"It is a city in the middle of nowhere, yet enticingly close to everything," wrote Branch. "And, especially this week, the same can be said of its football team."

"Play on the road, play as tough a schedule as we can and try to go undefeated," said Coach Hill. "I don't know any other way" to break into the BCS party.

Since 2000, Fresno State had gone 10-7 against BCS competition. They were 5-5 vs. ranked opponents. They had beaten Colorado, Wisconsin and Kansas State in regular season games; Georgia Tech, UCLA and Virginia in its previous three bowl games. They had played at Tennessee and Oklahoma.

"That's what's so great about our program," said senior defensive end Garrett McIntyre, "the opportunity to play this kind of schedule, the 'anyone, anywhere, any time' philosophy that Coach Hill talks about."

Fresno State entered the Coliseum having won 14 of 15 games, outscoring opponents by an average of 46-16. Their only loss in 2005 came at the hands of 10th-ranked 9-1 Oregon, by 37-34. They had "blown" that one. Otherwise, the USC game could have been for the right to play for the national championship.

They ended Boise State's reign in the Western Athletic Conference. They built enthusiasm in the central valley to a simmering boil. Hill admitted his roster was filled with blue-collar types rejected by the likes of USC. He tapped many prospects from the Southland and the Bay Area, but also had a large recruiting base to draw from. Metropolitan Fresno consists of some one million people. Clovis West High School long established itself as one of America's greatest sports schools. Pro baseball scouts stated that Fresno-area high schools had the finest collection of stadiums in the nation; most schools had well-constructed lighted minor league-style facilities. Basketball arenas and football stadiums were equally impressive. Despite its "strip mall" reputation, great wealth was long settled in the San Joaquin Valley.

"Fresno State football is the biggest thing to hit the valley since irrigation," wrote Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Daily News. In an effort to coalesce the support of the entire Sac-Joaquin Valley, the Bulldog's emblazoned a giant "V" for "valley" on the back of their helmets.

The area supposedly suffered from a self-imposed inferiority complex with roots that stretched all the way back to John Steinbeck's ode to Socialism, The Grapes of Wrath. Regional self-promoters dubbed it "California's Next Frontier," but the "nagging, self-deprecating worry is that Fresno is as close to being forgotten as it is to being found," wrote Branch.

His words were read with a grain of salt, though. After all, he was with the New York Times, that arbiter of elitism that looks down upon the "red state" politics of Middle America, which Fresno embodies. As for Fresno, the truth is, they were less concerned with what the New York Times thought of them than they were with simply going forth and producing excellence, as the rest of Middle American consistently does.

They played on the road against the best for years, but this game, vs. Southern California at the Coliseum, was their greatest challenge: ever. That was all well and good, of course; Fresno State takes on all comers. But so does USC. For years, when Southern teams rarely traveled outside their region, USC traveled to Austin, to Dallas, to Durham, to Atlanta, to Little Rick.

In 1970, when the NCAA added an 11th game, Troy accepted Alabama's offer to play at Birmingham. They could have played Rice, Tulane or Navy, three of the weak sisters who regularly made up Notre Dame's schedule in those days. Instead they created a home-and-home arrangement against the legendary Bear Bryant's program at a time in which the Tide was embarking on a period of their greatest success.

In 2000, the Trojans were offered the choice of playing their TBA (to be announced) game against one of the state schools in California (not Fresno). They decided instead to travel to New York and take on Joe Pa's Penn State Nittany Lions. UCLA took the local option. 'Nuff sed.

A look at the 2004 media guide shows no mention of Fresno State in their "future schedules" (2005). Fresno was looking for a game. They called up the "mighty" LSU Tigers, offering to travel to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. LSU declined. They went for Appalachian State, whose mascot might as well have been a faded 1960s poster of Bobby Kennedy with a look of concern amongst po' white trash who, according to him, were starving because of Republican insensitivity.

Fresno called USC. Let's see, thought Mike Garrett and Pete Carroll. Who can we schedule? Well, how 'bout those Sacra-tomato Hornets? Busy? Hey, those animal husbandry majors from Cal Aggies looked pretty good, but of course they would go on to beat Stanford, so nix that. UOP perhaps? Pete's alma mater opened the 1991 season at Berkeley, only to have Cal hang 70 on 'em.

"Fresno State still holding on line two."

Uh, geez, what about Alabama-Birmingham? Louisiana-Monroe? Wofford? Central Florida? All teams the so-called "big boys" of the Southeastern Conference liked to schedule.

"Pat Hill on lines two and four Mr. Garrett."

...

"Oh sure, Pat. Come on down..."

"Fresno State? Yeah."

Picture Joe McCarthy wiping sweat off his brown after getting called to the carpet by Ike.

"Why not? The Bulldogs. Go dawgs. Sure, why not Fresno State? Easy trip. Gas stations on the Grapevine'll 'preciate the business."

So it was decided that TBA in 2005 might just mean "The Best Anywhere."

At least that is what it seemed like on a sultry mid-November evening at the Coliseum.

As Keith Jackson never said, "Whoa, Nellie."

What 90,007 saw - and maybe 65,000 of those people were Trojan fans - was nothing less than...

UN - BE \- LIEVABLE!!!

It was insane. Was it the greatest game ever played? More dramatic than the Notre Dame game at South Bend one month earlier? Okay, probably not. But it was a masterpiece. A struggle between a mongoose and a Cobra; the lion and the bear... a scrappy Bulldog and a mighty Trojan warrior who used every weapon at his disposal, stabbing and killing the damn mutt, but it would not die.

The whole thing had people scratching their heads. Where's the home field advantage? It was part of the larger picture of USC football. Here is a team that plays the best schedule in college football year in and year, and had been doing it since Howard Jones was their coach. But when 'Bama played at Legion Field, or LSU hosted Georgia, or the Domers were on the green plains of South Bend, every single time those teams played on their home fields they had home field advantage.

But USC? Oh, nooo. Can't have that. Bring 20,000 or 30,000 nutsoid Bulldog fans, why don'tcha? Plenty of hotel rooms. Every year they played UCLA, and is that ever really home field advantage? Half a stadium full of Bruins? When Notre Dame comes a-callin', is that home field advantage. Every Catholic from Barstow to Brentwood shows up. They steal a high school band from Sherman Oaks and let them play their songs. It's blarney and guys dressed like Father Guido Sarducci every 10 yards.

So Pat Hill could talk about playin' "anybody any time," but USC was that anybody and this was the time, on November 19. The game? It was a donnybrook. USC played a great game and barely won, which is everything that needs be said of Fresno State. They did not back down an inch. They were not intimidated one iota. They came to play, to strap it on.

So, the question was begged, is USC really the "greatest team of all time?" Tough question after this one, and yet, despite all the obvious evidence that they were not that good, still, they were.

Napoleon valued luck in his generals. There is no question that Pete Carroll and his team seemed to reside under a lucky star, yet luck is the "residue of design." It would be inaccurate to characterize their ultimate victory as lucky. It was well earned.

The greatest offensive team ever? Yes, that they were. In comparing USC to the other contenders, however; the 1972 team, the 1995 Nebraska juggernaut, Notre Dame in 1947... the usual suspects, well, all the normal criteria would point to these other teams. The '05 Trojans were a team with a vulnerable defense, wracked by inexperience and injuries. Manuel Wright had lost his eligibility and was toiling in the NFL. Eric Wright was kicked off the team.

Dallas Sartz? Injured. Terrell Thomas? Injured? Keith Rivers? Gimped up early against Fresno. USC supporters looked at Fresno, and like Butch turning to Sundance asked, "Who are those guys?"

Standing all alone on its 2005 merits, no, USC was not the greatest single-season team in history. But something else was at play here. Something Leinart said after the Notre Dame game: "This team just doesn't know how to lose." This team needed to be judged in ways most teams are not judged. The winning streak, the number one ranking that now threatened to stretch into a third calendar year. A third national title, OU's 47 games looming just up the road. Everybody gunning for them on all cylinders.

The real question needed to be asked: would any of these other teams of destiny want to play these people? Would McKay's guys from 33 years in the past really beat this Leinart/Carroll/Bush triumvirate? Charles Young said the 2005 team was not as good as the 2004 team, which was not as good as the 2003 team, and would "not score on us until late in the third quarter." But he said it with laughter in his voice. Tree is too smart to really believe that blarney.

Other teams might have better defenses, better stats, better this and that. But would they beat this team. Texas had won more impressively throughout the season, just as the 2003-04 Sooners had, but look what had happened when Oklahoma strapped it on in Miami! This was the overriding factor.

Carroll would have two weeks to get ready for UCLA. Drew Olson had thrown for over 500 yards the previous week against Arizona State. Every USC fan filing out of the Coliseum, walking past the "John the Baptist" guy who has preached salvation at the Rose Garden to Coliseum crowds forever; all of them were thinking about Olson shredding them on December 3.

But Carroll, the defensive guru, would come up with something. And if they could survive the UCLA test, then he would have a month to study the Longhorns, just has he had done with Bob Stoops's team. Vince Young was tough. You betcha. But was he Joe Montana? Jason White had numbers for two years, and he also had Adrian Peterson's 1,900-plus yards, yet Troy stuffed 'em.

So, on a neutral field, would Beano Cook's hallowed Golden Domers of 1947, with Johnny Lujack and Frank Leahy, were they really a team that could, adding it all up, beat the 2005 Trojans? In the new era, the era of weights, diet, training, integration?

Same with Bud Wilkinson's Sooners and their non-facemask helmets. Tom Osborne's Cornhuskers, fresh off a schedule that included 11 games against Kansas State: were they really better?

No, even though Fresno revealed a USC defense that was as vulnerable as a 16-year old girl jilted by her first boyfriend. The Trojans remained on course to be the greatest collegiate football team ever. The intangibles of greatness were still in their corner.

But even SC fans were frustrated by the inability to knock each opponent around like a rag doll. There is arrogance in those circles, to be sure. A self-righteous feeling that only a traditional Trojan stomping will do.

At a summer 2005 USC alumni banquet featuring Carroll and Garrett as speakers, one older USC graduate turned to a younger one, remarking, "Gee, last year sure was great, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," the younger man hedged, "but I just wished we'd won by bigger margins."

The older alum just turned to the table and said, "Now he's the kinda guy who'd say we didn't win World War II by enough."

Patton coulda taken Bastogne sooner...

Why're those Marines pussyfootin' around at Iwo Jima for? Hurry up.

That kind of thinking.

The Fresno State game? Oh, yeah. USC 50, Fresno State 42. Mario Danelo's field goals were huge. It reminded many of the 1963 Rose Bowl, when Troy withstood a furious rush from Ron VanderKelen to beat Wisconsin, 42-37 to capture the national championship. But the big story was "The President."

Many people say that the single greatest game ever played by a college football player was Anthony Davis against Notre Dame in 1972. Perhaps the best competition for that comes from A.D. two years later. But Reggie Bush was superhuman against Fresno State. Maybe better than A.D. had been.

513 all-purpose yards. 294 yards on just 23 carries. Two touchdowns. Three receptions for 68. 151 on kick returns. Second all-time in NCAA Division I history for all-purpose yardage. Broke A.D.'s old school record of 368 in 1972. But the numbers do not tell the whole story.

On this night, Bush was so unstoppable, so unreal, that he may well have won the Heisman Trophy. Matt Leinart, the golden boy with the Hollywood friends, would be in New York and deservingly so. So would Vince Young. Maybe even Drew Olson. The UCLA game would be played on national TV and would give everybody one last chance to shine. This game was played on Fox cable. It ran so late many West Coast papers did not have it, so the impact of Reggie's performance may have been diminished, but not by those who observed it.

Bush had spoken of "not having an 'S' on my chest," but he sure did look like Superman against the Bulldogs. If Leinart could actually beat this guy out for the Heisman Trophy (and he was planning to vote for his teammate), then he would really earn the moniker "greatest college football player ever."

The moment that stood out occurred in the fourth quarter. USC supporters with historical knowledge were comparing Reggie in their minds to Mike Garrett's 1965 game vs. UCLA. On that afternoon, Garrett rushed for well over 200 yards, but committed key fumbles, allowing UCLA to rally late and win. It cost Mike his chance at a Rose Bowl. More than a few Bruin players said they were near tears at this development.

Bush never fumbles. Just as people committed this thought to their consciousness, and as some even made mention of it - like talking about a pitcher throwing a no-hitter in the eight inning - it was jinxed. With about 10 minutes remaining and USC holding on to a tenuous 31-35 lead, Bush stood at the goal line receiving a Bulldog kickoff. He fielded the ball, ran it out, got hit around the 18, and fumbled! Fresno State's Jason Huss scooped it up. Wendell Mathis rambled 18 yards on the next play to put them up 42-41.

Stu Nahan likes to talk about the "look in his eyes" when describing O.J.'s 1967 run to beat UCLA, but Juice had nothing on Bush. Reggie was a man possessed. He was the Royal Air Force protecting London. The Third Army picking up 100 miles a day in early 1945.

Bush ran and ran and ran, but the big play was a pass. Leinart, starting at his own 11 after a penalty on the kick, recognized a winner when he stood right next to him. He called Bush's number. The pass was a little side pattern. The run after the catch, a Norm Chow specialty, went for 43 yards to the Fresno State 21. Leinart engineered Troy to the two. Then the big man, LenDale White bulled in to make it 47-42. A two-point conversion failed. Nobody felt safe yet.

Three plays later, Lawrence Jackson sacked Paul Pinegar, a fourth-year senior starter who was magnificent in the manner of VanderKelen. But Jackson's blast caused a fumble. Brian Cushing recovered, but SC stalled. They could not convert a touchdown that would ice it. Danelo's 26-yard field goal split the uprights, however, making it an eight-point game. Fresno State would have to score a touchdown and a two-point conversion, then outscore USC in overtime.

Nobody at the game or watching on the tube doubted their ability to do just that!

Fresno State started with 3:06 left on the clock. Pinegar drove them to the USC 25. Memories of Aaron Rodgers in 2004 stirred the crowd. Then Darnell Bing, bidding hard for the Jim Thorpe Award, intercepted Pinegar's pass into the end zone, returning it to the SC 40 to secure victory, just like Willie Brown had done when he picked VanderKelen in 1963.

The game started off in Fresno State's favor. Pat Hill deferred the opening kick, something almost nobody ever does. He gambled that his team could hold USC, take the ball down the field, and then have it to start the second half. His strategy was picture perfect.

Troy came out throwing, just as they had with Cal. Spread the Bulldogs out, then go to the run. Leinart threw a variety of passes, short and long, sideline and over the middle. He connected with a few. It looked like the usual Trojan plan. He hit Jarrett perfectly in the end zone, but the sophomore dropped the ball. Fresno State held.

USC punted. Pinegar drove them through the Trojans as if they were admiring spectators. 7-0, Fresno State.

Why'd we schedule these guys? What's wrong with U.C.-Davis? Aren't the New Mexico Lobos available?

It was not about a USC let down. Leinart & Co. were on top of their game, although Matt tried a frustrating number of fade passes, mostly to Jarrett. They failed as they had against Cal. It was a low-percentage play that Mike Williams, and even Jarrett, previously made look easy somehow: a soft toss, usually on the sidelines or in the corner of the end zone, requiring the receiver to out-jump one or two or three DBs. The play could work if the receiver was spectacular and could keep his feet in bounds. It was hard to intercept and could result in pass interference against the defense. But Hill, and other defensive coordinators in past weeks, knew about it. It was not working.

Leinart avoided mistakes. USC moved the ball. The running game picked up steam. But Fresno had the breaks going their way, along with sky high emotion. Two Bulldogs fumbles did not cost them. One went out of bounds, another was picked out of the air and converted into a touchdown. Hill's team played ball control. They had studied Charlie Weis's playbook.

Pinegar had 203 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Leinart threw for about half that, but he drove Troy late in the second quarter. Danelo, with little riding on his shoulders before this night, made a key field goal after Carroll seriously considered trying a 14-yard pass play with six seconds left. It was 21-13 when the teams went to the locker room. The atmosphere was similar to the one USC dealt with against Stanford in the 2004 game at Palo Alto. Hill's team would get the ball to start the third quarter.

If Pinegar could engineer a touchdown drive to make it 28-13, then the panic button might have to be pressed. But Josh Pinkard and Scott Ware stepped up, tipping passes to stop Fresno State. Over the next six and a half minutes, it looked like the 1974 game with Notre Dame. USC scored three times. Bush's 45-yard scamper was beyond the ability of this author to accurately describe. It looked like a high school play, with overtones of O.J.'s "23-blast" against UCLA in 1967. Bush appeared to be a grown man playing with boys; juking, out-running, criss-crossing the field, leaving 11 Bulldogs holding their collective jock straps.

Leinart just went to him. Bush picked up chunks of yardage in spectacular form; all the yards Matt would need to pad his Heisman numbers. The quarterback was all too happy to give them up. Every time Bush touched the ball he was a truly legitimate threat to break a touchdown no matter where USC was on the field. It was impossible but he was doing it!

Interceptions by Brandon Ting and Bing totally stopped the Fresno State momentum. After Steve Smith's six-yard touchdown reception, the score was 35-21 in favor of USC. Fresno's supporters seemed to just settle back and wait for the inevitable. The Trojans and their fans figured the rest of the game was going to be a victory parade. Oh, how wrong they were.

With victory within reach, Carroll decided to get aggressive. He threw a variety of blitz packages at Fresno State. The Bulldogs' offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, protecting Pinegar. He had all day to spot receivers. His linemen resembled the 1976 Raiders.

Pinegar drove his team relentlessly down the field, then hit Paul Williams from 20 yards out to make the score 35-28. Fresno held. Tom Malone punted, but Adam Jennings returned it 57 yards. The USC kick defense was porous all night. But when Scott Ware intercepted Pinegar's pass at the goal, returning it 30 yards, it set up another unreal dash by Bush: 50 yards for the touchdown.

Surely it was over now, 41-28 late in the third quarter. Au contraire.

USC was held, which to the Fresno faithful seemed a miracle in and of itself. Pinegar brought his team back, hitting Joe Fernandez for a six-yard TD to make it 41-35. He reminded people of Montana on this field in '78. That was when Bush fumbled the ensuing kick. After Mathis's scamper, the Bulldogs had scored 14 points in 12 seconds. It was beginning to sound like the "Heidi game," the improbable 1968 encounter between the Jets and Raiders.

Bush's subsequent catch-and-run, and USC's ability to withstand the onslaught, was despite a weak defense and bad special teams, highly impressive. There was no sense that Fresno caught Troy off guard. Rather, Fresno looked to be a team that could beat anybody in America on this night, including Texas. In some ways they looked like Texas Tech the night they beat Cal in the 2004 Holiday Bowl: unstoppable. Yet, somehow, Carroll's team found a way to pull it out.

The game had some parallels to the 1937 USC-UCLA game, when the Bruins' Kenny Washington passed and passed and passed, to USC's fourth quarter "distraction," according to Ken Rappoport's The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football.

"Washington's passing helped the Bruins score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and brought them to the fringe of another," wrote Rappoport. "The Bruin rally threw the Coliseum crowd into a frenzy and had <Howard> Jones on the edge of nervous exhaustion."

Substitute: Pinegar for Washington and Carroll for Jones. Then add the 1937 post-game meeting between Jones and UCLA coach Bill Spaulding. Spaulding visited the Trojan locker room, knocking on Jones's closed office door.

"Who'se there?" a voice asked.

"Bill Spaulding."

"What do you want?"

"Tell Howard he can come out now. We've stopped passing."

Hill, he of the walrus moustache and gruff valley demeanor, had Spaulding's ghost shadowing him. Carroll probably felt like Apollo Creed after his first fight with Rocky.

Mathis rushed for 109 yards on 23 carries. A comparison of the statistics, between Leinart, Bush and Pinegar, was telling. On the surface, it would appear Pinegar out-played Leinart: 27-of-45 for 317 yards and four touchdowns vs. Leinart's 22-of-33 for 200 yards and one touchdown. Undoubtedly, the numbers favored Bush, too: 294 yards on the ground, just for starters.

But Bush, while garnering some Heisman support, did not win the award outright, at least not yet. First, Leinart had zero interceptions. He also absorbed some big hits without fumbling. Pinegar fumbled and threw four costly picks.

The key was still Leinart's leadership; his steady game management and ability to direct the team in the "red zone." He did not always score touchdowns, but he gave Danelo the chance to kick two key field goals. He did not turned the ball over deep in his own territory nor near his opponent's goal.

Furthermore, he was unselfish. He had a hot hand in Bush. There was no hogging the ball for numbers. Many of Bush's yards were yards Leinart would have passed for if needed. It was a well-oiled machine based on experience, veteran savvy and respect. It does not get better than that in sports. Leinart did not need to put up Andre Ware or Ty Detmer numbers to maintain his status as the "greatest college football player of all time." He still was. Whether he would win the Heisman or even team MVP honors was a larger question, which says all one needs to know when assessing the 2005 USC Trojans.

Several Fresno State players were quoted saying that USC was the best team of all time, but of course this needed to be taken with a grain of salt. This concept made them look good, to be sure. Furthermore, none of the Bulldogs were known to be college football historians.

Matt Leinart made no bones about it: Bush deserved the Heisman and would have his vote. There was not a hint of jealousy or covetousness in him. Still, Leinart's lobbying on behalf of his teammate, while admirable and perhaps influential, was not going to dissuade a fair number of voters from favoring the senior quarterback.

Bush earned National and Pac10 Player of the Week honors for his 513-yard performance against Fresno State. It was the third Pac 10 Player of the Week honor of the 2005 season for Bush. He was previously recognized for his efforts against Oregon and Notre Dame. The second time he was honored by The Sporting News (also Notre Dame) and The Master Coaches Survey (also Washington, as Special Teams Player). Two other Trojans - Leinart and White - previously earned Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Week honors in 2005.

Fox Sports's Best Damn Sports Show Period, which is filmed in L.A., had over the last several years taken on the flavor of a USC sideshow, especially after bringing in former Trojan quarterback Rodney Peete as one of its hosts. They liked to film the show in front of Tommy Trojan on occasion. The night before Thanksgiving, they turned the USC-Fresno State game into an instant classic, replaying it in its virtual entirety, interspersed with breathless interviews with Carroll and Bush.

Pete looked exhausted, unable to explain the last game, or the whole run for that matter. Bush was more matter-of-fact.

"I expect to do great things," he said, meaning his unreal performance was just part of the game plan. If Best Damn Sports Show Period's re-play was not enough, viewers could switch over to Fox College Sports and watch it again, complete with appropriate amazement from Fox sportscasters Petros Papadakis and Barry Tompkins. It was all Trojan football all the time well past midnight!

Junior fullback Brandon Hancock and junior twin safeties Brandon and Ryan Ting were named to the 2005 Pac 10 All-Academic first team. Junior tight end Nick Vanderboom made Pac 10 All-Academic honorable mention. Hancock earned a 3.91 grade point average while majoring in communications. Ryan Ting sported a 3.90 GPA and Brandon Ting was at 3.76, both as American studies and ethnicity majors. Hancock, a member of Phi Beta Kappa (the nation's oldest honor society), was a 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII first team and Pac 10 All-Academic first team selection. This season, Hancock and Ryan Ting also have made the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII first team. Both Tings made the 2004 Pac 10 All-Academic second team, while Vanderboom made honorable mention.

Dictatin' and dominatin': Troy SIXTY-SIX, Bruins 19

UCLA was due at the Coliseum for the annual bloodletting known as the City Game on December 3. As in the 1967 match-up, it would be for much more than just the Victory Bell. At 9-1, the Bruins were one loss (at Arizona) away from being in a position to play for a shot at the BCS Rose Bowl. They were playing an 11-game schedule, which says something about the difference between USC and their cross-town rivals.

The Trojans always play their full allotment of 12 regular season games. The Bruins do not. In past years, they had eschewed the extra game or chosen to play a weak sister instead of a strong opponent. On occasion it was USC who picked up the extra game vs. the strong opponent. USC is a program that simply does not avoid challenges. UCLA is what it is.

That said, Karl Dorrell's team posed a major challenge. In the back of their minds, if Texas and a few other teams could be upset, they were hoping that a win over the vaunted Trojans might just possibly vault them into national championship contention; if not in the BCS, then perhaps in the AP.

There were similarities with the 1988 USC-UCLA game. USC was unbeaten again, featuring not one but two Heisman contenders (Leinart and Bush vs. Rodney Peete). UCLA had one late-season loss marring an otherwise perfect year (in '88 it was against Washington State). They correctly also felt that quarterback Drew Olson was Heisman-worthy. Finally, another Heisman contender loomed in the Big 12 Conference (Texas's Vince Young vs. the '88 winner, Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders).

While USC had officially clinched the Pac 10 championship, UCLA's fantasies about beating the number one team and taking over that spot for themselves, as well as the implication of the national title game being played in their home stadium, the Rose Bowl, provided at least some faint resemblance to the O.J.-Beban "showdown in L.A.," as _Sports Illustrated_ called the '67 classic.

The Bruins had left little margin for error in 2005. Their season had hinged on a series of make-or-break plays. While USC had for the most part dominated their schedule, the pressure of holding onto its winning streak and the number one position was present.

"It's hard to keep winning," Carroll said. "It's hard to do this."

USC's defense lost starters to injury throughout the season. John Walker was hurt at Washington, forcing Josh Pinkard to replace Walker and bolster a weakened secondary. Dallas Sartz and Terrell Thomas were lost for the season. At various times, others had been banged up, including linebacker Keith Rivers.

"We might have gotten a little better there today," Carroll said when Pinkard played well.

By mid-season, the Bruins earned a reputation for comebacks. Losing to Stanford by three touchdowns with barely seven minutes remaining, even after Maurice Drew scored on a short run and quarterback Drew Olson tossed a 31-yard touchdown pass, UCLA faced fourth and two with less than a minute remaining. Olson passed to Joe Cowan for a first down and, a play later, Drew tied the score. The Bruins completed the spectacular rally with a 30-27 win in overtime, improving to 8-0.

"This tells you about this team's heart and character," Coach Karl Dorrell said after the game. "They keep believing in themselves."

Washington State led them, 28-7. Then Olson found Marcedes Lewis open for a touchdown with 26 seconds left. The play boosted the Bruins toward a 44-41 overtime victory. Lewis then scored eight times in the last five games.

UCLA made a major statement early on, beating the Oklahoma team that USC defeated in the 2005 national championship game, 41-24, earning its first national ranking in three years.

Former UCLA basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was sought out for his advice on how to end a 33-game winning streak. On January 9, 1972, Abdul-Jabbar led the Milwaukee Bucks past the Lakers, ending their all-time pro sports record _33-game_ winning streak. Abdul-Jabbar scored 39 points as the Bucks knocked off the Lakers on national TV, 120-104. USC Hall of Famer Bill Sharman coached that Laker team! The game was played...33 years ago before. Abdul-Jabbar wore number 33!

"We played well for the first three quarters, then we just had a bad-shooting fourth quarter," recalled Sharman. "And of course, Milwaukee had a great, great team."

"If they can be competitive, I'll be satisfied," Abdul-Jabbar said of the '05 UCLA team. "Playing the national champs, it's a tall order. SC has done a great job recruiting and coaching. They're number one for obvious reasons."

Abdul-Jabbar watched most of UCLA's 9-1 season.

"I've always been a football fan," he said. "My first two years at UCLA, we beat SC. And then they got O.J."

Starting with Simpson's arrival in 1967 the Trojans went 10-2-1 in the next 13 editions of the rivalry. USC entered the 2005 match-up having won the previous six meetings. A Trojan victory would almost make up for the eight straight UCLA victories (or "indecencies," in Marv Goux's parlance) from 1991-98.

"It's amazing," Dorrell said. "They've taken everyone's best shot, and they still come out victorious each and every time."

"We feel very fortunate to be in this situation at this time of the year," Carroll said at the pre-game press conference. "To go into the last game with a tremendous opportunity that we face, with cross-town rival UCLA. It is a beautiful time to be coaching, and playing football. We couldn't be more exciting to be in the position we are in. Coming off of last week and the work we accomplished last week, and just feeling the guys yesterday, we had a great start on Monday. The energy was perfect, we flew around the field and got the things done we wanted to get done. Made the coaches feel that the guys are ready to put together a great week. The situation that we all hope for, in our program we always want to give ourselves to get in that Rose Bowl. This year it takes on a little bit different significance, but yet the line has always been the same. The goal in this program has always been to own the Rose Bowl and to do that you have to win your conference. It just happens that every few years it changes what that game is about. It is really exciting and we are pumped up about it and we can't wait to get going. There is another issue here, over our shoulder here is the gauntlet, at one point I thought it looked like Darth Vader's glove. It is a great symbol for the competition that goes on all year long, and a rivalry situation that everyone participates in. It has been fun for us, and there is a lot of points riding on this game, so we are excited about representing our sport and doing a good job for the effort to get the thing back.

"I haven't been that moved from the whole situation in the past going into it," Carroll continued regarding the BCS. "I feel about the same. I was asked on a conference call here, what do you think about this scenario and that scenario. I can't even comment, I don't know how it works it yet. I don't know how it would respond to what happens this weekend. So I do know this, if we win this weekend we would probably play them in the Rose Bowl. That is all we know right now and whatever else happens, happens. The BCS people are probably a little happier with this right now with the scrutiny. I don't have much to add about this whole situation with the BCS."

Carroll was asked about Drew Olson.

"This is a high powered offense," was his response. "They rolled all year long. They have been in difficult situations a number of times where they have been well behind and come roaring back and finished games with big finishes, big plays. The kinds of games that give you tremendous confidence and play and performance that gives you confidence. The QB has been awesome. He has had a great season. The touchdowns to the number of picks is just a remarkable number for anybody at anytime. He has a had a lot of guys coming at him trying to get that ball away from him, trying to knock him down and force bad plays and he won't let it happen. He is very poised, very much in command of what they are doing. There are guys making plays around him, with a really good running game. They have a really big time offense with great confidence coming in I am sure. We will have our hands full with this one. This is a really good group."

Of Maurice Drew, he said:

"I think he is a fantastic player. I have loved the way he plays since he was in high school. I saw him as a junior and thought he was extremely unique. His stature, his speed, his instincts, his toughness make him a very, very special football player. They have used him well on returns, and catching the football as well. He is a tremendous football player that really stands alone right now I think because he is such a unique body type. We really think that he is one of the guys that can make a difference in this game and has done it all year long for them. "

Carroll compared the 2005 version of Olson to the 2004 version.

"I mean just compare the numbers," he said. "The guy is maturing and getting to the time of his career where he is most affective. He has got the system inside continuity and the players around him that can make the plays. It is just like any quarterback; they can only do so much. They have to have guys around him. They have to have protection and guys that can catch the ball and it is great to have a running game. He has benefited from all of those things and complemented every aspect of that as well. He moves well, he makes good decisions, he runs well when he has to, deep ball, quick game, off play pass stuff, everything that they do he does well. He is playing as good as anybody in the country."

The close Fresno State had been a cautionary tale for the SC coach, but he did not want to make too much of it.

"I never ever think of games that way, I don't approach them in that matter, and don't think of it happening in that way," he said. "You deal with it when you have to. It takes awhile for that to happen, so all the time it hasn't happened in a game I am thinking that way. I don't go in thinking that way. We are going to try to move the ball as well as we can on offense, score as much as we can and hold them down and see what happens. As always will be the case it will always be about the football and which creates the big plays and gets the field positions and we will do a better job then they do taking care of the ball. They have been very stingy about giving the ball up so that is a big chore. That is how we will go into this game and that is the way we go into every game."

The man who as a teenager drove with his Redwood pal 400 miles to see the classic 1969 USC-UCLA game knew that it was an entirely different animal from other games, with the exception of the Notre Dame battle.

"The energy is different, you can feel it," he said. "It is part of the reason, it is so obvious you don't need to make a big deal about it, you can just sense it. You can feel it in this room you can feel it around the media conversations and on the practice field and people trying to get to our practice and people trying to get tickets for this game, and on and on and on. It is an ongoing kind of energy that flows during this week and it makes it kind of fun."

Carroll was asked about USC's winning streak over the Bruins (four of the wins under his leadership).

"I like that," he said. "How does it make me feel, it doesn't make me feel very good that it happened in the past right now. I don't care about what happened in the past, it is about getting ready this week and it is nice when the game is over and you get a win and you have been able to maintain over your cross-town team. I can't tell you I don't like it I like it a lot. We are working real hard to hold on to that. What happened in the past doesn't have anything to do with what is going on right now. That is real obvious to me and it always has been. So we have a chance to go do something good again and let's see if we can do that and let's look back on it after it is over."

The game would be the final Coliseum appearance for Trojan seniors.

"I think this is the one factor in the game that is unique," he stated. "Other than the fact that it is a big match up and all, I think it is unique that the seniors are playing their last game in particular the last game at home. I have already approached our guys and I don't want that to factor into the way they play. I like the way they played last week and the week before that and the last couple of years. So the fact that it is their last game there will be a moment in there when they realize it. I don't want that to affect the way they perform. They won't be happy about that either. I am not asking them to play better than they have ever played before, I want them to play like they are capable of playing. When it is over we will sit down and feel what it feels like to be walking out of the Coliseum as a player for the last time. It is a big deal. It is a real big deal and we have to deal with it well and not let it factor into the performance of the game. We like the way our guys play. I don't want that to change. I don't know, a couple of years ago I was walking down the tunnel with Ronnie Lott, prior to a game. I asked him if this was still a big deal to him. He said, still a big deal, this is the biggest deal of my life in football is walking down this tunnel here and playing at the Coliseum. This is a guy who has won world championships and played all over the world and football and it is just a statement about what this opportunity to be at USC means. To have endured it and been here as a player and to make it a part of your personal history, it is a very, very special time. It is unfortunate that it ever has to come to an end. We have to deal with that and not let it factor into our performance right now.

"Growing up in California it was always a great rivalry. Watching the game for years when you are a little kid. As a matter of fact the first time I ever had a chance to go out of my area when I grew up to see a big game with my team down here, I saw the game when UCLA plays at the Coliseum, the one when Sam Dickerson makes the catch in the end zone. I was sitting seven rows from the top on the opposite end, I had no idea what was going on, you couldn't even see it across the field. That was because growing up it was that enormous of a spectacle and I just wanted to be a part of it. Right after my senior year and high school we came down and watched this game, and it was a big deal. It was awesome. It has always been that way. It is California. To be this big of a deal as a native Californian and to see everyone get so pumped up about college football I love this time of year. I think if we could fill up both stadiums we would. We would get 200,000 people to come to these games. It is just that big of a deal. I think for Californians to rally for college football with all the other things that everybody does it is a great statement of their loyalty and love for this match up. I am so proud do be a part of it and thrilled to have a chance to coach in this game."

Could the UCLA game create a let down?

"Well, I think our chance to hold onto this level of play over a long period of time goes to our ability to hold onto our principals that we talk about day in and day out in the program," Carroll responded. "Some people would look at our philosophy and say that we would down play a game like this and we wouldn't make it a special opportunity. We only get to play 12 games a year. 12 times out of all of the time out of the millions of hours we spend focusing on this we get 12 times to go do this. I think we can make every single game world class, championship, Super Bowl, national championship type atmosphere. In the approach and the intensity and the focus we bring to it. This is the biggest game we could possibly play in this week and we are thrilled about it. This is the way we try to focus every single day we go to practice. Whether it is spring or fall practice or a bye week or whatever. We hopefully we have trained our guys to generate the maximum focus you can turn towards an event by doing it on a regular basis. We don't try to just do this on Friday night. We hope to hold this level of intensity of focus and commitment every single time we try to do anything. Most people say you can't do that. That you can only get up a couple of times a year. I think that is the biggest pile of crap I have ever heard. You can get jacked up every single day if you want to. You just have to set your mind to it and go about organizing yourself to get that done. We have been trying to do that since the first day we stepped foot on this campus. Whether that is what is going on or not, I don't know, but that is how we go about it. This opportunity is an enormous opportunity for us, but we are going to deal with it the way we always deal with it. We are not going to do anything different, we are not going to change the way we do stuff because we are already trying to max out on everything we do, so if there was another way I could max something out I would figure that out and try to do that. I would do it today if I could think of it. I try to explain that. You ask that question a lot. I think it is the discipline of the appreciation of the opportunity that is sitting right in front of you, and being focused to see that this day is all we can deal with and this is all we can make use of and squeeze every drop out of every opportunity. That is what we are going to try to do with this game."

With two Heisman frontrunners, one Heisman winner, a team of All-Americans and prep blue chippers, Carroll's great challenge was player egos.

"Well, all of those normal human attributes are there, they are in our locker room just like they are in anyone else's, but what governs the way you act is the conscience that you have," he stated. "If you have a conscience about your team, that your team is number one and you understand intellectually that doesn't serve your team really well to act like that, it draws against what you are trying to do. Then you will have a discipline about the way that you speak and the talk that you use around the locker room and what you say to your friends. Then you are not able to go there because it doesn't fit. Guys think the thoughts, gosh I wish I could get the ball more. I have tried to talk to them, I want to hear when they are feeling like that, I don't want to try to sense it. When they have that feeling and they are able to let it out in a closed session when it is okay, I try to direct them to do something about it. If you want it more do something to get it more. Compete your butt of to show that is what we should do. Just make sense of that, try to make it into a proactive deal instead of something that you sit on and you can't act on. To say that it doesn't exist here that is wrong. Reggie wants the ball every single snap, Matt would like to throw bombs every chance he gets, LenDale wants the ball, everybody wants it. That is awesome. That is what you want. You don't want them not to want it. You want them to give it to them and more. So when you do give it to them they will do something with it. It is really clear to me. That is the culture we are living in. One of the things that is really important is for other guys to respect the other guys they are playing with so they aren't out there to try to knock them down."

LenDale White banged up his shoulder two days earlier, but he was supposed to be ready.

"We are going to try to see if we can get him back into practice format here," said his coach. "Today we will be real careful with him and hopefully tomorrow we can get some work out of him. We think he is going to be alright."

What would it take for someone to beat USC?

"They have to play better then we do," he said. "They have to find ways to do things right longer then we do. That is how we do it on the other end. We try to do things longer then the other team can. In respect to the game: the game can get you sometimes. The ball can bounce screwy, the call can be made, the wind blows, things can happen. We have to extend beyond the fact that sometimes the game can get you. There have also been games where you have 500 yards on offense and the other team has 250 but because of the way the ball bounced or a missed snap on a punt, the game took a different turn. We have to play over and above those factors always. I hope that day when somebody gets us, I hope we played really well on that day and we made them play great."

On UCLA's special teams, particularly with Maurice Drew:

"He is awesome, he is an awesome returner," Carroll stated. "The best punt returner in the country. They scheme real well to go along with that. We just have to kick the ball in positions where he can't get his opportunities. To kick the ball 60 yards is not a good idea. What happened to us last year, we kicked the ball so far that the whole coverage thing got spread out, and they did a great job covering us and blocking. We have to control the flight of the ball and put it where we want to put it and not give them a chance to get going. Nobody slows him down."

Of the unheralded David Kirtman, Carroll said, "David has done a really nice job. We have worked ever since Desmond Reed was injured. Desmond was the guy that finished games for us, David and Brandon Hancock have been the guys who have been getting the ball in practice. Those guys are ready to go. Both of those guys run fast and hard and big, I don't have any hesitation playing those guys. If LenDale couldn't play, those guys are playing."

"It's finally coming down to an end," said Leinart of his final Coliseum appearance. Leinart said he would miss the capacity crowds at the Coliseum, the walk through the stadium tunnel to the field, being on the sidelines with "my guys, my teammates," and celebrations in the locker room.

"I'm going to miss it all, but I know, obviously, every great thing comes to an end and then you move on," he said. "But I'm going to cherish every day, every moment I have this week, and prepare my hardest and get ready for Saturday and then just kind of soak it all in."

Leinart said he watched games on Sundays only to check in on his friends and former teammates.

"I don't ever think about the money, I don't think about what I could do or couldn't do in the NFL," he said. "That time will come. And it's almost here. I still have a game on Saturday and, hopefully, whatever bowl game we go to."

Leinart acknowledged that playing for a title in Pasadena would be "a great way to end your whole career: in L.A., in front of your home fans and family and friends. That's the way I'm looking at Saturday too at the Coliseum."

Linebacker Keith Rivers, with a hamstring pull, was regarded as doubtful for the game.

Francis Benavidez, the "successor" to Giles Pellerin, was planning to attend his 68th USC-UCLA game. Except for three years in the Navy and a year teaching overseas, Benavidez, 91, attended every home game since enrolling as a student in 1933.

"That's my team," he said. "That's who I am."

If the Trojans beat UCLA, it would set the new Pacific 10 Conference record with 27 consecutive home victories. Each home game in 2005 was a sellout. The overall average of 90,574 ranked more than 25,000 fans ahead of second-place Washington in the Pac 10 attendance standings.

"When was the last time I missed one?" Benavidez said. "I don't know. 50 years ago?"

When the Trojans won 10 games over three seasons in the early 1940s, he was there.

"Some folks booed," he said. "I never could."

When the Trojans went 1-9 and drew 24,902 against Washington State in 1957, he was there.

"I've seen a lot more people out there recently," he said.

When Notre Dame won, forcing Paul Hackett out in 2000, "Pete Carroll showed up," he said.

A few days prior to the game, Jim Rome interviewed defensive end Lawrence Jackson. Rome had stated on many occasions that USC athletes are the best interviews in college sports, if not all sports. He was totally impressed with their intelligence and personality, to a man. But Jackson was a cut above.

A mere sophomore from Inglewood, Jackson was a philosophy major. He sounded downright Socratic in speaking to Rome; soft spoken, thoughtful, spiritual.

"I'm always impressed with USC guys," Rome said of the interview, "but Lawrence Jackson just took it to a new level. He's quoting philosophy, he's a team leader even though he's still young, he was just a great interview and a great guy...

"You know," he went on, "a lot of people get down on USC. They're the team you love to hate. They're like the Yankees, but I have to tell you, their players are not like that. It's the fans, the alumni. They're a touch arrogant, you know, with the pom-pons in the mailbox, the bumper stickers, the SC gear, but the players are not that way. They're humble, they're good guys, and it's gotta come back to Pete Carroll."

Alexis Jones, a young USC graduate from Austin, Texas, of all places, was interviewed by Fred Roggin on 1540 "The Ticket." She had created a web site called www.uscfootball.blogspot.com, and with the great interest in all things Trojan it had taken off. Apparently, Alexis was friends with many of the players, and had used this access to get the kinds of "inside" stories that the mainstream media did not, which included the details of Leinart slipping in the shower, taking a nasty spill (luckily without injury) in the shower in front of the whole team. Roggin pressed Alexis on whether she was romantically linked to any of he players. She laughingly denied it.

The usual spate of USC-UCLA stories hit the papers that week, including one involving Rodney Peete. When his wife, actress Holly Robinson, went into labor the ambulance mistakenly took her to the UCLA Medical Center instead of to Cedars-Sinai, where he doctor was waiting. Against the UCLA doctor's orders, Peete transported Holly in his own car to Cedars-Sinai.

"No child of mine was going to be born at UCLA," he said.

Paco Craig, a UCLA wide receiver, called his former quarterback, Matt Stevens after the Fresno State game.

"We can beat SC, they're human," he told Stevens.

"What about Reggie Bush?" Stevens asked.

"Well, he's the only one who isn't human," said Craig.

Drew Olson was asked who should win the Heisman.

"Reggie Bush without a doubt," he said. "He's an amazing player."

Discussion continued regarding USC's place in history; in particular, whether their offense was the greatest ever. Ned Miller was in his 50th year compiling press box statistics of Trojan games. He was amazed that Troy had amassed more than 700 yards in each of their first three home games.

"That's just incredible," Miller said. "You just don't get numbers like that."

"They're the best-balanced offense that I can ever recall," said Kent Stephens, curator of the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana. Entering the UCLA game, SC was leading the nation in offense with an average of 571.3 yards per game, while scoring 48.8 a game. They had already become the first team ever to feature a 3,000-yard passer, two 1,000-yard rushers, and 1,000-yard receiver, with Steve Smith a mere 100 yards from getting to the 1,000 mark, too.

"You don't want to throw all your eggs in one basket," said Carroll.

Lane Kiffin was asked who had the greatest offense ever.

"It's like arguing religion," he said. "You, you never get anywhere."

Still, what was very impressive was the fact USC was averaging more than 100 yards per game more than the 1979 team, the previous school record-holder. Leinart's numbers were significantly better than his Heisman campaign of 2004: 66 percent completion rate, 3,217 yards in the air, 24 TD passes, and even six rushing touchdowns.

Of Reggie Bush, former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer said, "He's the best back since Barry Sanders came along. Him and Leinart get all the publicity, but White is also a stud."

According to Stephens, the 2005 Trojans were in a very elite class of offensive teams that included Army (1944-45), Oklahoma (1971), Nebraska (1983), Houston (1989-90) and Nebraska (1995).

"This is such a huge game," said UCLA's Maurice Drew. "With the schools being so close together, you see each other everywhere. Every time you go out, you have a chance to see <a USC player>. There's a lot of stuff going into this rivalry and on top of that, a share of the Pac 10 championship is at stake and a lot of bowl ramifications.

"We're just so anxious to get out there and play. They've had a week off and we've had three, so we're more refreshed and ready to play. Guys are tired of hitting each other... We're ready to get after them."

Former UCLA coach Terry Donahue was planning to attend his first USC-UCLA game he had coached in it. His NFL duties with the 49ers had directed his attentions elsewhere in the succeeding years.

"Really looking forward to it," he said. "Obviously, USC has a great team, but anything can happen in that game and I definitely think UCLA is capable of winning. I'll be rooting for the Bruins, as I've done for so much of my life..."

6-3, 225-pound Drew Olson was now considered a top pro prospect. He entered the game leading the nation in passing efficiency (172.47), with 30 touchdowns against only three interceptions (a school record) to go along with 2,909 yards.

"Reggie Bush just might be the best college runner I've ever witnessed, although I'm not quite old enough to have seen Red Grange or Ernie Nevers," wrote Doug Krikorian.

Carroll had been conferring off and on with former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, and now he was faced with a similar challenge to the one the "Wizard of Westwood" had faced: maintaining a dynasty over a long time.

"We try and keep the guys at an even keel, and not let them get too high or too low," said Carroll. "We don't prepare any differently for any game, and try to practice the same hard way week after week."

The _Orange County Register_ ran an article comparing the county's alumni, determining that out of 188,000 living alumni, 21,000 USC grads lived in "the OC," compared to 78,000 in L.A. County. Prominent Trojans in the county included former Gold medal swimmer Janet Evans and Christopher Cox, head of the SEC. According to the latest numbers, USC had 16,500 undergraduates enrolled, and 15,500 graduate students.

UCLA had 26,000 undergrads and 12,000 grad students. Of 355,000 living alumni, 24,413 lived in Orange County; 130,692 in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles City Council met on the Friday before the game to discuss homeland security, but morphed into football rivalry.

Mayor Antonio Villarraigosa bet Councilman (and ex-police chief) Bernard Parks on the outcome of the game. A USC win would mean Villaraigosa would pay for a luxury skybox for Parks when the NFL was scheduled to return to L.A. in 2009. A Bruin win would mean Parks would pay for the mayor's...dance lessons (?).

"Reggie Bush is so popular right now," said comedian Alex Kaseberg, "President Bush has asked a genealogist to determine if they somehow are related."

Bush "reminds of Gale Sayers, who, I recall, scored six touchdowns against San Francisco <in 1965>," recalled Charles White on radio station 570. "I haven't seen anyone close to that. Reggie is awfully close."

The 2004 Trojans had taken UCLA lightly, a fact many now admitted. Carroll had sensed it at the time. It was his goal to see to it that Troy not fall into that trap this go around.

"They know how to win," said Darnell Bing. "You can't take a team like that lightly."

"We're 9-1 and we feel pretty good about what we've done," said Dorrell.

"The quarterback doesn't make many mistakes," said Scott Ware of Olson, but Alexis Jones and a few other roving media types had overheard him saying, "We respect Notre Dame, but against those pansies from UCLA, we're not gonna let up on 'em, we're gonna keep pounding 'em right 'til the end." Even though Ware's comments were not officially "for the record," they made their way onto the Bruin billboard and the airwaves.

While USC's defense had not been its strongest suit, Ware and the defensive unit still were aggressive ballhawks, responsible for USC leading the nation in turnover margin.

LenDale White was shaky, having bruised his shoulder in practice six days out, but just as he had overcome an injury to help dominate Oklahoma, the tough kid from Colorado was expected to shake it off and come out running hard.

Bill Plaschke pointed out that L.A. was the "football capitol of the world,' what with 27 of the 44 City Game starters hailing from the L.A. Basin, plus some of the highest rated "junior football" teams: College of the Canyons, Mission Viejo High with their tight end, Konrad Reule, along with Colton linebacker Allen Bradford. Both Reule and Bradford were rated number one at their respective positions.

Carroll and Dorrell "believe they could build championship teams without ever stepping on an airplane..." wrote Plaschke.

The great Troy Aikman, who had been hurt when Matt Stevens engineered the Bruins to a big win over UCLA in his sophomore year (1986), was asked about his recollections.

"That's really the only disappointment, the thing that has bothered me," Aikman said.

"I was very fortunate in my athletic career to have achieved a lot of really great things, and my only real major disappointment, at any level was the fact that in the two years I started at UCLA, I failed to take the team to the Rose Bowl.

"If you narrow the spotlight a little more, what I'm ultimately saying is I failed to beat USC either time, because if we had won either of those games we'd have gone to the Rose Bowl."

Saturday, December 3 blew in clear and sunny, one of those unbelievable Southern California days that leave the rest of the world in awe. It had rained slightly the day before. The breezes were up, but that served only to clear the air of any smog on a cloudless, Pacific blue afternoon.

From the Coliseum press box, the view was nothing less than spectacular. To the east, the San Gabriel Mountains stood proud, although they had yet to be draped in their winter snowcaps. Straight ahead lay the downtown skyscrapers, tall and majestic. Just to the left of that, the Hollywood Hills. The Hollywood sign was clearly in view. Considering USC's near-total hold on the City of the Angels, it seemed _apropos_ to send a construction crew above Lake Hollywood to install a giant "USC" underneath the iconic Hollywood symbol. Actual homes in the Hollywood and Beverly Hills could be picked out. To the west, the tall buildings of the Miracle Mile and Century could easily be seen.

From the veranda adjacent to the press box, the view stretching across the basin spread out from behind the Coliseum's shadows was equally impressive. As the day droned on, with the early-setting December sun descending behind the Palos Verdes Peninsula into the Golden West, the whole image was utterly surreal. It was a dream day - for the Trojans. Right from the very beginnings, it was a day of total _Conquest!_ The old "half USC, half UCLA" nature of the City Game was no more. It was obvious just walking to the stadium, and especially once inside it, that this was _SC's_ house. It was a sea of Cardinal and Gold, reminiscent of Nebraska's "Big Red." A small, quiet contingent of UCLAns bravely clung to their little corner of the Coliseum. The Trojan Nation were the Allies; 92,000-strong (completing USC's sixth sell-out in six home games and 11th of 12 overall) descending on the Normandy Beaches. Their opponents: a beaten, doomed crew. After Troy's beyond-imagination _66-19_ thrashing, there was nothing left but to send out condolences, because USC took no prisoners! All the drama was in the pageantry, the ceremony, the symbolism.

ESPN's _College GameDay_ made the peristyle end of the Coliseum college football central. The Hollywood sign was not the only glitz shining down on Trojan Land. It was fitting that a who's who of celebrity glitz and glamour came to see the best show in town. USC graduates Tom Selleck and Henry Winkler were in attendance. Kirsten Dunst graced the sidelines. Sexy Fox sideline reporter Leeann Tweeden had gone to Westwood and given the Bruins about five minutes. The rest of the week, including pre-game and during the game, she spent high-fiving the Trojans, doing push-ups with SC's male yell leaders, and genuflecting in front of their players. USC's guys were given enthusiastic greetings from Miss Tweeden after each successive fumble recovery, touchdown, mind-numbing tackle or long-yardage catch. For the numerous high school recruits, it was the final clincher, if in fact any doubt still remained, that the choices came down to USC, SC, Southern California, or Southern Cal. Who could blame them?

As is tradition, USC's seniors were introduced to the crowd prior to the game. Remarkably, they made up a relatively small portion of this still-young team, which of course reinforced the realization that Trojan dominance promised to continue strongly for years to come.

But Leinart was a senior, the last to be brought out of the tunnel. A sensitive type anyway, he had predicted heavy emotions. The previous year, he had teared up just watching his friend and teammate from Mater Dei, Matt Grootegoed, do the same thing. 92,000 fans stood and gave him a prolonged standing ovation, acknowledging that here was perhaps the greatest of all Trojans, the most successful quarterback, maybe the finest player, ever to play the collegiate game. Here was a guy who was beyond legend and myth, a man who, along with Reggie Bush and a few of their teammates over the past four years, had not only lived up to but in some cases gone beyond the achievements of Drury, Simpson, White, Allen, Lott. The best of the best. Guys that Heisman winners and Hall of Famers could look _up_ to and admire!

Leinart had finally met his match. He lost it. He began to bawl uncontrollably, which simply endeared him to the hearts and minds of America even more. Because of his late entrance, Leinart had been hanging back in the tunnel, instead of warming up on the sideline. It was a rare _faux paux_ , something Carroll and his staff had not taken under account.

As the team captain, Leinart then had to wipe his tears and meet the referees and the Bruin captains at mid-field for the opening coin toss. UCLA won and deferred, meaning SC received...and Leinart would have no time to make practice tosses in the end zone.

That meant the usual aerial bombardment which marked the Norm Chow-Lane Kiffin era was replaced by the most potent ground attack since Patton's infantry. Most pundits felt Reggie Bush was the Heisman favorite entering the day. Earlier, Texas quarterback Vince Young, along with Leinart his main competition, had led the Longhrons to a stunning 70-3 victory over Colorado in the Big 12 championship game.

Young had his supporters, but Leinart was the defending Heisman winner, the glory boy of Troy, the face of the dynasty. If he could have a huge game on this national stage, particularly if Bush were not at his best, he still could become the second two-time Heisman winner ever (Archie Griffin of Ohio State having done it in 1974-75). After the first possession, however, it was obvious that it was not Matt's day. It was Reggie's. Instead of one two-time winner, the program would boast two teammates playing together as back-to-back winners, a feat not seen since Army's Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis ("Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside") in 1945-46.

With Leinart still "a mess," his arm not warmed up and his head in the clouds, USC went to the run on their first seven attempts from scrimmage.

"We planned on them coming out trying to run because, why wouldn't they?" said UCLA linebacker Wesley Walker. "That's football if you want to win. Run the ball on offense and stop the run on defense..."

"From the beginning of the game we thought, 'OK, we can do whatever we want to do against these guys,' " said Bush.

That was precisely what Troy did. They dictated and dominated. With Bush carrying the ball, USC moved straight down the field. On their eighth play from scrimmage, Leinart sailed a pass. He was off and would be throughout the first half, and even into the second half before regaining some semblance of his usual form. But it did not matter. The concept that USC could win in as thorough a manner as conceivable, on a day in which Matt Leinart had the worst game of his career, said everything about Trojan football.

Was it Bush's best game of his career? Possibly. The Fresno State game had provided a highlight reel of spectacular plays and gaudy statistics, but against UCLA Bush was even better, if that is possible.

With the USC superstar leading the way, Troy ran the field and kicked a field goal. They held Olson. Then Bush ran three times for 46 yards. Leinart, not untracked but finally loose, hit Dwayne Jarrett from eight yards out to make it 10-0. By the time UCLA had run its 13th offensive play from scrimmage, it was 24-0, all with Leinart out of sync!

USC finished the game with 95 offensive plays, 30 more than UCLA, averaging 7.1 yards per snap. USC gained 679 yards in total offense. Marcus Cassel and Jarrad Page of UCLA made 25 "tackles," which were really little more than pulling somebody down after a long gain or getting carried by somebody five or 10 yards along with the rest of the team until another first down marker was moved upfield. Bush and LenDale White were more likely to fall down from exhaustion than actually get tackled.

USC secured its place as the greatest college football team ever. Of course, this lofty title would not stand if they lost to Texas in the BCS Rose Bowl, but if the Longhorns would fall USC would be in a league all of their own. While Leinart did not make his name on this day, he managed to improve in the second half to finish with 21 completions out of 40 tries for a decent 233 yards, no interceptions, and three touchdowns. His place as the greatest player ever, while arguable, was still viable.

It was Bush who vaulted into a new pantheon of Trojan, and college football, history. He had 228 yards at the half. There was talk of beating Ricky Bell's record of 347. Bell had set the NCAA record against Washington State in 1975. Carroll went to the pass in the second half, ostensibly to get Leinart back in rhythm, and also to prevent an unnecessary injury to Bush. He finished with 260 yards on 24 carries, a 10.0 average. Like so much of USC's season, the only thing preventing him from running for as many yards as he chose to run for was the decision not to try it.

LenDale show no ill effect from his shoulder bruise, averaging even more yards (11) than his partner (14 carries for 154 yards). Bush made a spectacular, leaping 13-yard touchdown run and later a 10-yard TD scamper to send Troy into halftime with a 31-6 lead.

Fox Sports's John Jackson stopped Pete Carroll on his way into the locker room. He was asked what, if anything, his team needed to do in the second half. The coach could have been ebullient, light-hearted and carefree. Instead, his eyes blazed.

"We gotta come out _freaking smokin'_ to start the second half," he all but raged. He was not going to let this get away, like the Fresno State game had almost gotten away.

USC legend Ronnie Lott was at the game, but did not have a ticket. Like so many Trojan alumni, he had a sideline pass, but he had his young son with him. Apparently, there was a rule of some kind that did not allow children of that age on the sideline, probably for insurance or legal purposes. So Lott watched the first half from tunnel entrance.

Carroll saw Lott as he was entering the locker room. He stopped to speak to the player he had once coached in New York, and when he learned of his predicament he invited Lott and his son into the locker room.

Later, Lott told a USC alum named Wayne Hughes what transpired in there. Hughes, an Oklahoma native, is the founder of Public Storage. A billionaire, he was at the time contemplating producing a film about the 1970 USC-Alabama game in which his friend, Sam "Bam" Cunningham, had run roughshod over the Crimson Tide, thus effectuating the end of segregation.

The day after the game, Hughes's aide, David Rothenberg, relayed what Lott told him, which was that Carroll had entered the locker room like a wild man. He threw a chair against the wall and went into a rage, ensuring that complacency not set in. According to Hughes, Lott said that in all of his many years in football, from, high school in Rialto to USC to the San Francisco 49ers, he had never seen such a fired-up team. He had never seen such eyes, such fierce competitiveness. Lott had said that he observed the team prior to 2005 Oklahoma Orange Bowl, and that on _that_ occasion they broke new ground in terms of readiness; but this was something else, something beyond that.

The summary of this is that, when focused, the 2005 Trojans were simply unbeatable within the normal scheme of things. Nobody is actually "unbeatable." Human weakness makes such infallibility impossible. But they were as close to it as any collegiate football team ever had been. UCLA was mere highway fodder. The Bruins trotted out for the second half like it was a Monday practice. USC came out with fire in their shoes.

"We heard a lot of criticism after giving up 42 points," said Brian Cushing, referring to the Fresno game. "We wanted to turn that around. It sparked up to play better. I think Coach Carroll took it personally."

Leinart never found his groove, but he stopped sailing his passes, finding some semblance of rhythm in the second half.

"I probably let my emotions get to me a little bit, but I'm happy with the way I played, especially in the second half," said Leinart. "The team did well. That's all that matters."

"When <Bush> is spinning and juking and all that and I come in and try to beat up on you, that definitely takes a lot of energy off the defense," said White.

"I'm disappointed and embarrassed," said Olson, sounding just like Jason White after the Orange Bowl. USC totally bottled up Olson and Maurice Drew, leaving no doubt about their defense at this crucial point. UCLA came in with one of the most vaunted offenses in the nation, but had been stuffed at every turn.

White had made a nice 19-yard touchdown run to make it 17-0 early in the second quarter. UCLA's Kahlil Bell fumbled a squib kickoff, and after USC recovered it set up a Bush touchdown run. Leinart hit Fred Davis with a 15-yard scoring strike in the third quarter. Rey Maualuga then forced an Olson fumble. Justin Wyatt snatched it and rumbled 38 yards for the score. Leinart hit White on a scoring pass, and LenDale added an eight-yard run.

"It couldn't have been sweeter," said Carroll in the understatement of the day. "There's no question about what's going on. This is what we're all about."

In the post-game locker room, it was revealed that Leinart was "so emotional, teary and crying," said Carroll. "He was a mess... He was trying to maximize the moment, and he did."

His teammates, seeing his state of mind and combining that with his first five pass attempts (all incompletions), came to him one after the other to calm him down and tell him he was the best QB in the nation.

"It was an unbelievable experience," Leinart said. "Something I'll always remember."

It was Bush's day all the way.

"He ran so fast past us sometimes, it was amazing," said Fred Matua. "He was flying around out there like he was Superman, like he was playing acrobatic football or something. I was like the fans, I was like, 'Wow.' "

"You hear the oohs and aahs, and all you want to do is get up and look like you're blocking somebody," said center Ryan Kalil.

"I'm running down the field, and I see a guy on the other team who Reggie just faked into the ground, and I always lean down and have words for him," said Matua. He told the fallen Bruins, " ''I've seen this all year, I know how you feel.' I'm like, 'Dude, you might as well go to the sideline, because you don't have a chance.' "

"The way they run the ball, I've never seen anything like that," said Olson.

"We've done it with a little bit of flair, a little bit of drama," said Carroll. "This game was an exclamation point."

"How easy was it on a scale of one to 10?" Bush said. "It was a 10."

It was a game so thorough and so complete that it reminded some historians of the 1929 drubbing (76-0). The loss was so devastating that, even though there is no actual prospect of it happening, its effect was such that taking five years or so off from the rivalry (as the Bruins had done in the early 1930s) was really a better bet that continuing to subject themselves to this kind of beating.

Over the next week, USC was treated like royalty. Bush and White were guests on the _Best Damn USC Sports Show Period_.

Ushers at a UCLA basketball game were instructed not to speak of the football score, like apparatchuks getting instructions on Stalin's latest revisionism.

An ESPN recruiting analyst said seven of nation's top 10 prospects, all five-star blue chippers from outside of Los Angeles who were not considered to be in Troy's orbit, had shifted to USC, leaving old commitments. They were actually calling USC, not vice versa.

"Let me tell you something," said _Long Beach Press-Telegram_ sports columnist Doug Krikorian, who has seen 'em all, "when USC gets focused, _nobody_ can beat 'em. They have the best offensive line in college football history. All 11 offensive starters can play in the NFL right now. Reggie Bush is the greatest running back in history. Matt Leinart is the most successful college quarterback ever. What more can you say?"

"Reggie Bush will be the number one pick in the draft," said Mel Kuiper Jr. "Matt Leinart will be number two. LenDale White will be drafted in the late first round if he comes out."

Kirk Hirbstreit talked about Bush on the Jim Rome Show.

"I saw Bush at the 2004 Rose Bowl, when he was a freshman," he said. "I said then and there he's the best player I ever saw. I sought him out on the field after that game and told him that."

Talk about all-time greatest teams was in the air. USC was now the prohibitive favorite to replace their own 1972 version. The unbeaten Indianapolis Colts were on pace to unseat the Miami Dolphins, another 1972 juggernaut of the pro variety, as the only unbeaten NFL team since the AFL-NFL merger.

"Forget about the Dolphins and Colts," wrote Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com. "If Indy beats the Jaguars, Chargers and Seahawks, then we'll talk. Until then, we ought to be naming babies, buildings and freeways after the greatest dynasty this side of Ming.

The USC Trojans.

"...Since Oct. 6, 2003...USC is 45-1. Freaks.

"In those 45 victories, only five were decided by less than a touchdown.33 of those wins were decided by 20 points or more.

"...The Trojans are on such a championship roll, they have their own parking space at the White House Rose Garden. The only downside to this remarkable run is having to hear the Trojan Marching Band play 'Conquest' 11,000 times per game."

USC had "taken every opponent's best body blow (Notre Dame and Fresno can tell you about that, too). If nothing else, you have to respect the streak, respect USC's inner resolve and respect a loaded roster that, by January 4, will feature - for the first time ever - two Heisman Trophy-winning teammates playing in the same game. The two stiff-armers: Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.

"Nothing against the '72 Dolphins - or the '05 Colts if they win out - but a third consecutive USC national title, a second consecutive unbeaten season and a 35-game victory streak is at least the equal, if not superior, to an NFL single-season 17-0 or 19-0 record."

USC had beaten the last 16 ranked opponents they had faced. They had beaten UCLA seven straight times. In the Carroll era, they had defeated Notre Dame four straight times, Auburn twice, Cal four out of five, Iowa, Oregon twice, and Oregon State four times. In their 34-game winning streak, they had beaten Arizona State four times, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Arkansas and Oklahoma once apiece.

"They've done it despite injuries, early defections to the NFL, graduation, coaching departures and the law of averages," wrote Wojciechowski. They had done it in the age of the BCS, the television age, the age of cable, Fox Sports, ESPN, the Internet, big money, gambling, steroids, total integration of whites, blacks, Pacific-Islanders, even Chinese-Americans (two of whom, the Ting brothers, were significant defensive contributors to Troy). They had done it in the age of the newest coaching techniques, training and diet methods; in an age in which the best coaches were spread throughout the land, lending a sense of egalitarian fairness to competitive sports at all levels an in all regions. They had done it when the best juniors leave for the NFL, and they had the best juniors (in Mike Williams's case, the best sophomore). They had done it amid the white-hot glare of a Hollywood spotlight; no college sports team had ever attracted so much attention, all in the media capitol of the world.

There was simply no comparing the 1947 Irish, the 1956 Sooners, not even the 1995 Cornhuskers or the '72 Trojans. Nobody was a match for this team if they could survive number two Texas.

****

By the end of the evening on Saturday, December 10, it was almost too much. Even for Trojan fans. Almost.

Reggie Bush left the competition behind, as was his and his team's usual custom, in winning USC's seventh Heisman Trophy. This tied Troy with Notre Dame for the most Heismans. If they could beat Texas, it would push them ahead of the Irish for the most national championships, 12-11.

More impressively, it was USC's seventh Heisman since 1965. During that span, Notre Dame had won one. Since 1962, USC had won eight national titles (going on nine). The Irish in that time span: three. The advent of the modern era had clearly delineated a new champion, a new "America's Team" of collegiate football, a new standard of excellence. USC now possessed the greatest tradition in the game's long history. There was no real argument worth making any more. It was no longer a barroom argument. It was now looking more and more like established fact. The numbers did not lie.

In the biggest landslide in Heisman history, Bush was announced as the 71st winner of the Heisman Trophy during a nationally televised show from the Nokia Theater in New York. He defeated a small field: Leinart and Texas quarterback Vince Young, with the highest percentage of votes ever.

"It's truly an honor to be elected to this fraternity of Heisman winners." Bush said. "To think I've been in college for three years and this is the first time I've been invited to a fraternity."

He won all six regions and was named on a record 99 percent of the ballots. Only USC's O.J. Simpson (855 first place votes in 1968) had more than Bush (784). It was an even bigger landslide than the one President Bush had won by a little over a year earlier.

"His play shows why he's the best player in college football," said the unselfish Leinart, who voted for Bush the second straight year. Leinart had voted Young second and left the third spot blank. "Playing big in big games and being a leader in big games. He's the perfect description of the Heisman Trophy."

"The decision to come back changed my life," Bush said to Leinart in accepting his award. He also had a nation choked up when he tearfully acknowledged his "father," who adopted him at age two.

"You didn't have to do that," Bush said as the lay preacher from San Diego mouthed the words, "I love you" on camera. "It takes a man to do something like that."

"He's going to be one of best ever," said Mike Garrett, who was among the past Heisman winners in attendance. "He looks like another Gale Sayers."

It was impossible not to make the comparison between Blanchard and Davis. For the first time, Heisman teammates would play in a game together. "Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside" had not played in a bowl game after Davis won the award in 1946.

Reggie also made it clear that he had not decided whether to turn pro or not, although most felt it was a fait accompli. Still, USC athletes were proving themselves to be so special, such fine people off the field as well as on, so clearly different from the rest of the field, that the prospect of Bush doing what Leinart had done was not totally out of the realm of possibility.

Young showed little grace and was unable to hide his disappointment, a factor that the pundits speculated about over the next weeks as the Rose Bowl approached.

"Bush is the new Barry Sanders, said Emmitt Smith on Stephen A. Smith's Quite Frankly on ESPN.

****

The weeks leading up to the Rose Bowl were filled with greater hype and anticipation than any collegiate sporting event in history; more so even than the ballyhooed 2005 USC-Oklahoma Orange Bowl.

Texas came in with a 12-0 record, averaging over 50 points per game, with one of the nation's best defenses. Young, the star of the 2005 Rose Bowl when he led the Longhorns to a stunning 38-37 victory over Michigan, was the face of their team. As great as he was, it was felt that it would be too much for him to carry Texas on his shoulders alone. USC, also averaging 50 points a game, was installed not only as a seven-to-eight point favorite, but was anointed as the greatest offensive team ever as well as the greatest college team in history. ESPN ran a series of polls and "fantasy games," using computers and expert analysis, comparing the Trojans to the greatest teams ever. It was "determined" that indeed the 2005 team was the best ever assembled.

The Longhorns arrived in Los Angeles amid all the Hollywood hoopla. Day after day, on TV, radio and in the papers, they were subjected to pagan idolatry heaped upon their opponents, as if Texas were the Washington Generals, set up as opponents for the Harlem Globetrotters to trounce. The pressure to live up to their star billing worked on USC, and spurred Texas to establish their own place in history.

On Wednesday, January 4, 2005, in the "ring of fire" known as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the Longhorns did just that. Vince Young played what may have been the greatest game any player has ever played. That is what it took to break USC's hearts.

USC in its history has played a number of games that might be considered the "game of the century" or "the best college football game ever played." The 1931, 1974 and 1978 Notre Dame games come to mind because of what happened on the field, but they were great mostly from USC's point of view.

The 1988 Notre Dame game and the 2005 Oklahoma Orange Bowl were steeped in pre-game hype, but failed to live up to the billing. The 1967 UCLA game was unique in many ways and may have been the best college game ever played, considering everything, but the 2006 Rose Bowl topped them all. It was the greatest game of all time.

In 1975, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 7-6, in 12 innings in game six of the World Series. Many historians consider it the best baseball game ever. In that game, Cincinnati's Pete Rose, who aside from being a great player was a great fan of the game, told Boston catcher Carlton Fisk that it was just plain fun to play in a game of that magnitude. Despite losing, Rose felt it was an honor and a privilege just to be a part of it.

After Vince Young sprinted nine yards for a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining to give Texas the 41-38 win and the national championship, those Trojans who were able to put it all in perspective felt the same way Rose did. Considering the setting, the spectacle and pageantry, the magnificence of Young, the fight of Texas, and the fact that Pete Carroll's team left it all on the field, there was nothing left to do but give Texas credit while absorbing the knowledge that they were part of something more special than any previous contest.

Win or lose, it was an honor just to be a part of it.

Yes, USC lost more than just a football game. Their place in history was more than merely the '05 national title. A laundry list of records and accomplishments, most of which would have separated them from Notre Dame and Alabama, clearly delineating them as the greatest of all traditions, became suddenly a closer call when Young crossed the goal line.

It was reminiscent of the 2003 BCS Fiesta Bowl, when Miami's 34-game winning streak and quest for a second straight national title were lost in an overtime loss to Ohio State. The defeat left sports historians in further awe of the great John Wooden, whose UCLA basketball team had managed to win seven straight NCAA titles and 10 of 12. Jim Rome had openly predicted that Carroll's dynasty could put up those kinds of numbers. Instead, it was shown just how difficult a task it was, despite the fact Troy had made it look somewhere between easy and probable. Thus, USC fell far short of the kind of sustained run that Wooden's Bruins had managed.

Symbolically, USC failed to win its 12th national championship, which aside from pushing them from the 11-all tie with Notre Dame would have equaled UCLA's 12 hoops championships, not to mention the 12 won by the Trojan baseball team over the years. In an eerie coincidence, Rod Dedeaux, who coached 11 of those baseball titles between 1948 and 1978, died at 91 the day after SC's loss. USC also remained far behind their 26 NCAA track titles.

Also lost was the quest for an unprecedented third straight title; their attempt to break Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak; the end of their 33-week record of AP number one rankings; the chance for returning seniors to win four national championships in as many years; possibly Matt Leinart's claim to be the "greatest college football player of all time"; while also putting in some jeopardy Reggie Bush's "lock" as the number pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Up until the Rose Bowl, it seemed that Bush would be chosen first by the Houston Texans with Matt Leinart set to go second. Young suddenly was the focus of discussions on whether the Texans should take the Houston-bred Young. Young declared for the draft a few days after the game, and as of this book's deadline it was still felt that Bush would be the first pick, but whether Young would actually usurp Bush and also move ahead of Leinart was very much a possibility. Even the most ardent Trojan fan had to admit that had the Heisman voting taken place after the Rose Bowl, it may have been Young, not Bush, who would have walked away with the statue. At the very least, Young had used the "loss" of the award in December to spur his great effort in January.

In the days after the game, the media awaited word that the junior Bush would indeed declare. They also wanted to know the decision of junior LenDale White, USC's best player in the Rose Bowl whose performance did two things: Make him a surefire high first round pick if he would come out, and (with Young out) the favorite for the '06 Heisman on a USC team figured to be ranked number one in the pre-season, should he stay.

There were strange omens surrounding USC after the loss. Aside from Dedeaux's passing, the great Carson Palmer injured his knee four days later in an AFC Play-Off game with Pittsburgh.

For those looking to compare the game with past battles, the 1969 Rose Bowl seemed as good a comparison as any. In 1968, USC was the defending national champion. O.J. Simpson won the Heisman Trophy. Unbeaten Troy was favored to win the Rose Bowl and repeat. They were anointed with all the bell and whistles that come with sports glamour in L.A.

Their opponents, the Ohio State Buckeyes, had a chip on their shoulder; something to prove. They did just that, upending Southern California, 27-16. It was a battle between numbers one and two for the national title, won by the underdog. O.J. had a spectacular touchdown run but committed a key fumble, contributing to their defeat. In 2006, Reggie Bush had a spectacular touchdown run, but his key fumble also contributed to defeat.

Getting back to the John Wooden comparison, the game held some similarities to the 1974 Final Four match-up between UCLA and North Carolina State. Substitute Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush for Bill Walton and Keith Wilkes, then Vince Young for David "Skywalker" Thompson. USC, like the Bruins 32 years earlier, held the lead late in the game. Victory, firmly within their grasp, was allowed to slip away, and with it the chance to sail in uncharted waters of sports greatness.

Yes, USC did allow victory to elude them. Mostly, they had nobody to blame but themselves. There were numerous mistakes and strange plays: an ill-conceived Bush lateral and a fumble lost, fumbles not recovered; interceptions against and an interception not made; questionable penalties called and not called; spotty spotting, technical malfunctions, poor clock management, ill-chosen timeouts, coaching decisions that lacked the famed Carroll "good luck" touch; two fourth down efforts that failed with critical results; failure to wrap up tackles, to prevent Texas from getting out of bounds at crucial times while the Trojans went out of bounds when they needed the clock to run; and a handful of plays that went the Longhorns way by a matter of inches, any one of which probably would have given Troy victory, only if...

So yes, USC made errors that cost them victory, just as they had done with Ohio State in 1969, and just as UCLA had done with North Carolina State in 1974. They made a plethora of unusual errors and mental failures. For those who saw the game in person, ESPN Classic's TV replay three days later was a bitter pill to swallow because it revealed multiple mistakes that went against Troy time and time again, usually by a matter of inches that the fan in the stands could not see.

There had been a sense that USC could not lose. Leinart himself had said, "this team doesn't know how to lose," after the Notre Dame game. They had won for so long, usually in dominating fashion, that defeat seemed foreign. There was a sense that this was a team of destiny, that their coach lived under a lucky star. They had dodged bullets, in South Bound mostly. In the back of some nervous Trojan minds there may have run the uneasy thought that if all their good luck turned around, they could be upset, but Carroll was so full of confidence and bravado, the team wrapped in such glory, that this unease was quickly dispelled. As White had said at the end of the Arizona State game, they were just "too dominant."

There was that carry-over effect from the UCLA game, too. Such a perfect day, all the way around; a sense that the championship had been won that day without proper regard for the fact that Texas had beaten Colorado by a bigger margin than USC beat the Bruins.

As Trojan fans lingered at the Coliseum on December 3, while the band played "Tusk," the song they had earned a Gold record for playing in concert with Fleetwood Mac, their cheerleaders gyrating, fans dancing in the stands, victory so secure within their consciousness, they truly could have used one of Caesar's slaves whispering to them that "all glory is fleeting" in an effort to bring down the hubris.

Despite all of that, however, they led by 12 with six and a half minutes to go. They had it won. They could not stop Young and Texas. In the end, the credit must go to the Longhorns and their fabulous quarterback. Furthermore, the credit must go to the Texas defense, which was better than USC's. Defense wins championships. USC had won in 2003 and 2004 on the strength of that very axiom. Despite having all their star power, all their historical baggage that, after everything was said and done, left them 19 seconds away from being the "greatest collegiate football team of all time"; in the end their defense was exposed and it was all ripped away from them.

For the record, it was a clear, warm day in the Arroyo Seco. Recent snows had capped the nearby San Gabriel Mountains. The setting was as spectacular as ever, confirming the notion that the Rose Bowl, the "Granddaddy of 'em all," is truly the finest college football setting in America.

Fans arrived early. Alumni of both schools engaged in a mutual admiration society. They were polite, well dressed, their children well behaved, their women equally beautiful. Because it was the BCS national championship game, it was played at night, so temperatures cooled a bit, but it was pleasant throughout. After a fly-by, a parachute jump and the "Star-Spangled Banner" sung by LeAnn Rhimes, the realization came to one and all that a football game was to be played.

It started out USC's way. Texas won the toss, electing to defer. USC would have done the same, choosing to get the ball first in the second half. After holding USC it looked like Texas made the right pick, but it was all for naught when the ensuing punt was fumbled on the return, giving Troy the ball in Texas territory.

Matt Leinart drove the Trojans to the Texas four, when on a fourth down try White barreled in for the touchdown. Young was forced to watch USC get two separate possessions before he could take a snap. Texas looked out of their league at first; the fumble, a terrible late hit after Leinart was well out of bounds, and the failure to stop USC was just the beginning. Young was unable to sustain a drive. USC came roaring back, but on another fourth-and-one in the Texas "red zone," Leinart's footing failed him and Texas held. Had he made it, the Trojans likely would have scored to make it 14-0.

Events following that lend to the uneasy conclusion that but-for mental errors, Troy might well have gone up 21-0 or even 28-0, putting the game away and setting up a dispiriting rout, a la the Oklahoma game of a year earlier.

This included Bush, who after catching a short pass romped down the field, only to try an ill-advised lateral to an unsuspecting teammate deep in Texas territory. Texas recovered the loose ball. Also included was an end zone pass by Leinart intended for Dwayne Jarrett. The ball was caught by a Texas defender, seemingly out of bounds, but the replay went the Longhorns way. The Bush lateral and the Leinart interception took what probably would have been 14 points off the board for USC.

The swing was momentous. It erased Trojan momentum and gave Texas - their players, their fans, and especially Mr. Young - the confidence that they were still in the game and might be able to stay there.

In the second quarter, still smarting from mental errors, USC stalled while Young led his team on three scoring drives: nine plays (52 yards) and a field goal; seven plays (80 yards) and a touchdown (point-after missed); and four plays (51 yards) capped by a 30-yard scoring run by Ramonce Taylor. The second touchdown was controversial. The machine that normally reviews plays was briefly malfunctioning. The fact that Young's knee was down before he made an illegal upfield lateral was not reviewed.

USC found themselves totally on their heels. Down 16-7, they mounted a drive to close out the first half. Tentatively, they worked their way into scoring position, but Leinart was sacked twice. Questionable clock management eliminated any chance at a touchdown strike. Mario Danelo came in for the field goal.

If Danelo missed, with Texas getting the ball to start the second half, USC was beginning to consider the reality of a 23-7 deficit before getting the ball in the third quarter. Stopping Young was already a major problem. When Danelo hit a 43-yard field goal to close it to 16-10, USC went in to the locker room happy to be within a touchdown. Considering that their mistakes had wiped out an additional two or three potential scores, it was a tremendous psychological blow and a major challenge for Carroll. Instead of a replay of the OU victory, they felt like Davey Crockett at the Alamo.

Texas on the other hand was thrilled. They had dodged bullets, overcome early mistakes, then clicked all their cylinders. They were playing beautifully on both sides of the ball and, most important, coach Mack Brown's team now knew \- despite any pre-game false confidence - what they had previously only suspected: they could beat Southern California!

But Carroll had become the best halftime and second half coach in the nation. His team was known for finishing, and they came out in the third quarter looking like the 2005 national champions.

After holding Texas, Leinart drove Troy 62 yards on seven plays, with White bulling in to make it 17-16. White was establishing himself as USC's star on a day in which Bush was off, and for unexplained reasons not getting as many carries - a point that would be debated. Leinart, shaky at the beginning, settled into a rhythm and was fabulous.

But the defense was not. Young answered the call, driving Texas back for a score. Trailing again, 23-17, the Trojans knew they were in for a major test, and their response was fantastic. Leinart drove them on a methodical 74-yard drive, mixing runs and passes with White scoring again. USC 24, Texas 23. The next possession seemed to swing things back to the Trojans. Texas was held and USC scored another touchdown to lead by eight, 31-23.

Young came back, but after driving deep into USC territory they were unable to get into the end zone, settling for a field goal to make it 31-26. A slight edge had been gained by Troy, with the ball back in their hands and a chance to close. They seemingly did. Leinart hit Jarrett with a high pass, which he caught and then stretched into the end zone. Two Texas defenders collided and hit the ground hard. They had to be carried off the field. The Texas bench was down, heads hanging, but Coach Brown exhorted his team to stay up. Young danced and skipped to the delight of his team's fans, showing no strain.

There were six minutes and 42 seconds remaining, USC leading by 38-26, but the atmosphere was muted. There were, statistically, more USC fans than Texas supporters, but from the minute one arrived at the Arroyo Seco, the sight of burnt orange colors dominated the atmosphere.

Texas fans seemed to consider victory a faraway proposition. They knew USC was almost unbeatable and many said as much. But as the game developed and the Trojans could not put the Longhorns away, the team and their supporters gained confidence. They were well behaved, respectful and polite, but they were loud. They cheered, filling the air with down-home Texas homilies and shouts of encouragement.

USC fans, on the other hands, sat on their hands - to the extent that there was any sitting in a stadium that took almost every play on its feet. But USC was supposed to win. So much was riding on it that their fans, if not their players, were taking on a "hold 'em" mentality: just six more minutes, who cares how, just finish with more points and spend another off-season bathed in glory.

It was not to be.

Bush had finally broke out of his after-fumble funk with a 26-yard touchdown run to put his team up by 31-23, but in the end Carroll went to White to close it out. LenDale was up to the task, but it was not enough.

At that point, a scoring drive would have clinched victory, but when Texas held then followed with a 17-yard Young touchdown run to make it 38-33 with 4:02 left, USC did what John Wooden always warned against - what his team did in losing to North Carolina State when victory seemed to be theirs in 1974 - they "did not play to win; they played not to lose," as Wooden put it.

With White carrying the ball, USC drove into Texas territory. One completed pass unfortunately led to USC going out of bounds, stopping the clock when time needed to keep ticking away. White carried close to a first down, but fumbled. USC recovered but the ball was put further back than the carry had taken it. With a little over two minutes left, the fate of the game rested on Carroll's decision to go for it on fourth and a little over one on the Longhorn 45. A first down would allow them to run out the clock.

The talk radio mavens had every answer the next day, but the "play not lose" mentality was not part of Carroll's gamble. The "Monday morning quarterbacks" advised that Carroll should have let White block and Bush run. Use Bush as a decoy. Roll out and hit Dominique Byrd for two yards. Instead, White took it right up the gut. At first it looked like he might get it. He had momentum, but Texas won the national championship by stopping him with a brick wall of defenders. The crowd hummed, not sure. A measurement was taken. USC fell inches short, and the Texas faithful went wild.

Later, Carroll said he went for it because it was his gambling style and that his team could not stop Young whether he started on his 20 or his 45. He was right. But the past was now past. The defense that Carroll knew "couldn't stop Young" now had to. Everything rested on it. Beleaguered, tired, beaten all day by the Texas superstar, they stepped up and made plays.

Brandon Ting broke up a pass, but he knocked it down instead of making the interception like he had done against Fresno State.

Harrying Young, they forced him into a third-and-long situation. He completed a pass, but All-American Darnell Bing's facemask penalty did them in. Instead of fourth down and about seven to go at midfield, Texas had a first down well into USC territory with the clock stopped and enough time to get it done.

On several plays, Young evaded capture. He and his receivers carried USC tacklers out of bounds, stopping the clock. Young completed a pass to the 14. It was just like the 2004 Cal game, but the superiority of Young over Aaron Rodgers was apparent. At first, it looked like Southern California's defense would prove heroic in the style that befitted the Pete Carroll era. Texas moved up to the nine, third and five. A pass into the end zone was broken up.

With 19 seconds left, Young faced a fourth-and-five. He could get a first down to the four and had timeouts, but it would be a narrow margin. He called the same play that had failed on the previous try, dropped back, and to USC's credit saw no man open. Then he went with his instincts and started to run. For a brief second it looked like a defender could get him. The historical memory conjured up Johnny Lujack stopping Doc Blanchard in 1946; the Tennessee Titans falling half a yard shy against the Rams in the 2000 Super Bowl; even the noble Permian effort that falls just short in the paean of Texas prep football, Friday Night Lights.

But Young was too quick. 6-5, between 230 and 240 pounds but fast, he was not to be denied. He could outrun his defenders. He could juke them, Bush style. Or he could bull past them with sheer power. On this play, he basically juked and ran, untouched. Young had the first down and then ran into the corner of the end zone to make it 39-38 with 19 seconds remaining. Texas hearts soared. USC felt something they thought they would never feel: despair.

With 12 USC defenders on the field, a time out was called as Young lined up for a two-point conversion. Bad clock management had bedeviled them all game, and this was the last insult, although it was an on-field call, not Carroll's. Young converted easily anyway, making it 41-38.

Bush ran the kickoff back then took a shovel pass from Leinart into Texas territory. The pundits later speculated that Danelo, who had put several balls in the back of the end zone on kickoffs, should have attempted a 60-yard desperation field goal try.

Leinart rolled to his left. With no timeouts he had only the sidelines and missed Jarrett. The dream was over.

"We've been winning for so long, somebody had to lose," White said.

Carroll, Leinart, Bush and his team showed class, as did the fans on both sides. Leinart and Bush ventured into the Texas locker room to applaud this fearless team. There was immediate consensus that not only had the game surpassed the hype, but that it very well may have been the finest, most exciting football contest, played at the highest level by two great teams, of all times.

With one nine-yard run, Vince Young had erased the mantel of "greatest collegiate football team of all time" from USC, and now opened up a new discussion: how good was Texas? The answer is that the 2005 Texas Longhorns are one of the greatest football teams in history. In the top five, at the very least.

****

White finished as USC's all-time career touchdown leader. Bush and White passed Blanchard and Davis for most combined teammate TDs. Jarrett broke the single-season USC touchdown record.

Bush was named 2005 Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Year. Carroll was voted conference co-Coach of the Year (along with UCLA's Dorrell). Nine Trojans - including six on offense - made the All-Pac10 first team. It was Carroll's second such honor in his five years at USC. In all, 21 Trojans made All-Pac10 first team, second team or honorable mention.

It was the second consecutive Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Year honor for Bush. He shared the 2004 honor with Leinart. Bush became just the fifth player to win the offensive award in back-to-back seasons, joining USC's Charles White (1978-79), Stanford's John Elway (1980-82), Washington State's Rueben Mayes (1984-85) and Leinart (2003-04). Bush was the first non-quarterback in 20 years to win it consecutively.

It was also the fourth year in a row that a Trojan was the conference Offensive Player of the Year. Quarterback Carson Palmer started the streak in 2002, the year he won the Heisman.

Leinart made the All-Pac10 first team for his third straight year, just the second quarterback ever to do so. Bush and Leinart were joined on the first team by wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and three offensive linemen, guard Taitusi Lutui, tackle Sam Baker and center Ryan Kalil.

On defense, safety Darnell Bing and ends Lawrence Jackson and Frostee Rucker were first team selections. USC's second team All-Pac10 picks were tailback LenDale White, offensive guard Fred Matua and safety Scott Ware. Bush also made the second team as a punt returner.

Nine other Trojans were recognized as honorable mention All-Pac10ers: placekicker Mario Danelo, defensive tackles Sedrick Ellis and LaJuan Ramsey, offensive tackle Winston Justice, fullback David Kirtman, linebackers Oscar Lua and Keith Rivers, wide receiver Steve Smith and cornerback Justin Wyatt.

Bush, Leinart, Dwayne Jarrett, Darnell Bing, Taitusi Latui, LenDale White and Sam Baker were all named to the Associated Press All-American team. Bush was the AP Player of the Year. Leinart won the Johnny Unitas Award as the nation's best senior quarterback.

Bush won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back as well as the Walter Camp Award as the best player. The Pigskin Club of Washington, D.C. named Bush its Offensive Player of the Year. He made the 2005 Football Coaches, Football Writers, Walter Camp, ESPN.com, SI.com and CBSSportsline.com All-American first teams. Leinart was named the "Sportsman of the Year" by The Sporting News.

Reggie was USC's team MVP (for the second consecutive year) and won USC Player of the Game vs. Notre Dame, co-Player of the Game vs. UCLA, Co-Lifter and Jack Oakie "Rise and Shine" (for longest run) awards.

Bush, Leinart, Jarrett and Lutui were named to the Football Coaches All-American first team. That made 139 Trojan All-American first teams. It was the first year since 1931 (and only the second time ever) that USC has had four offensive players named to an All-American first team.

Leinart became just the second USC player ever to be a three-time All-American first teamer, joining linebacker Richard Wood (1972-74).

Entering 2006, Carroll is 56-10 in five seasons, but wait. Of those 10 losses, only one has been by more than seven points (27-16 at Notre Dame in 2001). Eight of them have been on the road or in a bowl game. In 2001 he lost to Kansas State (home, 10-6), Oregon (road, 24-22), Stanford (home, 21-16), Washington (road, 27-24), and Utah (Las Vegas Bowl, 10-6).

In 2002 he lost to Kansas State (road, 27-20) and Washington State (road, 30-27 in overtime). In 2003 he lost to California (road, 34-31 in three overtimes). In 2006, he lost to Texas (Rose Bowl, 41-38). That is 10 losses by a total of 45 points. Take away the Notre Dame defeat and it is nine losses by 34, an average of less than four points per loss!

In other words, with luck and a few good bounces, Pete Carroll's record could be 63-1. If so, he could have four or five national championships, not two. If his 2001 team had won all those close games, finishing 10-1 at the end of the regular season, they might have gotten the nod over once-beaten Nebraska to play against Miami in the BCS Rose Bowl. Once-beaten Oregon was barely edged out.

In 2002, both losses were by the slimmest of margins, so obviously if Troy were 11-0 (with the toughest schedule in the nation that year) they would have finished ahead of both Miami and Ohio State in the BCS standings going in to the Fiesta Bowl.

In 2003, once-beaten USC was ranked number one by the Associated Press anyway in a season with no unbeatens. The 2006 Rose Bowl loss spoke for itself. Nevertheless, all the "close but no cigar" scenarios could not overshadow reality. Reality, as of January 2006, was that despite their accomplishments, and despite coming close by the slimmest of margins, Carroll and USC had to look at Knute Rockne's Irish of the 1920s, Frank Leahy's Notre Dame teams of the 1940s, and Bud Wilkinson's record at Oklahoma in the 1950s, and face the fact that they still had work to do.

The fact that Rockne (with the exception of the 1925 Rose Bowl win over Stanford) and Leahy had done it without the hassle of an end-of-the-season bowl challenge, while Wilkinson's Sooners were on probation when they reeled off 47 straight, did not assuage Trojan pain. The BCS system, in place since 1998, had created a higher standard. In the past, the number one Trojans would have annihilated Big 10 champion Penn State in the Rose Bowl, while Texas would have beaten some lesser light in the Cotton Bowl, then offered indignation at the voters' anointing Southern California with their 12th national championship instead of earning their third (1963, 1969, 2005) fair and square.

While USC could not yet establish clear evidence that they were the best two-year, three-year, short term, and single-decade dynasty ever, they were clearly contenders. They were now tied with Notre Dame for the most national championships and Heisman winners, with more success and momentum in the modern era than the other great traditions. The failure to close the deal at Pasadena had denied them clear claim to have surpassed all other collegiate records, but the edge was still theirs with plenty of optimism that the next years would provide further opportunity to get those bragging rights.

Any talk of the NFL was dispelled when Carroll signed a long-term contract extension, beginning with the 2006 season. The 2006 Army High School All-Star Game featured more players committed to USC than any other school. In the month leading to the February 2006 deadline, the experts were predicting that USC would have the best recruiting class in the nation for the fourth straight year. That did not include Jimmy Clausen of Oaks Christian in Thousand Oaks (an L.A. suburb), the younger brother of former Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen. A 2005 junior, Clausen was thought to be the nation's finest high school player as an underclassman. Reports that he had verbally committed to USC were unconfirmed, but inside sources reported that it was between Southern California and Notre Dame.

****

It is the prediction of this author that the 2006 Rose Bowl will go down in history as the greatest collegiate football game in history; a game that will mark the times in a manner similar to the 1979 Larry Bird-Magic Johnson Indiana State-Michigan State NCAA basketball title game. The 2005 Trojans were a collection of talent that probably will never be seen, together on one team, in our lifetimes, or at least in our generation. A game featuring the college talents of Leinart, Bush, White & Co. vs. a player of Vince Young's attrributes; with both teams and all their stars playing at the top of their respective games, is a sports rarity.

The prediction here is that, just as Bird and Johnson defined pro basketball in the 1980s after their Final Four match-up, so too will the players from USC and Texas define the NFL over the next decade. 2004-05 will be remembered as a true Golden Age of college football; the '05 season may well be the best of all time, and this will carry over.

Future matches or teammate combinations involving Leinart vs. Young; or Bush teamed with Young; or White and Carson Palmer... the ghosts of the '06 Rose Bowl will reverberate on the sports landscape for years to come!

2006 promises to be a year of great challenge for Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans. Whether junior John David Booty or redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez would lead the team was not known at the time of this book's deadline. What is known is that Pete Carroll entered the second half of the 2000s with a chance to make his mark on history in a manner similar to Howard Jones, John McKay, Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Bud Wilkinson, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Joe Paterno, Tom Osborne and Bobby Bowden.

The Trojans find themselves in more or less a "tie" with Notre Dame as the greatest of all collegiate football traditions, having equaled the Irish with 11 national championships and seven Heisman Trophies each.

Whether the University of Southern California Trojans would ultimately establish themselves as the University of the 21st Century, clearly separating themselves from the rest of the college football world led by their charismatic coach, is not as clearly known as this book goes to press as it would have been had they won the Rose Bowl. What is known is that they will give it all they have, exciting their legion of fans in a way few if any college football teams have ever done.

May God bless America, and may the Trojans continue...to _"Fight On!"_

The end.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

MAKING HISTORY

_Bush wins USC'S seventh Heisman, and college football's all-time greatest team secures its place in the record books with an unprecedented 12_ th _national championship_

By the end of the evening on Saturday, December 10, it was almost too much. Even for Trojan fans. Almost.

Reggie Bush left the competition behind, as was his and his team's usual custom, in winning USC's seventh Heisman Trophy. This tied Troy with Notre Dame for the most Heismans. If they could beat Texas, it would push them ahead of the Irish for the most national championships, 12-11.

More impressively, it was USC's seventh Heisman since 1965. During that span, Notre Dame had won one. Since 1962, USC had won eight national titles (going on nine). The Irish in that time span: three. The advent of the modern era had clearly delineated a new champion, a new "America's Team" of collegiate football, a new standard of excellence. USC now possessed the greatest tradition in the game's long history. There was no real argument worth making any more. It was no longer a barroom argument. It was now looking more and more like established fact. The numbers did not lie.

In the biggest landslide in Heisman history, Bush was announced as the 71st winner of the Heisman Trophy during a nationally televised show from the Nokia Theater in New York. He defeated a small field: Leinart and Texas quarterback Vince Young, with the highest percentage of votes ever.

"It's truly an honor to be elected to this fraternity of Heisman winners." Bush said. "To think I've been in college for three years and this is the first time I've been invited to a fraternity."

He won all six regions and was named on a record 99 percent of the ballots. Only USC's O.J. Simpson (855 first place votes in 1968) had more than Bush (784). It was an even bigger landslide than the one President Bush had won by a little over a year earlier.

"His play shows why he's the best player in college football," said the unselfish Leinart, who voted for Bush the second straight year. Leinart had voted Young second and left the third spot blank. "Playing big in big games and being a leader in big games. He's the perfect description of the Heisman Trophy."

"The decision to come back changed my life," Bush said to Leinart in accepting his award. He also had a nation choked up when he tearfully acknowledged his "father," who adopted him at age two.

"You didn't have to do that," Bush said as the lay preacher from San Diego mouthed the words, "I love you" on camera. "It takes a man to do something like that."

"He's going to be one of best ever," said Mike Garrett, who was among the past Heisman winners in attendance. "He looks like another Gale Sayers."

It was impossible not to make the comparison between Blanchard and Davis. For the first time, Heisman teammates would play in a game together. "Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside" had not played in a bowl game after Davis won the award in 1946.

Reggie also made it clear that he had not decided whether to turn pro or not, although most felt it was a fait accompli. Still, USC athletes were proving themselves to be so special, such fine people off the field as well as on, so clearly different from the rest of the field, that the prospect of Bush doing what Leinart had done was not totally out of the realm of possibility.

Young showed little grace and was unable to hide his disappointment, a factor that would have the pundits speculating about over the next weeks as the Rose Bowl approached.

"Bush is the new Barry Sanders, said Emmitt Smith on Stephen A. Smith's Quite Frankly on ESPN.

Bush was named 2005 Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Year. Carroll was voted conference co-Coach of the Year (along with UCLA's Dorrell). Nine Trojans - including six on offense - made the All-Pac10 first team. It was Carroll's second such honor in his five years at USC. In all, 21 Trojans made All-Pac10 first team, second team or honorable mention.

It was the second consecutive Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Year honor for Bush. He shared the 2004 honor with Leinart. Bush became just the fifth player to win the offensive award in back-to-back seasons, joining USC's Charles White (1978-79), Stanford's John Elway (1980-82), Washington State's Rueben Mayes (1984-85) and Leinart (2003-04). Bush was the first non-quarterback in 20 years to win it consecutively.

It was also the fourth year in a row that a Trojan was the conference Offensive Player of the Year. Quarterback Carson Palmer started the streak in 2002, the year he won the Heisman.

Leinart made the All-Pac10 first team for his third straight year, just the second quarterback to ever do so. Bush and Leinart were joined on the first team by wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett and three offensive linemen, guard Taitusi Lutui, tackle Sam Baker and center Ryan Kalil.

On defense, safety Darnell Bing and ends Lawrence Jackson and Frostee Rucker were first team selections. USC's second team All-Pac10 picks were tailback LenDale White, offensive guard Fred Matua and safety Scott Ware. Bush also made the second team as a punt returner.

Nine other Trojans were recognized as honorable mention All-Pac10ers: placekicker Mario Danelo, defensive tackles Sedrick Ellis and LaJuan Ramsey, offensive tackle Winston Justice, fullback David Kirtman, linebackers Oscar Lua and Keith Rivers, wide receiver Steve Smith and cornerback Justin Wyatt.

Bush, Leinart, Dwayne Jarrett, Darnell Bing, Taitusi Latui, LenDale White and Sam Baker were all named to the Associated Press All-American team. Bush was the AP Player of the Year. Leinart won the Johnny Unitas Award as the nation's best senior quarterback.

Bush won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back as well as the Walter Camp Award as the best player. The Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. named Bush its Offensive Player of the Year. He made the 2005 Football Coaches, Football Writers, Walter Camp, ESPN.com, SI.com and CBS Sportsline.com All-American first teams.

Reggie was USC's team MVP (for the second consecutive year) and won the USC Player of the Game vs. Notre Dame, co-Player of the Game vs. UCLA, Co-Lifter and Jack Oakie "Rise and Shine" (for longest run) awards.

Bush, Leinart, Jarrett and Lutui were named to the Football Coaches All-American first team. That made 139 Trojan All-American first teams. It was the first year since 1931 (and only the second time ever) that USC has had four offensive players named to an All-American first team.

Leinart became just the second USC player ever to be a three-time All-American first teamer, joining linebacker Richard Wood (1972-74).

Now, how about these statistics? Carroll is 55-9 in five seasons, but wait. Of those nine losses, only one has been by more than seven points (27-16 at Notre Dame in 2001). Seven of them have been on the road. In 2001 he lost to Kansas State (home, 10-6), Oregon (road, 24-22), Stanford (home, 21-16), Washington (road, 27-24), and Utah (Las Vegas Bowl, 10-6).

In 2002 he lost to Kansas State (road, 27-20) and Washington State (road, 30-27 in overtime). In 2003 he lost to California (road, 34-31 in three overtimes). That is nine losses by a total of 42 points. Take away the Notre Dame defeat and it is eight losses by 31, an average of less than four points per loss!

In other words, with luck and a few good bounces, Pete Carroll's record could be 63-1. If so, he could have five national championships, not three. If his 2001 team was 10-1 at the end of the regular season, they might have gotten the nod over once-beaten Nebraska to play against Miami in the BCS Rose Bowl. Once-beaten Oregon was barely edged out.

In 2002, both losses were by the slimmest of margins, so obviously if Troy were 11-0 (with the toughest schedule in the nation that year) they would have finished ahead of both Miami and Ohio State in the BCS standings going in to the Fiesta Bowl.

In 2003, once-beaten USC was ranked number one by the Associated Press anyway in a season with no unbeatens.

Jimmy Clausen of Oaks Christian; younger brother of former Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen, verbally committed to USC.

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Prugh, Jeff. "Trojans Fall on Alabama..." Los Angeles Times. September 13, 1970.

__________. "Two Black Students Had Enrolled Before Wallace Showdown." _Los Angeles Times_ , June 11, 1978,

_________________. Excerpt from _The Herschel Walker Story_.

_________________. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."

_________________. "George Wallace Was America's Merchant of Venom." _Marin_

_Independent Journal_ , September 15, 1998

_________________. "Anger boiled within Gerald Ford before this football game." _Marin_

_Independent Journal_ , August 12, 1999

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November, 2005.

Rappoport, Ken. The Trojans: A Story of Southern California Football. Huntsville, Ala.: Strode Publishers, 1974.

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2005

Schrader, Loel. Long Beach Pres-Telegram.

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____________. www.theuscreport.com.

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_Sports Illustrated. USC Trojans._ 2005.

Springer, Steve. _60 Years of USC-UCLA Football._

_Stewart, Larry._ "Peete Was Looking for a Special Deliver." _Los Angeles Times._ December 1, 2005.

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Travers, Steven. "It Wasn't a Football Game, It Was a Sighting." _StreetZebra_ , November,

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_____________."Dynasty: The New Centurions of Troy." Excerpted from _The USC_

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________________. "The Eternal Trojan." _StreetZebra,_ 2000. Available at

www.streetzebra.com.

________________. "The Tradition of Troy." 2001.

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________________. _God's Country: A Conservative, Christian Worldview of How_

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_21_ st _Century. 2006._

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Wojciechowsk, Gene. "USC setting standard for football dominance." ESPN.com. (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&i%20d=2249925%3E%20&id=2249925)). December 6, 2005.

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_________. "Route 66 to Pasadena." _Long Beach Press-Telegram._ December 4, 2005.

www.aaregistry.com.

www.rolltide.com.

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www.uscfootball.blogspot.com

www.usctrojans.com.

www.wearesc.com.

Zakaria, Fareed. _The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad_. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2003.

Additional media guides

1999, 2002, 2004, 2005 USC Football.

2005 USC Baseball.

1999 Golden Bear Football Media Guide.

1999 Stanford Football.

2000 UCLA Football Nedia Guide.

Additional DVD

_The History of USC Football._ Produced and directed by Roger Springfield, 2005

Additional video

_Trojan Video Gold._ Narrated by Tom Kelly, 1988

History of Notre Dame Football.

Additional web sites

<http://www.cfrc.com/Archives/Top_Programs_2004.htm>

www.msnbc.com

www.lhgames.com

Additional documentaries

_Songs of Our Success_. Hosted by Tony McEwen, 2003.

_SportsCentury_. ESPN.

Miscellaneous

_Best Damn Sports Show Period._ Fox Sports.

_The Jim Rome Show._ Premiere Radio Nteworks.

_Rome Is Burning._ ESPN.

_Around the Horn._ ESPN.

_Pardon theInterruption._ ESPN.

ALSO FROM STEVEN TRAVERS AND

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS

PUBLICATION DATE: AUGUST 2007

### SEPTEMBER 1970

### ONE NIGHT, TWO TEAMS,

### AND THE GAME THAT CHANGED A NATION

Soon to be a major motion picture

September 1970. In the words of legendary Los Angeles Times sports columnist Jim Murray, a group of "hostile black and white American citizens" invaded Birmingham, Alabama to do battle against an equally hostile group of white American citizens. The event could have gone either way. A riot could have ensued. Blood could have been spilled.

The battle did not take place at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Bull Connor did not preside over the scene. George Wallace did not stand in the way. Instead of a riot, a fairly played football game took place between the University of Southern California Trojans and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, on a sweltering hot late summer night at the venerable Legion Field.

The Good Lord, as they say, works in mysterious ways. He picks ordinary, often flawed people, among them sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors and adulterers, to be his prophets and disciples. On this night, God's vessel would be a young black football player from Santa Barbara, California named Sam "Bam" Cunningham.

This book tells the story of how the Greek ideals of Platonic justice combined with Christian righteousness, free market capitalism and American Democracy, effectuated the only real change that ever matters - a change of heart - on an entire region: the South. It allowed America to come together as only she can, more than a century after the Civil War. After years of protests, speeches and demonstrations, a tipping point was reached; social movements that historically took years, decades, even centuries, happen with lightning speed in the Promised Land that is America!

This is the story of how one game finally ended segregation in the South once and for all. It is the story of how suspicious white and black USC teammates became a family of warriors, and how the team they defeated helped their fans to finally rise to the moral righteousness their Bibles had taught them since childhood. Thus, the power of Christianity was the impetus for the Deep South to pay heed to what Abraham Lincoln called "the better angels of our nature" and, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to "live up to its creed that all people are created equal."

In the succeeding years, USC and Alabama dominated college football. The Republican Party husbanded the South into the mainstream of our political system. The game was all but forgotten, its impact understood only by those who dig deep for such nuggets of Americana. Now, the story is spreading like Christ's Sermon on the Mount. Today, the tale is this book, a proposed documentary, and a film in development. The story explains more succinctly the country we live in than any other tale told by columnists or know-it-all "talking heads." This is the story of Truth and the redemptive powers of change.

This work brings you into the locker room where Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant may or may not have declared to his beaten team that Cunningham was "what a football player looks like." It describes the "new breed" of black athletes influenced by the militancy of the Vietnam era. The entire story - the history that preceded it, the machinations that surrounded it, and the sea change that occurred after it - are tied together through the research, probing interviews and writing of historian Steven Travers, himself a USC graduate whose unique love for his school's legacy shines forth in this monumental book. Travers successfully links Greek ideals and Christian love to modern America, demonstrating that desegregation was not a unique movement, but the result of centuries of philosophical evolution. This work, which combines theology and philosophy using the Socratic method of questioning, tackles the monumental task of exploring the nature of good and evil as it affects the ordinary decisions of men. Travers is also one of the last journalists to have interviewed deceased former USC coaches John McKay and Marv Goux before they passed away. The captured memories of these events shed great light on this story. The book intersperses the "Other Voices" of the men who lived it with the New Journalism non-narrative style of the author.

2005 was the 35th anniversary of that game, and Travers demonstrates in this work how the events of September 1970 explain much of what we now know about "red staves" vs. "blue states." He also goes to great pains to give a fair, balanced journalistic account of history, giving appropriate attention to both the USC and Alabama (or Northern vs. Southern) sides. Travers posits a unique political theory he calls the "Orange Countification" of the South, demonstrating that the "palatability" of two California Republicans, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, helped pave the way for the political moderation of the region.

Travers also reaches the conclusion that Bryant was a Lincolnesque figure; a quiet hero of the civil rights movement. His friend John McKay is portrayed as a modern Moses of progressivism when it came to providing opportunities for black athletes in the 1960s. September 1970 is viewed through the prism of football as a metaphor for a changing America. This game was a seminal moment in which liberalism and conservatism came together, in many ways for the last time. The winner was America.

ALSO FROM STEVEN TRAVERS AND

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHING

### "IT'S A GOOD DAY TO BE A TROJAN!"

### PETE CARROLL AND FOOTBALL'S PARADIGM SHIFT

Soon to be a reality series

Written in cooperation with Pete Carroll, author Steven Travers goes behind the scenes of Trojan football to find out what makes USC's head coach special, much the way Michael Lewis did with Billy Beane in Moneyball.

KUDOS FOR

**"BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN** "

(www.sportspublishingllc.com)

by

STEVEN TRAVERS

Travers' new book finally explains the phenomenon.

...the Bonds tale is spelled out in the most thorough, interesting, revealing, concise manner ever reached.

MAURY ALLEN/WWW.THECOLUMNISTS.COM, GANNETT NEWSPAPERS

I think you'll not only enjoy yourself but learn a few things that you didn't know about Barry Bonds. And perhaps you'll come to realize as I have, that he's not only a great ballplayer, but a most interesting person.

BRUCE MACGOWAN/KNBR RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO

Travers appears to have the right credentials for the task: He is a former minor leaguer who also penned screenplays in addition to a column for the San Francisco Examiner. He calls on that background in crafting a straightforward, warts-and-all profile that remains truthful without becoming a mean-spirited hatchet job...

USA TODAY BASEBALL WEEKLY

(Steve Travers) is a Renaissance Man...a great read...entertaining.

JIM ROME SHOW

A great new baseball book and must-read for fans of the Giants and Barry Bonds.

MIKE MCDOWD/KFTY 50, SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA

Travers' work is a remarkably frank assessment of Bonds' character, his background, his flaws and virtues...

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

Steve Travers is a great writer, an educated athlete who knows how to get inside the player's heads, and when that happens, greatness occurs. He's gonna be a superstar...the best columnist in the Bay Area.

DAVE BURGIN/EDITOR, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER

Steve Travers is a phenomenal writer, an artist who labors over every word to get it just right, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of sports and history.

###### STREETZEBRA MAGAZINE

Bonds books paints tough portrait.

DWIGHT CHAPIN/SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

A very interesting read which is not your average baseball book...Steve has achieved his bona fides when it comes to having the credentials to write a book like this.

GEOFF METCALFE/KSFO RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO; SYNDICATED ON WORLDNETDAILY

This is a fascinating book written by a man who knows his subject matter inside and out.

IRV KAZE/KRLA RADIO, LOS ANGELES

Get this book. You've brought Bonds to life.

FRED WALLIN, SYNDICATED SPORTSTALK RADIO HOST, LOS ANGELES

This promises to be the biggest sports book of 2002.

GREP PAPA/KTCT RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO

This cat struck out Kevin Mitchell five times in one game. I'll read the book for that reason alone. Plus, he hangs out with Charlie Sheen. How do I get that gig?

###### ROD BROOKS/KTCT RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO

...gossipy, easy-to-read tale...explores the sports culture that influences this distinguished slugger...entertaining.

LIBRARY JOURNAL

Warts-and-all...Travers explores Bonds' mercurial temper and place in baseball history.

NOVATO ADVANCE

...the first comprehensive biography of Barry Bonds.

BUD GERACIE/SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

Travers thought he hit the jackpot...

FURMAN BISCHER/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION

Travers...hit the big time...Travers...established himself as a writer of many dimensions...a natural.

JOHN JACKSON/ROSS VALLEY REPORTER

Travers is a minor league pitcher turned sports writer, and therefore qualified to evaluate [Larry] Dierker's thought process in ordering all those walks regardless of the score or the situation.

STAN HOCHMAN/PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

...looks at all of Barry's warts, yet remains in the end favorable to him. Not an easy balancing act. This is not your average sports book. It is edgy and filled with laughs... and inside baseball. Good, solid reading.

AMAZON.COM

GRAND SLAM HOME RUN. Travers, a former baseball pitcher himself, delves into the mind of Bonds.

BORDERS.COM

It reveals some aspects of his relationship with Willie Mays and is instructive in what makes Barry tick, good and bad.

STOCKTON RECORD

It's a great read.

PETE WILSON/KGO RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO

"This a good book that really covers his whole life, and informs us where Bonds is coming from. His entire life is laid out. He is very qualified to continue to write books such as this one. Good job."

MARTY LURIE/"RIGHT OFF THE BAT" OAKLAND A'S PRE-GAME HOST

...a quality piece...(Travers) uses his experiences in baseball...providing a humorous glimpse into the life of a player. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely...laughed out loud several times at Travers' unique way of explaining his experiences. This book is definitely worth the time.

JOHN KENNY/ESPORTNEWS.COM

Travers' account mentions everything from cocaine to sex to car crashes to what Bonds said he would do to Roger Clemens...more than a "hit" piece.

JOHNSON CITY PRESS

Travers' book does do a more well-rounded job of solving the mystery of who Bonds is...appealing...is the more inside look at Bonds in Travers' book.

SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS

...Travers' work is every baseball aficionado's dream.

FAIRFIELD DAILY REPUBIC

You've created quite a stir here at the station, with the Giants, and throughout baseball.

RICK BARRY SHOW/KNBR RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO

You've stirred a hornet's nest here, man.

JT "THE BRICK"/SYNDICATED NATIONAL SPORTS HOST

This is a controversial subject and a controversial player, but you've educated us.

RON BARR/"SPORTSLINE", ARMED FORCES RADIO NETWORK

A baseball player who can write...who knew? This one sure can!

ARNY "THE STINKIN' GENIUS" SPANYER/FOX SPORTS RADIO, LOS

ANGELES

You know baseball like few people I've ever spoken to.

ANDY DORFF/SPORTSTALK HOST, PHOENIX, PHILADELPHIA AND NEW JERSEY

Congratulations...a tour de force.

KATE DELANCEY/WFAN RADIO, NEW YORK CITY

Good work!

DON SHIELDS/WRKD RADIO, HONOLULU

I really loved this book.

DAVID UNKLE/WNJC RADIO, NEW JERSEY

Good stuff.

BRIAN LONG/KGEO RADIO, BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA

I can't stand Bonds, but you've done a good job with a difficult subject.

GRANT NAPIER/SACRAMENTO SPORTSTALK HOST

Steve's a literate ex-athlete, an ex-Trojan and a veteran of Hollywood, too.

LEE "HACKSAW" HAMILTON/XTRA RADIO, SAN DIEGO

A great book about a great player.

KTHK RADIO, SACRAMENTO

A gem.

ROSEVILLE PRESS-TRIBUNE

Here's the man to talk to regarding the subject of Barry Bonds.

JOHN LOBERTINI/KPIX TV, SAN FRANCISCO

He's enlightened us on the subject of Bonds, his father, and Godfather, Willie Mays.

BRIAN SUSSMAN/KPIX TV, SAN FRANCISCO

I hate Bonds, but you're okay.

SCOTT FERRALL/SYNDICATED NATIONAL AND NEW YORK

SPORTSTALK HOST

You've done some good writin', dude.

KFOG RADIO, SAN FRANCISCO

One of the better baseball books I've read.

KOA RADIO, DENVER

...the "last word" on Barry Bonds...

SCOTT REIS/ESPN TV

...a hot new biography on Barry Bonds...

DARIAN HAGAN/CNN

...one of the great sportswriters on the current American scene, Steve Travers...

JOE SHEA/RADIO TALK HOST, BRADENTON, FLORIDA AND EDITOR, AMERICAN-REPORTER.COM

u

R

T

E

R

.COM

u

Goux, Marv, in a phone

nterview with the author, _StreetZebra_ , August 2000.

Goux, Marv, in a phone

interview with the author, _StreetZebra_ , August 2000.

Goux, Marv, in a phone i

nterview with the author, _StreetZebra_ , August 2000.

McKay, John, in a pho

ne interview with the author, _StreeZebra_ , March 2000.

Goux, Marv in a phone

interview with the author, _StreetZebra_ , August 2000.

Goux, Marv, in a phone

interview with the author, _StreetZebra_ , August 2000.

J. Perry, pers. comm. (writt

en correspondence, etc.) with the author, March 200

5.

Rhoden, William, _New York Times_ , December 2003.

J. Prugh, pers. comm. (written correspondence) with the author, March 2005; (conversation in a lunch meeting

as not "accidental" but was secondary to Dr. King's.

(1) J. Papadakis and/or S. Cunningham, pers. comm. with S. Travers. (2) Young, Charlie Willie Brown, Manfred Moore, John Vella, John Hannah, Rod Martin, Rod McNeill, Clarence Davis, Jim Perry, Tom Kelly and Dave Brown, in phone interviews with the author, February-March 2005, confirmed the Papadakis/Cunningham communications. (3) Papadakis, John and Sam Cunningham, pers. comm. (W Publishing Group conference call) with S. Travers, K. Etue and C. Wiley, January 14, 2005. (4) Papadakis, John and Sam Cunningham, _USC-UCLA Rivalry_ speeches, Rotary Club, Culver City, Caliofrnia, December 2, 2005. (5) John Papadakis and Sam Cunningham in various media interviews, including but not limited to _Mobile Press-Register,_ Fox Sports Radio, Fox Sports Net. (6) This is an interesting observation, one that Travers found to be telling in terms of different perspectives. Travers, looking for historical perspective, detected a strong understanding of history among most of the interviewees, particularly Cunningham's teammates, and how the 1970 game effected America. This subject was discussed by Cunningham with Travers, and Cunningham showed a strong understanding of his place in the historical context. (7) Part of the "vessel" question addressed by Travers. Cunningham's place in history was constantly referred to by Papadakis, too, in public and private settings. Travers gleaned through numerous interviews that Cunningham also understood his role in history w

understood his role in history was not "accidental."
