USC Trojans football

The USC Trojans football program, established in 1888, represents the University of Southern California in college football. USC is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS and the Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12). The Trojans are a football powerhouse, and have been throughout NCAA history, claiming 11 national championships. In total, 473 Trojans have been taken in the NFL Draft, more than from any other university.

1888–1910s
USC first fielded a football team in 1888. Playing its first game on November 14 of that year against the Alliance Athletic Club, gaining a 16–0 victory. Frank Suffel and Henry H. Goddard were playing coaches for the first team which was put together by quarterback Arthur Carroll; who in turn volunteered to make the pants for the team and later became a tailor. USC faced its first collegiate opponent the following year in fall 1889, playing St. Vincent’s College to a 40–0 victory.

In 1893, joined the Intercollegiate Football Association of Southern California (the forerunner of the SCIAC), which was composed of USC, Occidental College, Throop Polytechnic Institute (Cal Tech), and Chaffey College. Pomona College was invited to enter, but declined to do so. An invitation was also extended to Los Angeles High School.

Before they were named Trojans in 1912, USC athletic teams were called the Methodists, as well as the Wesleyans. During the early years, limitations in travel and the scarcity of major football-playing colleges on the West Coast limited its rivalries to local Southern Californian colleges and universities. During this period USC played regular series against Occidental, Caltech, Whittier, Pomona and Loyola. The first USC team to play outside of Southern California went to Stanford University on November 4, 1905, where they were trampled 16–0 by the traditional West Coast powerhouse. While the teams would not meet again until 1918 (Stanford dropped football for rugby union during the intervening years), this was also USC's first game against a future Pac-12 conference opponent and the beginning of its oldest rivalry. During this period USC also played its first games against other future Pac-12 rivals, including Oregon State (1914), California (1915), Oregon (1915) and Arizona (1916).

Between 1911–1913, USC followed the example of California and Stanford and dropped football in favor of rugby union. The results were disastrous, as USC was soundly defeated by more experienced programs while the school itself experienced financial reverses; however, it was during this period that Owen R. Bird, a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, coined the nickname "Trojans", which he wrote was "owing to the terrific handicaps under which the athletes, coaches and managers of the university were laboring and against the overwhelming odds of larger and better equipped rivals, the name 'Trojan' suitably fitted the players."

1920s–1930s
After several decades of competition, USC first achieved national prominence under head coach "Gloomy" Gus Henderson in the early 1920s. Another milestone came under Henderson in 1922, when USC joined the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), the forerunner of the modern Pac-12. Success continued under coach Howard Jones from 1925 to 1940, when the Trojans were just one of a few nationally dominant teams. It was during this era that the team achieved renown as the "Thundering Herd", earning its first four national titles.

1940s–1950s
USC achieved intermittent success in the years following Jones' tenure. Jeff Cravath, who coached from 1942–1950, won the Rose Bowl in 1943 and 1945. Jess Hill, who coached from 1951 to 1956, won the Rose Bowl in 1953. From 1957 to 1959, the Trojans were coached by Don Clark.

The PCC eventually dissolved in 1959, and USC joined the PCC's other three California schools and Washington in immediately forming a new conference, the Athletic Association of Western Universities, under a new charter. After absorbing all of the PCC's final members except for Idaho, the AAWU would change its name to the Pacific-8 Conference in 1968, the Pacific-10 after the 1978 entry of Arizona and Arizona State, and the Pacific-12 after the 2011 entry of Colorado and Utah. (The Pac-12 officially claims the PCC's history as its own, despite the change in charter.)

1960s–1970s
The program entered a new golden age upon the arrival of head coach John McKay (1960–1975). During this period the Trojans produced two Heisman Trophy winners (Mike Garrett and O.J. Simpson) and won four national championships (1962, 1967, 1972 and 1974). McKay's influence continued even after he departed for the NFL when an assistant coach, John Robinson (1976–1982), took over as head coach. Under Robinson, USC won another national championship in 1978 (shared with Alabama; ironically, USC defeated Alabama, 24–14, that same season) and two more players won the Heisman Trophy (Charles White and Marcus Allen).

On September 12, 1970, USC opened the season visiting the University of Alabama under legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and became the first fully integrated team to play in the state of Alabama. The game, scheduled by Bryant, resulted in a dominating 42-21 win by the Trojans. More importantly, all six touchdowns scored by USC team were by black players, two by USC running back Sam "Bam" Cunningham, against an all-white Crimson Tide team. After the game, Bryant was able to persuade the university to allow black players to play, hastening the racial integration of football at Alabama and in the South.

1980s–1990s
In the 1980s, USC football did not realize a national championship, though it continued to experience relative success, with top-20 AP rankings and Pac-10 Conference championships. Under head coaches Ted Tollner (1983–1986) and Larry Smith (1987–1992), each winning the Rose Bowl once, USC was recognized among the nation's top-ten teams three times. However, some alumni had grown accustomed to the programs' stature as a perennial national championship contender. In 1993, Robinson was named head coach a second time, leading the Trojans to a victory in the 1996 Rose Bowl over Northwestern.

However, the winless streaks of 13 years (1983–1995, including the 1994 17–17 tie) to rival Notre Dame and 8 years (1991–1998) to crosstown rival UCLA were unacceptable to many USC supporters. In 1998, head coach Paul Hackett took over the team, but posted an even more disappointing 19–18 record in three seasons. By 2000, some observers surmised that USC football's days of national dominance were fading; the football team's record of 37–35 from 1996 to 2001 was their second-worst over any five-year span in history (only the mark of 29–29–2 from 1956–1961 was worse), and the period marked the first and only time USC had been out of the final top 20 teams for four straight years.

2000–present
In 2009, USC was named “Team of the Decade” by both CBSSports.com and Football.com, as well as the “Program of the Decade” by SI.com, plus was No. 1 in CollegeFootballNews.com’s “5-Year Program Rankings” and was ranked No. 2 in ESPN.com’s “Prestige Rankings” among all schools since 1936 (behind Oklahoma). Additionally, in 2009, ESPN.com ranked USC the second-best program in college football history.

In 2001, athletic director Mike Garrett released Hackett and hired Pete Carroll, a former NFL head coach. Carroll went 6–6 in his first year, losing to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, 10–6. Since then, his teams became highly successful, ranking among the top ten teams in the country, with the exception of 2009 in which the team lost four regular season games.

2002
USC opened 3–2 in 2002, suffering losses to Kansas State and Washington State. However, the Trojans went on to win the rest of their games, completing the regular season 11–2 on the strength of senior quarterback Carson Palmer's breakout performance. After struggling for most of his collegiate career, Palmer excelled in the Pro Style offense installed by new offensive coordinator Norm Chow. In fact, Palmer's performance, particularly in the season-ending rivalry games against Notre Dame and UCLA, impressed so many pundits that he went on to win the Heisman Trophy, carrying every region of voting and becoming the first USC quarterback to be so honored. Despite tying for the Pac-10 title (with Washington State), having the highest BCS "strength of schedule" rating, and fielding the nation's top defense led by safety Troy Polamalu, USC finished the season ranked No. 5 in the BCS rankings. Facing off against BCS No. 3 Iowa in the Orange Bowl, USC defeated the Hawkeyes 38–17.

2003


In 2003, highly touted but unproven redshirt sophomore Matt Leinart took over for Palmer at quarterback. Although his first pass went for a touchdown in a win over Auburn, the Trojans suffered an early season triple-overtime loss to conference rival California in Berkeley. Nevertheless, Carroll guided the team to wins in their remaining games and they completed the regular season 11–1. Before the postseason, both the coaches' poll and the AP Poll ranked USC number #1, but the BCS - which also gave consideration to computer rankings - ranked Oklahoma first, another one-loss team but one that had lost its own Big 12 Conference title game 35–7, with USC ranked third.

In the 2003 BCS National Championship Game, the Sugar Bowl, BCS #2 LSU defeated BCS #1 Oklahoma 21–14. Meanwhile, BCS #3 USC defeated BCS #4 Michigan 28–14 in the Rose Bowl. USC finished the season ranked #1 in the AP poll and was awarded the AP National Championship; LSU, however, won the BCS National Championship title for that year, prompting a split national title between LSU and USC. In the wake of the controversy, corporate sponsors emerged who were willing to organize an LSU-USC game to settle the matter; nevertheless, the NCAA refused to permit the matchup.

2004


In 2004, USC was picked preseason #1 by the Associated Press, thanks to the return of Leinart as well as sophomore running backs LenDale White and Reggie Bush. The defense—led by All-American defensive tackles Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson, as well as All-American linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Matt Grootegoed—was considered to be among the finest in the nation. Key questions included the offensive line, with few returning starters, and the receiving corps, which had lost previous year's senior Keary Colbert and the breakout star of 2003, Mike Williams. Williams had tried to enter the NFL draft a year early during the Maurice Clarett trial, only to be rebuffed by the NFL and subsequently denied eligibility by the NCAA.

Despite close calls against Stanford and California, the Trojans finished the regular season undefeated and headed for the 2004 BCS Championship Game at the Orange Bowl. USC was the second team in NCAA football history to have gone wire-to-wire (ranked first place from preseason to postseason since the AP began releasing preseason rankings); the first was Florida State in 1999 (three other schools went wire-to-wire before the existence of preseason polls - Notre Dame in 1943, Army in 1945 and USC in 1972). Quarterback Leinart won the Heisman Trophy, with running back Bush placing fifth in the vote tally. The Trojans' opponent in the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma, were themselves undefeated and captained by sixth-year quarterback Jason White, who had won the Heisman in 2003; the game marked the first time in NCAA history that two players who had already won the Heisman played against each other. Most analysts expected the game to be close—as USC matched its speed and defense against the Oklahoma running game and skilled offensive line—but the reality proved to be far different. USC scored 38 points by halftime, and won the BCS National Championship Game by the score of 55–19, making them the BCS Champions and earning the team the AP National Championship as well.

In June 2010, after a four-year investigation, the NCAA imposed sanctions against the Trojan football program for a "lack of institutional control," including a public reprimand and censure, a two-year postseason ban, a loss of 30 scholarships over three years, and vacation of all wins in which Reggie Bush participated as an ineligible player, including the 2005 Orange Bowl, in which the Trojans won the BCS National Championship. These sanctions have been criticized by some NCAA football writers,    including ESPN’s Ted Miller, who wrote, “It's become an accepted fact among informed college football observers that the NCAA sanctions against USC were a travesty of justice, and the NCAA’s refusal to revisit that travesty are a massive act of cowardice on the part of the organization.”

Following the NCAA sanctions, BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock stated that a committee would decide whether to vacate USC's 2004 BCS Championship, but the final decision would be delayed until after the NCAA had heard USC's appeals against some of the sanctions. On July 20, 2010, incoming USC president Max Nikias stated that the school would remove jerseys and murals displayed in Bush's honor from its facilities, and would return the school's copy of Bush's Heisman Trophy. On September 14, Bush announced that he would forfeit the Heisman and return his copy of the trophy.

On May 26, 2011, the NCAA upheld all findings and penalties against USC in their infractions case on former players Reggie Bush and basketball player O.J. Mayo. The USC football team did not participate in the Pacific-12 Football Championship Game (although they held the best record in the South division) or a bowl game during the 2011–12 season. The BCS announced June 6, 2011, that it had stripped USC of the 2004 title, but the Associated Press USC still recognizes USC as the 2004 AP National Champion.

2005
The 2005 regular season witnessed a resuscitation of the rivalry with Notre Dame, after a last second play in which senior quarterback Matt Leinart scored the winning touchdown with help from a controversial push from behind by running back Reggie Bush, nicknamed the "Bush Push". The year climaxed with a 66–19 USC defeat of cross-town rival UCLA. Running back Reggie Bush finished his stellar year by winning the Heisman Trophy (later returned by USC and reclaimed by the Heisman Trophy Trust considering Bush accepted improper benefits while at USC and was ineligible during the 2005 season), while Leinart finished third in the Heisman voting. Several other players also earned accolades, being named All-Americans (AP, Football Coaches, Football Writers, Walter Camp, ESPN.com, SI.com, CBS Sportsline.com, Rivals.com, Collegefootballnews.com). These include QB Matt Leinart, RB Reggie Bush, RB LenDale White, S Darnell Bing, OT Taitusi Lutui, OT Sam Baker, WR Dwayne Jarrett, C Ryan Kalil, OG Fred Matua, and DE Lawrence Jackson. Additionally, OL Winston Justice did well enough to forgo his senior year and enter the NFL draft. The regular season ended with two clear cut contenders facing off in the Rose Bowl to decide the national championship. Although USC and Texas were 12–0 entering the game, with USC the slight favorite, USC lost to Texas 41–38.

As with the 2004 season, later NCAA investigations into alleged improper benefits given to Reggie Bush altered the official record of the 2005 Trojan season. All twelve wins from the 2005 season were officially vacated.

2006
For the 2006 football season, USC tried to rebuild its strength following the loss of offensive stalwarts Leinart, Bush, and White, defensive leader Bing, and offensive linemen Matua, Justice, and Lutui. The Trojans developed their offense using unproven QB John David Booty and returning star receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith along with second-year wide-out Patrick Turner. Mark Sanchez, the highly touted QB of the recruiting class of 2005 (Mission Viejo High School) was widely viewed as a dark horse to win the starting job from Booty, although Booty was named the starter at the end of fall training camp. The starting tailback position was initially a battle between returning players Chauncey Washington and Desmond Reed (both recovering from injuries) and heralded recruits Stafon Johnson (Dorsey High School in Los Angeles), C.J. Gable, Allen Bradford and Emmanuel Moody.

USC had many experienced players as well, including linebacker Dallas Sartz and wide receiver Chris McFoy, who had already graduated with their bachelor's degrees and were pursuing master's degrees. Fullback Brandon Hancock would have been part of that group as well until an injury ended his collegiate career. Additionally, fifth year (redshirt) senior linebacker Oscar Lua, running back Ryan Powdrell and offensive lineman Kyle Williams were expected to either start or play frequently in 2006.

The 2006 Trojans came out strong, easily defending their top-10 status throughout the year. However, USC began to display marked inconsistencies, as their margins of victory began to slip. The first setback proved to be a 31–33 loss to unranked Oregon State, in which the Beavers were able to repeatedly capitalize on several Trojan turnovers. Surprisingly, though USC dropped initially in the polls, they worked their way back up to the No. 3 spot by the final week of the season. After defeating both Notre Dame and Cal, the Trojans were considered to be a virtual lock for the National Championship Game against Ohio State. However, USC was shocked in the final game of the season, losing to crosstown rival UCLA 13–9. This eliminated the Trojans from championship contention and opened the door for Florida to become Ohio State's opponent.

On January 6, 2007, 6 days after the Rose Bowl Game, USC kicker Mario Danelo was found dead at the bottom of the White Point Cliff near Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, California.

2007
In July 2007, ESPN.com named USC its #1 team of the decade for the period between 1996 and 2006, citing the Trojans' renaissance and dominance under Coach Carroll.

The 2007 Trojans were the presumptive #1 pick before the season. However they lost two games, including a major upset to 41-point underdog Stanford, and they did not get into the National Championship game. However, the Trojans did win their sixth conference championship and defeated Illinois in the 2008 Rose Bowl Game.

Under Carroll, USC has been known to attract numerous celebrities to its practices, including USC alumni Will Ferrell, George Lucas, LeVar Burton and Sophia Bush as well as Snoop Dogg, Henry Winkler, Kirsten Dunst, Nick Lachey, Dr. Dre, Spike Lee, Alyssa Milano, Flea, Wilmer Valderrama, Jake Gyllenhaal and Andre 3000. The Trojans have also benefited from LA's lack of NFL teams (with the LA Rams and Raiders having left in the early 1990s), combined with the Trojans 21st century success, leading them to sometimes be called LA's "de facto NFL team."

During Pete Carroll's first eight years as head coach, USC has lost only one game by more than seven points, a 27–16 loss at Notre Dame in his first season, until the second half of the 2009 season. The 21st century has also seen the rise of USC football's popularity in the Los Angeles market: without any stadium expansions, USC has broken its average home attendance record four times in a row: reaching 77,804 in 2003, 85,229 in 2004, 90,812 in 2005 and over 91,416 with one game to go in 2006 (the capacity of the Coliseum is 92,000). As of 2011, USC is one of only three of the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams to have never played a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) team since the split of Division I football in 1978.

2008
After beating Penn State in the Rose Bowl, USC finished the season 12–1, and ranked #2 in the Coaches' Poll and #3 in the AP Poll. The 2008 season culminated in USC's seventh straight Pac-10 Championship, seventh straight BCS bowl appearance and seventh straight finish in the top 4 of the AP Poll. This also marked seven consecutive seasons where USC has not lost a game by more than 7 points. Their only loss was on the road against Oregon State, which was mentioned in the preseason as a possible upset.

2009
After beating Boston College in the Emerald Bowl, USC finished the season 9–4, and ranked #20 in the Coaches' Poll and #22 in the AP Poll. USC ended its seven-year streak of Pac-10 Championship, BCS bowl appearance and top 4 finish of the AP Poll. The Trojans started the season strong beating #8 Ohio State at The Horseshoe. But they would lose to four Pac-10 teams (Washington, Oregon, Stanford, and Arizona). Blowout losses to Oregon 47-20 and Stanford 55-21 marked a turning point in USC's season and sparked debate in the media about the future dominance of USC football. After the season concluded, head coach Pete Carroll resigned to accept a head coaching position with the Seattle Seahawks.

In 2009, USC was named “Team of the Decade” by both CBSSports.com and Football.com, as well as the “Program of the Decade” by SI.com, plus was No. 1 in CollegeFootballNews.com’s “5-Year Program Rankings” and was ranked No. 2 in ESPN.com’s “Prestige Rankings” among all schools since 1936 (behind Oklahoma).

2010
On January 12, 2010, Lane Kiffin was hired as the head coach. This came following Pete Carroll's departure from USC to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.

In June 2010, after a prolonged four-year investigation into whether former USC running back Reggie Bush and his family had accepted financial benefits and housing from two sports agents in San Diego while he was a student athlete at USC, the NCAA imposed sanctions against the Trojan football program for a "lack of institutional control," including a two-year postseason ban, the loss of 30 scholarships over three years, and the vacation of all wins in which Bush participated as an "ineligible" player, including the 2005 Orange Bowl, in which the Trojans won the BCS National Championship. These sanctions have been criticized by some NCAA football writers,    including ESPN’s Ted Miller, who wrote, “It's become an accepted fact among informed college football observers that the NCAA sanctions against USC were a travesty of justice, and the NCAA’s refusal to revisit that travesty are a massive act of cowardice on the part of the organization.”

The 2010 team finished 8-5 (5-4 in the Pac-10) and was ineligible for post-season play.

2011
On February 9, 2010, Commissioner Larry Scott announced that the Pac-10 would be considering expanding to twelve schools. The Pac-10 Conference officially became the Pac-12 Conference following the addition of Colorado and Utah on July 1, 2011.

In 2011, although USC finished in first place in its conference division with a 7-2 record, due to their ineligibility to participate in a bowl game, the UCLA Bruins became champions of the inaugural Pac-12 South Division. In the final regular season game, USC's 50-0 win over UCLA was the largest margin of victory in the rivalry since 1930.

The release of the December 4, 2011 final regular season Associated Press college football poll marked USC's return to national prominence with the #5 ranking. The Trojans were not eligible for post season play and did not participate in any Bowl game. When the final AP Football Poll was release USC dropped one spot to the #6 ranking.

2012
USC was ranked number one in The Associated Press’ preseason college football poll for the seventh time in school history and the first time in five seasons, edging out No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 LSU. However, the early season expectations would backfire as the Trojans would eventually finish 7-5 (5-4 versus Pac-12 opponents), including losses to both UCLA and Notre Dame. The team finished second in the Pac-12 South standings and unranked in any poll.

Rivalries
In the first 30 years of USC football, the school maintained rivalries with local Southern California schools like Occidental and Pomona, but these ended by the 1920s when USC joined the PCC and grew into a national caliber team.

A "Perfect Day"
A "Perfect Day" (a phrase created by the school's football announcer Pete Arbogast) to any USC fan is a USC win coupled with losses by Notre Dame and UCLA. The last "Perfect Day" occurred on November 26, 2011, when USC beat UCLA and Notre Dame lost to Stanford. There have been 35 "Perfect Days" since 1960.

The opposite of a Perfect Day occurred on November 17, 2012 when UCLA defeated USC and Notre Dame defeated Wake Forest.

Notre Dame
USC plays the University of Notre Dame each year for the Jeweled Shillelagh. The intersectional game has featured more national championship teams, Heisman trophy winners, All-Americans, and future NFL hall-of-famers than any other collegiate match-up. The two schools have kept the annual game on their schedules since 1926 (except 1943–45 because of World War II travel restrictions) despite the fact that it enjoys neither the possibility of acquiring regional “bragging rights” nor the import of intra-league play that drive most rivalries. Notre Dame leads the series 43 wins to 34 wins. The game is often referred to as the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football.

UCLA
USC's rivalry with UCLA is unusual in that they are one of a few pairs of Division I FBS programs that share a major city. Both are within the L.A. city limits, approximately 10 mi apart. Until 1982 the two schools also shared the same stadium: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The crosstown rivals play each year for city bragging rights and the Victory Bell; and often for the right to go to the Rose Bowl. The UCLA rivalry tends to draw the focus of student supporters since many USC students have friends or family members attending "that other school" (of course, many UCLA students refer to their USC friends in the same manner) and many Southern California families are evenly divided between Trojan Cardinal and Bruin Blue. USC leads the all time series 46 wins 29 losses and 7 ties.



Stanford
Stanford is USC's oldest rival, in a series that dates to 1905. In the early years of football on the West Coast, the power sat in the Bay Area with the Stanford-Cal rivalry and USC rose to challenge the two established programs. During the early and mid-20th century Stanford football occasionally enjoyed periods of great regional success on the gridiron. USC and Stanford, being the two private universities with major football teams on the west coast, naturally drew the ire of one another. During the early 2000s, however, Stanford had not maintained their earlier success and the rivalry has faded to many USC fans. USC has dominated the rivalry leading all time with a record of 56 wins 28 losses and 3 ties.

California
Like Stanford, the University of California, Berkeley also had an early rivalry with USC. USC lost in triple overtime to California in 2003, and some began to suggest that a new more intense rivalry between the Trojans and the Golden Bears was taking shape within the Pac-10. A close 2004 game between the two teams furthered feelings of an intense rivalry. Talk diminished with USC's 35-10 victory in Berkeley in 2005; however, the importance of the 2006 USC-Cal game, which decided the Pac-10's BCS berth, rekindled rivalry talk. In 2007 USC won 24-17, in a rainy contest. In 2008, USC shut down California's offense limiting them to only 3 points, in a 17-3 Trojan victory. In 2009 USC held Cal's offense to only 3 points and steamrolled to a 30-3 victory. In 2010, the game was lopsided from the beginning, by half time USC had scored 42, while Cal did not score at all. This 42-0 halftime score tied the largest deficit at halftime in Cal's history. USC controlled the rest of the game and won 48-14. In 2011, the Trojans defeated the Bears, 30-9. In the past few years the rivalry has regressed, mostly because of the recent lopsided USC victories. The Trojans have won the past 8 meetings.

Tailback U
"Tailback U" is a nickname that emerged during the regime of Hall of Fame college football coach John McKay ('60–'75) and continued by his former offensive coordinator and immediate successor, John Robinson ('76–'82). Running plays of this era included Coach McKay's well-known "Student Body Right" play, which emphasized hard-nosed running in the pass-friendly Pacific-10 Conference. McKay and Robinson produced a number of top-rated players at the tailback position, including four Heisman Trophy winners. Standouts included Mike Garrett, O. J. Simpson, Anthony Davis, Ricky Bell, Charles White, and Marcus Allen. Coach Pete Carroll ('01–'09) continued the trend in later years with current NFL players Reggie Bush, LenDale White and Justin Fargas.

#55
A recent tradition has a selected linebacker wearing the number 55. The number cannot be taken but is assigned by the head coach. Pete Carroll had, at times, refrained from assigning the number if he did not think any player was worthy of it. The linebacker wearing #55 is typically regarded as the anchor of the defense.

Notable players who have worn #55 for USC include Junior Seau, Willie McGinest, Markus Steele, Chris Claiborne, and Keith Rivers; Seau, McGinest, Claiborne and Rivers were all top-10 picks in the NFL Draft. Freshman Lamar Dawson is the most recent #55. The last non-linebacker to wear #55 was offensive center John Katnik in 1989.

Fight On
A phrase commonly used by Trojan fans to greet one another or show support for the team, which is borrowed from the fight song of the same name (i.e., "Fight On for ol' S.C./Our men Fight On to Victory..." The two finger "V" salute for Victory is often given in accompaniment. The term came from a LA Times article in regard to a USC vs. Stanford track meet. Though USC lost by a considerable amount, LA Times writer Olin Bird wrote that USC "Fought on like Trojans". Shortly after changing USC's team name from the "Fighting Methodists" to the "Trojans" in 1912, "Fight On" was taken as its slogan amongst fans.

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is one of the largest stadiums in the U.S. USC has played football in the Coliseum ever since the grand stadium was built in 1923. In fact, the Trojans played in the first varsity football game ever held there (beating Pomona College 23–7 on October 6, 1923). The Coliseum was the site of the 1932 Summer Olympics and hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and track events of the 1984 Olympic Games. Over the years, the Coliseum has been home to many sports teams besides the Trojans, including UCLA football, the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers in 1960 of the AFL, and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball, including the 1959 World Series. The Coliseum has hosted various other events, from concerts and speeches to track meets and motorcycle races. The Coliseum has a present full-capacity of 92,000 seats (almost all are chair-back seats). The Coliseum is located on 17 acre in Exposition Park, which also houses museums, gardens and the Los Angeles Sports Arena. It has also earned the nickname, "The Grand Old Lady".

Howard Jones Field/Brian Kennedy Field
The USC football team practices on campus at Howard Jones Field, which was expanded in the fall of 1998 to include Brian Kennedy Field. In early 1999, Goux's Gate - named for the popular long-time assistant coach Marv Goux - was erected at the entrance to the practice field.

The John McKay Center at USC
Opened in 2012, the $70 Million, 110,000-square-foot athletic and academic center named after legendary football coach John McKay is home to the USC Trojan Football Department. The building houses meeting rooms, coaches’ offices and a locker room for the football program, as well as the Stevens Academic Center (including space for tutoring, counseling, study and computer rooms for student-athletes), a weight room, an athletic training room and a state-of-the-art digital media production facility for all of USC’s 21 sports. The centerpiece of the McKay Center is the two-story video board in the Parker Hughes atrium, which can display six big screen televisions at once as well as promotional videos and graphics. The building has a 60,000-square-foot basement includes weight room, athletic training room, locker rooms and players lounge, a 25,000-square-foot ground floor with Student-Athlete Academic Services center, reception area and outdoor courtyard, and a 25,000-square-foot second floor with football coaches’ offices, football team meeting rooms, outdoor patio and a state-of-the-art video production facility. The John McKay Center is adjacent to Heritage Hall, the Galen Dining Center, and the Brian Kennedy and Howard Jones Fields

Results versus AP Top 10 opponents
USC's record against AP Top 10 opponents last 10 years

Season records
==Awards ==

National titles
USC claims 11 national titles, including seven from the wire service AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll. Two of USC's championships, 1928 and 1939, are based on the Dickinson System, a formula devised by a University of Illinois professor that awarded national championships between 1926 and 1940. The Dickinson System is cited in the Official 2010 NCAA FBS Record Book as a legitimate national title selector. USC's claim is consistent with other FBS programs that won the Dickinson title. In 2004, USC recognized the 1939 squad as one of their national championship teams. The 2004 team was forced to vacate the final two games of its season, including the 2005 Orange Bowl due to NCAA sanctions incurred as a result of loss of institutional control, and namely, in connection with Reggie Bush. USC appealed the sanctions, delaying consideration of vacating USC's 2004 championship by the BCS. Ultimately, USC lost the appeals and forfeited the 2004 BCS championship. The AP has stated that it will not vacate its 2004 championship awarded to USC, and hence the Trojans retain a share of the national title.

Here are the years USC recognizes a national championship:

USC teams have also been selected as national champions in six other years (1929, 1933, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2008) by various nationally published ratings systems or voters. These ratings systems are not generally viewed as part of process of selecting the national championship. USC does not claim to have won titles in any of these years.

Pacific-12 conference titles
The Trojans have suffered only three losing seasons since 1961 and have captured 38 Pac-12 titles (including PCC titles, which today's Pac-12 recognizes as its own). This gives them the 4th most conference championships of any NCAA school, and twice as many as any other Pac-12 member team. From 2002 through 2008, the Trojans won or shared an unprecedented seven consecutive Pac-10 titles.

Bowl games
The Trojans have played in 47 bowl games, a total that trails Alabama's 58 bowl appearances, Texas's 50 bowl appearances, Tennessee's 49 bowl appearances, and Nebraska's 48 bowl appearances. USC has the highest winning percentage in bowl games&mdash;66%&mdash;among teams with at least 15 bowl appearances. Finally, USC's 33 Rose Bowl appearances and 24 victories are the most of any school in a single bowl.

Individual awards
Individual players have won numerous accolades with six officially recognized Heisman Trophy winners, 37 College Football Hall of Fame inductees, and 157 All-Americans. USC's first consensus All-American was offensive guard Brice Taylor in 1925, who notably excelled despite missing his left hand, and who was one of USC's first black players.

Heisman Trophy winners and retired numbers
Seven USC players have been awarded the Heisman Trophy. Six are presently recognized by the Heisman Trust as Heisman Trophy winners following the 2010 vacation of Reggie Bush's 2005 award.

† - Vacated

All-century Trojan football team
selected by fan vote, published in the Orange County Register, November 17, 1999

Offense

QB: Pat Haden, 72-74

FB: Leroy Holt, 85-88

RB: O.J. Simpson, 67-68

RB: Marcus Allen, 78-81

WR: Keyshawn Johnson, 94-95

WR: Lynn Swann, 71-73

TE: Charles Young, 70-72

OL: Ron Yary, 65-67

OL: Brad Budde, 76-79

OL: Tony Boselli, 91-94

OL: Ron Mix, 57-59

OL: Bruce Matthews, 80-82

3rd WR: Johnnie Morton, 90-93

PK: Steve Jordan, 81-84

Defense

DL: Tim Rossovich, 65-67

DL: Marlin McKeever, 58-60

DL: Mike McKeever, 58-60

DL: Aaron Rosenberg, 31-33

LB: Junior Seau, 88-89

LB: Richard Wood, 72-74

LB: Chris Claiborne, 96-98

DB: Ronnie Lott, 77-80

DB: Dennis Smith, 77-80

DB: Dennis Thurman,  74-77

DB: Mark Carrier, 87-89

P : Desmond Koch, 51-53

KR: Anthony Davis, 72-74

All-time USC football team
Chosen by Athlon Sports in 2001

Offense

WR: Lynn Swann 71-73

WR: Keyshawn Johnson 92-95

TE: Hal Bedsole 61-63

OL: Ron Yary 65-67

OL: Tay Brown 30-32

OL: Tony Boselli 91-94

OL: John Baker 29-31

OL: Brad Budde 76-79

OL: Anthony Munoz 76-79

OL: Bruce Matthews 80-82

QB: Pat Haden 72-74

RB: Mike Garrett 63-65

RB: O.J. Simpson 67-68

RB: Charles White 76-79

RB: Marcus Allen 78-81

PK: Quin Rodriguez 87-90

Defense

DL: Ernie Smith 30-32

DL: Tim Ryan 86-89

DL: Harry Smith 37-39

DL: Aaron Rosenberg 31-33

LB: Chris Claiborne 96-98

LB: Richard Wood 72-74

LB: Jack Del Rio 81-84

LB: Junior Seau 88-89

DB: Ronnie Lott 77-80

DB: Morley Drury 25-27

DB: Mark Carrier 87-89

DB: Tim McDonald 83-86

P: Des Koch 51-53

Players

 * Maxwell Award
 * O.J. Simpson, TB (1968)
 * Charles White, TB (1979)
 * Marcus Allen, TB (1981)


 * Walter Camp Award
 * O.J. Simpson, TB (1967)
 * O.J. Simpson, TB (1968)
 * Charles White, TB (1979)
 * Marcus Allen, TB (1981)
 * Matt Leinart, QB (2004)


 * Dick Butkus Award
 * Chris Claiborne, MLB (1998)


 * Lombardi Award
 * Brad Budde, OG (1979)


 * Chuck Bednarik Award
 * Rey Maualuga, LB (2008)


 * AP Player of the Year
 * Matt Leinart, QB (2004)


 * Manning Award
 * Matt Leinart, QB (2004)


 * Outland Trophy
 * Ron Yary, OT (1967)


 * Jim Thorpe Award
 * Mark Carrier, FS (1989)


 * Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
 * Rodney Peete, QB (1988)
 * Carson Palmer, QB (2002)
 * Matt Leinart, QB (2005)


 * John Mackey Award
 * Fred Davis, TE (2007)


 * Fred Biletnikoff Award
 * Marqise Lee, WR (2012)

Coaches

 * Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
 * John McKay, Head Coach (1962), (1972)


 * Home Depot Coach of the Year Award
 * Pete Carroll, Head Coach (2003)


 * Broyles Award
 * Norm Chow, Offensive Coordinator (2002)

College Football Hall of Fame inductees

 * Howard Jones, Head Coach (1951)
 * Morley Drury, B (1954)
 * Mel Hein, Assistant Coach (1954)
 * Harry Smith, G (1955)
 * Erny Pinckert, B (1957)
 * Aaron Rosenberg, G (1966)
 * Ernie Smith, T (1970)
 * Dan McMillan, T (1971)
 * Mort Kaer, B (1972)
 * Aubrey Devine, Assistant Coach (1973)
 * John Ferraro, T (1974)
 * Frank Gifford, B (1975)
 * Cotton Warburton, B (1975)
 * Tay Brown, T (1980)
 * Johnny Baker, G (1983)
 * O.J. Simpson, TB (1983)
 * Mike Garrett, B (1985)
 * Bob Blackman, Assistant Coach (1987)


 * Mike McKeever, G (1987)
 * Ron Yary, T (1987)
 * John McKay, Head Coach (1988)
 * Paul Cleary, E (1989)
 * Mike McGee, Athletic Director (1990)
 * Lynn Swann, FL (1993)
 * Marvin Powell, T (1994)
 * Charles White, TB (1996)
 * Ricky Hunley, Assistant Coach (1997)
 * Ken O'Brien, Assistant Coach (1997)
 * Brad Budde, G (1998)
 * Don Coryell, Assistant Coach (1999)
 * Marcus Allen, TB (2000)
 * Jon Arnett, HB (2001)
 * Ronnie Lott, S (2002)
 * Ricky Bell, TB (2003)
 * Charles Young, TE (2004)
 * Anthony Davis, TB (2005)
 * Richard Wood, LB (2007)
 * Sam Cunningham, FB (2010)

Heisman finalists

 * Jim Sears, HB/S (7th in 1952)
 * Jon Arnett, HB (10th in 1956)
 * O.J. Simpson, TB (2nd in 1967)
 * Anthony Davis, TB (2nd in 1974)
 * Ricky Bell, TB (3rd in 1975 and 2nd in 1976)
 * Charles White, TB (4th in 1978)
 * Paul McDonald, QB (6th in 1979)
 * Rodney Peete, QB (2nd in 1988)
 * Keyshawn Johnson, WR (7th in 1995)
 * Matt Leinart, QB (6th in 2003 and 3rd in 2005)
 * Mike Williams, WR (8th in 2003)
 * Matt Barkley, QB (6th in 2011)
 * Marqise Lee, WR (4th in 2012)

Trojans in the NFL
USC has had more players (473), and more 1st round NFL Draft picks (75) than any other college. 162 Trojans have been selected to the NFL Pro Bowl, while a Trojan has played in all but two Super Bowls.

NFL All-Pro/Pro Bowl

 * Nate Barragar
 * Carson Palmer
 * Troy Polamalu
 * Junior Seau
 * Mark Carrier
 * Bruce Matthews
 * Clay Matthews, Jr.
 * Clay Matthews III
 * Marlin McKeever
 * Joey Browner

Pro Football Hall of Fame

 * Frank Gifford, HB (1977)
 * Ron Mix, OT (1979)
 * Morris 'Red' Badgro, E (1981)
 * O.J. Simpson, RB (1985)
 * Willie Wood, DB (1989)
 * Anthony Muñoz, OT (1998)
 * Ronnie Lott, DB (2000)
 * Lynn Swann, WR (2001)
 * Ron Yary, OT (2001)
 * Marcus Allen, RB (2003)
 * Bruce Matthews, OT,OG,C (2007)

Current players

 * David Ausberry, TE - Oakland Raiders
 * Sam Baker, OT - Atlanta Falcons
 * Charles Brown, OT - New Orleans Saints
 * David Buehler, K - Dallas Cowboys
 * Reggie Bush, RB - Miami Dolphins
 * Jeff Byers, C - Denver Broncos
 * Matt Cassel, QB - Kansas City Chiefs
 * Jordan Cameron, TE - Cleveland Browns
 * Shaun Cody, DT - Houston Texans
 * Brian Cushing, MLB - Houston Texans
 * Fred Davis, TE - Washington Redskins
 * Sedrick Ellis, DT - New Orleans Saints
 * Everson Griffen, DE - Minnesota Vikings
 * Lawrence Jackson, DE - Detroit Lions
 * Winston Justice, OT - Philadelphia Eagles
 * Matt Kalil, OT - Minnesota Vikings
 * Ryan Kalil, C - Carolina Panthers
 * Matt Leinart, QB - Oakland Raiders
 * Deuce Lutui, OG - Arizona Cardinals
 * Kaluka Maiava, MLB - Cleveland Browns
 * Clay Matthews III, OLB - Green Bay Packers
 * Taylor Mays, FS - Cincinnati Bengals
 * Kyle Moore, DE - Buffalo Bills
 * Jurrell Casey, DT - Tennessee Titans
 * Lofa Tatupu, MLB - Atlanta Falcons


 * Rey Maualuga, OLB - Cincinnati Bengals
 * Anthony McCoy, TE - Seattle Seahawks
 * Joe McKnight, RB - New York Jets
 * Fili Moala, DT - Indianapolis Colts
 * Carson Palmer, QB - Oakland Raiders
 * Mike Patterson, DT - Philadelphia Eagles
 * Troy Polamalu, S - Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Chilo Rachal, OG - Chicago Bears
 * Keith Rivers, OLB - New York Giants
 * Frostee Rucker, DE - Cincinnati Bengals
 * Mark Sanchez, QB - New York Jets
 * Steve Smith, WR - St. Louis Rams
 * Malcolm Smith, OLB - Seattle Seahawks
 * Tyron Smith, OT - Dallas Cowboys
 * Kevin Thomas, CB - Indianapolis Colts
 * Terrell Thomas, CB - New York Giants
 * Patrick Turner, WR - New York Jets
 * Damian Williams, WR - Tennessee Titans
 * Mike Williams, WR - Seattle Seahawks
 * Thomas Williams, LB - Buffalo Bills
 * Stanley Havili, FB - Philadelphia Eagles
 * Shareece Wright, CB - San Diego Chargers

Coaches

 * Jeff Fisher, CB (current head coach of the St. Louis Rams, former head coach of the Tennessee Titans)
 * Mike Holmgren, QB (former head coach, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl XXXI Champions)
 * Sam Anno, LB (USC assistant coach)
 * Rocky Seto, LB (Seattle Seahawks assistant coach)
 * Hudson Houck, OL (offensive line coach of the Dallas Cowboys)
 * Jim Fassel, QB (former head coach, New York Giants, Super Bowl; former offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens)
 * Kennedy Polamalu, RB (USC assistant coach)

Broadcasters

 * Frank Gifford, RB (former Monday Night Football commentator)
 * Pat Haden, QB (former NBC color commentator for Notre Dame games, current USC Athletic Director)
 * Sean Salisbury, QB (former ESPN NFL analyst)
 * Paul McDonald, QB (color commentator for USC games)
 * Lynn Swann, WR (ABC Sports commentator; ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Pennsylvania)
 * Petros Papadakis, RB (FSN commentator)
 * John Jackson, WR (FSN commentator)
 * Jason Sehorn, DB (In 2005, Sehorn joined Fox Sports Net, and is currently a panelist on their Sunday NFL pregame show)
 * Bob Chandler, WR (Los Angeles Raiders broadcast team)
 * Rodney Peete, QB (panelist on FSN's Best Damn Sports Show Period!)
 * Tony Boselli, OT (Westwood One Radio Network)
 * Keyshawn Johnson, WR (ESPN)

Actors/Entertainment Industry

 * Nate Barragar, C/G (1929 All-American)
 * Ward Bond, OL
 * Aaron Rosenberg, T
 * John Wayne, T

Media
Radio flagship: KSPN 710-AM in Los Angeles Spanish-language Radio flagship: KTNQ 1020-AM in Glendale, California Broadcasters: Pete Arbogast (play-by-play), Paul McDonald (analyst) and John Jackson (sideline reporter) Spanish-language Broadcasters: Pepe Mantilla (play-by-play), Daniel Arreola (analyst/play-by-play) and Erika Garza (analyst). Past broadcasters: Tom Kelly, Lee Hacksaw Hamilton, Tim Ryan, Larry Kahn, Mike Walden, Chick Hearn, Petros Papadakis, Fred Gallagher, and Mike Lamb, among the most recent USC radio broadcasters. Until 1995, radio station KNX AM-1070 in Los Angeles was the school's football flagship station. From 2001 to 2006, KMPC AM-1540 was the Trojan's flagship station. Pete Arbogast, who has called Trojans football for 14 of the last 20 seasons, announced his sixth Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2009. Arbogast also called the Rose Bowl game for USC for the university's campus radio station, KSCR, in 1978 and 1979 Public address announcer: Dennis Packer