USC Methodists football, 1888–1910

From its inaugural season in 1888 until the school dropped football for rugby from 1911 to 1913, the University of Southern California football team was known as the Methodists or Wesleyens. Most seasons the Methodists played without a head coach and most coaches served only one year, with Harvey Holmes serving the longest for four seasons. The team played nearly all its games in Southern California, with no games outside California. After USC played rugby for three seasons, during which they gained the nickname "Trojans", the university again fielded a football team in 1914 under the supervision of Ralph Glaze.