The Usc Trojans

For more than 120 years, the University of Southern California Trojans have maintained a tradition of football excellence that has placed the team among the perennial elite in the collegiate ranks. Eleven national championships, 38 conference titles, 150 All-Americans, and seven Heisman Trophy winners all stand as testaments to the greatness of the Cardinal and Gold. This definitive reference chronicles the history of USC football from its first-ever game on November 14, 1888--a 16-0 victory over the Alliance Athletic Club--through 2012. Synopses of each season include game-by-game summaries, final records, ultimate poll rankings, and team leaders in major statistical categories. Biographies of head coaches and all-time USC greats, a roster of every player to don a Trojan uniform, a look at USC football traditions, and a catalog of honors received by both players and coaches through the years complete this essential encyclopedia for the Trojan faithful.

Nothing about history pops off a page better than illustrative photos. And nothing can tell the story of the first century of the Trojans better than the nearly 200 photos collected in Historic Photos of USC Football. The slow but inexorable transformation from muddy, sloppy fields, leather helmets, unprotected faces, and basic bleachers to modern turf, sophisticated head gear, sleek uniforms, and gargantuan stadiums is clearly and impressively shown in these images. Marion Morrison before he became John Wayne, the Trojans as they became the Thundering Herd, Coach Elmer "Gloomy Gus” Henderson actually smiling, the Trojans in derby hats in Chicago celebrating, and Turd the forgotten mascot are all captured here through the camera’s eye. Whether it’s the drama of big games, the gimmicky publicity photos of a bygone era, or the unrelenting demands of practice, the story of this uniquely ambitious team is told here in gridiron detail.

In this lively history of Southern California football, Steven Travers makes the case that under coach Pete Carroll (54-10), the Trojans have overtaken Notre Dame as the greatest ever collegiate tradition. USC has produced legendary gridiron coaches and stars. They have tied Notre Dame for the most national championships (11) and Heisman Trophy winners (seven); have the best bowl record, the most Rose Bowl victories, the most All-Americans, the most pro players, the most first round draft picks, the most number one draft picks, and more.

Tom Kelly, the legendary signature voice of USC sports for nearly five decades, combines with coauthor Tom Hoffarth of the Daily News of Los Angeles to take Trojan fans on a journey of memories and previously untold anecdotes from and about many of the great coaches, players, teams, and games in USC football history, as well as other sports. His story in Southern California starts with the recommendation of Jack Buck that he be hired as Chick Hearn’s color man on USC football and basketball games in 1961. During Kelly’s forty-plus year run, the Trojans boasted five Heisman Trophy winners, won five national championships, and played in 14 Rose Bowls and 24 overall bowl games. Kelly, who won five Golden Mike Awards and was named California’s Sportscaster of the Year three times, was inducted into USC’s Hall of Fame. His stories and anecdotes will become a must-read for all Trojan fans.

In 2000, the University of Southern California Trojans were named Collegiate Athletic Department of the 20th Century. However, it still seemed that the greatest historical football program was USC's biggest rival, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In this lively history of USC football, Travers makes the case that under the guidance of coach Pete Carroll the Trojans have overtaken Notre Dame as the "greatest ever" collegiate tradition. Illustrated with both historic and contemporary photos and containing anextensive appendix listing college football's all-time greatest teams by year, this book celebrates college football's best and provides a blow-by-blow account of perhaps the greatest game ever played: the 2006 USC-Texas Rose Bowl.

The Trojan Alphabet is the ultimate alphabet book for every young USC Trojan fan and their family. A is for All-American and USC has quite a few, B is for Band and C is for Coliseum known as "the Greatest Stadium in the World". The 32-page book is filled with vibrant images of players, coaches, and iconic landmarks that will have your child asking to read over and over again.

From celebrated sports journalist Steve Delsohn comes the true story of University of Southern California football, told by those who know it best--the players, coaches, and everyone else who made USC football one of the most legendary programs in America. Over the years, USC has been surrounded by controversy, even as it won 11 national titles and produced six Heisman winners and numerous future NFL stars. This book will tell the story of the program at its best and worst, with a special focus on the past 40 years, starting with the "Tailback U" dynasty years of the 1970s--when the school won three championships in less than a decade--right up through the modern era in which iconic figures such as Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush had tremendous success and went on to NFL glory, but left tremendous controversy in their wake.