FOOTBALL

If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

I spoke to someone at USC this week who had a conversation with USC coach Clay Helton.

“You can hear in his voice he knows that he’s gone,” the USC employee said.

  • Athletic director Mike Bohn addressed USC coaches last week. One coach paraphrased a comment from Bohn this way: “If there’s an (NCAA) issue, come to us. If something surfaces later and you didn’t come to us, then you’re fired.”
  • Why has Cal coach Justin Wilcox done a pretty good job everywhere except USC? The best answer I ever heard came from a former USC assistant coach: “He seems to relate better to overachievers and never really connected with the five-star types that you get at USC. Kids that come in with a big reputation. He’s better with the three stars who can’t just rely on their talent.”
  • USC waited until Thursday to offer Class of 2022 wide receiver Larry Turner-Gooden of Calabasas, where former Butkus Award winner Chris Claiborne is the coach. LSU, Oregon, Penn State, Florida and Tennessee offered Turner-Gooden long ago but USC just got around to it this week.
  • And people wonder why USC has the 11th-best recruiting class in the Pac-12?
  • Four of the nine USC students who died since August are believed to have died of overdoses of drugs and/or alcohol, USC Public Safety assistant chief David Carlisle told CNN.
  • USC signed men’s tennis player Sean Holt to a letter of intent Wednesday. His mother is former professional tennis player Tracy Austin. Holt’s older brother, Brandon, is a senior tennis player at USC.
  • Remember cornerback Trey Davis, who signed with USC but left during the summer and transferred to Washington State? He was dismissed from the team Thursday for a rules violation. Davis played in four games at Washington State.
  • The picture above is from the 1965 USC-Cal game and features tailback Mike Garrett.
  • What is the over/under on penalties for USC on Saturday night? I’ll say eight.
  • If you ever attended at USC-Cal game at Berkeley, you experienced walking up the hill to Memorial Stadium. It reminds me of former USC basketball and baseball coach Sam Barry.

On Sept. 23, 1950, Barry died of a heart attack while he walked up a hill west of Memorial Stadium. Barry was scouting the Santa Clara-California game for USC. He was an assistant football coach prior to the 1950 season but confined to scouting because of poor health.

When Barry collapsed, police sergeant Jack Fink held Barry on his lap as they raced to Cowell Memorial Hospital in a commandeered jeep. When they reached the hospital, Barry was pronounced dead.

More than 300 attended a mass at St. Vincent’s church on Figueroa St. and Adams Blvd. There were more than 70 honorary pallbearers. The actual pallbearers included Barry’s assistant baseball coach, Rod Dedeaux, athletic director Willis O. Hunter, assistant football coaches Ray George, Roy Baker and basketball coach Forrest Twogood.

Barry is one of only three coaches in college sports history to lead teams to the Final Four and College World Series. He also coached USC’s football, basketball and baseball teams at the same time. And he created the center stripe and 10-second rule in basketball.

Barry is also the only USC coach to adorn a Wheaties box.

WHEATIES.BARRY


33 thoughts on “If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column”

    1. Athletic director Mike Bohn addressed USC coaches last week. One coach paraphrased a comment from Bohn this way: “If there’s an (NCAA) issue, come to us. If something surfaces later and you didn’t come to us, then you’re fired.”

      “BREAKING NEWS: Andy Enfield is packing up his office along with many other southern cal coaches!

      What a joke of a school! Kids jumping off roof tops, popping pills and drinking themselves to death! and killing a coach with a heart problem by making him walk up a hill to scout Santa Clara??!! Only at clown college!

      Liked by 1 person

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      3. Alv —Ha! That thought didn’t occur to me….hmmmmm….
        #AtLeastHe’sNotUsingMyName[LikeSomeoneDidYesterday]…
        #[AsWeGoInto’Bear’PortionOfSeason,ThingsMayGetUgly]…

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Ted isn’t my alias; Ted speaks for himself.

        However, in this case, MG, I do agree with Ted’s point. In fact, I believe Clown U could change its name to Roger Stone Memorial University w/o much fanfare.

        I mean, Mr. Stone blatantly threatened to clip a subpoenaed witness’ dog if the witness refused to commit perjury in favor of Mr. Stone.

        #SUCCX succs on

        Like

      2. My dear friend Owns—I’m not sure if Sam Barry’s death should lead to name change for the coliseum —but I see your point about Roger Stone…
        #…NewBumperSticker: “LeavePetsOuttaPolitics”

        Liked by 1 person

  2. When it comes to penalties this weekend all bets are off. Remember Cal was the recipient of a major bungle against WSU. So I expect the refs to be extra vigilant in their calls. Obvious calls such as false start and delay of game are going to get called, but those calls that could go either way to favor one team over another are out. Pass interference shouldn’t get called because USC’s secondary is too slow to interfere with passes.
    One note that was missed is that when they say the game was over in the first quarter, someone has to tell the defense it’s a figure of speech. The game might be over as far as the scoring goes but the team still must play all four quarters, so please announcers and coaches, avoid using that particular statement even if we are ahead.

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  4. Justin Wilcox failed at USC, because Steve Sarkisian’s offense was three downs, and out on a regular basis. For Wilcox not being able to relate to 4 and 5 star athletes, sounds ridiculous as Tim Drevno’s excuse for not recruiting them 😂

    Liked by 4 people

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      1. Alv — Law of Diminishing Returns explains attendance at Cal over the decades…
        #HeltonPrivatelyVowedToMasterTheoryDirectlyAfterRoseBowl….

        Liked by 2 people

  7. Late addition to the Friday notes column
    (and pardon me for talking MBB, but it WAS mentioned above)…

    Evan Mobley signed his NLI for USC MBB Wednesday, joining his brother and dad on the team. If Okongwu (hereafter Big O) decides to stay after this season (ie, no “one and done”), and perhaps Obannon finds his game, USC MBB will finally be raucous fun to watch in 2020/1. (This year should be entertaining.)

    Bring on the snarks….

    Liked by 2 people

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      1. How about a retroactive for 60+ years of coverup for ‘the peckerwood’? They can contrast the shortman playing UNLV tonight with ‘jonniekins’ crying to Nellie to help him be a man and not face Tarkanian?

        Like

  8. Given the 3 Stars Helton has been signing, Wilcox may be the perfect replacement. Also, I made that walk up the hill to Memorial Stadium two years ago. It is a challenge.

    Liked by 2 people

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      1. Guarino
        You guys should be so lucky to have Wilcox as your head coach. Look at his asst’s for instance. Probably the best group on the west coast. Almost no turnover. No double speak. Much stronger with the player personnel issues.
        BravoSierra on the ‘only likes 3*’. CAL can’t interest many 4* & 5* right now.
        Right now, I’m 90% happy with him & I believe he represents CAL very well. Terrific football knowledge. No discord on the team that I’m aware of. Improving grad rate.

        #ButICan’tHandleLoosing2OSU
        #KMAMule

        Liked by 1 person

  9. SCooter,

    You sound like that Rat Fink Adam Schiff when you said you spoke to a person who spoke to Helton. That piece of turd Schiff is going by heresay, just like you. You go speak to Helton himself and see what he sounds like. You have no idea what Helton was thinking of when the coach or the other person was speaking to him. he might have been thinking of many different things. Get out of your mom’s basement and go and talk to him, unless he is not talking to you.

    Liked by 2 people

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    3. Pasadena, aren’t you in the 28th Congressional District? If so, Schiff is YOUR Congressman and you are partially responsible for him. I think a confession on your part might be in order. How about it?

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      Reply

      1. What are you nuts? Where do you live boyo? Anyone south of the Tehachapis has only dems in their district. Here ion the southbay it’s a true choice of cancer or polio (my apologies to Messrs. Jagger-Richards) Ted Lieu or Maxine Waters.

        Demoncrats do the biding of their massahs’ the 4th estate and that pckmarked pig Soros

        Liked by 1 person

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