With track and field currently dominating the Olympics, I can’t help but think about what is going to happen in 2028.

Specifically, if you watch the daytime track and field sessions at the Stade de France in Paris, everyone looks very comfortable even on hot days because the stadium has a roof that provides shade for the fans.

There will be no such luck for those going to the Coliseum. Imagine sitting there at 12 p.m. for the qualifying heats in the blazing sun? It will be a lot more uncomfortable than Paris.

Back in 2015, the L.A. Olympic actually envisioned a Coliseum with a roof but obviously it never made it for the renovation.

• And now for some history:

Can you name this Trojan from the 1974 season? The answer is at the bottom of the column.

• USC’s had a pretty quiet Olympics but you won’t hear that from USC. Rai Benjamin is a gold-medal favorite in the 400-meter hurdles but it’s been a disappointing Olympics. Take into consideration that Cal has won a gold medal so far but USC has not.

One big problem is swimming. Just look at the past USC coaches. Fred Cady coached four Olympic diving teams (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948).

USC legend Peter Daland, who won nine NCAA titles, was the U.S. Olympic women’s swimming head coach in 1964 and the men’s head coach in 1972.

Dalend’s successor, Mark Schubert, was a member of the U.S. Olympic coaching staff in 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Schubert’s successor, Dave Salo, coached on the staff of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team but things have really dried up the past 12 years. That is because the athletic directors didn’t value swimming.

• Nobody remembers Cady, who was a descendant of women’s rights pioneer Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Besides coaching at USC for 33 years, he was also a sculptor and painter. His portrait of the horse, Azucar, hung in the Los Angeles Turf Club at Santa Anita.

• Actor Henry Fonda came to USC on Jan. 7, 1975, to speak to a Cinema class.

“I don’t often see my films,” Fonda said. “I couldn’t stand the sound of my own voice and if that’s the way I looked — I didn’t want any part of it.

“Of the 85 films I’ve made, I doubt I’ve seen more than 15 of them.”

• John McKay was athletic director and football coach at USC in 1975. The Daily Trojan offered a scathing analysis of his administrative performance.

“Until recently, McKay never acknowledged one of USC’s head coaches, either by correct name or any name at all. The coach’s name is only on McKay’s office wall.”

Or this: “Despite the fact McKay was listed as tournament director of the Trojan Classic (basketball tournament), he never quite made it either night to the Sports Arena. Instead, a guy no longer associated with USC, Craig Fertig, was there in his place.”

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

USC vs. UCLA, 1977. Friday Night football. On ABC. The best.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

This was another touching moment from the Olympics, as Chinese gymnast Zhou Yaquin had to follow the lead of her Italian counterparts during the medal ceremony. Of course, this is from a European broadcast, where they actually care about things besides the U.S. teams/athletes.

Zhou Yaqin had absolutely no idea what was happening and was just happy to be there. pic.twitter.com/RwjxXGbXDI

— Ben (@Jamin2g) August 5, 2024

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• It doesn’t look like Hall and Oates will ever perform again but here’s a music break from the 1970’s with “Rich Girl.”

PHOTO ANSWER

It’s USC wide receiver Shelton Diggs, who famously caught the winning 2-point conversion in the Trojans’ 18-17 victory over Ohio State in the 1975 Rose Bowl. Diggs went to San Bernardino High School.

Here is Diggs’ teammate, tailback Dwight Ford, who played at Bell High School.