Former Ferris State All-American offensive tackle Bryce George has committed to Iowa. He was considering USC and Cal.

• Former USC defensive lineman Lorenzo Cowan has committed to Kentucky.

• It’s such a shame USC is not doing a spring game. This is usually when fans are getting excited because they get their first look at the team in the scrimmage.

• USC defensive lineman Solomon Tuliaupupu entered the transfer portal Feb. 13 but has not found a new school yet.

• And now for some history:

Here are some of the stars of the 1958 team featured in the USC-Notre Dame game program, when illustrations told the story from the legendary Art Brewster.

• Marv Goux was famous for his pre-game rally speeches on Thursdays in the locker room in the basement of the P.E. Building and later in Heritage Hall.

In 1969, before USC played Nebraska, Goux started off, “We’ve been kicking each other’s asses in practice since spring. ARE WE READY FOR MEAT?!!”

“Yeah!” the Trojans would respond.

“They call us ‘The Wild Bunch’!” Goux said. “Well, we’re gonna take 50 wild people back there where they say they’ll have 60,000! Just remember you’re the best — you’re from Southern California, and we have the best football players in the country!

“You’ve worked and sweated and took a lot. Now it’s YOUR turn to go out and get ’em! SPIRIT AND PRIDE — if you don’t have it, then don’t get on the bus!

“It’s like a fight — a big street fight!” Goux told the team, which surrounded him. “And when you get knocked down in a street fight and you don’t get up, who are you? Don’t come on this trip! Remember that! Have PERSONAL PRIDE!”

No. 5-ranked USC went to Nebraska and defeated the Cornhuskers, 31-21.

• Don Buford was a talented tailback/outfielder at USC in the 1950’s. In 1958, he was named to the Notre Dame all-opponent team. It was a nice honor. The other tailback, Pete Dawkins of Army, won the Heisman Trophy that year. Another member of the team was Pitt tight end Mike Ditka.
• In 1966, after USC reserve tailback Jim Lawrence gained 89 yards and scored a TD vs. Cal in his first start, someone left a cane on the doorstep of his fraternity.
  
  A note was left with the cane that had the name of UCLA defensive back Mark Gustafson but Gustafson did not send it.
  
  “I thought it was a pretty good joke,” Lawrence said. “I don’t think Gustafson really sent it. Football players don’t do things like that. Besides, he’s got Stanford to worry about (this week), not us.”
  Said Gustafson: “It would be awful stupid for a football player to send something like that. It’s ridiculous. If it was reverse, I wouldn’t believe a USC player did it. I’m convinced it was sent by a prankster.”
• In 1969, KFI-AM aired “The John McKay Show” on Friday evenings during the football season.
• A building block of USC’s success in the 1960’s and 70’s was junior-college transfers. Consider that in 1965, 14 JC transfers joined the team:
• Dennis Crane (San Bernardino Valley), Tony Kochinas (Pierce), Jim Lawrence (New Mexico Military), Ray May (Los Angeles City College), Mike Westphal (Long Beach City College), Leonard Sims and Greg Wojcik (Orange Coast) came in the fall. They joined spring enrollees Mickey Upton (San Bernardino Valley), Gary Fite (Chaffey), Larry Petrill (El Camino), Jim Homan (Long Beach), Mike Scarpace (Valley), Ron Yary (Cerritos) and Bill Hayhoe (L.A. Valley).
• That group included four JC All-Americans (Upton, Petrill, Yary and Wojcik) and five all-conference picks (May, Westphal, Sims, Scarpace and Fite).
• Lawrence was Orange County high school Back-of-the-Year at Buena Park High School and Kochinas was Northern League Player-of-the-Year at Lincoln High in Los Angeles.
• Yary, Petrill and Homan were all-conference at USC.

PICTURES OF THE DAY

Claudia Cardinale turned 87 this week.

France Nuyen

VIDEO OF THE DAY

It’s a Friday night in 1975 and at 1 a.m. on NBC comes The Midnight Special. This amazing episode is hosted by the Electric Light Orchestra, features an unheard of four-song set from Linda Ronstadt, then features the dynamic Rufus with Chaka Khan and the Ohio Players. And of course, Wolfman Jack.

This was just eight months after USC students didn’t even sell out a concert by Ronstadt at Cromwell Field.

A USC sophomore wrote: “Students have waited too long for this concert to have Linda Ronstadt thrown in their faces.”

The concert lost at least $8,000 because only 2,000 students attended. A crowd of 4,000 was expected by USC promoters. Only at USC.

But don’t miss this episode of The Midnight Special.