FOOTBALL

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

Did you see what San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy said the other day?

Purdy, who went to Iowa State, said Cyclones coach Matt Campbell was offered the USC job before Lincoln Riley.

“My senior year, I was leaving, I was out the door,” Purdy told the Bussin with the Boys podcast. “(I) met with him after my senior night and he was crying pretty hard . . . you could tell something was going on, he was going to leave kind of thing.

“(I) met with him the next day and I think USC offered him something legit, before Lincoln Riley. When they offered him some stuff, he was deciding whether to go.”

Purdy and his father met with Campbell the following day.

“He was talking about out in L.A. it’s a different world compared to the Midwest and where he’s used to and being in his kids’ life and stuff,” Purdy said. “It would just be a different kind of environment. Not knocking, USC, California, anything, it’s just different.

“I’m not saying I was the determining factor in that, but I think I gave him a little perspective on being a father, what matters, raising your kids. He could do that at Iowa State.”

So can we blame Purdy for USC hiring Riley? Here’s what I wrote back at the time about Campbell.

  • Jen Cohen has been named the 2024-25 Sandy Barbour Nike D-I FBS Athletic Director of the Year by Women Leaders in Sports.

What convinced them? The football team going 7-6? The men’s basketball team failing to make the NCAA Tournament? The men’s track team winning two NCAA titles is a nice plus. Who hired Quincy Watts?

Oh, and an award named after Barbour? What is Cal’s debt today on the $474 million it spent on its football stadium and training center? And Cal football had the worst graduation rates of any major conference school back in 2012.

  • And now for some history:

If you think USC always had big, physical linemen under John McKay, let’s take a look at Tom Johnson. He started every game in 1963 at offensive guard despite being 6-feet, 194 pounds.

“He doesn’t have a lot of speed but he’s very quick in getting to the target,” USC offensive line coach Ray George said. “Right now, he utilizes every bit of potential he has. He has quickness, good intelligence and desire, but I only wish he was 6-3 and 235. With all those assets, he’d be a killer.”

Johnson actually weighed 215 when he arrived from Long Beach City College but lost 20 pounds because he wanted to become quicker.

“Our basic running game centers around the off tackle power play,” Johnson said. “I’m almost like a blocking back on the play. I pull from left guard and lead the back through right tackle, hitting the linebacker.”

  • Paul Westphal led the USC freshman basketball team to a 19-0 record in 1968-69.

With Westphal starting the following season, USC was ranked No. 2 nationally by the Sporting News and Sport magazine’s basketball yearbook. It wasn’t just Westphal. His freshmen team also featured the great Ron Riley and Joe Mackey. USC also brought in JC All-American guard Dennis (Mo) Layton. The fifth starter was Don Crenshaw, the only returning starter. The sixth man was Dana Pagett who was like a starter.

Paul Westphal

The Trojans opened the season against Colorado, which was the Big Eight co-champions and returned all five starters along with 10 lettermen. USC defeated Colorado, 88-74, at the Sports Arena.

A week later, USC beat No. 6 Iowa State, 70-59. The Trojans were now ranked No. 13 and then went to Baton Rouge to face No. 15 LSU. Pete Maravich averaged 44.5 points per game that season (with no 3-point shot).

“They would bust windows to get in to watch us play,” Maravich said. “One night against Southern Cal, for example, they busted windows out. They got ladders. They would climb through the windows. They knocked over a security guard. Fifty fans did that.”

The official crowd was 11,005 to see the Tigers play the Trojans. USC withstood a Maravich barrage of 43 shots. He made 18 and scored 50 points.

The crowning achievement was on March 6, when USC defeated No. 1 UCLA, 87-86, at Pauley Pavilion. At least John Wooden couldn’t complain about the pace of the game like he did when USC upset the Bruins the previous year.

The Trojans trailed, 66-53, with 15 minutes left before mounting a comeback. Crenshaw, who scored 20 points, hit the game-winning free throw with 16 seconds left.

The reward for the victory was another game against UCLA the following night.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Did you know Raquel Welch had a small role on an episode of Bewitched in 1964? If you watch this video, you still won’t know.

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

  2. Westphal, Riley and Mo Layton, what an SC team, but they could not get by ucla’s Patterson, Rowe and Wicks, and hence were not invited to the Tournament

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    1. KAM: Westphal turned down the opportunity to win 3 NCs at UCLA to become a Trojan.

      DON: Imagine turning down John Wooden… going to USC back then meant something special.

      Liked by 2 people

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      2. KAM: It still would.

        USC Hasn’t ever won a men’s title since they invented basketball in 1891.

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  3. During a skit on Johnny Carson, Raquel Welch played a wife of Henry VIII who was about to have her head chopped off, to which Raquel replied, “He’ll be losing the best part of me”

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Doc Severinsen quipped that he was wearing Raquel’s bikini bottom but not the top. Carson replied, “They could have made a complete outfit out of her top”

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    1. Nice clip. I still remember Jonathon Winters on Hollywood Squares being asked where the eagle was pictured on the new Silver Dollar—he said ‘on an olive branch’ —when told the correct answer was ‘on the moon’, Jonathon pretended to get mad and said “he has no business being there”!

      Liked by 1 person

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  6. No mention of USC grad Karen Bass, you know, the LA Mayor who spread the rumor of an illegal being kidnapped by ICE and told to self deport, only have it proved that it was all a scam ?

    The same Karen Bass who hob nobs in Ghana while her city burbs even though she was warned of the potential fire danger ?

    The same Karen Bass who publicly stated that the permitting process would be fast tracked, but thousands still haven’t started rebuilding ?

    The same Karen Bass who fiddled while her city was looted, fires burned and riots were the norm for weeks ?

    The same Karen Bass who says you can’t get you car washed in LA because their all closed because ICE has arrested everyone ?

    I could go on and on and on

    Can’t believe Scotty hasn’t done a full Friday notes column on this stellar USC grad.

    Liked by 4 people

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      1. KAM: It’s a miracle how she wins a month after the election is over.

        DON: Imagine how different the response to the Palisades Fire would have been if BassFace hadn’t stole that election and USC’s competent Rick Caruso was in charge on January 7th.

        Liked by 2 people

  7. In that “Bewitched” scene they were trying to set up some comedy, so they made sure only Raquels’ back was visible to avoid distraction

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  9. ‘Life is different in the Midwest than from Los Angeles’ was the advice given to a potential SC coach, for example, the L.A. traffic unless you live downtown or Chinatown

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  11. There was a time when football players were more ‘size relatable,’ and not the physical behemiths of today; where as ucla’s great 1965 team featuring future-coach Terry Donahue playing the defensive line at 190 pounds

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    1. KAM: Before steroids?

      DON: In the 1950s, college football players primarily played both ways due to the one-platoon system, which limited substitutions. This system was in place until the NCAA returned to unlimited substitutions in 1965, allowing for more specialization in player roles and players size increased for specialized positions like Offensive Tackle.

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  12. Since the Tulane game was mentioned, that was the only game in 2022 that received an A+ rating, largely due to one of the great comebacks of all-time– SC played the fool that day, but there is no such thing as ‘bad publicity’

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    2. USC likely lost a few recruits based on their performance in the Tulane game. Who wants to be developed by Coach Grinch? How about Donte Williams? Look at what he’s done for 5 star Domani Jackson!

      Liked by 1 person

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  13. That clip on Johnny Carson of Jonathan Winters shows you comedy genius at work with lines such as:

    (Winter’s wife’s response to him possibly winning an Emmy) “You don’t stand a chance”. And speaking of his wife, “We’re not kids anymore, Johnny. But she’s not bedridden.” Oh, and when she gets tired of my act she’ll ask, “Don’t you have a ballgame to watch?”

    “I was sitting next to some guy who told me he was a professional football player. We were on a bus”

    Liked by 3 people

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      1. And Robin Williams did not go unscathed by Winters– (recalling Robin’s ‘Mork and Mindy’ days)– “Back then you had access to more medication”

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  14. Had some beautiful women on television in the sixties. Bewitched with Elizabeth Montgomery and Gilligan’s Island with Dawn Welles and Tina Louise. Probably was a good thing that Raquel didn’t get the Maryann part. She went on to do better things.

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    1. When my high school buddy, Terry Schofield, played for UCLA under Wooden he stole the ball from Pete and scored. Terry had the fastest hands of anybody I ever sparred with. Great athlete and a great guy.

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      3. I think Floyd Mayweather had the quickest left ….and I think Ray had the quickest right…

        Duran had the best right hand I ever saw. It was brutal.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Never fully understood your criticism of Wooden PT. UCLA was already an established basketball powerhouse with championship by Goodrich, Hazard, Erikson, and Alcindor before Sam Gilbert came along in 67/68. They had momentum in recruiting players based on their past performance. And nobody ever accused Gilbert of being involved in recruiting, paying bribes to players, ect. in exchange for their letter of intent. So what did he do? He opened his house to the players starting in 1969 primarily on Sundays but perhaps other days and would feed them and socialize. He was also a “fix it” man when the players were in trouble. So if some player got a lady pregnant Gilbert would arrange for an abortion and pay for it. (An awful thing) Or if a player was being evicted from their apartment he would pay back rent of a month or two. And he allegedly paid for airline tickets for a few players to return home to visit their parents during a troubling time. That was all there was in the LA Times investigative report on John Wooden and Sam Gilbert. Doesn’t seem much to me. Doubt if it had any affect on the outcome of his championship seasons.

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      1. This entire reply rubbed me the wrong way — it was so…so… fair and well balanced….

        #IAlwaysThoughtYouWereOneOfUs

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Charlie Manson after being sentenced to life: “You have Charlie Manson Derangement Syndrome, Judge.”

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      5. Plow,

        I don;t care for him becuase when he coached from the 40’s up to ’63, he was average with around a .500 record. Gilbert got invovled in ’64 and that is when Gilbert started buying the players. Players were collecting. JD Morgan was very good friends with the ncaa president as well and that helped keep the ncaa off of ugly. Wooden was such a sticker for details that he taught the players how to put on socks and tie their shoes. Yet he never questioned where the clothes came from, the cars, the apt’s, nor the abortions came from. Yet, somone asked him what he thought of his players were getting he said his concious was clear. I was a young boy and they had an exhibition at ugly. wooden put quarters on the backboard and he had Alcindor jump up and get them. He kept the quarters. I was thinking that he was paying alcindor and what a cheapskate he was. Walton said that they should have been on probation forever. There is an article from the L.A Times regarding Sam Gilbert. He was going to the Grand Jury to tell them what he did for ucla and Johnny Cheetin’ Wooden and he died on the steps. Bobby Knight did not like Wooden for his cheating. I don’t care for him because his act of being a good human being was a lie. I think he knew and he allowed it. After Johnny Cheetin’ Wooden retired, ugly was put on probation for two years and Cumming had to endeure Wooden’s actions

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  17. KAM: BREAKING:

    🚨

    KAM: DNI Tulsi Gabbard releases “overwhelming evidence” of conspiracy led by Barack Obama to orchestrate a “coup against President Trump.”

    DON: Obama set America 50 years backward.

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. I told a staunch Democratic friend of mine that I thought Obama was a terrible President, the worse since Jimmy Carter. I pointed out some of his bad policies and failings. I then asked him to name Obama’s signature accomplishment while in office. He said the Affordable Care Act. I pointed out that Obama lied about the act – “like your Doctor, keep your Doctor, like your plan, keep your plan.” He also lied about a projected cost savings of $2400 per year for the average family of four. Working people are paying much more for health care today with less coverage then they were before the ACA. It has really hurt the middle class.

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