FOOTBALL

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

USC reached a tentative settlement in Sony Music’s lawsuit alleging its sports teams used hundreds of unlicensed songs in USC athletic department social media posts/hype videos. Terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.

  • The documentary “Unraveling George” on former USC basketball coach George Raveling will debut on TNT on April 4, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. PT.
  • USC hosts its first and only home track meet of the season, “The Ron and Sharlene Allice Trojan Invitational” on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Ron Allice, the former USC track and field coach, recently celebrated his 86th birthday.

Among the teams competing are Arizona State, BYU, CSUN, Long Beach State, Utah, and Wisconsin.

  • Iowa is in the Elite Eight under a first-year coach. Here is where their roster was two years ago. Maybe Eric Musselman can take notes:

Bennett Stirtz – D2 Northwest Missouri St

Tavion Banks – JUCO NW Florida St

Alvaro Folgueiras – Robert Morris

Cooper Koch – High School

Cam Manyawu – Wyoming

Kael Combs – Wyoming

Isaia Howard – High School

Tate Sage – High School

  • And now for some history:

Let’s remember some good John McKay moments.

  • What do Gary Patterson and John McKay have in common? Both won the Eddie Robinson Award twice, which is the Football Writers Assn. of America’s Coach of the Year award.
  • Here’s a story John McKay told in his biography after No. 1-ranked USC defeated UCLA in 1962.

“Whew, I’m glad that’s over,” his mother-in-law said after the game. “I couldn’t sleep all week worrying about UCLA.

“But why,” McKay said. “I didn’t plan to use you.”

  • This illustration was on display at the College Football Hall of Fame. It’s more poignant now given that Notre Dame is being erased from USC football.
  • During McKay’s first-and-only season as a USC assistant coach, USC coach Don Clark started 8-0 in 1959 and USC ascended to No. 4 in the national rankings. But the Trojans lost 10-3 to unranked UCLA to spoil their perfect season and lost the following week to Notre Dame. Clark resigned and joined his brother’s industrial laundry company.

“Poor Don Clark was attacked by everyone,” McKay said in his biography. McKay considered quitting following the negative reaction.

He told his wife, “This is a horse—- town. The man won eight games and lost two. Now everybody’s complaining. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

But McKay stayed and replaced Clark on a one-year contract. The Trojans struggled in 1960 with a 3-5 record when USC upset No. 11 UCLA, 17-6.

“It saved my job,” McKay said.

Don Clark (left) and John McKay watch USC lose to UCLA in 1959.
USC vs. Iowa in 1961

This is ALMOST one of John McKay’s most memorable games. But instead, few remember it today.

In 1961, USC played No. 1-ranked Iowa at the Coliseum. The Trojans trailed 21-0 before quarterback Bill Nelsen scored on a keeper. USC cut the lead to 21-14 on a keeper by QB Pete Beathard. Nelsen threw a TD pass to left end Phil Hoover to tie the game, 21-21, before Iowa scored two touchdowns to lead, 35-21.

Nelsen then threw a 71-yard TD pass to wide receiver Hal Bedsole. Nelsen and Bedsole connected on a 5-yard TD pass with 48 seconds left in the game to make it 35-34.

McKay then elected for a 2-point conversion. Nelson passed again to Bedsole, who is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. The pass was incomplete and Iowa hung on for the 35-34 victory.

Nelsen’s performance alone was a classic, if only that 2-point conversion was completed.

  • Here is the 1973 Rose Bowl. USC won the national title and John McKay won his 100th game with the victory.

PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Virginia North

Cindy Morgan

Meiko Kaji

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

  1. With her passing this week, I’m surprised the Wolfman didn’t include a shot of Valerie Perrine.

    It’s the weekend and there’s another “We Hate America” tantrum again tomorrow. A shame they feel the need to act like children. For four years, we endured Dementia Joe without throwing fits in the streets.

    Can’t we all just get along?

    South Park – Van Halen

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. When I look at my own “Google Searches” I see a box beneath it entitled “Trending Searches.” At the top of that box is “Where is the nearest location of a No Kings protest?” I asked Google A. I. why that qualifies as “trending” when it probably isn’t in the top 100 searches. Google A. I. answered: “Trending doesn’t mean Most Searched….it refers to the largest jump in searches…. therefore, if a category goes from zero to a few searches, it becomes “trending.” I wrote back that this is a pathetic, sophistical and embarrassing rationale for pushing a political point of view …and, surprisingly, A.I. replied that I make a good point.

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      2. It’s always fun when you push back, even a little, on Goggle A. I.’s secular, anti-American bias…. and it backs down. I guess Google’s legal department has a hand in allowing admissions to the obvious when pressed for the truth [and the truth is: Google WANTS to see protests —they are creating a “trend”, not reflecting one]…

        Liked by 2 people

      2. That side is not only full of the most hate, division and violence. They also love to trample on free speech more than the Right does, while accusing the other side of doing so.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. KAM: You mean like this?

        “Sparrow Calypso

        November 6, 2024 at 6:45 am

        DON: It’s still early, but ‘Titanic,’ you are listing badly, better man the lifeboats

        KAM: -Guess the country wasn’t ready for a woman p r e s i d e n t

        DON: Immigration, the economy and world affairs didn’t help either.”

        DON: What a hypocrite l i b t a r d!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. I feel the same way about John as he feels about me —I like the guy a lot except when he talks politics [or asks us NOT to talk politics —which, of course, is actually talking politics]…..

        Liked by 1 person

  2. 8-2, and usc fans complained mightily back in the day.

    Today, 8-5 is good enough for a $10 million coach to keep his job, while paying extra to redo the assistants he first hired.

    How times have changed.

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  3. Scott:

    All USC needs to do is change McKay’s quote to “There is Nothing worse than losing to Notre Dame and nothing better than beating UCLA” and our Trojan world will make sense again.

    Liked by 3 people

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      1. P. S.

        I didn’t introduce that comment looking for “likes”…..but rather out of a commitment to accuracy ….

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  5. –So the Trojan football “fans” chased Coach Don Clark out of his job because he lost to ucla and ND despite going 8-2 in 1959. And here I thought the irate Trojan fans were a 21st century creation when in fact they have always been around

    McKay’s reaction– “This is a horse—- town” referring to Los Angeles. McKay had previously coached for the Oregon Ducks

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  6. Wolf, some recall that 1961 game with No. 1 Iowa when McKay went for a 2-pointer to win it at the end. That cemented his reputation as a ‘always go for the win’ coach

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  7. Dear Scott,

    I don’t want to make a BIG deal of this…but… any photo of Cindy Morgan in her Tron getup should include her butt…..

    #PeterPaulRubensWouldHaveWantedHerForAModel…

    #…[IfYouCatchMyDrift]…

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    1. So she is sitting on her best asset, huh MG. Funny how things change. From Rubens to the skinny; flat chested flappers of the 20s, to Marilyn and Mansfield in the 50’s, back to the twiggy types in the 60’s, and now back to the voluptuous Sophia Vergara/Kim K types. I never understood why the fashion tastes change. I have never heard a man say “I don’t like curvy women.”

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      2. GEORGE TIREBITER: “I DON’T KNOW, SO CAL. I GO BACK AND FORTH WHEN IT COMES TO KIM’S CABOOSE.”

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  8. Scott, this column was pretty good reporting. Mentioning the only home track and field competition as well as the shout out to Ron Alice. The comments about Don Clark and his assistant John McKay, as well as, the recap of the 1961 Iowa game is good reporting. Keep up that kind of good work. The photos that you referenced did not appear in the report. Women’s water polo beat number one Stanford and is now number one in the latest rankings. Is USC spending any NIL money on top ranked swimmers? By the way women’s golf team just won their fourth straight three day tournament and are in line to become the top ranked team. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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      1. Hi Plowhorse. Yes, I follow all USC sports. When I attended USC there were very few women’s sports and no NCAA championships for women. I, also, remember when water polo for men was just a cut above being a club sport. A good friend of mine helped to start the booster club for baseball and for men’s volleyball. Title IX created the boost for women’s college sports and national championships. So, yes, I am proud to support all of our teams even lacross of which I have little interest outside of our USC team. Dallas Long, our NCAA and Olympic gold medal winning shotputter was my Kaiser emergency room doctor who saved my life about 20 years ago, and Chuck Bittick, NCAA and Olympic medalist backstroke swimmer was a classmate, as was Don Zachik who was a field goal specialist during John McKay’s first two years as our head coach. We have had national championships in almost every sport except men’s basketball. There was a USC team for all seasons, and all deserve our support. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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