FOOTBALL

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

Former USC basketball player Chad Baker-Mazara has joined the Gigantes de Carolina-Canóvanas team of Puerto Rico’s BSN, the team announced.

  • Former USC football player Uchenna Nwosu’s foundation donated $10,000 to St. Pius X-St. Matthias High School this week.
  • Former USC women’s basketball player Kiki Iriafen has been named a WNBA All -Star for the second straight season.
  • And now for some history:
  • With the Major League All-Star Game approaching, here’s a good piece of trivia: USC has had three players selected twice. In 1979, Steve Kemp, Fred Lynn and Roy Smalley on the American League. In 2003, Aaron Boone, Mark Prior and Geoff Jenkins on the National League.
  • There are simply not enough good pictures of one of the greatest Trojans of all time, Gus Williams. But here is one of Williams in 1975 vs. UCLA and forward Richard Washington. Williams averaged 21.2 points and 5.4 assists this season (without a 3-point line). UCLA won this game, 89-84.

 The above 1953 picture shows USC running back Addison Hawthorne (23), who joined the team in 1952. Hawthorne was the first African-American to play at USC since All-American Brice Taylor in 1925. But few discuss him today.

He was a well-known player at Pasadena City College and one wonders what he endured if there was a 27-year absence of African-American players at USC. And what changed after Taylor that no African-Americans were on the team for such a long time?

If you think it was all just a sign of the times, remember stars like Kenny Washington, Jackie Robinson and Woody Strode played at UCLA in 1939. So let’s appreciate Hawthorne, who is a historical figure with USC football.

A DIFFERENT WORLD

The USC campus isn’t exactly a hub of activity during Christmas break. And getting people to show up two days after Christmas would be a chore.

But that wasn’t the case in 1945. USC was playing Alabama in the Rose Bowl and a huge, star-studded rally before a packed audience on Dec. 27, 1945 at Bovard Auditorium.

Who showed up? Movie stars like John Wayne, Gail Russell, Barbara Hale and Diana Lynn along with Coach Jeff Cravath and the USC football team. Band leader Alvino Rey provided the musical entertainment. Even some Alabama students showed up.

Wayne and Russell were set to shoot the classic Western, “Angel and the Badman” in four months, which probably explained why Russell attended the rally. Hale later became best known as a regular cast member on “Perry Mason” while Lynn was only 19 at the time of the rally but was well known and ended up with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Gail Russell
  • Does anyone remember Johnny Wilson’s Ready Room? It was a popular restautant located on Restaurant Row on La Cienega Blvd.

It opened in 1945 and didn’t close until 1989. But did you know who Johnny Wilson was? He went to USC and was the NCAA champion in the high jump in 1939 and tied for the title in the event at the 1940 NCAA championships. He cleared 6-feet, 6-inches both years and this was 30 years before the Fosbury Flop was invented.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Actress Joanna Pettet died this week, so I’m replaying a video from one of her best-known films, “Casino Royale.”

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

      4. thanks so cal. the four kids was reported last season, but it appears to be false. 6 college teams is a lot of teams…

        Liked by 2 people

      5. Yeah, the 4 kids were part of a bogus story about him last year that also claimed he was 32 years old.

        Apparently, you CAN put things on the internet that aren’t true. 🤪

        Liked by 3 people

      6. KAM: In 1951, Eve White is a timid, self-effacing wife and mother who has severe and blinding headaches and occasional blackouts. Eve eventually goes to see psychiatrist Dr. Luther, and while having a conversation, a “new personality”, the wild, fun-loving Eve Black, emerges. Eve Black knows everything about Eve White, but Eve White is unaware of Eve Black.

        Eve White is sent to a hospital for observation after Eve Black is found strangling Eve White’s daughter, Bonnie.

        DON: That’s our Cowardly Gabby/Cowardly Sparrow Gabby/Charlie Bucket! Senile Joe isn’t the only one who is mentally ill.

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  2. SC’s Gus Williams could play. The basketball team has had pockets of success with Westphal in the 70s, Miner in the 90s and Clancy’s gang in the early 2000s

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    1. KAM: “Pockets of success”? USC has not won even one national title in men’s basketball since the sport was invented in 1891.

      DON: 0-135… not even a mythical Helms Bakery NC….now that’s pathetic!

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  3. SC was a bigger deal during John Wayne’s time because it was the only game in town. ucla wasn’t all that good but they did excel in the 1950s

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  4. KAM: You ever wonder what kind of line you’d throw out if you saw a Gloria Guida walking toward you?

    DON: I bet you’re never hurting for a Saturday night date

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    1. KAM: Happy Wife, Happy Life: Woman Hangs on to Husband As He’s S * c k e d Halfway Out Airplane Window: Ryanair passenger reportedly saved from being s * c k e d out the cabin after window fails during a flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen.

      According to local media Ryanair flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-8AS, returned safely to Greece on Friday after part of a damaged engine reportedly detached and struck a cabin window.

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      1. Sybil would star in a slightly different “airplane story” —but the words “husband” and “s-u-c-k-e-d” and “halfway” would all still be featured…..

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      1. Buuuuuuh-BAM!!!

        i am taking a wild guess here, but predicting you don’t have any pictures surrounded by hot adoring babes!! look at those ecstatic faces, while wolfman is like: “just another Saturday”

        #You’reExcused

        Liked by 3 people

  7. Scott, thanks for the Friday trip down memory lane. But, you forgot the Forest Twogood teams of the early 1950’s one of which went to the NCAA semifinals. That 1953-54 team had 6’5″ center Roy Irvin and Dick Welsh and Tony Psaltis. They beat the Oregon State team with Swede Holbrook who was I believe the first seven foot college basketball player and thought to be unstoppable. They lost to Bradley 74-72 in the semis and Penn State in the third place game. Yes, they did play a third place game until the tournament expanded to 48 teams. I should add that UCLA didn’t play in an NCAA final four until 1962. Of course our home games were played in the Pan Pacific Auditorium when it wasn’t being used for the Ice Follies. UCLA was playing in the old men’s gym on campus. Fight on, Dan, Class of 1962

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  8. wolfman, i think we both know the reason why there were no blacks on campus all those years: Nazii sympathizers were running SC!! including Herr von KleinSmid and Dean Cromwell!! while the bruins cherished their black athletes like the transcendent four-sport hero Jackie Robinson, the trOJies went around humming German marching songs!!

    Today the Nazis are all in Washington D.C. working for the Big Peedo.

    #StevenMiller&Company

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      2. Charlie,

        Are you as surprised as I am over Kristi Noem’s announcement she’ll divorce her cross dressing hubby?

        #IWasSoSureThey’dWorkThingsOut…

        #…MaybeFindSomeActivitiesTheyCouldEnjoyTogether

        Liked by 3 people

  9. KAM: That picture with Scott Wolf among the cute Oregon cheerleader team is pretty cool because they don’t do that with just anybody

    DON: So out of ‘anybody we get a somebody

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  12. ESPN has USC coming in 3rd in Big Ten — I told you we would be 3rd outta 18….. It’s settled. ESPN said so….

    #It’sAllOverButTheShouting

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      1. I would have just gone with “buy” instead of “by”….and you could be right…it ALL depends on September 26th …if we win we’re energized….if we lose [even by ONE point] we’re phucked…..

        Liked by 2 people

  13. DON: ONLY 7-WEEKS UNTIL THE START OF A NEW SC SEASON. MY MY BUT HOW TIME FLIES

    KAM: WELL, THE SEASON COULDN’T COME QUICKLY ENOUGH FOR TIREBITER, AND HE MAY HAVE MISSED OUT ON AN EXCITING ONE

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    1. I WISH SOMEONE FROM OUR GOOD PAL TIREBITER’S INNER CIRCLE WOULD LET US KNOW HOW OUR GUY IS DOING…

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    2. KAM:WNBA Fever’s Sophie Cunningham Has Last Laugh at Mercury Fans Who Try to Troll Her in Losing Rematch https://x.com/ForTheWin/status/2075765282635706489lol

      DON: She is great!

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