If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column
USC’s 1959 coaching staff included John McKay and former Raiders owner Al Davis.
Maybe when you consider the egos involved, it is not surprising the pair did not get along even though they were on the same staff in the above picture.
“He wasn’t a big fan of Al Davis,” legendary USC assistant coach Dave Levy said of McKay.
When McKay was hired as head coach after the 1959 season, Davis did not return. When Davis worked for then-USC coach Don Clark, he had a lot of freedom and controlled recruiting. That would not have continued even if McKay retained him.
Former San Diego Chargers coach Don Coryell last only one season (1960) with McKay at USC for a different reason. He used to get frustrated with McKay’s constant changing of the game plan during the week.
- If you buy a $10 ticket to the Fall Showcase scrimmage on the athletic dept. website, USC will slap a $3 “order charge” on it.
- Former Mater Dei cornerback Elias Ricks, who is committed to LSU but being recruited by USC, has transferred to IMG Academy in Florida. Rivals lists Ricks as the No. 1 corner in the nation.
- USC wide receiver Velus Jones said he considered only two schools (Tennessee, Western Kentucky) after he entered the transfer portal before he returned to the Trojans.
- When Pete Carroll was at USC, there was some criticism that too many celebrities hung around the program like Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell.
- But in 1962, you had actor Randolph Scott at Saturday team breakfasts and actor Andy Devine in the locker room after games. And, of course, John Wayne was at a lot of the games.
- Former offensive lineman Ron Mix, who is in the NFL Hall of Fame, recently wrote a letter about his best day at USC, which occurred 36 years after he graduated.
I’m including the full letter, unedited, after the jump:
Continue reading “If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column”
