Here’s a nice color photo from 1964 when the Coliseum fireworks show on the Fourth of July lit up the sky in Exposition Park. Continue reading USC Saturday Buzz: Happy Fourth Of July!

Just a follow-up to the note in today’s column where I wrote about the USC official who skipped the spring football game for the Fresno Relays. One of the guys that drove up to Fresno with the USC official was former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle (pictured). Like I said, track was big. “The Fresno Relays are way bigger than the USC football spring game,” the … Continue reading A Friday Notes Column Follow-Up

You probably heard Saturday about an effort to rename John Wayne Airport in Orange County. That prompted an ex-USC player, who is African American, to call me late Saturday and recount a story from 1973 when Wayne toured the campus. “We took a picture together and the photographer told John Wayne to pull his cap back because there was a shadow on his forehead,” said … Continue reading Sunday Buzz: A John Wayne-USC Story

I feel like any time I research USC in the 1950’s or 60’s, there was an incredible amount of formal dinners. This one caught my attention: On Nov. 28, 1958, USC held a “men’s football dinner” at Town and Gown. This was the night before the USC-Notre Dame game at the Coliseum. That fact did not stop USC coach Don Clark from attending. Notre Dame … Continue reading USC Sunday Buzz: A Night To Remember

Since I spotlighted David Bell’s game-winning kick vs. UCLA, here’s another huge kick in USC history. In 1969, No. 16-ranked Stanford took a 24-23 lead over No. 4-ranked USC with 1:03 left at the Coliseum. The Trojans then drove 68 yards. And as time expired, Ron Ayala kicked a 34-yard field goal to give USC a 26-24 victory over Jim Plunkett and Stanford. On the … Continue reading Another Huge Field Goal In USC History

I need to run this picture from the 2002 USC-Oregon game. Here are Keary Colbert, Kareem Kelly and Mike Williams mocking the Oregon billboard that was just a few miles away from the USC campus. Oregon placed a billboard of Ducks receivers Keenan Howry, Jason Willis and Samie Parker on the north side of the 12-story Hotel Figueroa, just down the street. Continue reading 2002 USC-Oregon, Continued