These are rare color photos I first ran in September from when Martin Luther King spoke at the Coliseum in May, 1964. The photos were taken by  Jay A. Brown, who worked as an assistant to Congressman Thomas Rees. But it went undiscovered until it was found a drawer by Brown’s daughter about 50 years later. Here’s a close-up that shows Dick Van Dyke on the far left. Van … Continue reading Martin Luther King And USC

I wanted to wrap a retrospective of Trojans who passed away in 2022 with Rink Babka. Babka, a silver medalist in the discus at the 1960 Olympics, died in January. He was 85. Babka held the world record in the discus and was the NCAA champion in 1958. He was USC co-captain on the 1958 NCAA championship team. His best college throw of 198-10 still … Continue reading Remembering Rink Babka

The Exorcist opened in theaters on this day in 1973. Why does that matter to a USC blog? Because William Peter Blatty was the author of “The Exorcist.” wrote the screenplay for the film and won an Oscar. But as the picture above from 1958 shows, he worked as the chief of the USC News Bureau in the late 1950’s. Blatty was a man of … Continue reading Some Day After Christmas History

In my annual Christmas tradition, here is my all-time favorite USC picture.Hollywood screen legend Greta Garbo was sent to USC in 1926 to pose for some publicity photos with the track team. Garbo initially refused until MGM deducted $25 from her salary, which convinced her to head to campus and don a USC track singlet. She is with a USC track assistant coach in the above photo. … Continue reading Merry Christmas!

It’s Christmas Eve, which means USC is playing Notre Dame if you watch the movie “Die Hard.” Now for some Christmas-themed photos. In 1930, the May Company dept. store on 8th and Broadway made its elevators look like fireplaces so Santa Claus could enter the store’s main floor from the chimney. Here is the Santa Claus Lane parade (which became the Hollywood Christmas parade) in … Continue reading It’s Beginning To Look A Little Like Christmas

Today is National Dog Day, so time to appreciate George Tirebiter. Here is the original Tirebiter, in full glory and living color, from the 1947 football season. On Oct. 22, 1947, a 30-car parade was held to crown him USC’s official mascot. This is not the cute cuddly Tirebiter that followed and became the model for the statue near Exposition Blvd. This is surly George, who bit … Continue reading The Friday USC Column Supplement