I want to say something about the USC/Coliseum naming rights controversy. USC has saved a decaying landmark by taking it over and pouring more than $300 million into its renovation. The new tower on the pressbox side may ruin the character of the Coliseum but without USC the stadium didn’t have much hope for regaining its past glory. That said, it is also true that … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

It looks like the United Airlines naming rights deal with the Coliseum is not going away soon. At today’s Coliseum Commission hearing, no decisions were made on what the commission would request but a lot of comments were delivered. “I cannot imagine an airline wanting the name ‘memorial’ attached to the name of their airline. Just saying,” said one member of the public who spoke … Continue reading Coliseum Commission Hears Comments On Naming Rights Deal

No one would accuse USC of being the best-run athletic department in the country. And no one would accuse the Pac 12 being the best-run conference . But somehow Lynn Swann is the nation’s highest-paid athletic director and Larry Scott is the nation’s highest-paid commissioner. You can thank Max Nikias for being involved in both decisions although he had a lot of help when it … Continue reading Dept. Of Inequality

USC accepted only 11 percent of the 66,000-plus applicants this year. But while it can be a tough place to get into, it seems almost impossible to leave. Max Nikias was president but resigned. So now he is President Emeritus at USC. I’ve heard he has a new office at the Tutor Campus Center. Wanda Austin replaced Nikias as interim president. When new president Carol … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC Can Be A Tough Place To Leave

It’s refreshing to finally see a big donor say the people at the top need to go at USC. Lloyd Greif, who has donated more than $5 million to USC to start the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at USC’s Marshall School of Business, believes changes must be made to prevent the latest scandal from negating all the gains made the past 25 years. … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Prominent Donor Wants Changes “At The Top”

Since USC seems to be the poster child for greed these days, the timing is good for L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn to write a column against changing the name of the Coliseum to “United Airlines Memorial Coliseum.” There is some news here: Hahn, who is president of the Coliseum Commission, said she has been working for months to get USC to consider a compromise … Continue reading Coliseum Commission President Wants Stadium To Retain Name