USC Trojans
Encyclopedia
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy (the university officially approves both terms). The program participates in the Pacific-12 Conference and has won 115 team national championships, 93 of which are NCAA National Championships. USC's cross-town rival is UCLA
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
, with whom there is fierce athletic and scholastic competition. However, USC's rivalry with Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
predates the UCLA rivalry by three years. The Notre Dame rivalry stems mainly from the annual football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game played between these two universities and is considered the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football.
Trojan athletic achievement
- The Trojans have won 115 team national championships, 93 of which are NCAA National Championships. This is the third highest count of all universities.
- The Trojan men have won 92 national championships (79 NCAA titles), more than any other University.
- The Women of Troy have earned 23 national championships (14 NCAA titles), third in the nation.
- The Trojans won at least 1 national team title in 26 consecutive years (1959–60 to 1984–85).
- USC won the National College All-Sports Championship an annual ranking by USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
of the country’s top athletic programs — 6 times since its inception in 1971. - Trojan men athletes have won more individual NCAA titles (302) than those from any other school in the nation and the Women of Troy have brought home another 55 individual NCAA crowns for a combined 357 individual NCAA championships.
- Four Trojans have won the prestigious James E. Sullivan AwardJames E. Sullivan AwardThe James E. Sullivan Award, presented by the American Amateur Athletic Union , is awarded annually in April to "the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States". Often referred to as the Oscar of sports awards, it was first presented in 1930. The award is named for the AAU's founder and past...
as the top amateur athlete in America: diver Sammy Lee (1953), shot putter Parry O’Brien (1959), swimmer John Naber (1977) and swimmer Janet EvansJanet EvansJanet Beth Evans is a American competitive swimmer who specializes in distance freestyle. She recently announced her comeback to the sport with intentions to swim in the 2012 Olympic Trials.-Biography:...
(1989). - Two Trojans have won the Honda-Broderick CupHonda-Broderick CupThe Honda-Broderick Cup is a sports award for college-level female athletes. The awards are voted on by a national panel of more than 1000 collegiate athletic directors. It was first presented by the late Thomas Broderick, owner of a sports apparel company, in 1977, with the first award going to...
as the top collegiate woman athlete of the year: Cheryl Miller (1983–84) and Angela WilliamsAngela WilliamsAngela Williams is an American athlete. Williams attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 2002....
(2001–02). And Trojan women have won 8 Honda Awards, as the top female athlete in their sport.
Trojans in the Olympics
- USC has a reputation and long tradition of nurturing Olympic athletes. From the 1904 Summer Olympics through the 2004 games, 415 Trojan athletes have competed in the Games, taking home 121 gold medals (with at least 1 gold in every summer Olympics since 1912), 74 silverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and 60 bronzeBronzeBronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
. - There have been more Trojans in the OlympicsOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
than from any other university in the world - if USC were its own nation in the Olympics, it would rank tied for 8th in the world in total gold medals earned.http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/usc/genrel/auto_pdf/uscolympians.pdf. - While a student, Rebecca SoniRebecca SoniRebecca Soni is an American breaststroke swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist. She currently holds the world record in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke and is a former world-record holder in the 100 and 200 m breaststroke .Soni has won a total of nineteen medals in major...
won an Olympic gold medal for swimming the 200m breaststroke during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, setting a world record. She also received a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke and the 4x100m Medley Relay.
Men's national championships
- FootballNCAA Division I FBS National Football ChampionshipA college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
(11) - 1928, 1931, 1932, 1939, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978, 2003, 2004 - BaseballCollege World SeriesThe College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
(12) - 1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1998 - GymnasticsNCAA Men's Gymnastics championshipThis is a list of National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Gymnastics champions, by division and year. All schools currently compete in one division, because only 17 schools sponsor men's gymnastics teams...
(1) - 1962 - SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
& DivingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
(9) - 1960, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977 - TennisNCAA Men's Tennis ChampionshipThe NCAA Men's Tennis Championships are held to crown a team, individual, and doubles champion in American college tennis. The first intercollegiate championship was held in 1883, 23 years before the founding of the NCAA, with Harvard's Joseph Clark taking the singles title...
(19) - 1946, 1951, 1955, 1958, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1976, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011 - Track & Field (26) - 1926, 1930, 1931, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1976
- Indoor Track & FieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
(2) - 1967, 1972 - VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
(6) - 1949*, 1950*, 1977, 1980, 1988, 1990 - Water PoloNCAA Men's Water Polo ChampionshipThe NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship has existed since the 1969 season.No school from outside the state of California has ever surpassed third place...
(6) - 1998, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010
92 (79 NCAA) Total Men's Titles
Women's national championships
- BasketballNCAA Women's Division I Basketball ChampionshipThe NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
(2) - 1983, 1984 - SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
& DivingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
(1) - 1997 - TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
(7) - 1977* (2), 1978*, 1979*, 1980*, 1983, 1985 - Track & Field (1) - 2001
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
(6) - 1976*, 1977*, 1980*, 1981, 2002, 2003 - Water PoloNCAA Women's Water Polo ChampionshipThe NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship has existed since the 2001 season. Three conferences have teams competing in women's water polo, the Collegiate Water Polo Association, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference...
(3) - 1999*, 2004, 2010 - GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
(2) - 2003, 2008 - Soccer (1) - 2007
23 (14 NCAA) Total Women's Titles
Football
USC Trojans Football started in 1888 and has amassed an all-time win-loss record of 732–299–54, giving the program a .700 winning percentage. A December 1998 SPORT magazine ranking listed USC as the No. 4 all-time college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
program of the 20th century.
The USC Football team has been voted National Champions 11 times. USC is also known for its Heisman Trophy winners. USC is second in Heisman winners at 6 (with one extra since vacated). Three of the four Heisman winners from 2002 to 2005 were Trojans - Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
(now with the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
) in 2002, Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
(drafted by the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
) in 2004 and Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
in 2005 (since forfeited by Bush). Four other Trojan tailbacks have won the coveted Heisman Trophy as college football’s outstanding player: Mike Garrett
Mike Garrett
Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...
in 1965, O.J. Simpson in 1968, Charles White
Charles White (American football)
Charles White is a former professional American football running back. He had a distinguished college career and later played in the National Football League for the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams.-College football:...
in 1979 and Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen
Marcus LeMarr Allen is a former American football player and, until recently, was affiliated with CBS as a game analyst. As a professional, Allen ran for 12,243 yards and caught 587 passes for 5,412 yards during his career for both the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1982 to 1997...
in 1981. Also notable, USC has the most players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 11. USC's record against opponents from the old Pac-10 is 367–153–29 (.695), and the Trojans have winning records against all nine other members. As of 2011, 472 Trojans have been taken in the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
, more than any other university.
Since 1959, the Trojans have won the conference championship 18 times and tied for the title on 6 other occasions. USC has the nation’s best bowl winning percentage (.660) among the 65 schools which have made at least 10 bowl appearances and its 30 Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
appearances is an all-time best. USC players have been named first team All-American 129 times, with 44 consensus selections and 22 unanimous choices. http://usctrojans.cstv.com/trads/usc-heritage.html
Baseball
Rod Dedeaux
Raoul Martial "Rod" Dedeaux was an American college baseball coach who compiled what is arguably the greatest record of any coach in the sport's amateur history....
, coaching from 1942–86, who led the school to 11 of its NCAA crowns, including 5 straight from 1970-74.
Ron Fairly
Ronald Ray Fairly is a former Major League Baseball player and broadcaster. He either played in or broadcast over 7,000 major league games from through .-College career:...
, Don Buford
Don Buford
Donald Alvin Buford is a former Major League Baseball player. An infielder/outfielder, the switch-hitting Buford played for the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles ....
, Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver
George Thomas "Tom" Seaver , nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets...
, Dave Kingman
Dave Kingman
David Arthur Kingman , nicknamed "Kong" and "Sky King", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter. The towering 6' 6" Kingman was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1970s and 1980s...
, Fred Lynn
Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , California Angels , Baltimore Orioles , Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres .Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame...
, Roy Smalley
Roy Smalley (AL baseball player)
Roy Frederick Smalley III is a former professional baseball shortstop. From 1975 through 1987, Smalley played in Major League Baseball for the Texas Rangers , Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox . He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. His father, Roy Jr...
, Steve Kemp
Steve Kemp
Steven F. Kemp is a former Major League Baseball outfielder from 1977 to 1986 and 1988. He is of Armenian heritage.-Professional career:...
, Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
, Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
, Bret Boone
Bret Boone
Bret Robert Boone is a former Major League Baseball second baseman.-Personal life:Boone was born in El Cajon, California to Susan G. Roel and Bob Boone. He is a graduate of El Dorado High School and the University of Southern California. He is the grandson of former major leaguer Ray Boone and...
, Jeff Cirillo
Jeff Cirillo
Jeffrey Howard Cirillo is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball. In a 14-season career, Cirillo was a .296 hitter with 112 home runs and 727 RBI in 1617 games. He was named an All-Star in and . He is the Brewers all-time career leader in batting average at .306...
, Barry Zito
Barry Zito
Barry Zito is a Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He previously played seven seasons with the Oakland Athletics, where he won the 2002 American League Cy Young Award and made three All-Star teams....
, Geoff Jenkins
Geoff Jenkins
Geoff Jenkins is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball. He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers from until and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008...
, Kent Hadley
Kent Hadley
Kent William Hadley was a professional baseball player. A free-swinging first baseman, he played three years in Major League Baseball and six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball .- United States :...
, Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone
Aaron John Boone is a former Major League Baseball infielder whose famous home run off Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield won the 2003 American League Championship Series for the New York Yankees. He played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Washington...
, Jacque Jones
Jacque Jones
Jacque Dewayne Jones is a Major League Baseball outfielder who currently is a free agent-Early life:...
and Mark Prior
Mark Prior
Mark William Prior is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization. He pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 2002-2006. His repertoire of pitches includes a low to mid 90s fastball, a curveball, a slurve, and a changeup.-Amateur career:Prior graduated from the...
. In all, 100 Trojans have gone on to play in the major leagues and scores more in the minors. http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/083011aab.html
Men's basketball
The men's USC Trojans Basketball
USC Trojans Basketball
The University of Southern California Trojans men's basketball program is the college basketball team that competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and represents the University of Southern California on the court.The program began playing...
program has a long tradition. The men's program is only one of about 48 schools which have more than 1,000 victories in college basketball. Since starting basketball in 1907, the Trojans have compiled a record of 1,357–984 (.580), winning 14 league championships. Recently, the 2007 team set a school record for most wins in a season and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
in the NCAA tournament.http://usctrojans.cstv.com/trads/usc-heritage.html The University recently announced major sanctions over player OJ Mayo's receipt of improper benefits during the 2007-2008 season. Notably, USC has vacated all regular season wins during that season, dropping their record for the 2007-2008 season to 1-32.
Women's basketball
USC Trojans Basketball
The University of Southern California Trojans men's basketball program is the college basketball team that competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and represents the University of Southern California on the court.The program began playing...
program, after improving steadily, first reached the pinnacle of success in women’s basketball in 1983 and the Trojans have been near the top almost ever since, winning 2 national championships and playing in 4 Final Fours.
The Women of Troy have made the NCAA tourney 6 of the past 14 years, including advancing to the regionals 3 times. Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...
, who became an Olympic and pro star, won the Naismith Award in 1994 (she was the MVP of the first WNBA All-Star Game). Tina Thompson
Tina Thompson
Tina Marie Thompson is a professional basketball player in the WNBA for the Los Angeles Sparks. The first draft pick in WNBA history, Thompson was selected first by the Houston Comets. She helped lead the Comets to four WNBA Championships...
was the No. 1 pick in the 1997 WNBA draft. Cynthia Cooper
Cynthia Cooper
Cynthia Lynne Cooper is a former American basketball player who has won championships in college, the Olympics, and in the Women's National Basketball Association . She is considered by many as one of the greatest women's basketball players ever. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the...
was twice an Olympian and WNBA MVP. In 2009, USC hired Mary Wooley as their assistant coach for women's basketball.
http://usctrojans.cstv.com/trads/usc-heritage.html
Men’s volleyball
The men's volleyball team has made 11 NCAA Final Four appearances since scholarships were first awarded by Troy in the sport in 1977. The Trojans have won 4 NCAA titles (1977, 1980, 1988 and 1990) and have finished second on 6 other occasions (1979-81-85-86-87-91).
Ernie Hix, who retired as head coach after the 1981 season, turned USC into one of the top volleyball powers in the nation. Hix’s 8-year record was an impressive 146-47 (.756) with 2 national crowns.
Twenty-four Trojans have played on the U.S. National team and USC volleyballers have been named first team All-Americans 27 times. In the 1984 Olympics, Steve Timmons, Dusty Dvorak and Pat Powers all helped lead the United States to its first gold medal ever in the sport, while Timmons repeated with the 1988 U.S. squad.
Timmons, Bryan Ivie, Nick Becker and Dan Greenbaum won bronze medals with the U.S. in 1992. Tim Hovland, Celso Kalache, Adam Johnson, former coach Bob Yoder (a 3-time All-American who coached Troy to an NCAA title in 1988), Donald Suxho and Brook Billings also are key figures in USC’s volleyball heritage. Jim McLaughlin
Jim McLaughlin (coach)
Jim McLaughlin is an American volleyball coach. Currently, he is the head coach for the University of Washington women's volleyball team. In 2005, he led the Washington to their first NCAA title in after defeating the Nebraska in San Antonio, Texas, and took the #1 ranking from them, which was...
took over for Yoder in 1990 and led Troy to an NCAA title in his initial year. Powers became head coach in 1997, Turhan Douglas succeeded him in 2003 and Bill Ferguson took over in 2007.
Women’s volleyball
USC Volleyball
The USC Trojans women's volleyball team is currently coached by Mick Haley, who began in 2001. Under Haley, USC became the first repeat NCAA Volleyball National Champion in 2002-03 since Stanford in 1996-97...
has won 6 national championships, 3 in NCAA (1981, 2002, 2003) and 3 before the NCAA sponsored women's Volleyball Championships
NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship
The NCAA has contested team championships in women's volleyball since 1981. The following is a list of the champions of each division with their record for the year in which they won the championship, and the runner up, city, site and other final four participants for division I...
the first 4 under coach Chuck Erbe. Erbe, who dominated the sport during his 12-year USC coaching tenure which began in 1976, posted a career record of 310-121-3 (.718). He coached the 1976, 1977 and 1980 AIAW champions and the 1981 NCAA titlists. His 1976 team registered the first perfect season (38-0) in women’s volleyball history.
Lisa Love
Lisa Love (coach)
Lisa Love is the current athletic director of the Sun Devils, representing Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Love is only one of six female athletic directors in Division I FBS of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
, who coached at Texas-Arlington
University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
for 7 years, took over for Erbe in 1989 and guided USC into the NCAAs in 9 of her 10 seasons before retiring after the 1998 season. Jerritt Elliott served as interim head coach in 1999 and 2000, guiding the 2000 club to the NCAA Final Four. Mick Haley, head coach of the 2000 U.S. women's Olympic team who won 2 national crowns in the 1980s while at Texas, took over in 2001 and advanced to that season's NCAA regional final. Then, in 2002 and 2003, his teams won the NCAA crown, with the 2003 club going 35-0. USC also made the NCAA Final Four in 2004 and 2007.
In 1978, Debbie Green won the Honda Sports Award
Honda Sports Award
The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States of America, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Award are automatically in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award, as...
for volleyball. Trojans have been named All-American 55 times and 13 have been members of the U.S. Olympic team (including Green, Sue Woodstra, Paula Weishoff
Paula Weishoff
Paula Jo Weishoff is a retired female volleyball player from the United States, who won two medals with the USA National Women's Team at the Summer Olympics: 1984 and 1992 ....
, Carolyn Becker, Kim Ruddins, and Nicole Davis
Nicole Davis
Nicole Marie Davis is an American indoor volleyball player. She is 5'6" and plays at the libero position. She played for Fenerbahçe Women's Volleyball Team for the 2007 season and wore the number 1 jersey. She was the first foreign-born libero to play in the Turkish league and led her team to a...
). 2008 graduate Asia Kaczor played for the Poland indoor national team
Poland women's national volleyball team
The Poland women's national volleyball team is the national volleyball team from Poland, controlled by the Polski Związek Piłki Siatkowej , and represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches....
at the 2008 Olympics, while 2006 alum Bibiana Candelas
Bibiana Candelas
Bibiana Candelas Ramírez is a 6'5" beach volleyball and indoor volleyball player who represented her native country, Mexico, at the 2008 Olympics with her beach partner, Mayra Garcia....
represented her native country, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in beach volleyball.
Men’s golf
Legendary coach Stan Wood (1955–79) compiled a career record of 462-37 (.926) and won 14 conference championships. He also guided the Trojans to an NCAA record 51 consecutive dual match wins from 1956-59. His teams finished third in the NCAA tourney 6 times.Ron Rhoads a former USC all-American golfer coached from 1980-1983.
Under coach Randy Lein (1984–92), USC continued its success, winning the conference championship in 1986. The 1991 Trojans finished seventh at the NCAAs. U.S. Amateur champion Sam Randolph, who finished as low amateur at the prestigious Masters golf tournament in 1985 and 1986, was a first team All-American for the third straight year in 1986 and was named college golf’s Player of the Year.
Former team captain Jim Empey took over as coach in 1993. Kurt Schuette became coach in 1995 and guided USC to an impressive fifth place finish at the NCAA tourney that season, Troy's best placing in 18 years, and then ninth in 1996, 14th in both 1997 and 2003 and sixth in 2005. His 2001 squad won the Pac-10 title, USC's first since 1986, and Troy repeated in 2002. Kevin Stadler, Craig's son, was the 2002 Pac-10 Golfer of the Year (USC's first honoree since 1986).
Women's golf
The USC women’s golf team is one of college’s finest, as witnessed by the program's first-ever NCAA team title in 2003 and their second in 2008. USC also has had second (twice), third, fourth (twice), fifth, seventh (3 times), ninth, 11th, 12th and 14th place finishes at the NCAA Championships in the past 21 years. The Women of Troy won the Pac-10 tourney in 1989 and the NCAA Regional in 1999 and 2006. Cathy Bright led USC to 5 Top 10 NCAA finishes in her 12 years as head coach (1982–93). Former Trojan player Renee (Mack) Baumgartner returned as head coach in 1994 and led USC to second place at the NCAAs in her first year. Andrea Gaston took over in 1997 (with men's coach Kurt Schuette serving as Director of Golf) and guided USC to 6 NCAA Top 10 finishes, including the 2003 NCAA title.Jennifer Rosales won the 1998 NCAA individual title as a freshman, Mikaela Parmlid won as a senior in 2003 and Dewi-Claire Schreefel as a sophomore in 2006. Other top individuals have included Marta Figueras-Dotti, Denise Strebig, Kim Saiki, Tracy Nakamura, Jill McGill (the 1993 U.S. Amateur champion), Heidi Voorhees (the 1993 U.S. Amateur medalist), Jennifer Biehn (the 1994 Pac-10 champ), Candie Kung (the 2000 Pac-10 champ), Becky Lucidi (the 2002 U.S. Amateur and 2003 Mexican Amateur champion) and Irene Cho.
USC captured the 2008 NCAA Women's Golf Championship at the par 72, 6424 yards (5,874.1 m) University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course. The Trojans won the event by six-strokes over UCLA and claimed their first women's golf national championship since 2003.
Women’s rowing
The women’s rowing team, based at the USC Boathouse, has been active since the early 1970s, but scholarships were first awarded in 1998 and USC has emerged as one of the nation's top programs. The varsity, junior varsity and novice eight teams train all year long for regattas from coast to coast. George Jenkins guided USC to national prominence during his 9 years as head coach (1994–2002). Kelly Babraj took over as head coach for the 2003 season, with husband Zenon Babraj serving as director of rowing.At the 1998 NCAA meet, the Women of Troy rowers [Lisa Bartoli (c), Evalina Boteva, Annelisa Gross, Kasey Ryan, Rebecca Moneymaker] captured their first-ever national championship race in the varsity four+. In 2005, USC made its first-ever NCAA Championships appearance as a team, placing 11th.
Women’s soccer
The women's soccer team began competing in 1993 and calls McAlister Soccer Field home. Karen Stanley coached the team for the first three seasons. Jim Millinder took over in 1996 and guided seven of his squads (1998–2003) into the NCAA tourney (USC won the 1998 Pac-10 title).Isabelle Harvey, the 1998 Pac-10 Player of the Year, was USC's first All-American first teamer (in 2000).
On December 7, 2007, 2-seed USC defeated 1-seed UCLA by a score of 2-1 to reach the College Cup Finals for the first time in its history. USC had never previously passed the second round in the NCAA tournament before the 2007-2008 season. The Trojans won the national title on December 9, 2007, with a 2-0 win over Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
.
Men’s swimming & diving
Over the years, USC men's swimmers have made Olympic teams 122 times, winning 38 gold, 23 silver and 18 bronze medals. Gold medal winners have included Lenny Krayzelburg
Lenny Krayzelburg
Lenny Krayzelburg is an American backstroke swimmer, and Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder. He swam in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. He won a total of 4 Olympic gold medals....
, John Naber
John Naber
John Phillips Naber is a former American swimmer who specialized in the backstroke and five-time Olympic medallist .-Career:...
, Bruce Furniss
Bruce Furniss
Bruce MacFarlane Furniss is an American swimmer. He won two gold medals in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal in the Men's 200 metre freestyle and the Men's 4x200 metre Freestyle Relay, both in world record time....
and Murray Rose
Murray Rose
Iain Murray Rose AM was born on 6 January 1939 in Nairn, Scotland, but he moved to Australia with his family at an early age after World War II. He took up swimming as a boy and was an Olympic Games champion at age 17....
.
Since beginning swimming in 1929, the Trojans have captured 9 NCAA championships, all under coach Peter Daland
Peter Daland
Peter Daland is a retired swimming coach from the United States. He coaching career spanned over 40 years. Daland graduated from Swarthmore College in 1948 and got his first coaching job at Rose Valley, Pennsylvania, where he won 8 straight Suburban League titles...
, who retired in 1992 after 35 years at Troy. USC swimmers and divers have won 110 NCAA meet individual and relay titles (including Erik Vendt
Erik Vendt
Erik Vendt is a retired American swimmer. He won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics...
, who won 5 individual titles in the 2000, 2002 and 2003 meets) and have earned All-American honors an amazing 562 times. Under Daland, USC won 17 Pac-10 championships and amassed an impressive dual meet record of 318-31-1 (.917). Three of his last 6 squads had runner-up finishes at the NCAA meet.
Four-time U.S. Olympic coach Mark Schubert
Mark Schubert
Mark Schubert has been USA Swimming's National Team Head Coach since June 2009). He took a paid leave of absence from his role with USA Swimming in September 2010....
, winner of 2 NCAA titles with the Texas women, succeeded Daland (he also served as the head coach of the Women of Troy). His men's teams placed in the Top-10 at the NCAAs 12 times in his 14 years at USC. Dave Salo
Dave Salo
David Clark "Dave" Salo is a swimming coach based in Southern California, USA. Currently, he is the head coach of the University of Southern California men's and women's swimming team, as well as USC's club team: Trojan Swim Club. Prior to his becoming the USC coach, he was the head coach of Irvine...
was named head coach following for Schubert in both roles in 2007.
Women’s swimming & diving
USC has likewise built a successful swimming program on the women’s side. In fact, the Women of Troy have finished in the top 10 nationally 25 of the last 30 years — including winning the NCAA title in 1997 — and have produced 233 All-Americans in that span. They have won conference championships in 1979, 1980, 1982 and 1985.Among USC’s more famous women’s swimmers are Michelle Ford, Sue Habernigg, Cynthia Woodhead, Sue Hinderaker, Debbie Rudd, Kalyn Keller, Kristine Quance (she won 9 NCAA titles), Lindsay Benko (who won 5 NCAA titles), Kaitlin Sandeno (she won 2 races at the 2003 NCAAs) and diver Blythe Hartley (she won 5 NCAA titles).
Men’s tennis
George Toley (1954–80) guided the Trojans for 26 years before resigning during the 1980 season. His career record was 430-92-4 (.821) with 10 NCAA titles. Dick Leach succeeded Toley and posted a 535-133 (.801) mark in 23 years. His 1991, 1993, 1994 and 2002 teams won the NCAA tourney (his 2002 No. 11-seeded Cinderella team was the lowest seed ever to win the NCAA title and did so a month after Leach announced his retirement) and 8 of his other teams finished fourth or better. He was succeeded by ex-Pepperdine, Fresno State and Long Beach State coach Peter Smith for the 2003 season. His 2009, 2010, and 2011 teams have won the National Championship.Overall, USC players have been named to All-American teams 137 times, with many also enjoying successful pro careers, including International Tennis Hall of Famers Stan Smith, Rafael Osuna, Alex Olmedo and Dennis Ralston, as well as Bob Lutz, Raul Ramirez, Butch Walts and Joaquin Loyo Mayo.
Women’s tennis
Those national crowns all came under Dave Borelli, who coached USC from 1974 to 1988. In duals, Borelli’s record was phenomenal: his teams went 300-43 (.875).Five times Trojans have won national singles titles, along with a doubles champ and 74 All-Americans. Prominent USC stars have included Barbara Hallquist, Diane Desfor, Lea Antonopolis, Leslie Allen, Sheila McInerney, Stacy Margolin, Trey Lewis, Anna Maria Fernandez, Cecelia Fernandez Parker, Kelly Henry, Beth Herr, Caroline Kuhlman, Trisha Laux, Jewel Peterson and Lindsey Nelson.
Cheryl Woods, a former Trojan player, took over for Borelli in 1989. Richard Gallien, a successful player and coach at Pepperdine, became head coach in 1996. His 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2005 teams advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals and he got to the NCAA semifinals in 2006.
Men’s track & field
Outstanding coaches include Dean Cromwell (1909–48), who won a record 12 NCAA titles and had a dual meet mark of 109-48-1; Jess Mortensen, who never lost a dual meet (64-0) in 11 years and won 7 NCAA titles; and Vern Wolfe, who retired after the 1984 season with 7 national titles and a dual meet record of 106-17-1 (.859). Jim Bush, who won 5 NCAA titles while at crosstown rival UCLA, became USC's head coach in 1991. His 1992 Trojans finished third at the NCAAs with only a 6-man team. Ron Allice, who won 11 state titles at Long Beach City College, took over the combined men's and women's programs in 1995 (the men were fourth at the 1995 NCAA meet, 10th in 1996, third in 1997 while winning the Pac-10 title, seventh in 1998, fifth in 1999 while winning the Pac-10 crown, tied for seventh in 2000 while winning the Pac-10 title, tied for 12th in 2001, tied for 11th in 2002, third in 2003 while winning the Pac-10 title, sixth in 2005 while winning the NCAA West Regional crown and tied for ninth in 2006 while winning the Pac-10 and NCAA West Regional meets).
Sixty USC tracksters have won 88 places on U.S. Olympic teams over the years. Trojans have won 26 individual Olympic titles and shared in 8 relay wins. Gold medal winners include long jumper Randy Williams, pole vaulter Bob Seagren, sprinter Charles Paddock, sprinter Quincy Watts and hurdler Felix Sanchez.
Since 1912, 61 USC trackmen have equalled or bettered world records, and there have been 110 NCAA outdoor individual or relay winners from Troy—including 2005 and 2006 NCAA high jump champ Jesse Williams (he also won indoors both years).
The Trojans also have a long history of successful distance running, including 9 Olympians and NCAA champions Julio Marin and Ole Oleson.
Women’s track & field, cross country
The women’s track and field heritage begins with Sherry Calvert, the former head coach. Calvert, a 4-time All-American javelin thrower at USC who participated in the 1972 and 1976 Olympics, started the program as an undergraduate and coached through 1983. Fred LaPlante succeeded her from 1984 through 1988. Barbara Edmonson was coach in 1992 through 1994. In 1995, Ron Allice took over as the combined men's and women's coach.
Troy has had many other successful track and field athletes. Patty Van Wolvelaere won a pair of national titles in the 100-meter hurdles. Kerry Bell was an All-American heptathlete for 3 years. 1988 NCAA heptathlon champion Wendy Brown and Yvette Bates set world bests in the triple jump during their USC careers. Ashley Selman won the 1990 NCAA javelin title. Angela Williams became the first athlete, male or female, at any level to win 4 consecutive NCAA 100-meter dashes when she did so in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. Natasha Danvers won the 2000 NCAA 400-meter intermediate hurdles. The Women of Troy won the NCAA 1600-meter relay in 1987 and the 400-meter relay in 2000. Brigita Langerholc took the 800 meters and Inga Stasiulionyte captured the javelin, both in the 2001 NCAAs. Natasha Mayers won the NCAA 200 meters in 2002. Virginia Powell won the 2005 and 2006 NCAA indoor and outdoor high hurdles (she also set the collegiate record in the outdoor race).
The Women of Troy also compete in cross country in the fall under coach Tom Walsh.
Men’s water polo
Longtime coach John Williams led the Trojans to national prominence since during his tenure from 1973 to 1998. Nineteen of his last 22 teams finished the season in the top 7 nationally, including the 1998 NCAA championship
NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
The NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship has existed since the 1969 season.No school from outside the state of California has ever surpassed third place...
team and the 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997 squads which placed second in the NCAA tourney.
Jovan Vavic, who joined as co-head coach in 1995, took over as head coach in 1999. His 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2010 teams won the NCAA championship
NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
The NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship has existed since the 1969 season.No school from outside the state of California has ever surpassed third place...
. The 2008 team had a perfect 29-0 season.
Seventeen USC poloists have participated in the Olympics and Trojans have made various All-American teams 140 times. Some of the more prominent names in USC water polo history are Ron Severa
Ronald Severa
Ronald "Ron" Duane Severa is an American water polo player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Munden, Kansas....
, Wally Wolf, Charles Bittick, Greg Fink, Greg Fults, Zach Stimson, Craig Furniss, Charles Harris, Robert Lynn, Drew Netherton, Hrvoje Cizmic, Marko Zagar, Simun Cimerman, Marko Pintaric, George Csaszar, Pedraj Damjanov, Bozidar Damjanovic and Juraj Zatovic (who in 2005 was USC's first-ever male winner of the Peter J. Cutino Award
Peter J. Cutino Award
The Peter J. Cutino Award, named after former college water polo player and UC Berkeley coach Peter J. Cutino, is considered the most prestigious individual award in American collegiate water polo...
as the National Player of the Year).
Women’s water polo
USC’s newest sport, the women's water polo team began play in 1995 under head coach Jovan Vavic. In 1999, in just their fifth year of existence, the Women of Troy—led by National Player of the Year and 2000 U.S. Olympic goalie Bernice Orwig—won the national championship in an exciting 5-overtime sudden death victory over Stanford. USC then was second in the national tourney in 2000. Then in 2004, USC—behind National Player of the Year Moriah Van Norman—turned in the sport's first undefeated season (29-0) in winning the NCAA titleNCAA Women's Water Polo Championship
The NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship has existed since the 2001 season. Three conferences have teams competing in women's water polo, the Collegiate Water Polo Association, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference...
. USC was third in the 2005 NCAAs and second in 2006, 2008, and 2009 (losing to UCLA, 5-4).
Besides Orwig and Van Norman, other top players have included Aniko Pelle (the 2000 National Player of the Year), Nina Wengst, Olympian Sofia Konoukh, Katrin Dierolf, Kelly Graff, Lauren Wenger
Lauren Wenger
Lauren Wenger is an American water polo player for the University of Southern California, who received the 2006 Peter J. Cutino Award as the best collegiate water polo player among Division I NCAA teams...
(the 2006 National Player of the Year) and Brittany Hayes
Brittany Hayes
Brittany Hayes is an American water polo player. She was a member of the US water polo team that won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics....
.
Current Women of Troy Hayes, Erika Figge, Patty Cardenas
Patty Cardenas
Patty Cardenas is an American water polo player. She was a member of the US water polo team that won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics....
, and Kami Craig
Kami Craig
Kami Craig is an American water polo player. She was a member of the US water polo team that won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Craig attended Santa Barbara High School and the University of Southern California...
, along with Van Norman and Wenger, are all on the U.S. National Team, while alumnae Anna Pardo and Eszter Gyori play for Spain and Czech Republic, respectively.
On May 16, 2010, the Women of Troy became the 2010 NCAA National Champions after a 10-9 defeat of #1 Stanford at Aztec Aquaplex on the campus of San Diego State University. This is the school's third Women's water polo national title.
Victory Bell
UCLA-USC rivalry
The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American college rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles and the USC Trojans sports teams of the University of Southern California ....
. The winner of the annual football contest keeps the bell for the next year, and paints it the school's color: cardinal red for USC, True Blue
True Blue (color)
True Blue is a tone of blue deeper than powder blue and lighter than royal blue that was developed by the UCLA Athletic Department and Adidas to be the color for all of UCLA's athletic teams starting in the 2003–2004 school year. Previously, the football team had worn powder blue while the...
for UCLA.
The 295-pound bell was taken from the top of a Southern Pacific locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
. The bell was given to the UCLA student body in 1939 as a gift from the school's alumni association
Alumni association
An alumni association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students. In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools , fraternities, and sororities often form groups with alumni from the same organisation...
. Initially, the UCLA cheerleaders rang the bell after each Bruin point. However, during the opening game of UCLA's 1941 season (at the time, both schools used the LA Coliseum for home games), six members of USC's SigEp fraternity
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,...
(who were also members of the Trojan Knights
Trojan Knights
The Trojan Knights are an American service and spirit organization associated specifically with the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California...
) infiltrated the Bruin rooting section, assisted in loading the bell aboard a truck headed back to Westwood
Westwood, California
Westwood is a census-designated place in Lassen County, California, United States. Westwood is located west-southwest of Susanville, at an elevation of 5128 feet...
, took the key to the truck, and escaped with the bell while UCLA's actual rooters went to find a replacement key. The bell remained hidden from UCLA students for more than a year, first in SigEp’s basement, then in the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
, Santa Ana
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
and other locations. At one point, it was even concealed beneath a haystack. Bruin students tried to locate the bell, but to no avail. Tension between UCLA and USC students rose as each started to play even more elaborate and disruptive pranks on the other. When the conflict caused the USC President to threaten to cancel the rivalry, a compromise was met: on November 12, 1942, the student body presidents of both schools, in front of Tommy Trojan, signed the agreement that before home games, when the bell is in USC's possession, it sits along Trousdale Parkway for fans to ring as they participate in the "Trojan Walk" to the L.A. Coliseum. During home games, and whenever USC faces UCLA at the Rose Bowl, the Victory Bell is displayed at the edge of the field for the first three quarters of the game. Members of the Trojan Knights
Trojan Knights
The Trojan Knights are an American service and spirit organization associated specifically with the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California...
and USC Helenes
USC Helenes
The USC Helenes, founded in 1921, is the University of Southern California's oldest all-female service organization.Known as the Official Hostesses of USC, the Helenes strive to embody the five attributes of the ideal Trojan and are prominent within the university and the Los Angeles community...
ring the bell every time the Trojans score.
USC has an overall record of 45-28-7 in the Cross-town Series.
The Jeweled Shillelagh
Gaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
war club made of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
or blackthorn
Blackthorn
Prunus spinosa is a species of Prunus native to Europe, western Asia, and locally in northwest Africa. It is also locally naturalised in New Zealand and eastern North America....
saplings from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, is the rivalry trophy for USC-Notre Dame football games. Like the Victory Bell, the winner of the annual game gets to keep possession of The Shillelagh until the following year. For every USC victory, a ruby
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
-adorned Trojan head with the year and game score is added; for every Notre Dame win, an emerald
Emerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
-studded shamrock
Shamrock
The shamrock is a three-leafed old white clover. It is known as a symbol of Ireland. The name shamrock is derived from Irish , which is the diminutive version of the Irish word for clover ....
with similar year and score information is added. The club was presented as a rivalry trophy in 1952 by the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Los Angeles (with all the previous games already represented with medallions), and is engraved with "From the Emerald Isle."
There have been two shillelaghs. The original ran out of room in 1989 and was retired; it is now on permanent display at Notre Dame. The second shillelaghs is slightly longer and contains medallions from the 1990 game onwards.
There are now 42 shamrocks, 33 Trojan heads and 5 combined medallions on the shillelaghs.
Gauntlet Trophy
Lexus Gauntlet
The Lexus Gauntlet was a year-long all-sports competitions between two pairs of rival Pacific-12 Conference universities in California. The original Southern version, now known as the Crosstown Gauntlet, is held between between UCLA and USC; a Northern version between Stanford University and...
. Lexus
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
did not continue sponsorship of the competition after its contract expired in 2009, however, the two schools do continue to keep track of the competition scores.
A victory in NCAA-sanctioned sports competition between the schools earns the winning school a predetermined number of points towards a final count. (For example, a single football victory is worth 10 points whereas all head-to-head men's water polo victories count as a series and the series is worth 5 points, with 2.5 points awarded to each university in the case of a split.) USC won the trophy's inaugural 2001–02 season, and again in 2003–04 and 2005–06, and four straight years from 2007–08 to 2010–11.
Athletic facilities
USC is home to many athletic facilities, including the world-famous Memorial Coliseum and the state-of-the-art Galen Center, but USC is home to many other athletic sites as well. USC's other on-campus athletic facilities include the McDonald's Swim Stadium (site of the 1984 Olympic swimming and diving competition), Marks Tennis Stadium, Cromwell Track and Field (which includes the 3,000-seat Katherine B. Locker Stadium), the McAlister Soccer Field, the Johnson Family Golf Practice Facility, the 1,500-seat Lyon Center (a campus recreation center that hosts some Trojan intercollegiate events), Howard Jones FieldHoward Jones Field
Howard Jones Field is the practice facility for the USC Trojans football team. It was expanded in the fall of 1998 to include Brian Kennedy Field. In early 1999, Goux's Gate — named after the late popular long-time former assistant coach Marv Goux — was erected at the entrance to the practice...
, the practice field for USC Trojans football, and the USC Physical Education Building
USC Physical Education Building
The University of Southern California's oldest on campus athletic building is home to the 1,000 seat north gym as well as the campus' first indoor swimming facilities. Up until 2006 the Trojans basketball and volleyball teams held practice in the North Gym...
(housing the 1,000-seat North Gym). Off campus, the University's crew team operates out of the USC Boathouse in the Los Angeles Harbor.
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
is one of the largest stadiums in America. USC has played football in the Coliseum ever since the grand stadium was built in 1923. In fact, the Trojans played in the first varsity football game ever held there (beating Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, 23–7, on Oct. 6, 1923).
The Coliseum was the site of the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...
and hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and track events of the 1984 Olympic Games
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
. Over the years, the Coliseum has been home to many sports teams besides the Trojans, including UCLA football
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
football, and Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
baseball. The Coliseum has hosted various other events, from concerts and speeches to track meets and motorcycle races.
The Coliseum has a present full-capacity of 92,000 seats (almost all are chair-back seats). The Coliseum is located on 17 acres (68,796.6 m²) in Exposition Park
Exposition Park (Los Angeles)
Exposition Park is located in University Park, Los Angeles, California, across the street from the University of Southern California. Exposition Park houses the following:* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena...
, which also houses museums, gardens and the Los Angeles Sports Arena. http://usctrojans.cstv.com/trads/usc-m-fb-stad.html
Galen Center
Galen Center
The Galen Center is a multipurpose indoor arena and athletic facility owned and operated by the University of Southern California. Located at the southeast corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street in the Exposition Park area of Los Angeles, it is right across the street from the campus and...
is the basketball and volleyball facility for the University of Southern California Trojans. Located at the southeast corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street in the Exposition Park
Exposition Park (Los Angeles)
Exposition Park is located in University Park, Los Angeles, California, across the street from the University of Southern California. Exposition Park houses the following:* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena...
area of Los Angeles, it is across the street from the campus and near the Shrine Auditorium.
The facility is 255000 square feet (23,690.3 m²), with a 45000 square feet (4,180.6 m²) pavilion, and has three practice courts and offices. The seating capacity is 10,258 as well as 22 private suites.
Dedeaux Field
Dedeaux Field
Dedeaux Field is a college baseball stadium in Los Angeles, California, U.S., and the home field of the University of Southern California Trojans baseball team. The stadium holds 2,500 people and was built in 1974, the year USC won its record fifth consecutive College World Series title...
has continually been improved over recent years with the grandest project taking place before the 2002 season. A $4 million project signified the largest improvement made to the facility as a new clubhouse and players' lounge were added on the first base side. Expanded offices for the coaching staff and new Hall of Fame were also part of the project, along with a new pavilion. Prior Plaza, named after Jerry and Millie Prior (parents of former Trojan Mark Prior
Mark Prior
Mark William Prior is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Yankees organization. He pitched for the Chicago Cubs from 2002-2006. His repertoire of pitches includes a low to mid 90s fastball, a curveball, a slurve, and a changeup.-Amateur career:Prior graduated from the...
), is located on the first base side and features USC's All-Americans and players who have played in the majors.
A new bleacher section was added on the first base side, pushing capacity to 2,500 at Dedeaux Field. With dimensions of 335 feet (102.1 m) down the right and left field lines, 365 in the right field power alleys and 375 to the left field power alleys, and 395 to straightaway center, Dedeaux Field is a natural grass field. The outfield fences stand 10 feet (3 m) high.
Trojan fight songs
Fight On
The school's fight song, Fight On is usually played after first downs and touchdowns. The music for USC's fight song, Fight On, was composed in 1922 by USC dental student Milo Sweet (with lyrics by Sweet and Glen Grant) as an entry in a Trojan spirit contest. Outside of USC, the song has been used in numerous recordings and movies. The song was also adapted by an American task force in the Pacific theater of World War II.
All Hail
"All Hail to Alma MaterTo thy glory we sing;
All Hail to Southern California
Loud let thy praises ring;
Where Western sky meets Western sea
Our college stands in majesty;
Sing our love to Alma Mater,
Hail, all hail to thee!"
The words and music to USC's alma mater, All Hail, were composed in the early 1920s by Al Wesson, Troy's longtime sports information director. He wrote the song as a student member of the Trojan Marching Band for the finale of a 1923 campus show.
Conquest
Another famous USC song is the processional march, Conquest, by Alfred NewmanAlfred Newman
Alfred Newman was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of music for films.In a career which spanned over forty years, Newman composed music for over two hundred films. He was one of the most respected film score composers of his time, and is today regarded as one of the greatest...
. It is usually played after every USC victory, and in the case of football, after every score. The battle cry, from Newman's score to the 1947 motion picture Captain from Castile
Captain from Castile
Captain from Castile is an action historical drama and swashbuckler film released by 20th Century Fox in 1947. Directed by Henry King, the Technicolor film starred Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, and Cesar Romero. Shot on location in Michoacán, Mexico, the film includes scenes of the Parícutin...
, has become synonymous with the tradition of USC since the Trojans adopted it in 1954 during a basketball game against Oregon State. Newman, a composer of film music, was the musical director of Twentieth Century-Fox Studios
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
.