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December 29, 2005

PreGame Summary - University of Southern California

updated on 12/31/2006 with more info.

January 4th, Texas plays USC at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. On the line is the National Championship with USC ranked #1 and Texas #2. This is very exciting, but it has to be much more so for my hubby and other Texas fans who know more about this whole football thing than I do. So lets begin a PreGame Summary of USC.

Nickname/Mascot: USC are called the Trojans:

USC's nickname, "Trojans," originated in 1912.

Up to that time, teams from USC were called the Methodists or Wesleyans and neither nickname was looked upon with favor by university officials. Athletic Director Warren Bovard, son of university president Dr. George Bovard, asked Los Angeles Times sports editor Owen Bird to select an appropriate nickname.

"At this time, the athletes and coaches of the university were under terrific handicaps," Bird recalled. "They were facing teams that were bigger and better-equipped, yet they had splendid fighting spirit. The name 'Trojans' fitted them.

"I came out with an article prior to a showdown between USC and Stanford in which I called attention to the fighting spirit of USC athletes and named them 'Trojan' all the time, and it stuck.

"The term 'Trojan' as applied to USC means to me that no matter what the situation, what the odds or what the conditions, the competition must be carried on to the end and those who strive must give all they have and never be weary in doing so."

USC's mascot is a white horse named Traveler:

Traveler first made an appearance at USC football games in 1961 (in the home opener versus Georgia Tech). Bob Jani, then USC's director of special events, and Eddie Tannenbaum, then a junior at USC, had spotted Richard Saukko riding his white horse, Traveler I, in the 1961 Rose Parade. They persuaded Saukko to ride his white horse around the Coliseum during USC games, serving as a mascot. Ever since, whenever USC scores, the band plays "Conquest" and Traveler gallops around the Coliseum.

Side note: The Rose Bowl will be the current riders last game.

Colors: Cardinal and gold. Could not find any history on this. Before 1895, USC's official color was gold. At that time the College of Liberal Arts had its own color—cardinal. In 1895, both colors were adopted as USC's official colors. (Thanks for the info, CalTechGirl!!!)


Location: USC's two primary campuses are located Los Angeles, CA.

Main Rival: UCLA. They have a Victory Bell for the winner of the game.

Unique Tradions/Misc: USC has quite a few tradtions. You can check them all out here, but below are a few I thought worth mentioning. Update: Here is a link from CalTechGirl with more info.

Another famous USC song is the regal processional march, "Conquest," by Alfred Newman. It is usually played after every USC score and victory. This stirring battle cry, from Newman's score to the 1947 motion picture classic "Captain from Castile," has become synonymous with the championship tradition of USC since the Trojans adopted it in 1954 during a basketball game against Oregon State. Newman, a legendary composer of film music, was the musical director of Twentieth Century-Fox Studios.

Here is a great story about USC's Super Fan. He even has a super quote:

"I don't think I'm a nut. It's all been fun. I could've spent a lot more money on other hobbies. A guy can spend as much money playing golf or poker. Some people think I'm crazy for spending as much money as I have traveling to see these games. They don't understand that I do more than just watch a game when I visit these cities. I've met a lot of nice and interesting people on these trips.

Famous Players: Reggie Bush, who won the Heisman this year. (Related post here.) Matt Leinhart is their quarterback who won the Heisman last year and was in the running this year. If you want to know more about them visit here.

Spread: +8 (If you bet with a spread on Texas, USC has to beat Texas by 8 points for you to win.)

How they have been playing: Uh, well.. they are ranked #1. So I guess you could say good. (hehe)

What we have to watch for: Quoted from hubby, "Pretty much their whole offense." This is a huge game that will not be easy. If we play like we can and avoid turnovers, then we could win.

My comments: OMG! We are going to the Rose Bowl to play in the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! This is as good as Texas football has been since I have been a fan and I will be there. WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!

Update on Tradions: CalTechGirl mentioned Tusk in the comments.

...you forgot Tusk. The Trojan Marching Band played on the album, and ever since then it's USC's unofficial anthem (U-C-L-A SUCKS!)

I had no clue what Tusk was. Looks like the Docherty Family are big USC fans.

Written and recorded as the title song for the Fleetwood Mac album of the same name in 1989, The Trojan Marching Band is featured prominently on the song Tusk. The album earned Fleetwood Mac and USC a platinum album for the effort. The song was reprised in the live album, The Dance in 1997. That album earned the Trojans a second platinum album (certified 5x), a first for any university.

Posted by on December 29, 2005 08:04 PM |

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Comments

you forgot Tusk. The Trojan Marching Band played on the album, and ever since then it's USC's unofficial anthem (U-C-L-A SUCKS!)

Also, re: the colors:
Colors
Cardinal and Gold. Before 1895, USC's official color was gold. At that time the College of Liberal Arts had its own color—cardinal. In 1895, both colors were adopted as USC's official colors.

Lots more traditions and history here.

Posted by: caltechgirl | December 30, 2005 10:56 PM