In 2000, the University of Southern California Trojans were named Collegiate Athletic Department of the 20th Century. However, it still seemed that the greatest historical football program was USC's biggest rival, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In this lively history of USC football, Travers makes the case that under the guidance of coach Pete Carroll the Trojans have overtaken Notre Dame as the "greatest ever" collegiate tradition. Illustrated with both historic and contemporary photos and containing anextensive appendix listing college football's all-time greatest teams by year, this book celebrates college football's best and provides a blow-by-blow account of perhaps the greatest game ever played: the 2006 USC-Texas Rose Bowl.

For more than 120 years, the University of Southern California Trojans have maintained a tradition of football excellence that has placed the team among the perennial elite in the collegiate ranks. Eleven national championships, 38 conference titles, 150 All-Americans, and seven Heisman Trophy winners all stand as testaments to the greatness of the Cardinal and Gold. This definitive reference chronicles the history of USC football from its first-ever game on November 14, 1888--a 16-0 victory over the Alliance Athletic Club--through 2012. Synopses of each season include game-by-game summaries, final records, ultimate poll rankings, and team leaders in major statistical categories. Biographies of head coaches and all-time USC greats, a roster of every player to don a Trojan uniform, a look at USC football traditions, and a catalog of honors received by both players and coaches through the years complete this essential encyclopedia for the Trojan faithful.

Tom Kelly, the legendary signature voice of USC sports for nearly five decades, combines with coauthor Tom Hoffarth of the Daily News of Los Angeles to take Trojan fans on a journey of memories and previously untold anecdotes from and about many of the great coaches, players, teams, and games in USC football history, as well as other sports. His story in Southern California starts with the recommendation of Jack Buck that he be hired as Chick Hearn’s color man on USC football and basketball games in 1961. During Kelly’s forty-plus year run, the Trojans boasted five Heisman Trophy winners, won five national championships, and played in 14 Rose Bowls and 24 overall bowl games. Kelly, who won five Golden Mike Awards and was named California’s Sportscaster of the Year three times, was inducted into USC’s Hall of Fame. His stories and anecdotes will become a must-read for all Trojan fans.

With two fingers extended like a peace sign waving in the air, we salute the cardinal and gold. But this is no peace sign; it's a "V" for victory! Much like a first round draft pick in the NFL, USC Trojans encompasses the hope, promise, and excitement through colorful, fact-filled storytelling that details the history, legacy, and prestige of the University of Southern California college football program. Fight on for ol' SC! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. SportsZone is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Progress and influence of the University of Southern California in the development of the state's southland, by two historians and former graduates.