USC’s most famous Heisman Trophy winner became USC’s most infamous Heisman Trophy winner. Before that summer of 1994 when everything about Orenthal James Simpson’s life and reputation completely changed, he was a Monday Night Football announcer. He was an ever-present pitchman for various commercial brands. Simpson was a Black athlete corporate America loved. He was a smiling, pleasant face on national television who cultivated an easy-to-digest image.
It all started with his iconic, unforgettable cutback run against the UCLA Bruins in November of 1967. O.J. defeated that year’s Heisman winner, UCLA quarterback Gary Beban, in an epic 21-20 victory which sent USC to the 1968 Rose Bowl. The Trojans beat Indiana and won John McKay’s second national title.
During Heisman week, we look back at O.J.’s Heisman story at USC. The Trojans are about to win their eighth Heisman Trophy when Caleb Williams takes center stage at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York.