We have been very fortunate at Trojans Wire to talk to a few legendary Trojans. One is Ron Mix, who has been very generous in sharing stories with us over the past few years.
If you have never heard of Ron Mix, just search our archives for various articles in which he recalls his playing days and the important moments of his career, on and off the field. The bottom line about Mix as a football player: He is the greatest offensive lineman in the brief history of the American Football League. No one would contest that claim. He was that great, and it sent him to Canton as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Today, we share another story from the conversations we have had with Mix. This story goes back to his senior year of high school and his pioneering decision to pursue weight and strength training, which were not commonplace in football or sports in the late 1950s. This led to a career-changing scholarship offer from USC.
The rest is history.
“I decided, man, I’m going to start lifting weights,” Mix said. “I know the coaches say it tied you up, but I can’t imagine that being in a sport that requires strength, (lifting weights) could be bad for you. So I’m going to start lifting weights. I might do it as soon as the season’s over. and I’m going to start training, doing agility drills and everything you can imagine. Then I’m going to go to El Camino Junior College, try to make that team. And if I do play there two years, then try to go to UCLA and make that team. So that was my plan. So what happened during that entire offseason of high school? I grew stronger. I was bigger and faster than I’d ever been by the end of that senior year.
“That senior year a stroke of luck happened. Our league’s group of seniors played another league in an all-star game in July. The coaches happened to be my high school coaches who were named for the all-star game. They were literally stuck with me as an all-star. They probably couldn’t believe it because the best ends at that time in the league were juniors, so they were not eligible to play. One of the top other top ends was a senior, but decided not to play. By the time that all-star practice began, I had transformed. I wasn’t that clumsy kid anymore. I was a true athlete. I was bigger, faster, and stronger. This sounds immodest, but the truth was I was the best player on that all-star team.
“One of the other players who was an outstanding player from another high school was on the (all-star) team. He was highly recruited. He told me, ‘I’ve told USC about you. They might be watching you during practice and maybe at the game, they could be interested in you.’ I was like, well, that’s unbelievable, because no school had expressed some interest me.
“At any rate USC did see me. They offered me a football scholarship and I was shocked. I was shocked beyond anything that ever happened in my life that the great USC offered me a scholarship. And I decided, man, I have got to honor them. I’ve got to. I owe them a lot. I’ve got to give them back more than they’re giving me. They have given me this education and the opportunity to play football. Then I made a vow.
“I said I’m going to do everything I can both on and off the field to demonstrate to them that they made the right decision. What they gave me, I’m going to give them more than they gave me. I’m going to work out year-round. My weightlifting is going to increase. I’m not going to have any alcohol, any sweets or anything for that whole four years. I kept that vow and didn’t have any alcohol. I didn’t have any sweets. Sure, if I had some, I doubt it would have had much of an adverse impact, but every time I resisted that temptation, it reminded me what I owed USC. It reminded me, I’m there to become the best possible player I can become. And by the way, that’s how I started working out at SC. They didn’t have a weight room. I started working out of (George) Redpath’s Gym.”
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