Tag: usc athletics

John Robinson’s finest USC moment didn’t come during a football game

John Robinson and Lynn Swann, two USC greats, are part of a special moment which defines Robinson’s love for USC. It’s a window into a coach’s heart.

On Monday, legendary USC football head coach John Robinson passed away at the age of 89. As a head coach, Robinson led the Trojans to four Rose Bowl victories, produced two Heisman Trophy winners, and coached USC to the 1978 national championship. However, his finest moment as USC’s head coach did not come during a football game.

Following a victory over Northwestern in the 1996 Rose Bowl, ABC’s Lynn Swann—a former USC wide receiver who would later serve as the Trojans’ athletic director—tried to interview Robinson. However, Robinson was not in the mood to answer questions. Instead, he exclaimed on multiple occasions, “Let’s go to the band! Let’s go to the band!”

That moment perfectly encapsulated the relationship between Robinson and the University of Southern California. After a huge victory, the first thing Robinson wanted to do was not to accept the trophy and answer questions, but to celebrate with the band and fans.

Robinson’s love for USC extended to not just the football team, but also the Trojan Marching Band, Song Girls, students, faculty, alumni, and fans. He truly was a member of the Trojan family, and embraced everything about it.

More than 17 years later, after the Trojans upset No. 4 Stanford and fans stormed the field, then-USC interim head coach Ed Orgeron echoed Robinson’s famous words, telling the jubilant crowd to “Go to the band!”

In a way, that moment perfectly encapsulates the mark Robinson left on this school and its football program. While the man had coached his last game at USC more than a decade prior, his impact on the university remained undeniable.

Robinson may have passed away on Monday, but as long as USC continues to Fight On, so too will his legacy.

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Former USC players react to John Robinson’s death

Marcus Allen, Ronnie Lott, Anthony Munoz, and the other great players John Robinson coached at USC reacted to the legendary coach’s death at age 89.

On Monday, legendary USC football head coach John Robinson passed away at the age of 89. Upon learning of the news, several of Robinson’s former USC players chimed in with their memories of the coach.

1981 Heisman Trophy Winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen

“Words are inadequate for a person that has impacted your life in such a way; you can’t even describe it. The impact John had on his players, particularly myself, is so deep and profound. Knowing him was life-changing.

He was a great man and a great coach. I love him so much. He was one of the greatest teachers, motivators and psychologists of all-time. Everything we were on the field was a reflection of him.

John Robinson is one of the greatest Trojans ever. I always wanted to go to USC, and my time there was better than I could’ve ever imagined – and he made it special.

It’s a sad day, but it’s also a day of celebration of a great man.”

All-America Safety and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott

“Coach Robinson was one of the greatest college coaches ever, and his love for USC and his love for the game of football was second to none. I’ve always felt that while playing for him, he gave us the ability to feel like we were larger than life. And his commitment to making sure that we had more than just football in our lives was so superior. This is a sad day for all of the Trojans that played for him, but it’s a great day for God that He has one of the best coaches ever right by his side.”

All-America Quarterback Paul McDonald

“It’s a sad day for the Trojan Family, a legend is gone and he will be missed. I remember my first team meeting under Coach Robinson during training camp. He wrote our goals on the board: ‘Beat UCLA, Beat Notre Dame, Win the Rose Bowl, Win a National Championship.’ My initial reaction was, ‘Whoa, the bar is very high here!’

Coach Robinson was very demanding, but in a human way. He had great interpersonal skills, and he knew how to connect with people. He made you want to play hard for him and to run through walls. You cared for him because he cared so much for you.”

Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Muñoz

“When I think about John Robinson, I think about the impact he had on us, not only as football players but as individuals. I think about the things I learned at USC: how to prepare and how to compete. Those are things you need not just in football, but also in life. Those are true life lessons that were taught to us under John Robinson.”

All-America Wide Receiver Keyshawn Johnson

“Rip Coach!

If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to live the Dream I’ve been living 🙏🏾

#FightOnForever”

Current USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley

“It’s a tough day. One of the greatest things at our university and our football program is honoring all of the greats that have come before – the coaches, the players and everyone that has made this place special. Days like this are especially tough, but we can remember all the memories and incredible accomplishments that Coach Robinson was a part of here at USC. From our entire football family, we want to offer his family condolences and let them know that we appreciate Coach, and he will forever be a huge part of USC football.”

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Former USC receiver makes NFL history, sets sights on bigger goals

Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to go above and beyond for the barrier-busting Detroit Lions, who have more milestones in front of them.

Another week, another piece of history made by a USC football alumnus in the NFL. Last Sunday, former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown became the fastest player in Detroit Lions history to reach 4,000 career receiving yards. St. Brown hit the mark in just 57 games played.

St. Brown starred at USC from 2018-2020. His best statistical season came as a sophomore in 2019, when he had over 1,000 yards receiving. During the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, St. Brown caught 41 passes for 478 yards and seven touchdowns—including the game-winner against UCLA—despite the Trojans playing just six games.

Despite his standout college career, however, St. Brown fell to the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft, largely due to concerns over his size. Ever since, he has been making the teams that passed on him pay, quickly emerging as one of the best wide receivers in the league.

St. Brown has had over 900 yards receiving in each of his three full NFL seasons. Last year, he had his best campaign to date, catching 119 passes for 1,515 yards and ten touchdowns.

Now, St. Brown has a place in the Lions’ history book. For the same franchise that had Calvin Johnson for nearly a decade, that’s a pretty impressive mark to have.

St. Brown’s next — and biggest — goal: bringing the Detroit Lions their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. The Lions have the best record in the NFC and have a strong chance of hosting the NFC Championship Game, something which has never happened before.

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The big loser in USC football’s quarterback change? Eric Musselman

Eric Musselman and USC are 2-0, but the football team was still the big story of the week due to its QB change. It’s a reminder about what gets the headlines.

Monday night at USC basketball was supposed to be all about Eric Musselman. Coaching his first game in charge of the USC men’s basketball program, the “Muss Bus” impressed in his debut. The Trojans dominated UT Chattanooga in a wire-to-wire 77-51 victory. Unfortunately for Musselman, however, he only had the spotlight for barely an hour after the game ended. That was because around 10 p.m. local time on Monday night in Los Angeles, it was reported that the football team was making a change at quarterback, and turning to Jayden Maiava to start against Nebraska.

Suddenly, Musselman and the basketball team were pushed to the back page. With the attention of USC fans naturally turning toward the big football news, they quickly forgot about the impressive performance from Musselman’s team in a game they had just watched.

Oh, and to top it all off, there was an election the next day — that was kind of important.

Fortunately for Musselman, Monday was only the first game of a long season. He and his team will have plenty of other opportunities to play their way back into the spotlight. USC beat Idaho State on Thursday in a game which was not on national television. It’s just as well: USC didn’t play particularly well. Yet, the Trojans are 2-0 and are trying to build something special under Musselman.

For the time being, however, being pushed aside by football in the news cycle must have been at least a little bit frustrating for the new head coach.

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Former USC QB offers perspective on Trojans’ tough season

Former USC quarterback Max Browne talks about the process the Trojans need to follow in order to restore the toughness they have lost.

It is no secret that USC’s 2024 season under Lincoln Riley has not gone according to plan. After another frustrating loss on Saturday, the Trojans now sit at 4-5 and need to win two of their final three games just to make a bowl game.

It feels like a decade ago that USC won 11 games in Lincoln Riley’s 2022 debut season. Following the loss, former USC quarterback Max Browne argued that in hindsight, the 2022 success is largely responsible for USC’s 2024 failures.

“In hindsight, the 2022 season was the worst thing for USC,” Browne said in a tweet following the game.

“Gave the program the illusion the right foundation was being built in Year 1 reaching the Cotton Bowl. Instead, it was because of a super human QB and set an ‘all star’ transfer portal identity into the team.

“Most programs in Year 1 take their lumps, but use it to establish a foundation of grit, physicality, and toughness.

“If you don’t establish that mentality in Year 1, it’s extremely difficult to change course because if you all the sudden become a hardass in Year 2, you run the risk of losing your locker room as it comes across inauthentic.”

The “super human QB” that Browne is referring to is, of course, Caleb Williams. USC’s 2022 success was largely based around Williams being Superman on the football field and constantly bailing out his team. Because USC was winning with Williams’ heroics at the time, however, they failed to establish an identity of toughness and physicality.

Now, with Williams no longer around to erase USC’s mistakes, the team’s lack of toughness is being exposed. Despite being in the third year of the Lincoln Riley era, it feels like the Trojans are in the first year of a rebuild.

When you are paying your head coach as much as USC is paying Riley, that simply is not acceptable.

USC hires Julie Rousseau to chair Black Lives Matter Action Team

The USC Trojans have hired former LA Sparks and Pepperdine Waves head coach Julie Rousseau to chair the Black Lives Matter Action Team.

The USC Trojans have hired Dr. Julie Rousseau to be the chair of the athletic department’s new Black Lives Matter Action Team, according to a release on Twitter Tuesday morning.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have someone with Dr. Rousseau’s experience, compassion and ability to connect with people to lead this effort,” AD Mike Bohm wrote in a statement.

Rousseau is a native of Los Angeles who played college basketball at UC-Irvine in the early 1980’s. She moved her way up the coaching ranks after her playing career ended, eventually coaching the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA for parts of two seasons in 1997 and 1998. She was also an assistant at Stanford from 2000-2004 and the head coach of the Pepperdine Waves from 2004-2013.

“A native of Los Angeles with experiences as a student-athlete, college and professional coach, and educator, Julie is uniquely qualified to lead our USC athletics Black Lives Matter Action Team,” Bohm said in a statement. “Julie’s passion and vision, strong leadership skills and outstanding reputation, as well as her innovative academic background, make her a wonderful fit to guide this critically important initiative.”

The Black Lives Matter Action Team will work with student-athletes to “ensure that all voices are equally represented.”

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USC: Trojans reported zero positive COVID-19 tests last week

The USC Trojans tested 120 student-athletes last week for COVID-19, and for the first time they did not yield a single positive test.

The USC Trojans have continued to report good news in the results of their testing of returning student-athletes for COVID-19. The latest result included testing on 120 student-athletes, and zero of them were reported positive.

That means out of 437 total tests done since the middle of June, only seven student-athletes tested positive, and they were all put into isolation. This is the first week where testing resulted in zero positive tests at USC.

USC tested “student-athletes who are participating in on-campus workouts in the Phase 1, 2 and 3 sports of football, men’s water polo, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball”.

The Trojans are two weeks away from the start of fall football camp, assuming it does not get delayed.

USC entered Phase 3 of its offseason workouts on July 13, which allows incoming freshmen to join the roster.

When they will be able to move past that phase, with actual physical contact, remains to be seen, but last week’s results are a good sign going forward.

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