USC football has had great head coaches over the years, in the Pac-12 football era. Beyond head coaches, however, the Trojans have also boasted some of the best coaching staffs in Pac-12 history. Pete Carroll had Ed Orgeron and Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin and — in earlier years — Norm Chow. There was a lot of coaching talent on Carroll’s staffs. Yet, if you had to identify the very best coaching staff in USC — and maybe Pac-12 — football history, you would probably have to choose the 1979 staff under head coach John Robinson:
“That whole staff that Coach Robinson had was outstanding,” USC’s Ronnie Lott (a member of the 1979 team) said. “Each one of those coaches went on to do some really amazing things. Our offensive line coach, Hudson Houck, was probably one of the greatest offensive line coaches in all of football, period. He went to coach the Dallas Cowboys. Norv Turner is one of the best offensive minds ever. The staff really complemented the talent.”
Houck and Turner were joined by the legendary Marv Goux, running backs coach John Jackson, and offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, giving USC a room full of really smart people to help John Robinson. It’s no wonder USC remained strong for several seasons after John McKay left for the NFL.
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.
Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.