INTERESTING TRADITIONS...USC has distinctive pregame and postgame traditions that span just about all generations... Centers around their marching band and song girls as well as the mascots.. Whether you watched their football team with John McKay as their coach in the glory years of the 60s and 70s with all the Heisman trophy RBs to the Pete Carroll era until now, they have traditions that are identifiable on TV as well as those that are at the campus to participate.
Interesting that their famous marching band director, Dr Arthur Bartner, was Big Ten educated at University of Michigan.. They have performed all over the world, literally. I think they take a foreign trip once every couple of years and have played on the biggest stages in the world, as well. Played in Olympic ceremonies, Super Bowls, etc.
They keep their campus tradition songs VERY SIMPLE in titles. Their fight song is "FIGHT ON', which has to be one of the most recognizable fight songs in the US.. But other traditions exist as well.... Roughly 2 1/2 hours before game time at home games in the Los Angeles Coliseum, USC's drumline plays a 10-15 minute show to go through different cadences..Then the band practices its songs afterward. They play right in front of Heritage Hall, which is the athletic facility that houses the Heisman trophies, National Championships, and all the PAC 12 titles that the Trojans have won in both male and female sports.. It was just renovated and a beautiful facility that has been around for a long time.
The band marches from the campus to the stadium, where it is not as fan-friendly as the best Big Ten stadiums, IMO.. But that stadium has been there for a long long time, so it is understandable. Then, the marching band will enter the stadium and you will hear them play the song CONQUEST both entering and leaving during a USC victory.. Of course, the Trojan horse with the mascot rides into the stadium as well. Most who are NOT FANS of USC will think the song you hear close to a 100 times during the game is "TRIBUTE TO TROY" is obnoxious... If you watched college football a long time, you can picture Keith Jackson on the play by play for ABC with this song in the background of just about every USC game you have seen on TV.
THE "V" SYMBOL THAT USC FANS PUT UP.... Tradition says it is with the right hand... "V" is not just for victory but has a story behind the tradition.. In the greek mythological Homer's Trojan War, the victor in a sword fight would CUT OFF the index finger and middle finger of the losing opponent in battle.. The sword would be carried in the right hand.. The significance of that is the weight of the sword and control of it would never again be achieved without the index and middle finger... When USC fans put up the "V" sign, that was supposed to be not only to signify a victory but as an "IN YOUR FACE" symbol to the opponent that they still had their index and middle fingers to the losing opponent to fight on another day..
Of course, the design and colors of the famous cheerleaders(USC SONG GIRLS) has not changed from the as far back as I could remember..A long time symbol and sense of pride for the beautiful women of Troy..
Many remember the days of USC under John McKay.. Basically ran 2 running plays.. The "28 PITCH"(student body left or right) or the "22 Blast" where the tailback takes it deep in the backfield, reads the block of the guard and offensive tackle on one side, and runs an off tackle play.. McKay scripted his first 25 plays in the old days and was once mentioned that OJ Simpson gave one league opponent the first 25 plays of the game, one play after each tackle, where the Trojans had so much talent at the time, the opponent still could not stop them..... Mike Garrett, OJ SImpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen won the Heisman in those years.. Carson Palmer, Matt Leinert, and Reggie Bush won it later though later Bush's Heisman was officially, and voluntarily, forfeited..... Many people may confuse this but Ricky Bell and Anthony Davis for USC were great running backs but never won the Heisman trophy. Their game with cross town rival UCLA and with cross country rival Notre Dame are football traditions... Many are critical of USC in the sense that the Rose Bowl, which used to be the Big Ten winner vs, the Pac 12(PAC 8 a long time ago) winner was basically a home game for USC so they had their share of success against Big Ten teams in the bowl..
Another tradition that is coveted is wearing the number 55.. Junior Seau, WIllie McGinest, Chris Claiborne and others wore that number... A few USC alumni became unglued a few years ago when that number was assigned to an offensive lineman... That is a tradition of a LB at USC which many former players made sure that anyone working in the USC athletic department would never let that happen again; it should go to a LB and not a o-lineman... ALWAYS INTERESTING HISTORY.
Interesting that their famous marching band director, Dr Arthur Bartner, was Big Ten educated at University of Michigan.. They have performed all over the world, literally. I think they take a foreign trip once every couple of years and have played on the biggest stages in the world, as well. Played in Olympic ceremonies, Super Bowls, etc.
They keep their campus tradition songs VERY SIMPLE in titles. Their fight song is "FIGHT ON', which has to be one of the most recognizable fight songs in the US.. But other traditions exist as well.... Roughly 2 1/2 hours before game time at home games in the Los Angeles Coliseum, USC's drumline plays a 10-15 minute show to go through different cadences..Then the band practices its songs afterward. They play right in front of Heritage Hall, which is the athletic facility that houses the Heisman trophies, National Championships, and all the PAC 12 titles that the Trojans have won in both male and female sports.. It was just renovated and a beautiful facility that has been around for a long time.
The band marches from the campus to the stadium, where it is not as fan-friendly as the best Big Ten stadiums, IMO.. But that stadium has been there for a long long time, so it is understandable. Then, the marching band will enter the stadium and you will hear them play the song CONQUEST both entering and leaving during a USC victory.. Of course, the Trojan horse with the mascot rides into the stadium as well. Most who are NOT FANS of USC will think the song you hear close to a 100 times during the game is "TRIBUTE TO TROY" is obnoxious... If you watched college football a long time, you can picture Keith Jackson on the play by play for ABC with this song in the background of just about every USC game you have seen on TV.
THE "V" SYMBOL THAT USC FANS PUT UP.... Tradition says it is with the right hand... "V" is not just for victory but has a story behind the tradition.. In the greek mythological Homer's Trojan War, the victor in a sword fight would CUT OFF the index finger and middle finger of the losing opponent in battle.. The sword would be carried in the right hand.. The significance of that is the weight of the sword and control of it would never again be achieved without the index and middle finger... When USC fans put up the "V" sign, that was supposed to be not only to signify a victory but as an "IN YOUR FACE" symbol to the opponent that they still had their index and middle fingers to the losing opponent to fight on another day..
Of course, the design and colors of the famous cheerleaders(USC SONG GIRLS) has not changed from the as far back as I could remember..A long time symbol and sense of pride for the beautiful women of Troy..
Many remember the days of USC under John McKay.. Basically ran 2 running plays.. The "28 PITCH"(student body left or right) or the "22 Blast" where the tailback takes it deep in the backfield, reads the block of the guard and offensive tackle on one side, and runs an off tackle play.. McKay scripted his first 25 plays in the old days and was once mentioned that OJ Simpson gave one league opponent the first 25 plays of the game, one play after each tackle, where the Trojans had so much talent at the time, the opponent still could not stop them..... Mike Garrett, OJ SImpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen won the Heisman in those years.. Carson Palmer, Matt Leinert, and Reggie Bush won it later though later Bush's Heisman was officially, and voluntarily, forfeited..... Many people may confuse this but Ricky Bell and Anthony Davis for USC were great running backs but never won the Heisman trophy. Their game with cross town rival UCLA and with cross country rival Notre Dame are football traditions... Many are critical of USC in the sense that the Rose Bowl, which used to be the Big Ten winner vs, the Pac 12(PAC 8 a long time ago) winner was basically a home game for USC so they had their share of success against Big Ten teams in the bowl..
Another tradition that is coveted is wearing the number 55.. Junior Seau, WIllie McGinest, Chris Claiborne and others wore that number... A few USC alumni became unglued a few years ago when that number was assigned to an offensive lineman... That is a tradition of a LB at USC which many former players made sure that anyone working in the USC athletic department would never let that happen again; it should go to a LB and not a o-lineman... ALWAYS INTERESTING HISTORY.
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