`NEAR-PERFECT BLEND'; '72 TROJANS: TALENTED BUNCH ROUTED FOES, HAD 33 PLAYERS DRAFTED BY NFL.Byline: Scott Wolf Scott Richard Wolf (born June 4, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Steven Wolf and Susan Enowitch, Wolf was raised in West Orange, New Jersey. He graduated in 1986 from West Orange High School. Staff Writer A different time, a different era, the argument goes when comparing which championship team is better than another. So you would think with national championships in 1928, '31, '32, '62, '67, '72, '74 and '78, you could be up for hours arguing which USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. team was the best of the century. But only if you threw out 1972. ``Some people have called it the best-balanced, best all-around college football team there's ever been. And I'm inclined to agree,'' said John McKay There are several different notable people named John McKay:
``It was one of those fortunate things. We had a near-perfect blend of experience and youth, and the seniors that season were great leaders. It was an intelligent team, making the fewest mental errors of any squad I've ever had.'' It might seem easy to take McKay's word for how dominating the Trojans were, but others are just as adamant. ``Yes, they are the best college football team I've seen. There is no doubt about it,'' said Ohio State coach Woody Hayes Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was a college football coach who is best remembered for his 28-year tenure at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, from 1951-1978. , after his No. 3-ranked Buckeyes were crushed in the 1973 Rose Bowl 42-17. ``Their offense was as strong physically as any we've faced,'' said Arkansas coach Frank Broyles John Franklin "Frank" Broyles (born December 26, 1924 in Decatur, Georgia) is a former NCAA football player, coach, and broadcaster, and the athletic director for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. On February 17, 2007 he announced retirement plans effective December 31, 2007. , after his No. 4-ranked Razorbacks were destroyed 31-10 in Little Rock. Before that game, Broyles sent a scout to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. to watch the Trojans practice. His report said, ``When we line up against USC, every one of our men is going to face the best player he's ever seen.'' Oregon State coach Dee Andros Demosthenes "Dee" Konstandies Andrecopoulos (October 17, 1924 - October 22 2003), was the former head football coach for the University of Idaho from 1962-64, and for Oregon State University from 1965-75. He compiled a 51-64-1 record during his tenure at OSU. had this comment after a 51-6 loss to the Trojans: ``They are a bunch of great athletes with one overpowering factor: Their aggressiveness on both offense and defense.'' Still skeptical? Let's review a few undisputed facts: The Trojans were the first team in history to receive every No. 1 vote in the Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. and United Press International polls. They defeated their opponents by an average of 28 points and never trailed a game in the second half. Thirty-three players were drafted and 26 played a minimum of one year in the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga . The Trojans ranked in the top seven in the nation in scoring, total offense, total defense, rushing defense and scoring defense. Consider that a pair of USC legends - tailback Anthony Davis Anthony Davis can refer to:
They defeated six teams ranked in the top 18: No. 3 (Ohio State), No. 4 (Arkansas), No. 10 (Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame ), No. 14 (UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX ), No. 15 (Stanford) and No. 18 (Stanford). And they weren't exactly nervous before they did it. Davis read textbooks before the Trojans defeated UCLA 24-7 to earn their Rose Bowl berth. ``I knew if we came out and played our type of game, we'd pop them,'' Davis said. It was a team so full of stars that McKay had trouble keeping games close. ``I played as many reserves as I had and cleared the bench in several games, but I was still accused of pouring it on,'' McKay said. ``It was impossible to keep the score down, we were so deep.'' Five players were All-Americans that season: Tight end Charlie Young, offensive tackle Pete Adams Pete Adams (born May 4, 1951 in San Diego, California) is a former American football guard who played four seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns. , fullback Sam Cunningham Samuel Lewis Cunningham, Jr (nicknamed "Bam", born August 15, 1950, in Santa Barbara, CA) is a retired American football fullback. College career He was a USC All-American fullback in the 1970s whose performance led his team to beat an all-white University of , defensive tackle John Grant and linebacker Richard Wood For the British politician, see . For the English footballer, see . Richard Wood, nicknamed Batman, (born May 31, 1953 in Elizabeth, NJ) is a retired National Football League linebacker. . It was, as McKay said, a team with no apparent weakness. The Trojans could run with Davis, McNeill and Cunningham. Quarterback Mike Rae Michael John Rae (born July 26, 1951 in Long Beach, CA) is a former professional American football quarterback in the NFL. Pro career Rae played for the National Football League Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins between 1976 and 1981. , who doubled as the kicker, could throw to Young, junior wide receiver Lynn Swann Lynn Curtis Swann (b. March 7, 1952, Alcoa, Tennessee) is a former professional football player, sports broadcaster and a Republican politician. As a youth, Swann went to Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, later attended the University of Southern or sprinter Edesel Garrison, who passed up a chance to go to Munich Olympics to play football in '72. ``Charlie Young was as good a tight end as there was in football, college or pro,'' McKay said. ``Swann will catch anything.'' The offensive line, anchored by Adams and future 10-year pro Steve Riley Steve Riley may mean:
The defense was as strong up front as in the back. The defensive line was probably the Trojans' best ever, with tackles Grant and Jeff Winans, nose guard Monte Doris along with defensive ends Dale Mitchell Dale Mitchell may refer to:
Sims had a remarkable performance in the 51-6 victory over Michigan State, with 11 tackles, two fumble recoveries and a pass deflection. McKay marveled at Grant's ability to figure out opposing offenses. ``Grant could come out of the game after a few plays and explain exactly what the other team was trying to do,'' McKay said. The linebackers were led by Wood, who was USC's only three-time All-American. Free safety Artimus Parker was USC's all-time interception leader with 20, and reserve Charles Phillips finished his career with 13. ``Virtually all of those players reached their potential,'' said John Robinson, an assistant on the team. ``But their real strength was team play. Everyone focused first on the team goal, to win every game, rather than on individual accomplishments.'' The team-first mentality was instilled in the Trojans during spring practice that year, when McKay decided to scrimmage three times a week at the Coliseum. When Davis fumbled, he was chastised chas·tise tr.v. chas·tised, chas·tis·ing, chas·tis·es 1. To punish, as by beating. See Synonyms at punish. 2. To criticize severely; rebuke. 3. Archaic To purify. by the offensive and defensive linemen, which quickly cured that problem. It also helped that USC had gone 6-4-1 the previous two seasons and was desperate to regain its national stature. Once the season began, the Trojans were just happy to find an opponent to beat up. It started in the season opener when the eighth-ranked Trojans traveled to fourth-ranked Arkansas. USC sent a message early, when Razorbacks quarterback Joe Ferguson suffered a bloody and broken nose, and cruised to a 31-10 victory. ``They kept us off-balance, all night, run or pass,'' Broyles said. The Trojans swept through their next three games, before beating Stanford 30-21 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. No other team got any closer than 17 points to the Trojans. Ironically, the major memories of that season came from Davis, who started only three games but led the Trojans in rushing with 1,191 yards. He scored six touchdowns against Notre Dame, including kickoff returns of 96 and 97 yards. He gained 178 yards in the victory against UCLA, and christened his touchdown dance of bouncing up-and-down on his knees. In the Rose Bowl, he gained 157 yards, although McKay let Cunningham become the MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. by scoring four touchdowns. It was his way of saying thank you, after making Cunningham block for so long. ``I owe Sam something. He was a great runner, but I made him a blocker for three years,'' McKay said. ``He's the best runner I ever ruined.'' McKay had one of his typical witty axioms, when describing what made the team so great. ``Players win; plays don't,'' he said. USC'S GREATEST TEAM OF THE CENTURY 1972 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (12-0) Date Opponent Score Sept. 9 Arkansas (4) 31-10 Sept. 16 Oregon State 51-6 Sept. 23 Illinois 55-20 Sept. 30 Michigan State 51-6 Oct. 7 Stanford (15) 30-21 Oct. 14 California 42-14 Oct. 21 Washington (18) 34-7 Oct. 28 Oregon 18-0 Nov. 4 Washington State 44-3 Nov. 18 UCLA (14) 24-7 Dec. 2 Notre Dame (10) 45-23 Jan. 1 Ohio State (3) 42-17 Opponent rankings in parentheses See parenthesis. parentheses - See left parenthesis, right parenthesis. 1972 STARTING LINEUP OFFENSE Position Player Height Weight Year TE Charles Young 6-4 228 Sr. LT Steve Riley 6-4 244 Jr. LG Allan Graf 6-2 243 Sr. C Dave Brown 6-0 229 Sr. RG Mike Ryan 6-2 250 Sr. RT Pete Adams 6-4 258 Sr. SE Edesel Garrison, 6-1 185 Sr. QB Mike Rae 6-1 186 Sr. FB Sam Cunningham 6-3 212 Sr. TB Anthony Davis 5-9 185 So. FL Lynn Swann 6-0 180 Jr. DEFENSE DE Dale Mitchell 6-2 207 So. DT John Grant 6-5 229 Sr. NG Monte Doris 6-3 242 Jr. DT Jeff Winans 6-4 245 Sr. DE James Sims 6-0 198 Jr. LB Richard Wood 6-2 218 So. LB Charles Anthony 6-0 228 Jr. DB Charles Hinton 5-10 192 Sr. DB Eddie Johnson 5-11 165 So. FS Artimus Parker 6-3 205 Jr. SS Steve Fate 6-1 202 Sr. Key reserves: Rod McNeill (tailback), Charles Phillips (cornerback), Booker Brown (offensive lineman), Marvin Cobb (free safety), Eddie Powell (defensive end), Allen Gallaher (defensive tackle), Karl Lorch (defensive lineman), George Follett (defensive lineman), Steve Knutson (offensive tackle), Bob McCaffrey (center), Danny Reece (cornerback), Manfred Moore (fullback), Dave Boulware (wide receiver-punter), J.K. McKay (wide receiver), Pat Haden (quarterback). CAPTION(S): photo, 2 charts PHOTO (color) no caption (team photo) CHART: (1) USC's greatest team of the century (see text) (2) 1972 starting lineup (see text) |
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