subject: A Close Look At The Usc Trojans Football Team [print this page] The University of Southern California is represented by the USC Trojans to the Pacific-10 Conference of football teams. The team is a member of the NCAA Division I FBS. Since the creation of the NCAA, the team has consistently been one of the foremost. It boasts of eleven national championships so far.
The team was created in 1888. They were first known by the name 'Methodists' or 'Wesleyans' during different times in their early career. The first game they played was a win of 16-0 over the Alliance Athletic club in the same locality. Their first collegiate game was played on the next year against St. Vincent's College. They prevailed with a score of 4-0
At the beginning of their career, the team played exclusively with schools in Southern California. The first outside match was held against Stanford University in Nov.4, 1905. USC lost that match 16-0 and that was the start of the rivalry between the two colleges. The team has maintained several such standing rivalries to add spice to each season. They were christened the 'Trojans' in 1912. this is a reference to their seeming to be less equipped and trained than the other teams.
There was marked improvement in the team from 1920 to 1930. They were then coached by Gus Henderson whose expertise brought the team into the limelight of the sport. When Henderson left he was replaced by Howard Jones whose tenure extended from 1925 to 1940. Under his guidance the team managed getting four national championships and acquired another alias the 'Thundering Horder.'
After Jones left the team, its career remained stable but progress was slow. From 1942 to 1953, the team won three Rose Bowl trophies. The first two victories were in 1943 and 1945 under the guidance of coach Jeff Cravath and the third one was won in 1953 with coach Jess Hill.
It was during the tenure of coach John McKay that the team experienced another resurgence of power. Between 1960 to 1975 two of the team members had received Heisman Trophies. In the years following McKay's departure for the NFL, the team continued to enjoy success, garnering two more Heisman Trophies as well as another national championship in 1978.
Between 1980 and 1990 the Trojans experienced another lull in their career. They did not win any new national championship and performed poorly against their old opponents. The situation was not to be tolerated by USC fans. In 2001, the then coach Hackett was replaced by Pete Caroll. During his term, Caroll saw the team winning two BCS championships, the national championships of 2003 and 2004. The team also won the Pacific-10 Conference from 2003 to 2008.
The team has so far had six major issues with the NCAA. The latest case has resulted in a four-year probationary period for the team. In that time, the movements of the team will be closely watched. They are further prohibited from participating in Rose Bowl events. This last probationary period is for 2010.
Among the many rivalry trophies that USC regularly competes for, the most prominent is that of the Jewelled Shillelagh which the team contends for annually with Notre Dame. In these series, Notre Dame is leading 42-34.
