Week 9: The Tradition of Troy
Tradition. Every school has its traditions, its Saturday routines that repeat every fall. From how they run out onto the field to how they celebrate a victory, there are elements of gameday that stay the same from week to week, season to season, coach to coach. But these routines are different at USC. USC doesn’t have traditions, USC has tradition. Gameday at USC isn’t a routine as much as a deeply ingrained way of life and fandom. While the rest of the conference chases the latest catchphrases (Win the Day, #4sUp, Purple Reign), USC has been using the same two words for almost a century. While Oregon plays around in a neon sandbox to come up with different gear to wear each week and the rest of the conference has a rolodex full of new and unique uniform combos they can announce on Twitter, USC has only ever had two colors. While other schools' bands play a set of songs from different eras and genres, the USC band only knows one song (at least it seems that way). And the USC song girls, well, they’re still the USC song girls, no other squad quite like them.
The team that straps on the pads closest to Hollywood is definitely the least likely to ever win best new original screenplay, but that’s not to say that’s an issue. After all, there’s nothing Hollywood loves more than sequels. And sequels indeed are what the Trojan faithful hope for. For as much as this Bruin hates to admit it, a part of that USC tradition is winning, and while hashtags and color schemes all eventually run their course, winning never gets old.
I love LA. From the moment I stepped out onto the LAX curb and felt the warm sunshine on the back of my neck, it felt good to be back at my former home. It’s about 14 miles from LAX to the Coliseum, which means from the time you get into a car at LAX to the time you arrive at the Coliseum, you’ll either have time to read through one of your aunt’s 5 paragraph Facebook status updates or enough time to read Les Miserables in English and in French. After about six weeks of living in LA, you learn that the price you pay for living somewhere where everyday is 78 degrees with a million cool activities going on is the requirement of trading in your commuting sanity for unlimited turns on the wheel of traffic fate which the LA traffic gods never get tired of spinning. Luckily for me, on a November Saturday with no Bruins, Dodgers, or Lakers in action, it was a smooth trip over the 105 and up the 110 to the Coliseum.
“I hate how much I like it here.” That was my response when my wife texted me to see how the day was going. Yes, the sea of cardinal and gold made me a little nauseous, but even a Bruin can’t deny gameday at USC is pretty damn cool. The Trojan family is a prideful, dedicated bunch and they were out in force for Homecoming 2016.
The lots at ‘SC are not filled with converted fire trucks or ambulances. There are no Cardinal and Gold buses or RV’s wrapped with images of the great Trojans past. No, gameday at ‘SC isn’t for standing out. The fans don’t need those somewhat kitchsy tailgates. At ‘SC, it’s all about tradition. You’ll find family after family with embroidered ‘SC everything who’ve been setting up in the same spot for decades.
I started the day out by swinging by the spots closest to the stadium. There are some fans who get to tailgate right outside the pearly gates of Troy (the Coliseum), which must seem fantastic until you realize you have to wait for the 75,000 other fans to make their way out of the stadium before you have a clear path home. To get these spots, you don’t have to be rich (I mean c’mon, this is ‘SC, you think you can just buy your way around? Like half the lot is Teslas and BMWs), you have to be connected. The people tailgating beside the stadium gates are former coaches and players and tutors (make no mistake, these people are a critical part of the program - you think Matt Leinart was passing ballroom dancing without them?). And when I ask these fans how long they’ve been coming to ‘SC games the answer is almost always the same - 40 years. And while there is lively discussion of which was the greatest Trojan Football era (sorry McKay, it was Pete Carroll’s run), there is great consensus on a few things: (1) Notre Dame and UCLA are both important, but it’s more important to beat UCLA (swear that I gave no indication of my allegiance beforehand), (2) they should never, ever play an FCS school to get a cupcake week in, and (3) ‘SC should be in the Rose Bowl every year.
While there are a good number of spots for tailgating around the Coliseum, the best part about gameday at SC is the livelihood on campus; on every sun-drenched corner, members of the Trojan family setup their Cardinal and Gold tents, grills, and lawn chairs. There’s something incredibly refreshing and uniquely college football about tailgating on perfectly manicured swatches of lawn surrounded by towering brick buildings that house libraries and classrooms. Since were on campus, it’s not like you can just drive right up to your spot of choice, tailgaters have to earn their exhaust freedom by lugging their tailgating resources across campus. However, considering Angelenos spend roughly 79% of their life in a car, the workout is well worth it.
On this day, there are approximately 3 trillion student and alumni groups that the University has provided space for tailgating reunions on this homecoming Saturday. People may ridicule the University of Spoiled Children or the University of Second Choice, but make no mistake, USC takes care of their own in a way unmatched across the conference. The University is all about customer service and that is why whether you lived it up here for your undergrad years or your only connection to USC was the time your cousin’s friend’s brother’s wife took a course to receive her underwater basket weaving certificate, you probably still have fond memories of the place. USC feeds their “Trojan Family” motto to anyone who steps on campus and student after student are grasped by the prongs of pride and stuck spending the rest of their life dressed in ketchup red and mustard yellow (c’mon, I’ve almost made myself throw up with how many nice things I’ve already said about USC).
One of the many perks of on-campus tailgating is the prime seats it provides for engaging in some of the other great USC gameday traditions:
Hearing the Band Play - The Trojan marching band swings right by the main walkway/plaza and plays for quite a while before heading over to the Coliseum, often leading a large portion of the fans with them. Again, this is a uniquely college football experience to watch the band march through campus, while the Trojan faithful repeatedly wave 2 fingers high in the sky and remind everyone where they rank out of Los Angeles institutions of hiring learning. The Trojan marching band goes to every game, so one would assume they are pretty well practiced and versed, however, I swear if you ever go to a game featuring ‘SC, be prepared for the only thing you hear in your head for the 36 hours following the game to be the Trojans’ fight song. The band plays it nonstop, after a Trojan first down, after a Trojan touchdown, after a loss of yards, after having a punt blocked, after the other team scores. There is absolutely no situation for which the band will not play the fight song.
Kicking the Pole - As you walk over to the Coliseum from campus, you’ll hear a repeated clanging noise as you get closer to crossing the street that separates the two. Of all the great Trojan traditions, this is probably the most important. As the Cardinal masses march from campus to the Coliseum, everyone squishes in even tighter to get in position to kick a random flagpole before crossing the street. Yes, they may be supporters of the most storied program on the west coast and yes, the Trojans enter most games with a huge talent advantage and often as double-digit favorites, but what would happen if these fans didn’t trample over one another to kick the aluminum base of a flag pole? Luckily, we’ll probably never need to find out.
I remember being at USC for the UCLA rivalry game when I was about 12 years old. While surrounded by the throngs of Trojan fans making their way over to the stadium, I heard the loud clanging noise from kicks to the pole and as any 12 year old would, I wanted to join in on the fun. I remember working my way over to the crowd, when some 40-something ‘SC fan told me kicking the pole was for Trojans only. Well, when you’re 12 years old and someone tells you not to do something, it’s pretty obvious what's going to happen. I originally passed by the flag pole playing it all cool, before taking a quick few steps back to give it a solid whack with my right boot. The same ‘SC guy was still paying attention, and made a desperate scramble upstream through ‘SC fans as he said “Now I gotta kick it again to cancel out the bad luck.” He was in such a desperate scramble to get there, that he kicked it at the same moment someone was kicking it from the other side and ended up stubbing his toe bad enough to give out an audible yelp. As he grimaced in pain and my parents scurried me along, I remember being filled with immense pride. However, sadly, he ended up getting the last laugh, as 'SC went on to win that game and snap the Bruins’ epic 8 year run over the Trojans. Moral of the story is there is no tradition too dumb for college football fans to buy into if they believe it gives them the slightest chance of improving the outcome on the field.
A few other quick hits:
LA crowds gonna LA - Remember how I was amazed by how many people were in their seats for kickoff at Utah? That was a Pac-12 trend that stopped pretty abruptly. In the SEC, if you’re not 30 minutes early, you’re late. Even in Starkville, Mississippi, most every seat is filled by the time the home squad comes running out of the tunnel. With few exceptions, in the Pac-12, if you make it into the game within 2 Kardashians episodes after the game started, you are right on time.
USC’s Traditional Entrance - USC has one of the greatest entrances in the Pac-12 (again, I’m having chills - the bad kind - go down my spine anytime I type the words “great” and “USC” in the same sentence). Just like everything else about ‘SC gameday, it isn’t flashy or over the top. There’s no cloud of colored smoke or a mascot on a motorcycle. No, the entrance is just a simple walk, but the way the cameras capture the players marching from the locker room to the field, shoulder by shoulder through the dimly lit tunnel while the roar of the crowd grows louder and louder as the players close in on the light of the Coliseum field, is sure to get the blood of any Trojan fan pumping.
In recent years, ‘SC has started having the team led out onto the field by some Trojan legends of the past. I get that you want to showcase your history-rich program, but considering that every single break in action, there’s some videoboard moment of the “Greatest pass, catch, block, missed FG, and waterboy in USC history,” why don’t we let the current players marching out of the tunnel have the moment for themselves.
Traveler - USC’s mascot is not Tommy Trojan, it is a white horse named Traveler. All I have to say about this is after watching them both circle the field to get the crowd revved up before kickoff, I have absolutely no doubt that Traveler would get completely smoked in a race against Ralphie.
The Retired Jerseys - I think I’ve made clear I highly respect the Trojan tradition. For all the successes and sideshows, USC has never let go of their role of being an example of what makes college football great. Jerseys without nameplates, on-campus tailgating, and of course, those USC song girls should live on forever and ever, but there is one element of the Trojan tradition that might be worth further evaluation.
USC lays out huge symbolic jerseys at the Peristyle end of the Coliseum with the numbers of each Trojan great who’s jersey has been retired. Carson Palmer's #3, Matt Leinart's #11, Charles White's #12, Mike Garrett's #20, O.J. Simpson's #32 and Marcus Allen's #33. Wait, did I just say O.J. Simpson? Yup. “The Juice” still has his mega jersey shining brightly behind the end zone. Junior Seau? No. Ronne Lott? Sorry. Reggie Bush? Not this decade. O.J. Simpson? Well, he did always have breakaway speed.
Don’t worry Trojan family, I took the liberty of penning new Athletic Director Lynn Swann and letting him know about the mix-up.
Dear Mr. Swann:
I hope you are settling into the new gig well. I wanted to send a quick note and see if you’ve had a chance to take in a game at the Coliseum lately. You see, I’m not exactly sure what kind of mix-up occurred, but #32 is still there among the retired jersey of other Trojan greats. I chuckled aloud when I saw it because I thought for sure some frat guys were going to get in a ton of trouble for pulling this prank. But then I turned to the fan next to me and asked if there was another #32 from USC because “that can’t be for… you know, O.J.?” In response, all the guy could do was grimace and shake his head.
Not sure if you’ve seen the news lately, like the past 2 decades or so, but the guy that wore #32, O.J. Simpson, has become a bit notorious for his accessory selections. You can read more about that if you just search Google for “OJ’s glove” or “OJ’s shoes.” At the same time, I realized that Reggie Bush’s #5 is nowhere to be found at the Coliseum. Well, other than being draped over the shoulders of about 20% of the Trojan Family in the stands.
Listen, I am all about innocent until proven guilty. If an ‘SC player was arrested, charged, and awaiting trial, I’d defend his right to start every Saturday until a jury of peers found him guilty. But here’s the thing, “The Juice” is a convicted felon, while Reggie accepted some perks for himself and family. When people of my age think of OJ Simpson, we think of a white bronco shutting down the 405 on a Friday afternoon, and when we think of Reggie Bush, we think of a smiling cardinal blur that would stutter step, then spin, then reverse field, and hurdle defenders with seemingly all the effort of a big brother just messing around with his little brother’s friends long enough so that they would have a second to think they actually had a shot at tackling him, before reminding them that just wasn’t possible.
Anyway, at a place that is so dripping in tradition it seems like it might be time to reflect on this particular one. I know you only retire the jerseys of Heisman winners, but keep in mind what the heisman is all about. According to the Heisman trust, the trophy is awarded to “the nation’s most outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.” USC has had its lion’s share of outstanding players who exhibit excellence with integrity. If you can’t stomach (or still fear NCAA repercussions) from putting Reggie’s number under the Peristyle, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble finding better choices than #32 to fill out that end of the stadium, Ronnie Lott and Junior Seau are two who quickly jump straight to mind.
Basically, if you wouldn’t want the guy to meet with the current team and lead them out onto the field for the biggest game of the year, then don’t hang his jersey out as a symbol of excellence.
On second thought, I take it all back, O.J. and Todd Marinovich would be the perfect guys to lead the Trojans onto the field for any game against UCLA. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Joe Bruin
As for the game itself, it reminded me a little too much of those Pete Carroll years. The Trojans got up 17 about 10 minutes into the game and coasted all the way home from there. As I made my way for the exits, I could hear the Trojan Marching Band rip into that same damn song yet again. I figured it must have been another Trojan touchdown, but as I passed a bevy of Trojan tailgaters already enjoying their victory party, I saw on the flatscreen that it was actually Oregon who had just scored. May all programs one day be so lucky.
