If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column
USC announced today that women’s volleyball coach Brad Keller will not return. He has been on indefinite leave since early October.
- Five-star forward Christian Collins could make his debut Sunday at the Galen Center against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He has been sidelined following foot surgery.
- Lincoln Riley is 1-7 on the road vs ranked teams as USC head coach.
- And now for some history:
- I need to share some stories about Steve Harvey, the Bottom Ten and “Only in L.A.” columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
I grew up reading the Bottom Ten but never crossed paths with Harvey in the media world, even though we were both USC graduates and former Daily Trojan sports editors.
But once I started writing the Friday history column, I came across his work at the Daily Trojan and we started sharing emails about eight years ago.
I sent him this letter from the USC crew team, which was upset over an article Harvey wrote about them.
Harvey responded: “As I recall, the crew members stormed the Daily Trojan sports office, looking for ‘this guy Steve Harvey.’ I pointed them to Stu Zanville, a skinny, mild-mannered, very friendly DT member, and slunk out a side door like a thief in the night. Yes, those were the days.”
- In October, 1966, Harvey wrote an article for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner about the band harboring fake members. His Daily Trojan colleague, Steve Harris, had orginally written an artilcle about it for the school paper.
In the picture, band members hang Harvey in effigy. That’s his name on the front of the T-shirt of the dummy. It remained there for about 30 minutes before campus police cut it down.
“Basically, I love that,” Harvey said. “And the charges (about the band) are true. I must show it to my dad.”
After it was cut down, Harvey begged the police to let him take it home.
Steve Harvey proudly poses with the dummy made by the USC band.
- Finally, from 1967, here’s a preview of the Daily Trojan vs. Daily Bruin basketball game that references Harvey and City Editor Hal Lancaster.
“Can Steve Harvey and Lancaster manage to stay on the wagon for two nights in a row?”
- The 1967 USC spring football game was highlighted by a pair of first-year varsity players from the Bay Area. Quarterback Mike Holmgren completed 20 of 38 passes for 276 yards. Tailback O.J. Simpson gained 135 yards in 24 carries and caught two passes for 49 yards.
Sophomore tailback Steve Dale from Yakima gained 131 yards in 22 carries.
- Apparently, in 1967 it was OK to invite high school recruits to team banquets, so Bob Boyd brought six high school players to the basketball banquet highlighted by forward Curtis Rowe of Fremont High School.
- When USC lost to Notre Dame, 51-0, at the Coliseum, comedian Bill Cosby was a special guest and sat the Trojans’ bench during the game.
After the game, Cosby went into the locker room and Coach John McKay gave him a USC sweatshirt.
“Thanks, Coach,” Cosby said. “I’ll be there (at the Rose Bowl) and I’ll be wearing this.”
“Thanks, Bill,” a dejected McKay said.
This was the game where McKay was eventually kicked out of the Coliseum by stadium personnel because he did not want to go speak to boosters at a post-game party in downtown L.A.
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