USC Trojan Football

USC Trojan football can trace its roots back to 1888, with a team that played two games, both against Alliance. The USC football club won both of those games, 16-0 and 4-0, and also won a pair of games the following season, downing Loyola (St. Vincent's) 40-0 and Pasadena 26-0. Their first Bowl Game appearance came in 1922 and was a successful one, as the Trojans downed Penn State, 14-3, in the Rose Bowl. Their team colors are Cardinal and Gold and their fight song is called "Fight On!" Surprisingly, USC's nickname hasn't always been the Trojans. Prior to 1912, the athletic clubs at the university were either called the Methodists or the Wesleyans. University officials commissioned a local sportswriter to invent a new moniker for the team and that journalist, Owen Bird of the L.A. Times, is said to have chosen the "Trojans" because the team was noble in defeat, just like the Trojan warriors of ancient lore.

USC Trojan Football: By The Numbers

Statistically speaking, USC Trojan football has been one of the most successful programs in NCAA history. They have won more than 700 total games in 116 years of football. They have been crowned National Champions 11 times, including back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004. Six Trojan players -- Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981), Carson Palmer (2002) and Matt Leinart (2004) -- have won the Heisman Trophy. USC has produced 135 NCAA All-Americans, 65 first-round NFL draft picks (including five players who were taken with the very first pick in the draft), 195 NFL Pro Bowlers and 10 members of the Professional Football Hall of Fame. They have also won 30 total Bowl Games and 32 conference championships. Without a doubt, there is a rich history of gridiron excellence at the University of Southern California.