1979 USC Trojans football team

1979 USC Trojans football
1979 USC Trojans football
National champion (Football Research); Pac-10 champion; Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 17–16 vs. Ohio State
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 2
Record	11–0–1 (6–0–1 Pac-10)
Head coach	John Robinson (4th season);
Captains	Dennis Johnson; Charles White;
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
	Seasons ← 1978 1980 →

1979 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 2 USC $	6	–	0	–	1	11	–	0	–	1
No. 11 Washington	5	–	2	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
Arizona	4	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	1
Oregon	4	–	3	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
California	5	–	4	–	0	6	–	6	–	0
Stanford	3	–	3	–	1	5	–	5	–	1
Arizona State †	3	–	4	–	0	6	–	6	–	0
UCLA	3	–	4	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Washington State	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Oregon State	1	–	7	–	0	1	–	10	–	0

$ – Conference champion † – Arizona State later forfeited 5 wins (3 in conference) due to NCAA sanctions^[1] Rankings from AP Poll

The 1979 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled an 11–0–1 record (6–0–1 against conference opponents), won the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 389 to 171.^[2] The team was ranked #2 in both the final AP Poll and the final UPI Coaches Poll.

Quarterback Paul McDonald led the team in passing, completing 164 of 264 passes for 2,223 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. Charles White led the team in rushing with 332 carries for 2,050 yards and 19 touchdowns. Dan Garcia led the team in receiving with 29 catches for 492 yards and three touchdowns.^[3]

The team was named national champion by the College Football Researchers Association, an NCAA-designated major selector.^[4]^: 114

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 8	at Texas Tech*	No. 1	Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX		W 21–7	52,991	^[5]
September 15	at Oregon State	No. 1	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR	ONTV	W 42–5	32,000	^[6]
September 22	Minnesota*	No. 1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA		W 48–14	61,766	^[7]
September 29	at No. 20 LSU*	No. 1	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA		W 17–12	78,322	^[8]
October 6	Washington State	No. 1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA		W 50–21	55,117	^[9]
October 13	Stanford	No. 1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)		T 21–21	76,067	^[10]
October 20	at No. 9 Notre Dame*	No. 4	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (Jeweled Shillelagh)	ABC	W 42–23	59,075	^[11]
October 27	at California	No. 3	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA		W 24–14	76,780	^[12]
November 3	Arizona	No. 3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA		W 34–7	62,054	^[13]
November 10	at No. 15 Washington	No. 4	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	ABC	W 24–17	60,527	^[14]
November 24	UCLA	No. 4	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (Victory Bell)	KABC	W 49–14	88,214	^[15]
January 1, 1980	vs. No. 1 Ohio State*	No. 3	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	NBC	W 17–16	105,526	^[16]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[17]

Game summaries

At Texas Tech

At Oregon State

Paul McDonald completed eight of nine passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns in just one half of action while Charles White watched from the sidelines with an injured shoulder. McDonald led the Trojans to touchdowns on their first five possessions before he and the rest of USC starters sat for the second half.^[18]

Minnesota

At LSU

Washington State

Stanford

Charles White 32 rushes, 221 yards ^[19]

At Notre Dame

#4 USC Trojans (5–0–1) at #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
USC	0	7	14	21	42
Notre Dame	0	7	7	9	23

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana

Date: October 20
Game attendance: 59,075
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson & Frank Broyles
Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Oct 21.

Game information

First quarter

No scoring

Second quarter

USC – Garcia 12-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick). USC 7–0.
ND – Ferguson 1-yard run (Male kick). Tie 7–7.

Third quarter

USC – White 3-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 14–7
USC – White 1-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 21–7.
ND – Ferguson 21-yard run (Male kick). USC 21–14.

Fourth quarter

USC – Williams 12-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick). USC 28–14.
ND – Stone 2-yard run (kick failed). USC 28–20.
USC – White 1-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 35–20.
USC – White 1-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 42–20.
ND – Male 42-yard field goal. USC 42–23.

Top rushers

USC – Charles White – 44 rushes, 261 yards, 4 TD ^[20]

At California

#3 USC Trojans (6–0–1) at California Golden Bears (4–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
USC	7	0	0	17	24
California	0	7	0	7	14

at California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California

Date: October 27
Game attendance: 76,780
^[21]

Game information

First quarter

USC – James Hunter 3-yard pass from Paul McDonald (Eric Hipp kick). USC 7–0.

Second quarter

CAL – Darnell Chapman 74-yard blocked field goal return (Mick Luckhurst kick). Tie 7–7.

Third quarter

No scoring

Fourth quarter

USC – Charles White 2-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 14–7.
CAL – Matt Bouza 13-yard pass from Rich Campbell (Mick Luckhurst kick), 5:24. Tie 14–14.
USC – Eric Hipp 45-yard field goal, 2:46. USC 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards.
USC – Charles White 5-yard run (Eric Hipp kick), 0:02. USC 24–7.

Top passers

USC – Paul McDonald – 15/35, 212 yards, TD
CAL – Rich Campbell – 24/40, 266 yards, TD

Top rushers

USC – Charles White – 44 rushes, 198 yards, 2 TD
CAL – Paul Jones – 13 rushes, 36 yards

Top receivers

USC – Ray Butler – 4 receptions, 56 yards
CAL – Matt Bouza – 7 receptions, 101 yards, TD

Arizona

At Washington

#4 USC Trojans (8–0–1) at #15 Washington Huskies (7–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
USC	0	10	7	7	24
Washington	3	0	7	7	17

at Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington

Date: November 10
Game attendance: 60,527
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson & Frank Broyles
^[22]

Game information

First quarter

WASH – Lansford 30-yard field goal. Washington 3–0.

Second quarter

USC – Garcia 8-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick). USC 7–3.
USC – Hipp 31-yard field goal. USC 10–3.

Third quarter

USC – K. Williams 19-yard pass from McDonald (Hipp kick). USC 17–3.
WASH – Flick 1-yard run (Lansford kick). USC 17–10.

Fourth quarter

WASH – Skansi 12-yard pass from Flick (Lansford kick). Tie 17–17.
USC – M. Allen 10-yard run (Hipp kick). USC 24–17.

Top rushers

USC – Charles White – 38 rushes, 243 yards^[23]

Vs. UCLA

UCLA Bruins (5–5) vs. #4 USC Trojans (9–0–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
UCLA	0	0	7	7	14
USC	14	21	7	7	49

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Date: November 24
Game attendance: 88,214
^[24]

Game information

First quarter

USC – Charles White 2-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 7–0.
USC – Ronnie Lott 30-yard interception return (Eric Hipp kick). USC 14–0.

Second quarter

USC – Charles White 1-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 21–0.
USC – Charles White 26-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 28–0.
USC – Charles White 2-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 35–0.

Third quarter

UCLA – Jo-Jo Townsell 79-yard pass from Rick Bashore (Peter Boermeester kick). USC 35–7.
USC – Vic Rakhshani 5-yard pass from Paul McDonald (Eric Hipp kick). USC 42–7.

Fourth quarter

UCLA – Jo-Jo Townsell 5-yard pass from Rick Bashore (Peter Boermeester kick). USC 42–14.
USC – Michael Hayes 54-yard run (Eric Hipp kick). USC 49–14.

Top passers

UCLA – Rick Bashore – 9/17, 224 yards, 2 TD, INT
USC – Paul McDonald – 17/23, 199 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

UCLA – Freeman McNeil – 30 rushes, 120 yards
USC – Charles White – 35 rushes, 194 yards, 4 TD

Top receivers

UCLA – Jo-Jo Townsell – 5 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD
USC – Rod Garcia – 3 receptions, 42 yards

Rose Bowl (vs. Ohio State)

Charles White 39 rushes, 247 yards^[25]

Personnel

1979 USC Trojans football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
RB	`33`	Marcus Allen	So
TE	`89`	Hoby Brenner	Jr
G	`71`	Brad Budde	Sr
WR	`86`	Ray Butler	Sr
RB		Paul DiLulo
C	`68`	Chris Foote	Sr
G	`64`	Roy Foster	So
WR		Dan Garcia
RB		Anthony Gibson
RB		Michael Harper
RB		Michael Hayes
TE	`85`	James Hunter	Jr
RB		Ricky Johnson
RB		Doug MacKenzie
C	`52`	Brad Green	Sr
QB	`16`	Paul McDonald	Sr
WR		Malcolm Moore
OT	`72`	Don Mosebar	Fr
OT	`77`	Anthony Muñoz	Sr
WR	`26`	Danny Garcia	Sr
WR		Vic Rakhshani
QB		Scott Tinsley
OT	`68`	Keith Van Horne	Jr
RB	`12`	Charles White	Sr
WR	`8`	Kevin Williams	Jr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DL		George Achica
LB	`51`	Chip Banks	So
DT	`94`	Bryon Darby	Fr
S	`47`	Joey Browner	Fr
LB	`54`	Steve Busick	Jr
LB	`87`	August Curley	Fr
DL		Byron Darby
DL		Dennis Edwards
CB	`40`	Jeff Fisher	Jr
LB		Riki Gray
LB	`56`	Dennis Johnson	Sr
DT	`96`	Myron Lapka	Sr
S	`42`	Ronnie Lott	Jr
LB	`58`	Mike McDonald	Sr
LB	`57`	Larry McGrew	Sr
DB		Kenney Moore
LB	`81`	Eric Scoggins	Jr
DB	`49`	Dennis Smith	Jr
DL		Ty Sperling
DT	`93`	Kelly Thomas	Fr
DB	`23`	Herb Ward

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K		Eric Hipp
P		Dave Pryor

Head coach

John Robinson

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

1979 team players in the NFL

Marcus Allen
Chip Banks
Hoby Brenner
Joey Browner
Brad Budde
Steve Busick
Ray Butler
Dennis Johnson
Myron Lapka
Ronnie Lott
Jeff Fisher
Chris Foote
Roy Foster
Bruce Matthews
Paul McDonald
Larry McGrew
Don Mosebar
Anthony Muñoz
Eric Scoggins
Dennis Smith
Keith Van Horne
Charles White

Awards and honors

Brad Budde, Lombardi Award
Charles White, Heisman Trophy^[26]
Charles White, Maxwell Award
Charles White, Walter Camp Award

References

^ "2017 Media Guide" (PDF). thesundevils.com. ASU Athletics. p. 127. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
^ "Southern California Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
^ "1979 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
^ 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
^ "White injured early, but Southern Cal wins". Wisconsin State Journal. September 9, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Top-ranked USC destroys Oregon State by 42–5". The Tampa Tribune-Times. September 16, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "USC rambles past Minnesota". The Courier-Journal. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "For 59 minutes USC isn't even No. 1 in Baton Rouge". The Los Angeles Times. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "McDonald sparks USC win". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 7, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Trojans are left in a daze". The Daily Breeze. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southern Cal attack grinds Irish, 42–23". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southern Cal salvages win in late spree". Tallahassee Democrat. October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "USC star sets 3 records in 34–7 rout of Arizona". The Kansas City Star. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "USC tames Huskies and smells Roses". Winston-Salem Journal. November 11, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Trojans smash Bruins, 49–14". The San Francisco Examiner. November 25, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "White carries Southern Cal over Ohio State". The Pittsburgh Press. January 2, 1980. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1979 USC Trojans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
^ Ocala Star-Banner. 1979 Sept 16. Page 2C. Retrieved 2021-Sep-12.
^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
^ "Late scores sends Trojans past Bears." Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Oct 28. Retrieved 2021-Sep-24.
^ "USC Wins Bowl Berth Unless...". The Register-Guard. Eugene. November 11, 1979.
^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
^ "SC Gets Roses, White Wants Trophy." Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Nov 25. Retrieved 2020-Oct-01.
^ 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement
^ "Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007.

[asu-1] "2017 Media Guide" (PDF). thesundevils.com. ASU Athletics. p. 127. Retrieved June 15, 2018.

[2] "Southern California Yearly Results (1975-1979)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.

[3] "1979 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.

[2018ncaabook-4] 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

[5] "White injured early, but Southern Cal wins". Wisconsin State Journal. September 9, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Top-ranked USC destroys Oregon State by 42–5". The Tampa Tribune-Times. September 16, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "USC rambles past Minnesota". The Courier-Journal. September 23, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "For 59 minutes USC isn't even No. 1 in Baton Rouge". The Los Angeles Times. September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] "McDonald sparks USC win". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 7, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Trojans are left in a daze". The Daily Breeze. October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] "Southern Cal attack grinds Irish, 42–23". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 21, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] "Southern Cal salvages win in late spree". Tallahassee Democrat. October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[13] "USC star sets 3 records in 34–7 rout of Arizona". The Kansas City Star. November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[14] "USC tames Huskies and smells Roses". Winston-Salem Journal. November 11, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[15] "Trojans smash Bruins, 49–14". The San Francisco Examiner. November 25, 1979. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[16] "White carries Southern Cal over Ohio State". The Pittsburgh Press. January 2, 1980. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[17] "1979 USC Trojans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 25, 2024.

[18] Ocala Star-Banner. 1979 Sept 16. Page 2C. Retrieved 2021-Sep-12.

[19] 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement

[20] 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement

[21] "Late scores sends Trojans past Bears." Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Oct 28. Retrieved 2021-Sep-24.

[22] "USC Wins Bowl Berth Unless...". The Register-Guard. Eugene. November 11, 1979.

[23] 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement

[24] "SC Gets Roses, White Wants Trophy." Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Nov 25. Retrieved 2020-Oct-01.

[25] 2020 USC Media Guide Supplement

[26] "Heisman.com - Heisman Trophy". Archived from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007.

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v t e USC Trojans football
Venues	Athletic Park (1895–1898) Fiesta Park (1897–1898, 1901–1902, 1904–1906, 1916) Chutes Park (1900) Prager Park (1903) Bovard Field (1904–1910, 1914–1915, 1917–1923) Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923–present) Jones Field/Kennedy Field (practice)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Notre Dame Stanford UCLA: Victory Bell
Culture and lore	Traveler George Tirebiter Giles Pellerin "Fight On" Spirit of Troy Student Body Right Tommy Trojan Tribute to Troy Athletics scandal 1967 "Game of the Century" "Bush Push" 2007 Stanford game So This Is College
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911–1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Pac-12 Conference football champions
Pacific Coast	Washington (1916) Washington State (1917) California (1918) Oregon & Washington (1919) California (1920) California (1921) California (1922) California (1923) Stanford (1924) Washington (1925) Stanford (1926) Idaho, Stanford, & USC (1927) USC (1928) USC (1929) Washington State (1930) USC (1931) USC (1932) Oregon & Stanford (1933) Stanford (1934) California, Stanford, & UCLA (1935) Washington (1936) California (1937) California & USC (1938) USC (1939) Stanford (1940) Oregon State (1941) UCLA (1942) USC (1943) USC (1944) USC (1945) UCLA (1946) USC (1947) California & Oregon (1948) California (1949) California (1950) Stanford (1951) USC (1952) UCLA (1953) UCLA (1954) UCLA (1955) Oregon State (1956) Oregon & Oregon State (1957) California (1958)
AAWU	UCLA, USC, & Washington (1959) Washington (1960) UCLA (1961) USC (1962) Washington (1963) Oregon State & USC (1964) UCLA (1965) USC (1966) USC (1967)
Pacific-8	USC (1968) USC (1969) Stanford (1970) Stanford (1971) USC (1972) USC (1973) USC (1974) California & UCLA (1975) USC (1976) Washington (1977)
Pacific-10	USC (1978) USC (1979) Washington (1980) Washington (1981) UCLA (1982) UCLA (1983) USC (1984) UCLA (1985) Arizona State (1986) USC & UCLA (1987) USC (1988) USC (1989) Washington (1990) Washington (1991) Washington & Stanford (1992) Arizona, UCLA, & USC (1993) Oregon (1994) USC & Washington (1995) Arizona State (1996) UCLA & Washington State (1997) UCLA (1998) Stanford (1999) Oregon, Oregon State, & Washington (2000) Oregon (2001) USC & Washington State (2002) USC (2003) USC (2004) vacated USC (2005) vacated California & USC (2006) Arizona State & USC (2007) USC (2008) Oregon (2009) Oregon (2010)
Pac-12	Oregon (2011) Stanford (2012) Stanford (2013) Oregon (2014) Stanford (2015) Washington (2016) USC (2017) Washington (2018) Oregon (2019) Oregon (2020) Utah (2021) Utah (2022) Washington (2023)
National championships in bold