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American college football season
The 1959 USC Trojans football team represented the
University of Southern California (USC) in the
1959 NCAA University Division football season . In their third year under head coach
Don Clark , the Trojans compiled an 8–2 record (3–1 against conference opponents), finished in a tie for the
Athletic Association of Western Universities championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 195 to 90.
[1] Total attendance for all 10 games was 453,865.
[2]
Ben Charles led the team in passing with 20 of 46 passes completed for 843 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Jerry Traynham led the team in rushing with 123 carries for 583 yards and two touchdowns. Luther Hayes was the leading receiver with nine catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
[3]
This was the first season for the five-team AAWU, following the dissolution of the
Pacific Coast Conference in the spring. It comprised the four teams from state of
California and
Washington in
Seattle . The other four teams from the north (
Oregon ,
Oregon State ,
Washington State , and
Idaho ) were
independent for several seasons.
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site Result Attendance Source September 19 at
Oregon State * W 27–623,895
September 25
Pittsburgh * No. 11 W 23–034,172
October 2 No. 14
Ohio State * No. 11 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 17–049,592
October 17 at No. 18
Washington No. 7 W 22–1554,497
October 24
Stanford No. 5 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (
rivalry ) W 30–2844,209
October 31 at
California No. 6 W 14–737,000
November 7
West Virginia * No. 6 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 36–034,066
[4]
November 14 at
Baylor * No. 4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA W 17–843,832
November 21
UCLA No. 4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (
Victory Bell ) L 3–1085,917
November 28 at
Notre Dame * No. 7 L 6–1648,682
[5]
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from
AP Poll released prior to the game
Pittsburgh and Ohio State games were played on Friday night, Notre Dame on Thursday (
Thanksgiving )
Players
Al Bansavage , guard, 6'2", 220 pounds, Union City, California
Mike Bundra , tackle, 6'2", 232 pounds, Catasaugua, Pennsylvania
Ben Charles, quarterback
Angelo Coia , halfback, 6'2", 195 pounds, Philadelphia
Jim Conroy, fullback, 6'0", 197 pounds, Baldwin Park, California
Dan Ficca , tackle, 6'1", 230 pounds, Atlas, Pennsylvania
Garry Finneran , tackle, 6'2", 219 pounds, Cathedral
Lynn Gaskill, halfback, 6'0", 175 pounds, Banning, California
Luther Hayes, end, 6'4", 198 pounds, San Diego, California
Clark Holden, fullback, 5'10", 195 pounds, Marshall, California
Bob Levingston, halfback, 6'0", 185 pounds, Los Angeles
Marv Marinovich , tackle, 6'3", 220 pounds, Watsonville, California
Marlin McKeever , end, 6'1", 215 pounds, Mt. Carmel, California
Mike McKeever , 6'1", 215 pounds, guard, Mt. Carmel, California
Roger Mietz, guard, 5'10", 206 pounds, San Leandro, California
Ron Mix , tackle, 6'3", 215, Hawthorne, California
Dave Morgan, center, 6'4", 204 pounds, Natick, Massachusetts
Al Prukop, quarterback, 6'1", 181 pounds, Mt. Carmel (led the team with 405 minutes played)
Jerry Traynham, halfback, 5'10", 180 pounds, Woodland, California
Jack Treier, center, 6'3", 208 pounds, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
George Van Vliet, 6'2", 195 pounds, end, Whittier, California
Glenn Wilder, 6'0", 181 pounds, end, Van Nuys, California
Britt Williams, guard, 6'1", 210 pounds, Walnut Creek, California
Willie Wood , quarterback, 5'9", 170 pounds, Washington, D.C.
Coaching staff
References
^
"Southern California Yearly Results (1955-1959)" . College Football Data Warehouse . David DeLassus. Archived from
the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015 .
^ 1960 "El Rodeo" (USC yearbook), page 300.
^
"1959 Southern California Trojans Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015 .
^
"USC thunders again 36–0" . The Sacramento Union . November 8, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via
Newspapers.com .
^
"Notre Dame mauls Trojans, 16-6" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Chicago Tribune. November 29, 1959. p. 1, sports.
^
"Marv Goux, Ex-USC Football Captain and Assistant Coach, Dies" .
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People
Seasons National championship seasons in bold
Pacific Coast AAWU Pacific-8 Pacific-10 Pac-12 National championships in bold