Athletic Heritage
USC has a proud athletic heritage — and with good reason. Arguably, Troy could be the "Collegiate Athletic Program of the 20th Century." Consider:
Along with the great accomplishments on the playing fields, USC student-athletes have received 53 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, in the Top 10 among all schools. In addition, USC has had 36 first team Academic All-Americans and 4 athletes who were Rhodes Scholars.
Here’s an overview of USC's 21 current intercollegiate sports:
USC’s record against Pac-12 opponents is a stellar 463-188-29 (.702). The Trojans have won 37 conference championships, along with 3 division titles. (Does not include 9 wins and 2 conference champinships vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 472-188-29, .702, 40 conference titles.)
USC has the nation’s sixth best bowl winning percentage (.654) among the 93 schools that have made at least 10 bowl appearances and its 33 Rose Bowl appearances is an all-time best. Troy’s overall bowl mark is 34-18 (second for most wins nationally), including 25-8 in the Pasadena classic (does not include 1 Rose Bowl win and loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 35-19 overall, 25-9 Rose Bowl). The Trojans were a bowl participant every year they were eligible from 1972 to 1990.
Five Trojan tailbacks have won the coveted Heisman Trophy as college football’s outstanding player: Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981) and Reggie Bush (2005, later vacated). Carson Palmer in 2002 and Matt Leinart in 2004 became the first USC quarterbacks to win the Heisman.
The Trojans have had other prominent award winners. Offensive tackle Ron Yary won the 1967 Outland Trophy, offensive guard Brad Budde won the 1979 Lombardi Award, safety Mark Carrier won the 1989 Thorpe Award, linebacker Chris Claiborne won the 1998 Butkus Award, tight end Fred Davis won the 2007 Mackey Award, linebacker Rey Maualuga won the 2008 Bednarik Award, wide receiver Marqise Lee won the 2012 Biletnikoff Award and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson won the 2017 Thorpe Award. USC players have been named first team All-American 168 times, with 54 consensus selections and 27 unanimous choices. There are 43 inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame with USC ties, including 32 players.
Many of those players have led USC to 11 national championships in football. Legendary coach Howard Jones (1925-40) guided Troy to 4 of those titles (1928-31-32-39). John McKay (1960-75) was responsible for 4 national championship teams (1962-67-72-74). John Robinson (1976-82), who captured 1 title (1978) in his first tenure, returned to Troy in 1993 and led USC to 3 more bowl wins. Pete Carroll (2001-09) led Troy to its most recent national crowns in 2003 and 2004, and had 5 Pac-10 titles, BCS bowl trips and 11-win seasons and 7 AP Top 4 finishes (does not include 14 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 7 consecutive Pac-10 titles, BCS bowl trips, 11-win seasons and AP Top 4 finishes). Former assistant Clay Helton was named permanent head coach at the end of the 2015 regular season and he led USC to a win in the 2017 Rose Bowl and the 2017 Pac-12 title.
Scores of Trojans have starred in the NFL (a nation-high 505 have been drafted, including a national-best 81 first rounders and a record 5 No. 1 selections), including such greats as Frank Gifford, Lynn Swann, Anthony Munoz, Ronnie Lott, Junior Seau, Keyshawn Johnson, Bruce Matthews, Willie McGinest and Troy Polamalu. A national-best 12 ex-Trojan players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Since starting baseball in 1889, the Trojans have a record of 2,644-1,525-17 (.634) against college opponents, and captured 38 conference titles.
The incomparable Rod Dedeaux coached USC from 1942-86, leading the school to 11 of its NCAA crowns, including 5 straight from 1970-74 (no other school has strung together more than two in a row).
Trojans have been named first team All-American 43 times, with Jay Roundy, Pat Harrison, Bill Bordley and Gabe Alvarez being 2-time selections. Mark McGwire (1984), Seth Etherton (1998) and Mark Prior (2001) were national Players of the Year.
USC boasts many successful major leaguers such as Ron Fairly, Don Buford, Tom Seaver, Dave Kingman, Fred Lynn, Roy Smalley, Steve Kemp, Mark McGwire, Randy Johnson, Bret and Aaron Boone, Jeff Cirillo, Barry Zito, Geoff Jenkins and Mark Prior.
In all, Trojans have been drafted 333 times, with a national-best 111 Trojans having played in the major leagues.
Dedeaux compiled a 45-year collegiate record of 1,332-571-11 (.699), making him the then-winningest coach in collegiate baseball history. He resigned after the 1986 season and was replaced by Mike Gillespie, whose 1998 squad won the College World Series while finishing as the CWS runnerup in 1995 and also advancing to Omaha in 2000 and 2001. Gillespie retired after the 2006 season. Former Trojan pitcher Dan Hubbs became the head coach in 2013 (his 2015 team made the NCAA regional).
Bill Sharman, John Rudometkin, John Block, Paul Westphal, Gus Williams, Harold Miner and Sam Clancy are a few of USC’s 22 All-American selections. Six USC men, Sharman, Jack Gardner, Alex Hannum, Tex Winter and coaches Sam Barry and George Raveling, are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Barry (1930-41, 1945-50) has USC's winningest record, 260-138 (.653). Following him are Forrest Twogood (1951-66) at 255-180 (.586) and Bob Boyd (1967-79) at 216-131 (.622). George Raveling, an assistant for the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympic teams, took over in 1987 and led Troy into the post-season 4 times. Henry Bibby (1996-2005) got the Trojans into the NCAA tourney 3 times (including the Elite Eight in 2001). Tim Floyd (2006-09) posted 20-win seasons and NCAA berths a USC-record 3 straight seasons. Andy Enfield became head coach in 2014 and led Troy to the 2016 and 2017 NCAAs (setting a school record for wins in 2017 with 26).
Under coach Linda Sharp, Troy reached the Final Four in 1981. In 1983, Cheryl Miller joined Cynthia Cooper and twins Pam and Paula McGee to lead the Women of Troy to its first national championship. The next year, the team won the national title again. USC advanced to the NCAA title game in 1986.
Miller finished her career in 1986 as the Trojans’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She also won her third straight Naismith Award as the nation's outstanding player. She returned as coach of her alma mater in 1994 and led USC to a Pac-10 title and 2 NCAA playoff trips. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 and Cooper (twice an Olympian and WNBA MVP) was inducted in 2010. Cooper became USC’s coach in 2014, leading her team to the NCAA tourney that year.
Lisa Leslie, who became an Olympic and pro star, won the Naismith Award in 1994 (she was the MVP of the first WNBA All-Star Game and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015). Tina Thompson was the No. 1 pick in the 1997 WNBA draft and entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
USC was in the NCAA tourney in 2005 and 2006 under coach Mark Trakh. Former Laker great and Sparks coach Michael Cooper took over in 2010. After Cynthia Cooper’s tenure, Trakh returned to Troy for the 2018 season.
Legendary coach Stan Wood (1955-79) had a career record of 462-37 (.926) and won 14 league crowns. He also guided Troy to an NCAA record 51 consecutive dual match wins from 1956-59. His teams finished third in the NCAA tourney 6 times.
Under coach Randy Lein (1984-92), USC won the league title in 1986. U.S. Amateur champion Sam Randolph, who finished as low amateur at the Masters in 1985 and 1986, was a first team All-American 3 straight years and was named college golf’s 1986 Player of the Year. Kurt Schuette became coach in 1995 and guided USC to back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 2001-02. Kevin Stadler, Craig's son, was the 2002 Pac-10 Golfer of the Year (USC's first honoree since 1986).
Ex-Trojan Chris Zambri became head coach in 2007 and led USC league titles that year, in 2011 and 2018. He guided USC to third at the 2008 NCAAs, when he was National Coach of the Year, and took Troy to a program-best second at the 2015 NCAAs. The Trojans tied for third in 2016 and tied for fifth in 2017, part of a national co-leading 11 straight NCAA trips.
Cathy Bright led USC to 5 Top 10 NCAA finishes in 12 years as head coach (1982-93). Former Trojan player Renee (Mack) Baumgartner returned as head coach in 1994 and led USC to second at the NCAAs that year.
WGCA Hall of Famer Andrea Gaston became head coach in 1997 and guided USC to 18 NCAA Top 10 finishes in her 22 seasons, including all 3 NCAA titles, and produced 22 All-Americans. Justin Silverstin took over for 2019.
Jennifer Rosales won the 1998 NCAA individual title as a freshman, Mikaela Parmlid won in 2003, Dewi-Claire Schreefel won in 2006, Annie Park won as a first-semester freshman in 2013 and Doris Chen won in 2014. Other top golfers are Marta Figueras-Dotti, Jill McGill (1993 U.S. Amateur champion), Heidi Voorhees (1993 U.S. Amateur medalist), Jennifer Biehn (1994 Pac-10 champ), Candie Kung (2000 Pac-10 champ), Becky Lucidi (2002 U.S. Amateur and 2003 Mexican Amateur champion), Irene Cho, Paola Moreno, Belen Mozo, Jennifer Song (2009 National Freshman of the Year and NCAA individual runnerup) and 4-time All-Americans Lizette Salas, Sophia Popov and Belen Mozo.
At the 1998 NCAA meet, the Women of Troy won their first national championship race (varsity fours). In 2005, USC made its first NCAA Championship appearance as a team, placing 11th. USC has 6 NCAA Top 10 finishes, including a program-best fourth in 2013. USC was ranked No. 1 nationally for parts of the 2007, 2012 and 2013 seasons. Josh Adam of Washington State took over as head coach for the 2018 season.
Isabelle Harvey, the 1998 Pac-10 Player of the Year, was USC's first All-American first teamer (in 2000). Amy Rodriguez was a 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympian.
Over the years, USC men's swimmers have made Olympic teams 143 times, winning 43 gold, 24 silver and 21 bronze medals. Gold medal winners have included Lenny Krayzelburg, John Naber, Bruce Furniss and Murray Rose. In the 1976 Games, Trojan swimmers won more golds and more total medals than any country in swimming except the United States.
Since beginning swimming in 1929, the Trojans have captured 9 NCAA championships, all under coach Peter Daland, who retired in 1992 after 35 years at Troy. USC swimmers and divers have won 121 NCAA meet individual and relay titles and have earned All-American honors an amazing 607 times. Under Daland, USC won 17 Pac-10 championships and amassed an impressive dual meet record of 318-31-1 (.917). Three of his last 6 squads had runner-up finishes at the NCAA meet.
Four-time U.S. Olympic coach Mark Schubert, winner of 2 NCAA titles with the Texas women, succeeded Daland (he also served as the head coach of the Women of Troy). His men’s teams placed in the Top 10 at the NCAAs 12 times in his 14 years at USC. Dave Salo took over for Schubert in both roles in 2007, guiding USC to 8 Top 10 NCAA finishes.
Among USC’s top women’s swimmers are Michelle Ford, Sue Habernigg, Cynthia Woodhead, Sue Hinderaker, Debbie Rudd, Kristine Quance (9 NCAA titles), Lindsay Benko (5 NCAA titles), Kaitlin Sandeno (2 NCAA titles), diver Blythe Hartley (5 NCAA titles), Rebecca Soni (6 NCAA titles) and Katinka Hosszu (5 NCAA titles).
George Toley (1954-80) guided the Trojans for 26 years before resigning during the 1980 season. His career record was 430-92-4 (.821) with 10 NCAA titles. Dick Leach succeeded Toley and posted a 535-133 (.801) mark in 23 years. He won 4 NCAA crowns and 8 of his other teams finished fourth or better. His successor, Peter Smith, guided USC to the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 NCAA titles.
Overall, USC players have been named to All-American teams 160 times, with many also enjoying successful pro careers, including Stan Smith, Bob Lutz, Raul Ramirez and Dennis Ralston.
Those national crowns all came under Dave Borelli, who coached USC from 1974 to 1988. In duals, Borelli’s record was 300-43 (.875).
Trojans have won 5 national singles titles, along with 2 doubles champs (including Sabrina Santamaria and Kaitlyn Christian in 2013) and 94 All-Americans. Prominent USC stars include Barbara Hallquist, Diane Desfor, Lea Antonopolis, Leslie Allen, Sheila McInerney, Stacy Margolin, Trey Lewis, the Fernandez sisters, Kelly Henry, Beth Herr, Caroline Kuhlman, Trisha Laux, Jewel Peterson, Lindsey Nelson and Maria Sanchez.
Richard Gallien, a successful player and coach at Pepperdine, was head coach from 1996 to 2017. He got to the NCAA semifinals in 2006 and 2012. Alison Swain, who led Williams to 8 NCAA titles, took over for the 2018 season.
Outstanding coaches include Dean Cromwell (1909-48), who won a record 12 NCAA titles and had a dual meet mark of 109-48-1; Jess Mortensen, who never lost a dual meet (64-0) in 11 years and won 7 NCAA titles; and Vern Wolfe, who retired after the 1984 season with 7 national titles and a dual meet record of 106-17-1 (.859). Jim Bush, who became USC's head coach in 1991, saw his 1992 Trojans finish third at the NCAAs with only a 6-man team. Ron Allice took over the combined men's and women's programs in 1995. He led the men to 14 Top 10 NCAA finishes (including third twice) and 5 conference crowns. Allice retired after the 2013 season and was replaced as Director of Track by Caryl Smith Gilbert for the 2014 season, who has led Troy to Top 5 NCAA finishes 3 times.
Sixty-five USC tracksters have won 97 places on U.S. Olympic teams over the years. Trojans have won 29 individual Olympic titles and shared in 10 relay wins. Gold medal winners include long jumper Randy Williams, pole vaulter Bob Seagren, sprinter Charles Paddock and hurdler Felix Sanchez.
Since 1912, 63 USC trackmen have equalled or bettered world records, and there have been 124 NCAA outdoor individual or relay winners from Troy--including Michael Norman (400 meters) and Rai Benjamin (400 hurdles) in 2018.
The Trojans also have a long history of successful distance running, including 9 Olympians and NCAA champions Julio Marin and Ole Oleson.
The women’s track and field heritage begins with former coach Sherry Calvert. A 4-time All-American javelin thrower at USC and 2-time Olympian, Calvert started the program and coached through 1983. In 1995, Ron Allice took over as the combined men's and women's coach. Caryl Smith Gilbert succeeded him as Director of Track for the 2014 season.
The Women of Troy have had many successful track and field athletes, including such NCAA champions as Patty Van Wolvelaere, Wendy Brown, Yvette Bates, Ashley Selman, Angela Williams (the first athlete, male or female, at any level to win 4 consecutive NCAA 100-meter dashes), Natasha Danvers, Brigita Langerholc, Inga Stasiulionyte, Natasha Mayers, Virginia Powell, Eva Orban, Nia Ali and Kendall Ellis (whose stunning comeback on the anchor leg of the 1600-meter relay helped USC to the 2018 NCAA team title).
The Women of Troy compete in cross country in the fall.
Ernie Hix, who retired as head coach after the 1981 season, turned USC into one of the top volleyball powers in the nation. Hix’s 8-year record was an impressive 146-47 (.756) with 2 national crowns.
Twenty-seven Trojans have played on the U.S. National team and USC volleyballers have been named first team All-Americans 34 times. In the 1984 Olympics, Steve Timmons, Dusty Dvorak and Pat Powers helped lead the U.S. to its first gold medal in the sport, while Timmons repeated with the 1988 U.S. squad. Timmons, Bryan Ivie, Nick Becker and Dan Greenbaum won bronze medals with the U.S. in 1992. Tim Hovland, Celso Kalache, Adam Johnson, former coach Bob Yoder (a 3-time All-American who coached Troy to an NCAA title in 1988), Donald Suxho, Brook Billings, Murphy Troy, Tony Ciarelli and Micah Christenson also are key figures in USC’s volleyball heritage.
Jim McLaughlin took over for Yoder in 1990 as head coach and led Troy to an NCAA title in his initial year. Bill Ferguson, named coach in 2007, led USC to the NCAA Final Four in 2009 (for the first time since 1991), 2011 and 2012. His assistant, Olympian Jeff Nygaard, succeeded him in 2016.
Lisa Love took over for Erbe in 1989 and guided USC into the NCAAs in 9 of her 10 years before retiring after the 1998 season. Jerritt Elliott served as interim head coach in 1999 and 2000, guiding the 2000 club to the NCAA Final Four. Mick Haley, head coach of the 2000 U.S. women's Olympic team, took over in 2001. In 2002 and 2003, his teams won the NCAA crown, with the 2003 club going 35-0. USC also got to the NCAA Final Four in 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2011. Brent Crouch replaced Haley in 2018.
Debbie Green (1978), April Ross (2004), Alex Jupiter (2011) and Samantha Bricio (2015) won the prestigious Honda Award in volleyball. Trojans have been named first team All-American 48 times and earned spots on Olympic rosters 24 times (including Green, Sue Woodstra, Paula Weishoff, Carolyn Becker, Kim Ruddins and Nicole Davis).
In 2012, USC began fielding a women's beach volleyball team, with Anna Collier as the head coach. The Women of Troy finished third nationally in 2013 and 2014 before winning the AVCA national championship in 2015 (going 28-0), then capturing the first-ever NCAA beach event in 2016 and repeating in 2017 before placing fourth in 2018. The duo of Kirby Burnham-Stevi Robinson won the national pairs title in 2013, then Burnham joined freshman Sara Hughes for the 2014 crown and Hughes and Kelly Claes claimed it in 2015. Former Trojan indoor players April Ross-Jennifer Kessy were silver medalists in beach volleyball at the 2012 Olympics.
John Williams led Troy to national prominence during his tenure from 1973 to 1998. Nineteen of his last 22 teams finished the season in the top 7 nationally, including the 1998 NCAA championship team (5 others placed second). Jovan Vavic, who joined as co-head coach in 1995, took over as head coach in 1999. His 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 , 2011, 2012 and 2013 teams won the NCAA championship (8 of his other squads were runners-up), with his 2008 and 2012 Trojans both going 29-0.
Twenty-four USC poloists have participated in the Olympics and Trojans have made All-American teams 197 times. Some of the prominent names in USC water polo history are Ron Severa, Wally Wolf, Charles Bittick, Greg Fults, Zach Stimson, Craig Furniss, Charles Harris, Robert Lynn, Drew Netherton, Hrvoje Cizmic, Marko Zagar, Simun Cimerman, Marko Pintaric, George Csaszar, Pedraj Damjanov, Bozidar Damjanovic, Juraj Zatovic (who in 2005 was USC's first male winner of the Peter J. Cutino Award as the National Player of the Year), Juan Delgadillo, J.W. Krumpholz (2008 Olympian and 2-time National Player of the Year) and Joel Dennerley (the 2011 Cutino Award winner), Peter Kurzeka, Nikola Vavic, Kostas Genidounias (the 2015 Cutino winner) and McQuin Baron (2017 Cutino winner).
Eight Trojans participated in the 2008 Olympics and 7 in 2012. Besides Orwig and Van Norman, other top players include Aniko Pelle (2000 National Player of the Year), Nina Wengst, Olympian Sofia Konoukh, Katrin Dierolf, Kelly Graff, Lauren Wenger (2006 National Player of the Year), Brittany Hayes, Erika Figge, Kami Craig (2009 and 2010 National Player of the Year), Kristen Dronberger, Monica Vavic, Stephania Haralabidis (2016 National Player of the Year), Amanda Longan (2018 National Player of the Year) and Paige Hauschild.
- Trojan teams have won more national championships, 129 (97 men’s, including a national-best 84 NCAA titles, and 32 women’s), than all but 2 schools.
- The Trojans won at least 1 national team title in 26 consecutive years (1959-60 to 1984-85).
- USC won the 2015-16 Women's Capital One Cup as the nation's top women's athletic program, based on its finishes in NCAA Championships. The Trojan men won the Knoxville Journal/USA Today’s National College All-Sports Championship 6 times from 1971 to 1984.
- USC won the Crosstown Cup (formerly Gauntlet Trophy), a year-long all-sports competition between Troy and crosstown rival UCLA, in 10 of the competition's 17 years.
- Trojan men athletes have won more individual NCAA titles (326) than those from any other school in the nation (the Women of Troy have brought home another 78 individual NCAA crowns).
- Troy also has a long tradition of nurturing successful Olympic athletes. USC has more Olympians, medalists and gold medalists than any school. Since 1904, 452 Trojan athletes have competed in the Games, taking home 144 gold medals (with at least 1 gold in every summer Olympics from 1912), 92 silver and 71 bronze.
- Four Trojans have won the prestigious Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in America: diver Sammy Lee (1953), shot putter Parry O’Brien (1959), swimmer John Naber (1977) and swimmer Janet Evans (1989).
- Two Women of Troy athletes have won the Honda-Broderick Cup as the top collegiate woman athlete of the year: Cheryl Miller (1983-84) and Angela Williams (2001-02). And Trojan women have won 16 Honda Awards, as the top female athlete in their sport.
Along with the great accomplishments on the playing fields, USC student-athletes have received 53 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships, in the Top 10 among all schools. In addition, USC has had 36 first team Academic All-Americans and 4 athletes who were Rhodes Scholars.
Here’s an overview of USC's 21 current intercollegiate sports:
FOOTBALL
- Since starting football in 1888, USC has an impressive all-time won-loss record of 834-339-54 (.702). In 2009, ESPN.com ranked USC the No. 2 program in college football history. (Does not include 14 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 848-340-54, .705.)USC’s record against Pac-12 opponents is a stellar 463-188-29 (.702). The Trojans have won 37 conference championships, along with 3 division titles. (Does not include 9 wins and 2 conference champinships vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 472-188-29, .702, 40 conference titles.)
USC has the nation’s sixth best bowl winning percentage (.654) among the 93 schools that have made at least 10 bowl appearances and its 33 Rose Bowl appearances is an all-time best. Troy’s overall bowl mark is 34-18 (second for most wins nationally), including 25-8 in the Pasadena classic (does not include 1 Rose Bowl win and loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 35-19 overall, 25-9 Rose Bowl). The Trojans were a bowl participant every year they were eligible from 1972 to 1990.
Five Trojan tailbacks have won the coveted Heisman Trophy as college football’s outstanding player: Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981) and Reggie Bush (2005, later vacated). Carson Palmer in 2002 and Matt Leinart in 2004 became the first USC quarterbacks to win the Heisman.
The Trojans have had other prominent award winners. Offensive tackle Ron Yary won the 1967 Outland Trophy, offensive guard Brad Budde won the 1979 Lombardi Award, safety Mark Carrier won the 1989 Thorpe Award, linebacker Chris Claiborne won the 1998 Butkus Award, tight end Fred Davis won the 2007 Mackey Award, linebacker Rey Maualuga won the 2008 Bednarik Award, wide receiver Marqise Lee won the 2012 Biletnikoff Award and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson won the 2017 Thorpe Award. USC players have been named first team All-American 168 times, with 54 consensus selections and 27 unanimous choices. There are 43 inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame with USC ties, including 32 players.
Many of those players have led USC to 11 national championships in football. Legendary coach Howard Jones (1925-40) guided Troy to 4 of those titles (1928-31-32-39). John McKay (1960-75) was responsible for 4 national championship teams (1962-67-72-74). John Robinson (1976-82), who captured 1 title (1978) in his first tenure, returned to Troy in 1993 and led USC to 3 more bowl wins. Pete Carroll (2001-09) led Troy to its most recent national crowns in 2003 and 2004, and had 5 Pac-10 titles, BCS bowl trips and 11-win seasons and 7 AP Top 4 finishes (does not include 14 wins and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 7 consecutive Pac-10 titles, BCS bowl trips, 11-win seasons and AP Top 4 finishes). Former assistant Clay Helton was named permanent head coach at the end of the 2015 regular season and he led USC to a win in the 2017 Rose Bowl and the 2017 Pac-12 title.
Scores of Trojans have starred in the NFL (a nation-high 505 have been drafted, including a national-best 81 first rounders and a record 5 No. 1 selections), including such greats as Frank Gifford, Lynn Swann, Anthony Munoz, Ronnie Lott, Junior Seau, Keyshawn Johnson, Bruce Matthews, Willie McGinest and Troy Polamalu. A national-best 12 ex-Trojan players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
BASEBALL
- No school in the country can match the long tradition USC has in baseball. With 12 national championships in the sport, Troy is far and away the leader in that category (no other school has more than 6).Since starting baseball in 1889, the Trojans have a record of 2,644-1,525-17 (.634) against college opponents, and captured 38 conference titles.
The incomparable Rod Dedeaux coached USC from 1942-86, leading the school to 11 of its NCAA crowns, including 5 straight from 1970-74 (no other school has strung together more than two in a row).
Trojans have been named first team All-American 43 times, with Jay Roundy, Pat Harrison, Bill Bordley and Gabe Alvarez being 2-time selections. Mark McGwire (1984), Seth Etherton (1998) and Mark Prior (2001) were national Players of the Year.
USC boasts many successful major leaguers such as Ron Fairly, Don Buford, Tom Seaver, Dave Kingman, Fred Lynn, Roy Smalley, Steve Kemp, Mark McGwire, Randy Johnson, Bret and Aaron Boone, Jeff Cirillo, Barry Zito, Geoff Jenkins and Mark Prior.
In all, Trojans have been drafted 333 times, with a national-best 111 Trojans having played in the major leagues.
Dedeaux compiled a 45-year collegiate record of 1,332-571-11 (.699), making him the then-winningest coach in collegiate baseball history. He resigned after the 1986 season and was replaced by Mike Gillespie, whose 1998 squad won the College World Series while finishing as the CWS runnerup in 1995 and also advancing to Omaha in 2000 and 2001. Gillespie retired after the 2006 season. Former Trojan pitcher Dan Hubbs became the head coach in 2013 (his 2015 team made the NCAA regional).
MEN’S BASKETBALL
- Since starting basketball in 1907, USC has compiled a record of 1,608-1,191 (.574), winning 14 league championships.Bill Sharman, John Rudometkin, John Block, Paul Westphal, Gus Williams, Harold Miner and Sam Clancy are a few of USC’s 22 All-American selections. Six USC men, Sharman, Jack Gardner, Alex Hannum, Tex Winter and coaches Sam Barry and George Raveling, are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Barry (1930-41, 1945-50) has USC's winningest record, 260-138 (.653). Following him are Forrest Twogood (1951-66) at 255-180 (.586) and Bob Boyd (1967-79) at 216-131 (.622). George Raveling, an assistant for the 1984 and 1988 U.S. Olympic teams, took over in 1987 and led Troy into the post-season 4 times. Henry Bibby (1996-2005) got the Trojans into the NCAA tourney 3 times (including the Elite Eight in 2001). Tim Floyd (2006-09) posted 20-win seasons and NCAA berths a USC-record 3 straight seasons. Andy Enfield became head coach in 2014 and led Troy to the 2016 and 2017 NCAAs (setting a school record for wins in 2017 with 26).
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
— USC is among the elite college women's basketball programs, winning 2 national crowns and playing in 4 Final Fours.Under coach Linda Sharp, Troy reached the Final Four in 1981. In 1983, Cheryl Miller joined Cynthia Cooper and twins Pam and Paula McGee to lead the Women of Troy to its first national championship. The next year, the team won the national title again. USC advanced to the NCAA title game in 1986.
Miller finished her career in 1986 as the Trojans’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She also won her third straight Naismith Award as the nation's outstanding player. She returned as coach of her alma mater in 1994 and led USC to a Pac-10 title and 2 NCAA playoff trips. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 and Cooper (twice an Olympian and WNBA MVP) was inducted in 2010. Cooper became USC’s coach in 2014, leading her team to the NCAA tourney that year.
Lisa Leslie, who became an Olympic and pro star, won the Naismith Award in 1994 (she was the MVP of the first WNBA All-Star Game and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015). Tina Thompson was the No. 1 pick in the 1997 WNBA draft and entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
USC was in the NCAA tourney in 2005 and 2006 under coach Mark Trakh. Former Laker great and Sparks coach Michael Cooper took over in 2010. After Cynthia Cooper’s tenure, Trakh returned to Troy for the 2018 season.
MEN’S GOLF
USC has one of the most successful golf programs in the nation, having produced 4 NCAA individual champions (Scott Simpson in 1976 and 1977, Ron Commans in 1981 and Jamie Lovemark in 2007), 23 Pac-12 individual champs, 25 All-American first teamers and numerous players who have had successful professional careers, including $1 million-plus winners like Al “Mr. 59” Geiberger, Dave Stockton, Craig Stadler and Simpson. Troy has also been dominant in the Pac-12, winning 20 conference championships.Legendary coach Stan Wood (1955-79) had a career record of 462-37 (.926) and won 14 league crowns. He also guided Troy to an NCAA record 51 consecutive dual match wins from 1956-59. His teams finished third in the NCAA tourney 6 times.
Under coach Randy Lein (1984-92), USC won the league title in 1986. U.S. Amateur champion Sam Randolph, who finished as low amateur at the Masters in 1985 and 1986, was a first team All-American 3 straight years and was named college golf’s 1986 Player of the Year. Kurt Schuette became coach in 1995 and guided USC to back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 2001-02. Kevin Stadler, Craig's son, was the 2002 Pac-10 Golfer of the Year (USC's first honoree since 1986).
Ex-Trojan Chris Zambri became head coach in 2007 and led USC league titles that year, in 2011 and 2018. He guided USC to third at the 2008 NCAAs, when he was National Coach of the Year, and took Troy to a program-best second at the 2015 NCAAs. The Trojans tied for third in 2016 and tied for fifth in 2017, part of a national co-leading 11 straight NCAA trips.
WOMEN’S GOLF
The USC women’s golf team is arguably the top program in the country, as witnessed by NCAA titles in 2003, 2008 and 2013 and its current nation-leading 13 straight NCAA Top 5 finishes. USC also has 21 Top 10 NCAA finishes in the past 31 trips (including second 5 times, third 5 times, fourth 3 times and fifth 3 times). The Women of Troy won the Pac-12 tourney 6 times and the NCAA Regional a record 11 times (including 2010-16).Cathy Bright led USC to 5 Top 10 NCAA finishes in 12 years as head coach (1982-93). Former Trojan player Renee (Mack) Baumgartner returned as head coach in 1994 and led USC to second at the NCAAs that year.
WGCA Hall of Famer Andrea Gaston became head coach in 1997 and guided USC to 18 NCAA Top 10 finishes in her 22 seasons, including all 3 NCAA titles, and produced 22 All-Americans. Justin Silverstin took over for 2019.
Jennifer Rosales won the 1998 NCAA individual title as a freshman, Mikaela Parmlid won in 2003, Dewi-Claire Schreefel won in 2006, Annie Park won as a first-semester freshman in 2013 and Doris Chen won in 2014. Other top golfers are Marta Figueras-Dotti, Jill McGill (1993 U.S. Amateur champion), Heidi Voorhees (1993 U.S. Amateur medalist), Jennifer Biehn (1994 Pac-10 champ), Candie Kung (2000 Pac-10 champ), Becky Lucidi (2002 U.S. Amateur and 2003 Mexican Amateur champion), Irene Cho, Paola Moreno, Belen Mozo, Jennifer Song (2009 National Freshman of the Year and NCAA individual runnerup) and 4-time All-Americans Lizette Salas, Sophia Popov and Belen Mozo.
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
USC began competing in women's lacrosse in the spring of 2013, coached by U.S. national team star Lindsey Munday. The Women of Troy advanced to the league tournament in each of their first 6 seasons and earned their first NCAA tourney berth in 2015. In 2016, USC went 20-1 and won the MPSF title, suffering its only loss in overtime in the NCAA quarterfinals (it got to the quarters again in 2017). Courtney Tarleton and Michaela Michael became the program's first All-American first teamers.WOMEN’S ROWING
The women’s rowing team has been active since the early 1970s, but scholarships were first awarded in 1998 and USC has emerged as one of the nation's top programs. George Jenkins guided USC to national prominence during his 9 years as head coach (1994-2002). Kelly Babraj took over as head coach in 2003, with husband Zenon Babraj serving as director of rowing and then sole head coach from 2008 through 2017.At the 1998 NCAA meet, the Women of Troy won their first national championship race (varsity fours). In 2005, USC made its first NCAA Championship appearance as a team, placing 11th. USC has 6 NCAA Top 10 finishes, including a program-best fourth in 2013. USC was ranked No. 1 nationally for parts of the 2007, 2012 and 2013 seasons. Josh Adam of Washington State took over as head coach for the 2018 season.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
The women's soccer team began competing in 1993. Jim Millinder (1996-2006) guided 7 of his squads into the NCAA tourney (USC won the 1998 Pac-10 title). Ali Khosroshahin made his USC coaching debut in 2007 and was the National Coach of the Year as he led his inaugural team to the NCAA title behind the play of goalkeeper Kristin Olsen. Keidane McAlpine was named head coach in 2014. He got his team into the NCAA tourney all 4 of his seasons, including winning the 2016 NCAA crown.Isabelle Harvey, the 1998 Pac-10 Player of the Year, was USC's first All-American first teamer (in 2000). Amy Rodriguez was a 2008 and 2012 U.S. Olympian.
MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
USC has long dominated men's collegiate swimming.Over the years, USC men's swimmers have made Olympic teams 143 times, winning 43 gold, 24 silver and 21 bronze medals. Gold medal winners have included Lenny Krayzelburg, John Naber, Bruce Furniss and Murray Rose. In the 1976 Games, Trojan swimmers won more golds and more total medals than any country in swimming except the United States.
Since beginning swimming in 1929, the Trojans have captured 9 NCAA championships, all under coach Peter Daland, who retired in 1992 after 35 years at Troy. USC swimmers and divers have won 121 NCAA meet individual and relay titles and have earned All-American honors an amazing 607 times. Under Daland, USC won 17 Pac-10 championships and amassed an impressive dual meet record of 318-31-1 (.917). Three of his last 6 squads had runner-up finishes at the NCAA meet.
Four-time U.S. Olympic coach Mark Schubert, winner of 2 NCAA titles with the Texas women, succeeded Daland (he also served as the head coach of the Women of Troy). His men’s teams placed in the Top 10 at the NCAAs 12 times in his 14 years at USC. Dave Salo took over for Schubert in both roles in 2007, guiding USC to 8 Top 10 NCAA finishes.
WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING
USC has likewise built a successful swimming program on the women’s side. In fact, the Women of Troy have finished in the top 10 nationally 34 of the last 42 years — including winning the NCAA title in 1997 — and have produced 317 All-Americans in that span. They have won 5 conference championships, including in 2016.Among USC’s top women’s swimmers are Michelle Ford, Sue Habernigg, Cynthia Woodhead, Sue Hinderaker, Debbie Rudd, Kristine Quance (9 NCAA titles), Lindsay Benko (5 NCAA titles), Kaitlin Sandeno (2 NCAA titles), diver Blythe Hartley (5 NCAA titles), Rebecca Soni (6 NCAA titles) and Katinka Hosszu (5 NCAA titles).
MEN’S TENNIS
USC’s men’s tennis legacy has produced numerous national titlists, including 21 team champions (most in the country), 15 singles champions (second in the country) and 21 doubles champs (more than any school). Steve Johnson won the 2011 and 2012 NCAA singles crowns, while Kaes Van't Hof and Robert Farah won the 2008 NCAA doubles title.George Toley (1954-80) guided the Trojans for 26 years before resigning during the 1980 season. His career record was 430-92-4 (.821) with 10 NCAA titles. Dick Leach succeeded Toley and posted a 535-133 (.801) mark in 23 years. He won 4 NCAA crowns and 8 of his other teams finished fourth or better. His successor, Peter Smith, guided USC to the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014 NCAA titles.
Overall, USC players have been named to All-American teams 160 times, with many also enjoying successful pro careers, including Stan Smith, Bob Lutz, Raul Ramirez and Dennis Ralston.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
The most successful women’s program at USC, in terms of national titles, is the tennis team, with 7.Those national crowns all came under Dave Borelli, who coached USC from 1974 to 1988. In duals, Borelli’s record was 300-43 (.875).
Trojans have won 5 national singles titles, along with 2 doubles champs (including Sabrina Santamaria and Kaitlyn Christian in 2013) and 94 All-Americans. Prominent USC stars include Barbara Hallquist, Diane Desfor, Lea Antonopolis, Leslie Allen, Sheila McInerney, Stacy Margolin, Trey Lewis, the Fernandez sisters, Kelly Henry, Beth Herr, Caroline Kuhlman, Trisha Laux, Jewel Peterson, Lindsey Nelson and Maria Sanchez.
Richard Gallien, a successful player and coach at Pepperdine, was head coach from 1996 to 2017. He got to the NCAA semifinals in 2006 and 2012. Alison Swain, who led Williams to 8 NCAA titles, took over for the 2018 season.
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
The Trojans have won an unprecedented 26 NCAA titles (including 9 straight, 1935-43) in the 97-year history of NCAA outdoor track, plus 2 indoor NCAA titles and 35 conference crowns, including a string of 15 straight (1936-55). They have had 44 unbeaten and untied seasons, including a string of 16 in a row (1946-61). Since starting track and field in 1900, USC has compiled a dual-meet record of 415-123-4 (.769).Outstanding coaches include Dean Cromwell (1909-48), who won a record 12 NCAA titles and had a dual meet mark of 109-48-1; Jess Mortensen, who never lost a dual meet (64-0) in 11 years and won 7 NCAA titles; and Vern Wolfe, who retired after the 1984 season with 7 national titles and a dual meet record of 106-17-1 (.859). Jim Bush, who became USC's head coach in 1991, saw his 1992 Trojans finish third at the NCAAs with only a 6-man team. Ron Allice took over the combined men's and women's programs in 1995. He led the men to 14 Top 10 NCAA finishes (including third twice) and 5 conference crowns. Allice retired after the 2013 season and was replaced as Director of Track by Caryl Smith Gilbert for the 2014 season, who has led Troy to Top 5 NCAA finishes 3 times.
Sixty-five USC tracksters have won 97 places on U.S. Olympic teams over the years. Trojans have won 29 individual Olympic titles and shared in 10 relay wins. Gold medal winners include long jumper Randy Williams, pole vaulter Bob Seagren, sprinter Charles Paddock and hurdler Felix Sanchez.
Since 1912, 63 USC trackmen have equalled or bettered world records, and there have been 124 NCAA outdoor individual or relay winners from Troy--including Michael Norman (400 meters) and Rai Benjamin (400 hurdles) in 2018.
The Trojans also have a long history of successful distance running, including 9 Olympians and NCAA champions Julio Marin and Ole Oleson.
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD, CROSS COUNTRY
The women’s track program at USC is one of the nation’s finest. The Trojans have placed in the Top 10 of the NCAAs 19 times, including winning the program's first-ever NCAA team title in 2001 and doing so again in 2018 (USC also was second twice and third 4 times).The women’s track and field heritage begins with former coach Sherry Calvert. A 4-time All-American javelin thrower at USC and 2-time Olympian, Calvert started the program and coached through 1983. In 1995, Ron Allice took over as the combined men's and women's coach. Caryl Smith Gilbert succeeded him as Director of Track for the 2014 season.
The Women of Troy have had many successful track and field athletes, including such NCAA champions as Patty Van Wolvelaere, Wendy Brown, Yvette Bates, Ashley Selman, Angela Williams (the first athlete, male or female, at any level to win 4 consecutive NCAA 100-meter dashes), Natasha Danvers, Brigita Langerholc, Inga Stasiulionyte, Natasha Mayers, Virginia Powell, Eva Orban, Nia Ali and Kendall Ellis (whose stunning comeback on the anchor leg of the 1600-meter relay helped USC to the 2018 NCAA team title).
The Women of Troy compete in cross country in the fall.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
The USC men’s volleyball team has made 14 NCAA Final Four appearances since scholarships were first awarded by Troy in the sport in 1977. The Trojans have won 4 NCAA titles (1977, 1980, 1988 and 1990) and have finished second on 8 other occasions.Ernie Hix, who retired as head coach after the 1981 season, turned USC into one of the top volleyball powers in the nation. Hix’s 8-year record was an impressive 146-47 (.756) with 2 national crowns.
Twenty-seven Trojans have played on the U.S. National team and USC volleyballers have been named first team All-Americans 34 times. In the 1984 Olympics, Steve Timmons, Dusty Dvorak and Pat Powers helped lead the U.S. to its first gold medal in the sport, while Timmons repeated with the 1988 U.S. squad. Timmons, Bryan Ivie, Nick Becker and Dan Greenbaum won bronze medals with the U.S. in 1992. Tim Hovland, Celso Kalache, Adam Johnson, former coach Bob Yoder (a 3-time All-American who coached Troy to an NCAA title in 1988), Donald Suxho, Brook Billings, Murphy Troy, Tony Ciarelli and Micah Christenson also are key figures in USC’s volleyball heritage.
Jim McLaughlin took over for Yoder in 1990 as head coach and led Troy to an NCAA title in his initial year. Bill Ferguson, named coach in 2007, led USC to the NCAA Final Four in 2009 (for the first time since 1991), 2011 and 2012. His assistant, Olympian Jeff Nygaard, succeeded him in 2016.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, BEACH VOLLEYBALL
USC has won 6 national crowns in women’s volleyball, the first 4 under coach Chuck Erbe. Erbe, who dominated the sport during his 12-year USC coaching tenure which began in 1976, posted a career record of 310-121-3 (.718). His 1977 team registered the first perfect season (38-0) in women’s volleyball history.Lisa Love took over for Erbe in 1989 and guided USC into the NCAAs in 9 of her 10 years before retiring after the 1998 season. Jerritt Elliott served as interim head coach in 1999 and 2000, guiding the 2000 club to the NCAA Final Four. Mick Haley, head coach of the 2000 U.S. women's Olympic team, took over in 2001. In 2002 and 2003, his teams won the NCAA crown, with the 2003 club going 35-0. USC also got to the NCAA Final Four in 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2011. Brent Crouch replaced Haley in 2018.
Debbie Green (1978), April Ross (2004), Alex Jupiter (2011) and Samantha Bricio (2015) won the prestigious Honda Award in volleyball. Trojans have been named first team All-American 48 times and earned spots on Olympic rosters 24 times (including Green, Sue Woodstra, Paula Weishoff, Carolyn Becker, Kim Ruddins and Nicole Davis).
In 2012, USC began fielding a women's beach volleyball team, with Anna Collier as the head coach. The Women of Troy finished third nationally in 2013 and 2014 before winning the AVCA national championship in 2015 (going 28-0), then capturing the first-ever NCAA beach event in 2016 and repeating in 2017 before placing fourth in 2018. The duo of Kirby Burnham-Stevi Robinson won the national pairs title in 2013, then Burnham joined freshman Sara Hughes for the 2014 crown and Hughes and Kelly Claes claimed it in 2015. Former Trojan indoor players April Ross-Jennifer Kessy were silver medalists in beach volleyball at the 2012 Olympics.
MEN’S WATER POLO
Since starting water polo in 1922, the Trojans have compiled a 1,290-528-7 (.709) record, winning 22 conference championships.John Williams led Troy to national prominence during his tenure from 1973 to 1998. Nineteen of his last 22 teams finished the season in the top 7 nationally, including the 1998 NCAA championship team (5 others placed second). Jovan Vavic, who joined as co-head coach in 1995, took over as head coach in 1999. His 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 , 2011, 2012 and 2013 teams won the NCAA championship (8 of his other squads were runners-up), with his 2008 and 2012 Trojans both going 29-0.
Twenty-four USC poloists have participated in the Olympics and Trojans have made All-American teams 197 times. Some of the prominent names in USC water polo history are Ron Severa, Wally Wolf, Charles Bittick, Greg Fults, Zach Stimson, Craig Furniss, Charles Harris, Robert Lynn, Drew Netherton, Hrvoje Cizmic, Marko Zagar, Simun Cimerman, Marko Pintaric, George Csaszar, Pedraj Damjanov, Bozidar Damjanovic, Juraj Zatovic (who in 2005 was USC's first male winner of the Peter J. Cutino Award as the National Player of the Year), Juan Delgadillo, J.W. Krumpholz (2008 Olympian and 2-time National Player of the Year) and Joel Dennerley (the 2011 Cutino Award winner), Peter Kurzeka, Nikola Vavic, Kostas Genidounias (the 2015 Cutino winner) and McQuin Baron (2017 Cutino winner).
WOMEN’S WATER POLO
USC's women's water polo team began play in 1995 under head coach Jovan Vavic. Five years later, the 1999 team--led by National Player of the Year and 2000 U.S. Olympic goalie Bernice Orwig--won the national championship in a 5-overtime victory over Stanford. Then in 2004, USC--behind National Player of the Year Moriah Van Norman--turned in the sport's first undefeated season (29-0) in winning the NCAA title. USC also won the 2010, 2013, 2016 (26-0) and 2018 NCAA crowns (it has finished as national runnerup 5 times).Eight Trojans participated in the 2008 Olympics and 7 in 2012. Besides Orwig and Van Norman, other top players include Aniko Pelle (2000 National Player of the Year), Nina Wengst, Olympian Sofia Konoukh, Katrin Dierolf, Kelly Graff, Lauren Wenger (2006 National Player of the Year), Brittany Hayes, Erika Figge, Kami Craig (2009 and 2010 National Player of the Year), Kristen Dronberger, Monica Vavic, Stephania Haralabidis (2016 National Player of the Year), Amanda Longan (2018 National Player of the Year) and Paige Hauschild.
