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USC Trojan Football Flashback: 40 Years Ago
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (November 15, 2004) - The USC Trojans go into next week’s game with Notre Dame as the undefeated, #1 team in the nation. But 40 years ago the roles were reversed. Notre Dame arrived in Los Angeles in November, 1964 as the undefeated, #1 team in the nation. With a win over the Trojans, the Irish would have secured a national championship for first-year Head Coach Ara Parseghian.
But, in what has ranked as the most thrilling last-minute come-from-behind victory in Trojan football history, Rod Sherman caught a fourth down, Craig Fertig pass with 1:33 remaining in the game to upset the previously unbeaten Irish.
Sherman reflects upon that day forty years ago as if it were yesterday. Like the Trojan home games this year, the Coliseum was packed to capacity that November day. The winning catch, 84 Z-delay, sent Sherman over the middle catching a 15-yard pass for the touchdown. “The play was in the closed end of the Coliseum and there wasn’t an empty seat,” recalled Sherman. “We had come back from a 0-17 halftime deficit to make it a 14-17 game in the fourth quarter and everyone was on their feet.” Among a number of great memories, Sherman, a sophomore receiver in 1964, recalls “the explosion of noise as I crossed the goal line was unbelievable. I had heard loud crowds before but the reverberation inside my football helmet of screaming fans celebrating was unlike anything I had experienced before or since.”
To offer Trojan football fans the opportunity to relive great moments in Trojan football history and to step inside the #1 football program in the United States, Sherman teamed up with Head Coach Pete Carroll and launched “Trojan Flashback Football, A Fantasy Football Camp for Grown-Up Kids.” Last summer was their inaugural season.
“The blend of the current with the past was tremendous; truly a unique experience. Can you imagine spending three days with Pete Carroll, his great staff and a roster of Trojan Greats that included Ronnie Lott, Ron Mix, Rod Martin, Paul McDonald, John Jackson, Anthony Davis, John Vella, Charles White, Bill Cunerty, Sam Cunningham, Bob Jensen, Craig Fertig, and John Papadakis?”
As he did with his winning catch in 1964, Sherman offers some specific insights into Trojan Flashback Football. “This is a dream come true for ardent Trojan fans. You get to see, touch, taste, and participate in USC football on the USC practice fields, within Heritage Hall, and in the L.A. Coliseum.”
To better embrace a broader spectrum of USC fans as participants in Trojan Flashback Football, Sherman took a novel approach: three levels of participation. “We encouraged fans to sign up at a level that they thought best suited themselves – Player, Coach, or Owner.” The entire program went so well that two sessions are being staged in June, 2005.
Sherman said, “The 2004 Trojan Flashback Football Camp alumni have raved about their experiences. Camp Alum Scott Downer had so much fun that he posted his personal Camp diary on www.wearesc.com for all to read! You’ll also be able to catch some of the action shots on this website.”
Downer wrote in his diary, “The camp was better than I could have ever imagined. Great memories, new friends, and a fantastic view into Trojan Football.”
A roster spot for 2005 can be secured via a time-stamped email sent to trojanflashbackfootball@hotmail.com. The two sessions of Trojan Flashback Football will be Camp Cardinal, June 13-15th and Camp Gold, June 16-18th.
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