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1980, Bruin Nation, Bruins, college football, Crosstown Rivalry, Exposition Park, football, Heisman Trophy, L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, Pac-10 Conference, Pac-10 Football, Probation Bowl, Rose Bowl, Trojan Family, Trojans, UCLA, UCLA Bruins, University of California Los Angeles, University of Southern California, USC, USC Trojans, Victory Bell, Westwood
OUR ANNUAL CROSSTOWN RIVALRY COVERAGE BEGINS WITH OUR COMMEMORATING FORTY YEARS SINCE THE UCLA vs USC CLASH WAS DECIDED BY A TIPPED PASS
Nothing was at stake or on the line except for bragging rights in the city of Los Angeles and the Victory Bell.
No (then) Pac-10 Championship,
No Rose Bowl – or any bowl game for that matter,
Nothing, due to both programs being on probation for breaking NCAA rules as according to a story on the Washington Post, both UCLA and USC were guilty of “…violations of conference rules and standards in the areas of unearned credits, falsified transcripts, and (in USC’s case) the unwarranted intrusion of athletic department interests into the academic processes…”
That certainly didn’t stop the Bruins and Trojans from having very good seasons that year as the 80s, with all its Reaganism and Michael Jackson-mania, dawned.
USC was continuing its dominance that was particularly prevalent during the previous ten years, what with,
- The undefeated 1972 National Champions that were thought by many to be the greatest Trojan team of all time – at least until the 2004 Matt Leinart/Reggie Bush powerhouse came along
- The epic win over Notre Dame in 1974, led by Anthony Davis’ 100-yard kickoff return, which sparked the Trojans to 55 unanswered points from right at the end of the first half on,
- Three other national championships in 1974, 1976 and 1978 to along with that 1972 crown
- Six conference championships
- Five Rose Bowl victories
- A Heisman Trophy winner in Charles White (1979)
Yep, it was certainly a golden era for ‘SC and a great time to be a member of the Trojan Family.
Which carried over into 1980 as the Trojans, led by coach John Robinson, super defensive back Ronnie Lott and future Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen (who would be the first collegian to rush for 2,000 yards in a season a year later), were ranked as high as second in the country at one point and had a record of 7-1-1 with a #12 ranking going into the Crosstown Rivalry game on November 22nd.
Meanwhile, UCLA under coach Terry Donahue, quarterback Jay Schroeder, tailback Freeman McNeil, and all-everything defensive back Kenny Easley wasn’t exactly chopped liver, especially during that 1980 season as like their USC counterparts, they likewise had a ranking as high as second at one point and with a record of 7-2, the Bruins were ranked 18th going into the ‘SC game.
They also enjoyed their share of success during the previous decade, their biggest moments being their 25-22 win over the Trojans in 1975, which earned them the (then) Pac-8 crown, and a trip to the Rose Bowl, where they got revenge on a top-ranked Woody Hayes-led Ohio State squad that beat them earlier in the year in front of 105,464 fans.
Since there were no Roses waiting in Pasadena for either team in 1980, that game was dubbed the “Probation Bowl” by both fan bases, and I’m sure it was treated like a clash of the L.A. football titans as 83,491 folks showed up at the Coliseum – with the Bruins and Trojans wearing their home jerseys as both teams shared the place – that afternoon.
As it turned out, the game itself was quite the good one, UCLA more than holding their own as a six-yard touchdown run by McNeil gave the Bruins a 7-3 lead at halftime, with a 25-yard touchdown pass by Schroeder giving the Bruins a 14-10 lead after three quarters.
Working on a four game winning streak over UCLA, ‘SC took the lead on a one-yard Allen run in the fourth quarter.
Then things really got interesting…
Late in the game, the Bruins had the ball and an obvious chance to win when Schroeder heaved a pass intended for McNeil that was short and more or less had “interception by Jeff Fisher” written all over it.
The future Houston Oilers/Tennesse Titans/St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams coach then had the ball go off his hands and right into McNeil’s, turning a game-saving pick into a 58-yard touchdown which as sure as I’m typing this, ignited the half of the Coliseum wearing blue into a frenzy.
I’m sure the intensity of that frenzy increased when the clock hit three zeroes a little bit later and Bruin Nation earned the right for that Victory Bell to be painted blue and to reside in Westwood.
FINAL SCORE:
- UCLA 20 – USC 17
I’m also sure that everyone wearing cardinal and gold was devastated and despondent over their winning streak over their crosstown rivals being snapped, but it apparently didn’t affect them as much as people thought as they ended the season by beating their other rival, Notre Dame, two weeks later, and finished with a record of 8-2-1 and a #11 ranking.
While the Bruins ended the season in Tokyo, Japan, where they faced Oregon State in the Mirage Bowl and handled those Beavers rather easily, finishing with a 9-2 record and a #13 ranking;
Which looking back, I felt was completely unfair, being that UCLA finished with a better record than USC and beat those Trojans head to head.
Personally speaking, I was in the eighth grade at the time, and like pretty much every kid I rooted for whoever had the better history of winning.
Which meant that while I was a fan of the Bruins in basketball thanks to the dynasty of John Wooden and my favorite basketball player, then-Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, having once worn those four letters,
I have a confession to make, one in which I throw myself on the mercy of Bruin Nation and humbly beg for forgiveness;
Not only did I root for the Trojans in football, I had a couple of USC jersey-like shirts that I wore to school on a regular basis.
Rather than being ecstatic over the Bruin win that year, I had mixed feelings about it in that since my mother was a UCLA graduate, that gave me an instant connection to that school while looking back, I was clearly on the Trojan bandwagon when it came to the gridiron.
Which as a longtime Bruin Nation member now, I wholeheartedly repent of and ask my comrades in blue and gold to forgive me for that transgression, kind of like when a tearful Jimmy Swaggart cried, “I have sinned!” to his congregation that time.
Being 13 years old at the time, I didn’t know any better.
And I certainly saw the UCLA light during my high school years.
To state the obvious in summing up this Crosstown Rivalry classic, it was a great day if you were a Bruin; if you were a Trojan, not so much.
I know it’s a cliche, but it really is incredible to believe that it’s been forty years.
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