USC Trojans

The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. The men's teams are called the Trojans, and the women's teams are called either the Trojans or Women of Troy. The university approves both names. The program is part of the Big Ten Conference and has won many championships, including 115 that are National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. USC's colors are cardinal and gold.

The Trojans have rivalries with other teams. They have a cross-town rivalry with UCLA. They also have a famous football rivalry with Notre Dame. This rivalry began before the one with UCLA and is very important in college football. The Trojans also have a rivalry with the Stanford Cardinal. The USC Trojans are one of the most successful college athletic programs.

Overview

See also: List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships

The USC Trojans are the sports teams for the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. They have won many championships. The men's teams, called the Trojans, have won the most national championships of any university. The women's teams, known as the Women of Troy, have also won many championships. USC has won the National College All-Sports Championship several times. This award is given by USA Today for the best athletic programs in the country.

Sports teams

USC has teams for ten men’s and thirteen women’s sports that follow NCAA rules.

Football

The USC Trojans football team began in 1888. USC has been named National Champions 11 times and is famous for its Heisman Trophy winners. USC has the most Heisman winners, with 8, including Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Reggie Bush.

Baseball

The USC Trojans baseball team has won 12 national championships. Since starting in 1924, the team has played many games and produced players for major league teams, such as Ron Fairly, Don Buford, and Tom Seaver.

Basketball

Men's basketball

The USC Trojans men's basketball team has a long history, with over 1,000 wins. Since 1907, the team has won many games and league championships.

Women's basketball

The USC Trojans women's basketball team has been very successful since winning national championships in 1983 and 1984. The team has often made it to the NCAA tournament.

Women's beach volleyball

The USC Trojans women's beach volleyball team became a varsity sport in 2012. The team won national titles in 2015 and 2016.

Golf

Men's golf

Three USC golfers have won NCAA individual championships. The team has also won many Pac-12 championships.

Women's golf

The USC women's golf team has won three NCAA team titles and eight Pac-12 championships.

Women's rowing

The women's rowing team has been active since the early 1970s. In 1998, the team won its first national championship race.

Women's soccer

The women's soccer team began in 1993. USC won national titles in 2007 and 2016.

Swimming and diving

Men's swimming and diving

USC men's swimmers have made Olympic teams many times and won medals. The team has won nine NCAA championships since 1929.

Women's swimming and diving

USC's women's swimming team has often been in the top 10 nationally and won the NCAA title in 1997.

Tennis

Men's tennis

USC players have been named to All-American teams many times. In 2012, a player won 72 straight singles matches.

Women's tennis

USC has won national singles titles five times. Famous players include Barbara Hallquist, Lea Antonoplis, and Sheila McInerney.

Track and field

Men's track and field

The USC men's track team has won many NCAA titles and other championships. Many USC track athletes have broken world records.

Women's track and field, cross country

The USC women's track team has become one of the best in the country. The team won its first NCAA team title in 2001.

Volleyball

Men's volleyball

The men's volleyball team has made it to the NCAA Final Four many times and has won four NCAA titles.

Women's volleyball

USC Volleyball has won six national championships, including three NCAA titles.

Water polo

Men's water polo

Since starting water polo in 1922, the USC team has won many conference championships.

Women's water polo

The USC women's water polo team began in 1995. The team won national championships in 1999, 2004, 2010, 2013, and 2016.

Notable non-varsity teams

Men's rugby

The USC Trojan Rugby Football Club started in 1886 and is the oldest sport at USC. The team plays in Division 1-A college rugby in the PAC Rugby Conference, competing against other PAC-12 schools. The team is led by head coach Loa Milford. It is special because it is the only club team at USC that gives varsity letters to its players.

Championships

The USC Trojans have won many national championships in different sports. They have won 116 team titles in NCAA competitions.

These titles include 87 for men's teams and 28 for women's teams. Some of the sports where they have won include baseball, gymnastics, track and field, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and water polo.

The Trojans have also won 24 national team titles that were not awarded by the NCAA. These sports include football, volleyball, beach volleyball, tennis, and water polo. These titles come from different organizations and competitions outside of the NCAA.

Trophies

Victory Bell

The Victory Bell is a special trophy for the rivalry between the University of Southern California (USC) and UCLA. The team that wins their yearly football game gets to keep the bell for the next year and paint it their school color—cardinal red for USC or True Blue for UCLA.

The bell was taken from the top of a train. It was given to UCLA students in 1939. In 1941, USC students took the bell back. It was hidden for over a year in different places. The schools agreed that when USC has the bell, it is shown before games, and during games, it is placed near the field and rung when USC scores.

The Jeweled Shillelagh

The Jeweled Shillelagh is the trophy for the rivalry between USC and Notre Dame in football. The winning team keeps it each year. For each USC win, a ruby-adorned Trojan head with the year and score is added. For each Notre Dame win, an emerald-studded shamrock with the same details is added. The trophy was started in 1952.

Gauntlet Trophy

Since 2001, USC and UCLA have competed in a series of sports events called the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup. The winning school earns points for each victory, and the team with the most points at the end wins the trophy. USC has won this competition several times over the years.

Athletic facilities

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is one of the biggest stadiums in America. The USC Trojans have played football there since 1923. The Coliseum hosted the 1932 Summer Olympics and the 1984 Olympic Games. It has been home to many sports teams, including UCLA football, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Raiders football, and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball.

John McKay Center at USC

The John McKay Center at USC opened in 2012. It is a big athletic and academic center named after football coach John McKay. The building has meeting rooms, coaches’ offices, a locker room for the football team, and an academic center for student-athletes.

Howard Jones Field/Brian Kennedy Field

Howard Jones Field/Brian Kennedy Field are the practice fields for the USC Trojans football team.

Cromwell Field and Loker Stadium

The Katherine B. Loker Stadium houses Cromwell Track and Field. It opened in 2001 and has track offices, locker rooms, and meeting rooms. The track and field area was used during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

David X. Marks Tennis Stadium

The David X. Marks Tennis Stadium is one of the most modern college tennis facilities in the country. It has five hard courts and a large scoreboard for fans to follow matches. The stadium opened in 1973.

Dedeaux Field

Dedeaux Field opened in 1974 and is home to USC baseball. It has been improved over the years, including a big upgrade before the 2002 season. The field has natural grass and seats 2,500 fans.

Galen Center

The Galen Center opened in 2006 and is home to USC basketball and volleyball. It has three practice courts, offices, and seats for 10,258 fans.

Johnson Family Golf Practice Facility

The Burell C. Johnson Family practice facility opened in 2000 and is used by the men’s and women’s golf teams for practice. It is located behind Dedeaux Field on the USC campus.

Lyon Center

The 1,500-seat Lyon Center is used for some USC Trojan events and is also the on-campus student recreation center.

McAlister Field

McAlister Field opened in 1998 and is home to the women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse teams. It also hosts the USC men’s and women’s club rugby teams.

Merle Norman Stadium

Merle Norman Stadium opened in 2013 and is home to the women’s beach volleyball team.

USC Boathouse

The USC Boathouse is the off-campus facility for the USC crew team. It is located at the Los Angeles Harbor.

USC Physical education building

The USC Physical Education building includes the North Gym, which seats 1,000 and was home to USC volleyball teams until 2006.

Uytengsu Aquatics Center

The Uytengsu Aquatics Center is an outdoor swimming and diving venue on the USC campus. It was built for the 1984 Summer Olympics and has hosted many national swimming and diving competitions. The facility was closed, rebuilt, and reopened in 2014.

Athletic directors

The University of Southern California has had many athletic directors. They helped lead the school's sports teams. Some of these directors are Willis O. Hunter, Jess Hill, John McKay, Mike McGee, Mike Garrett, Pat Haden, Lynn Swann, Mike Bohn, and Jennifer Cohen.

Trojan fight songs

Fight On

Main article: Fight On

Fight On is USC’s famous fight song. It plays after big moments in games, like when the team scores. A student named Milo Sweet wrote the music in 1922 for a contest, and it has been popular ever since. People have used the song in movies and other places too.

All Hail

All Hail is USC’s special alma mater song. A student named Al Wesson wrote it in the early 1920s for a campus show. It is played to show school pride.

Conquest

Conquest is another well-known USC song. It plays after every win and after each football score. A famous music composer named Alfred Newman created it for a movie, and USC started using it in 1954. It has become a key part of USC traditions.

Other songs

USC has many other fun songs the band plays during games. Tribute To Troy plays after the team’s defense stops the other team. Fanfare starts the show when the band comes out. All Right Now plays when USC gets a turnover. Another One Bites the Dust plays after USC gets a sack. The William Tell Overture starts the fourth quarter. The Imperial March plays when USC gets a big penalty. Tusk by Fleetwood Mac is played in the fourth quarter with fans cheering. The band also plays Levels by Avicii when the other team gets a big penalty.

Trojans in the Olympics

Many athletes from the USC Trojans have competed in the Olympic Games. From the 1904 Summer Olympics to the 2014 winter games, 422 Trojan athletes have joined in and won many medals.

USC has more Olympians than any other university in the world. If USC were a country, it would be tied for eighth place in the number of gold medals won. This count includes each USC athlete’s medal.