JOHN MCKAY| USC
John McKay coached at USC during an era of unlimited scholarships. Advantage? Based in the fertile recruiting ground of Los Angeles, you bet.
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THE MCKAY FILE
Pac-10 tenure: USC 1960-75
Record: USC 127-40-8.
Accomplishments: Won four national championships (1962, 1967, 1972, 1974) at USC. Took the Trojans to eight Rose Bowls, winning five. Coached two Heisman Trophy winners in O.J. Simpson and Mike Garrett.
Best known for: His wit. Book chapters have been written with McKay’s one-liners, including his most famous: When asked about his team’s execution while at Tampa Bay, McKay said “I’m all for it.”
Quick fact: Following his death in 2001, McKay’s ashes were spread on the USC sideline in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Current: Died in 2001 at age 77.
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The great ones figure out how to exploit an advantage. Shortly after taking over in 1960, McKay woke up the sleeping giant that was USC by winning four national championships, five Rose Bowls and nine league titles during his 16-year tenure with the Trojans.
But it’s not as if Ohio State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Texas and other powerhouse programs stood silent while McKay was resurrecting USC’s dominance. They were among several programs around the country that could afford to stockpile players. Yet when it came to the bottom line – national championships – only Alabama was able to match USC’s four titles while McKay was in charge.
Many among USC’s faithful were unhappy in 1960 when the Trojans decided to go with an unproven head coach in McKay. Does this sound familiar? It should: Trojans boosters were more than a little upset in 2001 when the school appointed a coach who was less than a household name in Pete Carroll.
Both men proved to be program-defining hires.
McKay, known as gregarious off the field but cold and calculating with his players, is best known for his one-liners. But there is no doubt the man could coach, at least at the college level.
While at USC, McKay compiled a record of 127-40-8. McKay had losing seasons during his first two years with the Trojans, then never came close to another one. Three of his USC teams went undefeated: 1962 (11-0), 1969 (11-0-1) and 1972 (12-0).
Of McKay’s four national champions, most believe the 1972 Trojans were his best. USC rolled to a 12-0 mark that season, winning all but one game by double digits. That Trojans team included future NFL greats Lynn Swann, Richard Wood and Anthony Davis. McKay coached two Heisman Trophy winners during his USC career: running backs Mike Garrett and O.J. Simpson.
McKay left USC in 1975 to become the head coach of the NFL’s expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He admitted the reason for leaving was a life-changing payday.
McKay was unable to duplicate his successful college formula in the pros, but he never lost his trademark wit. In fact, as the losses piled up, McKay’s one-liners only got better. Once asked after a game about his team’s blocking, McKay said, “Well, we didn’t block. But we made up for it by not tackling.”
On losing games: “Boy, do I hate to see that scene in the dressing room where a player gets up with tears in his eyes and says, “We'll get ’em next year.’ ‘Damn it,’ I think, ‘why didn't we get them this year? Don’t worry about the next one. Next year may come and we may all be dead.’”
If there is one thing college football could learn from McKay, it’s that a sense of humor never goes out of style.
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Nick Daschel covers the Pacific-10 Conference for Buster Sports, and can be reached at ndaschel@bustersports.com
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Comments
* On O.J. Simpson carrying the ball 47 times in a USC game: `` He doesn't belong to a union. Anyway, the ball doesn't weigh that much.''
* On blocking strategy: ``Hold when you're at home and don't hold when you're on the road.''
* On his disdain for the Packers: ``If a contest had 97 prizes, the 98th would be a trip to Green Bay.''
* On fan mail he received as a Tampa Bay coach: ``It was about three-to-one that I was not an SOB. But there were a lot of ones.''
Sounds like he was a fun guy to be around!