USC Notes Column

USC expected to pass footballs during Friday workout

I'm hearing USC is actually going to pass footballs during its Friday workouts, which counts as a step forward during voluntary workouts.

It might not sound like much but USC has to take baby steps as it tries to maneuver through the coronavirus crisis. 

• I already heard Thursday from some disgruntled USC alumni who said if they are asked for a donation, they will ask how the university could pay former president Max Nikias a compensation package of $7.7 million.
• By the way, what's up with Nikias not even landing a mega-donation from the family of a Qatari prince who got two USC degrees under shady circumstances?

• I asked Monday whatever happened to the John Wayne bust that was in Heritage Hall for years. An athletic dept. employee told me the last time they saw it was in a storage room at Cromwell Field during the renovation of Heritage Hall in 2013-14.

A lot of stuff got thrown out or never appeared again during that renovation.

• Former USC defensive back Jason Oliver has a son playing cornerback at Liberty High School in Bakersfield. Jason Oliver Jr. has a scholarship offer from Utah.
• I spoke to a former USC teammate of linebacker David Lewis, who died earlier this week at age 64.

"He was a good guy," the player said. "There was nothing quiet about David Lewis. He could be a agitator but when the game started, he was ready to play football."

• USC women's basketball has received a commitment from 6-5 center Clarice Akunwafo of Rolling Hills Prep. Akunwafo averaged 20.1 points and 12.7 rebounds last season.

And now for some history:

• Sooner or later, USC is expected to rename Cromwell Field, the home of the Trojans' track and field teams because of the notorious history of ex-track coach Dean Cromwell.

But there is some question whether it was ever officially named Cromwell Field? One USC source told me that when H.D. Thoreau was sports information director in 1954, he simply started calling the track "Cromwell Field" and the Daily Trojan picked up on it. The rest is history.

• There are so many All-American teams today it's nearly impossible to keep track. But in 1948, USC's Alex Hannum was one of only nine players selected to the ABC-TV All-American team.

"An all-around star center who can score from underneath or outside. Hannum can play an excellent defensive game and run with men much smaller. His push shot is deadly," said ABC sports expert Herb Harris, who picked the team.

Hannum coached the St. Louis Hawks to the 1958 NBA title and Philadelphia 76ers to the 1967 NBA title. He is the first of only three coaches to win NBA titles with multiple teams (Phil Jackson, Pat Riley).

Hannum also won an ABA title with the Oakland Oaks in 1968.