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USC Trojans Urge Kids To 'Dream Big' At Heartwarming Los Angeles Community Event

USC Trojans Football and LA's Best partnered to put on the first annual "Play Like a Trojan" event. The event took place on USC's campus and featured various activities like position specific drills, seven on seven scrimmages and autograph signings.
Teddy King|
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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USC Trojans

The USC Trojans’ football team hosted the “Play like a Trojan” event, teaming up with LA’s Best, an after-school program for the Los Angeles Unified School District. 

USC Footbal
Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The event consisted of 75 kids from various elementary schools across LA and participated in position specific drills, a seven-on-seven scrimmage with USC football players as coaches, and autograph signing. The event was created and led by USC safety Anthony Beavers Jr., a Los Angeles native. 

Once an LA’s Best student himself, Beavers was a key part in bringing "Play Like a Trojan" to life. Uniting his current team with his former after-school program represented a full circle moment for the standout safety.

Beaver’s message to the participants was simple and inspiring. 

“I think dream big. I think there's so much you can do if you just put your mind to it,” Beavers said. “I never would have thought I'll be graduating from USC, getting my masters, being the first person in my family to do so. Being able to leave a legacy behind me.”

Play Like a Trojan, USC Trojans Football
Group picture of USC Football players and Play Like a Trojan participants at Howard Jones Field. | Teddy King, USC Trojans On SI

The last time the Trojans partnered with LA’s Best was prior to the pandemic before the arrival of Lincoln Riley. “Play Like a Trojan” was the first event structured with position specific drills and seven-on-seven games between the participants.

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For many students in attendance, it was their first time stepping foot on a college campus, with the bonus of spending the day with college football players that the students idolize.

The common goal of LA’s Best and USC Football comes at the heart of giving back to the community that supports one another. While Trojan players spent the day with kids who have supported their team and their success, the students reminded them of the impact their presence can have. 

Jesse Rojas, Communications Manager for LA’s Best, expressed her gratitude for the team and how they impacted the students – whether it was celebrating a successful play, or making them feel heard and seen. 

“Something that I saw a lot here on the field was every single student felt heard, they felt supported, they felt like they had people who were cheering them on,” Rojas said. “I think as a community, especially post pandemic, we lost a little bit of that for a few years. Like that connection with each other (and) that connection with the community. So opportunities like this give us the time to reignite that and get them excited. Not only for school, but for higher education as well.”

Anthony Beavers Jr.
Anthony Beavers Jr. speaks to group following activities from Play Like A Trojan. | Teddy King, USC Trojans On Si

Clarke Stroud, Executive Director of Player Development and University Relations for USC Football, also echoed that the collaboration between both programs is a continuous goal for the Trojans, and that this relationship is only the beginning.

“I was having a one-on-one meeting with Anthony Beavers Jr., who is from South Central, went to Bowing Hill Elementary, and was a part of LA's Best. And we talked about being in the middle of LA and what we could do.” Stroud said. “This is something he came up with. So the hope and the dream and the reality is that this is the beginning of a relationship.”

Pretty cool to see the Trojans thriving within their community.

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Teddy King
TEDDY KING

Teddy King is a reporter for USC Trojans On SI. Teddy graduated from Ole Miss with a B.A. in Journalism. She has experience in both on-site NFL production, including New Orleans Saints games and Super Bowl LIX, as well as in-studio soccer coverage with UEFA Euro Cup and Conmebol Copa America Cup with FOX Sports. During her time at Ole Miss, Teddy spent three years writing for the student-run newspaper, The Daily Mississippian, before transitioning into Sports Editor her senior year of college where she covered the First Round of the NCAA Tournament for Ole Miss Men’s Basketball in Milwaukee. She was also featured on The Paul Finebaum Show as a guest correspondent to discuss the 2024 Ole Miss football season — analyzing offense, defense and strength of schedule. Teddy’s role with USC Trojans On SI allows her to combine two of her favorite things: storytelling with sports.

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