1973 USC Trojans football team

1973 USC Trojans football
1973 USC Trojans football
Pac-8 champion
Rose Bowl, L 21–42 vs. Ohio State
Conference	Pacific-8 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 7
AP	No. 8
Record	9–2–1 (7–0 Pac-8)
Head coach	John McKay (14th season);
Captains	Lynn Swann; Artimus Parker;
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

1973 Pacific-8 Conference football standings
	Conf.					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 8 USC $	7	–	0	–	0	9	–	2	–	1
No. 12 UCLA	6	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	0
Stanford	5	–	2	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Washington State	4	–	3	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
California	2	–	5	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Oregon	2	–	5	–	0	2	–	9	–	0
Oregon State	2	–	5	–	0	2	–	9	–	0
Washington	0	–	7	–	0	2	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1973 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) as a member of the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) during the 1973 NCAA Division I football season. Led by 14th-year head coach John McKay, the Trojans compiled an overall record of 9–2–1 with a mark of 7–0 in conference play, winning the Pac-8 title for the second consecutive season. USC earned a berth in the Rose Bowl, where the Trojans lost to Ohio State. The team played home games at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15		Arkansas*	No. 1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA		W 17–0	73,231	^[1]
September 22		at Georgia Tech*	No. 1	Grant Field Atlanta, GA		W 23–6	58,228	^[2]
September 29		No. 8 Oklahoma*	No. 1	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	ABC	T 7–7	84,016	^[3]
October 6		at Oregon State	No. 4	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR		W 21–7	21,732	^[4]
October 13		Washington State	No. 4	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA		W 46–35	50,975	^[5]
October 20		Oregon	No. 6	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA		W 31–10	53,155	^[6]
October 27		at No. 8 Notre Dame*	No. 6	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	ABC	L 14–23	59,075	^[7]
November 3	1:30 p.m.	at California	No. 9	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA		W 50–14	48,000	^[8]
November 10	1:30 p.m.	Stanford	No. 8	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)		W 27–26	63,806	^[9]
November 17		at Washington	No. 9	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA		W 42–19	55,500	^[10]
November 24		vs. No. 8 UCLA	No. 9	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (Victory Bell)	ABC	W 23–13	88,037	^[11]
January 1, 1974		vs. No. 2 Ohio State*	No. 7	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	NBC	L 21–42	105,267	^[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time

^[13]^[14]

Game summaries

Arkansas

At Georgia Tech

Oklahoma

At Oregon State

Washington State

Oregon

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Oregon	0	7	0	3	10
• USC	14	3	7	7	31

Date: October 20
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles
Game attendance: 53,155

^[15]

At Notre Dame

At California

Stanford

At Washington

vs. No. 8 UCLA

No. 8 UCLA vs. No. 9 USC

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Bruins	3	7	0	3	13
• No. 9 Trojans	7	10	3	3	23

Date: November 24
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Game attendance: 88,037
TV announcers (ABC): Keith Jackson and Lee Grosscup

USC wins conference title and Rose Bowl berth
Anthony Davis 27 Rush, 145 Yds

^[16]

Rose Bowl (vs Ohio State)

Personnel

1973 USC Trojans football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`9`	Rob Adolph
OL	`66`	Bill Bain
WR, P	`7`	Dave Boulware
OL	`63`	Booker Brown	Sr
RB	`21`	Allen Carter
OL	`71`	Mike Cordell
RB	`28`	Anthony Davis	Jr
WR	`26`	Shelton Diggs	Fr
RB	`37`	Ken Gray
QB	`10`	Pat Haden	Jr
TE	`86`	Dean Lingenfelter
OL	`58`	Bob McCaffrey
WR	`25`	J.K. McKay	Jr
RB	`27`	Rod McNeill	Sr
RB	`44`	Manfred Moore	Sr
TE	`89`	Jim Obradovich
OL	`70`	Steve Riley
WR	`22`	Lynn Swann (C)	Sr
RB	`34`	Ray Washmera

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
LB	`55`	Charles Anthony
LB	`50`	Kevin Bruce
DB	`24`	Marvin Cobb	Jr
DL	`72`	Monte Doris
DL	`79`	Gary Jeter	Fr
DT		Greg Marderian
LB		Dale Mitchell
DB	`14`	Artimus Parker (C)	Sr
DB	`49`	Charles Phillips
DL	`87`	Ed Powell
DB	`46`	Danny Reece
DL	`70`	Art Riley
DB	`47`	Ted Roberson
DL	`41`	James Sims
LB	`83`	Richard Wood	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`11`	Chris Limahelu

Head coach

John McKay

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Willie Brown
Craig Fertig
Wayne Fontes
Ray George
Marv Goux
Skip Husbands
Dave Levy
John Robinson

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2020-Dec-30

^[17]

Statistics

Passing

Player	Comp	Att	Yards	TD	INT
Pat Haden	137	247	1,832	13	11

Rushing

Player	Att	Yards	TD
Anthony Davis	276	1,112

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yards	TD
Lynn Swann	42	714	6

^[13]

References

^ "USC blanks stubborn Hogs". The San Francisco Examiner. September 16, 1973. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southern Cal breezes by 23–6". Daily Press. September 23, 1973. Retrieved July 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "84,016 see Sooners tie one on USC, 7–7". Independent Press-Telegram. September 30, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Davis paces Southern Cal to 21–7 over Beavers". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 7, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Trojans error-prone but still win, 46–35". Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 14, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Haden sparks Trojans over Oregon, 31–10". Ventura County Star. October 21, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Ara steals recipe for 23 as Irish stew cooks USC". The Indianapolis Star. October 28, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Davis dazzles Cal defenders". The Arizona Daily Star. November 4, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Late USC explosion shatters Stanford 27–26". The Fresno Bee. November 11, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Troy exploits porous pass defense, 42–19". The Sunday Oregonian. November 18, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "For the Roses, it's USC and (choose one)". The Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Ohio State rips USC in Rose Bowl". The Muskegon Chronicle. January 2, 1974. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b 2009 USC football media guide
^ "Schedule/Results (1973 USC)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
^ Eugene Register-Guard. 1973 Oct 21.
^ "Trojans Triumph, 23-13". The New York Times. November 25, 1973. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
^ "OSU-USC lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. October 6, 1973. p. 2B.

[1] "USC blanks stubborn Hogs". The San Francisco Examiner. September 16, 1973. Retrieved March 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "Southern Cal breezes by 23–6". Daily Press. September 23, 1973. Retrieved July 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "84,016 see Sooners tie one on USC, 7–7". Independent Press-Telegram. September 30, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Davis paces Southern Cal to 21–7 over Beavers". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 7, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Trojans error-prone but still win, 46–35". Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 14, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "Haden sparks Trojans over Oregon, 31–10". Ventura County Star. October 21, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] "Ara steals recipe for 23 as Irish stew cooks USC". The Indianapolis Star. October 28, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Davis dazzles Cal defenders". The Arizona Daily Star. November 4, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[9] "Late USC explosion shatters Stanford 27–26". The Fresno Bee. November 11, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[10] "Troy exploits porous pass defense, 42–19". The Sunday Oregonian. November 18, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[11] "For the Roses, it's USC and (choose one)". The Los Angeles Times. November 25, 1973. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] "Ohio State rips USC in Rose Bowl". The Muskegon Chronicle. January 2, 1974. Retrieved September 23, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[MG-13] 2009 USC football media guide

[14] "Schedule/Results (1973 USC)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved September 23, 2025.

[15] Eugene Register-Guard. 1973 Oct 21.

[16] "Trojans Triumph, 23-13". The New York Times. November 25, 1973. Retrieved September 4, 2023.

[osulup-17] "OSU-USC lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. October 6, 1973. p. 2B.

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1	3:25	USC	McKay 35 yard pass from Haden (Limahelu kick)	USC 7-0

1	3:07	USC	D. Reece 30 yard interception return (Limahelu kick)	USC 14-0

2	:39	USC	Limahelu 39 yard field goal	USC 17-0

2	:02	ORE	Singleton 3 yard run (Palm kick)	USC 17-7

3	9:58	USC	Haden 1 yard run (Limahelu kick)	USC 24-7

4	14:03	ORE	Palm 21 yard field goal	USC 24-10

4	7:04	USC	Swann 55 yard pass from Haden (Limahelu kick)	USC 31-10


Q1		USC	Davis 4 yard run (Limahelu kick)	USC 7–0

Q1		UCLA	Herrera 42 yard field goal	USC 7–3

Q2		USC	McKay 16 yard pass from Haden (Limahelu kick)	USC 14–3

Q2		UCLA	Johnson 3 yard run (Herrera kick)	USC 14–10

Q2		USC	Limahelu 35 yard field goal	USC 17–10

Q3		USC	Limahelu 32 yard field goal	USC 20–10

Q4	4:30	UCLA	Herrera 27 yard field goal	USC 20–13

Q4	1:07	USC	Limahelu 28 yard field goal	USC 23–13

USC Trojans football
Venues	Athletic Park (1895–1898) Fiesta Park (1897–1898, 1901–1902, 1904–1906, 1916) Chutes Park (1900) Prager Park (1903) Bovard Field (1904–1910, 1914–1915, 1917–1923) Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923–present) Jones Field/Kennedy Field (practice)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games California Notre Dame Stanford UCLA: Victory Bell
Culture and lore	Traveler George Tirebiter Giles Pellerin "Fight On" Spirit of Troy Student Body Right Tommy Trojan Tribute to Troy Athletics scandal 1967 "Game of the Century" "Bush Push" Carroll–Harbaugh rivalry 2007 Stanford game So This Is College
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911–1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

Pac-12 Conference football champions
Pacific Coast	Washington (1916) Washington State (1917) California (1918) Oregon & Washington (1919) California (1920) California (1921) California (1922) California (1923) California & Stanford (1924) Washington (1925) Stanford (1926) Idaho, Stanford, & USC (1927) USC (1928) California, Oregon, Stanford, & USC (1929) Washington State (1930) USC (1931) USC (1932) Oregon & Stanford (1933) Stanford (1934) California, Stanford, & UCLA (1935) Washington (1936) California (1937) California & USC (1938) USC (1939) Stanford (1940) Oregon State (1941) UCLA (1942) USC (1943) USC (1944) USC (1945) UCLA (1946) USC (1947) California & Oregon (1948) California (1949) California (1950) Stanford (1951) USC (1952) UCLA (1953) UCLA (1954) UCLA (1955) Oregon State (1956) Oregon & Oregon State (1957) California (1958)
AAWU	UCLA, USC, & Washington (1959) Washington (1960) UCLA (1961) USC (1962) Washington (1963) Oregon State & USC (1964) UCLA (1965) USC (1966) USC (1967)
Pacific-8	USC (1968) USC (1969) Stanford (1970) Stanford (1971) USC (1972) USC (1973) USC (1974) California & UCLA (1975) USC (1976) Washington (1977)
Pacific-10	USC (1978) USC (1979) Washington (1980) Washington (1981) UCLA (1982) UCLA (1983) USC (1984) UCLA (1985) Arizona State (1986) USC & UCLA (1987) USC (1988) USC (1989) Washington (1990) Washington (1991) Washington & Stanford (1992) Arizona, UCLA, & USC (1993) Oregon (1994) USC & Washington (1995) Arizona State (1996) UCLA & Washington State (1997) UCLA (1998) Stanford (1999) Oregon, Oregon State, & Washington (2000) Oregon (2001) USC & Washington State (2002) USC (2003) USC (2004) vacated USC (2005) vacated California & USC (2006) Arizona State & USC (2007) USC (2008) Oregon (2009) Oregon (2010)
Pac-12	Oregon (2011) Stanford (2012) Stanford (2013) Oregon (2014) Stanford (2015) Washington (2016) USC (2017) Washington (2018) Oregon (2019) Oregon (2020) Utah (2021) Utah (2022) Washington (2023)
National championships in bold