USC is represented with two members: Safety Dennis Thurman and defensive lineman Walt Underwood. That’s Texas running back Earl Campbell (20) in the upper left. Full team after the jump.
OFFENSIVE TEAM: on sculpture, left to right: Walt Downing (72), center, Mich.; Frank Myers (60), lineman, Texas A & M; James Taylor (76), lineman, Mo.; Earl Campbell (20), fullback, Texas; Ken MacAfee (81), tight end, ND; Dan Irons (60), lineman, Texas Tech; Mark Donahue (60), lineman, Mich.; Terry Miller (43) running back, Okla. St.; Fran Curci, Coach of the Year, Ky.; Guy Benjamin (7), quarterback, Stanford; Wes Chandler (89), receiver, Fla.; Ozzie Newsome (82), receiver, Ala. Tony Franklin (1), kicker, Texas A & M.
DEFENSIVE TEAM on ground, left to right: Randy Holloway (70), lineman, Pittsburgh; Dennis Thurman (7), safety, USC; Lucius Sanford (89), linebacker, Georgia Tech; Ralph Stringer (9), defensive back, North Carolina State; Ross Browner (89), lineman, Notre Dame; Walt Underwood (95), lineman, USC; Art Still (97), lineman, Kentucky; Jerry Robinson (84), linebacker, UCLA; Bill Krug (42), rover, Georgia; Russell Erxleben (15), punter, Texas; John Anderson (86), linebacker, Michigan; Zac Henderson (19), defensive back, Oklahoma.
Jerry Robinson was the best LB UCLA has ever produced – three time AA. He is probably among the top 5 ever ever.
Nice comment Comrade…and very true. Kenny Easley was our best safety. Along with Ronnie Lott (at SC at the same time), LA owned the safeties.
Dennis Thurman was my basketball teammate in high school and friend. Played QB and DB in high school. He was a very smart football player and now the DC for the NY Jets.
Thanks Probe – 100% in fact I don’t believe (maybe I’m wrong) but up at least through 1978 I don’t believe USC ever had a three year AA (perhaps since 1978 but I’ll defer to those more knowledgable).
Robinson a remarkable athlete – had a long pro career – 13 years if I’m not mistaken – for a defensive back that in itself is almost unheard of.
Just checked. Easley was a 3-time AA as well. Wasn’t Lott?
Easley – yes Ronnie-No.
Mox nix, as both were fantastic players. I have very little clue as to who else played for UCLA and had 3AA’s as Bruin football never has peaked my interest.
However basketball is another story. Like a fanatic, I
followed UCLA (up thru ’98) and SC hoops. The posts by the Soviet and Probie got me thinking about AA’s for both universities in basketball. I found the following interesting (…and I think it is reasonably accurate).
USC – Guttero and Rudo each had 2 Miner had 3 (2 were HM) Carlander had 2 (both were HM’s). In the same season (‘62) there was Rudo & Appel and in ’30… Mortensen & Lehners
UCLA – Alcindor & Walton had 3 each. Silk, Linthicum
(before my time), Hazzard, Wicks, and Greenwood all had 2 each. During the same season, in ’68 there were 3 (how often has that happened in CB?) Lew, Warren,
and Lucius. Add Mike Lynn and Shack and the results are my favorite team ever to play hoops out of LA.
The 63-64, 30- 0, NCAA National Champions Bruins was Wooden’s favorite team, the essence of what Wooden thought how basketball should be played..
Yes, we had some great BB teams. My 1st Bruin BB game was in 1963 at the Long Beach Arena against Creighton and Paul Silas. Bruins won and finished 30-0 with the NC. Walt Hazzard was a genius with the ball.
Walt certainly was…of course Stumpy was no slouch either. These two along with Lucius and Mike W (’68) were my favorite backcourts. On the SC side it was Little Jordan/Pacman (’91) & Westie/D. Anderson (’72)…the year after our hearts were broken by Bibbs/Curtis/Sidney. All time ever guard tandem without question was Hazzard/Goodrich (your 1st game). Also on that team was Slaughter. More than 30 years later, a small cadre (sorry Bucket) of guys would get together to lie to one another once a month at a restaurant in the Marina for lunch. The culprits were Bluthenthal’s dad (Snake), Rod (the founding force of the ‘Say No’ summer hoops tournament), Slaughter (token UCLA guy), Daddy Granville, myself (token white guy), and the occasional interloper. A common bond was the dislike for the Trojans basketball coach. Fred was very humbleand one of the nicest guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Richard Wood 1972-74
Leinart 2003-05
Baker 2005-07
Mayes 2007-09
Gosh Lar Dog your information, is as usual, faulty.
Jerry Robinson, 76, 77, 78, and Kenny Easley 78, 79, 80 were 3 time consensus AA’s. Obtain a library card and research the definition of “Consensus All- American.”
No SUCC FB player has ever been a three time consensus AA. Richard Wood was a 2x Consensus AA.
Leinart, Baker and Mayes were no doubt All- Americans FB Honoree’s, just NEVER CONSENSUS ALL- AMERICANS.
BTW, Mikey 70, the “Playbody” Magazine AA team is not, and never has been recognized as a valid FB team.
Dennis lived off Pico blvd. on 18th street, just across the street from SMC. Junior used to get his rear end smacked around and Dennis would always come around to deliver revenge. Over all….a fine young man.
fit Un!
That is true. Junior was a good player but maybe the best player on that high school team was Ainslee Washington who went t ASU but died in a horrible accident on the Colorado River between his Freshman and Sophomore year. He was every bit as good as Thurman.
Depending on the outcome of its game with Texas, UCLA will have either a 7 or 8 win season with losses to Oregon, Stanford, Washington, and USC. A couple of others may not go their way either in which case UCLA will not be bowl eligible.
SUCC’s cupcake FB schedule doesn’t include Oregon or Washington and still SUCC finishes 7 – 5.