Player Spotlight: Don McCall

MCCALL.4

Don McCall played halfback at USC in 1965-66 and then played four years in the NFL, most notably with the New Orleans Saints. He led the Trojans in rushing in 1966 despite straining knee ligaments midway through the season. McCall returned from injury and scored a touchdown in the 1967 Rose Bowl.

7 thoughts on “Player Spotlight: Don McCall

  1. I see no mention of the ‘bridge’ between Mike Garrett and OJ Simpson who McCall replaced as the lead FB – the last of the white runners and please don’t mention Petros Papadakis stint during ‘the lost years’….no mention, mind you with cause, of Steve Grady.

  2. The 1965 loss to SUCLA, compliments of Troy Winslow’s fumble instead of handing it off to the hot (205 yards) Mike Garrett. And then in the 1966 Rose Bowl against Purdue, and despite McCall’s touchdown, SC lost 14-13 when Winslow failed again, this time not seeing a wide open receiver in the end zone for what would have been the winning 2-pointer.

    Winslow later became a teacher, and a forgotten SC man

    • I don’t know I’d say a certain new coach had a lot to do with those two consecutive tough tough losses – two different qb’s (Beban and Norman Dow) in both those games – and then the tide turned in the most famous USC-UCLA football game – 1967 and the emergence of John McKay from behind Tommy Prothro’s large shadow.

  3. Oops, Wolfie got it right, I got it wrong. It was the ’67 Rose Bowl Game.

    Or as the Ugly Bucket might put it: First, there is God. Second, there is Wolf

Comments are closed.