USC Picture Of The Day

BELL

USC tailback Ricky Bell gains 167 yards against UCLA in 1976 at the Coliseum. One of his blockers that season, offensive guard Donnie Hickman, died Saturday of cancer in Glendale, Ariz. He was 60.

Hickman was an all-Pac-8 first-team pick in 1976 and USC’s offensive player of the year as the Trojans went 11-1, won the Rose Bowl and finished ranked No. 2 in the nation. He was also a member of the 1974 national title team. And his son Justin played defensive end at UCLA and is currently playing in the CFL.

HICKMAN

9 thoughts on “USC Picture Of The Day

  1. Sorry to hear of Mr Hickman’s death. Way too young to go.

  2. Ricky Bell was a stud and even as a Bruin, I admired the way he played the game. Probably my all time favorite Trojan.

  3. Bell helped keep ‘the bell’ in its proper location,he also should have won the Heisman,and he would have been a hall of ‘famer’ in NFL if not for his sickness and early death…Hickman died early too,both were great trojans.

  4. That team lost the first game of the season under new coach John Robinson. Won eleven straight after that home loss opener. Hard to figure Hickman MVP over Ricky Bell on offense that year.

  5. Gosh, I don’t see the blockers very much, even to this day, because we are so glued to where the ball is.

    But it is too bad there was not the “playoff” system in place in 1976, because after that unexpected first game loss (a bad one at that) to Missiouri, that team was of championship-mettle

  6. Pound for pound, toughness for toughness, Ricky Bell was the second greatest running back at USC. He was the epitome and the definition of a USC running back. RIP to both Ricky and Donnie. yes, I did see them play. Outstanding, the both of them.

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