My first USC/ucla game in person. Needless to say, it was a long ride home. Brutal loss.
Truly the last 4 minutes were a true body blow to USC and in particular to John McKay. Beban to Witcher – TD folowed by the sucessful 2 point conversion followed by the successful onside kick and then the knife in the heart Beban to Altenberg.
1966 was equally galling because a no name – Noman Dow – lead the bel-air technicians over USC but the 50th anniversary of the most horrific loss in the history of ble-air tech approaches this November… a loss as indelible as Mickey Owens dropping the ball or what ATL did this year playing the Patriots
You all got double payback in 1967.
Prothro was a very worthy adversary for McKay as he accomplished a lot with far less talent than SC had.
Prothro’s masterpiece was the ’66 Rose Bowl win over powerful, #1 NFL pick Bubba Smith-led MICH ST, which came down to 5-8,170 pound Bobby Stiles stopping bullish Bob Apisa on his two-point try just short of the goal line, preserving a 14-12 victory and knocking himself unconscious in the process (though bruins on that team swear to me that Stiles faked the knock-part for the cameras). Stiles won the MVP award based on that play.
Amazingly, Prothro never took his bruins to another bowl.
Coach McKay took the Trojans to Rose Bowl Games in 1967, 1968, and 1969. Went to all of them. No better way to spend New Years Day watching the Trojan Marching Band narch down Orange Grove Blvd playing “Fight on for Ole SC” then off to our Rose Bowl Stadium to watch a great football game between TWO CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS.
The common story is that Stiles made the tackle. I have it from the horse’s mouth himself that Jim Coletto actually stopped Apisa. That was my first Bruin football game.
Bowl games weren’t a dime a dozen back then. Obviously, Bruins felt very slighted by SC going in 1967 in spite of UCLA beating what was a mediocre SC team with Norman Dow. Otherwise, Prothro would have had another bowl game. It’s all history now.
I’m sorry but I saw the game and have seen the tape of the stop several times. Coletto hit him first but Stiles definitely finished him off before he could cross the goal line. Very easy to see.
Prothro had a tendency to lose games he should have won. That’s what hurt his college career more than anything.
I have heard the story from Stiles directly on more than one occasion. He is not one known for humility. Either way, it was a huge play and a huge upset.
So Stiles said he got knocked out even though he wasn’t in on the tackle? What a nut. I have the famous photo of Ducky Drake trying to hold him up while fully limp after the play.
I’ll believe my own eyes. Dallas Grider was also in on the play but Stiles rushed in from the secondary and made the dramatic final hit.
I remember sitting there in disbelief, just like about 10 years earlier;if I remember correctly they were not favored to win and Jon Arnett took the opening kickoff about 100 yds for a TD, some zebra threw his flag….the rest was ucla ,we were competitive I think Primo Villanueva was running their singlewing win, maybe Paul Cameron ,can’t remember,ucla went to RoseBowl,lost to Duffy Daugherity Mich St.Sparatan team.10 years apart same thing heartbreak…and here we are today.
My first USC/ucla game in person. Needless to say, it was a long ride home. Brutal loss.
Truly the last 4 minutes were a true body blow to USC and in particular to John McKay. Beban to Witcher – TD folowed by the sucessful 2 point conversion followed by the successful onside kick and then the knife in the heart Beban to Altenberg.
1966 was equally galling because a no name – Noman Dow – lead the bel-air technicians over USC but the 50th anniversary of the most horrific loss in the history of ble-air tech approaches this November… a loss as indelible as Mickey Owens dropping the ball or what ATL did this year playing the Patriots
You all got double payback in 1967.
Prothro was a very worthy adversary for McKay as he accomplished a lot with far less talent than SC had.
Prothro’s masterpiece was the ’66 Rose Bowl win over powerful, #1 NFL pick Bubba Smith-led MICH ST, which came down to 5-8,170 pound Bobby Stiles stopping bullish Bob Apisa on his two-point try just short of the goal line, preserving a 14-12 victory and knocking himself unconscious in the process (though bruins on that team swear to me that Stiles faked the knock-part for the cameras). Stiles won the MVP award based on that play.
Amazingly, Prothro never took his bruins to another bowl.
Coach McKay took the Trojans to Rose Bowl Games in 1967, 1968, and 1969. Went to all of them. No better way to spend New Years Day watching the Trojan Marching Band narch down Orange Grove Blvd playing “Fight on for Ole SC” then off to our Rose Bowl Stadium to watch a great football game between TWO CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS.
The common story is that Stiles made the tackle. I have it from the horse’s mouth himself that Jim Coletto actually stopped Apisa. That was my first Bruin football game.
Bowl games weren’t a dime a dozen back then. Obviously, Bruins felt very slighted by SC going in 1967 in spite of UCLA beating what was a mediocre SC team with Norman Dow. Otherwise, Prothro would have had another bowl game. It’s all history now.
I’m sorry but I saw the game and have seen the tape of the stop several times. Coletto hit him first but Stiles definitely finished him off before he could cross the goal line. Very easy to see.
Prothro had a tendency to lose games he should have won. That’s what hurt his college career more than anything.
I have heard the story from Stiles directly on more than one occasion. He is not one known for humility. Either way, it was a huge play and a huge upset.
So Stiles said he got knocked out even though he wasn’t in on the tackle? What a nut. I have the famous photo of Ducky Drake trying to hold him up while fully limp after the play.
I’ll believe my own eyes. Dallas Grider was also in on the play but Stiles rushed in from the secondary and made the dramatic final hit.
I remember sitting there in disbelief, just like about 10 years earlier;if I remember correctly they were not favored to win and Jon Arnett took the opening kickoff about 100 yds for a TD, some zebra threw his flag….the rest was ucla ,we were competitive I think Primo Villanueva was running their singlewing win, maybe Paul Cameron ,can’t remember,ucla went to RoseBowl,lost to Duffy Daugherity Mich St.Sparatan team.10 years apart same thing heartbreak…and here we are today.