USC re-writes history

[CircleDrill 178]

http://usctrojans.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl.../072604aaa.html

USC Now Will Recognize Its 1939 Football Team As A National Champion

Trojans have 10 national champs in the sport.

July 26, 2004

USC now will recognize its 1939 football team as a national champion, giving the Trojan program 10 national titles in the sport, Trojan athletic director Mike Garrett announced.

USC will salute the surviving members of that 1939 squad at its Oct. 16 home game against Arizona State.

"It was brought to our attention by various individuals that we should be claiming the 1939 Trojans among our national champions in football," said Garrett. "We took this matter seriously, did significant research and determined this to be true. That 1939 team was one of the greatest in our history. In fact, its coach, the legendary Howard Jones, acknowledged as much when at the team banquet that year he said this squad was his finest ever at USC, at least in terms of depth."

The 1939 Trojans were presented with the Knute Rockne Intercollegiate Memorial Trophy, at the time emblematic of the nation's No. 1 team. The trophy (originally called the Rissman National Trophy) was given to the team that finished atop the Dickinson System, a mathematical point formula devised by Illinois economics professor and nationally-respected football analyst Frank G. Dickinson. His system crowned a national champion from 1926 to 1940 (with predated rankings in 1924 and 1925). It was the first to gain widespread national public and media acceptance as a "major selector," according to the NCAA Football Records Book (the Associated Press poll didn't begin until 1936).

Dickinson claimed that in 1939 "the Trojans were the best team in the best section...and the nation's other top teams did not play as strong a schedule as USC."

I realize this is from 2004, but I just saw it....

[BamaGrad03 0]

No way...we called that one too. They can't have it.

[lukeduke 8]

Cool, we can claim 2004 around the time my grandkids graduate from Auburn.

[WAR-MATT 2]

Cool, we can claim 2004 around the time my grandkids graduate from Auburn.

We need to claim 83' before 04'. Boy did we get screwed out of that one..

[lukeduke 8]

Cool, we can claim 2004 around the time my grandkids graduate from Auburn.

We need to claim 83' before 04'. Boy did we get screwed out of that one..

Good point, that should come at about my retirement. I'll go ahead and start printing the shirts.

[WAR-MATT 2]

Cool, we can claim 2004 around the time my grandkids graduate from Auburn.

We need to claim 83' before 04'. Boy did we get screwed out of that one..

Good point, that should come at about my retirement. I'll go ahead and start printing the shirts.

[CircleDrill 178]

Yep. 83 will be coming up in a few years. Then next up for the retro-MNC would be 93 perfect season, followed by 04 perfect season.

We are rackin up on these retro-MNC's!

[Birmingham 0]

I wonder what Texas A&M feels about this, actually I'm sure they don't give a crap what USC 'claims'. And they justify their decision to now 'claim' this because that was their best team in USC history. Well that's all well and good but what if your 'best team in history' was the 2nd best team that year? Another question you might ask yourself, what if your 'best team in history' wasn't as good as Texas A&M?

As I said before it'd be like someone 'claiming' the 1992 NC, I don't really care if there is a team that feels that was their best team in the last century, and it means nothing that that team 'claims' that NC either.

[Eagle86 0]

I'm with you War-Matt. We should claim 83 first. That team would have tore the 04 team outta the frame. They were something to behold. Remember that run by Bo after Charlie Pell spent a quarter on the field whining about a correct call? Classic football! You couldn't have caught Bo with a quarter horse on that run...

[autiger4life 3]

Guys, I think we are all setting our sights entirely to low. Bama claims wons where they were barely in the top 20. We don't have to have a perfect season to claim one, if we liked a year we can claim it. For instance, if you wanted to say Auburn won one the year you were born, go for it. Or maybe the year you got married, NC baby, all ours. Have fun and go crazy.

[FootballFanatic 4]

This is all a product of poor championship selection processes that the Big 10 and Pac 10 are still upholding. Time to put in a real championship system.

[SCBusPilot 72]

I wonder what Texas A&M feels about this, actually I'm sure they don't give a crap what USC 'claims'. And they justify their decision to now 'claim' this because that was their best team in USC history. Well that's all well and good but what if your 'best team in history' was the 2nd best team that year? Another question you might ask yourself, what if your 'best team in history' wasn't as good as Texas A&M?

As I said before it'd be like someone 'claiming' the 1992 NC, I don't really care if there is a team that feels that was their best team in the last century, and it means nothing that that team 'claims' that NC either.

Please tell me that an ALABAMA fan didn't just write this. How many NC's do YOU guys CLAIM in the same manner, despite the record on the field? Pot, meet Kettle. Thy name is Hypocrisy.

[Birmingham 0]

I feel the same way about the 1934 and 1941 National championship. I'm not big on "retroactively" claiming titles. I think I've already shown how I feel about it. In 1934 Minnesota won the National Championship with an 8-0 record. In 1941 Minnesota again won the National Championship with a record of 8-0.

1934 National Championship-Alabama was awarded the National Championship by Dunkel, Williamson, and Football Thesaurus. The Football Thesaurus National Championship was retroactive and was awarded in 1946. Minnesota won the AP National Championship this year.

1941 National Championship-The Football Thesaurus National Championship was retroactively awarded to Alabama in 1946. Alabama finished ranked 20th in the AP poll in 1941. There were 14 teams with better records in the AP top 20. Alabama finished 3rd in the SEC in 1941.

The only other NC that is in question is the 1973 National championship. The UPI claims Alabama the championship and AP claims Notre Dame the National Champions. As it is Alabama lost to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl so there's obviously a better argument for Notre Dame than Alabama.

With that being said and given the hard work in the years of 1934, 1941, and 1973 by Minnesota and Notre Dame, It's an understatement to say that I'm more comfortable with the number 9 than I am the number 12.

National Championships are too important to pad stats at the expense of teams who had a better record.

[SCBusPilot 72]

It's been discussed many times before, but the OTHER claimed NC's in question are:

1964 National Championship-Alabama was awarded the AP National Championship before they played in the Orange Bowl. Alabama lost this game to Texas by a final score of 21-17. Alabama finished with a record of 10-1-0 second only to Arkansas which finished 11-0-0.

1965 National Championship-Alabama was awarded the AP National Championship finishing with a record of 9-1-1. There were three teams with better records for the 1965 season (Michigan State: 10-1-0, Arkansas: 10-1-0, and Nebraska: 10-1-0)

1973 National Championship- Alabama was awarded the UPI National Championship before a bowl game loss to Notre Dame to finish the season. Alabama finished fourth in the AP poll in 1973. Three teams (Penn State: 12-0-0, Notre Dame: 11-0-0, and Oklahoma: 10-0-1) finished the season with better records than Alabama.

1978 National Championship- Alabama was awarded the 1978 AP National Championship after finishing with a record of 11-1-0. USC, which was the only team to beat Alabama in 1978, was awarded the UPI National Championship after finishing with a record of 12-1-0.

This is also not counting the NC's that were awarded decades after the fact (just like this USC story).

[Birmingham 0]

"This is also not counting the NC's that were awarded decades after the fact (just like this USC story)."

I believe I already did "count" them in my prior post, if you know of others that I didn't mention please inform me.

And from what I can tell they've never awarded anything "decades" after the fact.

[UA-CT 1]

I don't know why it's a bammer tradishion, Notre Dame had "retroactive" championships before we did.

[SouthLink02 8]

I gotta be honest

If UGA wants to claim any past championships that we got some votes for....I am fine by it