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Trojans Womens NCAA Champs 1984
The 1984 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament began on March 16 and ended on April 1. It featured 32 teams, four fewer than the previous year. Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, Cheyney, and Southern California were the Final Four, with Southern California defeating Tennessee, 72-61, for its second straight title. USC’s Cheryl Miller was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. The semi-finals and finals were held in Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California.
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1998 Trojans Baseball Champions
The 1998 CWS was infamous for producing several high-scoring games, which was termed by media covering the Series as “Gorilla Ball” (or “Geaux-rilla Ball” among LSU fans), which placed a premium on home runs. LSU, which won the 1996 and 1997 national championships and set an NCAA record in 1997 by hitting 188 home runs, hit eight home runs in its first game vs. USC, and added six more in its second game vs. Mississippi State to bring its season total to 157. Needing one victory to advance to the championship game for the third consecutive year, LSU fell twice to USC, failing to hit a home run in either game. USC and Pac-10 rival Arizona St. set numerous offensive records in the championship game, won by the Trojans 21–14.
Prior to the 1999 season, the NCAA adopted restrictions on aluminum bats, requiring the difference between the length and weight (“drop”) of the bat to be no more than three (e.g. a 34-inch bat could not weigh less than 31 ounces). This reduced home run output slightly, but it was not until more sweeping changes in 2011 before aluminum bats would perform more like their wood counterparts.
While the men’s teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women’s athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy (the university officially approves both terms). The program participates in the Pac-12 Conference and has won 130 team national championships, 107 of which are National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships. USC’s official colors are cardinal and gold. The Trojans have a cross-town rivalry with UCLA. However, USC’s rivalry with Notre Dame predates the UCLA rivalry by three years. The Notre Dame rivalry stems mainly from the annual football game played between these two universities and is considered the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football.
College Sports Established
1912
Location
Los Angeles, California
College Name
University of Southern California
Collegiate History
1973 – Present / NCAA Division 1
1912 – 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
Conference History
2010 – Present / Big 12 Conference
1978 – 2010 / Pacific 10
1964 – 1978 / Pacific 8
1959 – 1964 / Athletic Association of Western Universities
1922 – 1959 / Pacific Coast Conference
Nickname
Trojans – USC’s nickname, “Trojans,” originated in 1912.
Up to that time, teams from USC were called the Methodists or Wesleyans and neither nickname was looked upon with favor by university officials. Athletic Director Warren Bovard, son of university president Dr. George Bovard, asked Los Angeles Times sports editor Owen Bird to select an appropriate nickname.
“At this time, the athletes and coaches of the university were under terrific handicaps,” Bird recalled. “They were facing teams that were bigger and better-equipped, yet they had splendid fighting spirit. The name ‘Trojans’ fitted them.
“I came out with an article prior to a showdown between USC and Stanford in which I called attention to the fighting spirit of USC athletes and named them ‘Trojan’ all the time, and it stuck.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 12
1998, 1978, 1974, 1973, 1972, 1971, 1970, 1968, 1963, 1961, 1958, 1948
Men’s Basketball 0
Women’s Basketball 2
1984, 1983
Football 0
Soccer 0
