The story of college sports in Los Angeles contains many rich and glorious chapters, but it’s hard to deny the notion that the 14 best consecutive years of college sports in the City of Angels were 1962 through 1975. Consider this basic point:
“John McKay, the iconic coach and the author of four national championship seasons at USC, scratched his itch to coach pro football after the 1975 season ended. McKay inked a deal to become the first coach of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wooden and McKay dominated the Los Angeles sports scene from 1962 — the year they both hit the big time (with McKay winning a national title and Wooden making his first Final Four) — through 1975. After 14 years, both UCLA basketball and USC football had to find successors worthy of these two giants.”
It really is remarkable, isn’t it? John McKay won his first national championship at USC football in 1962, just months after John Wooden made his first Final Four at UCLA. Wooden won 10 national titles at UCLA basketball through 1975. McKay won four national championships at USC in that same time frame. In 1975, both men coached their last games for their respective schools.
Pete Carroll, John Robinson, and Howard Jones were all great USC football coaches, but when they thrived, other college sports teams in Los Angeles were not at the height of their powers. From 1962 through 1975, UCLA basketball and USC football reached supreme dynastic heights, all while Rod Dedeaux led USC to the zenith of its baseball existence with a large pile of national titles, including five in a row from 1970 through 1974.
There have been great individual years in Los Angeles college sports throughout history. In 1995, UCLA won a national title and USC won a Rose Bowl. In 1998, UCLA won a Pac-10 football championship while USC baseball won the College World Series. Yet, in terms of a continuous and uninterrupted period of time, the 14 years from 1962 through 1975 represented the very best of college sports in LA, with USC and UCLA creating something very special and historic.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: The 14 years which changed Los Angeles college sports forever
Reporting by Matt Zemek / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
