The University of California football program has had a bit of a star-crossed history, at least since winning two national championships in the early 1920s and going to three straight Rose Bowls from 1948-50. The 1975 Cal football team was the last edition of the Golden Bears to even share a conference championship. AN EXPLOSIVE […]
John McKay came to USC in 1960. Over the next fifteen seasons, the great head coach took the Trojans to the Rose Bowl eight times and won five of those games. He won three outright national championships and also took home the UPI coaches poll in 1974. McKay churned out wins, talent, and titles. But […]
Dick Vermeil came to UCLA in 1974 to take over a football program that, while generally successful, labored in the backdrop of its powerhouse basketball program. And, more importantly, labored in the backdrop of crosstown rival USC, who consistently dominated the Pac-8 Conference, as it was then called. Vermeil’s 6-3-2 showing in ’74 more or […]
Woody Hayes had the Ohio State football program humming as they entered the 1975 season. Starting with the national championship run of 1968, the Buckeyes were on a seven-year run where they had gone to the Rose Bowl five times and finished in the national top 10 each year. They added to those strings this […]
Bo Schembecler’s first six seasons in Ann Arbor had been a clear success. Michigan went 58-7-1 over the regular seasons from 1969-74. But the Wolverine program is ultimately defined by what happens against Ohio State. That’s true in any era, and it was even more true in the 1970s when these two teams were clearly […]