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Come over to the shade 06-20-2008 4:19 p.m.
Today's sultry temperatures and simmering sun drove Coach Carroll to do something he had never done on the football field.
Wear a hat.
Carroll donned a panama straw hat for the afternoon session of today’s 7-on-7 Passing Camp on an oven-like Howard Jones field.
“I just can’t stand out in the sun without a hat any longer,” Carroll said while helplessly laughing. “My first hat day ever.”
Heat it up 06-20-2008 1:04 p.m.
The midday lunch break for the 7-on-7 Passing Camp has ended, and soon the high school players will be returning to Howard Jones field — site of some toasty 97-degree weather — for the afternoon’s competition.
Finding their place 06-20-2008 12:11 p.m.
With the incoming scholarship players scheduled to report on Monday, all hands are on deck in Heritage Hall. Here, assistant equipment manager Seth Svendsen looks over the locker room layout this morning to assign a locker to each of the incoming players.
Homecoming 06-20-2008 9:16 a.m.
A Trojan great has descended upon Heritage Hall today.
Craig Fertig, who threw the game-winning touchdown in the 1964 Notre Dame game before becoming a USC assistant coach for nine seasons under John McKay, has stopped by to spend time with the Trojan coaching staff at today’s 7-on-7 Passing Camp.
Fertig was also head coach at Oregon State for four years, but now he’s retired and living in the Los Angeles area.
“Pete [Carroll] called me and said I should come up,” said Fertig, who wears a championship ring on each hand. “Of course I picked the hottest day of the year to come.”
Tourney time 06-20-2008 8:59 a.m.
The second day of USC’s inaugural 7-on-7 Passing Camp has just gotten started, with the pass-dominated games starting at 10 a.m. Yesterday, seven high school teams competed in the day-long tournament, and today six teams from around the Los Angeles area will be participating in the round-robin tourney.
Getting closer 06-20-2008 8:06 a.m.
Following this morning’s 6:30 a.m. team run, the Trojans have now completed their third of nine weeks in the summer strength and conditioning program.
Early risers 06-19-2008 4:25 p.m.
Friday morning, the Trojans will gather for their second 6:30 a.m. team run of the off-season, during which the entire squad will go through an action-packed conditioning-centric workout on Cromwell Field under the guidance of Chris Carlisle and the rest of the strength and conditioning staff.
We received a question from reader Tawanda Mtunga asking when the reporting date is for incoming freshmen Trojans. The incoming scholarship players will report Monday, begin working out with the team shortly thereafter and start summer school July 2.
A tribute 06-19-2008 8:30 a.m.
Check out this touching tribute video honoring Coach Carroll for his work in the community with A Better LA. The video was produced for the Summa Children’s Foundation Night of Inspiration in April, when Carroll was celebrated for his fervent passion for transforming the culture of gangs in the inner-city.
Pass-happy 06-19-2008 8:01 a.m.
All day today and Friday, the Trojan coaching staff is hosting USC’s inaugural 7-on-7 Passing Camp, which is attracting 13 high school teams to compete in the pass-heavy football tournament on Howard Jones and Cromwell fields.
Work it out 06-19-2008 7:53 a.m.
After taking Wednesday off, players have returned to the off-season strength and conditioning program today for 90-minute running and lifting workouts at 7 a.m., 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.
Face the facts 06-18-2008 1:52 p.m.
Vote for who you think USC’s “Face of the Program” is in a new interactive feature from ESPN.com.
Bounce in their steps 06-18-2008 1:41 p.m.
Many coaches took a break from meetings to go play basketball at a campus gym during lunchtime, with Coach Carroll draining a 19-foot jump shot from the corner for the winner in one of the pickup games.
Planning for the future 06-18-2008 11:40 a.m.
Now that the recruiting meeting is over, coaches have split into offensive and defensive staff meetings. The offensive coaches have wrapped up Virginia breakdowns and are now breaking down Ohio State film, while the defensive coaches are putting together the playbook for Fall Camp.
On TV 06-18-2008 11:28 a.m.
Check out this clip of Coach Carroll speaking about winning and being successful (in a non-football environment) on CNBC’s “The Big Idea” from Monday night:
(Thanks to Adam Rose of LATimes.com for the edited clip.)
Rise and shine 06-18-2008 9:34 a.m.
Coach Carroll is making sure everyone is up and at ’em on this perfect morning for a recruiting meeting.
“Oh yeah, it’s recruiting time, let’s go,” Carroll said while boisterously parading around the office. “Wake up, breakfast is served, it’s time!”
Thanks to Carroll’s energetic appeals, the coaches are now congregating in the War Room for the weekly recruiting meeting to watch film of the 2009 prospects.
Catch a break 06-18-2008 9:05 a.m.
It’s an off day for the Trojans’ summer strength and conditioning program. Players return with normal workouts Thursday and a 6:30 a.m. team run on Friday.
Forever and ever 06-17-2008 3:27 p.m.
Tiger Woods won again. Which begs a question: Is he Winning Forever?
“What Tiger is doing is the essence of the ‘Win Forever’ philosophy,” Coach Carroll said. “It’s just remarkable.”
In honor of another major victory for Woods, check out this cool one-minute commercial featuring his late father:
Addition to the tradition 06-17-2008 12:23 p.m.
The tradition-soaked walls of Heritage Hall just got a little more saturated.
Graphics for the 2007 All-Americans, Mackey Award winner Fred Davis and the season recap were added to the basement hallways of Heritage Hall to go along with the rest of USC’s lush history on the walls.
The famed All-American Walk, going from the locker room toward Howard Jones field, now stretches 151 Trojans long after Keith Rivers and Fred Davis were posted up, to go along with repeat All-Americans Sam Baker and Sedrick Ellis.
Mackey Award winner Fred Davis is now honored next to USC’s last two Heisman Trophy winners in the hall outside of the team’s locker room in Heritage Hall.
A recap of the 2008 Rose Bowl was added to the timeline that pays tribute to the key moments in the history of Trojan football.
Film star 06-17-2008 11:24 a.m.
Coach Carroll just returned from an hour-long shoot for an ESPN College GameDay commercial at the Coliseum, where he filmed a funny 15-second spot with the show’s hosts — Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso — in their bus.
The commercial, which will air this fall and goes along with the same “True or False” theme as last year’s campaign, took nine takes, plenty of makeup and one amusing line from Carroll.
Before shooting a commercial inside the GameDay bus at the Coliseum this morning, Coach Carroll speaks with ESPN College GameDay hosts Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Lee Corso.
A make-up artist applies some make-up to Coach Carroll’s face between takes inside the GameDay bus.
Coach Carroll, Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit shoot the breeze while the crew rearranges between takes.
In the details 06-17-2008 9:12 a.m.
The Trojans are getting down to precision work today.
The off-season strength and conditioning program has the players focusing on sports-specific training during today’s 90-minute workouts, with extensive plyometric work on resistive bands to hone their speed and power.
Ageless wonders 06-16-2008 2:29 p.m.
As one of the elder statesmen of the coaching staff, offensive line coach Pat Ruel feels for the experienced participants of the recently completed Trojan Flashback Football fantasy camp. See what life is like for him and the campers during one of last week’s practices in a hilarious new video from USCRipsIt, produced by Mark Haas:
Coach Carroll will be appearing on CNBC’s “The Big Idea” with Donny Deutsch tonight at 7 p.m. Pacific (and again at 10 p.m.) as part of today’s show focusing on “Getting the winning DNA.” It should be an interesting and captivating interview, so tune in live or set your DVRs.
Grinding away 06-16-2008 11:26 a.m.
It’s a normal workout day for the players, who have kicked off the third week of the off-season program with another 90-minute strength and conditioning session. They work out today, Tuesday and Thursday before an early morning team run on Friday.
Give them a break 06-16-2008 9:33 a.m.
After working summer camps for the last five straight days, the coaches get today off, giving them much-needed time to rest, relax and hang out with their families.
A Tiger fan in Heritage Hall 06-16-2008 8:40 a.m.
As Tiger Woods competes in an 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open today, he has a fervent backer in Coach Carroll.
You see, the two share a all-surpassing competitive drive and are aiming for the same “Win Forever” goal.
“Oh, I love him as a competitor,” Carroll has said of Woods. “I couldn’t agree more with his work ethic, his approach to competition, how he prepares for big situations and how he performs on the biggest stages. He just has a great belief in himself, and it shows in all his championships.”
Listen to the following Woods interview — one that Carroll has shown his team during meetings — and notice how strikingly similar Woods and Carroll’s competitive philosophies are:
