Sixteen Trojan greats to be honored at June 12 dinner at Galen Center.
Tina Thompson
Aug. 3, 2011
Sixteen Trojan luminaries have been selected to the 10th class of USC's Athletic Hall of Fame and they will be honored at an induction dinner on June 12, 2012, at USC's Galen Center.
Alphabetically, the 2012 inductees are: Art Bartner, Lindsay Benko, Steve Bisheff, Tony Boselli, Clarence Davis, Barbara Hallquist, Barbara Hedges, Bob Hughes, Bryan Ivie, Keyshawn Johnson, Randy Johnson, Jill McGill, Tina Thompson, Forrest Twogood, Quincy Watts and Adrian Young.
Twogood will be inducted posthumously. Bartner will receive a Spirit Award. Bisheff will be honored for his contributions as a sportswriter.
"This is an outstanding group of Trojan greats-Olympians, All-Americans, national champions and sports icons-who have played an important role in USC's athletic history," said USC athletic director Pat Haden, who was a member of the 2003 class. "They'll join our first nine classes of Hall of Famers to form a real Who's Who in USC sports."
Tickets to the induction dinner are available by calling the USC Athletic Department at (213) 740-4155.
The Hall of Famers are selected by a 75-member panel consisting of media and USC alumni and athletic department supporters. To be eligible for election, athletes generally must have completed their last season of eligibility at USC 10 years ago.
BIOGRAPHIES OF 2012 USC ATHLETIC HALL OF FAMERS
BARTNER: Dr. Arthur C. Bartner is synonymous with the USC Trojan Marching Band. Its director since 1970, he increased the band's membership more than fourfold and turned it into the most dynamic and innovative collegiate unit in the nation. The Michigan graduate brought with him a creative approach and the unique, contemporary "drive-it" style of marching. In his unprecedented 42 years, the band has earned the nickname "Spirit of Troy" for its tireless support of USC Athletics (attending more than 85 Trojan sporting events annually, including every football game since 1987). Under his direction, it has also become known as "Hollywood's Band" because of its countless appearances on the silver and small screens and it even has two platinum albums (with rockers Fleetwood Mac). He has directed at Super Bowls, Presidential Inaugurations, Academy Awards, Grammy Awards and papal visits, taken the band to six continents, four world expositions and 17 countries and marched in 16 Rose Parades. The pinnacle of his career was leading the 800-piece All-American College Marching Band at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was also the director of the Disneyland All-American College Band for 30-plus years and he directed bands at the openings of EPCOT Center and Euro Disneyland.
BENKO: Lindsay Benko Mintenko is one of USC's most decorated women's swimmers. A 21-time All-American, she won five NCAA individual titles-three in the 500-yard freestyle (1996-97-99) and two in the 200-yard backstroke (1996-97)--and she helped the Women of Troy to their only NCAA team championship in 1997. In her USC career, she reached the NCAA finals in all 12 individual events in which she competed. She also won six career Pac-10 titles. She won gold medals as a U.S. team captain at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in the 800-meter freestyle relay and added a silver in 2004 in the 400-meter freestyle relay. A 10-time U.S. national champion, three-time medalist at the World Championships and a seven-time medalist at the Pan-Pacific Championships, she set numerous USC, American and world records. After five years as an USC assistant coach, she assumed her current role as USA Swimming's National Team managing director in 2006.
BISHEFF: Steve Bisheff covered the Southern California sports landscape-and, in particular, USC athletics and the Trojan football team-for more than 40 years. The popular award-winning writer and columnist worked for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, San Diego Evening Tribune and Orange County Register, then he blogged for 710 ESPN Radio and the Los Angeles Times. The USC graduate also authored 5 books, including "Always Compete, An Inside Look at Pete Carroll and the USC Football Juggernaut" and "Fight On!: The Colorful Story of USC Football," as well as books about John Wooden, the Angels and the Rams. He recently retired.
BOSELLI: Tony Boselli is regarded as one of the finest offensive tackles to play at USC and in the NFL. A four-year (1991-94) starter at USC, he was a two-time (1992-94) All-American first teamer and three-time (1991-92-94) All-Pac-10 first teamer. As a 1994 senior, he was USC's MVP and team captain and won the Pac-10 Morris Trophy, as well as being named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. The No. 2 selection of the 1995 NFL draft, he was the first-ever pick in the history of the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise. He played seven seasons (1995-2001) with the Jaguars, where he was a four-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler. He twice was the NFL Lineman of the Year and was named to the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team. He spent 2002 with the Houston Texans. He now is a sports commentator and businessman, and runs the Boselli Foundation to assist at-risk youngsters in Jacksonville.
DAVIS: One of the most underrated tailbacks in USC history, Clarence Davis was a 1969 All-American and a two-time (1969-70) All-Pac-8 pick. He had 2,323 rushing yards (still in the Trojan Top 15) in his two-year career after transferring from East Los Angeles Junior College and ran for 100 yards nine times. He led USC in rushing and scoring both years, including a league-high 1,351 rushing yards in 1969 on Troy's Rose Bowl championship squad. He also topped the Pac-8 in kickoff returns in 1970 and is 20th on USC's career kickoff return list. After playing in the 1971 Senior Bowl, he played for the Oakland Raiders for eight years (1971-78), including on their Super Bowl XI-winning team. After his playing days, he worked for the Houston school district.
HALLQUIST: Not only was Barbara Hallquist DeGroot a championship tennis player, but she was a pioneer among Trojan women's athletes when in 1976 she became the first female to receive an athletic scholarship at USC. The four-year (1976-79) letterwinner and three-time All-American won seven national collegiate tournaments, including the 1976 and 1977 USTA Collegiate singles titles. She was a member of Women of Troy teams that won national championships in 1977 (AIAW, USTA), 1978 (USTA) and 1979 (AIAW). She was a member of three U.S. Junior Federation Cup teams, earning MVP honors in 1977. Her pro career saw her reach the singles quarterfinals at the 1980 U.S. Open and twice advance to the doubles quarters. She then returned to USC as an assistant coach, helping the Women of Troy win the 1985 NCAA crown. She was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2010. She now is the girls' tennis coach at Cate School in Carpenteria, Calif.
HEDGES: Barbara Hedges is credited with developing the USC women's athletics program during her 18-year tenure as a Trojan athletics administrator. She began her USC career as an associate athletic director in 1973, overseeing the Women of Troy to 13 national championships, then she became a senior associate A.D. in 1989. She added some men's sports under her supervision in 1985 (they won three national titles). Her groundbreaking career continued when she became Washington's athletic director from 1991 to 2004. During that time, she was the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors' first female president in 1996-97 and the first woman on the National Football Foundation's Board of Directors in 1998. She also chaired numerous NCAA committees and presided over various national administrative organizations. A one-time gymnastics coach at Arizona, she was named to NACDA's Hall of Fame in 2009 and won NACDA's Corbett Award in 2010.
HUGHES: Robert "Bob" Hughes, one of USC's finest aquatic competitors, has the rare distinction of competing in the same Olympics in two different sports. In the 1956 Melbourne Games, he was on the U.S. water polo team that placed fifth and he also swam the 200-meter breaststroke to become the first American athlete since Johnny Weissmuller in 1924 to compete in two different sports in the same Olympics. He also helped the U.S. water poloists to a fourth place showing at the 1952 Helsinki Games. He participated in both sports at USC, lettering in water polo in 1954 and 1955 and in swimming as an All-American in 1955 and 1956 after transferring from El Camino Junior College. Known for his size and strength, he helped popularize the 2-meter position in water polo. Playing the sport until 1963 (he was a three-time AAU All-American), he was a member of U.S. Pan American teams that won gold in 1951 and silver in 1955 and he played on the 1953 AAU Senior National Championship outdoor team. In swimming, he once held the world record in the 100-meter breaststroke. He was an assistant water polo coach at USC from 1970 to 1974. He was a charter member of the USA Water Polo (1976), El Camino Athletic (1988) and Community College Water Polo (1992) Halls of Fame.
IVIE: Bryan Ivie, the most dominant collegiate men's volleyball player of his era, is USC's only two-time (1990-91) National Player of the Year. The four-year (1988-91) starter at middle blocker and then opposite hitter helped the Trojans to the 1988 and 1990 NCAA titles (and the runner-up spot in 1991). He was the MVP of the 1990 NCAA tourney and made the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1988 and 1991. He set still-standing USC career records for kills and blocks. He was USC's 1991 Pac-10 Conference Medalist as its top senior male student-athlete. He participated in two Olympics with the U.S. (1992 and 1996), winning a bronze medal in the 1992 Barcelona Games, then played professionally overseas and on the beach. He was named to Volleyball magazine's All-Century team and USA Volleyball's 75th Anniversary All-Era team. He now works in the commercial real estate industry in San Francisco.
K. JOHNSON: Keyshawn Johnson is one of the most prolific wide receivers in USC history. He was a unanimous All-American first teamer in 1995 when he set a still-standing Pac-10 and USC record for pass receptions (102) in a season. The one-time Trojan ball boy, who came from West Los Angeles Junior College, finished his two-year(1994-95) USC career with 168 catches (seventh on the all-time list) and had 17 outings with 100 receiving yards (including an NCAA record 12 in a row). He was the MVP of both the 1995 Cotton Bowl (8 catches, 222 yards, 3 TDs) and the 1996 Rose Bowl (12 catches, 216 yards, 1 TD). The two-time All-Pac-10 first teamer won the Pop Warner Award and was the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in 1995 when he finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting. He had 66 receptions in 1994. Known to be brash and outspoken, he was chosen by the New York Jets as the No. 1 pick of the 1996 NFL draft. He played for the Jets (1996-99), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000-03, including in Super Bowl XXXVII), Dallas Cowboys (2004-06) and Carolina Panthers (2006). He now is a television sports commentator, businessman, restaurateur and real estate investor.
R. JOHNSON: Randy Johnson went from a wild 6-foot-10 lefthanded flamethrower at USC (206 career strikeouts, 188 walks) to one of the greatest pitchers in the majors. The three-year (1983-85) letterman won 16 games in his USC career, including going 5-0 in 1983. "The Big Unit," noted for his dominant fastball and nasty slider, then had a 22-year (1988-2009) major league career, winning five Cy Young Awards, being named MVP of the 2001 World Series and appearing in 10 All-Star Games. He had a 303-166 big league record and a 3.29 career ERA while posting 4,875 strikeouts (a record for lefties) while playing with the Montreal Expos (1988-89), Seattle Mariners (1989-98), Houston Astros (1998), Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2004, 2007-08), New York Yankees (2005-06) and San Francisco Giants (2009). He pitched two no-hitters, including a perfect game. He was the league leader in strikeouts nine times and in ERA four times.
McGILL: Jill McGill, a 1994 All-American first team golfer at USC, has parlayed an impressive amateur record into a long and successful professional career. The four-year (1991-94) letterwinner was a two-time (1993-94) USC captain, helping the Women of Troy to runner-up finishes at the 1994 NCAA and Pac-10 Championships. She was fourth at the 1994 NCAAs and ninth in 1990. She won both the U.S. Women's Amateur in 1993 (she was second in 1994) and the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links in 1994, and played on the 1994 U.S. Curtis Cup team. After spending 1995 on the European Tour (she tied for second in the Women's British Open), she joined the LPGA Tour in 1996, where she has earned more than $2.3 million in her ongoing 16-year career and has 25 Top 10 finishes, including a pair of seconds and a pair of thirds. She recently returned to USC to complete work on her bachelor's degree in communication.
THOMPSON: Tina Thompson is one of the world's greatest women's basketball players. A four-year (1994-97) starting frontcourt player at USC, she earned 1997 All-American first team honors and was a three-time (1995-97) All-Pac-10 first teamer. She was the 1994 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. In her USC career, she averaged 19.7 points and 10.2 rebounds and currently ranks fifth on the school's scoring (2,248) and rebounding (1,168) charts. She led the Women of Troy to 3 NCAA tournament appearances. She was the first-ever player drafted in the WNBA, where she has been a nine-time All-Star and All-WNBA performer in her 15 years with the Houston Comets (1997-2008), winning four consecutive WNBA titles (1997-2000), and Los Angeles Sparks (2009-11). The only player to play in all 15 of the league's seasons, she is the WNBA's all-time leader in scoring and games played. She was the MVP of the 2000 WNBA All-Star Game and was named to the WNBA's All-Decade team in 2006. She won a pair of gold medals with the U.S. team at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics (she was an alternate on the 2000 gold medalists) and she won a bronze medal at the 2006 World Championships. She also played professionally in Italy, South Korea, Russia and Romania.
TWOGOOD: The popular, personable and witty Forrest Twogood, affectionately known to all as "Twogie," was USC's men's basketball coach for 16 years (1951-66) and took three Trojan teams to the NCAA Tournament, including reaching the Final Four in 1954. He posted a 251-179 overall record at Troy, captured three conference titles, had 13 winning seasons and won 20 or more games three times. He played football, basketball and baseball at Iowa, then was a minor league pitcher for six years while spending the off-seasons serving at USC for his former Hawkeye coach, Sam Barry, as the head freshman and assistant varsity basketball and baseball coach. He then coached basketball and baseball at Idaho for five years (1937-41) and at San Francisco in 1942 before serving in the Navy in World War II. After four years selling real estate, he returned to USC in 1949 as an assistant basketball coach for two years before taking over for the deceased Barry. He was president of the National Basketball Coaches Association in 1965. After his coaching career, he became a Trojan assistant athletic director. He was inducted into the Helms Hall College Basketball Hall of Fame in 1966 and the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. He died on April 26, 1972, at the age of 64.
WATTS: Quincy Watts, who came to USC specializing in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, turned into the best 400-meter runner in USC history. The four-year (1989-92) letterman won the 1992 NCAA 400 in a meet record time of 44.00 (he finished second in 1991) and he also ran the anchor leg on the USC school-record 1600-meter relay team that placed second (3:00.58). The Trojan co-captain continued his torrid 1992 campaign by winning gold medals at the Barcelona Olympics in the 400 (in an Olympic and still-standing USC record time of 43.50) and in the 1600-meter relay (in a world record time of 2:55.74). He was ranked in the world Top 10 in the 400 for four consecutive years (1991-94), including No. 1 in 1992. In the 1600 relay at the World Championships, he won a silver in 1991 and a gold in 1993 (in world record time). He also was a wide receiver on USC football team in 1990. He currently is a personal trainer and high school track coach.
YOUNG: Adrian Young, a 1967 consensus All-American linebacker who was born in Dublin, Ireland (he lived there until he was 10), broke Irish hearts when he tied a Pac-8 record by intercepting 4 passes in a USC road victory over Notre Dame in 1967. It was the first of 12 USC wins over the Irish in a 16-year span. The three-year (1965-67) letterman helped the Trojans to the national championship that season, when he served as a team captain and won USC's Most Inspirational Player Award. He played on two conference championship teams and in a pair of Rose Bowls. He then was selected to be in the 1968 Coaches All-America Game, College All-Star Game and Hula Bowl. A third round NFL draft pick, he played for the Philadelphia Eagles (1968-72), Detroit Lions (1972) and Chicago Bears (1973). He now works in the commercial real estate business in Southern California.
PREVIOUS USC ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME CLASSES
1994 (inaugural): Jon Arnett, Clarence "Buster" Crabbe, Rod Dedeaux, Braven Dyer, Mike Garrett, Al Geiberger, Frank Gifford, Marv Goux, Howard Jones, Fred Lynn, John McKay, Parry O'Brien, Bill Sharman, O.J. Simpson, Stan Smith and Norman Topping
1995: Marcus Allen, Dean Cromwell, Morley Drury, John Ferraro, Mal Florence, Jess Hill, Julie Kohl, Ronnie Lott, Marlin McKeever, Mike McKeever, Cheryl Miller, Orv Mohler, Charles Paddock, Mel Patton, Giles Pellerin, Erny Pinckert, Dennis Ralston, Roy Saari, Tom Seaver, Gus Shaver, Dave Stockton, Brice Taylor, Irvine "Cotton" Warburton, and Charles White
1997: Johnny Baker, Ricky Bell, Raymond "Tay" Brown, Peter Daland, Charlie Dumas, Arnold Eddy, Ron Fairly, Mort Kaer, Allan Malamud, Ron Mix, Jess Mortensen, John Naber, Alex Olmedo, Nick Pappas, Aaron Rosenberg, Ambrose Schindler, Bob Seagren, Scott Simpson, Ernie Smith, Paul Westphal, and Ron Yary
1999: Garrett Arbelbide, Jerry Buss, Bob Chandler, Cynthia Cooper, Anthony Davis, Homer Griffith, Jim Hardy, Jesse Hibbs, Gene Mako, Mark McGwire, Anthony Munoz, Russ Saunders, Harry Smith, Craig Stadler, Francis Tappaan, Harley Tinkham, Jack Ward, Vern Wolfe, Cynthia Woodhead-Kantzer, Frank Wykoff and Louis Zamperini
2001: Hal Bedsole, Bob Boyd, Brad Budde, Don Buford, Sam Cunningham, Jack Davis, Craig Fertig, Bruce Furniss, Ray George, Jimmy Gunn, Lee Guttero, Alex Hannum, Tom Kelly, Lenny Krayzelburg, Rick Leach, Earle Meadows, John Rudometkin, Makoto Sakamoto, Bill Sefton, Bill Thom, Steve Timmons and Ralph Vaughn
2003: Nate Barragar, Ken Carpenter, Paul Cleary, Lillian Copeland, Howard Drew, Marshall Duffield, Debbie Green, Pat Haden, John Hall, Clarence "Bud" Houser, Fred Kelly, Steve Kemp, Grenville "Grenny" Lansdell, Dallas Long, Dick Leach, Mike Nyeholt, Carson Palmer, Murray Rose, Jim Sears, George Toley, Stan Williamson, Gwynn Wilson, Don Winston, Tex Winter and Richard Wood
2005: Dick Attlesey, Jack Beckner, John Berardino, Chuck Bittick, Jim Brideweser, Willie Brown, Jeff Cravath, Rich Dauer, Ken Flower, Bud Furillo, Lou Galen, Joe Gonzales, Elmer "Gloomy Gus" Henderson, Wally Hood, Willis O. Hunter, Sim Iness, Payton Jordan, Bruce Konopka, Mike Larrabee, Lisa Leslie, Katherine B. Loker, Bob Lutz, Bruce and Clay Matthews, Sam Randolph, Bill Seinsoth, Lynn Swann, Hal Urner and Paula Weishoff.
2007: Charley Ane, Sam Barry, Joe Bottom, Bud Bradley, Pat Cannamela, Mark Carrier, Dusty Dvorak, Ed Hookstratten, Jack Hupp, Manuel Laraneta, Matt Leinart, Earl McCullouch, Pam and Paula McGee, Rafael Osuna, Paula Jean Myers Pope, C.R. Roberts, Gene Rock, Loel Schrader, Ron Severa, Roy Smalley, John Werhas, Angela Williams and Charles Young
2009: John Abdun-Nur, Rink Babka, Pete Beathard, Julie Bescos, Rex Cawley, Al Centofante, Al Cowlings, Bob Falkenburg, Sherman Finger, Tim Hovland, Lennox Miller, Bernice Orwig, Rodney Peete, John Robinson, Richard Saukko, Junior Seau, Mike Walden, Dave Wharton, Gus Williams, Wally Wolf, Stan Wood and Hank Workman.
Courtesy USC
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