Why are USC athletic teams named “Trojans?
The origin of USC’s nickname, Trojan, dates back to 1912. Originally, the teams of the University of Southern California were referred to as Methodists or Wesleyans, names not favored by university officials. The director of athletics, Warren Bovard, son of university president Dr. George Bovard, asked Owen Bird, a sportswriter for the LA Times, to give the university a new nickname. Although we now are proud of a winning tradition, the USC family was not always successful during the early years. In fact, we were named “Trojans” because we were great losers. Bird dubbed the USC team “Trojans” instead of Methodists” because he compared our players in 1912 to noble Trojan warriors ‘They were facing teams that were bigger and better-equipped, yet they had splendid fighting spirit. The term ‘Trojan’ as applied to USC means that no matter what the situation, what the odds or what the conditions, the completion must be carried on to the end and those who strive must give all they have and ne
The origin of USC’s nickname, Trojan, dates back to 1912. Originally, the teams of the University of Southern California were referred to as Methodists or Wesleyans, names not favored by university officials. The director of athletics, Warren Bovard, son of university president Dr. George Bovard, asked Owen Bird, a sportswriter for the LA Times, to give the university a new nickname. Although we now are proud of a winning tradition, the USC family was not always successful during the early years. In fact, we were named “Trojans” because we were great losers. Bird dubbed the USC team “Trojans” instead of “Methodists” because he compared our players in 1912 to noble Trojan warriors “They were facing teams that were bigger and better-equipped, yet they had splendid fighting spirit. The term ‘Trojan’ as applied to USC means that no matter what the situation, what the odds or what the conditions, the completion must be carried on to the end and those who strive must give all they have and n
