# 1959 USC Trojans football team

The 1959 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1959 college football season. In their third year under head coach Don Clark, the Trojans compiled an 8–2 record (3–1 against conference opponents), finished in a tie for the Athletic Association of Western Universities championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 195 to 90. Total attendance for all 10 games was 453,865.
Ben Charles led the team in passing with 20 of 46 passes completed for 843 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. Jerry Traynham led the team in rushing with 123 carries for 583 yards and two touchdowns. Luther Hayes was the leading receiver with nine catches for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
This was the first season for the five-team AAWU, following the dissolution of the Pacific Coast Conference in the spring. It comprised the four teams from state of California and Washington in Seattle. The other four teams from the north (Oregon, Oregon State, Washington State, and Idaho) were independent for several seasons.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 19 | at Oregon State* | | Multnomah StadiumPortland, OR | W 27–6 | 23,895 |
| September 25 | Pittsburgh* | No. 11 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | W 23–0 | 34,172 |
| October 2 | No. 14 Ohio State* | No. 11 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | W 17–0 | 49,592 |
| October 17 | at No. 18 Washington | No. 7 | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA | W 22–15 | 54,497 |
| October 24 | Stanford | No. 5 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (rivalry) | W 30–28 | 44,209 |
| October 31 | at California | No. 6 | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | W 14–7 | 37,000 |
| November 7 | West Virginia* | No. 6 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | W 36–0 | 34,066 |
| November 14 | at Baylor* | No. 4 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | W 17–8 | 43,832 |
| November 21 | UCLA | No. 4 | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA (Victory Bell) | L 3–10 | 85,917 |
| November 28 | at Notre Dame* | No. 7 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | L 6–16 | 48,682 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game |||||||
* Pittsburgh and Ohio State games were played on Friday night, Notre Dame on Thursday (Thanksgiving)

## Players

* Al Bansavage, guard, 6'2", 220 pounds, Union City, California
* Mike Bundra, tackle, 6'2", 232 pounds, Catasaugua, Pennsylvania
* Ben Charles, quarterback
* Angelo Coia, halfback, 6'2", 195 pounds, Philadelphia
* Jim Conroy, fullback, 6'0", 197 pounds, Baldwin Park, California
* Dan Ficca, tackle, 6'1", 230 pounds, Atlas, Pennsylvania
* Garry Finneran, tackle, 6'2", 219 pounds, Cathedral
* Lynn Gaskill, halfback, 6'0", 175 pounds, Banning, California
* Luther Hayes, end, 6'4", 198 pounds, San Diego, California
* Clark Holden, fullback, 5'10", 195 pounds, Marshall, California
* Bob Levingston, halfback, 6'0", 185 pounds, Los Angeles
* Marv Marinovich, tackle, 6'3", 220 pounds, Watsonville, California
* Marlin McKeever, end, 6'1", 215 pounds, Mt. Carmel, California
* Mike McKeever, 6'1", 215 pounds, guard, Mt. Carmel, California
* Roger Mietz, guard, 5'10", 206 pounds, San Leandro, California
* Ron Mix, tackle, 6'3", 215, Hawthorne, California
* Dave Morgan, center, 6'4", 204 pounds, Natick, Massachusetts
* Al Prukop, quarterback, 6'1", 181 pounds, Mt. Carmel (led the team with 405 minutes played)
* Jerry Traynham, halfback, 5'10", 180 pounds, Woodland, California
* Jack Treier, center, 6'3", 208 pounds, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
* George Van Vliet, 6'2", 195 pounds, end, Whittier, California
* Glenn Wilder, 6'0", 181 pounds, end, Van Nuys, California
* Britt Williams, guard, 6'1", 210 pounds, Walnut Creek, California
* Willie Wood, quarterback, 5'9", 170 pounds, Washington, D.C.

## Coaching staff

* Head coach: Don Clark
* Assistant coaches: Ray George, Al Davis, Mel Hein, Marv Goux, Jim Sears, John McKay
* Manager: Bob Lambeth