1952 USC Trojans football team

1952 USC Trojans football
PCC champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 7–0 vs. Wisconsin
ConferencePacific Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 5
Record10–1 (6–0 PCC)
Head coach
Home stadiumLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons
← 1951
1953 →
1952 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5 USC $ 6 – 0 – 0 10 – 1 – 0
No. 6 UCLA 5 – 1 – 0 8 – 1 – 0
Washington 6 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
California 3 – 3 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Washington State 3 – 4 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Stanford 2 – 5 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
Oregon 2 – 5 – 0 2 – 7 – 1
Idaho 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 4 – 1
Oregon State 1 – 6 – 0 2 – 7 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1952 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1952 college football season. In their second year under head coach Jess Hill, the Trojans compiled a 10–1 record (6–0 against conference opponents), won the Pacific Coast Conference championship, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 254 to 47.[1]

The Trojans finished the season ranked #4 in the final United Press Coaches Poll and #5 in the final AP Poll. They faced five ranked opponents during the 1952 season and won four of those games: a 10–0 victory over #4 California on October 25; a 33–0 victory over #17 Washington on November 15; a 14–12 victory over #3 UCLA on November 22; a 9–0 loss to Notre Dame on November 29; and a 7–0 victory over Wisconsin in the 1953 Rose Bowl. USC's victory in the Rose Bowl was the first for the Pacific Coast Conference after seven consecutive losses to the representatives of the Big Ten Conference.

Jim Sears led the team in passing with 51 of 105 passes completed for 739 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. Leon Sellers led the team in rushing with 103 carries for 386 yards and two touchdowns. Leon Clarke was the leading receiver with 25 catches for 372 yards and three touchdowns.[2]

Eight Trojans received honors from the Associated Press (AP), United Press (UP), or International News Service (INS) on the 1952 All-Pacific Coast Conference football team: back Jim Sears (AP-1 [safety]; INS-1; UP-1 [halfback]); back Lindon Crow (AP-1 [defensive back]); defensive end Bob Hooks, USC (AP-1); tackle Robert Van Doren, USC (AP-1 [defensive tackle]; INS-1; UP-1); guard Elmer Willhoite, USC (AP-1 [defensive guard]; INS-1; UP-1); guard Marv Goux, USC (INS-1); center Lou Welsh, USC (AP-1); and linebacker George Timberlake, USC (AP-1).[3][4][5] Sears and Wilhoite were also consensus All-Americans.[6]

  1. ^ "Southern California Yearly Results (1950-1954)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  2. ^ "1952 Southern California Trojans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  3. ^ "The A.P. All-Pacific Coast Football Stars". The Kansas City Times. November 27, 1952.
  4. ^ "I.N.S. Selects 1952 All Pacific Coast Grid Team". The Tyrone (PA) Daily Herald. November 25, 1952. p. 4.
  5. ^ "All-Coast Conference Team". Nevada State Journal. December 3, 1952. p. 9.
  6. ^ "2014 NCAA Football Records: Consensus All-America Selections" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2014. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 22, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.