Pac-12 goodbye tour: Remembering USC’s 1932 football season
As we say goodbye to the Pac-12 Conference over the next several months, we are remembering USC football’s unbeaten teams over the decades.
The 1932 team is special because it was the first unbeaten USC team coached by both Howard Jones and assistant coach (defensive coordinator) Sam Barry. Jones and Barry were great teammates on the football staff, but beyond that, they are the two most important figures in the entire history of USC athletics. Jones built the football program. Barry built the basketball and baseball programs. Both men reached the summit in their respective fields of expertise. Jones won national championships with Barry’s help. Barry won the College World Series championship and reached the NCAA Final Four. Both men are legends — Jones in football, Barry in basketball and baseball.
Howard Jones’ first unbeaten USC football team came in 1928. His second, in 1932, was forged with assistance from Sam Barry. Let’s relive that 1932 season:
UTAH
USC beat Utah 35-0 on September 24, 1932. This was not a conference game. The Utes were part of the Rocky Mountain Conference back then.
WASHINGTON STATE
USC beat Washington State, 20-0, on October 1, 1932. Back then, the Cougars were formidable in football. They made the 1931 Rose Bowl.
OREGON STATE
USC beat Oregon State 10-0 on October 8, 1932.
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
The scoreboard at Gilmore Stadium in Los Angeles during the Three Stooges movie "Three Little Pigskins." Gilmore Stadium was built in 1934 and torn down in 1952 to make room for CBS Television City. Next to it was Gilmore Field where the PCL Hollywood Stars played baseball. pic.twitter.com/jYXAgYkIx9
— Vintage Scoreboards (@VintScoreboards) March 19, 2022
USC beat Loyola Marymount 6-0 on October 15, 1932. The game was in the Los Angeles Coliseum, but it’s worth noting that Gilmore Stadium (in the above tweet) was Loyola Marymount’s home football stadium in Los Angeles.
STANFORD
USC beat Stanford 13-0 on October 22, 1928, in Palo Alto.
CALIFORNIA
USC beat Cal 27-7 on November 5, 1932. Cal was one of only two teams to score any points on the Trojans this season.
OREGON
USC 33, Oregon 0, on November 12, 1932.
WASHINGTON
USC beat Washington 9-6 in Seattle on November 24, 1932. This was USC’s toughest game of the 1932 campaign. Washington was the only team other than Cal which scored on the Trojans this season.
NOTRE DAME
USC beat Notre Dame 13-0 on December 10, 1932, to finish its regular season unbeaten and untied at 9-0.
PITT -- 1933 ROSE BOWL
USC throttled Pitt 35-0 to win the 1933 Rose Bowl and complete the perfect season at 10-0. The Trojans allowed 13 total points all season long, a true masterpiece which will live forever.
