USC Football: Rose Bowl Trojans Champ Recalls Achievements On And Off The Field

Once a Trojan, always a Trojan.

92-year-old former USC Trojans letterman cornerback Harry Welch recently looked back at his eventful Rose Bowl championship over the Wisconsin Badgers on January 1st, 1953, in speaking with Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. 

Welch was a starter during his final two collegiate seasons, in 1951 and 1952. He got injured during a preseason camp with the Green Bay Packers and never played a snap as a pro.

“I had a good Rose Bowl,” Welch said. “There wasn't a pass completed in my area.” 

“I just had a knack of getting to the right place at the right time,” Welch reflected of his stint.

In addition to making some critical tackles during that contest, Welch notch one interception in the game's second quarter. Welch was also the holder for the team's extra-point kick on its lone touchdown. 

Ulrich reveals that Welch, a native of Akron, Ohio, was inducted into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

Following his playing career, Welch moonlit as an actor and stuntman, before primarily making a living as an educator. He taught business administration classes and served as an assistant football coach and the athletic director at Coventry High School, before hopping over to Portage Lakes Joint Vocational School, his final gig prior to retiring.