If It's Friday, It's Time For A USC Notes Column

Pac-12 schedule expected to be released today

The Pac-12 is supposed to release its schedule today.

I would say not to expect any surprises but after seeing USC-UCLA will be Game 2, anything is possible.

Just when I think I might believe all the propaganda about staging a fall season, it comes out that 40 USC students at the Row have contracted the coronavirus. That's 40 in July! What happens when students actually show up in August?

• John Canzano of the Oregonian reports Pac-12 general counsel Woodie Dixon is leaving the conference. Dixon was at the heart of the officiating debacle involving instant replay at the 2018 USC-Washington State game.

• The USC ticket office has officially vacated its space in the Student Union that dates back to at least the 1930's. The office is supposed to move to the Galen Center. It is expected to be replaced in the Student Union by a Cultural Center.
• The Pasadena Quarterbacks Club, where Clay Helton usually makes an appearance every year, has canceled its entire 2020 fall schedule because of the pandemic.
• USC employees still have no idea when they will return to campus.

• And now for some history:

Here's the photo I talked about in the video of Erik Affholter's game-winning 33-yard TD catch vs. UCLA in 1987.

• I'm going to mention a few baseball players who almost came to USC:

• Darrell Evans, who hit 414 home runs in the major leagues, had a locker with his name plate at USC but didn't have the grades to enter school. So he went to Pasadena City College for a year to get his grades up.

Evans played on the PCC basketball team, coached by Jerry Tarkanian. PCC won the state championship and then Evans led the baseball team to the state title. None of that helped his grades, however, and he never went to USC.

• George Brett was close to going to USC but signed with the Kansas City Royals for $75,000 after being taken in the second round. Brett was a late signee, which made USC think it might get him.
• Ken Brett was considered by some to be a better prospect (as an outfielder) than his brother, George, and was headed to USC before he signed with the Boston Red Sox as the No. 4 overall pick in the 1966 Major League Baseball draft. The Red Sox made Brett a pitcher instead.
• Tim Foli was also headed to USC but became the No. 1 overall pick in the 1968 baseball draft.
• Bobby Valentine and Bill Buckner were friends and supposed to go to USC but the Dodgers signed both. Valentine was selected No. 5 in the first round in 1968 and Buckner was picked in the second round. They actually attended classes at USC.
• Robin Yount thought about going to USC but told the coaches he didn't like the uniforms. He ended being the No. 3 pick overall in the 1973 draft.
• Lloyd Allen was a pitcher expected to go to USC but then was the No. 12 overall pick in the draft and went pro.
• Ozzie Smith went to Locke High School, seven miles from USC, but the Trojans' coaches didn't even know who he was and Smith went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on an academic scholarship.