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RONNIE LOTT SHARES UW-USC MEMORIES
DerekJohnson
Administrator, Swaye's Wigwam Posts: 65,384 
I'm saving this here for posterity, as I'm shutting down one of the Squarespace accounts.
This was a 2016 interview I did with Ronnie Lott.
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February 11, 2016
By Derek Johnson
When 60,527 fans cram into a stadium that holds 59,000, you know something epic could happen. Such was the case in November 1979, when USC came to Husky Stadium in Seattle.
The fourth-ranked Trojans (8-0-1) were led by coach John Robinson, and were to battle against Don James and the Huskies (8-1) for a berth to the Rose Bowl.
USC's roster was loaded, including two future Heisman Trophy winners (Charles White, Marcus Allen), and that year's Lombardi Award winner (Brad Budde). They also had such luminaries as Chip Banks, Joey Browner, Dennis Smith, Jeff Fisher, Anthony Munoz, Keith Van Horne and a safety named Ronnie Lott, who later became a four-time Super Bowl Champion and was named the Pac-12's Defensive Player of the Century.
Earlier this week, Lott reflected on his team's trips to soggy Husky Stadium.
"The first time we went up there in 1977 wasn't a great experience," Lott said. "That Washington team had Warren Moon and beat us and went to the Rose Bowl. We had a long day that day. They had a running back, I want to say Joe Steele, he ran all day on us. He had a great game. It was in pouring rain.
"So when you're going back up to a place where you got beat two years earlier, the last thing you want to do is get beat again," Lott said. "Coach Robinson put a lot of emphasis on us being physical in that game, and a lot of emphasis on protecting the football. And he emphasized that Washington was every bit as physical as we were. He was concerned it could be another long day for us."
USC built up a 17-3 lead into the third quarter, largely on the strength of Charles White, who ran for 243 yards on the day. But then Washington mounted a comeback. Husky QB Tom Flick scored from 1 yard out to make it 17-10. Then early in the fourth quarter, Flick hit receiver Paul Skansi with a 12-yard strike to tie the game at 17-17.
The Trojans recaptured the lead, when Marcus Allen scored on a 10-yard run, to put USC up 24-17.
With three minutes left in the game, Washington's Mark Lee fielded a punt, broke into the clear, raced down the sideline and into the end zone. But an official deflated Husky Stadium's euphoria when he signaled that Lee had stepped out on the USC 21-yard line.
With time running out and tension building to a crescendo, UW drove to the USC 2-yard line, where they faced a first-and-goal. The Rose Bowl berth was on the line.
But four plays later, USC had pushed UW all the way back to the 12-yard line. The Trojans were headed to Pasadena.
"I remember we got lucky," Lott said of the goal line stand. "There were a couple plays where we made the right calls at the right time. We ran a couple of blitzes coming off the corner and hit the tailback deep in the backfield. There were a lot of things that we did right. A lot of that was due to Coach [Don] Lindsey who was our defensive coordinator. He called an outstanding game. We had guys like Chip Banks and others who were really great football players. But the key to that game was Charlie White, who had a great game. Because of our running game, we were victorious."
USC went on to beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and finished the season 11-0-1, with the nation's #2 ranking. Washington would beat #6 Texas in the Sun Bowl to finish the year 10-2.
"I always had a spot in my heart for Coach James," Lott said. "You could tell that the guys who played for him respected him. They appreciated the way he went about it. And all the guys I know who played for him all enjoyed their experience at the University of Washington."
Will the present-day Huskies and Trojans become the top conference powers anytime soon? From a talent standpoint, USC is closer, though they've endured tough times with the mid-season firings of coach Lane Kiffen (2013) and Steve Sarkisian (2015).
Lott was asked about coach Clay Helton, who helped fill those voids and was officially named USC's head coach at the end of the 2015 season.
"Coach Helton has done a terrific job," Lott said. "When you have to fill in for someone and play a role in handling [the Kiffen situation], and then last year stepping in to handle that role, there was a lot of pressure and adversity that you go through. I think that one of the reasons he was able to get the job was the way he conducted himself in those opportunities and how he dealt with people. He really tried to find a way to keep it together.
"Also, here is a guy who is really excited about the university and he's excited about the opportunity. He knows they are a couple players away from possibly contending for the national championship. The quarterback situation has to be fixed, but defensively they're going to be much better. I'm looking forward to the era of coach Helton. I have a lot of respect for his dad, a lot of respect for him. Coach Robinson shared with me that he thinks it was the right choice. So we have a lot of people who support him and are rooting for him to do well."
And Lott's thoughts about Washington?
"I watched Coach [Chris] Petersen at Boise State and the type of program he built there," Lott said. "I see what he's trying to do at Washington. I saw a bunch of guys flying around and playing hard last year. A really outstanding defense, guys that had a purpose and an understanding what they needed to do. When you think of Washington, and look at their quarterback and know that [Jake] Browning is coming back, in my mind, Washington as well as Washington State, are going to have something to say about the outcome of the Pac-12 Conference."
This was a 2016 interview I did with Ronnie Lott.
-----
February 11, 2016
By Derek Johnson
When 60,527 fans cram into a stadium that holds 59,000, you know something epic could happen. Such was the case in November 1979, when USC came to Husky Stadium in Seattle.
The fourth-ranked Trojans (8-0-1) were led by coach John Robinson, and were to battle against Don James and the Huskies (8-1) for a berth to the Rose Bowl.
USC's roster was loaded, including two future Heisman Trophy winners (Charles White, Marcus Allen), and that year's Lombardi Award winner (Brad Budde). They also had such luminaries as Chip Banks, Joey Browner, Dennis Smith, Jeff Fisher, Anthony Munoz, Keith Van Horne and a safety named Ronnie Lott, who later became a four-time Super Bowl Champion and was named the Pac-12's Defensive Player of the Century.
Earlier this week, Lott reflected on his team's trips to soggy Husky Stadium.
"The first time we went up there in 1977 wasn't a great experience," Lott said. "That Washington team had Warren Moon and beat us and went to the Rose Bowl. We had a long day that day. They had a running back, I want to say Joe Steele, he ran all day on us. He had a great game. It was in pouring rain.
"So when you're going back up to a place where you got beat two years earlier, the last thing you want to do is get beat again," Lott said. "Coach Robinson put a lot of emphasis on us being physical in that game, and a lot of emphasis on protecting the football. And he emphasized that Washington was every bit as physical as we were. He was concerned it could be another long day for us."
USC built up a 17-3 lead into the third quarter, largely on the strength of Charles White, who ran for 243 yards on the day. But then Washington mounted a comeback. Husky QB Tom Flick scored from 1 yard out to make it 17-10. Then early in the fourth quarter, Flick hit receiver Paul Skansi with a 12-yard strike to tie the game at 17-17.
The Trojans recaptured the lead, when Marcus Allen scored on a 10-yard run, to put USC up 24-17.
With three minutes left in the game, Washington's Mark Lee fielded a punt, broke into the clear, raced down the sideline and into the end zone. But an official deflated Husky Stadium's euphoria when he signaled that Lee had stepped out on the USC 21-yard line.
With time running out and tension building to a crescendo, UW drove to the USC 2-yard line, where they faced a first-and-goal. The Rose Bowl berth was on the line.
But four plays later, USC had pushed UW all the way back to the 12-yard line. The Trojans were headed to Pasadena.
"I remember we got lucky," Lott said of the goal line stand. "There were a couple plays where we made the right calls at the right time. We ran a couple of blitzes coming off the corner and hit the tailback deep in the backfield. There were a lot of things that we did right. A lot of that was due to Coach [Don] Lindsey who was our defensive coordinator. He called an outstanding game. We had guys like Chip Banks and others who were really great football players. But the key to that game was Charlie White, who had a great game. Because of our running game, we were victorious."
USC went on to beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and finished the season 11-0-1, with the nation's #2 ranking. Washington would beat #6 Texas in the Sun Bowl to finish the year 10-2.
"I always had a spot in my heart for Coach James," Lott said. "You could tell that the guys who played for him respected him. They appreciated the way he went about it. And all the guys I know who played for him all enjoyed their experience at the University of Washington."
Will the present-day Huskies and Trojans become the top conference powers anytime soon? From a talent standpoint, USC is closer, though they've endured tough times with the mid-season firings of coach Lane Kiffen (2013) and Steve Sarkisian (2015).
Lott was asked about coach Clay Helton, who helped fill those voids and was officially named USC's head coach at the end of the 2015 season.
"Coach Helton has done a terrific job," Lott said. "When you have to fill in for someone and play a role in handling [the Kiffen situation], and then last year stepping in to handle that role, there was a lot of pressure and adversity that you go through. I think that one of the reasons he was able to get the job was the way he conducted himself in those opportunities and how he dealt with people. He really tried to find a way to keep it together.
"Also, here is a guy who is really excited about the university and he's excited about the opportunity. He knows they are a couple players away from possibly contending for the national championship. The quarterback situation has to be fixed, but defensively they're going to be much better. I'm looking forward to the era of coach Helton. I have a lot of respect for his dad, a lot of respect for him. Coach Robinson shared with me that he thinks it was the right choice. So we have a lot of people who support him and are rooting for him to do well."
And Lott's thoughts about Washington?
"I watched Coach [Chris] Petersen at Boise State and the type of program he built there," Lott said. "I see what he's trying to do at Washington. I saw a bunch of guys flying around and playing hard last year. A really outstanding defense, guys that had a purpose and an understanding what they needed to do. When you think of Washington, and look at their quarterback and know that [Jake] Browning is coming back, in my mind, Washington as well as Washington State, are going to have something to say about the outcome of the Pac-12 Conference."
Comments
Well, say no more.
Ronnie Lott was spot on. UW and WSU played for the North Title that year.