It’s a Bit Like Father, Like Son . . . : . . . But USC’s Louis Brock Plans to Steal Passes, Not Bases

Louis Brock will never steal as many passes as Lou Brock stole bases, but the son of the Hall of Fame outfielder figures to cover a lot of ground for USC this season.

Brock lines up at the field cornerback position on defense, which means he usually has most of the field to cover, in contrast to the boundary cornerback, who is closer to a sideline.

“When the ball is on the hashmark, I’m on the wide side of the field,” Brock said. “When the ball is in the middle of the field, I’m on the strength side of the formation.”

Brock has waited four years for his chance to start for the Trojans, and he’s eagerly anticipating next Saturday’s opening game against Illinois at Champaign, Ill.

“I’m so excited about it because Champaign is only about a 2 1/2- or three-hour drive from my home in St. Louis,” Brock said. “Everybody is going to be there (relatives, friends). I’m so fired up about this game that I’ve been counting down for months.”

USC Coach Ted Tollner is concerned about his cornerbacks and outside linebackers because they are relatively inexperienced.

Tollner is also aware that Jack Trudeau, Illinois’ accurate-passing quarterback, will test Brock and his teammates.

“Mike White (Illinois’ coach) has an offensive mind, and he’s going to look for any weakness in our defense,” Brock said. “When he looks down the middle he’ll see two experienced safeties in Tim McDonald and Jerome Tyler. The boundary corner (Matt Johnson or Elbert Watts) is more concerned with run support. So he’ll probably say, ‘Let’s test Brock.’ ”

Brock who will probably share playing time with senior Martin French, is eager to be tested. He said he has paid his dues at USC and is now ready to compete.

He was redshirted as a freshman in 1982. He was a reserve safety in 1983 and 1984 and was a full-time member of the special teams, sometimes called the suicide squads.

When players become starters, they often regard special teams as drudgery or demeaning. Not Brock.

“I like the special teams and I want the coaches to leave me on them,” he said. “Punt and kickoff coverage is a kamikaze-type thing, but that’s the way you have to play the game anyway.”

Brock, 5-11 and 171 pounds, figures that he’s right on his timetable at USC.

“When I signed my letter of intent, my purpose was to do exactly what I’m doing now,” he said. “Darrel Hopper was ahead of me, and when I redshirted, that put him two years ahead of me. So that meant I’d have two years to be a starter. The previous three years were frustrating and a struggle, but what I thought would happen has happened.”

Brock is one of the fastest players on the team. He said he was timed in 4.47 seconds for the football 40-yard dash as a freshman, but he doesn’t claim to be USC’s version of Carl Lewis.

“I’m not so much faster than anyone else that I can slack off,” he said.

Tollner said Brock has a tremendous burst of speed when closing in on a receiver.

But what is Brock doing playing football? Wouldn’t it be natural for his father to push him into baseball?

“Dad never told me one way or the other,” Brock said. “I think he’d like me to play baseball, but he hasn’t put any pressure on me. He just wants me to be myself.”

Brock, though, is a baseball player, too. He was a star outfielder for Ladue High in St. Louis while also performing as a wishbone quarterback in football.

He hasn’t played baseball yet at USC but plans to join the team next season.

One would assume that Brock would rather concentrate on football instead of baseball to avoid comparisons with his father.

“There was some pressure on me while I was growing up, but I’ve learned to handle it,” he said. “I’d like to play pro sports if the opportunity comes along. I’d like to play baseball and see how good I am and then choose the sport I’m better at, either football or baseball. I haven’t played enough baseball to know where I stand.”

But Brock seldom missed a game in St. Louis when he was a youngster and his father was breaking Maury Wills’ single-season record of 104 stolen bases.

“I went almost every night to the home games in St. Louis up to the time I was 9 years old,” Brock said. “Then, my mother and father got divorced and I went periodically.

“I never got a greater feeling than when the crowd roared and I knew it was for my dad. They would chant, ‘Lou! Lou! Lou!,’ and it would send chills up and down my spine.”

Brock was at Cooperstown, N.Y., in July when his father was inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame and said it was one of the most gratifying experiences of his life.

A soft-spoken athlete with an engaging smile, Brock is quietly confident that USC’s defense, which isn’t as experienced as the offensive unit, will be formidable this season.

“I feel that we have the best secondary in the country,” he said. “All of the outside linebackers can run 4.5 seconds or better and they’re aggressive. I think the defense will surprise a few people. I’m probably too optimistic about the team, but I believe we’ll be in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1.

“We’ve lost a lot of experienced veterans on defense, but you have to believe the inexperienced people are going to play much more aggressively. Experienced guys play with a different frame of mind. There will be four hungry guys (the new cornerbacks) along with the outside linebackers.”

Brock’s famous father will be in Champaign to watch his son play. And wouldn’t it be appropriate if Louis Brock stole a few passes, in keeping with the family tradition?