Nave’s Dream Became the Stuff of Legends

Is there a sports follower anywhere who hasn’t had the dream?

You’re a sub, no chance to play, but somehow opportunity beckons. You come off the bench and make the winning play in a major sports event.

For most athletes in the 20th century, it remained only that--a dream.

But not for USC’s Doyle Nave.

Sixty years ago today, USC was playing Duke in the Rose Bowl and was trailing, 3-0, in the fourth quarter. Nave was the fourth-string Trojan quarterback. All season, he had played 28 minutes--all when Coach Howard Jones’ starters had put games out of reach.

A USC drive was stalled at Duke’s 34-yard line with two minutes left.

“Nave!” shouted Jones.

“Get the ball to [Al] Krueger,” he instructed Nave, sending him in.

Nave completed three passes to Krueger, the first for 13 yards and the second for nine.

Eventually, USC was at the Duke 19 with 40 seconds left.

In the huddle, Nave shouted to Krueger: “Get into the end zone and do all the faking you want because I’m getting great blocking!”

Nave faded back to his 31, well protected . . . and there was Krueger, alone in the end zone. Nave threw a tight spiral for the fourth completion to Krueger and USC won, 7-3.

In 1989, Nave said: “In all that time, hardly a day has gone by when I haven’t thought about that play at least once.”

Nave died at 75 in 1990. And “Antelope Al” Krueger, 80, still lives in the Antelope Valley.