USC Send-Off

It was probably fitting that John McKay’s memorial service was an occasion for laughter.

Certainly there were moments of grief as former assistants and players paid tribute to the late USC coach before an audience of more than 1,000 at Bovard Auditorium on campus Tuesday.

And considering the Trojans won five Rose Bowls and four national championships during his 16 years, mourners expressed admiration for a man who commanded respect with a single glance.

Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Mike Garrett--now USC’s athletic director--professed being petrified of McKay at first. Former quarterback Pat Haden recalled that one of his teammates said McKay was so stern he made the Spanish Inquisition look like “tough love for heretics.”

But with a coach so well known for his wit, a crackling dry sense of humor, most of the memories were of a lighter vein.

There was a game at California, Haden said, when McKay became angry with an official who repeatedly penalized USC for holding.

“See our mascot over there? Traveler?” McKay yelled at the official. “See the backside of Traveler? The only difference between you and the backside of Traveler is that you’re registered to vote.”

In a game against Stanford, the coach was dismayed at the play of his offensive linemen, who allowed the quarterback to be sacked time and again in the early going. At halftime, he told them: “Gentlemen, if the meek shall inherit the Earth ... you will all be land barons.”

Some of the best stories came from longtime assistant Marv Goux, who talked about the nights they spent across the street a Julie’s, a campus bar, having drinks or what they called “see-throughs.” Or the time they drove to a central California ranch to visit a recruit. They were met by a ferocious German Shepherd outside the house and had to dash inside.

Later that night, as they drove away, McKay told his assistant: “If this guy isn’t a good football player, I’m going to fire you.”

At the end of the service, the coach got the chance to deliver a few of his own lines by way of a videotape that featured not only scenes from several of his greatest victories but also snippets from his speeches and an appearance on “The Tonight Show.”

Talking about assistants such as Goux and Dave Levy, he said: “They were the ones who coached the team and I was the one who went to the Rotary.”

Recalling the words he spoke to his players after they lost, 51-0, to Notre Dame: “The ones that need showers, take ‘em.”

Amid the laughs, his widow, Corky, and son, J.K., spoke of the years McKay spent on campus as the happiest of his life.

“Let me tell you who my dad is,” the younger McKay said. “He is the coach of the USC Trojans. That’s what he always loved being.”