Cunningham Made His Mark

USC spent two nights in this city that played such a historic role in the civil rights movement, and Trojan players will go into today’s game against sixth-ranked Auburn enlightened about how former Trojan fullback Sam Cunningham changed college football in the South.

Cunningham addressed the team here Thursday night and shared his experiences from 1970 when the Trojans played their season opener in Birmingham against Alabama.

Cunningham, who gained 135 yards and scored two touchdowns in 12 carries, running back Clarence Davis and quarterback Jimmy Jones were African American players who helped the Trojans defeat the all-white Crimson Tide, 42-21.

After USC’s win, Alabama and Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant began to recruit black players more actively and other Southeastern Conference schools eventually followed his lead.

“I learned a lot from listening to [Cunningham],” sophomore tailback Hershel Dennis said. “I didn’t know he did so much to change things.

“He was very humble about it. Coach [Pete] Carroll told us a lot of the details about how Alabama’s coach invited him into the locker room after the game to meet all the players.

“He helped a lot of people get opportunities.”

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USC, which has a 14-10-1 record against Southeastern Conference opponents, has played Auburn twice.

Auburn defeated the Trojans in the 1987 Citrus Bowl, 16-7. Last season, USC won at the Coliseum, 24-17.

USC is playing in Alabama for the third time. The Trojans defeated Alabama at Legion Stadium in Birmingham in 1970 and 1978.

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Auburn is playing host to a Pacific 10 Conference opponent for only the second time. The Tigers defeated Arizona in 1977, 21-10. Auburn is 4-2 overall against Pac-10 schools.

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Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville expects the Tigers to receive plenty of support from more than 86,000 fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but he said USC already had earned the crowd’s respect.

“They enjoy their football on both sides,” he said. “They’re appreciative that USC would come here and play Auburn because a lot of times you can’t get the big names to come here or come to the SEC and play.”