REIGN DAY

Shortly after receiving a proclamation from city officials recognizing Wednesday as USC Trojans Day in Los Angeles, members of the school’s national champion football, women’s volleyball and men’s water polo teams departed City Hall and boarded double-decker buses for a midmorning ride to the USC campus.

Coach Pete Carroll, seated on the lower level of one bus, peered out the window and watched his football players wave and shout to people on the downtown streets. The turnout was far from Lakeresque, but the USC athletes reveled in the ride.

“It’s kind of fun to be the toast of the town,” Carroll said as the buses made their way to a campus rally that attracted about 2,500 fans.

The football team begins its off-season conditioning program today, so Wednesday’s activities, which included the presentation of national championship trophies from the Football Writers Assn. of America and the Sporting News, served as closure of sorts for the Trojans.

“Today was a blast,” sophomore linebacker Dallas Sartz said. “But it’s going to be fun to get back in the mix of football again.”

City officials recognized USC for winning three national titles in the fall season for the first time.

The football team was 12-1, finished first in the Associated Press media poll and won a share of the school’s ninth national title, its first since 1978.

The women’s volleyball team finished 35-0 and won its second consecutive NCAA title, its sixth overall. The men’s water polo team finished 24-3 and won its second NCAA championship.

City Councilman Bernard Parks, who represents the 8th District, made reference to this year’s bowl championship series fiasco when he told a crowd of several hundred at City Hall that championships are won, “in the pool, on the court and on the field -- not on a computer.”

Later, at a spirited rally at USC’s track and field stadium, Athletic Director Mike Garrett stood before the assembled championship teams and told the crowd that the Trojans’ program had returned to dominance.

Carroll added that the best was yet to come for the football team.

“They’ve been able to create a momentum that I hope just can’t be stopped,” Carroll said of his players.

“The work ethic that has been instilled in our program over the last few years will hopefully catch fire again and send us on track to do the kinds of things we’ll all be proud of.”

Afterward, quarterback Matt Leinart said the work for the 2004 season begins today at 6 a.m.

“I’ll be out here at 5:30,” Leinart said. “That’s what we did last year, and the hard work paid off last season. There are new goals for this team. It starts [today].”

*

Offensive coordinator Norm Chow will serve as grand marshal of the 105th Golden Dragon Parade that will be held on Saturday in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles. The parade celebrates the Chinese New Year.... Carroll said he had not decided on a replacement for linebacker coach Nick Holt and probably would wait until after Feb. 4, the first day high school players can sign national letters of intent.