Letters: Coach O and the great Trojans turnaround

The USC fans had charged the field. The cheerleaders were at the 50-yard line giving the victory salute. A player was conducting the marching band. Students were hugging players. Players were hugging their interim coach. On television Brent Musburger was asked what was better than college football, and he answered, “Nothing.” It almost makes someone want to become a USC fan.

Almost.

Martin Zaehringer

Ventura

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Did I miss something? Did USC win the national championship when it defeated Stanford? Given the celebration on the field by students after the game and multiple articles in The Times, one would think so.

Carl Wayne

Los Angeles

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New development in the USC coaching search.

Ed Orgeron found Trojan football and brought it back to the Coliseum.

Anthony Moretti

Lomita

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In the sold-out Coliseum, with a gutsy fourth-down pass and ensuing game-winning kick, we witnessed pride, poise and Trojans football unmistakably renewed: Keep calm and Orgeron.

Steve Ross

New York

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Lest anyone think quality coaching doesn’t matter in college football, one needs only to compare the Trojans prior to the Kiffin purge. Having rid the program of the scourge of father Monte Kiffin, the worst defensive coach in USC history, and son Lane, the worst head coach in their history, the Trojans again resemble the juggernaut of the Pete Carroll era! Fight on, without the Kiffins!

Mark S. Roth

Los Angeles

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Lane Kiffin [Nov. 22] is the last person that Pat Haden should take advice from on the hiring a new USC football coach.

Sandy Aaronson

Santa Monica

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As a UCLA alum, even I am offended by Bill Dwyre’s Nov. 19 column urging restraint in hiring Ed Orgeron. Whether or not the Trojans win the next two games — and I sorely hope they lose to UCLA — Coach Orgeron has done a masterful job in turning around a failing program.

While I am a loyal Bruin, I still can appreciate a coach who is inspirational, supportive, smart, hardworking and passionate. Who in the universe — besides you, Bill — doesn’t feel that Coach O has demonstrated his qualifications for the job? And, since when is an athletic director’s legacy the top priority in choosing a coach?

Susan Bernard

Los Angeles

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I’m writing this as I’m listening to Brent Musburger announce the USC-Stanford game and I just want to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ...

Jerry R. Shain

Gardena

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Thank you for the article about Andre Heidari as well as the kickers from the past. Hearing the other members of the club relate their stories really helped illustrate what we should be focused on, the kids.

I was a guest of an alum at the game Saturday. After Heidari missed the early PAT, I heard people saying they should yank his scholarship. As a parent and someone who has coached lots of youngsters I was rooting not for the Trojans, but for the kid to make the kick. As the others who had already made that kick affirmed, it is something that will stay with that young man forever.

Maybe he’ll get to keep the scholarship after all. Either way, he’ll keep the memory.

Jeff Heister

Chatsworth

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Passion. Swagger. Fun. Winning. Taking down a top-ranked opponent. A team once again playing like its history demands. It’s time that Coach Orgeron is finally given the head coaching job ... of the Lakers!

Jack Saltzberg

Sherman Oaks

Winning ugly

The so-called “Bruin Eclipse” uniforms are ugly, depressing, and un-called for. “Bruins go Goth” is more like it. I just kept thinking how great the cover of the Sports section would have looked with the traditional Bruin blue and gold. Instead, it looked like the old black-and-white section.

Didn’t anyone learn from the fans’ outrage after Steve Lavin’s experiment with the basketball team?

Sandra Smith

Yorba Linda

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If you think that UCLA has no chance of beating Arizona State and USC and getting to the Pac-12 championship game, you don’t know Jack!

Vaughn Hardenberg

Westwood

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The NCAA’s attempt to grab even more money via football games on Friday nights is shameful. The Rose Bowl was half full for Friday’s UCLA-Washington game, which conflicted with the first round of the high school playoffs. How much money do the big schools need? Poaching on their feeder system is foolish. Stop this insanity before you damage the high school experience even more.

Bill Oliphant

Santa Barbara

Life in slow lane

Why is Danica Patrick [Nov. 21] front-page news? She isn’t.

The author says that Danica needs more speed to improve. In reality, she isn’t good enough, period. She has all the advantages — car, crew, funding, PR, yet continues to fail. Despite all the attention from the media and her PR department telling us she is great, she isn’t. She’s done nothing because she isn’t good enough.

Jack Collins

Chula Vista

The Lake Show

Regarding Mike D’Antoni and the criticism that he mishandled four Hall of Famers last troubled season? That’s just unfair. That he does not care about defense: unfair. That he ran Kobe too much last year and caused the injury: unfair. That he should have known well before now that Jordan Hill is a monster forward with All-Star potential: fair!

Rick Wallace

Malibu

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Can someone check with Mitch Kupchak and see if the Pao Gasol-for-Kevin Love trade mentioned a year ago is still on the table?

Dan Kulick

Laguna Niguel

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Deluded Laker fans (and I’m usually one of them) are expecting Kobe back to return the Lakers to champion contender. In reality, short of getting LeBron next off-season, the Lakers are years away from contending. The flawed Lakers plan to pass on so many good players available this past off-season to have an open roster for this coming one will haunt them for years. If you like these Lakers, you can keep these Lakers. Period. I’ll pass (even if Kobe won’t).

Allan Kandel

Los Angeles

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Why hasn’t Steve Nash gone to Germany yet?

John Mueller

Los Angeles

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