USC Football: The 5 Most Underrated Players in Trojan History

To be fair, if your grandfather wrote this article it might read very differently. Picking through the history of a program of USC's caliber is not only difficult, some days it proves to be near impossible.

So trying to find five of the most talented yet underrated players hidden over 100 years worth of football is like trying to find five needles in a haystack the size of Wyoming. But nonetheless, there were several worthy candidates.

Here's just five of those who didn't get the hype while wearing the cardinal and gold. Many were passed over for the All-American label despite leading statistical categories. Others made an impression more with their intangibles rather than their measurable stats. Either way, they deserve a little credit and now, they are getting some.

Stanley Havili, FB

Havili redefined the fullback position at USC into a three-dimensional threat. His efforts were often lost in the final 8-5 record his senior year, but history eventually will show what he did not only for a struggling team, but an often difficult-to-define position at an historic institution.

"He's a very unique fullback who can catch the ball, run, block and even play on the outside in formations,” said head coach Lane Kiffin.

His 84 career receptions (for 894 yards) are the most ever by a Trojan fullback and rank 25^th on the USC career reception list. He also had 55 carries for 343 yards and 12 total touchdowns.

But what he might be remembered most for is his work ethic and leadership. One of Havili’s shoulders was prone to dislocation, but he decided to postpone surgery until after his senior season. Often the fullback would run off the field clutching his arm only to return minutes later after the trainers had put it back into place. That helped earn the three-year starter and 2010 captain USC’s Most Inspirational Player Award.

Jason Sehorn, DB

You’ll see no mention of USC All-American next to Sehorn’s name, but do not be fooled. The man was a beast of an athlete and had the brain to go with it.

After graduating from Mt. Shasta High, he was asked to play baseball on an American Legion team and was subsequently signed by the Chicago Cubs despite not playing since his Little League days. He wasn’t thrilled standing around in center field, so when the head football coach at Shasta College (where he was taking classes) asked him to play receiver he jumped at the chance.

Chandler had only played football his senior year of high school, but he managed to be a junior college All-American, setting school season records for yards per catch and touchdowns.

The Cubs eventually released Sehorn when they find out he had been playing football, so he tried his hand a track and field where he set a school record for the triple jump, and started on the men’s basketball team. 

That opened up the door for a scholarship at USC, but they already had a plethora of receivers. Sehorn moved to defensive back and after only four weeks at the position earned a starting safety spot. He ended his cardinal and gold career with 136 tackles (108 solo) and 10 interceptions.

Sehorn was selected in the second round (59^th overall) in the 1994 NFL draft by the New York Giants and played for them until 2003, helping them win the NFC championship game in 2001. He was traded and subsequently terminated from the St. Louis Rams.

Pat Haden, QB

By the end of his life Pat Haden will probably be known more for his time as USC’s athletic director, an NBC broadcaster or his business ventures, but the Rhodes Scholar deserves more credit for his athletic abilities.

Sure he was a quarterback on a team that was the pure definition of “Tailback U,” but he still saw three Rose Bowl appearances and two national championships. In the 1975 Rose Bowl it was Haden that marched the Trojans down the field to snag the win and the title of Co-MVP. Though he didn’t have the strongest arm he was nothing short of accurate, hitting best friend and receiver JK McKay between the numbers every time.

What is possibly the most telling about Haden’s athletic legacy was legendary coach John McKay’s opinion of young Haden. The coach got word that his son JK and Haden were thinking of committing to Notre Dame. JK loves to tell everyone when he gets the chance his father marched right in and told him “Johnny, I don’t care where you go, but I need the quarterback.”

Bob Chandler, WR

Most people know about the USC award named after the former Trojan receiver. It is given to an underclassman based on his athletic performance, academic ability and character both on and off the field. But current generations probably don’t know much about Chandler himself and his work ethic.  

Chandler was one of Southern California’s greatest high school athletes when he graduated from Whittier High in 1967, but the skinny kid wasn’t a shoe in for a Division I scholarship. Initially only Whittier and BYU were interested, but when USC found themselves with an extra scholarship at the last minute, they called Chandler.

He was supposed to be a backup defensive back, but when injuries depleted the Trojans’ receiving corps in his sophomore season, a star was about to be born. The next season he was the Rose Bowl Player of the Game after he scored USC’s only touchdown in the Trojans’ 10-3 win over Michigan. By his senior season he was USC’s captain and leading receiver.

Chandler wasn’t drafted until the seventh round of the NFL draft, being picked behind USC receivers that had never started a single game. But the skinny kid from Whittier proved his value once again by leading the NFL in receptions from 1975-1977 and winning Super Bowl XV with the Raiders.

Chandler only lost one battle in his life. He died of lung cancer in 1995 at the age of 45, but continued his broadcasting career while undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Matt Cassell, QB

Once upon a time, the Kansas City Chiefs' starting signal-caller was a backup quarterback who never saw a single start at the position he currently makes millions of dollars playing. While supporting Heisman trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, he went 19-of-33 for 192 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

As a redshirt freshman in 2001, Cassell played wide receiver on special teams then had his lone career start at halfback against California. In 2003, he spent time as a reserve tight end. If his jack-of-all-trades career doesn’t impress you though, his patience will.

Despite never starting at quarterback, he was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of 2005 NFL Draft. Most know the rest of the story. He backed up Tom Brady until Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2008 season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. He started the next 15 games, winning 10 of them. In an almost ironic twist of fate, he was traded to the Chiefs where he has been the starting signal-caller since 2009.

He’s now started more games in the NFL than Leinart.