USC Fooball: The 20 Greatest Coliseum Sporting Events

Opened on May 1, 1923, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has seen some of the most memorable events that took place in the twentieth century.

Today, the coliseum still plays host to a variety of entertainment and sporting events, not the least of which finds the venerable site still being home to the USC Trojans.

This slide show will look at some of the more endearing sports memories that coliseum has seen over the last eighty years or so.

For the most part, the events chronicled here are motivated by their historical significance and have been identified by the record attendance that these events supported.

While the order of these events can certainly be argued, and to be certain some events have been omitted, here is one mans list of the greatest events that have taken place at one of the greatest venues on earth.

No. 20: Los Angeles Chargers Open AFL Season

On September 9, 1960, the American Football League welcomed the Los Angeles Chargers to league play.

Though the Chargers would eventually migrate south to San Diego, the Los Angeles version, one of eight teams in the new rival of the NFL, would find their winning ways in their only season in LA.

In their home opener, the Chargers would fall behind the Dallas Texans 20-7 in the fourth quarter before roaring back to win 21-20.

However, only 17, 724 would witness this historic game and the low attendance would continue throughout the year thus motivating the relocation to San Diego.

No. 19: Los Angeles Rams 30 Baltimore Colts 28 (12-6-1958)

1958 turned out to be a banner year for attendance for the Los Angeles Rams.

Not one but two games that year surpassed the 100,000 mark in attendance and the second of these huge draws was the Rams thrilling victory over the Colts.

In 1958 the Colts would beat the New York Giants 23-17 in overtime in what has been called the greatest game ever played.

But not until Sid Gillman's Rams had beaten the Colts in a exciting game that dropped Baltimore to 9-2 before they finished 9-3.

Ram quarterback Bill Wade passed for 257 yards and a touchdown was snagged by Del Shofner as Los Angeles beat the Colts who only the week before had clinched the Western conference title.

Though the Rams finished second at 8-4, they did not qualify for the playoffs but at least they gained some measure of satisfaction by beating the eventual champions.

No. 18: Los Angeles Rams 41 Chicago Bears 35 (11-2-1958)

Though drawing 100,202 as the Rams did in December of 1958 was impressive, by the time that game rolled around the Rams had already surpassed that lofty figure a month before.

On November 2, the Rams hosted the Chicago Bears, led by George Halas and beat them in a wild game 41-35 before 100,470 in attendance.

Led by former Trojan great Jon Arnett who had 295 all purpose yards, the Rams also got a big game from Les Richter who played on a badly sprained ankle.

It should be noted that the large crowds for the two games featured in this slide show wasn't an attendance aberration for the Rams.

In 1958, the Rams averaged 83,680.

No. 17: Red Sox & Dodgers Celebrate 50 Years in Los Angeles

To celebrate 50 years in Los Angeles, the Dodgers commemorated the event by playing a game in the venue where it all started.

On March 29, 2008 the Boston Red Sox and the Dodgers played an exhibition in the coliseum that drew an incredible 115,300 which was and still is a major league record.

Not surprisingly, this is also a "Guinness world record."

For the record, the Red Sox beat the Dodgers 7-4 on a couple of cheap homeruns by Boston in the baseball configured field which was favorable to pull hitters.

But that's incidental to a game that was only about 50 years of joy the Dodgers had brought to the southland.

No. 16: USC 6 UCLA 0 (1947)

In 1947 both USC, ranked #4 and UCLA, ranked #18, fielded good teams and this made their annual tilt all the more important for placement in post season bowls.

On the line? If UCLA had won this game, it would have created a four way tie for the conference lead.

In front of 102,050, the Trojans beat the Bruins in a defensive struggle 6-0 and they accepted an invitation to the Rose Bowl where they would meet the Michigan Wolverines.

However, before the Trojans met Michigan in the "Granddaddy of them all," they would be demolished by #1 Notre Dame 38-7 in a game that will be featured later in this slide show.

No. 15: 49'ers 23 Rams 20 (10-6-1957)

In what was an NFL attendance record, the Rams lost an important slug fest to San Francisco 23-20 before 102,368.

Behind three touchdown passes by YA Tittle, the 49'ers legendary quarterback engineered a fourth quarter comeback after the Rams had to settle for two field goals late in the game instead of a touchdown which would have salted away the game for Los Angeles.

This attendance record would stand until Jerry Jones and his mega palace in Dallas would break it in September of 2009.

No. 14: Dodgers, Yankees Play Exhibition to Benefit Roy Campanella

In 1958, the Dodgers legendary catcher, Roy Campanella was crippled in a tragic car accident.

To benefit Campanella, the Dodgers played the Yankees in an exhibition game before 92,706 at the coliseum on May 7, 1959.

At the start of the game, Pee Wee Reese rolled Campanella out to home plate as the crowd lit thousands of matches in silent prayer for the fallen star.

Saying that "it was something he would always remember," Campanella was moved to tears as thanked the crowd.

So who won?

Who cares. This night was only about honoring "Campy."

No. 13: Dallas 37 Rams 7 (01-04-1976)

In the NFC championship game, the Dallas Cowboys used a stifling defense and a great all around game by Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach to crush the Rams 37-7.

The Cowboys first used their mighty defense to take out Rams starting quarterback James Harris and despite a good effort by backup Ron Jaworski, Los Angeles just couldn't recover.

It didn't help either Jaworski or the Rams that several other of their players, in particular wide receiver Harold Jackson, had horrible games as well.

Jackson dropped two wide open passes from Jaworski with nothing but daylight ahead of him which portended the future disaster ahead for Los Angeles.

From there it didn't take much from the Dallas offense to finish off the Rams in front of 88,819.

No. 12: Raiders 30 Seattle 14 (01/08/1984)

En route to their Super Bowl victory over the Washington Redskins, the Raiders delivered a little payback to the Seahawks at the coliseum.

The Seahawks had beaten the Raiders twice during the regular season but on this day, led by Marcus Allen''s 154 yards rushing and seven passes caught, it would be a very different story.

After jumping out to a 20-0 lead by halftime, the Raiders cruised to the easy victory.

Witnessed by 88,734, this game gave a glimpse to the Raiders 38-9 demolishing of the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.

No. 11: 1959 World Series (Dodgers vs. White Sox)

It didn't take long for the Dodgers, who moved out west in 1958, to capture a world series for their new fans in Los Angeles.

Led by unlikely hero Chuck Essegian who only had six career homeruns but hit two as a pinch hitter in the series, the Dodgers prevailed over the White Sox in six games.

However, it was pitcher Larry Sherry won the World Series MVP by having a hand in all four Dodger victories, winning two and saving the other two.

The series would be attended by an average of more than 90,000 per game at the coliseum with 92,706 being the highest attended game.

No. 10: USC 0 UCLA 0 (1939)

A series of "firsts" marked this important game played in 1939 between the Trojans and the Bruins.

Among them, this was the first time that both teams were ranked going into the rivalry game.

Also, this was the first time that the Rose Bowl was on the line for the victor.

Which meant, of course, that the game would be destined to end in a 0-0 tie, and this too was a first.

This game was witnessed by a huge crowd of 103,303 and by virtue of the tie (and the ensuing tie breakers), the Trojans went on to play in the Rose Bowl where they would go on to beat Duke 7-3.

No. 9: USC 13 UCLA 6 (1945)

This game was moved up to the beginning of the season due to travel restrictions brought about by WWII.

Of course, this was strange because the "travel" so to speak, was just across town.

Nonetheless, the Trojans would beat the Bruins in a slugfest which found both offenses struggling against dominant defenses.

The Trojans would go on to blank Tennessee 25-0 in the 1945 Rose Bowl.

No. 8: Notre Dame 38 USC 7 (1947)

In what could only be described as a thoroughly forgettable game for the men of Troy, USC laid a massive egg in front of a record crowd of 104,953.

Apparently the loss affected the Trojans mightily as they would go on to get obliterated by the Michigan Wolverines 49-0 in the 1947 Rose Bowl.

Notre Dame would go on to win the National title but Michigan would also lay claim to the mythical championship due to their domination of USC in the bowl game.

In both cases, the Trojans were embarrassed to be part of the equation that would lead both Notre Dame and Michigan to claim that they were the nations best in 1947.

No. 7: Rams First Game After Moving West from Cleveland (09/29/1946)

Woody Strode

This game was big for a couple of reasons.

Not only did this game mark the first for the Rams in Los Angeles but it also marked the first time that African Americans played in the NFL.

Former UCLA Bruins Kenny Washington and Woody Strode would play for the Rams in 1946 but who would go on to lose to Philadelphia 25-14 in this game.

Strode would go on to a Hollywood career in film while Washington would make his mark on the gridiron.

Only 30,500 fans would attend the game which was played in 97 degree heat.

No. 6: Dodger Home Debut Against the San Francisco Giants

On April 18, 1958 baseball came to Los Angeles when the Dodgers, who moved from Brooklyn, New York opened their season against the San Francisco Giants.

Playing before a home crowd of 78,672, the Dodgers beat the Giants 6-5 and this game would mark the beginning of the west coast version of the Dodger-Giant rivalry which continues to this very day.

No. 5: Super Bowl VII (Miami 14 Washington 7)

The Miami Dolphins parlayed an almost perfect first half into a dominant victory over the Washington Redskins in a game that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate.

In that first half, the Dolphins only allowed Washington to cross midfield once and that defense gave Bob Griese and the Miami offense good field position which translated into a 14-0 lead at halftime.

Washington's only touchdown came from a broken play with a couple of minutes remaining when Dolphin field goal kicker Garo Yepremian comically attempted to throw the ball after a botched field goal but was instead intercepted by the Redskin's Mike Bass who returned it for a touchdown.

Though not a terribly exciting game, it did serve to illustrate how dominant the Dolphins were at that particular time.

90,182 witnessed both Yepremian's gaffe and the Dolphins suffocating defense live at the coliseum.

No. 4: Super Bowl I (Green Bay 35 Kansas City 10)

The sporting phenomenon known as the Super Bowl began quite innocently on January 15, 1967.

With only 61,946 in attendance, the Green Bay Packers led by quarterback Bart Starr and their legendary coach Vince Lombardi thoroughly dominated the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10.

The game, which was fairly close in the first half, was broken open by the Packers who scored three touchdowns in the second half keyed by seldom used Max McGee's receiving heroics.

McGee, who only had four receptions on the season coming into the game, had seven catches and two touchdowns and was clearly the surprise player of the game.

All pro Willie Wood had a key interception for the Packers who were rewarded with a $15,000 check per man for winning the game, a paltry sum when compared to today's winners payout.

No. 3: USC Trojans First Game at the Coliseum

Though it may just be a blip in the horizon of overall great sporting events, the first game that the USC Trojans played at the coliseum must reside on a lofty plateau for fans of the men of Troy.

That game, where the Trojans beat mighty Pomona college 23-7 marked a long and enduring relationship between USC and the venerable old stadium.

Those who were there on October 6, 1923, for the most part, may not be with us now but they were witnesses to the start of a magnificent tradition of Trojan football at one of the most historic college football sites in all of the nation.

No. 2: 1984 Olympics

In a highly politicized Olympic games where 16 countries, mostly from the Soviet Union (The US had boycotted their Moscow games), did not participate, Los Angeles put on one of the most successful games in Olympic history.

Both the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as some track and field events took place at the coliseum where the games were opened by President Ronald Reagan and the Olympic flame was lit by Rafer Johnson.

a total of 140 countries participated in the games and the United States dominated the medal count with a total of 174 medals won.

Runner up West Germany had a total of 59 medals followed by Romania with 53.

Led by former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, the 1984 Los Angeles games became a model by which future Olympic games were planned.

No. 1: 1932 Olympic Games

Interestingly, Los Angeles was the only city to bid on these games and oh boy, did they put on a show.

Although these games only drew a total of 37 countries, largely because of the depression which caused many nations not to come, the games were spirited and the United States pretty much dominated the sports offered.

The coliseum at this time wasn't even named the "Memorial Coliseum," instead, it was known as "Olympic Stadium," a fitting name for the venue that hosted both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as track and field, equestrian, field hockey and gymnastics.

It was at these games that the legend of Babe Didrikson grew as well. Didrikson won two gold medals in the hurdles and javelin. She would have won a third gold medal in the high jump but her technique was ruled illegal.

Although the figures were not confirmed, it was reported that the games in Los Angeles turned a million dollar profit, a healthy figure for such an economically depressed time.

Conclusion

So there it is. 20 marvelous events that helped define the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

Of course, the site has played host to many other events, including those of the non sporting variety.

There are many sporting events that were probably overlooked and to be sure I will probably hear about all of them.

While lists of this nature are certainly subjective, each and every one of the events featured here had a dynamic effect on both the region and the nation itself.

As the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum heads into her second century of operation, those of us who have had the pleasure to witness events in her hallowed halls are better for the effort.

What lies ahead can only be guessed but to be certain, there will be more wonderful memories to come.

And the residents of LA will be grateful to experience them.