Traveler (mascot)

Last updated

Traveler
Traveler (mascot) logo.jpg
Traveler logo
UniversityUniversity of Southern California
Conference Pac-12
First seen1961
Traveler on the sidelines during a football game. Usctravelerandband.jpg
Traveler on the sidelines during a football game.

Traveler is a horse who is the mascot of the University of Southern California. Traveler appears at all USC home football games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as well as many other outdoor events, including numerous Rose Parades. The current horse is Traveler IX. Although the Traveler web site describes Traveler as "pure white," most of the horses who have served as Traveler are actually gray horses whose hair coats have become completely white. (Truly white horses are rare.) The rider, dressed as an idealized Trojan warrior, is often mistaken for Tommy Trojan, the Trojan portrayed in USC's famous Trojan Shrine statue; however, the rider is unnamed and simply designated as a Trojan warrior with the horse as the official mascot. On November 6, 2013, the costumed version of Tommy and Traveler were introduced for men's and women's basketball games. [1]

Contents

Traveler horse statue

Introduction

Traveler was introduced in the autumn of 1962, during the USC Trojans football team's home opener at the Coliseum, against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. To dress Saukko as a Trojan warrior, USC used its connections to the film industry to procure the costume worn by Charlton Heston in Ben Hur two years earlier. The costume proved to be too heavy for extended use, so Saukko made his own leather uniform for the 1962 season and the same costume has been used since. The name was believed to have been inspired by the gray horse Traveller, ridden by Civil War Confederate general Robert E. Lee, [2] In August 2017 concerns that the horse's name had a connection to Lee led to further research, which revealed that the first Traveler was acquired with his name, spelled with one L, in 1958 after he had become unreliable as a movie horse. [3] On Equinespot.com, Traveler is listed as one of the six most common horse names to begin with the letter T. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Southern California</span> Private university in Los Angeles, California

The University of Southern California is a private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert Maclay Widney, it is the oldest private research university in California, with an enrollment of more than 49,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum</span> Stadium in Los Angeles, California, US

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a memorial to Los Angeles veterans of World War I. Completed in 1923, it will become the first stadium to have hosted the Summer Olympics three times when it hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics, previously hosting in 1932 and 1984. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 27, 1984, a day before the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

<i>Tommy Trojan</i> Statue at the University of Southern California

Tommy Trojan, officially known as the Trojan Shrine, is one of the most recognizable figures of school pride at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, United States. The life-size bronze statue of a Trojan warrior stands in the center of campus and serves as a popular meeting spot, as well as a centerpiece for a number of campus events. It is the most popular unofficial mascot of the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USC Trojans football</span> American college football team at University of Southern California

The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Big Ten Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gus Henderson</span> American football coach

Elmer Clinton "Gloomy Gus" Henderson was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Southern California (1919–1924), the University of Tulsa (1925–1935), and Occidental College (1940–1942), compiling a career college football record of 126–42–7. Henderson's career winning percentage of .865 at USC is the best of any Trojans football coach, and his 70 wins with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane remain a team record. In between his stints at Tulsa and Occidental, Henderson moved to the professional ranks, helming the Los Angeles Bulldogs of the American Football League in 1937 and the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in 1939. Henderson also coached basketball and baseball at USC, each for two seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Tirebiter</span> Former canine mascot of the University of Southern California

George Tirebiter was the nickname initially given to a dog at the University of Southern California in the 1940s who was the unofficial mascot of the school before becoming the official mascot on October 22, 1947. The nickname was passed on to George Tirebiter's subsequent successors after the original Tirebiter's death in 1950. The original Tirebiter was a nationally known figure and beloved canine of the University of Southern California. He would lead the marching band out at home football games and once even entered in an armored car. Tirebiter was kidnapped, or thought to have been kidnapped, multiple times by the University of Southern California's rival the University of California, Los Angeles, USC student politicians for publicity, and once possibly by a newspaper. The line of Tirebiters lasted through 1961 when the legacy of the Tirebiter mascots was replaced with Traveler, the white Andalusian horse ridden by a Trojan rider at USC home football games and various other university events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USC Trojans</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of the University of Southern California

The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy. The program participates in the Big Ten Conference and has won 136 team national championships, 112 of which are National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships. USC's official colors are cardinal and gold. The Trojans have a cross-town rivalry in several sports with UCLA. However, USC's football rivalry with Notre Dame predates the UCLA rivalry by three years. The Notre Dame rivalry stems mainly from the annual football game played between these two universities and is considered the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football. The Trojans also enjoy a rivalry with the Stanford Cardinal. The USC Trojans are considered one of the most successful college athletic programs of all time.

The Glasnost Bowl was a planned attempt to stage an American college football game in Moscow, USSR at the beginning of the 1989 season. The game was named after the policy of glasnost ("openness") introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. Scheduled for the Dynamo Stadium, the game was similar to the Mirage Bowl/Coca-Cola Classic, a college football game being played annually in Tokyo, Japan at the time, with plans to have it be an annual contest with different participants each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victory Bell (UCLA–USC)</span> Trophy awarded to the winner of the UCLA–USC football game

The Victory Bell is the trophy that is awarded to the winner of the UCLA–USC football rivalry game. The game is an American college football rivalry between the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans, part of the overall UCLA–USC rivalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCLA–USC rivalry</span> American collegiate athletics rivalry

The UCLA–USC rivalry is the American collegiate athletics rivalry between the UCLA Bruins sports teams of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and USC Trojans teams of the University of Southern California (USC).

The 1967 UCLA vs. USC football game was a historically significant American college football game played during the 1967 NCAA University Division football season on November 18, 1967. The UCLA Bruins, 7–0–1 and ranked No. 1, with senior quarterback Gary Beban as a Heisman Trophy candidate, played the USC Trojans, 8–1 and ranked No. 4, with junior running back O. J. Simpson also as a Heisman candidate. This game is widely regarded as the signature game in the UCLA–USC rivalry as well as one of the 20th-century Games of the Century. The 64-yard run by Simpson for the winning touchdown is regarded as one of the greatest run plays in college football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre Dame–USC football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Notre Dame–USC football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and USC Trojans football team of the University of Southern California, customarily played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving Day when the game is in Los Angeles or on the second or third Saturday of October when the game is in South Bend, Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Braves</span> Athletics teams of Bradley University, Illinois

The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level. The Bradley mascot is Kaboom! the Gargoyle, and the school colors are red and white.

The Trojan Knights are an American service and spirit organization associated specifically with the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. The organization is officially dedicated to "Brotherhood, Service, & Spirit" and its members have been recognized by USC as the "Official Hosts of the University" and "Guardians of Tradition." The group has been a part of many university traditions and remains active in on- and off-campus events and causes. While not a traditional Greek fraternity, the Trojan Knights have many characteristics similar to fraternities, including their emphasis on brotherhood. The Trojan Knights currently involve themselves in several service events including the USC founded "Swim with Mike," benefiting a scholarship for disabled persons aspiring to attend college, and the annual "Trojan Knights Carnival," a carnival held on Los Angeles's Skid Row benefiting the children of those families.

John Rudometkin was an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks and San Francisco Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the second round as the 11th pick in the 1962 NBA draft by the Knicks and spent three seasons playing in the league. Rudometkin was nicknamed "the Reckless Russian" by Chick Hearn, the Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster who used to broadcast USC men's basketball games before transitioning to the NBA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford–USC football rivalry</span> American college football rivalry

The Stanford–USC football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Stanford Cardinal and the USC Trojans. The two teams will no longer be in the same conference in 2024 and played the last scheduled game of the series on September 9, 2023, with the Trojans winning 56–10. The two teams first played in 1905 and began playing regularly in 1918. Between 1911 and 1913, there were rugby games played between the two schools. In some places, these games are counted as football games. The only six years in which the rivalry was not played since that year were in 1921, 1924, the three years of World War II (1943–1945), and the Covid season in 2020. The teams have frequently vied for the conference championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl. Stanford is USC's oldest current rival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 USC Trojans football team</span> American college football season

The 2020 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and competed as members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by fifth-year head coach Clay Helton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 USC Trojans football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California as a member of the Pac-12 Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Lincoln Riley, the Trojans played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. They finished the season 11–3, 8–1 in Pac-12 play to earn a trip to the Pac-12 championship game. Ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff, they lost to Utah in the conference championship game eliminating them from national championship consideration. They received a bid to the Cotton Bowl Classic where they lost to No. 16-ranked Tulane. Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams was awarded the Heisman Trophy for his performances during the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 USC Trojans football team</span> American college football season

The 2023 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) as a member of the Pac-12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their second year under head coach Lincoln Riley, the Trojans were preseason picks to win the Pac-12 championship, but compiled a 7–5 record during the regular season. The team began the season by winning six consecutive games but lost five of their final six games, including losses to rivals Notre Dame and UCLA. The unranked Trojans defeated No. 16 Louisville in the 2023 Holiday Bowl.

References

  1. Chris Foster, USC basketball has a new mascot ... named Traveler, Los Angeles Times, November 6, 2014
  2. "Origin of Traveler name". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Daily Trojan, , August 23, 2017
  4. Popular Horse named