Charles White made a national name for himself in the 1977 Rose Bowl vs Michigan
The majestic college football career of Charles White is the happy time, the golden era, the part of White’s life which is luminous, shimmering, and sweet.
So much of White’s life was troubled, and yes, the pounding he took at USC created the traumas which fed into the problems and difficulties that followed him for a very long time. We’re not looking away from that. We wrote about that part of White’s life story after his death earlier this week at age 64.
Mindful of the pain White suffered in his life, we are writing about him primarily because his storied career gave happiness to millions of USC Trojan fans and alumni when the Men of Troy stood at the height of their powers in the late 1970s.
USC finished in the top two in three of White’s four seasons as a Trojan, from 1976 through 1979. White hit his peak in 1979 and punctuated his USC career with a 247-yard masterpiece in the 1980 Rose Bowl against Ohio State. Yet, White was a significant part of the 1976 USC team, John Robinson’s first as the Trojans’ head coach after the epic 16-year run of program icon John McKay.
When star running back Ricky Bell got hurt, White was the next man up for Robinson as a freshman in the 1977 Rose Bowl game against Michigan. Legendary sportscaster Curt Gowdy was the voice of the Rose Bowl back then. He mentioned that Charles White was going to become the next great running back at USC.
The Ol’ Cowboy — as Gowdy was sometimes referred to — got that one exactly right.
Watch Charles White, Ricky Bell, and the rest of the Trojans beat Michigan in the 1977 Rose Bowl, earning a No. 2 national ranking behind national champion Pittsburgh in John Robinson’s first year as USC head coach:
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A Trojan tribute to Charles White: 1958-2023
