When you add up the championships of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers, Rams and Angels. Along with USC,UCLA and Cal. St. Fullerton division 1 men's championship. Southern California is KING. NOTHING COMES CLOSE
And the memories.
Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Four straight for the 1963 World Series against the favored Yankees to Gibson HR in 88. The Dodgers have been champs 5 times. 1959,63,65,81 and 88.
GIBSON'S HR IN 88 CANNOT BE TOPPED.
USC has won 11 football championships and 12 baseball championships. 22 puts them in a league of their own. And where are they from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
USC FOOTBALL
An all-time winning percentage of .694
Ten national championships
More Rose Bowl appearances and victories than any other school
Five Heisman Trophy winners
Fourteen unbeaten seasons
More than 100 first-team All-Americans
26 players in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame
1972 THE BEST EVER
Nebraska's hopes for a third straight national championship received a jolt in the very first game.
Opening the season on the road, the Huskers had their 32�game unbeaten streak snapped by UCLA, 20�17.
But it was the other Los Angeles team�Southern Cal�that succeeded Nebraska as No.1 in the final poll.
The Trojans were the only major squad to make it through the regular season without a loss.
Only two-time Rose Bowl champ Stanford came within 10 points of USC and that margin was nine (30�21).
USC ended the season with a flourish, blowing Notre Dame out of the Coliseum (45�23) and Ohio State out of the Rose Bowl (42�17).
Tailback Anthony Davis scored six touchdowns against the Irish (two kickoff returns went 97 and 96 yards), and fullback Sam Cunningham scored four times against the Buckeyes.
The whole offensive line went in the first round of the NFL DRAFT.
AND GOING FOR A RECORD 3 STRAIGHT
UCLA has won 11 Basketball championships. Winning 7 in a row that beats all records.
1. 1968 UCLA Bruins (29-1)
John Wooden led UCLA to a record 10 NCAA championships.
Hard to pick just one of the Lew Alcindor squads as the best, so we defer to John Wooden: "I've never come out and said it, but it would be hard to pick a team over the 1968 team."
The Bruins, playing with an injured Alcindor, suffered a mid-season loss to Houston and Elvin Hayes in the Astrodome, but proved that was a fluke in the tourney semifinal, burying the Cougars 101-69.
The final was also cake, a 78-55 win over UNC.
How'd they do it? To start, they had Alcindor, the best player in college basketball history, who averaged 26 points and 16 rebounds per game. Junior guard Lucius Allen, senior Mike Warren, Jr., Lynn Shackleford and senior Mike Lynn also averaged in double figures for the season.
Cal. St. Fullerton has as many championships of the SF Giants, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Sharks COMBINED!!! Champs in 1979,84,95 and 2004.
The Lakers have been world champions in 1972,80,82,85,87,88,2001,2002, 2003 and 2010.
The Los Angeles Rams only won one championship in LA.
BUT, THAT DOESN'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
The Rams were special. Not to just me, but, along with the majority of Ramfans that post.
ONLY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COULD DO THIS.
In October of 1988, on a Friday night the Lakers sold out.
On Saturday USC had 74,000 at the Coliseum. UCLA had 66,000 AT THE Rose Bowl.
That Saturday night, the Kings sold out at the Forum and 58,000 Were at Dodger Stadium to watch Kirk Gibson hit his HR in game one of the World Series.
Then on Sunday, the Rams sold out as did Dodger stadium for game two of the world series and then that Sunday night the Lakers sold out.
ONLY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COULD DO THAT. AND DID.
SCULLY, ENBERG AND HEARN
The Rams, Lakers and Dodgers in the 60's and 70's were blessed (which meant the LA fan was blessed) in having three of the best radio play by play announcers ever.
Kirk Gibson's HR in the 88 World Series was top gun.
But, in 1965 the night Sandy Koufax pitched his perfect game, I can see my Mom with that Pall Mall cigarette and her coffee cup waiting for Vin Scully's next word in the ninth inning.
It is just as clear in my mind as Gibson's HR on NBC.
When my brother got back from vietnam in 1969 my Dad gave him our 4 season tickets so he could take three of his Marine buddies from El Toro to the game.
It happened to be the Ram-Dallas game, two of the best teams in football. My Mom didn't drive and wanted to go to Zody's.
To those who don't know what a zody's is. Well, it was the first of it's kind selling far east crap cheap (I think you could get a living room set made of bamboo for a buck seventy from taiwan).
My Mom goes into the store as my Dad and I listen to Dick Enberg. Dallas just has taken a
23-17 lead late in the fourth and on a 3rd down Gabe hits Wendell Tucker for the game winning TD pass.
As the coliseum crowd erupts and Dick Enberg voice raising an octave or two, my Dad grabs me in the back of the neck and shakes me with excitement and says "That Gabriel is the greatest god damn QB of all-time".
Then we went looking for my Mom who was in the wind chimes section of Zody's.
In 1970, my Dad was building a country club in way out there Palm Desert (back in 1970 if you didn't have a Palm Springs address you might as well been in weed patch, now Palm Springs is swimmin in Palm Desert's wake).
Our family rented a home there.
My Dad and I went to the 3rd game of the NBA finals between the Lakers and Knicks. For those of you who don't know, it's a three plus hour trip from Palm Springs to the Forum (this is at 1970's speed limit of 70 MPH which meant you do 78 mph and your okay).
With about 2 minutes to go the Knicks had a 12 point commanding lead. It's way past 10 pm and my Dad knowing we won't be getting back home way past 1 am.
Says let's watch the ending by the exit door (if you knew how the forum parking lot on a sellout can make dodger stadium looking like the autobahn).
With less than a minute thirty left and the Lakers down by 10, the refs call a ticky tack foul on the lakers that put Bradley on the line.
My Dad says let's go and we will listen to Chick in the car. As my Dad starts the car the radio comes on and you hear the forum crowd in a roar as chick says "West got the ball less than two seconds left he shots from half courts and IT'S GOOD!!!!!
"The Lakers have came back and sent this game in overtime on one of the greatest clutch shots by Jerry West I have ever seen".
The whole time 17,000 voices won't let up. Chick doesn't say anything for about 6 seconds letting the fans speak. Then Chick says "I will bet you nobody has left there seats."
My Dad says "I will take that bet, Chick." As we leave the forum parking lot. Having the memories of being with my Mom and Dad on those three games is something I will always cherish. Vin Scully, Dick Enberg and Chick Hearn just made them alot better.
EAST COAST MENTALITY
The St. Louis fans like a parrott started saying "the dodger fans show up in the second inning ha ha ha".
I tried to help them with their ignorance and explain a big % of those late arriving dodger fans is because Dad gets off at 5 pm fights the LA traffic and lives in Yorba Linda, his wife has the two kids waiting. Eats in the shower and the four of them are in the car within 15 minutes to head to Dodger Stadium. If there isn't any traffic is is one hour and ten minutes. Parks the care and they get in their seats for the bottom of the second.
Do you know what the reply was. Why doesn't Mom drive Dad to work and pick him up. And Dad get off 1/2 hour earlier.
And the scary part of this they mean that.
So Mom leaves the two kids alone cause Dad has to leave no later 6:00 am every morning. And Mom isn't there to get the kids off for school.
And getting off 1/2 hour earlier.
How lucky was I. Growing up in Anaheim, California meant having Huntington Beach as my swimming pool and Disneyland as my backyard.
But, it even gets better.
The Dodgers, Lakers, Rams, Angels, USC and UCLA (football, baseball and basketball)happen to be my teams.
They didn't play in stadiums.
They played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The fabulous Forum. Dodger Stadium, Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion.
Not a bad set of owners. Carroll Rosenbloom, Walter O'malley and Peter, Jerry Buss,Gene Autrey and Jack Kent Cooke.
I fell asleep with Vin Sculley and Jerry Doggett. Chick Hearn simulcast of the Lakers and on Sunday Dick Enberg for the Rams.
Records that will last forever. UCLA winning 7 straight Basketball championships. The Rams holding the Seahawks to -7 yards for the entire game. The Rams winning 7 straight divisions starting 7 different QB's. USC winning 5 straight baseball championships.
You have to have your soul ripped from your body when they lost to truly cherish the wins. USC losing to Texas. UCLA losing to Florida. The Lakers losing to the Celtics in the 84 Finals. The Dodgers losing to the Yankees in 78. The Rams losing to the Vikes.
The Angels 1 strike away from their first World Series in 1986.
So USC demolition of Oklahoma, Edney's full court layup for UCLA against Missouri, The Lakers beating the Celtics on their floor for the first time in 1985, the Rams beating the Cowboys in in 1979 and the Angels beating the giants in the 2002 world series is so much sweeter.
So when you add this up. More championships than entire states (that's with an s). The greatest records in sports. Legendary owners, stadiums and teams. And in my backyard is the Pacific ocean and the Magic Kingdom (by the way Knott's is in my next door neighbors yard.
