1931 USC Trojans football team

Schedule

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National championship

The Dickinson System rankings were released on December 12, 1931, and ranked USC No. 1 and Tulane Green Wave No. 2. The 1932 Rose Bowl matched No. 1 USC against No. 2 Tulane with USC prevailing by a 21–12 score.

In addition to Dickinson, USC was recognized as the 1931 national champion by the great majority of later rankings and analyses, including the Billingsley Report, Boand System, College Football Researchers Association, Dunkel System, Helms Athletic Foundation, Houlgate System, National Championship Foundation, Poling System, Sagarin Ratings, and Berryman (QPRS).

Awards and honors

Two USC players, fullback Gaius Shaver and guard Johnny Baker, were selected as consensus first-team players on the 1931 All-America college football team. Shaver led the team with 938 rushing yards and 90 points scored. Two other USC players received first-team All-America honors from at least one selector: halfback Erny Pinckert (AP, NEA, Liberty) and center Stan Williamson (Liberty).

Eight USC players received first-team honors on the 1931 All-Pacific Coast football team: quarterback Gaius Shaver (AP-1, UP-1); quarterback Orville Mohler (NEA-1); halfback Erny Pinckert (AP-1, NEA-1, UP-1); ends Ray Sparling (AP-1) and Garrett Arbelbide (NEA-1); tackle Ernie Smith (AP-1); guard Johnny Baker (AP-1, NEA-1, UP-1); and center Stan Williamson (AP-1, NEA-1, UP-1).

Roster

• Garrett Arbelbide, end
• Johnny Baker, guard (College Football Hall of Fame)
• Dick Barber, fullback
• Blanchard Beatty, quarterback
• Henry Biggs, end
• Willard Brouse, quarterback
• Tay Brown, tackle
• Gordon Clark, halfback
• Eugene Clarke, end
• Harvey Durkee, end
• John Dye, guard
• Robert Erskine, tackle
• Kenneth Fay, halfback
• Byron Gentry, guard
• Homer Griffith, quarterback
• Robert H. Hall, tackle
• Harold Hammack, halfback
• J. Howard Joslin, end
• Thomas Mallory, halfback
• Francis McGinley, guard
• Bob McNeish, halfback
• Orville Mohler, quarterback
• Jim Musick, fullback
• George Norene, center
• Neil Norris, end
• James Owens, quarterback
• Ford Palmer, end
• Erny Pinckert, halfback (College Football Hall of Fame)
• Alfred Plaehn, tackle
• Gene Ridings, fullback
• Aaron Rosenberg, guard
• Gaius Shaver, fullback/quarterback
• Thomas Bert Sherman, fullback
• Ernie Smith, tackle
• Ray Sparling, end
• Barry Stephens, halfback
• Lawrence Stevens, guard
• Herbert Tatsch, tackle
• Roderick Thompson, tackle
• Howie Tipton, halfback
• Frank Williamson, guard
• Stan Williamson, center
• Curt Youel, center

References

References

1. "1931 USC Trojans Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC.
2. Paul Lowry. (September 27, 1931). "St. Mary's Warriors Upset Trojans, 13 to 7: Two Forward Passes Spell Ruin for Thundering Herd". [[Los Angeles Times]].
3. Paul Lowry. (October 4, 1931). "Trojans Score 30-0 Win Over Oregon State: Losers Unable To Show Much". Los Angeles Times.
4. Braven Dyer. (October 11, 1931). "Mohler Stars as Troy Wins: Leads S.C. to 38-6 Victory Over Coast Champions". Los Angeles Times.
5. Braven Dyer. (October 18, 1931). "Troy Swamps Oregon: Webfeet Take Bad Thumping". Los Angeles Times.
6. Paul Lowry. (October 25, 1931). "Trojans Beat Bears, 6-0, in Fierce Battle: Ray Sparling Scores Touchdown for Troy". Los Angeles Times.
7. Paul Lowry. (November 8, 1931). "Trojans ___ Stanford: Trojans Triumph in 19-0 Game; Crowd of 93,000 Spectators Sees Indians Toppled by Ancient Grid Rivals". Los Angeles Times.
8. Braven Dyer. (November 15, 1931). "Griffith Stars as S.C. Wins: Montana Gets 69-0 Thumping". Los Angeles Times.
9. Braven Dyer. (November 22, 1931). "Stirring Trojan Rally Upsets Irish, 16 to 14". Los Angeles Times.
10. Paul Lowry. (December 6, 1931). "Trojans Crush Huskies, 44 to 7". Los Angeles Times.
11. Braven Dyer. (December 13, 1931). "Thundering Herd Slaughters Georgia, 60-0: Sheer Power of Trojan Attack Stuns Bulldogs". Los Angeles Times.
12. (January 2, 1932). "Valiant Tulane Eleven Bows To Troy, 21-12". Los Angeles Times.
13. (December 13, 1931). "National Title to S.C. Team: Dickinson Rating Gives Trojans Championship for 1931 Season". Los Angeles Times.
14. (December 13, 1931). "Dickinson Gives Title to Trojans". Monroe Morning World.
15. (January 2, 1932). "Trojans Get Erskine 1931 Grid Award". Los Angeles Times.
16. (August 2018). "2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records". National Collegiate Athletic Association.
17. (2016). "Football Award Winners". National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
18. (December 6, 1931). "Shaver, Baker Picked on the All-American". Los Angeles Times.
19. "1931 USC Trojans Stats". Sports Reference LLC.
20. (December 5, 1931). "The 1931 All-America Team". The Daily Inter Lake.
21. (December 14, 1931). "NEA Board Names All-America". The Anniston Star.
22. (2005). "ESPN College Football Encyclopedia". ESPN Books.
23. (December 3, 1931). "Trojans Place Five Men on All-Pacific Coast Eleven". The Monroe (LA) News-Star.
24. (December 2, 1931). "Presenting NEA's All-Coast Conference Football Team". Santa Cruz News.
25. (December 3, 1931). "Southern California Places Five on All-Coast Team". Ames (Iowa) Daily Tribune-Times.
26. . ["All-Time Letterwinners"](https://usctrojans.com/documents/2017/6/26//football_9_letterwinners.pdf?id=6724). *USC Athletics*.