LOS ANGELES (AP) — A copy of O. J. Simpson's Heisman Trophy remains at the Heritage Museum on the University of Southern California campus, at least unless it's on display elsewhere with the rest of the school's vast collection. It is kept in the hall.
Simpson's jersey remains retired by USC in recognition of his two seasons as a tailback for the Trojans, and his number 32 is worn at the historic Coliseum for every home football game. It is prominently displayed on a banner covering the portico stairs.
But when Simpson dies at age 76 from prostate cancer The Las Vegas announcement was made Thursday, but his school did not publicize it.
This silence from the Trojans, who have celebrated football greats in spectacular public appearances, is itself a telling statement of their complicated relationship with one of the greatest athletes in USC history.
Although Lincoln Riley was born 15 years after Simpson won the Heisman, the current University of Southern California coach may be the school's only prominent word on Simpson's death in regular spring football media. He was tasked with providing the words.
“Certainly, as the head coach here, I obviously know about his history and his legacy and the kind of players he was here,” Riley said. “We definitely, certainly recognize that and obviously our condolences go out to his family for their loss.”
For the past 30 years, this disconnect has been the norm, mostly in Los Angeles and in facilities across the country, ever since Simpson was charged with killing his ex-wife and her friend in 1994.
The sports and entertainment worlds had little to do with Simpson, the most famous athlete-turned-actor of his generation, and most of his longtime friends and fans knew him by the time he was acquitted in 1995. I was ignoring it.
So it's hard to remember that until the public course of Simpson's life changed forever in his late 40s, he was widely seen as the embodiment of the American dream.
He grew up in San Francisco's Potrero Hill housing projects and overcame gang run-ins, several arrests, and juvenile corrections before finding his way through football. Simpson then played two seasons at City College of San Francisco, where he became a two-way junior college star.
Major programs offered Simpson scholarships for the 1967 season, and he chose USC, which he had admired since childhood. He arrived on campus with high expectations under coach John McKay, but exceeded all reasonable expectations by becoming one of the most dominant running backs in college football history.
How important was Simpson to the Trojans as they went 19-2-1 and appeared in two Rose Bowls in his two seasons? He carried the ball 674 times for 3,423 yards and 36 touchdowns in just 22 games.
Simpson remained popular in Los Angeles after continuing his NFL career in Buffalo and San Francisco, and after retiring from football he returned to Hollywood to continue his acting career. He was an avid golfer and a member of the famous Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades, where he played golf several times a week, including the morning before the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman in 1994. He had played twice.
Simpson was found responsible for the deaths in a 1997 civil trial, and subsequent attempts to rehabilitate his image failed. Simpson's glamorous Hollywood life is over.
The former football star and the University of Southern California remained publicly estranged for the rest of their lives, and attempts to change that situation backfired.
Simpson visited USC's practice in Fort Lauderdale in late 2002 as the Trojans were preparing to play Iowa in the Orange Bowl. The 1968 Heisman winner hasn't been with the team since the murders, but he chatted with current Heisman winner Carson Palmer and others.
Pete Carroll called Simpson a “legend” after welcoming him, but the coach and school received widespread public criticism for associating with Simpson again. His relationship with the University of Southern California nearly came to an end, especially after his subsequent nine-year incarceration for armed robbery.
Simpson's death, for better or worse, did not change the minds of most of his former teammates and friends. Many of Mr. Simpson's former University of Southern California teammates have also passed away, and when asked Thursday, some did not want to talk publicly about Mr. Simpson.
Three years ago, Simpson told The Athletic that he wasn't enjoying being in Los Angeles. “I might end up sitting next to the person who did it. I really don't know who did this.”
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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/collegefootball
