Cardinal and Gold: The Oral History of USC Trojans Football - Tapa dura

"Steve Delsohn's long history of ground-breaking reporting as both a journalist and author imbues Cardinal and Gold with a color and richness guaranteed to captivate fans of Trojan football -- hell, sports of any kind. From McKay to present day you get the untold story behind USC's success on the field and the scandal off it, from those who lived it day after day. Oral histories are a high-wire act...and this book soars." -- Armen Keteyian, New York Times bestselling author of The System, correspondent for "60 Minutes Sports" and "60 Minutes."

"The most engrossing college football book I've read in ages. If you love USC--or simply love the history of America's most beloved sport--Steve Delsohn's work is all you."-- Jeff Pearlman, New York Times Bestselling author of Showtime

"At its height, which was often, USC was a Trojan football empire. It rotated between regal and stunning, arrogant doomed. Steve Delsohn takes us inside the empire--way inside--with the definitive oral history of those glorious rise and those mesmerizing falls" --Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN

"An amazing book. I couldn't put this book down. An extraordinary journey through one of college football's Mount Rushmore programs. I highly recommend this book to any college football fan. A must-read." - Paul Finebaum, New York Times bestselling author of My Conference Can Beat Your Conference

"Steve Delsohn, once again, captures history by using the direct voices and memories of those who lived it. With striking clarity and behind-the-scenes description and stories untold, Delsohn vividly ties together the story of USC. It's a great read and is a lot of fun to reminisce! " - Shelley Smith, ESPN

From celebrated sports journalist Steve Delsohn comes the true story of University of Southern California football, told by those who know it best--the players, coaches, and everyone else who made USC football one of the most legendary programs in America. Over the years, USC has been surrounded by controversy, even as it won 11 national titles and produced six Heisman winners and numerous future NFL stars. This book will tell the story of the program at its best and worst, with a special focus on the past 40 years, starting with the "Tailback U" dynasty years of the 1970s--when the school won three championships in less than a decade--right up through the modern era in which iconic figures such as Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush had tremendous success and went on to NFL glory, but left tremendous controversy in their wake.