There’s no denying that the University of Southern California is proud to be one of the most spirited universities in the nation! From ringing the bell in front of the statue of Tommy Trojan to waking up extra early on big game days, the spirit of Troy is ever present on University Park Campus. Whether you’re an incoming freshman, a tailgate veteran, or just a prospective student looking to see what traditions make being a Trojan SO special, we’ve compiled a great list of some of the very best traditions at USC just for you! Read on and fight on!
One of my favorite moments of my freshman orientation was watching our Trojan Marching Band, aptly named the Spirit of Troy, perform at the Spirit Rally with their instruments flailing in the air and looks of pure joy plastered on their faces. The Spirit of Troy has performed at countless prestigious events from the Academy Awards to the Rose Bowl, and has even recorded a platinum record with Fleetwood Mac in the 70s! Crazy, right? You’ll definitely want to make sure to stop and watch the band march through the heart of campus on game day. There is just something so iconic about our marching band that no other collegiate band in the universe could ever top it — we’re looking at you, Stanford. This is one of the greatest traditions at USC!
Coming from a completely unbiased standpoint, us here at Society19 USC believe that our school has the catchiest, best fight song in all of college football. There’s nothing better than catching a game in the stands of the Coliseum, screaming the words “Fight on and win for ol’ SC!” With a school which is so deeply rooted in tradition as the University, it only makes sense that we’d have such a powerful anthem to power our athletes forward towards victory! Also it’s important to remember the SoCal Spell Out as well, as it proves that you’re a proud victorious Trojan who definitely can spell the words “Southern California.” If you’re a student, this is probably one of your favorite traditions at USC.
When I think of traditions at USC and football games there’s a certain image that always pops in mind — Traveler, the majestic white horse, galloping across the field of the Memorial Coliseum! Despite popular belief that our mascot is Tommy the Trojan, our official college mascot is the majestic Trojan horse. Whenever USC scores, the aforementioned Spirit of Troy Marching Band will play “Conquest” and Traveler will ride around the field to the joy of thousands of fans!
It’s no surprise that us Trojans take gameday VERY, VERY seriously, so one of our most classic traditions is waking up before everyone else for tailgates. Waking up bright and early, listening to some perfect pre-game jams, and then getting decked out in some colorful SC gear is the best start to anyone’s gameday! Some tailgates will be set up as early as 8AM, so definitely set an early alarm and get ready to cheer your Trojans to victory!
For our final USC tradition we have another football gameday classic. On their way to the LA Memorial Coliseum, students will march up to one of the three flag poles located in front of Exposition Boulevard and kick the bases for good luck. The clanging of sneakers against metal has become a gameday staple, but watch out or else you might stub a couple of toes!
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