Latest news with #Pac-10
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff—Clay Matthews III in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 47 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we look at former USC linebacker Clay Matthews III. Position: Linebacker Years played at USC: 2004-2008 Career highlights: Despite being a member of the legendary Matthews family, Matthews was not heavily recruited out of high school, and arrived at USC as an unheralded walk-on in 2004. As a true freshman, he was offered opportunities for garbage time playing time during the Trojans' national championship season, but declined in order to preserve his redshirt status. (This was prior to the current rule that players can play in up to four regular season games and still redshirt the season.) The decision paid off, as Matthews earned a scholarship in 2006 and finally became a starter as a redshirt senior in 2008. During the 2008 season, Matthews teamed up with fellow seniors Brian Cushing, Rey Maualuga, and Kaluka Maiava to form one of the greatest linebacker rooms in college football history. Matthews finished the 2008 campaign with 54 total tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble. That year, USC's historic defense held its opponent to 10 points or fewer in 10 of 13 games, as the Trojans went 12-1 with a Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State. After USC: The Green Bay Packers selected Matthews with the 26th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He would play ten seasons in Green Bay, before returning to Southern California in 2019 to play his final season with the Los Angeles Rams. During his 11-year NFL career, Matthews was named to six Pro Bowls, being named first-team All-Pro in 2010 and second-team All-Pro in 2012. He is the all-time sacks leader in Green Bay Packers history, and a member of the franchises's hall of fame.
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff—Rey Maualuga in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 58 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we look at former USC All-American linebacker Rey Maualuga. Position: Linebacker Years played at USC: 2005-2008 Career highlights: Maualuga was part of a historic linebacker room at USC that also featured stars Keith Rivers, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews III, and Kaluka Maiava. In his four seasons playing for the Trojans, USC made the Rose Bowl all four years, winning it three times. Maualuga was named first-team all Pac-10 following the 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons. As a senior in 2008, he was also a unanimous All-American, the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, and won the Bednarik Award, given to the top defensive player in the country. To date, Mauluga is the only Trojan to have won the award. After USC: The Cincinnati Bengals selected Maualuga in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played nine seasons in the league—eight with Cincinnati and one with the Miami Dolphins. In 2011, Maualuga had three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception. The following year, he recorded a career-high 122 total tackles. Unfortunately, Maualuga's career and early retirement were marred by several legal issues, including multiple DUIs. After a 2021 arrest, Maualuga entered a substance abuse program, and has been sober since.
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Sam Baker in focus
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Sam Baker in focus The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 79 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we take a look at former USC All-American offensive lineman Sam Baker. Position: Offensive line Years played at USC: 2003-2007 Career highlights: After redshirting his first year on campus in 2003, Baker started the next four seasons for the Trojans at left tackle. In 2005, 2006, 2007, he earned first-team All-American honors. Baker is one of four USC players to be named an All-American three times, along with Richard Wood, Matt Leinart, and Taylor Mays. During Baker's time on campus, USC won two national championships, three Rose Bowls, an Orange Bowl, and five Pac-10 titles. Baker blocked for two Trojan Heisman winners: Leinart in 2004 and Reggie Bush in 2005. After USC: Baker was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He spent all seven seasons of his NFL career with the team. However, his career was hampered by injuries, as he appeared in just 70 games over that stretch, making 61 starts. After missing the entire 2014 season with a knee injury, Baker was released by Atlanta in 2015.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Truly a treasure.' Dave Marcus has given voice to the rise of UCLA women's basketball
Dave Marcus has cycled through dozens of players and hundreds of games, seasons both good and bad. In his more than two decades on the job, the voice of UCLA women's basketball has often seen one — and sometimes two — teams from the Bruins' conference advance to the game's biggest stage, making him wonder when he might be able to say something like he did Sunday. Finally, after Kiki Rice made two free throws in the final seconds and the buzzer sounded inside Spokane Arena, Marcus unleashed those sweet words. Advertisement 'Final Fours up,' Marcus said, 'the Bruins are on their way to Tampa.' If UCLA's first trip to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament has been a long time coming for coach Cori Close and her players, imagine what it feels like for Marcus. Most of the current roster was either infants or hadn't been born when Marcus called his first game involving the team in November 2003. UCLA players celebrate as confetti falls onto the court after defeating LSU to reach the Final Four Sunday in Spokane, Wash. (Jenny Kane / Associated Press) Before this season, Marcus had seen the Bruins cut down nets only twice — after winning the 2006 Pac-10 tournament, when Noelle Quinn scored six points in the final 78 seconds to force overtime, and after winning the 2015 Women's National Invitation Tournament, when Jordin Canada scored half of her team's 62 points. Advertisement The Bruins doubled that collection of nets after climbing ladders twice in a 21-day span last month, their Big Ten tournament title followed by a victory over Louisiana State in the Spokane Regional final that set up an even bigger game against Connecticut on Friday inside Amalie Arena. 'I've always been curious, you know, what is the Final Four like,' Marcus said, 'and we're about to find out.' As Marcus likes to make clear during even a short conversation, UCLA's run isn't about him but the stories he gets to tell. And there have been plenty over his 22 seasons. UCLA center Lauren Betts cuts the net after the Bruins beat LSU to clinch a spot in the Final Four Sunday in Spokane, Wash. (Jenny Kane / Associated Press) 'Dave Marcus has given UCLA women's basketball a labor of love for many, many years,' Close said. 'I love his professionalism. I love his storytelling. But even more than that, I love how much he's been committed to growing the game and honoring women's basketball. He is truly a treasure for our program.' Advertisement Known for his conversational style and a smooth, mellifluous voice, Marcus is a one-man operation, serving as his own engineer and equipment manager. He perseveres through every challenge, like the time last season during an NCAA tournament game at Pauley Pavilion when someone unplugged his power cord and the webcast went silent for several minutes. 'That was just unfortunate,' said Marcus, whose calls can be heard at , 'but fortunately we were able to figure it out and get back on.' Marcus hasn't always worked alone. Past broadcast partners have included Tracy Murray, the former Bruins and NBA forward who now serves as a radio analyst for men's basketball games alongside Josh Lewin, and Angel Gray, who is now a rising star at ESPN. Read more: 'It's been a long time coming.' Denise Curry celebrates UCLA's Final Four run Advertisement After getting his start as a student broadcaster calling men's basketball games when he attended California, Marcus went on to work local high school football and basketball games for various Southern California television outlets. He was later a play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter covering college football and basketball games for an unwired radio network before getting hired to be the voice of Pepperdine women's basketball for two seasons. When the Bruins called about an opening to do their games before the 2003-04 season, Marcus was overjoyed. He's also worked a handful of men's games alongside Murray over the years and says his approach doesn't change whether he's broadcasting to the full UCLA radio network or a webcast that might be heard by significantly fewer listeners. 'The experience for me is the same — I'm at the game, I've got a great seat and I get to describe what's going on, and so I'm going to leave the metrics to others,' Marcus said. 'I hope that there's enough value there that I keep getting brought back, but so far it's worked.' Pointing out that it's hard to land airtime in the L.A. radio market — even many Kings broadcasts are relegated to an app — Marcus said there are benefits to doing a webcast that people can stream through their phone and play in their car. UCLA forwards Janiah Barker and Angela Dugalic and their teammates toss confetti after beating LSU to clinch a spot in the Final Four Sunday in Spokane, Wash. (Young Kwak / Associated Press) 'It's easier than trying to find a radio station sometimes,' Marcus said. 'We may have more people listening to the way we do it than if we were on a commercial station — I have no idea — but it's pretty accessible now, and I always think that no one's listening until I say something really dumb and then I hear about it from everywhere.' Advertisement Some of Marcus' favorite stories about this UCLA team have come off the court. Before the season opener, he watched as the Bruins conducted a basketball clinic in the suburbs of Paris with economically disadvantaged children, teaching them how to dribble with each hand, jump stop and pivot. 'It was kind of hilarious,' Marcus said, 'because very few of the kids spoke English and very few of the players spoke French — although Zania Socka-Nguemen does speak some French — but I was just watching players, some of them almost come out of their shell; Janiah Barker was animated with the kids, and it was just wonderful to see that side of her.' When the Bruins traveled to Honolulu for a tournament later in the month, they played with children living in transitional housing who delighted in the chance to spend time with new college-aged friends. Read more: UCLA's juniors are determined to finally advance past the Sweet 16 Advertisement 'At the end of it,' Marcus said, 'the Bruin players handed out some of their playing cards and a lot of kids didn't even realize these were even basketball players, they just thought a group from [mainland] America had come to play with them and it was really kind of cool.' Marcus said he also appreciated the authenticity of Close, who is the same person in postgame interviews as she is when the microphone is turned off. If all goes well this weekend, he'll get to interview her after two more games and before one final set of nets gets cut down. Though the Bruins made history by getting here, there could be more to come. 'It's great to see them at this point realize their goals,' Marcus said, 'and I'm happy to be there describing the rest of the way.' Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
‘Truly a treasure.' Dave Marcus has given voice to the rise of UCLA women's basketball
Dave Marcus has cycled through dozens of players and hundreds of games, seasons both good and bad. In his more than two decades on the job, the voice of UCLA women's basketball has often seen one — and sometimes two — teams from the Bruins' conference advance to the game's biggest stage, making him wonder when he might be able to say something like he did Sunday. Finally, after Kiki Rice made two free throws in the final seconds and the buzzer sounded inside Spokane Arena, Marcus unleashed those sweet words. 'Final Fours up,' Marcus said, 'the Bruins are on their way to Tampa.' If UCLA's first trip to the Final Four of the NCAA tournament has been a long time coming for coach Cori Close and her players, imagine what it feels like for Marcus. Most of the current roster was either infants or hadn't been born when Marcus called his first game involving the team in November 2003. Before this season, Marcus had seen the Bruins cut down nets only twice — after winning the 2006 Pac-10 tournament, when Noelle Quinn scored six points in the final 78 seconds to force overtime, and after winning the 2015 Women's National Invitation Tournament, when Jordin Canada scored half of her team's 62 points. The Bruins doubled that collection of nets after climbing ladders twice in a 21-day span last month, their Big Ten tournament title followed by a victory over Louisiana State in the Spokane Regional final that set up an even bigger game against Connecticut on Friday inside Amalie Arena. 'I've always been curious, you know, what is the Final Four like,' Marcus said, 'and we're about to find out.' As Marcus likes to make clear during even a short conversation, UCLA's run isn't about him but the stories he gets to tell. And there have been plenty over his 22 seasons. 'Dave Marcus has given UCLA women's basketball a labor of love for many, many years,' Close said. 'I love his professionalism. I love his storytelling. But even more than that, I love how much he's been committed to growing the game and honoring women's basketball. He is truly a treasure for our program.' Known for his conversational style and a smooth, mellifluous voice, Marcus is a one-man operation, serving as his own engineer and equipment manager. He perseveres through every challenge, like the time last season during an NCAA tournament game at Pauley Pavilion when someone unplugged his power cord and the webcast went silent for several minutes. 'That was just unfortunate,' said Marcus, whose calls can be heard at 'but fortunately we were able to figure it out and get back on.' Marcus hasn't always worked alone. Past broadcast partners have included Tracy Murray, the former Bruins and NBA forward who now serves as a radio analyst for men's basketball games alongside Josh Lewin, and Angel Gray, who is now a rising star at ESPN. After getting his start as a student broadcaster calling men's basketball games when he attended California, Marcus went on to work local high school football and basketball games for various Southern California television outlets. He was later a play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter covering college football and basketball games for an unwired radio network before getting hired to be the voice of Pepperdine women's basketball for two seasons. When the Bruins called about an opening to do their games before the 2003-04 season, Marcus was overjoyed. He's also worked a handful of men's games alongside Murray over the years and says his approach doesn't change whether he's broadcasting to the full UCLA radio network or a webcast that might be heard by significantly fewer listeners. 'The experience for me is the same — I'm at the game, I've got a great seat and I get to describe what's going on, and so I'm going to leave the metrics to others,' Marcus said. 'I hope that there's enough value there that I keep getting brought back, but so far it's worked.' Pointing out that it's hard to land airtime in the L.A. radio market — even many Kings broadcasts are relegated to an app — Marcus said there are benefits to doing a webcast that people can stream through their phone and play in their car. 'It's easier than trying to find a radio station sometimes,' Marcus said. 'We may have more people listening to the way we do it than if we were on a commercial station — I have no idea — but it's pretty accessible now, and I always think that no one's listening until I say something really dumb and then I hear about it from everywhere.' Some of Marcus' favorite stories about this UCLA team have come off the court. Before the season opener, he watched as the Bruins conducted a basketball clinic in the suburbs of Paris with economically disadvantaged children, teaching them how to dribble with each hand, jump stop and pivot. 'It was kind of hilarious,' Marcus said, 'because very few of the kids spoke English and very few of the players spoke French — although Zania Socka-Nguemen does speak some French — but I was just watching players, some of them almost come out of their shell; Janiah Barker was animated with the kids, and it was just wonderful to see that side of her.' When the Bruins traveled to Honolulu for a tournament later in the month, they played with children living in transitional housing who delighted in the chance to spend time with new college-aged friends. 'At the end of it,' Marcus said, 'the Bruin players handed out some of their playing cards and a lot of kids didn't even realize these were even basketball players, they just thought a group from [mainland] America had come to play with them and it was really kind of cool.' Marcus said he also appreciated the authenticity of Close, who is the same person in postgame interviews as she is when the microphone is turned off. If all goes well this weekend, he'll get to interview her after two more games and before one final set of nets gets cut down. Though the Bruins made history by getting here, there could be more to come. 'It's great to see them at this point realize their goals,' Marcus said, 'and I'm happy to be there describing the rest of the way.'
