Golf: Rogers playing it straight down middle

Richard Dunn

Playing golf with former USC basketball star Danny Rogers, and

watching his easy-swinging, down-the-middle tee shots, made me think what

he was probably like as a cager for the Trojans in the 1950s.

Rogers, now the chief executive officer at Goodwill Industries of

Orange County, enjoyed amazing consistency off the tee during his

company’s recent fund-raiser golf tournament at Coto de Caza (North

course).

“That’s the best I’ve ever played,” Rogers, a member of the men’s club

at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club, said later.

Rogers, who could one day become the first CEO at Goodwill to win his

own tournament, still holds the USC record for the most free throws

attempted in a game -- 26 against Oregon in 1957.

It was an honor to play with Rogers, also the first men’s basketball

coach at UC Irvine, and his group in an event that raised $100,000 for

charity. The Angels Care also participated in the tournament.

There was also a large local flavor at the event with several of the

more than 160 golfers from Newport Beach or Costa Mesa.

Some of the top finishers included Cameron Crowner and John Salmon of

Newport Beach, low-gross winners on the North course, and Buck Johns and

his son, Mitch, of Newport Beach, the low-net winners. Buck Johns, of

course, can easily be mistaken for Tom Kite -- so check his credentials.

Costa Mesa’s Bill Taylor was part of the runner-up low-net team on the

North course.

On the South course, Newport Beach’s Joe Odegi played on the winning

Corporate Challenge team (Northern Trust Bank), while Newport’s Gary

Edwards played on the runner-up low-net team.

Rogers, who has always been involved in the community, is also a

former president of the Harbor Area Boys and Girls Club and was

instrumental in building the Boys and Girls Club facility in Irvine.

Throughout his life, Rogers has been involved in other charities,

including serving on boards, or as president, for the Orange County Youth

Sports Foundation, 2nd Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Orange County

Sports Celebrities and the Harbor Area Boys Club. He also volunteered

with Save Our Youth in Costa Mesa.

As a basketball player, Rogers was a standout at Fullerton College,

which won the state title in 1954 and finished as runner-up in ’53 with

the 6-foot-1 sharpshooting Rogers at the controls.

His stellar USC career ended with several school records, including

the much-ballyhooed single-season scoring record in 1957 with 463 points,

topping future Naismith Hall of Famer Bill Sharman’s total of 446. Rogers

was a member of the five-player first-team All-Pacific Coast Conference

and averaged 19.4 points per game in ’57.

In a memorable USC-UCLA game his senior year, Rogers drained six free

throws in the final 45 seconds of a wild PCC contest at the Pan Pacific

Auditorium as he finished with 26 points and USC stunned the Bruins,

84-80.

The Newport Beach Golf Course is starting its Summer Junior Golf Camps

in July.

Under the direction of teaching pros Mable Hui and Brian Konrath, the

camps will feature three sessions: July 15-19, July 29-Aug. 2 and Aug.

12-16. Boys and girls aged 6-16 are invited. The five-day camp is $200

per person. Each day’s camp is two hours. Details: (949) 852-8689.

Richard Dunn’s golf column appears every Thursday.