Getting ready for the Trojans’ day of days

ROGER CARLSON

He was a big man on campus during his college football days at the

University of Southern California, and, frankly, is a pretty big man

on campus in Costa Mesa these days as the football coach at Estancia

High.

But it’s all a matter of logistics.

Place 62-year-old Newport Beach resident Craig Fertig in South

Bend, Ind., for instance, and you’d find a candidate for public enemy

No. 1. Even today, nearly 40 years since the deed.

Despite his role as a member of one of Notre Dame University’s

most revered football boosters’ organization, the Knights of

Columbus, the bottom line remains as indelible as the day he drove

the stake through the Irish’s collective hearts, Nov. 28, 1964.

For fans of USC football, Fertig remains the “Darling of Troy,”

the victor on a day of days.

For fans of Notre Dame football, the mere mention of this affable,

likeable high school coach’s name stirs the echoes as if it all

happened last week.

A 40-year flashback: The Irish, No. 1 in the nation with a 9-0

record after smashing one program after another, were in Southern

California to put the wraps on a perfect season and catapult the

Irish into a bowl game when bowl games really meant something.

We’re talking Rose, Sugar, Orange and Cotton, along with

consolation matchups at the Gator, Citrus and Liberty bowls. And

nothing else.

Notre Dame appeared to be a cinch for a Cotton Bowl bid, USC was

sure an unlikely upset would propel it into the Rose Bowl.

There was the usual “hype” as the two teams prepared for the clash

in the Coliseum, but when you stacked the numbers up, well, even USC

faithful surely admitted to themselves it was an uphill challenge.

USC had lost three times, falling to Michigan State, 17-7, Ohio

State, 17-0, and Washington, 14-13, when a quarterback named Fertig

was guilty of two interceptions on the Coliseum grass.

Still, the Trojans were 3-1 in the Athletic Association of Western

Universities, with victories over Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas A&M;, Cal,

Stanford and UCLA to their credit.

Oregon State held similar credentials in terms of numbers, 3-1 in

conference, 8-2 overall after edging lackluster programs at

Northwestern, Colorado, Baylor, Idaho, Washington State and Indiana.

There really wasn’t much doubt as to the better team, on paper,

but the AAWU was split with a North and South divisions. Each

division had four voting schools, and a tie would give OSU the bid

because of USC’s thriller over Wisconsin on New Year’s Day of 1963.

Before the night would conclude, they’d have all the answers.

Nevertheless, Coach John McKay of USC told his charges in no

uncertain words: “This is the only game in the country on Saturday.

Everyone else has finished. A victory over Notre Dame means the Rose

Bowl.”

The vote by AAWU officials, in fact, had been held up for a week

after the regular season concluded, in order to feed the result of

the USC-Notre Dame game into the mix.

“Notre Dame’s pass defense is man-to-man,” continued McKay. “All

we have to do is protect the quarterback.”

And, there was a need to fill the gap for the loss of fullback

Ernie Pye, who had been lost for the game when he walked through a

sliding glass door.

On the bus for the short trip to the Coliseum, McKay and his

quarterback sat together, and not a word was said.

Finally, McKay leaned over and said to Fertig: “The odds are with

us today. We’re going to beat these guys. The pressure is on Notre

Dame. It’s very, very difficult to go unbeaten for an entire season.”

How McKay arrived at that is anyone’s guess, because pressure

seemed to seldom fall on the Irish’s shoulders.

Nine victories were by an average of 25 points a game, a 34-15 win

over Purdue was the closest encounter with the exception of a 17-15

victory over Pittsburgh. Ara Parseghian’s Irish were 9-0 entering the

final week to become the first Notre Dame team to accomplish

perfection since 1949 when the Irish ran their unbeaten streak to 38

straight.

Wisconsin, Air Force, UCLA, Stanford, Navy, Michigan State and

Iowa, none could cause a ripple in the Irish confidence.

For Craig Fertig, however, this was the game that could catapult

him and his Trojans to the top, to atone for three bitter losses and

a springboard to Pasadena.

The former Huntington Park High star -- he and Pete Beathard were

the first two choices of McKay during recruiting wars -- knew all

about the mystique of the Irish, and how to beat it. His touchdown

run in USC’s 25-0 victory over Notre Dame on this same field was the

final nail in the Irish coffin as SC rolled to its 10th straight

victory in 1962.

Practice had been upbeat on Bovard Field and on Tuesday the

Trojans’ coach took his squad aside and lined them up near a fence.

He then took out a piece of chalk and drew eight figures on the

fence.

“All of these guys are blocking for my quarterback,” McKay said.

Fertig entered with all of the experience one could hope for.

All of the routines were, well, routine.

Their demeanor was strictly “coat and tie,” and the coaching staff

was like an octopus, with every tentacle tied to McKay.

Among them, linebacker coaches Marv Goux and Mike Giddings, who

Fertig still recalls as the “rallying factor.”

“They were both ex-Marines and they always had us ready,” Fertig

said.

Fertig was certainly ready, especially inasmuch as he knew his

contributions were totally confined to the offensive side of the

ball. He had been one of the “goats” in the near-upset in the ’63

Rose Bowl, one of the cornerbacks which Ron Vander Kelen undressed in

the Badgers’ unbelievable rally before finally succumbing, 42-37.

“Every time I’m in Wisconsin, Vander Kelen takes me to lunch,”

says the always upbeat Fertig.

It wasn’t hard for Fertig to accept the role of “near-goat,”

because still ringing in his ears were the comments by McKay as they

partied in the aftermath of the victory over Wisconsin.

McKay collared Fertig in the middle of festivities, just when they

thought they might get chewed out for behavior outside the bounds of

“shirt and ties,” and said, “You’re the future of SC football.”

Fertig shakes his head, recalling the moment. “It was one of the

great motivational speeches I’ve ever had.”

McKay let Fertig’s lapels go, turned, and proceeded to ask

Fertig’s girlfriend, Nancy, for a dance.

In due time Fertig and his friend, Nancy, would become man and

wife.

So game time was approaching. Mater Dei High product John Huarte,

who would be named the Heisman Trophy winner in a few weeks, tuned up

with one of his favorite receivers, future Rams star Jack Snow, on

the other end of his aerials. And, lurking in the shadows of the

Irish defensive line, was Alan Page and his allies, who had allowed

eight touchdowns in nine victories.

Clearly, Notre Dame was the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, and

rightly so.

What remained was 60 minutes on the Coliseum clock to validate it.

And just enough time for Fertig to have his life changed.

Next week: USC football began in 1888 and, over the course of 76

seasons, just twice had the Trojans believed they had played the game

of their lives: A 16-14 victory at Notre Dame in 1931, Game 6 of this

annual series, and on New Year’s Day in 1939 when undefeated and

unscored upon Duke fell in the waning moments to an unlikely

pass-catch combination known as Doyle Nave to Al Krueger, 7-3, in the

Rose Bowl.

Little did this Coliseum crowd of 83,840 know what lay ahead.

* ROGER CARLSON is the former sports editor for the Daily Pilot.

He can be reached by e-mail at rogeranddorothea@msn.com.