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USC football won the national championship in 1967 and was No. 2 in 1968. Accordingly, the Trojans -- operating at the height of their powers under coach John McKay -- produced elite NFL players back then. USC football has enjoyed many eras of prosperity before and after the McKay years. Yet, this was the one time the Trojans created No. 1 NFL draft picks in back-to-back seasons. Ron Yary and OJ Simpson made history for the Men of Troy.
Ron Yary was taken with the top pick in the 1968 NFL draft. He became an anchor for the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line, helping the team and coach Bud Grant reach four Super Bowls. Yary went to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is, alongside Ron Mix (a 1960 AFL draft selection by the Chargers) and Anthony Munoz, the finest offensive lineman USC has ever produced.
OJ Simpson was the No. 1 pick in the 1969 NFL draft. His life eventually spiraled into a dark world, as we all know. In happier and more innocent times, he was the bellcow running back for USC's great teams of the late 1960s. His cutback touchdown run against UCLA in 1967 is arguably the most iconic touchdown run in the history of USC football. He ran for over 2,000 yards in the 1973 NFL season with the Buffalo Bills and -- like Yary -- earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
USC produced four more No. 1 picks over the years, the most recent one being Caleb Williams two years ago in 2024. However, 1968 and 1969 marked the only time the Trojans delivered No. 1 picks to the NFL draft in consecutive seasons. For a school whose NFL draft achievements are numerous and prodigious, this rates as one of the program's most special NFL draft moments.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football produced No. 1 NFL draft picks in both 1968 and 1969
Continue reading...
Ron Yary was taken with the top pick in the 1968 NFL draft. He became an anchor for the Minnesota Vikings' offensive line, helping the team and coach Bud Grant reach four Super Bowls. Yary went to Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is, alongside Ron Mix (a 1960 AFL draft selection by the Chargers) and Anthony Munoz, the finest offensive lineman USC has ever produced.
OJ Simpson was the No. 1 pick in the 1969 NFL draft. His life eventually spiraled into a dark world, as we all know. In happier and more innocent times, he was the bellcow running back for USC's great teams of the late 1960s. His cutback touchdown run against UCLA in 1967 is arguably the most iconic touchdown run in the history of USC football. He ran for over 2,000 yards in the 1973 NFL season with the Buffalo Bills and -- like Yary -- earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
USC produced four more No. 1 picks over the years, the most recent one being Caleb Williams two years ago in 2024. However, 1968 and 1969 marked the only time the Trojans delivered No. 1 picks to the NFL draft in consecutive seasons. For a school whose NFL draft achievements are numerous and prodigious, this rates as one of the program's most special NFL draft moments.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football produced No. 1 NFL draft picks in both 1968 and 1969
Continue reading...
