Trojan Imagery on USC Campus: Tommy Trojan Statue

     The iconic Tommy Trojan statue was unveiled for USC’s 50th anniversary in June 1930. Dr. James McCoy, class of 1906 and former president of the Alumni Association, conceived the idea to create “a permanent manifestation of the Trojan Spirit.”[1] He organized a committee, led by USC alum Harry Lee Martin, and they selected Roger Noble Burnham as the sculptor.[2] Though it has been referred to as a “large bronze replica of a Trojan warrior,”[3] Burnham actually modeled the figure on several USC football players from the late 1920s. It is primarily a composite of Russ Saunders and Erny Pinckert.[4]
     The Trojan Shrine, as it was originally called, “embodies the spirit of ancient Troy: that of courage, skill, and wisdom.”[5] The Daily Trojan, in 1930, described the “Trojan youth poised for action, strong of muscle, forward-looking, and superbly personifying eager, intelligent, healthy young manhood.”[6] In one hand, he holds the “shield of Courage, which has protected him from many a danger, and in the other he raises the sword of Education, which has won for him his present rank.”[7] A relief on the front of the pedestal features a sacrificial altar, symbolizing education, surrounded by worshippers who represent a variety of scholastic fields. On another side, representations of various sports move toward a figure of Victory. The torch on the back of the pedestal symbolizes learning. A Latin inscription appears on the base: Palmam qui meruit ferat (“Let him who deserves it bear away the palm”).[8]
     The mystery remains as to why the Trojan Shrine became known as “Tommy Trojan.” However, evidence indicates that “Tommy Trojan” existed as a persona in the USC lexicon prior to the erection of the statue. The character may have emerged from a student-run satire magazine, started in 1919: the Wampus.[9] The scandalous writing of the Wampus warranted the use of alter egos. Some were aliases to write under, some were fictional characters written about as a commentary device. Following the USC tradition, many of them were references to Classical mythology, from Agamemnon “Aggie” Zilch and his wife, Clytemnestra Zilch, to Aimee Amazon.[10] Others were merely personifications related to the magazine, like its mascot, the Wampus Cat.
     One persona was exceptional: “Tommy Wamp.” In early 1924, the editor of the Wampus–Okey H. King–started writing under this pseudonym.[11] It quickly became interchangeable with the Wampus itself, as a personification for the magazine.[12] Then, in May of 1924, the first reference to “Tommy Trojan” appeared in the Daily Trojan. Advertising the next edition of the Wampus, Maude Miller wrote, “the [Wampus] Cat will steal upon the campus unsuspected some dark night…and will strut its stuff during the brief period necessary for Tommy Trojan to dig down deep for the two bits.”[13] It is possible that “Tommy Trojan” emerged as the Daily Trojan counterpart to the Wampus’ “Tommy Wamp.” The two student-run publications had a playful rivalry between each other, and these personifications would put them in relationship. The coining of “Tommy Trojan” only a few months after the emergence of “Tommy Wamp”–and in a column about the Wampus–suggests that USC’s iconic persona is related to this comedy magazine.
     The Trojan Shrine was unveiled six years later, in June 1930. The first time the statue was referred to as “Tommy” in the Daily Trojan, it was in a recurring column by a Wampus author. In October 1930, “Aggie Zilch” wrote, “After great discussion it was decided that Trojan Tommy, the iron man of campus, has kyphosis, which is more commonly termed swayback.”[14] Therefore, there is evidence to suggest that the origins of both the “Tommy Trojan” persona and the renaming of the Trojan Shrine are connected to the Wampus. What is certain is that the name predates the statue, as a part of USC’s history and lexicon.
     The first reference to the statue with its name in the modern order–Tommy Trojan–is from November 1931.[15]

References:

[1] Elisa Huang, “Timeless Tommy: A Look Back at the Trojan Shrine,” USC Today, June 13, 2017.

[2] “Tommy Trojan,” USC Trojans, July 25, 2018. https://usctrojans.com/sports/2018/7/25/usc-history-traditions-tommy-trojan-statue.

[3] Louis H. Burke, “Editorial: Fifty Years of Progress,” The Southern California Trojan 3, no. 3, April 16, 1930.

[4] “Tommy Trojan,” USC Trojans, July 25, 2018, https://usctrojans.com/sports/2018/7/25/usc-history-traditions-tommy-trojan-statue.

[5] “To Dedicate S. C. Shrine,” The Southern California Daily Trojan 21, no. 149, May 29, 1930, 1-4.

[6] Ibid.

[7] “The Present Recalls the Past,” The Southern California Daily Trojan 21, no. 149, May 29, 1930, 3.

[8] “Tommy Trojan,” USC Trojans, July 25, 2018, https://usctrojans.com/sports/2018/7/25/usc-history-traditions-tommy-trojan-statue.

[9] “New Publication to Make Appearance on U.S.C. Campus Today,” The Southern California Trojan 11, no. 19, November 14, 1919, 1.

[10] “Clymenestra, Aimee, and Tommy Tell All in the May Issue of Wampus,” The Southern California Daily Trojan 22, no. 147, May 20, 1931, 1.

[11] “Wampus Cat Craves Nutrition—King,” The Southern California Daily Trojan 15, no. 82, May 8, 1924, 4.

[12] “Tommy Wamp’s New Coat of Varied Colors Appears Soon,” The Southern California Trojan 15, no. 52, February 18, 1924, 5.

[13] Maude Miller, “Midnight Number Of Wamp Will Be Of Inky Character,” The Southern California Daily Trojan 15, no. 86, May 16, 1924, 1.

[14] Aggie Zilch, “Misplaced Confidences,” The Southern California Daily Trojan 22, no. 16, October 3, 1930, 2.

[15] “S. C.’s Great Moral Victory,” The Southern California Daily Trojan 23, no. 50, November 23, 1931, 4.