Herder of the Week - June 3, 2007

The Snake Charmer

HOTW - natlchamps
by Mojack
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Okay Herd, let’s do a little role playing. We’re all panelists in a modern version of “What’s My Line.” Who could be today’s Arlene Francis? Lisa Kudrow? Okay. (photo right: champs on the left of Shara) She was the blonde star of “Friends” “Friends” was a very popular TV show for 10 years (for Brooks’ info)…So, the Herd are all panelists alongside Lisa Kudrow. We’re all blindfolded as this week’s Herder of the Week strides onto the stage. He writes on the chalkboard, “Member of a Circus Big Top Crew.” The studio audience laughs in surprise, not easily I.D.ing the HOTW as a ex-circus worker who was close to being sent to a chain gang in Picayune, Mississippi. So, Lisa Kudrow leans forward to start the round of questioning and says, “Have you ever seen a naked Madonna tied up in the house next door?” The audience laughs at the absurdity of the question, but the HOTW calmly and with a quiet smirk says, “Yes.” The studio audience gasps. SC is the Bomb shouts out, “Alright!” And the questions would continue indefinitely because the HOTW has such a diverse and interesting story (unless someone asked if he was Polish then it’d be a dead giveaway) but eventually Shorty would burst into the studio, detained by a gourmet wine tasting in Brentwood, and shout: “It’s Champs!!” Again, SC is the Bomb would yell, “Alright, Champs saw Madonna naked and tied up!”

Shorty would continue his reveal about natlchamps our HOTW, “You want to know about my buddy Champs! Champs has spent his life around publishing, first at SC in Journalism, then to McCall where he and his wife bought and ran the local paper. (photo left and below: location of the Herd Barn Party) Later, back in California, Champs and Denise took over a couple of publications and built them into an EMPIRE. Trump pales by comparison. Warren Buffet calls for investing tips. Rosie seeks Champs advise on relationships. The man is a legend. Well, you get the idea, the man has accomplished alot. How many of YOUR friends have seen Madonna naked. Well, ok, bad example. Everyone has seen Madonna naked but how many have seen her tied up naked? Ah Ha. I didn't think so. How about having to bring your dogs in on those nights when Nicholson and Beatty (possibly after an adult beverage) are shooting their guns in Malibu Canyon. The guy has a ton of stories. Just get him started on his year with the Circus. Today you'll find Tim supervising the construction of his new McCall ranchhouse, walking his 4 dogs, riding his horses into the local hills or out on the lake boating with a cooler of tall cold ones close by. Tim and Denise have become some of our closest friends...mainly because we adore Denise but that's another story. If one man is allowed, without losing his Man Card, to describe another man I'd tell you about his generosity, kindness, devotion to wife and pets and his enormous intellect. Did I mention he's getting me a ticket to Nebraska?! Tim Novolyosolkoskiski or whatever his damn last name is, is most deserving of HOTW honors.

And that Tim is. He is a great Trojan fan, and a great Herder, participating on the Herd board on a regular basis, and adding a welcomed presences to Herd tailgates home and away. As Brooks said about Tim, “I stood with Champs at the Fresno State Game. Champs wasn't taking the game very well. As the first half wore on and Fresno kept rolling up the yardage and the Trojans kept stumbling, Champs went into a deep funk. I kept assuring him, as the Trojans fell further and further behind not to worry. At half time, he was taking straight pocket shots and getting more and more depressed. He even became verbally abusive to people around us. The only other time I had seen the look in his eyes was when I was trying to talk a jumper off the edge of a freeway overpass...just before he jumped. Then the Trojans started coming back in the second half and he started coming back. When the game ended, he looked at me and said, "I was never worried, we had 'em all the way." Then he turned as he was leaving and told me that he didn't want to stand with me anymore because I sent off bad vibes.”

As stated above, natlchamps is a great guy, a great Trojan and a great friend, and we can’t do his stories justice, so I’m turning the interview over to him at this time, but we’re very proud to have him as our HOTW this week, and I know you’ll enjoy his stories as much if not more than I have. Fight On, Tim!

Before we get into some of our standard questions, I thought we would start with something a guest Herder wanted me to explore with you. He said, “Have Champs tell us about the circus in general and specifically about the Snake Lady.”

Ah…some circus memories… the snake lady…..Well, OK. It was our first time and we had just finished. I was still breathing fast and heavy, on top, and looked into her eyes, a little glassy at first, but then extremely bright. “Oh, my God,” she cried out. “Look. Over there.”

We were on the floor of the snake trailer, and I eased myself off of her, turned around to look up at all the plexiglas cages that were three levels on top of each other, from the floor to the ceiling. A jolt of adrenalin and goosebumps all over my body combined to make me dizzy when I saw that EVERY SINGLE SNAKE was standing stiff and upright, looking out towards us from their little individual windows. To this day I still get chills thinking about it. We quickly slipped away to her sleeping quarters and needless to say we never did it there again.

She was of course beautiful. Long, dark, cascading hair, devilish smile, voluptuous. Her job was basically to look pretty – easy for her – standing next to a HUGE python or boa, whichever is biggest, while people walked into and through her trailer, which consisted of snakes of all kinds enclosed in little compartments with Plexiglas fronts that separated the viewers from the allegedly deadly rascals. This snake trailer was part of a modest menagerie of wild animals and petting zoo that patrons would pass through on the way to the Big Top. There were no freaks here, this was a circus – largest circus under the Big Top – not a carny. Carny people are usually the dredges of society. In fact, circus people notoriously hate carnies, and vice versa. One foggy night we snuck out a couple elephants and stomped through a carny encampment but that’s another story.

Without succumbing to my baser instincts and asking some juicy follow up questions, I'll just ask how did you end up at a circus?

I was just a year out of SC and my girlfriend and I split up. She went to New York; I decided I wanted to see the country. I worked for a year to save enough to buy an old ’55 Econoline van and hit the road, in search of odd jobs when my funds diminished. I had joined the circus when it came to town in Attica, Indiana, where I had been working as a fry cook in nearby West Lebanon, Indiana, while recovering from an accident at a steel mill down the road. Whenever I was low on money I looked for a job wherever I was at that time; assembly line work at GM or dishwasher at some dive; it didn’t matter, I did them all……But, what a stroke of luck to join the circus, where I could see the country while getting paid! This particular circus never took the highway; always the back roads (sheriffs and police were paid off to ignore the absence of or out-of-date permits), so I really did see the country.

We traveled to a new town every day except when we hit the larger cities like New Orleans or St. Louis; then we were in for a three-night stay, and increased chances of some trouble. After one eventful, scary night about 10 of the Big Top crew quit. I almost did as well…but… that’s another story.

What did you do at the circus?

I can juggle, but my main job was part of the Big Top crew, meaning help to put up and take down the Big Top, which was larger than the Coliseum football field. The Big Top was imported from France, largest single expanse of canvas ever made. It was tough work, and yes, there were characters – Gypsy, a tall ex-Marine and ex-Hell’s angel with a swimmer’s streamlined physique; Radar, a shorter bulkier specimen and the meanest guy in the circus next to Gypsy; Pancakes, a small, old, but muscular, toothless black man who used to work with Ringling Brothers, driving stakes when that circus was under the Big Top years ago; Jim Beam, called that because of his fondness for whiskey. He had the weathered look of an old alcoholic and was Pancakes’ best friend. He also was the Pennsylvania state checker champion at one time…

I was at the circus only for three or four months, but it was a lifetime of adventures: fights, accidents, tragedies. Fun times, too, of course.

I can't help it, I need to know more, so tell us a little more about the Snake Lady.

The snake lady was just as intelligent inside as she was pretty on the outside. I had been smitten with her from afar during my early days with the circus. One night this other guy and I happened to end up sitting on the floor of her trailer, drinks in hand, lamenting about the day’s events, which were highlighted by sad circumstances involving a latino named “Migo,” (his nickname because he always called out to everyone, “Hey, Amigo.”) That day he had been busted – an entirely long, heartbreaking adventure that won’t be relayed here – and was eventually sent to the chain gang in Picayune, Mississippi. I was “This Close” to being arrested along with him, through no fault of my own. Another story.

Anyway, this other guy – my opponent for the Snake Lady’s affections -- was getting very drunk, and I knew I simply had to wait him out so he would leave me alone with her. I just knew she was mine. She was also a recent college graduate, and while we were trying to impress each other with a philosophical discussion of the various plains of existence, this guy would merely repeat over and over, “man, poor Migo. Poor Migo.” He eventually left and I fell into the Snake Lady’s arms, and charms. I moved into her trailer for the rest of the circus tour.

The guest Herder also wanted you to tell us about Sean Penn tying up a naked Madonna, but since this is an USC blog we should probably first ask you how you became a USC fan?

Yes, Sean Penn was my next door neighbor for awhile, and my Malibu stories are more interesting than my SC passions, but I don’t think I can relate them here. Most of what happens in Malibu stays in Malibu.

As for my Trojan roots, I would like to say that I was born an SC fan, wore Cardinal and Gold diapers, etc. I am a second generation Trojan by marriage – I met a beautiful young lady at SC who was to become my wife, and her parents met each other at SC.

HOWEVER, as some of you know and are continually aghast when you hear it (and I rarely admit it), I followed the Bruins in my early years. Yes, young people are often stupid. I grew up on the other side of the tracks in Santa Barbara and rooted for anything with L.A. in it – the Rams, Dodgers, Lakers, and of course UC-LA. …I was never passionate about those guys – who could be? – but did follow them….That all changed in a millisecond when I was offered a full scholarship to SC. All of a sudden I was rescued from the dark side, and my new-found passion was rewarded because I was fortunate to go to SC during the McKay years. Most importantly, I was at SC when the greatest team in the history of all college football won the national championship in 1972! Some people pick out a Nebraska team here or a Miami team there, but SC’s 1972 squad was overwhelmingly dominant on both sides of the ball; crushing ranked teams left and right. I have spent time on the boards giving facts, figures, and undeniable evidence of this team’s greatness. There never has been a more outstanding college football team in any era. Period.

Tell us how you used to support USC, watch games, etc., before you discovered the Herd.

From my days as a student until now I’ve always been insane with my obsession over SC football. Only a couple of periods did I not attend every home game: during my circus and cross-country traveling days, of course, and for a couple of years after my wife and I moved to McCall, Idaho to run the local weekly newspaper with two other USC journalism graduates. (We won every newspaper award in the state; we also learned how to lose money.) We moved back to L.A. in late 1979, and from 1980 until last year I think I missed only one home game, due to pneumonia. Since moving back to McCall, though, the streak was broken and I missed a couple last year.

The only lousy thing about moving back to McCall is not being as close to SC football. I still go to the games, of course, but not the practices. For those who cannot make it to the practices I want to highly recommend that you do whatever you can to make a few of them. You gain so much insight on the coaches and the players; their strengths, personalities, nuances. It enhances your enjoyment of watching the game significantly.

Oh, and my wife thinks my passion borders on sickness. When I watch the away games on TV she hides the dogs because I jump up and yell during the good and bad plays and she thinks I frighten them….Sometimes I think I frighten her…I tend to get intense. She did surprise me a year or two ago when she bought me a helmet signed by Heisman stars Matt and Reggie.

Can you summarize your experience finding the USC message boards, and to follow that up, how did you feel when the topics on TFO turned to the lack of fan support in the Coliseum, and grew into the formation of the Herd?

The first Trojan board I ever noticed was through the L.A. Times, and there was a post that mentioned TFO, and once I discovered that board I never looked back.

To tell the truth, I kind of resented some of the comments about ALL the Coliseum being the “blue-haired wine and cheese” crowd, because the people around me in my season seats were great, die-hard fans. We all weathered the Hackett years together, so indeed we had bonding experiences. (photo right: champs and his other Trojan fans) But yes, I was enthralled about the fact that so many enthusiastic fans were banding together. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Section 11. . . I was not there the first year. That first season, each and every game I sat in my normal seats that I have had for 27 years, press box side, around the 20 yard line near the Peristyle and I looked over toward the tunnel with envy. Through TFO I knew about those fanatics standing by the tunnel, and when I brought friends to the game I would point to this at-that-time rather small group and say: “They are me. That’s where I should be right now!”

I like my old seats because as I mentioned, I have friends all around me who have sat near me through the good, the mediocre, and the horrid years, and they have always tolerated me jumping up and down at every dynamic play…but of course, they would probably toss me out if I stood the whole game.

The view from my Herd seat does not compare to my regular one (good thing for TiVo and the replay board) and I have split time during some games from the Herd seats (where I can usually be found for the first half) and my previous seats to keep peace in the family….Since I will be coming to most games by myself this year, I will most likely be in the Herd section the entire game for most of the season…Of course, my old-time seats just don’t come close to the camaraderie, excitement, and fun of the Herd. We can cheer and complain to each other with semi-intelligent exchanges (semi, when conversing with Mojack) as the game unfolds.

I love hanging over the railing before the game, at half, and after the game. The players love it (not the opposing team, thank goodness), the coaches love it, and we love it. The neat thing is there is simply a Herd bond that permeates the section. I am so fortunate to have experienced this.

Can you regale us again with the story about how you met up with Shorty and became friends with one of the Herd movers-and-shakers in McCall, Idaho?

I mentioned that my wife and I spent a few years in McCall, Idaho in the late 70s. While we moved back to the L.A. area (Van Nuys; then the Palisades, then Malibu for the last 15 years or so), we had a little cabin on beautiful Payette Lake and spent vacations in both the summer and winter in McCall.

One day I saw a post on TFO by a guy who mentioned something about McCall. I thought to myself, what the heck does that guy know about McCall? (photo left: The barn in McCall) Who does he think he is? I then posted something in reply; he as usual needed to get in the last word and replied back. He had been living in McCall for maybe five years or so but I had never met him, yet after some back-and-forth banter on TFO he said: “I KNOW YOU.” …Actually, he had met my wife, who had spent time at his wife’s (Becky) antique store in McCall.. .

From there my wife and I made a point to spend time with them outside of SC football when we visited McCall, and since we moved back to McCall fulltime we now see Shorty way too much. Just kidding, Shorty (I have to say that or he won’t share his wine with us anymore).

You and your father-in-law have had a special relationship, since in a sense you have USC Football as a very bonding experience to share together. What has the Trojan experience and the Herd experience meant to you and your family? And what has the extended family of the Herd meant to you?

Yes, Bill is an amazing guy. He has been like a father to me for almost 20 years (I never really had a father; my mother raised four kids by herself as a coffee shop waitress). When you meet Bill – and many of you have – what you see is what you get. He is genuine.

And you hit it right on. (photo right: Shorty, Bill, champs, Red) SC football has bonded us more than anything (golf comes in a distant second). Bill grew up in Pittsburgh and was both a Notre Dame and Penn State fan. It didn’t take long for his wife, me, and my wife to beat him into submission. Seriously, he has become a very passionate SC fan; in fact it is by far his number one college (his granddaughter is in her first year there).

One of the neatest things occurred when I took him to the Notre Dame game in South Bend four years ago. He had never been there, and he was ecstatic. What really made the experience great (besides Reggie’s brilliance and the thrashing of the Irish) was meeting members of the Herd for the first time. He knew of my association with the Herd, but he hadn’t meshed yet. From that trip he was made to feel like he belonged, and he tries to always stop at the Herdgates...Oh, and he still talks about that one night in a restaurant with Inga, Minx, Red, and Shorty (no, not the pole dance night).

There are a few seminal Herd moments; from "We Believe" to Thomas Williams jumping into the stands. And a few great Herd away game moments like the Virginia Tech game. Are there any special moments that you remember and feel a strong part of?

They are all great moments. That Notre Dame game I just mentioned ranks up there, and also Virginia Tech. I really enjoyed the Herd party that one year downtown where we started the campaign for the first golf cart. While it was a Herd event, it was not a tailgate, but a great opportunity to spend even more time with those you barely knew.

Other great moments: I remember sitting next to Brooks in Gugs’ special luxury box at ASU and noted that he wasn’t panicking at what looked to be an insurmountable lead by the Devils at half time. I also remember seeing the shock in Mojack’s face at halftime of the Fresno State contest. Good stuff…

Back to the guest Herder who said this: “Tell champs to regale us with stories about winter sports, especially powder skiing. And ask him about his dogs. Finally, ask champs about his new McCall house and if he's having a Barn Party and Chili Cookoff and if the entire Herd is invited.”

Gee, I wonder who the guest Herder might be? What, is he enlisting me to extol the virtues of McCall? I don’t need to do that. We have too many people around here as it is (3,000 or so)….But there is no better powder skiing than at nearby Brundage Mountain. I call it an intermediate ski hill, all things considered, but the light, deep, fluffy power is sensational. Tamarack, the newest North American ski resort in over a quarter of a century, also is a nice hill, but doesn’t compare during the powder days…Shorty snowmobiles; I downhill and cross country ski.

I have two Siberian huskies, one Malamute, and one German Shepherd mix. Three of them were rescues. If I spent the time to tell you about all of their personalities there wouldn’t be enough room for the rest of this interview. Suffice to say, I am a dog person…We also have two horses.

Oh, and ABSOLUTELY, the entire Herd is invited to our Barn Party and Chili Cookoff. It takes place at my barn here in McCall (I’ll email a photo or two), and Shorty is in charge of all the Chili Cookoff contestants. It is Sunday, September 9, and we have strategically set that date during the bye week following the Idaho game and preceding Nebraska! There is a small fee that will benefit a local charity, but for all Herd Members who stop by there is no charge at all.

The Herd and the Herd Forum has always been special amid the message board crowds because we all tailgate together and have become friends and interested in each other's lives. You've shared many different personal stories with us: the floods of Malibu and how it affected your house, the passing of your dog, health issues with your family...Would you care to share about how you involved the Herd in those emotional roller coasters, and what did sharing that experience mean to you?

Thanks for reminding me of this. Good thing my house burned down before the Herd’s existence…(photo right: Chaps) You know, it is strange that I felt comfortable in sharing some of that. I don’t recall consciously thinking before posting about those events that I needed emotional support. It just felt like a natural thing to do. I just wasn’t in the mood to talk about football (luckily those events occurred during the off-season), and just blurted out my woes...I remember Belle telling me not to take chances while the mudslide was closing in, and I also remember many who helped me with some kind words when we unexpectedly lost our Siberian Husky, Chaparral. We called him Chaps. The sweetest big boy of them all. That was a very tough time for me and my wife. The Herd helps in ways not always expected.

You are someone who has a good knowledge of the college game, and you're one of the biggest USC fans and also know quite a lot about the USC team. How do you feel when one of the Herd experts, Mojack, for example, let's you know how wrong you are in your opinion? And do you appreciate it when one of the Herd experts, Mojack, for example, take the time to really explain the college game to you and how the USC football season will unfold?

Football expert? Hmmm. Actually, when one looks up the word “expert” in the dictionary, the very last person one would expect to see listed would be…ah…Mo…ja …er…..Brooks?....

I know it is all in good fun. (photo left: Mojack lecturing champs on college football) I don’t think Mojack means anything sinister when he makes silly football posts. I really believe he is thankful he has someone to straighten him out now and then. He is, good, though, about making Pollyanna predictions by backing them up with facts. That’s what makes it a little more difficult when debating with him. Whenever I am feeling nervous about an upcoming game (which is usually every single upcoming game), all I need to do is express my anxieties and Mojack comes to the rescue. I admit he is usually right. Well, lucky, actually. Hard not to be with PC at the helm.

What do you see for the Herd as it moves forward? And what are your final thoughts about your Herd experience?

Nothing but the best will continue for the Herd. There are too many wonderful people that make up the Herd for there to be anything else but more good times. (photo right: champs' barn in October) I am so happy that it doesn’t look like the NFL will move into the Coliseum anytime soon. If that happens and the seating capacity is reduced I have concerns about our seats, but I don’t think that will become an eventuality. We are doing a great thing for the team and the players and coaches have expressed many times their appreciation. Think they would invite us for the Trojan Walk if they didn’t like what we are doing? Great to be a Herder. Great to be a Trojan. 

Remembering a Great Trojan,...Don Clausen

Former Trojan Club of San Diego (TCSD) President Don Clausen passed away on Friday morning, May 11th. He was 75 when he died and had lived in San Diego for years. Don had a fine career in law (Asst DA) and moved to San Diego in the 1960's to pursue his law career. He mixed with many USC attorneys in the '60's and realized the power of USC in his industry. Don grew up in the central coast of California and attended UCSB, but he came to embrace USC, 200%! Don is survived by his wife Sally, son Scott, and daughter Carrie. Don lived in Rancho Bernardo, just south of Escondido. He loved family, Trojan football and Golf !

Don was the 11th president of the TCSD and served from 1990- 1992. He also served the TCSD Board for close to 23 years, and ran our golf tournaments and since 1990 as well as the Trojan Club of San Diego Luncheons. Don was a great socializer with Trojan Football Athletic Club (TFAC) too and made many contacts with past players who would later become speakers at our Luncheons.

We have asked some of Don's friends to supply us with testimonials, and we'd like to share them with all Trojan fans.

Herder Mpron writes:

Rest in peace and a big Fight On to Don Clausen, a great Trojan friend.

This morning, I received a note from Don’s good friend and tournament organizer Tony Rubino this morning that a great Trojan supporter, Don Clausen, passed away at 7 am due to complications from an infection. Here is the note.

Our good friend and golfing buddy passed away this morning at about 7am. Don had to be admitted to the hospital, USCD Thornton, a few days ago with an infection that was untreatable. He was made comfortable the past two days and passed away this morning with Scott Carrie and Sally. Funeral arrangements are pending at this point. Don will be buried at Ft. Rosencrans. This will be a family service. I had a chance to take him there a few months ago and visit the cemetery. He also has asked me and a few other friends to have a celebration of his life. This will be done at Maderas Golf Club in Poway and I will let you know when that is going to be.

Please know how much your support of Don and his family meant to him over the past two years and how much having the golf tournament meant to him. Sincerely,Tony

Ray Weber, President of the Trojan Club of San Diego, writes:

When you choose to get involved in a new venture and are also picked by a special someone [that has done it all for 3 prior decades] to lead an organization into the future, it is a very special moment in your life, especially when it all turns out bigger and better than you could EVER imagine.

This was the case for me when about 10 years ago. Trojan Club of San Diego 'pillars', Jerry Ringer, who had been the 16th TCSD President, and Don Clausen, who had been the 11th TCSD President, tabbed me to eventually become the 17th TCSD President, in the 34 year history of our proud Club.

It's hardly been about me though. Jerry remains a dear friend and USC has done everything possible, on and off the playing fields by its 19 Athletic teams, to make my job easy. The other party who was the driving force behind me was Don Clausen, a man who like myself, who was a non-USC alum, and who eternally “loved the University of Southern California”.

You get to know people very well when you drive 2 hours north and then 2 hours south from a USC Event. You talk about all kinds of things USC and of course about life, family, sport and passions. It was Don who taught me much about Trojan history, the backdrop of his beginnings with USC and what made our Club tick. How right he was when he endorsed Pete Carroll, and who was I to argue, Don had been going to Trojan games since 1965 [both our first games were vs. UCLA - my first game came exactly 22 years after his] and Don and I came to believe, with emphasis, “that if you were a USC fan and you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound!''

Some of my memories of Don and the things that he stood for and that will last in my mind, were of course his tremendous courage and ultimate ''Fight On” spirit especially when he was wheelchair bound these last few years. He literally looked fondly down at the HERD with approval these last few seasons at the Coliseum from his new seating location...Handicapped, Tunnel 14...Don spearheaded the TMB 's latest 300 uniform's with his ''$300 from 300 Trojans” campaign. He also encouraged me years ago to fight the Friday eve traffic and get to what has easily become one of my favorite Trojan Events, “Salute to Troy.” I always told him, ''boy were you right about that one, Don!''

I could go on and on about Don and his volunteer contributions including those thousands of ''Bring It On'' Buttons that we all sold in the rain in 2001 at the Huddle, up on the PERISTYLE, or my assisting Don in many of his sensational, 15 years of running our successful TCSD Luncheon program down here.

Special appreciation to Don's family, wife Sally and two kids, Ron Fletcher, Dave Bahnsen, Tony Rubino, MP Ronny Hirata, and others that really stuck by Don, in his 2 1/2 year fight with that terrible brain tumor. We've lost another Trojan, but he'll quickly become another legendary Trojan in the Sky, with wonderful company, and at least Don had a ton of fun for these last 43 Booster years, and indeed, earned his USC legacy long, long ago….

Our Club has lost a partner and a friend and I've lost someone who made those drives up the 405 pass by a lot quicker than normal, while I marveled at Don, alike myself, a non alum, and TCSD President, and a passionate USC fan as well, as he entertained me about days of old in Troy. We lost a fine man, and one who knew what he stood for and a man that I'm honored to say, believed strongly in me and who was my mentor. Don has taught me how to be a Trojan and I won't be surprised if over time, I attempt to fill some of the same roles that Don did for the Trojan family.

"Fight On” eternally Don, always and forever, and like I've assured you these last few years, we have things in Troy covered for you big guy!''

DSchmidt wrote:

He was one of those guys that when you met him , you realize not only how special he was, but that USC must also be very special to have [non alum] professionals like Don, so passionate about USC !

Patrick Presley wrote:

Greetings from the Dominican Republic...here on vacation for a few days. I truly hated to hear this news, very, very sad to hear.

The reason I´m writing from the hotel lobby now after reading this is because I´m sporting my SC shirt and had an entire lobby of people start a conversation over that alone, and always an opportunity to share what makes being a Trojan special. Nobody personified this more than Don based on everything I heard from you all. So in my own small way, its to his memory and tribute I say, GOD BLESS and yes it is ALWAYS great to be a Trojan and he knew that better than anyone I am sure. Fight on,

A Tribute to Don Clausen Written by Dave Bahnsen

Yesterday morning, after a two-year plus battle with a cancerous brain tumor, the Lord took home to Himself Don Clausen. Don was my friend, my client, my travel buddy, and in many ways, my inspiration. He was the essence of everything Trojan, and he died as he lived: "Fighting on". He is survived by his saint of a wife, Sally Clausen, his two children, Carrie and Scott Clausen. More on all that in a moment ...

I first met Don at a USC football practice at the UCI campus in 1999. He was sitting in a lawn chair shaking his head at the ferocity of a Matt Grootegood hit. We began to get to know each other a bit that year, but then really became close friends in 2000 when Don (and Sally), along with Mike and Lindsay Stone, who would become our dear friends as well, were on the same Starlight Express train up the coast to Oregon that I was (we were all part of a Trojan excursion to the Oregon State game). This trip afforded us an entire weekend of hanging out, getting to know each other, and drinking. It was as much fun as a human being should be allowed to have (besides losing to Oregon State for the first time since before Richard Nixon was President, but I digress). From that point forward, Don and Sally became very close friends of mine, and as I was married the next year, us three couples began doing almost all of our USC travel together. I will never forget the week we all spent together in South Beach for the 2002 season Orange Bowl game (Carson's senior year), or the week in Washington D.C. together to start off the 2004 season. These lengthy trips, along with countless weekend excursions and other WITFAWN treks and Bowl games and so forth, produced some of the greatest memories I have thus far in my life, and I mean that as seriously as I could mean anything. That the Lord brought me to Don to enjoy all these things with is a gift I could never take for granted.

Don was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor shortly after the 2004 season came to an end, resulting in a January 2005 thumping of Oklahoma for a second consecutive national championship for the USC Trojans. After months of treatment at Loma Linda, and countless consultations with doctors, etc., the prognosis remained very bleak, and Don was slowly dying with a terminal condition. Nevertheless, Don and Sally joined me in 2005 for the Salute to Troy party on campus to start off the season, and I couldn't believe the spirits Don was in. He made me nervous running around to hug people and see folks (with his cane), but he was still ambulatory, and there is no way anyone off the street would have known this man had cancer. He and I were speaking on the phone quite frequently at this point (he was a client of mine, and we were speaking more and more about his faith), and I was taken aback by his renewed commitment to the Lord and Savior Don had known for decades, but who he had recently determined with a renewed vigor to place his trust in. He went to Hawaii with his family for the start of the 2005 season, and shortly thereafter, things changed. Don began losing his strength and feelings in one side of his body, and in late September was forced into a wheelchair full-time. In October, I drove Don and Sally out to Phoenix for the Arizona State game. This trip produced more adventures and excitement than I care to recall, but again, memories abound, and all positive ones, and Don continued to live his life day-by-day, determined to enjoy the time he had left with his family and with his Trojans.

By late 2005, and throughout 2006, the deterioration in his health and condition was woefully clear to any of us that spent time with him. His loving wife, Sally, left the pre-school she worked at, and his daughter, Carrie, left her job in the Seattle area to come down to San Diego full-time to help. Don continued on, but was 100% restricted to lifts and chairs and other devices that made movement possible. But he fought on. He not only made it through the entire 2005 season, but the entire 2006 season as well. A man that had committed himself in his retirement to abundant levels of golf, and USC travel, was now restricted to life in a wheelchair, where his ambulatory skills were gone, and his motor skills were extremely limited. I never heard him utter a complaint to me. He lived his life making the best of what was so far outside his hopes and dreams, it is unexplainable. He repeated to me every chance he got his appreciation for his wife and family.

Don and I had very specific and detailed conversations in 2000 and 2001 where we said (half-jokingly) that God would not take Don home until USC had won a national championship. You have to understand - at the time we said that, we may as well have said that Don would live to be at least a hundred. In 2000 we came off the worst season in USC history, and in 2001, we went a dismal 6-6, and the prospects for the future were just not in the lingo of "national championship" talk. Perhaps Don and I should have amended our statement after the Orange Bowl and Pac-10 championships of 2002, because sure enough, the Pete Carroll-led Trojans burst into the natty in 2003 and 2004, bringing home the trophy, and insuring that my prediction would indeed come true - God did not take Don home, UNTIL AFTER USC had won a national championship. Grace sometimes just abounds so much, that you get two national championships (and almost a third) ...

I can not put into words, and even as I type I am welling up with tears, what I feel about the model of love and support that Sally Clausen has been to Don (not just in his death, but in his entire life). No tribute to Don is complete without giving her the due respect, love, and support she deserves. Her reward is in heaven, but her acknowledgment should come now as well from those of us who love the Clausen family.

Don was so much more to me than just a client, football buddy, or friend. He was a man who had experienced delightful successes, and distressing setbacks in his life. He was transparent as the day is long, and lived his life on his sleeve in a way few people do. He never attended USC. As he told me countless times, when "those damn hippies" burned down the bank at his alma mater of UCSB in the 1960's, Don converted to a love for Troy. He was a highly successful past President of the San Diego Trojan Club, and he spoke about those experiences and accomplishments for more than he did his lengthy and accomplished law career.

The last two years have been a trial for the Clausen family in ways I am sure they could not even put into words. As we remember Don today, I wish to simply say that the last two years have also been an example to all of us - an example of what it means to live sacrificially, and die heroically.

Fight on, Don. You embody the spirit of Troy.

Heidi Slate Levin wrote:

My deepest sympathies to the family of Don Clausen. When Don received an award at the Pete Carroll dinner, my husband took a photograph of Pete Carroll talking with Don. Don was so overcome with emotion that the picture captured all the joy he felt. I wanted Don to have a memory from this special evening. We developed the picture, made it larger, and before I framed it, I got an autograph to Don from Pete Carroll. I framed it with the autograph and gave the picture to Don during football season at a USC luncheon. He was so sweet the way he thanked me for it. I thought the picture might be inspirational for him. I hope his family will look at that picture and remember the wonderful night that Don had and the wonderful times he had cheering for USC. When I think of Don Clausen, I will remember that evening and all the joy that went along with it.

Former Trojan lineman Ron Fletcher, '54-'56, wrote:

Sally called me today to tell me of Dons passing. She was very appreciative of the support of the Trojan family. His passing could not have come under better circumstances as he was enjoying life to its fullest until the end, ENJOYING his family and Trojan football. So many TROJANS contributed to supporting him during his illness that Sally told me that she truly understood what the Trojan family means. In there time of need it was the Trojans that stepped UP !!!!!!!!

After Signing day Garry P. met Don, I and his caregiver for lunch in San Juan Capistrano and Don was in seventh-heaven hearing about the recruits. On the way home Don told me about his plans for the celebration of his life and asked that I participate and relay the story about the Arkansas game. At this time he told me that he and Tony had planned out this affair. He also said he wanted to go up to spring practice.

We went to the last scrimmage and when I arrived to pick him up he said I COULDNOT SLEEP ALL NIGHT thinking about going. We left at 8:30 and didnot get home until 5.He enjoyed every minute including lunch with Garry and then a trip to the bookstore. When we got home we made plans to go to the John Morton San Diego Trojan Club dinner on the 30th of April. He had a great time and even had a couple glasses of Merlot and we began to make plans to attend the Pete Carroll dinner on June 11th.He was excited because his son Scott, who lives in San Francisco was going to be in Los Angeles on business for 7 weeks beginning in May and could go to the dinner with him.

Scott and his family arrived last weekend and they had a great family weekend and enjoyed a quiet dinner on Monday night. On Tuesday he did not feel right and on Wednesday had a medical event, Sally is not sure what it was but the doctors told her they could not do anything and she chose to let him go.

The funeral will be a family funeral at Fort Rosecrans ,she said that takes a couple of weeks to arrange and then the celebration of life will take place after. She and Scott are planning to go to the Pete Carroll dinner on the 11th as that is what Don would want !!

I did not know Don long but we had a special relationship and I will miss him and his spirit to fight on !!!!!!!! He gave so much and asked so little, rest in peace my friend.

Fight On and God Bless, Don

Herder of the Week - May 9th, 2007

It's From the Heart, Man...
HOTW - Yucca
by Mojack

They say that everyone who was around in 1964 remembers the Beatles’ British Invasion. And of course, everyone remembers December 15, 2000, when Pete Carroll was hired as the head football coach of the University of Southern California. I think I personally sent Mike Garrett 10 faxes congratulating him on a wonderful choice. Those who love TV nostalgia, remember when Fonzie tried to “jump the shark” on his motorcycle on “HAPPY DAYS.” And yet those same lovers of classic television remember Little Ricky Ricardo playing the drums in “I LOVE LUCY.” What do these things have in common? They all remind me of Yucca, this week’s Herder of the Week.

For one, Yucca is married to a Brit. As Shorty writes, “for a homely guy, he sure has bad taste. How that man ever married a woman as great as Nicky is beyond me. Still, as long as he brings the tailgate kegs, I guess he's alright.” Two, Yucca is supposedly a USC Football fan. At least he’s a great poser. Three, when Yucca joined the Herd, the Herd “jumped the shark.” In layman’s terms, that means that once Yucca joined the Herd, the other Herdmembers sensed a noticeable decline in quality of the Herd and/or felt the Herd had undergone too many changes to retain its original charm. And finally, Yucca is Cuban. The most famous Cuban since Tony Montana, and I’m sure as a boy he played the drums as all good Cuban boys do a la Little Ricky Ricardo. Because no one else wanted to comment on Yucca’s Herder of the Week award, I sent Brooks $2.00 to give me a quote. Brooks wrote, “One of the best fights I've ever seen was Yuckie vs the Stanford tree. It was before the Stanford game at the Coliseum. I think it was the 2005 game. It started over one of the Stanford beauties making a move toward Yuckie and apparently the Tree was jealous. It charged Yuckie, surprising him and rolling him to the ground. It also took our the Chui's BBQ full of hot charcoal. It was the match of the century. The Tree, no arms, no legs and DRUNK was holding it's own against Yuckie. There they were rolling around on the asphalt, grass and hot coals from the Chui's BBQ. Yuckie kept looking for something to hit or twist but there was no face, legs, feet, arms or hands. Clearly, Yuckie was confused...and, I think, just a little amused...No one knew for sure the gender of the tree. It would be bad losing a fight to a tree but to lose to a girl tree? Anyway, while they were rolling around in the hot coals, the mud and the blood and the beer, Shorty grabbed the tree by it's peak and swung it around a few times and the fight was over. Yuckie, relatively non-plussed, saundered over the ice chest and pulled out an imported beer. We tried to make a complaint to the cop who responded but he said the drunk-in-public section didn't apply to trees."

Since this is supposed to be an honor, I won’t bring up the fact that Yucca stole three churro carts from drunken Dodger fans to start his churro cart conglomerate. But I will tell you that Yucca takes this HOTW seriously. He just called me yesterday, and then a few hours ago today, wondering when I would post his answers to my questions. He said, “I answered those questions from the heart, man. They were from the heart.” And all kidding aside, we appreciate Yucca and his contributions to the Herd and the Herd Forum. We need people to make fun of so we can think better of our own selves and our own lives, and Yucca is always an easy target. And he brings kegs to the tailgate. For these reasons, and for the $100 bucks he gave me, Yucca is this week’s (this month’s) Herder of the Week.

How did you became a USC fan?

As you know, I’m an ardent Dodger fan. But prior to 1977, my sports universe revolved solely around a team that I revile today, the NY Yankees. During that era, Thurman Munson was my hero, and I can tell you my pinpoint location and what I was doing when I got news of his plane crash. Anyhow, my fascination with the Yankees was my father’s influence, and it continued unabated until January 1, 1977. That’s when I adopted the Trojans as my other all-time favorite team. I was exactly 8 1/2…like the Fellini film…not to be confused with the soft porn classic 9 1/2 Weeks, a Herd favorite despite the infinite board references to Brokeback Mountain. Not to go off on a tangent, but weren’t you the one who suggested we do 9 1/2 air pushups every time a hot chick walked past the tailgate? Back to my earlier thought…on the morning of January 1, 1977, my dad woke up in a good mood, drove me out to Pasadena and purchased a pair of Rose Bowl tickets from a scalper. I have trouble believing he paid $500 for the pair, as he claims. He’s too cheap. Their face value was something like $35 a ticket. $500 in today’s dollars is $1230. I looked it up.

This was a pivotal moment in my life. Not only was it my first college football game (I had never even watched one on TV), but to a certain degree it determined the course of my life beyond high school. I can recall being awestruck by the pageantry that was SC football and turning to my dad and saying, “That’s it…this where I want to go to college.” I should preface all that by mentioning that I entered the Rose Bowl with a neutral state of mind. In fact, when the teams ran onto the field I found myself cheering for Michigan only because their uniforms were so cool. But justice prevailed and by the end of the game, the Trojans had stolen my heart. The rest is history.

Tell us how you used to support USC, watch games, etc., before you discovered the Herd?

I became a season ticket holder a year or so after joining the Herd. I’m bad with dates, but I think that was PC’s first season. Prior to the Herd, I attended three or four games a year. You could walk up to any scalper and buy a ticket for $10. Crowds were generally sparse and the mood laidback, as anyone in the Herd can attest. I took my wife Nicky to a pre-Herd era game. She had to put up with fellow SC fans chewing me out for standing. Nicky is from Liverpool. Tell someone to sit down at an English soccer match, and you’ll be lucky to go home with all your teeth. That afternoon pretty much encapsulated my SC gameday experience during those dreary pre-Herd days. Most of time I’d get together with a few friends and watch the game at someone’s apartment. It was more fun to watch a game with living organisms than the corpses that occupied the Coliseum – even if that organism was a plant. Someone once told me if Elvis ever came back, he’d go to a USC game. No shit…that’s because he’s dead. By the way, I have a bruin friend whose family used to host an annual USC-ucla bash. His parties were a blast, except his mom made this ambrosia salad, and if you didn’t eat it she’d get mad.

You grew up in Southern California, and there is something about growing up a local So. Cal Trojan fan that only those of us from Los Angeles can understand. There is a lot of pride about our local friends and neighbors who go onto glory at USC. How did that experience growing up close to USC put you in personal contact with the USC Football program?

That’s easy. My sister used to work with Rod Martin’s sister around the time he had three picks in the Super Bowl. He sent me an autograph picture once. Plus I went to high school at Bishop Amat in La Puente, which put me in frequent contact with guys like Randy Tanner, John Jackson, Mazio Royster and Stephon Pace.

My friend manages a steakhouse in Santa Monica. A few months ago PC came in without a reservation, so the hostess stuck him in the lounge. When my friend got wind, he pushed back a reservation for PC and seated him at a decent table.

Can you tell us about your experience finding the USC message boards, and to follow that up, how did you feel when the topics on TFO turned to the lack of fan support in the Coliseum, and grew into the formation of the Herd?

The first message board I hitched my wagon to was TFO. I found kindred spirits when guys on the board lamented the lack of fan support. I still think we have some of the lamest fans in college football, but the energy in sections 11 and 13 is in sharp contrast to that. It’s an embarrassment to look around and see people in their twenties sitting on their hands on 3rd and 1. We have grizzled old veterans in the Herd who stand up every minute of the game. Take Brooks, for example. He’s indefatigable at games, and he’s older than the Coliseum itself.

What was your first Herd game, and what were your first impressions of the Herd?

Again, I’m really bad with dates. It might have been the “warm up the bus” game against San Jose. What I do recall was being nervous walking up to tailgate. I’m more shy than you think. It was like my first day at a new school. Most of the posters on TFO were pretty established, but when I arrived at the corner of Menlo and 30th for the first time, I was immediately treated like ‘one of the guys’. My first Herd encounter was my most gratifying gameday experience to date, and the game had nothing to do with it. The most memorable thing was recognizing that I had found a home. After a string of mediocre seasons, most of my friends had given up on SC; therefore, I had no one to go to games with. Going to a movie by yourself is okay. Going to a football game by yourself is weird. The guys from TFO were my new friends, and the center of the bond was USC football. Here I was, with a few dozen guys who want to stand up and be vocal – in good times and bad - without being called a jerk. Well, I am one of those jerks. In many ways, it was a like a support group. “My name is Yucca and I am a jerk.”

A year or so later, I remember driving home after a game and listening to PC on a postgame radio show acknowledging the efforts of the tunnel fans, whom he mistakenly referred to as the ‘Rowdy Bunch.’

You and your cousin have a special relationship, since in a sense you have USC Football as a very bonding experience to share together. You’ve also brought other friends to Trojan games and Herdgates? What has the Trojan experience and the Herd experience meant to you? You’ve also seemed to form some friendships from the Herd, and see people outside of Herd events. What has the extended family of the Herd meant to you?

On several occasions, you’ve invited me to your home to make anagrams out of Manu Ginobli and Midvale Dave’s names. I appreciate the invitation and one of these days I will take you up on your offer. More on this question later…

There are a few seminal Herd Yucca moments; from getting in a fight with a CAL fan and getting kicked out of the Coliseum to fighting the Stanford tree and getting rescued by Brooks as the Cops were taking you away. I’ve been kicked out of the Coliseum, so if I can admit that, it’s not so embarrassing for you either, and could you give us some insight into those experiences many of the Herd still laugh about as they reminisce?

The Cal game was the one in which we were down like 21 points and won. When I found myself surrounded by a bunch of vitriolic Cal fans, I started to swat their beers out of their hands and say, “that just cost you $6. Now shut your mouth.” I must have knocked down six or seven beers, and these people were just coming back from the concession stands so their cups were all full. When I separated myself from the Cal horde (actually, I ran for my life), two LAPD stopped me. A few minutes after being escorted out of the stadium, I bought a ticket from a homeless scalper for $5 and re-entered the game. The tree incident happened in front of everyone. The Stanford band was coming and I yelled in quasi-Braveheart style, “Let’s block them.” I had this vision of the Herd spilling out on to the street and forcing the band to change course, but I soon found myself standing all by myself in the middle of street with my thumb up my ass. So I became an army of one, and grappled some guy for the Stanford flag. Then some jerk threw beer on me. I was about to pummel the beer guy when I felt someone punch me in the back of the head. I spun around and saw the tree standing there with his dukes up. At that point the “Chui’s” descended on the band and dismembered the tree. After the incident, my friends from the LAPD came over and handcuffed me. That’s when Brooks came to my aid. He told the cop I didn’t throw the first punch, and I was released.

Now, from the mouth of the Churro Cart owner, tell us the inside scoop. What really happened on January 1st, 2007, in the City of Pasadena. And then tell us how you ended up missing, and your reaction to the “Missing Herder” posts on the Herdblog?

Still a tender topic. I’d rather not discuss it in a public forum like this blog. But if anyone wants to know what happened, just come to me and ask. Here’s a good time to ask me about the “Herd extended family.” The days following the incident, I felt really crappy. You, Brooks and Father Mike had my back. That meant a lot to me. After the Rose Bowl, I decided it was time to give USC football a break. That meant staying off the board. That didn’t stop me from reading the board. The “Missing Herder” posts were very funny, but obviously born from the mind of a half-wit.

One final note, it’s very ironic that the Rose Bowl incident transpired exactly 30 years after my first USC game at the very same venue against the very same team. Weird.

The Herd and the Herd Forum has always been special amid the message board crowds because we all tailgate together and have become friends and interested in each other’s lives. So you, so you and Cuba, so you and being Cuban. Was Ricky Ricardo your actual godfather? Wad Fiducio the pig your real pet? Give us some more Yucca insight on being the third most famous Cuban after Castro and Tony Montana.

People think Fidencio was fabricated, but he’s alive and well in Caracas, where he was appointed by Hugo Chavez to run the Department of Motor Vehicles. That’s all I know about him. Being Cuban is not all that different than being Slav, Filipino or even a hayseed from Fontana. We all put our pants on one leg at a time. Recently I was the butt of a pretty awful joke because of my Cuban heritage. A Herder – who shall remain nameless – flashed a tin badge in front of my face and asked to see my papers. Afterwards, I cried in my car. I think I’m over it.

Following up that last question, tell us about the character of Yucca. We’re on message boards, duh, but our internet personas sometimes veer greatly from our personalities and public personas that we really are, so tell us who Yucca the Cuban is compared to Bill the Cuban in real life?

There’s not much difference. I’ve pretty much been the class clown all my life.

Finally, what do you see for the Herd as it moves forward? And what are your final thoughts about your Herd experience? And if you could design the Herd t-shirts next year, what slogans would you throw out there?

I see the Herd growing. I’d like to hire a couple of prostitutes to greet people and serve hor'dourves in cardinal and gold lingerie, but in a way that’s fun and acceptable for the entire family. I’d also like to create a section for neo-Jacobins. Finally, I’d like to suggest a Herd shirt idea. I’d like to see a drawing of the tunnel 11 entrance with a caption reading, “Once you’ve been inside, you’ll never be the same.”