Herd Walk Video (click on this link)

The Herd Walk

Our thanks go out to Altadena Trojan (Big John). Altadena said that he made this video available to us for all the Herders who are out of town and who can't enjoy and experience the Herd Walks. Thanks to Altadena and Fight On for your efforts.

You can click on the title above, or click here:

http://gallery.mac.com/pingsjp#100026/2007-20Thundering-20Herd-Walk-20III&bgcolor=black

Altadena writes:

This is a big file, let it load, then play it, enjoy. It is a 15 minute video, with Herd Walk III, Scrimmage walk, Song Girls and TMB. Dial up not advised.

Fight On
Altadena Trojan

Video of the Herd Cart Presentation and Pete Carroll (click here for link)

The Herd, the Herd Cart, Pete Carroll and Anthony Davis

As posted previously, the Herd Cart presentation took place on August 6th, 2007, after the opening practice of the USC Football team's 2007 campaign. Pete Carroll was there to accept the Cart from the Herd, and Anthony Davis, the Notre Dame killer, was also present to give Pete a personalized autographed copy of a 1973 Rose Bowl poster. Click on the title above for the link to the video.

SCKid filmed the Cart presentation and the presentation of the Rose Bowl poster from Anthony Davis. Lots of kudos for the Herd and our efforts in Pete's speech.

Fight On to everybody involved in the presentation, to SCKid for taping the event, and for theDoctor for bringing Anthony Davis and for hosting the video on his site.

Herders on the Road: Nebraska, Sept. 15th, 2007

My Nebraska Trip
by SC Lisa

My boyfriend Eric (Marshall MBA Class of 2006) and I arrived in Lincoln on Thursday afternoon. We were immediately struck by the flatness of the landscape when we flew in and how spread everything was. Having gone to Arkansas last year for the game, I would even venture to say that this was more remote than Fayetteville. The airport was dead when we arrived and the TSA guys joked about letting us leave the airport, but when we finally did it was off to the hotel, but not before getting lost and passing not one, but two penitentiaries. We then made a late afternoon trip to the Nebraska bookstore to buy “Lil Red” – we buy a mascot for every away game we attend. Apparently Herbie, the other mascot, is “under construction” (his hair is changing from blond to brown and he’s going to be younger), so they didn’t have any stuffed Herbies.

Friday started off with me dropping Eric at the Quarry Oaks Golf Course to participate in the USC Golf Club’s Tournament with the Nebraska Golf Club. Since it was next to a wildlife preserve of some sort, Eric saw wild turkeys on the course and we saw elk on our way in. Later that day I attended the WeAreSC lunch at Brewsky’s and there were probably 60+ Trojans in attendance and Garry P. was very informative and even predicted a breakout performance by Johnson if I remember correctly. Later than afternoon as we were leaving the hotel a reporter stopped us and asked Eric if he wanted to answer a question. He then went on to explain that the Lincoln Journal Star does a weekly segment called the “Question of the Week”. This week’s question was “Where will you be at kickoff Saturday?” So he answered the question and got his picture taken!

We ate at Misty’s steakhouse that night with my dad - SC Gary and GAB, LLPOS (Harry) and his wife Rhonda and another Trojan whom GAB invited along. The highlight of that dinner was when the University of Nebraska cheerleaders came inside the restaurant and got all the NU fans fired up. We did a few spell outs ourselves however. Fun night and great beef! We capped off the night by hitting up a bar called Dillinger’s and had a great time with the NU students there (I won’t mention how the bartender in there remembered my dad and GAB from the night before!)

Saturday morning (after we found Eric in the newspaper!) we caught a cab bright and early to go back to downtown to retrieve our car (yes, it was that kind of night). Lucky for us, our rental car was still in the metered parking spot with no ticket and not even a warning! We had to laugh that a parking ticket there only costs $10.00 (if this was back in L.A. we would have been paying $300+ to get it out of impound!). Heck, to us it was worth getting a ticket and just parking it there all day, but we decided not to be cheap like Brooks and sacked up and moved it into an $11/day lot. (Now I know why the NU fans were shocked at the $25 Coliseum parking!)

All weekend long, walking around Lincoln, fans kept saying good luck to us and thanking us for making the trip. They kept asking us not to beat them too bad, whereas we replied that we just hoped it was a good game and that anything could happen. I had to laugh though when they asked us if we flew or drove to Lincoln. For those of your wondering, of course we flew! (At least they didn’t ask us if we flew there on private jets like they did last year in Arkansas). When 2:00pm rolled around we joined up with a client of Rodeo Ronnie’s for a tailgate. It took place in this exclusive lot where you had to have some sort of VIP card to get in (cars pay $400/year to park in that lot), so the hosts of the tailgate had to come and get us. It was a fantastic tailgate with a roasted pig and too much food and drink. All the NU fans welcomed us with open arms.

The game was fantastic besides it being pretty cold and the crappy bench seating the stadium had. (photo right: Eric got interviewded in a Lincoln paper. He's the 4th one over) I have never seen so much red in my life and I was intimidated at the beginning of the game, but our team took the crowd out of it pretty quick. We all know the outcome, but from someone that was there, it was quite an experience and I wish you could have experienced Lincoln like I did. I won’t forget it anytime soon.

Fight on!

SC Lisa

A Note of Thanks to the Herd

(Lisa DeLong is the mother of Jakie DeLong, a Trojan fan who we've featured on the Herdblog a few times)

Hello Herd,

Sorry this note is so late in coming. Jacob has been in treatment all week and our daughter has started classes at Orange Coast College so things have been a bit hectic. (photo right: Jacob in white with Lisa in the b.g.) My computer crashed as well so I am borrowing one and it takes a little getting used to. I just wanted to let you know what a wonderful time we had last week at the August 22nd Scrimmage for the USC Trojans.

What a treat to meet the friendly folks who call themselves The Herd, listen to their chanting and as they went on the Herd Walk with the team! There were 28 of us there, all of us touched by childhood cancer one way or another, and all of us brought that perspective with us as we entered through the Peristyle gates of the Coliseum. It was memorable to say the least!

I felt teary as Jacob and his little buddy Ryan ran freely across the field. They danced to the piped in music and tumbled and laughed. Earlier that day Jacob had gone under anesthesia for another lumbar puncture to receive chemotherapy to his spinal fluid. It had been a very long day as most leukemia treatments are, from the confines of the hospital to the freedom of the coliseum and the "Fight On" spirit of the Trojans - wow!

Thank you so much for giving me the courage to make Jacob's request come about. I hope we can we can do this again with a little more time to plan and invite, I think more kids affected by cancer will be able to feel the same "Fight On" spirit as we did.

Thanks again and I hope to send photos soon, Lisa

The Herd Walks with Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Kids

3 Perspectives on The Trojan/Herd Walk, August 22, 2007

Shorty Clarke writes:

You know those times when you're called to the Principals Office and you're not sure if it's because you did something really good or really bad? (photo right: The CHLA Kids before the Trojan/Herd Walk) That's how I felt when I got an email from the SC Football Office. WHEW! It was an invite for the Herd do the Trojan Walk with the USC Football Team at the night scrimmage on the 22nd of August.

Because it was a free game and because we'd all had such a close connection with Jakie DeLong, I asked HH if some of the CHLA (Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles) kids could walk with us. Dennis Slutak, Dir of Football Operations and Craig Kelly, Asst. Ath. Dir/Marketing both fully embraced the idea. Craig set the wheels in motion. He met the Herd with arm bands at 5:15 and allowed the Herd to be on the field throughout warmups.

The CHLA kids were especially excited when Pete came over to meet and greet them and sign autographs. Angelica Logan through her position at the SC Bookstore, was able to provide hats, pom poms, snacks etc. It was quite a night and as always, it was very special to be a Trojan. Many thanks to Slu, Craig and Pete as well as Brooks, Angelica and GAB for all they did that night.

Brooks Wilson writes:

We met the team at the parking lot and after a couple of spellouts led by Blood and Lawrence we followed the team as they took their customary pre-game walk through the Peristyle, down the steps onto the field where they grouped up and heard a brief message from Coach Carroll and then up the tunnel into the locker rooms. Craig let us stay on the field during the warm-ups and right up to the kickoff.

A great opportunity for pictures. Valley was in 7th heaven. Oh, the game. The team absolutely looks awesome. It's hard to believe they haven't played a game yet. Folks, we have ourselves the best coach in the country. After the game, the players hung around on the field for a long time talking to the fans and giving out autographs.

But the best part of the evening was seeing the little kids from Children's Hospital of Los Angeles who are battling cancer have a break from the fight. Jakie is the only one I knew and he was having a great time. Thanks to the greatest Athletic Department of the greatest university in the world for making this happen. Fight On!


Angelica Logan writes:

Dear Shorty:

I wanted to thanks The Thundering Herd again for making this all happen for Jacob and his friends and family, and the Kids from the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.

I never got the chance to meet the distinguished gentleman with the worried look on his face (Brooks). I did however have a few Herdmembers come up to me and ask me how I liked the roses that everyone sent me. Again thank you for the roses, once they started to die I hung them upside-down for them to dry. I still have them. (photo right: Jakie on the field for warm-ups)

Thank you again for making me feel like one of the family and inviting my family to join the Herd on the Trojan Walk. I had the pleasure of meeting Amy T. and her twins and look forward to seeing them again at some volleyball game as well as the football games and basketball games.

Thank you Thank You THANK YOU. I look forward to meeting every one soon I'll make sure to have my camera so we can take lots of pictures at the first Game.

Sincerely

Angelica Logan (Angie)
CSR Trojan Bookstore
Course Material

The 2007 Herd Cart Presentation

A Very Special August 6th, 2007
by Brooks

The 2007 Trojan Football season officially opened Monday, August 6, 2007, at Howard Jones field. The weather couldn’t have been better and many of us feel that it was appropriate for what this edition of Trojan Football promises its faithful fans, many of whom were on hand to watch a team which is in midseason shape.

The opening of the season was particularly enjoyed by many members of the Thundering Herd who were on hand to participate in delivering a beautiful electric cart to Coach Carroll and his football program. Practice started at 5:30 and ended at 7:30. Shorty had delivered the cart, carrying the Thundering Herd Logo to Heritage Hall earlier and as the practice ended, it was driven to the field with no other than the Notre Dame killer, number 28, Anthony Davis as the passenger. Coach Carroll was obviously pleased with the quality of the practice and with the cart. He made a moving acceptance and gave a speech of thanks and gratitude to the Herd. I wish the entire Herd could have been there to witness it. Trust me Herders, Coach Carroll knows and appreciates the Herd...and not just because of the cart. There is no guile in this man.

After the cart was presented, Pete said to the Herd, “Let me say this, you guys from the very beginning, and I’ve probably said this before, but you Herd guys have always been there, and you guys are the real deal…and I’ll never forget what it felt like to have you guys doing what you were doing at a time when we weren’t a whole lot to care about. You’ve stayed so consistent over the time, you guys have brought so much love and so much fun to us just because you love your Trojans, love your team, love your school. Awesome. It really is great. I know who you are. I love that you’ve been here for us, you continue to jump up and do stuff, you guys are always welcome, always welcome to be a part of this, you guys deserve it, earn it, and we love to have you around. Thanks for coming out.”

This may seem maudlin, but from a personal point of view, it was special. I’ve been a rabid fan since 1939 and I have never felt so much a part of Trojan Football. And on game day, when we greet the team and intimidate the opponents, we are a part of it.

Another Cart Story
by Shorty

Earlier in the day I saw the new 2007 Thundering Herd Cart for the first time.

We'd stashed it across Figueroa from campus in a parking lot used by SC Purchasing. The head of purchasing walked me out to it and gave me the keys. 3 hours later, Mojack, Eden and I walked over to get the cart and IT WAS GONE…!!!

We searched the first floor, then the second floor. Half an hour later I remembered it was on the third floor. WHEW! We started it and took turns driving it around campus. We stopped in front of a building and went in for wet towels to wipe the cart clean of the dust that had accumulated the 3 days it sat in the parking garage.

We met up with Brooks and GAB at Tommy Trojan then drove the cart to the parking lot where Brooks had 2 Herd hats. We then drove the cart to HH. Slu's assistant Jared came down and we gave him the keys and arranged for Jared to drive Anthony Davis into the practice just as practice ended. It all went as planned including AD presenting Pete with an autographed copy of the official '73 Rose Bowl poster which featured A Griffin from OSU and AD. Pete broke into the biggest grin and was genuinely amazed at the poster and gesture. The poster is truly a collectors item.

I'll always cherish mine. I may even give Natl Champs his someday. After Pete gave a rousing endorsement to the Herd, Slu took the cart for a ride. He just kept saying "Great Ride, great job Herd." "This will be invaluable with recruiting."

Many thanks to all who participate in whatever way you could. There is NO selfishness in the Herd.

Special Opportunity for the Herd

A Very Special Trojan Walk

by Shorty

As we've done the last 3 years, the Herd has again been invited to follow the players through the Trojan Walk at this year's summer scrimmage. The full scrimmage/game will be Wednesday night the 22nd of August @ 7pm. But, this year's Walk will be special. Adding to this year's walk is the incredible chance to share the walk and the night with some very sick children.

We are coordinating with a couple of parents about bringing as many as 75 kids and their parentscare givers to the game from the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA). SC will save a section in the stands for the Herd and the Kids. The Herd is working with the SC Bookstore through Angelica Logan to provide the kids with Pom Poms and Megaphones at the bookstore's cost. The Herd is also working with a couple of other groups also to provide the kids with more goodies. These are all kids from CHLA's Cancer Ward. Some are residing at the hospital and some are out patients like Jakie DeLong who's story has been chronicled here many times. (http://theuscherd.blogspot.com/2007/03/trojan-heart-and-spirit.html)

As a side note: The SC football team goes to CHLA every year to meet the kids and offer encouagement etc. That annual trip will be Tuesday the 4th of Sept. How exciting for these kids to see the players in action on the 22nd then meet them in person on the 4th.

I can't think of a better Win/Win story than that.

We need one small thing from the Herd: Email me (shortyclarke@gmail.com) no later than Thursday the 16th with the names of those Herders who want to participate in the Walk. Those participating must be willing to meet & greet these great kids. Let's make these folks life long Trojan fans.

Fight On, The Herd