The countdown to USC’s 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 65 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. There are not a whole lot of recent options for the number 65, so today, we take it all the way back to the 1970s and look at former USC offensive lineman Melvin Jackson.
Position: Offensive line
Years played at USC: 1972-1975
Career highlights: A 2019 story from Reign of Troy detailed Jackson’s legacy in Cardinal and Gold.
“Jackson was listed as a linebacker on the roster in 1973, then wearing the No. 54, but he swapped it for the No. 65 in 1974 taking up a place on the offensive line,” writer Alicia de Artola wrote.
“Originally training as an offensive guard, he stepped in at offensive tackle briefly during the 1974 season because of injury. His involvement wasn’t great, but he was around to earn a national title ring with the Trojans.
“The next season Jackson moved into the starting lineup permanently opposite All-American Marvin Powell. Despite the clear talent on the other side, USC’s coaches voted Jackson the winner of the John Dye Memorial Award as the team’s lineman of the year.
“He certainly played a key role in the Trojans victory over Notre Dame in 1975. With the Irish leading 17-14, running back Ricky Bell had powered his offense to one-yard line. However, on a goal line carry, the ball popped out of his hands and into the air.
“‘When I fumbled, I told myself that I threw the ball game away,’ Bell said in the Gannet News Service.
“The game wasn’t lost because Jackson was there to recover the ball on the two-yard line. That set up quarterback…
Source link : https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/trojans/football/2025/06/27/usc-football-countdown-kickoff-trojans-melvin-jackson/84374589007/
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Publish date : 2025-06-27 12:06:00
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