Matt Leinart (2007) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Matt Leinart

Induction:
2007
Class:
2005

Matt Leinart, USC’s sixth Heisman Trophy winner (in 2004) and its first junior recipient, is regarded by many as the greatest quarterback in Trojan history. The 3-time (2003-05) All-American was 37-2 as a starter and guided Troy to consecutive national championships (2003-04) and then a No. 2 ranking in 2005. His USC career completions (807), passing yardage (10,693) and total offense (10,623) were second best in Trojan history and his 99 touchdown passes and 64.8% completion mark set Pac-10 career records. He set 16 school records, including 11 Pac-10 and 2 NCAA marks. He was the MVP of the 2004 Rose Bowl and 2005 Orange Bowl. A 4-year letterwinner (2002-05), 2-time (2004-05) USC captain and 3-time (2003-05) All-Pac-10 first teamer, he was the 2003 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year (only the second sophomore so honored, along with Stanford's John Elway) and 2004 Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year (just the fourth player and second quarterback to win that honor twice). Among his numerous national honors, in 2004 he won the Walter Camp Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year and Manning Awards, and in 2005 he received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Pop Warner Awards, as well as The Sporting News National Sportsman of the Year and Southern California Sportsman of the Year. He also was a finalist for the 2004 and 2005 Sullivan Award (given to the nation’s top amateur athlete). He became a role model for America’s youth when he returned to USC in 2005, instead of bypassing his senior year to enter the NFL. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2016, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Century Team. He was selected in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals and he played for the Cardinals (2006-09), Houston Texans (2010-11) and Oakland Raiders (2012). He then became a national sports television commentator.