Ray George (2001) - USC Athletics Hall of Fame

Ray George

Induction:
2001
Class:
1938

A gentle giant of a man who was beloved by all, Ray George left his mark at USC as a player, assistant coach and athletic department administrator. A 3-year letterman tackle (1936-37-38), he ranks as one of Troy’s all-time greatest linemen. He was a member of the 1938 Trojan football team which upset top-ranked Notre Dame and previously unbeaten and unscored-upon Duke in the 1939 Rose Bowl. He was the second USC player ever drafted by the NFL and one of Troy’s first to play in the NFL (with Detroit in 1939 and Philadelphia in 1940). He coached at Porterville (Calif.) High in 1941, then served in World War II. He then was USC’s line coach from 1946-50 before becoming the head coach at Texas A&M from 1951 to 1953. He then went into private business before rejoining USC’s coaching staff in 1958 for 7 seasons (USC won national championship in 1962). He went back into private business, then returned to USC in 1971 as an assistant athletic director until retiring in 1985 (he also was an assistant coach from 1972 to 1974, when USC won 2 national titles and played in 3 Rose Bowls). He died on Jan. 12, 1995, at age 77.