The slogan stretches from the football field, to the weight room, to the classroom and to the film room.
And now it even applies to a recently acquired ball machine that football equipment coordinator Tino Dominguez calls the "most innovative ball machine on the market."
"It's absolutely the latest technology," Dominguez said of the Trojans' new ball-throwing machine used for throwing passes and simulating punts and kickoffs.
The machine, which was made by Sports Attack and delivered two days before Fall Camp opened, puts the Trojans light-years ahead of where they were with their previous, most basic ball-throwing device. The new machine can throw a left- or right-handed spiral, lob end-over-end kickoffs, launch punts and fire a ball more than 120 yards in the air. The capabilities with the new machine are essentially endless.
A change the new machine necessitated was the use of black footballs while utilizing the device. Made from a black swine leather, the balls are more durable and last longer through the machine, which would quickly tear up the less resilient red rawhide leather footballs used for on-field play. Plus, the black balls are a training tool, since they have gold tips that help players concentrate on watching the ball into their hands.
Football equipment coordinator Tino Dominguez launches a football through the team's new ball-throwing machine to fullback D.J. Shoemate.
Because of the new ball-throwing machine, the Trojans now use gold-tipped black footballs when employing the device. The black balls are more durable and also act as a training tool for the players, who can focus on the gold tips as the ball comes into their hands.
