University Southern California Trojans
Louis Zamperini To Throw Out First Pitch Sunday
May 04, 2012 | Baseball
May 4, 2012
LOS ANGELES-- USC NCAA champion miler and legendary American hero Louis Zamperini will be in attendance to throw out the first pitch as USC celebrates Military Appreciation Day at Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale between the Trojans and the Huskies at Dedeaux Field.
Zamperini was not only one of USC's greatest distance runners, but he gained international acclaim for his amazing exploits during World War II. A 3-year letterman (1938-39-40) who co-captained the 1940 Trojan squad and was a member of 3 NCAA championship teams, he was the NCAA champion in the mile run in 1938 and 1939. The collegiate mile record (4:08.3) that he set lasted for 15 years. He placed eighth in the 5,000-meter run at the 1936 Olympics. He was lost at sea during World War II, spending 47 days adrift and then two-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war in Japan. His experience was the subject of a CBS-TV feature, which was shown during the 1998 Winter Olympics, as well as detailed in his autobiography, "Devil At My Heels" (first published in the 1950s and updated in 2003), and the current bestseller, "Unbroken." He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
The USC baseball team will be wearing military inspired caps in Sunday's game designed by USC senior Ryan Morris' company Salute The Brave. For every hat sold, Salute The Brave then sends one in a care package to a serviceman or woman serving overseas. The donated items have the words "free to be because of me" on the back which serves as a thank you from the customer to the receiving soldier.
With USC baseball's purchase of 200 hats, the first 200 United States Veterans in attendance will receive a free USC hat as part of the one-for-one purchase.
