Edesel Garrison, USC National Champion in Football and Track, Dies
October 01, 2025 | Football, Track & Field
LOS ANGELES – Edesel Garrison, a USC national champion in football and track and field, has died. He was 75. No cause of death was given.
Garrison, who lettered in football for USC in 1971 and 1972 as a split end, was a member of the 1972 national championship team under head coach John McKay.
In 1971, Garrison won USC's Theodore Gabrielson Award, presented to the most outstanding player in the USC-Notre Dame game, when he recorded 5 receptions for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Garrison was drafted in the fifth round of the 1973 NFL Draft with the 105th overall pick by the Houston Oilers.
As a member of the USC track and field team (1969-72), Garrison was a seven-time All-American. He was a two-time national champion in the 1971 4x110-yard relay (39.3) and the 1972 4x100-meter relay (39.4). The NCAA conducted its meets in yardage through 1975, except for the Olympic years, with 1972 being one of them. In 1970, he was the NCAA runner-up in the 4-110-yard relay (40.4).
In the NCAA Championships, he placed fourth (45.4), sixth (45.8) and second (45.1) in the 440-yard dash in 1969, 1970 and 1971, respectively. In 1972, he placed fourth in the 400-meter dash (45.5).
Additionally, Garrison placed sixth in the 4x400-meter relay at the 1972 NCAA Championships (3:09.2).
He holds the No. 2 time in USC history in the 440-yard dash (45.4 in 1971), and the No. 4 time in the 220-yard dash (20.5 in 1970).
In 1969, Garrison ranked 10th in the world in the 400-meter and improved to fourth in the world in the same race in 1971.
In 2009, Garrison was honored as a USC Track and Field Heritage Award winner honoring his contributions to the great tradition of the Trojan track and field program.
Garrison, who lettered in football for USC in 1971 and 1972 as a split end, was a member of the 1972 national championship team under head coach John McKay.
In 1971, Garrison won USC's Theodore Gabrielson Award, presented to the most outstanding player in the USC-Notre Dame game, when he recorded 5 receptions for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Garrison was drafted in the fifth round of the 1973 NFL Draft with the 105th overall pick by the Houston Oilers.
As a member of the USC track and field team (1969-72), Garrison was a seven-time All-American. He was a two-time national champion in the 1971 4x110-yard relay (39.3) and the 1972 4x100-meter relay (39.4). The NCAA conducted its meets in yardage through 1975, except for the Olympic years, with 1972 being one of them. In 1970, he was the NCAA runner-up in the 4-110-yard relay (40.4).
In the NCAA Championships, he placed fourth (45.4), sixth (45.8) and second (45.1) in the 440-yard dash in 1969, 1970 and 1971, respectively. In 1972, he placed fourth in the 400-meter dash (45.5).
Additionally, Garrison placed sixth in the 4x400-meter relay at the 1972 NCAA Championships (3:09.2).
He holds the No. 2 time in USC history in the 440-yard dash (45.4 in 1971), and the No. 4 time in the 220-yard dash (20.5 in 1970).
In 1969, Garrison ranked 10th in the world in the 400-meter and improved to fourth in the world in the same race in 1971.
In 2009, Garrison was honored as a USC Track and Field Heritage Award winner honoring his contributions to the great tradition of the Trojan track and field program.
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