President-elect C.L. Max Nikias announced today that Pat Haden is set to become the seventh athletic director in the history of the University of Southern California.
While August 3rd will be his official first day on the job, Haden's place in USC football history is already secure before he takes his post overseeing the entire athletic department.
After a Hall of Fame (class of '95) prep career at Bishop Amat in La Puente, CA, Haden led USC to three Rose Bowls and two national championships.
The signal-caller closed his college career in style with a co-MVP performance in the 1975 "Granddaddy of Them All". Down 17-10 with two minutes to go against Ohio State, Haden hit his most reliable target, J.K. McKay, on a 36-yard touchdown pass. Coolness personified, Haden completed the comeback when he picked out Shelton Diggs in the back of the end zone for the winning two-point conversion.
While Haden's gridiron exploits are the stuff of Trojan legend, he really set himself apart in the classroom.
Haden was a two-time Academic All-American and he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from USC.Â
He was not nearly done on or off the field.
He began his professional career in the World Football League, so he could attend prestigious Oxford University and complete his Rhodes Scholarship, the esteemed international postgraduate award.
Back across the pond, Haden rededicated himself to football. He led the Los Angeles Rams to three consecutive NFC West titles, despite having to fight for his position every step of the way.
He retired from professional football in 1981 and immediately went back down the cerebral path, picking up a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School.Â
Amidst a successful business career, Haden dipped back into his football knowledge as a TV network color-commentator.
All the while, he's been an integral part of the Trojan family. He's served on the Board of Trustees since 1991, although he'll resign the post with his new appointment.
As the story of his life and career continues to swing back and forth between athletic adventure and scholastic achievement, Haden is now in the nexus of the two.
If the current Trojans are looking for a scholar-athlete model, they only need to look to the top.
Here is a 2007 interview (with recently added highlight footage) conducted by Pete Arbogast with new AD Pat Haden:
Trojans footer
