'We were the greatest team ever.' Anthony Davis, 1972 USC Trojans savor their legacy.
Fifty years after the game that changed his life, Anthony Davis sits in an office surrounded by a museum of his USC memorabilia, wondering what might've been if his biggest moment never materialized.
The six touchdowns Davis scored on Notre Dame that day in December 1972 would go down as one of the greatest single-game performances in college football history, the piece de resistance of a storybook '72 season for USC that still ranks among the best the sport has ever seen. On that particular subject, there's no debating with Davis, whose infamous swagger as a star Trojan running back remains very much intact at 70 years old.
"We set the standard. No one has lived to that standard yet," Davis declared.
Not even the 2004 Trojans with Reggie Bush? Davis shakes his head. He wonders if the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who finished 17-0 that NFL season, could keep up.
"Pound for pound, we were the best team ever," he says.
The case is a pretty convincing one, if you're willing to adjust for generation: The 1972 Trojans finished 12-0, riding that resounding win over rival Notre Dame to the Rose Bowl, where they steamrolled Ohio State to secure an unbeaten season and undisputed national title. Along the way, USC left little room for doubt about who reigned supreme in '72. The Trojans never once trailed in the fourth quarter, opting instead to demolish opponents by an average of nearly four touchdowns per game.
That season — and that Notre Dame win especially — have followed Davis ever since, through
