March 28, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

USC Trojan Marching Band To Perform Louis Zamperini Tribute At Halftime Today:

The USC Trojan Marching Band will perform a special halftime tribute to the late Trojan track star and World War II hero Louis Zamperini at today’s football game against Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The tribute will be introduced via video by Angelina Jolie, the director of the film “Unbroken,” which chronicles Zamperini’s life and will be released Christmas Day.

The tribute will illustrate Zamperini’s life with music, illustrative formations on the field and clips from the movie on the Coliseum’s video board.

At the conclusion of the presentation, members of Zamperini’s family and the star of the film, Jack O’Connell, will be honored on the field.

“I’m thrilled to salute a great Trojan and a great person,” said Arthur Bartner, now in his 45th football season as leader of the USC Trojan Marching Band. “I first met him when he was brought in to talk to the leadership of the band, and he attended many of our events over the years.”

A video announcing a text-to-give campaign for the Louis Zamperini Endowed Scholarship will be shown on the Coliseum’s video board in the first half. The scholarship will be awarded annually to the USC male or female track and field athlete who best epitomizes Zamperini’s talents and spirit.

Zamperini, who died July 2 at the age of 97, finished eighth in the 5,000 meters in the 1936 Summer Olympics, shortly after graduating from Torrance High School. He ran the final 400 meters in 56 seconds, prompting Adolf Hitler to request a personal meeting with him.

Zamperini was a three-year USC track letterman and a co-captain of its 1940 team, which won the sixth of nine consecutive NCAA championships.

Zamperini was a bombardier in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

His plane was shot down over the Pacific Ocean in 1943, and he was stranded on a life raft for 47 days before being captured. He was a prisoner of war for 2 1/2 years, enduring hunger and torture from his Japanese captors.

Suffering from post traumatic disorder, Zamperini found solace in 1949 when he became a born-again Christian after attending a Los Angeles crusade led by evangelist Billy Graham. He eventually became an inspirational speaker preaching the power of forgiveness.

Zamperini practiced what he preached in 1950, when he went to Sugamo Prison in Tokyo, where Japanese war criminals were being held, and met with some of his torturers to offer them forgiveness.

In 1998 when he was 81, Zamperini ran a leg in the torch relay for the Winter Olympics in Nagano. During his visit, he attempted to meet with his most brutal wartime tormentor, Mutsuhiro Watanabe, but Watanabe, who escaped prosecution as a war criminal, refused to see him.

“Louis Zamperini was one of the greatest Trojans of all time, as well as a true American hero,” USC athletic director Pat Haden said. “He was the embodiment of the USC motto, ‘Fight On.”’

in Sports
Related Posts

Former Angels Communications Director Eric Kay Sentenced to 22 Years in Tyler Skaggs Overdose Case

October 14, 2022

October 14, 2022

October sentencing comes over three years after 2019 overdose in Southlake, Texas Former Los Angeles Angels employee Eric Kay was...

Update: Santa Monica Girls Softball Team Fundraising for USA Softball National Championships

July 25, 2022

July 25, 2022

By Ashley Sloan The Santa Monica Girls U14 Softball Fastpitch team has advanced to the USA Softball National Championship in...

Super Bowl Pre-Game Show to Be Broadcast From Santa Monica Pier

February 10, 2022

February 10, 2022

The Santa Monica Pier will be the location for the Super Bowl Pre-Game show broadcast. Learn more in this video...

Santa Monica Youth Basketball Staying and Playing Strong

October 13, 2021

October 13, 2021

By Dr. Paul Drew Hello everyone, I’m Dr. Paul Drew.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to...

Local Hoopers Rejoice As Venice Basketball League Returns

September 6, 2021

September 6, 2021

The Venice Basketball League is officially back on the courts after nearly 2 years of closure. Nick Ansom joins us...

Westside Olympic Swimmer Shares Her Journey To The Games

August 31, 2021

August 31, 2021

Two time Olympian, Westside Local, and Medical Student Andi Murez has returned from the Tokyo games, hear about her journey...

Local Little League All-Star Team Wins More Than Just Championships

August 10, 2021

August 10, 2021

The Venice Baseball Academy’s little league team, the Tide, recently won the SoCal State Championships but it’s more than winning...

Crossroads Wins CIF and State Regionals

June 15, 2021

June 15, 2021

The Crossroads Varsity Boys Soccer Team had a stellar championship season starting with a true underdog story with CIF Division 6 Playoff...

Samohi Vikings Frosh-Soph Defeat Culver City Centaurs in Final Seconds

April 20, 2021

April 20, 2021

2020 was a tough year for Santa Monica High School football as Covid-19 restrictions forced all high school sports to...

Pali Riptide Baseball Club Tryouts

January 7, 2021

January 7, 2021

January 9th and 10th at Pali Rec Center The Pali Riptide Baseball Club is preparing for a spring season and...

Grand Jury Indicts Former Angel Employee in Tyler Skaggs’ Fatal Overdose

October 19, 2020

October 19, 2020

Fort Wayne grand jury indicts Eric Prescott Kay on drug distribution and drug conspiracy charges By Sam Catanzaro A federal...

Column: How to Play it Safe to Prevent Deadly Heat Exhaustion

August 24, 2020

August 24, 2020

By Shawn McCann  As the Southland region broils in a summer heatwave, the coronavirus pandemic has created additional concern for...

Former Angels Employee Charged in Tyler Skagg’s Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

August 7, 2020

August 7, 2020

Former Angels Communications Director Eric Prescott Kay faces up to 20 years in prison By Sam Catanzaro An ex-employee of...

LA Marathon to Exclude Santa Monica

July 24, 2020

July 24, 2020

Race organizers, citing “bigger footprint at the finish line”, choose Century City end point By Sam Catanzaro Santa Monica has...