Greenbacks and the gridiron at USC, a century ago
The drama began to unfold when Pomona College charged that USC's star halfback had dropped out of school after the last 1902 game, rather than complete the semester, making him a "temporary student."
Pomona's announcement struck some as the response of a poor loser. After all, the USC halfback in question, Elwin Caley, had run back a kickoff 107 yards for a touchdown in 1902, sparking the Methodists (as USC was known) to a 16-5 victory over the "Congregational boys" (Pomona).
But Pomona insisted that ethical lapses had been ignored by those "in control of athletics" at USC.
