My grandpa, Carl Benson, has always been a source of inspiration for me. He played for USC as a guard in both the 1939 and 1940 Rose Bowls, helping USC defeat Duke (7-3) and Tennessee (14-0). Now at 91, he still loves telling stories from his football days in an era when America had just come out of the Great Depression, the Second World War was in full swing, and football players wore soft leather hoods for “helmets” and played on both the offense and defense.

Check out a recent article about his championship team: http://articles.latimes.com/2004/oct/12/sports/sp-usc12