Key Trojan bears heart, tradition

Friday, November 20, 1998

Key Trojan bears heart, tradition

FEATURE: Unfaltering Claiborne wears No. 55 with pride, but may
leave for NFL

By Rocky Salmon

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

It is simply known as "The Hill."

Located in Manhattan Beach, the hill has become a legend for
local athletes.

The hill can break even the most fit and strongest athlete. To
complete the hill is to beat it with heart, not talent.

Even a Butkus Award Finalist, which is given to the best
defensive player in Division I football, Chris Claiborne, struggles
with the hill.

"I can only run it once, and then I have to throw up or lay
down."

Completing the hill shows a person’s heart and willingness to
win.

For the USC Trojans, the hill used to be a part of the
conditioning program. Now it isn’t.

For No.55 Chris Claiborne, however, tradition dies hard.

Claiborne is all about tradition. Tradition is why he is a
Trojan. Tradition is why he dons jersey No. 55. Tradition is why he
lives alone and may enter the NFL draft after the season.

Tradition is why he still runs the hill once a month.

As a child, Claiborne loved to watch one special player. For No.
55, watching the blue and gold running back was like religion.
Claiborne’s favorite player was Gaston Green, not because he was a
member of the L.A. Rams or the UCLA Bruins, but because he was
quick and had heart.

He would watch UCLA games to watch Green.

At his first traditional USC-UCLA football game, however, Green
had already moved on to the NFL. Claiborne instead would see USC’s
tradition of winning interrupted by UCLA.

"J.J. Stokes came out of nowhere and killed (USC)."

Yet, that game would not be enough to persuade Claiborne to
attend UCLA, for he is "not a powdered blue guy."

The Bruin uniforms were "too ugly," and Claiborne wanted to
attend a school where there was a better sense of tradition.

The race was on between Notre Dame, a traditional football
school, and Colorado. Notre Dame was the school Claiborne had
dreamed of attending, watching heroes Ricky Watters and Jerome
Bettis play there while growing up.

"Love is one thing. What you need is another," the All-American
linebacker, who leads the team this year in tackles with 88, said.
"You pick the best situation of what you need, not what you love.
USC was best academically and traditionally for me. Plus I’m a
California kid."

Arriving at USC, Claiborne met another tradition: No. 55. The
coaches asked Claiborne to wear the number, to represent
traditionally the best player on USC defense. Junior Seau wore No.
55 while a Trojan, as did defensive lineman Willie McGinest. They
were two big defensive players who left legacies behind them while
previously sporting Claiborne’s red and gold No. 55.

"I take a little bit of everyone’s game," the leading tackler
against UCLA last year said. "The best that I can do is to put in
my game what they can show me. I try to follow Junior’s intensity
with Willie’s speed and strength."

Willie McGinest has taught Claiborne a bit about tradition,
working out with him over the summer at Venice Beach. Working out
with the NFL All-Pro lineman has made Claiborne humble and modest
over his success.

"Working out with him makes you understand where you are and
keeps you from being cocky. The main things is that he is a role
model, because he saves money and does not spend it on cars.

"He has had the same car ever since he came into the
league."

Claiborne might go into the draft at the end of the season
because of what he could get done, not because he loves money. He
wants to save his money and try and open a franchise like McGinest
did, who owns a Togo’s and a Baskin Robbins 31 Ice Cream Store.

Claiborne wants to be a businessman so bad that he has moved to
Culver City, away from school life, to live independently. Here, he
can watch film all by himself and learn how to take care of
himself.

To keep himself on the right track, he has a silver "55" around
his neck.

"Jewelry is nice but not what you need. It is dumb to spend
money for a bunch of cars and jewelry. I would not do that because
that’s the difference. I want to look to the future and save money
for my kids."

So at the end of the season, Claiborne may follow another
tradition that fellow No. 55 players have started: leaving early
for the NFL draft. Seau and McGinest both left early and there is a
good chance Claiborne will too.

Whatever may happen, Chris Claiborne will become part of the
tradition for incoming players that he followed while a Trojan.USC
Sports Info

All-American linebacker Chris Claiborne will be a key defensive
player for USC in this weekend’s UCLA-USC matchup.

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