Bob Boyd
By Mitch Chortkoff
Sports Editor
I was a young sportswriter, in my 20s when I joined the staff at the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.
There was a UCLA background in my family. My brother had graduated from UCLA, and even though I tried to be an objective journalist Bob Boyd, the USC basketball coach, labeled me a Bruin.
"We have to make you into a Trojan," he would say. "We can get a psychiatrist to help."
It was all in good fun and it continued for many years. Regardless of how many objective articles I wrote I remained a Bruin in the eyes of Bob Boyd.
He didn't seem to realize I respected the job he was doing – trying to compete with John Wooden, the legendary UCLA coach.
Bob Boyd died last week of natural causes at the age of 84 and for the record I want to say he was a hellava basketball coach besides being a terrific guy.
I well remember his 1971 Trojan team that went 24-2 but didn't qualify for the NCAA Tournament because in that era only conference champions were invited.
And UCLA was the conference champion that year.
Boyd compiled a 266-131 record at USC from 1967 to 1979. His 1974 team also won 24 games.
He sent 10 players into the NBA, including Paul Westphal and Gus Williams. In 1969 and 1970 his Trojans handed UCLA , which had Lew Alcindor, it's first two losses in Pauley Pavilion. In 1990 he was named to the USC Athletic Hall Of Fame.
One of his sons, Bill Boyd, was coached by Bob at USC from 1973 to '76.
Bob became head coach at Mississippi State in 1992 and stayed there for four years.
Bob was preceded in death by his wife, Betty.
He tried to convert me.
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