Chapter 5: The Booster and the Bulldog
After Lane Kiffin’s firing in 2013, beloved assistant Ed Orgeron was appointed interim head coach. With influential booster Brian Kennedy in his corner, Orgeron hoped to land the job permanently. But when athletic director Pat Haden passed him over, Orgeron felt abandoned by the school he loved, leaving a rift that may never heal.
House of Troy is a new podcast from LA Times Studios tracing the rise and fall of USC football, from coach Pete Carroll’s back-to-back national titles in the 2000s, to the Reggie Bush scandal, to the series of missteps that followed. It’ll feature exclusive interviews with coaches, players, and USC officials who saw it all up close — and shine new light on how a college football dynasty came undone.
