Still, the concept of shared space extends to some players. Greig Carlson, a Trojans receiver, lives in an apartment in Westwood with David Koral, UCLA's backup quarterback, and Manuel White, the Bruins' starting tailback.
Carlson and Koral were high school teammates. Referring to Carlson, White said earlier this week: "Yeah, we talk. But we'll probably talk a little more as the week goes on."
Some of the coaches at the rival universities do not talk much anymore. For instance, Ken Norton Jr., a former linebacker for UCLA, applied for a job on the staff of Karl Dorrell, the second-year Bruins coach. When Norton did not immediately receive an offer, he turned to USC, where coach Pete Carroll hired him as a graduate assistant.
"I don't want to get into that," Dorrell said of Norton. "He's enjoying where he's at. I'm glad that he's excited."
Dorrell and Norton are black, a relevant fact this week because Tyrone Willingham was fired as head coach of Notre Dame, leaving only two black head coaches among 117 universities in Division I-A. UCLA and USC have historically been ahead of the national curve in these matters. In 1939 and 1940, long before Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, he ran and passed the football for UCLA, where he was a four-sport letterman.
But USC has the more prestigious tradition of running backs, including the Heisman Trophy winners Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979) and Marcus Allen (1981). Quarterback Carson Palmer also won the Heisman in 2002.
Matt Leinart, the current USC quarterback, is a contender this season, as is Reggie Bush, the team's tailback. The Bruins' only Heisman winner was quarterback Gary Beban, in 1967.
UCLA has won only one national football championship, in 1954, but the men's basketball program has won 11 NCAA titles. USC has won 10 national football championships.
Like many players, Leinart was recruited by both universities.
"We've grown up with guys on their team, they've grown up with us," Leinart said. "We've been friends. It's cool. There's a little extra incentive. It shouldn't take much to get up for a game against UCLA."
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