2 Die in Midair Plane Crash; Lombardi at USC? February 2, 1959

Posted on February 2, 2009 by lmharnisch
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Wreckage landed in the 7900 block of East 8th Street, Buena Park.
 

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At left, Officer J.F. Harkan shoots Edwin Kelly, 17, during a stakeout at the RKO Hill Street theater at 8th and Hill.

Above, Judy Holliday will appear in "Bells Are Ringing" at the Philharmonic Auditorium … Bob Hope makes an unscripted appearance in Ken Murray’s "Blackouts."

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Delbert Wong becomes the first Chinese American judge in the U.S. and American Airlines promotes its nonstop jet service to New York.

1959_0202_sportsDid USC really have a chance to hire Vince Lombardi before he became coach of the Green Bay Packers?

Maybe, according to Braven Dyer of The Times. In a sports journalism version of the old-boys’ network, Dyer said he got a "long-distance call" from the sports editor of Look magazine asking that he put in a plug for Lombardi. Dryer said the Look editor was an old Fordham booster. That’s where Lombardi played in college.

Anyway, Dyer said he tried but "SC went elsewhere. I don’t remember the year."

Did Dryer and The Times really have the juice to make that happen or did he just need a lead for his column? Would Lombardi have even considered a West Coast job? Would a college president really listen to the opinion of a sports columnist? And if Dyer was advising USC, who was talking to UCLA?

— Keith Thursby

[Keith: Am I imagining things? The Globetrotters vs. the Rams? Jerry Lewis with the Dodgers? –l rh] 

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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1 Response to 2 Die in Midair Plane Crash; Lombardi at USC? February 2, 1959

  1. Unknown's avatar Keith Thursby says:
    February 2, 2009 at 8:23 am

    Larry–The Rams really did play basketball. I think for a variety of reasons, from community service to staying in shape. I once saw the Rams play basketball at Cerritos College against a faculty team to raise money for charity. As for Jerry Lewis, the Dodgers were smart to use Wrigley Field for off-season games. And did you see some of Lewis’ teammates? A couple guys named Koufax and Drysdale.
    –Keith

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