Hello Trojans!

My name is Matt Schmitmeyer and I am currently a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Spirit is one of the three pillars of the Trojan Knights and serves as the backbone of what we as Knights stand for. Since our founding in 1921, we have served as the leaders of the student section at the Coliseum for all football games. We have been at the center of numerous Trojan Traditions at football games, from creating card stunts to serving on the crew for Traveler to ringing the Victory Bell on the sideline. As Trojan Knights, we are the first students to enter the stadium two hours before kickoff and are the last to leave after the post game band concert is over. As Athletics Chair of the Knights, I work as a liaison with the Athletic Department and Administration to oversee these traditions and to help the Knights make all USC athletic events more enjoyable.

Fight On!

Matt Schmitmeyer,

Athletics Chair of the Trojan Knights

Two Trojan Knights carry the Victory Bell, one of the most important pieces of USC tradition and an essential component of the University’s pride.

The Victory Bell has a storied history, but in essence its function is to act as a trophy for the winner of the annual USC-UCLA rivalry game.

The winner of the game that year recieves the honor of painting the bell’s carriage the school color and safeguarding it till it need be rung loud to stir the spirit of the student body.

The Trojan Knights were directly responsible for starting this tradition, back in 1941 when we first stole the bell from UCLA. Since then, when in USC’s possession, the Knights serve as it’s guardians and caretakers.

A few years ago, a new tradition was created at USC to hold an enormous spirit rally for the student body before the wek of the USC-UCLA game. Although the rally, known as “Conquest”, features many spirit based attractions for the student body, none is more stirring than the burning of the Bruin bear.

The Trojan Knights are responsible for setting up a giant bonfire around a large bruin effigy, and setting it alight to signal the end of the rally. If you look hard enough, you can also see Knights and other students patroling the tops of the buildings around McCarthy Quad to make sure the sparks from the bonfire don’t cause any damage.

Knights in the front row of the Coliseum.

Since our inception, the Trojan Knights have been helping USC get ready for Game Day by doing “gatecall” in the Coliseum with our sister organization, the USC Helenes. Typically, gatecall involves entering the stadium early to set-up up pompoms and various other tasks around the area.

In exchange for this service, the University gives the Knights and Helenes the privelege of reserved seats in the front row. Knights routinely take pictures with visiting celebrities, interact with players and officials, and make it known that we are the loudest and proudest fans in the stands.

Knights guard Tommy before the rivalry game.

USC and FUCLA have a long standing tradition of pranks and mischief. Over the years, there have been pranks ranging from dumping manure on Tommy Trojan from a helicopter to pouring cardinal paint into all the fountains at UCLA. The most common variation however, is the classic throw-paint-on-their-mascot prank that we still see happening regularly today.

To prevent this from happening, the Trojan Knights maintain a round-the-clock vigil around Tommy Trojan for the entire week leading up to the football game with UCLA. There are always Knights present and alert so as to never leave our beloved Trojan Shrine vulnerable to Bruin tricksters.