Morley Drury
Encyclopedia
Morley E. Drury nicknamed "The Noblest Trojan of Them All," was a quarterback
for the University of Southern California
.
in leading USC during the 1920s.
A graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High School
, Drury's finest season came in 1927 as the senior captain employed his skillful passing and rushing to carry the Trojans to an 8-1-1 record. Southern California shared the Pacific Coast Conference
title with Stanford University
, battling the Cardinals to a 13-13 deadlock. The only smudge on the Trojan record was a mid-season loss to powerful Notre Dame University, 7-6. Drury led the team in scoring (76 points) and rushing (1163 yards) and won First-Team All-America
honors. His 1163 yards marked the first time a USC player surpassed 1,000 yards rushing and stood as a Southern California record until Mike Garrett
eclipsed the mark with 1440 yards during his 1965 Heisman Trophy
campaign.
Drury was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1954. In 2010, Morley Drury joined his late brother, former NHL hockey player and United States Olympian Herb Drury, as an inductee of the Midland (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame, in the Athlete category.
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
College career
Drury helped coach Howard JonesHoward Jones (football coach)
Howard Harding Jones was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Syracuse University , Yale University , Ohio State University , the University of Iowa , Duke University , and the University of Southern California , compiling a career record of...
in leading USC during the 1920s.
A graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a High school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States....
, Drury's finest season came in 1927 as the senior captain employed his skillful passing and rushing to carry the Trojans to an 8-1-1 record. Southern California shared the Pacific Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
title with Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, battling the Cardinals to a 13-13 deadlock. The only smudge on the Trojan record was a mid-season loss to powerful Notre Dame University, 7-6. Drury led the team in scoring (76 points) and rushing (1163 yards) and won First-Team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors. His 1163 yards marked the first time a USC player surpassed 1,000 yards rushing and stood as a Southern California record until Mike Garrett
Mike Garrett
Michael Lockett Garrett is a former American collegiate and professional football player who won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a tailback for the University of Southern California Trojans. Garrett also played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers...
eclipsed the mark with 1440 yards during his 1965 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
campaign.
Drury was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1954. In 2010, Morley Drury joined his late brother, former NHL hockey player and United States Olympian Herb Drury, as an inductee of the Midland (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame, in the Athlete category.