USC eyeing Rose Bowl
The University of Southern California has contacted the Rose Bowl Operating Company about a possible move to the Rose Bowl for the 2008 football season, where the UCLA team has played since 1982.
USC announced that it was negotiating with the Rose Bowl Operating Company on Tuesday, just days before its rivalry game against UCLA this Saturday.
The Trojans have played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in downtown Los Angeles since 1923. But their two-year lease on the stadium ends after Saturday’s game against the Bruins, and recent negotiations between the school and the Coliseum Commission have stalled.
USC is asking for operating control of the Coliseum for the next 10 years, which the commission is reluctant to give up. USC offered to pay $100 million to renovate the Coliseum in exchange for control of the stadium.
The Coliseum Commission is offering USC a new two-year lease.
“Although we have been a faithful tenant of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for 80 years, we must now seek other alternatives for the good of our football program and our fans,” said USC Senior Vice President for Administration Todd R. Dickey.
The Rose Bowl Operating Company will address the issue at its Dec. 6 meeting. Any deal with USC would have to be approved by UCLA.
“Our primary tenant at the Rose Bowl is UCLA and we have an excellent relationship and working agreement with the university,” said Darryl Dunn, the Rose Bowl’s general manager, in a statement released Wednesday. “We are open to assisting USC on a short-term basis if this meets with the desires of UCLA and our board of directors of the Rose Bowl Operating Company.”
Dunn said that the negotiations with USC are at a preliminary stage and that it is unlikely that a final decision will be made at the next meeting.
UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said UCLA would not agree to any arrangement between USC and the Rose Bowl, through a statement released by the UCLA athletic department Wednesday.
The Bruins are protected as the venue’s primary tenant through 2023.
“I feel that it is in the best interest of college football in Southern California for each institution to have its own home stadium and I remain hopeful that USC and the Coliseum Commission can reach a satisfactory accord,” Guerrero said.
UCLA Administrative Vice Chancellor Pete Blackman also said that no deal would be considered that hurts UCLA.
“Protecting the ongoing integrity of the UCLA football program must be our highest priority,” Blackman said in a statement.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has made efforts to bring an NFL team to the city and has expressed his desire to keep USC at the Colisuem.
“The Coliseum is and should remain the home of the USC Trojans,” Villaraigoa said in a statement. “I am committed to seeking a long-term agreement with USC that protects the public interest, preserves jobs and benefits the entire community of south Los Angeles.”
[More at www.dailybruin.ucla.edu ]
