Morley E. Drury (February 15, 1903 – January 21, 1989), nicknamed "The Noblest Trojan of Them All," was a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

College career

A graduate of

Long Beach Polytechnic High School Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a four-year public high school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States. The school serves portions of Long Beach, including Bixby ...

, Drury was a prominent quarterback for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ''Trojans'', the women's athletic teams are referred ...

of the

, helping coach Howard Jones in leading USC during the 1920s. Drury's finest season came in

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

as the senior captain employed his skillful passing and rushing to carry the Trojans to an 8–1–1 record. USC shared the Pacific Coast Conference title with Stanford University, battling the Indians to a 13–13 deadlock. The only smudge on the Trojan record was a mid-season loss to powerful Notre Dame, 7–6. Drury had 180 yards and three touchdowns against

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, prompting the crowd at Memorial Coliseum to give him a 10-minute standing ovation. Drury led the team in scoring (76 points) and rushing (1163 yards) and won first-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

honors. His 1163 yards marked the first time a USC player surpassed 1,000 yards rushing and stood as a USC record until

Mike Garrett Michael Lockett Garrett (born April 12, 1944) is a former American football player who won the Heisman Trophy in 1965 as a halfback for the USC Trojans. Garrett played professional football for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and Sa ...

eclipsed the mark with 1440 yards during his 1965 Heisman Trophy campaign. Drury was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. Drury died in 1989. In 2010, Morley Drury joined his late brother, former NHL hockey player and United States Olympian

Herb Drury Herbert Joseph Drury (March 2, 1896 – July 30, 1965) was a Canadian-born American ice hockey defenseman who played six seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Quakers. Internationally he played fo ...

, as an inductee of the Midland (Ontario) Sports Hall of Fame, in the Athlete category.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Drury, Morley 1903 births 1989 deaths All-American college football players American football quarterbacks Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian players of American football Gridiron football people from Ontario USC Trojans football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Midland, Ontario Players of American football from Long Beach, California