Two men, one picture and very different paths

The picture to the right was taken on the field of the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1977. O.J. Simpson, a former Heisman trophy winner for USC, was present to watch his Trojans take on Coach Schembechler's Wolverines (led by QB Rick Leach) in the 1977 Rose Bowl game. Both Coach Schembechler and Simpson were in the news again last week but for very different reasons. Their careers took wildly divergent paths in the almost 30 years since this photograph was taken. While Coach Schembechler's passing was being mourned across the nation, Simpson was being lambasted in the press for his participation in a book (now canceled) that was entitled, "If I Did It." The dichotomy of the lives of the two men could not be more stark. However, back on 1-1-77, their paths crossed and they were just two guys talking football. Who knew what the future held for each of them. Go Blue!