“I have been attending USC football games practically since I was born and [Traveler’s runs] were always my favorite part of the game growing up,” said Senior Whitney Middleton.
Over more than 40 years of Traveler tradition there have been seven Travelers. Traveler first appeared in the Coliseum at the 1961 opening season game against Georgia Tech. Bon Janni, then USC’s Director of Special Events, came up with the idea to incorporate the white horse into the Trojan football tradition after seeing Richard Saukko riding Traveler I in the 1961 Rose Parade. Janni invited Saukko to ride Traveler I around the Coliseum during home games, creating the tradition of Traveler’s post-touchdown run, which is accompanied by USC band playing “Conquest.”
“Traveler is an integral part of the school’s pageantry,” said Senior Kathryn Kelly. “I went about six hours early to a game so I could sit in the front and give Tommy Trojan a high five as he rode Traveler around the Coliseum.”
Traveler is known to be a good luck charm for Trojan football.“A lot of the players want to pet the horse as they walk by onto the field as a superstition or tradition,” said Aguilar. “He gets the team fired up because he represents the Trojan spirit and that’s what they’re fighting for. He definitely adds a positive edge to the team.”
Aguilar also said that head football coach Pete Carroll always gives him the “Fight On” sign in acknowledgment of the horse and the tradition as he and the team run off the field after pre-game practice.
Over the course of the Traveler tradition, Traveler’s breed has ranged from Tennessee Walker to Arabian to Andalusian. The current Traveler, Traveler VII, is a pure-bred Adalusian horse. Two qualities have remained constant throughout Traveler's history: his pure white color.
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