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Barry never recreated the success of the 39-40 season, primarily because his life, as well as everyone else's, got very complicated very quickly. In 1940-41 SC got off to a slow start, but beat defending champion Indiana, and finished 15-10. Then on July 27th USC's legendary football coach Howard Jones was washing his car, and dropped dead of a heart attack. So, along with being the head basketball coach and head baseball coach, Barry became head football coach. He was Jones' number one assistant going back to their days at Iowa, so other than the fact he was already the hoops and baseball coach it made sense for him to take over for Jones. It would be a tough year for the football team, going 2-6-1, but got a lot tougher when at 11am the morning after USC and UCLA tied in football 7-7 everyone in Southern California learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Barry, like so many others, immediately made plans to join the war effort, and would not coach SC hoops again until the war was over in 1945. He recommended Jeff Cravath to take over his duties as USC football coach, Julie Bescos as basketball coach, and Rod Dedeaux, a former player and trucking company owner in town, as baseball coach for the duration of the war. As a lieutenant commander, Barry was in charge of physical and military training of Navy personnel in the South Pacific, for which he would later receive a Naval Commendation from then Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal.
For the 41-42 season Bescos took over. He was coach of the Frosh and JV teams, and as a player for Barry was the team's MVP in 1934 and twice earned All-Pacific Coast Conference Southern Division honors. In 41-42 he went 12-8, but then he too joined the Navy. SC's next hoops coach was Ernie Holbrook. Holbrook was a star athlete in basketball and baseball at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He enrolled at SC in 1932, and was a forward on the first undefeated freshman basketball team, before starring for the varsity team for three years. In March 1935, Holbrook was the hero of the Pacific Coast Conference play-off series against Oregon State, looping his only field goal of the game in the last 30 seconds to give the Trojans a 32–31 win. Holbrook was also an excellent baseball player, and signed a contract with the Red Sox. Baseball didn't work out, so in 1937 he returned to California, where he coached basketball at George Washington High School. Holbrook attempted to join up as well in 1941, but was rejected three times. So, after Bescos left Holbrook took over as hoops coach, with very impressive results. The team in 42-43 went 23-3, including a 15 game winning streak. They won the Southern Division, but lost the best of three to Washington. It is fair to say that his coaching career was looking pretty promising, but for men of that era not being in the fight was a very hard pill to swallow. The next year, 43-44, Holbrook had SC off to a 6-4 start, but in January of 1944, on his fourth try, he was accepted into the US Army. He left the coaching profession, wife and young son, and served with the 109th Infantry Regiment of the 28th “Keystone” Infantry Division in Europe. On December 16, 1944, snow, ground fog and freezing weather engulfed the Ardennes in Luxembourg, where Private Holbrook was stationed. An early morning enemy artillery and mortar barrage ripped into the division’s line as the Fifth Panzer Army launched an attack in what later became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Holbrook was reported missing in action that first day. It was later confirmed he had died during the opening salvos of the Ardennes offensive. He is buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium. When Barry got back he instituted the Ernie Holbrook Memorial Award to the school’s most inspirational basketball player. The first winner of the award was Tex Winter.
The results when Barry got back were good, but that period should be remembered more for the individuals who went through his programs and later would become hall of fame coaches. Upon his return he and Rod Dedeaux co-coached the baseball team to SC's first College World Series title in 1948, and Dedeaux would turn out to be a pretty good coach from there. On the hoops side, Berry would coach four players who would later be hall of fame coaches, primarily because of the Triangle offense, or Triple Post as Barry called it. You can lose a week learning about the Triangle, which in essence is a motion offense with players having the ability to make certain moves and cuts out of it based on what the defense gives them. The first coach of note is Jack Gardner who was a three-year lettermen at USC (1930-32) and was captain his senior year. He learned well from Barry and became one of the most successful college coaches ever. Known as “The Fox”, Gardner became the only coach in history to lead two different schools to the Final Four twice each. Gardner achieved this honor by directing both Kansas State (1948 and 1951) and Utah (1961 and 1966) into the Big Dance. In 28 years of coaching at the major college level, Gardner’s teams compiled a 486-235 record.
Next are three players who would become coaching legends in the NBA; Alex Hannum, Tex Winter and Bill Sharman, who also was Barry's last consensus All American player. When you look at the NBA teams with the most wins ever in a season, these three coaches account for four of the top five seasons ever, all ending in an NBA championship. If you ever get a chance to view some of that grainy video of the 71-72 Lakers, it is a beautiful representation of Barry's offense, with Wilt in the post and both West and Goodrich cutting off of him.
One other notable accomplishment in Barry's career is the Streak. His 40-game winning streak in basketball against UCLA, compiled from 1932 to 1942, and continued in 1946, stands as the longest winning streak by any coach against a single opponent in the history of college basketball.
It was primarily because of this Streak that when in 1948 UCLA needed a new basketball coach they looked to the Midwest like USC had done with Barry, and hired the Indiana State coach John Wooden. UCLA was not Wooden and his wife's first choice, Minnesota was, but inclement weather in Minnesota prevented Wooden from receiving the scheduled phone offer from the Golden Gophers. Thinking that they had lost interest, Wooden instead accepted the head coaching job with the Bruins. Officials from the University of Minnesota contacted Wooden immediately after he accepted the position at UCLA, but he declined their offer because he had already given his word to UCLA. He and his wife were also not particularly happy at UCLA, and when his old college coach, Mel Taube left Purdue in 1950, Wooden's inclination was to return to West Lafayette. He was ultimately dissuaded when UCLA officials reminded him that it was he who had insisted upon a three-year commitment during negotiations in 1948. Wooden felt that leaving UCLA prior to the expiration of his contract would be tantamount to breaking his word, even though Purdue offered more money, a car and housing, so he stayed.
Wooden and Barry would meet as opposing coaches eight times, with Wooden winning five. The last two games Barry ever coached were against Wooden and UCLA, a win at UCLA's Men's Gym, followed by a loss the next night at the Pan Pacific.... a USC "home game".
The fate that befell Barry's good friend Howard Jones would end his life too. While scouting Cal for the football team on September 23, 1950 he suffered a heart attack while climbing the hill to Memorial Stadium, and died before reaching the hospital. He was 57 years old.
The accolades were appropriate:
Next time, Barry's replacement, the second F4, Race and Gail Goodrich
Barry, like so many others, immediately made plans to join the war effort, and would not coach SC hoops again until the war was over in 1945. He recommended Jeff Cravath to take over his duties as USC football coach, Julie Bescos as basketball coach, and Rod Dedeaux, a former player and trucking company owner in town, as baseball coach for the duration of the war. As a lieutenant commander, Barry was in charge of physical and military training of Navy personnel in the South Pacific, for which he would later receive a Naval Commendation from then Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal.
For the 41-42 season Bescos took over. He was coach of the Frosh and JV teams, and as a player for Barry was the team's MVP in 1934 and twice earned All-Pacific Coast Conference Southern Division honors. In 41-42 he went 12-8, but then he too joined the Navy. SC's next hoops coach was Ernie Holbrook. Holbrook was a star athlete in basketball and baseball at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He enrolled at SC in 1932, and was a forward on the first undefeated freshman basketball team, before starring for the varsity team for three years. In March 1935, Holbrook was the hero of the Pacific Coast Conference play-off series against Oregon State, looping his only field goal of the game in the last 30 seconds to give the Trojans a 32–31 win. Holbrook was also an excellent baseball player, and signed a contract with the Red Sox. Baseball didn't work out, so in 1937 he returned to California, where he coached basketball at George Washington High School. Holbrook attempted to join up as well in 1941, but was rejected three times. So, after Bescos left Holbrook took over as hoops coach, with very impressive results. The team in 42-43 went 23-3, including a 15 game winning streak. They won the Southern Division, but lost the best of three to Washington. It is fair to say that his coaching career was looking pretty promising, but for men of that era not being in the fight was a very hard pill to swallow. The next year, 43-44, Holbrook had SC off to a 6-4 start, but in January of 1944, on his fourth try, he was accepted into the US Army. He left the coaching profession, wife and young son, and served with the 109th Infantry Regiment of the 28th “Keystone” Infantry Division in Europe. On December 16, 1944, snow, ground fog and freezing weather engulfed the Ardennes in Luxembourg, where Private Holbrook was stationed. An early morning enemy artillery and mortar barrage ripped into the division’s line as the Fifth Panzer Army launched an attack in what later became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Holbrook was reported missing in action that first day. It was later confirmed he had died during the opening salvos of the Ardennes offensive. He is buried at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery in Belgium. When Barry got back he instituted the Ernie Holbrook Memorial Award to the school’s most inspirational basketball player. The first winner of the award was Tex Winter.
The results when Barry got back were good, but that period should be remembered more for the individuals who went through his programs and later would become hall of fame coaches. Upon his return he and Rod Dedeaux co-coached the baseball team to SC's first College World Series title in 1948, and Dedeaux would turn out to be a pretty good coach from there. On the hoops side, Berry would coach four players who would later be hall of fame coaches, primarily because of the Triangle offense, or Triple Post as Barry called it. You can lose a week learning about the Triangle, which in essence is a motion offense with players having the ability to make certain moves and cuts out of it based on what the defense gives them. The first coach of note is Jack Gardner who was a three-year lettermen at USC (1930-32) and was captain his senior year. He learned well from Barry and became one of the most successful college coaches ever. Known as “The Fox”, Gardner became the only coach in history to lead two different schools to the Final Four twice each. Gardner achieved this honor by directing both Kansas State (1948 and 1951) and Utah (1961 and 1966) into the Big Dance. In 28 years of coaching at the major college level, Gardner’s teams compiled a 486-235 record.
Next are three players who would become coaching legends in the NBA; Alex Hannum, Tex Winter and Bill Sharman, who also was Barry's last consensus All American player. When you look at the NBA teams with the most wins ever in a season, these three coaches account for four of the top five seasons ever, all ending in an NBA championship. If you ever get a chance to view some of that grainy video of the 71-72 Lakers, it is a beautiful representation of Barry's offense, with Wilt in the post and both West and Goodrich cutting off of him.
One other notable accomplishment in Barry's career is the Streak. His 40-game winning streak in basketball against UCLA, compiled from 1932 to 1942, and continued in 1946, stands as the longest winning streak by any coach against a single opponent in the history of college basketball.
It was primarily because of this Streak that when in 1948 UCLA needed a new basketball coach they looked to the Midwest like USC had done with Barry, and hired the Indiana State coach John Wooden. UCLA was not Wooden and his wife's first choice, Minnesota was, but inclement weather in Minnesota prevented Wooden from receiving the scheduled phone offer from the Golden Gophers. Thinking that they had lost interest, Wooden instead accepted the head coaching job with the Bruins. Officials from the University of Minnesota contacted Wooden immediately after he accepted the position at UCLA, but he declined their offer because he had already given his word to UCLA. He and his wife were also not particularly happy at UCLA, and when his old college coach, Mel Taube left Purdue in 1950, Wooden's inclination was to return to West Lafayette. He was ultimately dissuaded when UCLA officials reminded him that it was he who had insisted upon a three-year commitment during negotiations in 1948. Wooden felt that leaving UCLA prior to the expiration of his contract would be tantamount to breaking his word, even though Purdue offered more money, a car and housing, so he stayed.
Wooden and Barry would meet as opposing coaches eight times, with Wooden winning five. The last two games Barry ever coached were against Wooden and UCLA, a win at UCLA's Men's Gym, followed by a loss the next night at the Pan Pacific.... a USC "home game".
The fate that befell Barry's good friend Howard Jones would end his life too. While scouting Cal for the football team on September 23, 1950 he suffered a heart attack while climbing the hill to Memorial Stadium, and died before reaching the hospital. He was 57 years old.
The accolades were appropriate:
- "I feel that the Pacific Coast Conference has lost one of its finest coaches and I feel a great personal loss. He was one of the scrappiest coaches during a game and one of the nicest persons I've ever known after the game. He was a fine fellow in every respect." – John Wooden
- "It is impossible to pinpoint Sam Barry's friendliness, his effect upon all groups. Sam was a man who loved his fellow men, loved life, loved living. He leaves a big hole, not only in the Trojan family, not only on the West Coast, but on the entire national scene. Sam Barry was a leader, the finest type of American citizen. Never having done a mean or injurious thing in his life, it is certain his soul rests in peace." – Dick Hyland, Los Angeles Times, September 26, 1950
- "For 34 of his 57 years the genial coach, whose name ranked with the Staggs, Warners and Joneses as bywords of the intercollegiate sports world, had engaged in one of athletics' most successful careers. ... Barry is the man most responsible for basketball as it is played today, a game that leads the nation in attendance." – Jack Geyer, Los Angeles Times, September 24, 1950
Next time, Barry's replacement, the second F4, Race and Gail Goodrich