Trojan Times: USC's defense plays for strip stakes

Down in the basement of the USC athletic department, in the far corner of a windowless room where members of the football team's defense meet each day, there is a black chair.

Set apart from rows of hard seats. High-backed. Cushy. With armrests.

It is called the "Strip King" chair.

Before you get the wrong idea, this specific piece of furniture awaits the player who, at the previous practice, made the most verified attempts to snatch the football from his teammates on offense.

"You want to be in that chair," defensive tackle Fili Moala says. "Oh, dude, everyone knows you're the Strip King."

-- David Wharton
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Photo by Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times