The Floyd Files: Introduction

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After just four years, Tim Floyd leaves USC as arguably the most successful coach in Trojans history.

But an 85-50 record and three straight trips to the NCAA tournament won’t be Floyd’s legacy. He took over a team that played second fiddle in its own town (to UCLA), and even second fiddle on its own campus (football). He was an affable guy who brought Southern charm to Southern Cal -- as he called the school in his resignation letter. Using that name is a faux pas in the land of Troy.

We eventually learned that the Mississippi native was like a riverboat gambler, taking a few risks and making a lot of unorthodox moves in order to bring USC’s basketball program to national prominence. But just a couple of months after he speculated about a Final Four run, he was saying his final goodbyes.

Correction -- he skipped the goodbyes. Floyd gave the school, including his players, no apparent notice. He sent a letter to Athletic Director Mike Garrett and CC’d a Mississippi paper. While the result wasn’t a surprise, the timing was.

A lot of attention is being given to O.J. Mayo and alleged impropriety in his recruitment and year as a Trojan, but these allegations have overshadowed other questionable episodes that deserved more attention. Over the next few days, we’re going to take a look back on some of the events that really define the Tim Floyd era at USC. This post will be updated and serve as a table of contents. Feel free to bookmark and check back, or go to our new category, The Floyd Files.

-- Adam Rose

Dino Vournas / Associated Press.