LOS ANGELES -- Morley Drury, the first Southern Cal running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and the man known as 'The Noblest Trojan of Them All,' died Sunday. He was 85.
Drury gained 1,163 yards rushing during the 1927 season, and it was 38 years before another Southern Cal back achieved the milestone, coming when Mike Garrett ran for 1,440 yards in 1965. Drury still ranks 14th on the Trojans' all-time rushing list with 1,686 career yards.
A two-way football player, Drury also lettered in basketball, hockey and water polo.
'The Noblest Trojan of Them All,' a nickname Drury got from Los Angeles Examiner sportswriter Mark Kelly, rushed for 180 yards and scored three touchdowns in his final game, receiving a five-minute standing ovation when he left the contest.
Funeral services will be private.
