USC's best - Anthony Munoz gains special notice for overcoming injury
USC's best - Anthony Munoz gains special notice for overcoming injury
Matt Zemek, Trojans WireFri, May 29, 2026 at 11:31 AM UTC
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USC's best - Anthony Munoz gains special notice for overcoming injury
SEC Network football analyst Cole Cubelic asked earlier in May about the greatest football player USC has ever produced. We continue our look at players who merit inclusion in that very expansive conversation. Anthony Munoz has to be part of it.
What makes it difficult to crown Munoz as USC's greatest player ever is the fact that he was injured for a good portion of his Trojan career, including and especially the 1979 season in which he missed most of the team's games. Somewhat like Junior Seau, Munoz doesn't have a three- or four-year track record of college games as a Trojan. That chapter of his football career is therefore limited.
Yet, in a discussion of greatest football players ever, the NFL side can magnify what the college side might not have fully revealed or displayed. Munoz would never win a debate on the best USC player strictly in terms of production as a Trojan, but if the NFL part of the equation is included, Munoz becomes a viable candidate.
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We cannot emphasize enough how tough Munoz was. First of all, he battled back from his injury to help Charles White and the rest of the Trojans beat No. 1 Ohio State in the 1980 Rose Bowl, but that was just one game. What really sets Munoz apart is that despite his very recent injury, the Cincinnati Bengals and football icon Paul Brown chose him with the No. 3 pick in the 1980 NFL Draft. There's absolutely zero chance Munoz would have been a top-five pick in modern football. NFL teams would have been scared to take an injured prospect that high. The Bengals trusted Munoz, and he instantly repaid them with the franchise's first AFC championship and Super Bowl appearance in the 1981 campaign. Munoz led the Bengals to a second Super Bowl later in the 1980s and became an elite annual All-Pro rock on the team's offensive line.
The ability to overcome a significant injury is something Anthony Munoz has on his career resume which a lot of other iconic and stellar Trojans lack. This is the argument one would make if attempting to anoint Munoz as USC's greatest player ever. It doesn't mean Munoz should be No. 1, but it's the argument anyone in the room can advance.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football lineman Anthony Munoz became the ultimate warrior
Source: “AOL Sports”
