Football | February 08, 2024
LOS ANGELES—Rod Sherman, who caught one of the most famous touchdowns in USC football history, died on Tuesday (Feb. 6) of natural causes. He was 79.
The three-year (1964-66) letterman wideout grabbed Craig Fertig’s fourth-down 15-yard TD pass with 1:33 to play against unbeaten, top-ranked Notre Dame in 1964 to lead Troy back from a 17-point deficit and to a 20-17 win. Sherman actually suggested the play (“84-Z Delay”) on the sideline to head coach John McKay, who then sent Sherman into the game.
He captained the 1966 Trojan team that played in the Rose Bowl, and earned All-Conference first team honors that season. In his USC career, he caught 90 passes.
After playing in the Hula Bowl, College All-Star Game and Coaches All-America Game following his senior season, Sherman was selected in both the AFL and NFL Drafts and joined the Raiders in 1967, helping Oakland to an AFL Championship as a rookie. He played in Super Bowl II in 1968 with the Raiders. He had another history-making catch with Oakland with his then-record, 82-yard TD reception from Daryle Lamonica propelling the Raiders to a 21-14 win over Miami in a 1970 AFC Divisional playoff game, sending them to the AFC Championship Game.
He spent 7 years in the NFL with the Raiders (1967, 1969-71), Bengals (1968), Broncos (19972) and Rams (1973), finishing his NFL career with 105 receptions for 1,576 yards and 5 TDs.
He then became a sports executive and founder of football fantasy camps. He attended Muir High in Pasadena (Calif.), then attended UCLA and Pasadena City College before coming to USC.
He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018 and is also a member of the California Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Sherman is survived by his son, Eric, daughter, Cindi, and 4 stepsons, Ronnie, Michael, Aaron and RJ.
Memorial service details are pending.
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