Traveler, the noble white horse that appears at all the USC football games with a Trojan Warrior astride, is one of the most famous college mascots.
Traveler first made an appearance at USC football games in 1961 in the home opener versus Georgia Tech. Bob Jani, USC’s director of special events, and Eddie Tannenbaum, a junior at USC, had spotted Richard Saukko riding his white horse, Traveler I, in the 1961 Rose Parade. They persuaded Saukko to ride his white horse around the Coliseum during USC games, serving as a mascot. Ever since, whenever USC scores, the band plays “Conquest” and Traveler gallops around the Coliseum.