ESPN Films’ Peabody and Emmy Award-winning 30 for 30 documentary series returns with Trojan War on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The film, which kicks off 30 for 30 Volume III, is the first in the five-film fall slate premiering every Tuesday in prime time on ESPN through November 10.
When Pete Carroll took over the football program at USC after the 2000 season, the once-great Trojans were under siege. But thanks to his football knowledge, upbeat personality and recruiting skills, Southern Cal was soon back atop the college football world. Home attendance skyrocketed, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush won Heismans and the Trojans put together a 34-game winning streak.
As it would be later discovered, though, the program was committing sins that would result in lost scholarships, victories and one of those Heismans. But those revelations didn’t come until after the national championship game in the 2006 Rose Bowl between USC and the University of Texas. Featuring interviews with Carroll, Leinart and others inside the USC program at the time, Trojan War looks at Carroll’s nine-year USC reign through the prism of that game, considered one of the greatest in college football history. It was also the beginning of the end.
“The Pete Carroll era at USC coincided with my years as a film student at the school,” says director Aaron Rahsaan Thomas. “It was a time of excitement, a time of domination, a time of peaks and valleys…In short, perfect material for an entertaining cinematic ride.”
30 for 30 films will debut on ESPN as follows (all times ET):
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 9 p.m. – Trojan War
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 9 p.m. – Down in the Valley
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 9 p.m. – The Prince of Pennsylvania
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 9 p.m. – The Gospel According to Mac
Tuesday, Nov. 10, 8 p.m. – Chasing Tyson
Enjoy Trojan War and other great titles in the 30 for 30 Documentary library with a subscription to ESPN+.