Once a Trojan, Always a Trojan: a True Story

Once A Trojan Always A Trojan uses continual visualization and motion to follow the Forrest Gump-like life of Joe Obbema, a teammate of O. J. Simpson, Simpson's fellow College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ron Yary, Tim Rossovich and several other first-round NFL draft choices on the 1967 USC consensus national championship football team. The story stage is set during the championship season, and spins from three key games during that run, through the triumphs and tragedies in Obbema's life. Along the way, fueled by incredible minutiae, are humorous, tragic and action-packed moments, including Obbema's colorful and fight-dominated sidelight as a bouncer while studying for his teaching certificate. Many never-before-published recollections and recountings surrounding famous game moments are captured, including first-hand interviews with several former NFL head coaches and college teammates who have been Obbema's lifelong friends, and those of the longtime "Voice of the Trojans," Tom Kelly. Using all the twists and turns of Obbema's journey as a springboard, the book is not merely a story about a successful football career that was shortened by injuries, but is designed to illustrate how it relates to life in general.