Reggie Bush to throw out first pitch at Dodger Stadium
USC legend and restored Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Dodger Stadium Friday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers made the announcement Wednesday afternoon on X, formerly Twitter.
“We have your Friday night plans right here,” the team wrote while sharing a photo of the former University of Southern California star.
Bush has reemerged as a Los Angeles sports icon after his 2005 Heisman Trophy was reinstated last month by the Heisman Trust.
The game-breaking running back was previously stripped of college football’s greatest individual accolade after a 2010 investigation determined he received improper benefits as a member of the Trojans.
Bush’s personal trophy was forfeited and the replica previously housed at USC was also given back. Bush was also forbidden from attending future Heisman award ceremonies.
But in April, the Heisman Trust restored the honor, returning the 2005 trophy back to its rightful owner and welcoming Bush back into its exclusive brotherhood.
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The decision was made largely in part due to the changing public perception of college athletes benefiting from their personal achievements and likeness.
The NCAA now allows student-athletes to profit from their name and image, and athlete compensation has become an accepted and normalized part of college sports.
“Recognizing that the compensation of student athletes is an accepted practice and appears here to stay, these fundamental changes in college athletics led the Trust to decide that now is the right time to return the Trophy to Bush, who unquestionably was the most outstanding college football player of 2005,” the Heisman Trust said.
Bush had publicly campaigned to have his trophy returned and was the benefactor of outspoken support by former Heisman Trophy winners, including quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Matt Leinart — Bush’s college teammate — and legendary Notre Dame wide receiver Tim Brown.
In a ceremony held at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last month, Bush described the experience as a “full circle moment.”
“I can close my eyes and I can right away place myself on that football field in the No. 5 jersey,” he said to a gathered crowd of media members.
Bush pointedly said the trophy was “wrongfully” taken from him, insisting that his on-field legacy remained unblemished and pushed back at the notion that he ever cheated as a college athlete.
“You can’t get to this or a National Championship by cheating, I promise you,” Bush said, while pointing to the Heisman Trophy.
Bush’s Heisman season saw him rush for 1,740 yards while adding 478 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns. The Trojans finished the season in the 2005 National Championship, which ended in a loss to the Texas Longhorns in a game that is widely considered to be among the greatest in college football history.
USC’s 2004 National Championship, and all wins from its 13-0 season, still remain vacated.
Bush will appear in Chavez Ravine Friday evening to throw out the first pitch before the Dodgers take on the Cincinnati Reds at 7:10 p.m.
A Friday night fireworks show will take place after the last out.
Ticketing information can be found online.
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