When Tom Capehart was a senior at USC there was no such thing as a personal computer.
The year was 1956. The hard disk had just been invented and a man named Elvis Presley was taking the music scene by storm.
Capehart was a four-sport athlete for the Trojans during his four years in the cardinal and gold. He overcame multiple injuries while pursuing a major in physical education. However, he never graduated. Just one class, four credits, short of a degree, Capehart moved on with his life when the time came.
But fast forward to the spring of 2020. An opportunity Capehart, now 85, thought was long gone was now accomplished — virtually of course — as he was honored with USC’s class of 2020, officially graduating from college with a bachelor of science degree in education.
“I never would have imagined speaking to my fellow graduates and I certainly didn’t expect my fellow graduates to be young enough to be my grandchildren,” Capehart said in a pre-recorded video during USC’s student-athlete virtual graduation ceremony on Thursday.
Capehart, from Kingsburg, enrolled at USC in 1952 on a football scholarship.
After his freshman fall season was over, he joined the Trojans’ basketball team. But his time was cut short after needing emergency surgery for a hernia.
The following football season, Capehart suffered a left knee fracture during his first game as a Trojan and was told by the university he was too injured to continue playing football, basketball or baseball.
“They determined that I would be a liability to the university,” he said.
It seemed as if his collegiate athletic career was over before it even started.
Marvin Goux must have noticed his friend’s frustration at the time and offered an idea.
“It’s water polo season. Why don’t you go out for the water polo team?” Capehart recalls Goux, who went on to become a coach for USC and the Los Angeles Rams, telling him in an almost joking manner.
Not wanting to be done with athletics, Capehart took Goux’s advice.
“I don’t think he knew I was a pretty good swimmer,” he said. “I took that up as a challenge and I enjoyed water polo.”
Capehart went on to compete in both water polo and swimming for the Trojans.
However, when senior year came he realized he was short credits needed to graduate. He needed one more required physical education class but missed his chance during his junior year. The class, which involved participating in gymnastics, wrestling, boxing and badminton, was offered every other year and since he was nursing an injury his junior year he wasn’t able to take it.
Capehart couldn’t afford to stay in college, so when his senior year concluded, he moved on. He started his own insurance company and created a family with his wife, Karen.
But whenever he read a reference about him that incorrectly noted him as a college graduate, he would feel uncomfortable.
“That haunted me because that really wasn’t true because I wasn’t a graduate,” Capehart said.
He tried going back. But when a representative from the university’s registrar office told him they no longer offered physical education degrees, he assumed his chances were over.
That’s until he met USC assistant athletic director Scott Wandzilak last fall. Wandzilak learned of Capehart’s story and found a solution.
Capehart would take a specifically designed course during the winter semester through the university’s department of education to fulfill his remaining degree requirements.
“I don’t know what he did or who he contacted, but it worked out and I’m really grateful for everybody at USC who made it possible,” Capehart said.
Over the course of weekly sessions of three hours with Associate Professor of Clinical Education, Angela Hasan, Capehart was tasked with writing his autobiography.
He’s almost done, about 9/10 of the way through he says. The last section he plans on adding will focus on his graduation this week.
During USC’s student-athlete graduation virtual graduation ceremony on Thursday he was given the honor to speak in front of his fellow 2020 graduates. He told his story and gave life lessons to the group of newly appointed alumni.When asked what he’ll do with the degree once he receives it, Capehart said he’s going to put it in a spot that will act as a constant reminder of the dream he never stopped chasing.
“I’ll put it in the garage. Right in front so when I drive in my car and open the garage, I’ll see my degree,” he said. “That would be a reminder, every time and every night when I take the car out and bring it back, it would remind me that I have my degree.”
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May 16, 2020 at 02:53AM
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USC’s Tom Capehart receives long awaited degree at 85 - OCRegister
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