Nixon White House Tapes › Tape 829 › Conversation 829-017

Nixon & McKay on University of Southern California and College football

Tuesday, January 2, 1973 · 8:45 AM–8:53 AM ET · Oval Office · 1 min

ParticipantsNixon, Richard M. (President); McKay, JohnConversation829-017 on Tape 829StartTuesday, January 2, 1973 at 8:45 AMEndTuesday, January 2, 1973 at 8:53 AMRecording deviceOval OfficeSourceNixon Library record for 829-017 ↗

AI Summary

President Nixon met with John McKay to dictate a congratulatory letter regarding the University of Southern California’s recent Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State University. The conversation focused on praising McKay’s coaching prowess and the historical significance of his team’s performance. Nixon specifically highlighted his admiration for the team's exceptional quality and success during the collegiate football season.

  • University of Southern California
  • College football
  • John McKay
  • Rose Bowl
  • Sports commendation

Audio

Download MP3 · 1.5 MB

Transcript (AI-generated)

This transcript was generated automatically by AI (WhisperX) and has not been reviewed for accuracy. Names and numbers are often wrong; speakers are not identified. Do not cite it as authoritative — verify against the audio and the finding aid.

Download transcript (.txt) · JSON data

I think your team will be going to the Super Bowl.
Congratulations.
doing such a superb job of coaching one of the, truly, one of the greatest teams in college football history.
That's sincerely very apparent.

NARA Description

On January 2, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon and John McKay met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:53 am. The Oval Office taping system captured this recording, which is known as Conversation 829-017 of the White House Tapes.

Nixon Library Finding Aid

Conversation No. 829-17

Date: January 2, 1973
Time: Unknown between 8:45 am and 8:53 am.
Location: Oval Office

The President dictated a letter to John McKay.

       Congratulations
            -University of Southern California’s [USC] victory over Ohio State University
            -Football
            -Coaching ability
                                               -26-

                   NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Also recorded on January 2, 1973

  • 035-050 8:45 AM · 14 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, White House operator, and Stephen B. Bull talked on the telephone at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:53 am.
  • 829-018 8:45 AM · 3 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Wayne Woodrow ("Woody") Hays met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:53 am.
  • 829-019 8:45 AM · 17 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Stephen B. Bull met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:53 am.
  • 829-020 8:45 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and Manolo Sanchez met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:53 am.
  • 829-021 8:45 AM · 22 sec — President Richard M. Nixon and unknown person(s) met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:53 am.
  • 829-022 8:45 AM · 47 sec — President Richard M. Nixon, Stephen B. Bull, and the White House operator met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:53 am.
  • 829-023 8:45 AM · 4 min — President Richard M. Nixon, Manolo Sanchez, and Gerald L. Warren met in the Oval Office of the White House at an unknown time between 8:45 am and 8:56 am.
  • 035-051 8:56 AM · 8 min — President Richard M. Nixon and Warren E. Burger talked on the telephone from 8:56 am to 9:03 am.

All 52 conversations from January 2, 1973 →

Cite this conversation

Conversation 829-017, January 2, 1973. White House Tapes, Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. Audio and AI transcript via Easy Nixon, https://www.easynixon.org/tapes/829-017 (accessed October 12, 2026).