USC welcomes Bush back after 10-year ban

Southern California is welcoming back Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush to the school he helped win two national titles, ending a 10-year NCAA-mandated disassociation.

The former star running back had been prohibited from interacting in an official capacity with the school he played for from 2003-05 since NCAA sanctions handed down in 2010. Bush and USC were penalized for him and his family receiving impermissible benefits while he was still in school.

“I’ve dreamed of this day for 10plus years, and I’m excited to come home!” Bush said in a statement released Wednesday by USC.

USC President Carol Folt wrote in a letter to Bush that all restrictions had been officially removed and he could now “be afforded the privileges and courtesies extended to all Trojan football alums.”

Bush was a key part of teams that won national championships in 2003 and ‘04 and had a 34-game winning streak during his USC career. He won the 2005 Heisman, but the award was later vacated because of the NCAA sanctions and he voluntarily returned the statue to the Heisman Trophy Trust before the organization had a chance to strip him of it. He is the only Heisman winner to not be recognized by the Heisman Trust.

Heisman spokesman Tim Henning said the trust was aware of USC’s announcement regarding Bush but had no immediate comment.

The NCAA sanctions also led to USC being stripped of its 2004 BCS title, though The Associated Press still recognizes the Trojans as national champions for that season.

Bush remains one of the most popular players in USC history. No Trojans player has worn Bush’s No. 5 since he left.