From his days as a
Southern Cal player:
JONATHAN HIMEBAUCH - 56
San Dimas (Damien)
Center
6-3, 290 - Jr.*/Sr.
1996: USC's most experienced returning center, Himebauch should start as a junior in 1996 in the spot vacated by Jeremy Hogue.
JOHN ROBINSON SAYS: "Himebauch had a great spring and came through for us really well. He has the potential to develop into a fine center if he keeps improving. He has physically matured and just needs the experience."
1995: Himebauch, a reserve center as a sophomore in 1995, saw action in all 12 games on special teams (his only appearances at center came briefly against San Jose State, Arizona State and Northwestern in the Rose Bowl). At Notre Dame, he returned a short kickoff 14 yards as an up man on the kickoff return team.
1994: As a redshirt freshman reserve who was available to play any offensive line position, Himebauch saw action in 8 games in 1994. He appeared briefly at left offensive guard against California and Texas Tech and at right offensive tackle versus Arizona, and played on special teams in the Oregon, Stanford, Washington State, UCLA and Notre Dame contests. He was moved to center from nose tackle midway through 1994 spring drills.
1993: Himebauch redshirted as a nose tackle in 1993, his first year at USC.
HIGH SCHOOL: He was named to the 1992 Blue Chip All-American first team, Scholastic Coach All-American honorable mention, Super Prep All Far West, Max Emfinger All-West Coast, Cal-Hi Sports All-State honorable mention, All-CIF Division IV first team, Los Angeles Times All-San Gabriel Valley first team (as an offensive lineman), All-Inland Valley, All-Baseline League first team (offense and defense) and team MVP at Damien High in La Verne (Calif.). In 1992, he played inside linebacker (posting 63 unassisted tackles and 3 sacks), offensive guard and long snapper. In 1991, he made All-Inland Valley (as an offensive guard) and All-Baseline League. He also played basketball and track. He prepped at the same high school as current Trojan Jeff Diltz.
PERSONAL: His nickname is "Butterbean," after the heavyweight boxer who he resembles when he cuts his hair short. He's an English and creative writing major at USC, with an interest in short stories and poetry. He was born in Greenwich, Conn. He bench presses 435 pounds. His father, Jack, was USC's recruiting coordinator from 1987 to 1994 (he now works in USC's Financial Services department). Jonathan's brother, Curt, was a walk-on defensive back at USC, while another brother, Chris, captained North Carolina's swim team for 2 years (1988-89) and received a master's degree in business administration at USC.
JONATHAN HIMEBAUCH ON:
Finally getting a chance to start: "Being a third-team center before, it was kind of hard to get some time and get comfortable with a position while worrying about only getting a few plays in. Now with this leeway of running the show, it's really a good feeling to have. Everybody kept saying, 'Wait until your turn. Your spot will come.' It couldn't come fast enough for me. After all of this, it was definitely worth the wait and the time spent."
Switching from defense to offense in the spring of 1994: "I was open minded, but reluctant. It was a letdown, but it was good to know they were thinking about me and wanted me to move to a position where I would play. It took me that whole spring and probably the whole next fall before I was comfortable to be in the middle, making the calls and knowing what I was doing. That spring was just a blur. I had no clue what I was doing. But the next fall I was more comfortable."
Majoring in English and creative writing: "You get a lot of double takes when you walk in the class. Most of the guys in there spend most of their hours indoors. It's really fun, though. I enjoy it. You can get away from football. And I'd rather sit there and type than highlight (books while studying)."
His father's influence on selecting USC: "I did kind of have an inside look at USC, but in the beginning I just saw it as college football. When I got to that age, dad left me alone about it. One thing he did was help me make connections with other schools. If I decided USC wasn't the best thing for me, he said he would be fine with it. He always treated me like any recruit. He tried not to give me any special treatment...He opened my eyes to see what recruiting is all about. I think a lot of kids coming out of high school don't know what to look for in a school. And being around recruiting, I knew what to look for, positives and negatives. I wouldn't be impressed with the little things, but knew what would be important...He said, 'Hey, it's your decision.' I decided USC was the best place for me and it just so happened that he worked here, too."