LOS ANGELES -- It seems only fitting, on the week the $70 million John McKay Center will be dedicated, to pause and offer some memories of the man behind the legend. As one of the few writers around who was fortunate enough to cover McKay during his glory years, it feels almost incumbent of me to answer the question most often asked by today's younger USC football fans:

John McKay's largesse on the field was only surpassed by his overwhelming personality off of it. Darryl Norenberg/US PRresswire

What was John McKay really like?

Well, sit back, relax and allow me to offer this glimpse into the extraordinary personality and psyche of a coaching icon: