One by one, the gigantic USC Trojans linemen would knock on doors at Trade Tech and ask for Señora Ross. She was the easy-grading Spanish teacher who would help them pass Intermediate Spanish 3 and satisfy the foreign language requirement to graduate. All but five students in last summer's class got A's, the rest B's. That was too good for the USC administration, which ruled that the credits could not be transferred, today's LAT says.

"They knew who they were looking for," recalled one language teacher, asking not to be identified to avoid internal conflict. But months later faculty members still fume over what one calls "an image that if anyone at USC wanted an easy grade, they should take" Senora Ross' class.

In June, the athletes were looking for Senora Rose Mary Ross, 73, a grandmother and Spanish instructor with an engaging teaching style and a generous grading philosophy — suddenly so popular that she had to take on two classes at once....

"I've never given an easy grade in my life," she told The Times in a recent interview. "You come to my class and work, and I see you want to learn, I'll give you an A. I see some lazy ass, coming late all the time, acting like he doesn't care, I won't give him an A. I'll give him a B."

Also this from coach Pete Carroll: "I don't know what's the big deal. Guys do stuff like that all the time." His football players weren't the only riders on this gravy train. The momentarily famous USC cheerleader who celebrated a touchdown two-point conversion for Texas during the 2006 Rose Bowl also took the class.