Gaius Shaver
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| Date of birth | August 14, 1910 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Covina, California, |
| Date of death | October 11, 1998 |
| Place of death | Fallbrook, California |
| Career information | |
| Position(s) | Quarterback, Fullback |
| College | USC |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards | College Football All-American, 1931 |
Gaius Ray "Gus" Shaver (August 14, 1910 – October 11, 1998) was an All-American football player. He played at the quarterback and fullback positions for the University of Southern California Trojans football teams from 1929–1931. He was a consensus All-American in 1931 and led the Trojans that year to a national championship. Shaver was also captain of the winning team and the leading rusher in American football at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games.
Born in Covina, California, Shaver played three seasons at quarterback for the Covina High School football teams. He helped lead the Colts to state football championships in 1925 and 1926 and also held the school pole vault record at 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 m).
Shaver enrolled at the University of Southern California in 1928 and played on coach Howard Jones "Thundering Herd" football teams from 1929 to 1931.
As a sophomore in 1929, Shaver played for the USC team that beat Pitt 47–14 in the 1930 Rose Bowl to finish the season with a record of 10–2.
In 1931, he was selected as a consensus All-American, as he led the Trojans to a 10–1 record and a national championship. The 1931 Trojans lost their opening game to St. Mary’s College, but won the remaining ten games. When USC faced Notre Dame in 1931, Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 in the country and had won 26 consecutive games. Shaver scored two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter, to lead USC to a 16–14 come-from-behind win in South Bend, Indiana. The game was the Trojans’ first win on Notre Dame’s home field. Shaver later recalled that, after the game in South Bend, the USC team visited the grave of Notre Dame's former coach Knute Rockne (who had died earlier in the year) to pay their respects. When the team returned to Los Angeles, the city conducted a parade from Los Angeles City Hall to the USC campus in the team's honor. At the time, the Los Angeles Times wrote: "No conquering army of ancient Rome ever received a more tumultuous welcome."
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