Hill became USC's head track coach in 1949 and 1950, succeeding Dean Cromwell, and won national titles in both years. He returned for one season as track coach in 1962 after the sudden death of Jess Mortensen. He served as USC's head football coach from 1951 to 1956, with his teams posting a record of 45–17–1, including Rose Bowl appearances after the 1952 and 1954 seasons. His 1952 squad finished the year ranked fifth in the nation with a 10–1 record, outscoring their opponents 254-47 and leading the nation in scoring defense at 4.7 points per game; the only loss was a 9–0 contest at Notre Dame which ended the regular season. In the Rose Bowl, USC defeated Wisconsin 9–0; it was the only time between 1947 and 1959 that the Pacific Coast Conference champion beat the Big Ten Conference champion. Hill's 1954 team lost the Rose Bowl to Ohio State, 20–7. During his tenure, Hill's players included Frank Gifford, Rudy Bukich, Jim Sears and Jon Arnett. For the 1956 season opener at Texas, Hill made the decision to change hotels after discovering that USC's integrated team could not stay at the segregated Austin hotel that had been booked; USC went on to win the game, 44–20, as fullback C. R. Roberts, an African American, ran for a school-record 251 yards. USC ended the year with wins over UCLA and Notre Dame, the only time in his six years that they won both games.