Several UCLA alumni have been important in fighting against segregation and racial discrimination in sports. Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play major league baseball. Kenny Washington was the first African-American to play in the NFL after World War II. Don Barksdale was the first African-American to be named consensus college basketball All-American, the first African American to play with the U.S. Olympic basketball team, and the first African-American to appear in an NBA All-Star Game. Arthur Ashe was one of the first successful African-American tennis players.
School colors
UCLA Bruins enter the LA Coliseum, 2007
The UCLA school colors are "True Blue" and gold. The "True Blue" is a slightly darker shade than the previous powder blue worn by teams. The shade was developed by the UCLA athletic department and Adidas for the 2003 school year[1].
In the early days of the school, UCLA had the same colors as the University of California, navy blue and gold.
When football coach Red Sanders came to UCLA for the 1949 season he redesigned the football uniforms. The navy blue was changed to a lighter shade of blue. Sanders figured that the baby blue would look better on the field and in film. He would dub the baby blue uniform "Powderkeg blue", powder blue with an explosive kick.[2] For the 1954 football season, Sanders added a gold loop on the shoulders, the UCLA Stripe.[3]
Sports facilities
Two very notable sports facilities serve as home venues for UCLA sports. Since 1982, the Bruin football team has played its home games at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. From 1923-81, including the Bruins' 1954 National Championship year, the team played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams play at Pauley Pavilion on campus.
Championships
UCLA Women's Water Polo team honored for winning UCLA's 100th NCAA Championship, 2007.
As of 2008, UCLA has 103 NCAA team championships and 124 total national team championships, more than any other university. UCLA secured its three most recent NCAA championships during the month of May: on May 11, 2008 when UCLA defeated archrival USC, 6-3, for the Women's Water Polo Championship[4], on May 20, 2008 when the Bruins defeated California for the Women's Tennis Championship[5], and on May 31, 2008 when UCLA defeated archrivals Stanford and USC for the Men's Golf Championship[6].
UCLA is the first, and currently only, school to win at least 100 NCAA championships. UCLA secured its 100th NCAA Championship on May 13th, 2007, when UCLA defeated Stanford, 5-4, for the 2007 Women's Water Polo Championship. In the following 2007-08 sports season, some UCLA sports teams commemorated this achievement by replacing the blue letter 'C' on their uniforms with a gold 'C' ('C' being the Roman numeral for 100).
Total NCAA team championships (103)
UCLA has won NCAA Division I championships in the following events:
Water Polo(6) - 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Men's Basketball
Pauley Pavilion, 2004
Several of the most revered championships were won by the Men's Basketball team under coaches John Wooden and Jim Harrick. The rich legacy of UCLA basketball has produced 11 NCAA championships - 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1995. From 1971 to 1974, UCLA men's basketball won an unprecedented 88 consecutive games, a record that many sports pundits consider unbreakable. Past rosters of UCLA basketball teams have included greats such as Rafer Johnson who was the 1960 Olympic Decathlon Champion, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor), Bill Walton, Reggie Miller and Walt Hazzard. The Bruins also had a winning record for 54 consecutive seasons from the 1948-1949 season to the 2001-2002 season.[7]
In recent years, UCLA Men's Basketball has returned to prominence under Coach Ben Howland. Between 2005 and 2007, UCLA has been to three consecutive Final Fours, while UCLA's players have received numerous awards, most notably Arron Afflalo, a 2007 First-Team All American, and Kevin Love, the 2008 Pac-10 Player of the Year[8].
Football
UCLA vs Oregon, at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, 2007
In 1954, the UCLA football team earned a share of the national title with a 9-0 record and a #1 ranking in the UPI football poll, while Ohio State was ranked #1 in the AP Poll. The Bruins have played in the Rose Bowl Game 12 times, winning 5 of them. The Bruins have won or shared the conference title 17 times. Among the many former UCLA football stars are Jackie Robinson (better known for his exploits as a baseball player, but nevertheless a 4-sport letterman and All-American), Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban, Bob Waterfield, Troy Aikman, Carnell Lake, and Tommy Maddox. One of the great moments in recent history for the Bruins came on December 2, 2006, when they beat USC 13-9 in one of the greatest upsets in the rivalry.
Olympic competitors
In addition to the success of its collegiate sports program, UCLA is always well represented at the Olympics. In the 2004 Athens games, UCLA sent 56 athletes, more than any other university in the country.
Spirit
The statue of the UCLA Bruin, in the center of the UCLA campus.
UCLA shares a traditional sports rivalry with the nearby University of Southern California. This rivalry is relatively unique in NCAA Division I sports because both schools are located within the same city, Los Angeles. The Lexus Gauntlet is the name given to a competition between UCLA and the University of Southern California in the 18 varsity sports that both compete in head-to-head; in 2003, 2005, and 2007 UCLA won the Lexus Gauntlet Trophy, while the University of Southern California has won the trophy in 2002, 2004, and 2006.
The annual football game features both teams vying for the Victory Bell.
UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame
In conjunction with the opening of the J.D. Morgan Athletics Center in November 1983, UCLA established an athletic Hall of Fame with 25 charter members representing a cross-section of the school's athletic history. Each year, a minimum of one and a maximum of eight former UCLA athletes, coaches or administrators are added to the Hall of Fame. Upon its 23rd year of existence, The Hall of Fame was moved to a new location facing Westwood Plaza. The new Hall of Fame is now double in size after its renovation and expansion, which was completed in the Winter of 2000. The first floor in the east wing of the new J.D. Morgan Athletics Center features the 8,000-square foot Athletics Hall of Fame and serves as the main entrance to the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
1984 (25 charter members): Bill Ackerman, athletic director; Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), basketball; Arthur Ashe, tennis; Gary Beban, football; Mike Burton, swimming; Paul Cameron, football; Chris Chambliss, baseball; Elvin 'Ducky' Drake, track coach and trainer; Gail Goodrich, basketball; Walt Hazzard (Mahdi Abdul-Rahman), basketball; Cecil Hollingsworth, football scout and gymnastics and wrestling coach; Rafer Johnson, track; Kirk Kilgour, volleyball; Billy Kilmer, football; Donn Moomaw, football; J.D. Morgan, athletic director and tennis coach; Jackie Robinson, football, baseball, basketball and track; Henry 'Red' Sanders, football coach; Al Sparlis, football; Bill Spaulding, football coach; Bill Walton, basketball; Kenny Washington, football; Bob Waterfield, football; Keith (Jamaal) Wilkes, basketball; and John Wooden, basketball coach.
1985 (6): Bob Davenport, football; Craig Dixon, track; Wilbur Johns, athletic director/basketball coach; Tommy Prothro, football coach; George Stanich, basketball; and Sidney Wicks, basketball.
1987 (8): Don Barksdale, basketball; George Dickerson, football; Jack Ellena, football; Bert LaBrucherie, football; Dick Linthicum, basketball; Jim Salsbury, football; John Smith, track; Jack Tidball, tennis.
1989 (7): Pete Dailey, football; Tom Fears, football; Vic Kelley, sports information director, Carl McBain, track; Karen Moe-Thornton, swimming; Ernie Suwara, volleyball; and Pat Turner, track.
1990 (7): Evelyn Ashford, track; Dr. Bobby Brown, baseball; Stan Cole, water polo; Denny Crum, basketball; Norm Duncan, football/administration; Mike Marienthal, football/special service; Mike Warren, basketball.
1992 (9): Wayne Collett, track; Terry Condon, volleyball; Jim Johnson, football; Robin Leamy, swimming; Freeman McNeil, football; Dave Meyers, basketball; Jack Myers, baseball; Corey Pavin, golf; Woody Strode, football.
1993 (8): Sue Enquist, softball; Greg Foster, track; Maurice (Mac) Goodstein, football; Charles "Karch" Kiraly, volleyball; Jose Lopez, soccer; Don Manning, football; Bill Putnam, basketball; Curtis Rowe, basketball.
1995 (8): Jimmy Connors, tennis; Debbie Doom, softball; Mitch Gaylord, gymnastics; Ricci Luyties, volleyball; Stephen Pate, golf; John Peterson, football/track; Jerry Shipkey, football; Mike Tully, track.
1996 (7): Bill Barrett, swimming; Jackie Joyner-Kersee, track; Liz Masakayan, volleyball; Eddie Merrins, golf coach; Dot Richardson, softball; Skip Rowland, football; Dick Wallen, football.
1997 (8): Jim Bush, track coach; Paul Caligiuri, soccer; Tim Daggett, gymnastics; David Greenwood, basketball; Frank Lubin, basketball; Doug Partie, volleyball; Cal Rossi, football/baseball; Charles Young, chancellor.
1999 (12): Troy Aikman, football; Sam Boghosian, football; Kay Cockerill, golf; Tracy Compton, softball; Denise Corlett, volleyball/basketball; Dave Dalby, football; Gail Devers, track; Bob Horn, water polo; Ernie Johnson, football; Torey Lovullo, baseball; Sharon Shapiro, gymnastics; Kevin Young, track.
2000 (10): Lucius Allen, basketball; Jeanne Beauprey-Reeves, volleyball; John Brenner, track and field; George Farmer, football; Kim Hamilton, gymnastics; Carnell Lake, football; Billie Moore, basketball; Steve Salmons, volleyball; Eddie Sheldrake, basketball; Dick Vermeil, football.
2001 (11): Jill Andrews, gymnastics; Sharron Backus, softball; Jim Brown, football; Charles Cheshire, football; Gary Cunningham, basketball; Terry Donahue, football; Warren Edmonson, track and field; John Green, basketball; John Lee, football; Lisa Longaker, softball; and Ozzie Volstad, volleyball.
2002 (9): Denny Cline, volleyball; Bob Day, track and field; Cobi Jones, soccer; Don MacLean, basketball; Shane Mack, baseball; Ted Narleski, football; Anita Ortega, basketball; Duffy Waldorf, golf; Russell Webb, water polo/swimming.
2004 (8): Henry Bibby, basketball; Dennis Dummit, football; Carlton Gray, football; Steve Lewis, track & field; James Owens, football/track & field; Sigi Schmid, soccer; Fred Slaughter, basketball; Natalie Williams, basketball/volleyball.
2005 (8): Hardiman Cureton, football; Dawn Dumble, track & field; Allen Fox, tennis; John Godina, track & field; Ed O'Bannon, basketball; Mike O'Hara, volleyball; Art Shurlock, gymnastics; Kenneth Washington, basketball.
2006 (8):Carol Bower, rowing; Herb Flam, tennis; Monte Nitzkowski, swimming/water polo; Jonathan Ogden, football/track and field; Annette Salmeen, swimming; Dennis Storer, soccer/rugby; John Vallely, basketball; Elaine Youngs, volleyball.
2007 (8): Amy Acuff, track & field; George Brown, track & field; Jennifer Brundage, softball; Jim Ferguson, water polo; Troy Glaus, baseball; John Moore, basketball; Jeff Nygaard, volleyball; Keri Phebus, tennis
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