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Monday, June 29, 1998

Without doubt UCLA has best college sports legacy in U.S.

COLUMN: Wise selections may help some squads succeed, while the future looks bleak for others

Growing up in the Bay Area, I was constantly reminded by my parents of rooting for certain college programs over others. It was always Stanford over Cal, but ultimately the Santa Clara Broncos over everyone else. Now you're probably thinking, "What is this guy talking about? He must be pretty screwed up to root for a school like that."

The Broncos were that small school team that had little skill and still managed to win. They are remembered by few for their great baseball and basketball teams of earlier decades and for providing a training ground for Kurt Rambis, whose name is forever associated with the showtime era of the Los Angeles Lakers. Today, they are most notably known for one of the greatest upsets in the history of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, over the Arizona Wildcats in 1993, led by current Dallas Maverick point guard Steve Nash.

My perception changed when I arrived here in Westwood a year ago. The history of UCLA athletics has been something I always took to be unparalleled, even mythic.

For example, walking around campus and asking anyone about the Wizard immediately sparked a long discussion about the man most ingrained in Bruin sports lore: former men's basketball coach John Wooden.

The 10 titles in 12 years that Wooden managed to pull off - an NCAA record - is a feat that may never be duplicated. The fact that UCLA has been lucky enough to have witnessed the development of Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Bill Walton and Reggie Miller at one time or another is unmatched. Most schools would flip head over heels to have any one of these players to play for them and launch their athletic programs off the ground. I've mentioned just this tidbit of history, and we've only started with men's basketball.

Bruin athletics is filled with the names of former players that are currently at the top of the professional ranks. UCLA football has seen the likes of quarterback Troy Aikman, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys. And for all of you 49er fans out there like myself, you were overjoyed when San Francisco stole linebacker Ken Norton, Jr., another Bruin football great, from the Cowboys.

Baseball has been fortunate to have had many former players make their marks in the major leagues. First baseman Eric Karros of the Dodgers and outfielder Troy Glaus of the Angels have been rising stars in baseball in recent years. But, the sport can forever give gratitude to UCLA for educating Jackie Robinson, a man of amazing athletic ability and incredible spirit that enabled him to break baseball's color barrier and set the tone for integration in American sports, and society as well.

Although I have only mentioned the "Big Three," do not be fooled by my random order of discussion. UCLA was not named the top jock school in the country in 1996 based on the achievements of a few sports. Volleyball has brought the likes of Holly McPeak and Karch Kiraly to grace the floor of legendary Pauley Pavilion before their eventual illustrious careers on the AVP tour. Water polo, under head coach Guy Baker, has garnered three national championships in four years for the women's team, while the men have established themselves as a program not to be taken lightly, as evidenced by their constant position near or at the top of the collegiate rankings. Men's cross country has seen the greatest Bruin distance runner ever: Recent graduate Mebrahtom Keflezghi completed his terrific career at UCLA with multiple NCAA titles and the first Carl Lewis award, which is given to the nation's top collegiate runner. Men's soccer won a national championship last year against Virginia and has seen three of its top players drafted into the ranks of MLS soccer. Finally, track and field has showcased the talents of heptathlete Jackie-Joyner Kersee (whose husband Bob Kersee is a former UCLA women's head coach and currently an assistant), sprinters Gail Devers and Ato Bolden, and jumper Mike Marsh.

Featuring a wide variety of club sports ranging from crew to rugby, sailing to surfing, fencing to shooting (with air guns, of course) and many others, UCLA features an incredibly diverse array of sports and athletic activities on one of the most beautiful and spacious sport-venued campuses in the nation.

UCLA also features the largest intramural field in the country, where soccer, football and softball are played year round. Played during the winter and spring quarters at Pauley Pavilion, IM basketball gives students a chance to play a fun and intense game in the same place that some of the NBA's greatest players still practice. Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant have been the most recent players to have been spotted shooting around on the floor at Pauley.

(And for all you rusty players, the rims are much more forgiving when compared to the Wooden Athletic Center.)

Now that I have given you a slight glimpse of the past and present of UCLA athletics and the impact that they have made to what Bruin athletics truly is, let me make a proposition regarding the future. This year, especially for the incoming freshmen and outgoing seniors, may be your first and last time to make an impact on UCLA history. True, studies are important and the main reason why you are here. But, the fact must be acknowledged that athletics are a part of the Bruin mystique.

For the freshmen, this is your first opportunity to experience the aura and magic of UCLA. Sports are a major part of that, whether you realize it now or not. Go see a game or two, especially of a sport you may have never seen before or you think you may not like. You'll be surprised at how fun it can be. Whether it be at the Rose Bowl, Pauley Pavilion, Jackie Robinson Stadium, Spaulding Field, Easton Stadium, Drake Stadium or the Los Angeles Tennis Center, UCLA athletics will be something you'll always remember. And one more thing; The Trojans prefer to be called the University of Second Choice.

For the sophomores and juniors, you pretty much know the drill and better be there.

For the seniors, this is your last chance to see the teams you have been watching for the past three years (or maybe more). Whether it be the basketball team making another run in March Madness, the football team at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day or another team making its presence at the top of the rankings felt, make an effort to see a few extra games. The last few games you see will stay with you for probably the rest of your life after you leave this mecca of collegiate sports in the best part of Los Angeles: Westwood. And to not offend anyone, make sure you say "Beat 'SC!" and not something else that is profane.

Lastly, let me say that once you step on this hallowed ground that we call "campus" to start class in the fall, make your plans to attend UCLA athletic events. Your responsibility is to be a full-time Bruin, whatever your previous or hometown loyalties may be.

Cadman is a second-year student and assistant sports editor.

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