Monday, 6/9/97 Bruin performances befit a nation at Atlanta
Games Athletes encompass alumni, students and potential UCLA
affiliates at 1996 event
By Brent Boyd Daily Bruin Senior Staff Twelve Olympic gold
medals, two silver and six bronze. Those numbers would make some
countries declare a national holiday. But for UCLA athletes – past
and present – those numbers at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in
Atlanta symbolized just another day at the track. Or on the
softball diamond. Or in the swimming pool, for that matter. Bruins
winning Olympic gold medals have become such a tradition that it’s
a wonder the eight-clap doesn’t break out during the playing of the
national anthem. The school now "owns" 79 gold, 33 silver and 34
bronze medals. In the Seoul Games of 1988, UCLA would have placed
fourth as a country with 17 gold medals, and four years before in
Los Angeles, UCLA athletes were only one gold medal shy of having
as many gold medals as any country other than the United States.
And in 1996, that tradition continued. Among the Bruin gold medal
winners at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta was a Rhodes
Scholar (Annette Salmeen, swimming), a Dream Teamer (Reggie
Miller), a UCLA head coach turned Olympic soccer player (Joy
Fawcett), and two women who had yet to even begin their collegiate
careers (Kerri Strug, gymnastics, and Christa Williams, softball).
The performance of some Bruins will live forever in the annals of
Olympic history. Who will ever forget Kerri Strug’s courageous
vault to help seal an American women’s gymnastics gold medal? Who
cares if she’s not on the UCLA gymnastics team, she’s still a
Bruin. Or how about Bruin alumna Dot Richardson’s home run against
China to clinch the gold medal? Richardson, along with two other
Bruin alumnae (Sheila Cornell and Lisa Fernandez) and Williams all
played important roles in the first-ever Olympic softball
tournament. And in another first for the Olympics, Bruin alums
Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes teamed up for the inaugural beach
volleyball gold medal. Fawcett helped set up the winning goal to
bring the U.S. the gold medal in women’s soccer, and alum Gail
Devers took home golds in the 100-meter dash and the 400-meter
relay. Then there were the Bruins who didn’t come home with the
gold, but nevertheless, were just as successful. Baseball superstar
Troy Glaus hit four home runs for the bronze-medal winning
Americans, Ato Bolden took home two bronze medals in track, and
Bruin alumni John Godina and Mike Marsh each brought home a silver
in the shot put and 4×100-meter relay, respectively. All told, 43
past, present and future Bruins participated in Atlanta, and each
and every one of them did their country proud … and there were a
lot of countries to make proud. Nada Kawar (shot put) competed
under the flag of Jordan, Ibrahim Hassan raced for Ghana, Bolden
for Trinidad, Bjorn Maaseide played volleyball for Denmark, and in
softball Janice Parks wore the uniform of Puerto Rico, while a
Bruin trio – Joanne Alchin, Tanya Harding and Kerry Dinelt – handed
the Americans its only loss of the softball tourney while
participating as members of the Australian team. All these
countries add to the previous list of Canada, China, Egypt, Greece
and West Germany that can claim Bruins as their athletes. But, to
everyone at UCLA, these athletes will never be referred to as
Americans, Canadians, or Greeks – rather, they will always be known
as Bruins. Like the old saying goes, "Once a Bruin, always a
Bruin." Daily Bruin File Photo Ato Bolden after the 1996 NCAA Track
tournament. Previous Daily Bruin Story UCLA athletes at the 1996
Olympics