You’ve made it. You’re either extremely happy to be
a Bruin or still bitter about being rejected by Berkeley or
Stanford.
Either way, as you can tell by my mug shot, I know how to use a
calculator. I also like sports.
No, that’s not right.
I’m deeply obsessed with sports, and the statistics in
them.
Here’s some of my favorite statistics about UCLA
sports:
22-7: UCLA men’s basketball’s win-loss record in
1948-49, the year after what used to be the last time the Bruins
had a losing record before Steve Lavin came around.
As most of you know, Lavin’s Lethargic Losers were awful
last season, the Bruins’ first losing season since 1947-48.
But, in college basketball, teams can turn around quickly. There is
hope.
After last year, which Bruin fan wouldn’t take a 22-7
record?
Ben Howland should be a much better coach than Lavin, based not
only on what Howland did in Pittsburgh and Northern Arizona, but
how bad Lavin was here.
Just like this year, the Bruins had a new coach back in
’48-’49.
His name was John Wooden.
9-2 and 20-17: 9-2 was the UCLA football team’s record in
1980, the year after the last time the Bruins lost to Southern Cal
four years in a row.
For those of you who didn’t know, the evil USC has beaten
UCLA four years in a row.
And UCLA 20, USC 17 was the score of the UCLA-USC game in
1980.
The coach that year?
Terry Donahue, the man who coached the current UCLA coach, Karl
Dorrell.
Bruin fans this year will happily take the same results as in
1980.
4: UCLA won four NCAA championships last season: men’s
soccer, gymnastics, women’s water polo and softball.
Those four NCAA championships are more than any other school won
in Division I, including rival Stanford, which usually wins many
national championships by virtue of having a well-funded athletic
program and approximately 4,321 different sports.
And even more impressive than the four championships is the
athletic program’s potential.
All four champions figure to contend for the title again, and
many other teams at UCLA figure to do the same.
Men’s golf finished third at the NCAA championships, and
all its starters will return.
Men’s tennis lost in the NCAA semifinals, returns several
key players, and brings in the No. 1 recruit in the nation, Robert
Yim.
Women’s golf returns all of its starters and finished
fifth at the NCAA championships.
Women’s tennis had seven freshmen on its roster and lost
in the NCAA quarterfinals.
The future is bright.
109-57: UCLA’s sports teams played brilliantly at home
last year, compiling a 109-57 record at home as a program.
If you’re a sports fan, I highly recommend going to watch
some of these UCLA teams in action. The games are fun to watch,
very exciting and more importantly:
Most of them are free.
Except for the football and men’s basketball games, every
sport’s home games are free for UCLA students.
As a side note, this fantastic deal only applies during the
regular season, so students who aren’t willing to pay may be
left in the dark for some of these games.
I remember covering a playoff tennis match with literally a
handful of fans in attendance. There was one fan on the Bruin Walk
side of the Los Angeles Tennis Center.
One.
1: Number of seasons more that one of the most prolific coaches
in collegiate baseball will continue to coach at UCLA ““ Gary
Adams.
Adams has said he will retire after the 2004 season, his 30th at
UCLA.
During Adams’ tenure at UCLA, 37 different Bruins have
gone to the major leagues, more than any active coach and second
most all-time.
And while the Bruins may not be a college baseball powerhouse,
they are competitive every year, and figure to make the NCAA
regionals next year, returning a young lineup that was in
contention up until the season’s final weekend.
14: The number of losses for the UCLA men’s volleyball
team this past season, a record high.
Under coach Al Scates, the Bruin program has been the most
prolific in the history of collegiate volleyball, winning 18 NCAA
championships.
How will their rebound after their only bad year ever?
5: The number of UCLA teams who play in Pauley Pavilion.
Men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and
women’s volleyball and gymnastics.
And all of them play in the fall and winter.
For you diehard sports fans, it will seem that there is
something going on in Pauley Pavilion every Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the fall and winter.
You’ll love this.