Bonfire gets UCLA students, alumni fired up for USC game

The original version of this article contained multiple errors and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information.

For about 5,000 Bruin fans who packed into Wilson Plaza for Tuesday night’s Beat ‘SC Bonfire, crosstown rivalry was more important than the postseason implications of this Saturday’s UCLA-USC game.

The Student Alumni Association hosted Tuesday’s Beat ‘SC Bonfire and Rally, a centerpiece of UCLA’s annual rivalry week leading up to UCLA’s football game against USC. At the end of the evening, a bonfire measuring more than 30 feet high was set ablaze in the middle of Wilson Plaza.

The $30,000 event is funded entirely by the Alumni Association funds, said John Amalfitano, public relations executive director for SAA and a third-year economics student.

“I was in the neighborhood and I needed some excitement,” said UCLA alumnus Lindsay Ross, eyes fixed on the student groups performing dance and a cappella. “I have been to several of the bonfires since graduating and this is the biggest turnout I’ve seen.”

As it did last year, UCLA is heading into Saturday’s game ranked slightly higher than USC, a change from more than a decade of Trojan domination of the rivalry.

The Bruins were in contention for the top spot in the Pac-12 South until last Saturday’s 38-33 loss to Arizona State. UCLA’s home finale defeat also eliminated USC from Rose Bowl game consideration.

A UCLA win last Saturday would have set up a showdown in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, giving both programs a chance to reach the prestigious Rose Bowl game.

Although the potentially reinvigorated rivalry may lack major football implications this year, the bonfire and rally were not left wanting for a sense of tradition.

Tuesday’s festivities began with flash mobs to get students excited and encourage them to donate blood at the Ackerman Blood and Platelet Center for the “Get-the-Red-Out” mission for students to donate both blood and red clothing.

Later in the evening, students lined up to trade articles of red clothing for a limited edition Beat ‘SC T-shirt. About 500 articles of red clothing were collected to be given to Goodwill, said Amalfitano.

Bruin Harmony, last year’s Spring Sing winners, started the pre-show with the school’s alma mater, followed by a rendition of Ylvis’ “The Fox.” Signature A Cappella, another one of the night’s performers, rewrote and performed the song “Wings” by Little Mix, singing “kiss USC goodbye.”

In addition, NSU Modern, a competitive dance crew at UCLA, took the stage with a hip-hop number for the cheering crowd.

As the football team ran out on the stage, the UCLA marching band played the school’s alma mater on the steps of Kaufman Hall. The band played “Fire” by Jimi Hendrix when the 30-foot wooden structure was lit on fire in the middle of Wilson Plaza.

The Victory Bell – a prize given to the winner of the UCLA-USC game – was present and painted blue at the event.

On the Wilson Plaza stage, Coach Jim Mora reminded the crowd that the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is actually the Bruins’ original home. UCLA and USC shared the venue until the Bruins moved to the Rose Bowl in 1982. Both programs will honor their Coliseum roots by wearing their home colors this weekend.

Senior Jordan Zumwalt was among the current players that spoke at the event, expressing to the team’s supporters his desire to hear a fan base so loud that it would feel like a home game.

“(You’ve got to be) so loud that the (USC) offense can’t think straight,” the inside linebacker said.

Wayne Cook, who was a UCLA quarterback in the 1990s, told the spectators a story about sustaining a bruised kidney during one season. He went on to recover from the injury to help beat USC, aided by a game-clinching interception near the end of the game.

At the rally, many participants shared their excitement for the upcoming game.

“I’ve been a Bruin fan all my life, since the Wooden days,” said Marc Villareal, a professor at UCLA Extension.

Villareal said he taught a class at 7 p.m. but told his students it would start a little late so he could experience part of the rally, the first Beat ‘SC Bonfire he has been able to attend.

“It’s a great atmosphere. The students are excited, young and alive,” said Richard Femmel, a parent of a student visiting from Massachusetts.

Manfredo Grellert, a UCLA alumnus who graduated in 1993, said he came back to campus for the first time since graduating to attend the rally.

“It’s a great tradition and my daughter’s first UCLA experience,” he said, pointing at his baby in a stroller.

Correction: The Beat ‘SC Bonfire and Rally took place Tuesday.