Ucla Bruins

UCLA Bruins
By the year 2007, it has 100 NCAA team championships and 121 total national team championships, more than any other university. They are synonymous with victory and passion; The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I-A as part of the Pacific Ten Conference.

Two 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.

On May 14, 2006, the UCLA women's water polo team won the national final game against archrival USC, and secured the Bruins' 99th overall NCAA championship. On May 13, 2007, the women's water polo team beat Stanford 5-4 to win another NCAA championship, making UCLA the first school to reach 100.

Football
In 1954, the UCLA Bruin Football team had a 9-0 record and was ranked number one in the UPI football poll, while Ohio State was ranked number one in the AP Poll. The Bruins have played in the Rose Bowl 12 times with a 5-7 record overall. 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 a 4-sport letterman and All American), Bob Waterfield, Gary Beban, 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.The Heisman Trophy is awarded each year to the finest player in college football; one UCLA player, Gary Beban, has won the award. Among these championships, some of the more notable victories are the men's basketball championships 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.

UCLA has had great success in recent years. They have been to two consecutive Final Fours ('05-'06 and '06-'07) and their players have received numerous awards, most notably Aaron Afflalo in 2007, who was selected to First-Team All American.Holding the record for most basketball championships, however, is not just the only incredible achievement possessed by UCLA's athletics program. 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 been filled with such greats 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.

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.

In the early days of the school, UCLA had the same colors as the University of California, navy blue and gold. The statue of the UCLA Bruin is situated in the center of the UCLA campus. 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.

When football coach Red Sanders came to UCLA for the 1949 season he redesigned the football uniforms. Sanders added a gold loop on the shoulders, the UCLA Stripe. 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.