UCLA: College Athletics Program Of The Century

Dec. 8, 1999

LOS ANGELES - What University has enjoyed the most success in its athletic program during the 1900s? When it's all said and done, the answer is UCLA.

Established in the fall of 1919, UCLA is far younger than most of its competitors. In fact, the Bruins did not win their first national team championship until 1950, capturing the NCAA title in men's tennis.

Since that time, UCLA has produced championships at a record-setting pace. On Dec. 5, the men's water polo team defeated Stanford to win its third NCAA title in the last five years. UCLA will close the millennium ranked No. 1 in team championships. UCLA now owns 99 national collegiate championships in 20 sports - the highest total in the nation. The school has won a record 79 NCAA team titles and 20 other national championships. The total includes 64 NCAA men's titles and 15 NCAA women's crowns.

In April of 1997, Sports Illustrated named UCLA as the nation's No. 1 'Jock' School. UCLA has won at least one NCAA team title (men's or women's) in 19 of the last 20 years, including the current school year. In addition, the school has won at least one collegiate title (NCAA or AIAW) in 35 of the last 37 years, missing only in 1979-80 and 1993-94. Over the last 29 years prior to 1999-2000, UCLA had won at least two collegiate titles 22 times.

In the last 30+ years, the Bruin men have won 49 NCAA championships and eight times during that 30-year span, they have won at least three titles in a single year.

Olympic Games
Over the past eight decades, over 320 men and women athletes, coaches and trainers have represented UCLA in the Summer Olympic Games. The first two Bruin Olympians participated in 1920, just one year after the founding of the university. Edward S. Butler competed in the long jump and Clyde A. Swendsen was a member of the water polo team.

In 1932, UCLA athletes captured their first gold Olympic medals, winning five gold, one silver and three bronze medals. The gold medals were won by John E. Biby Jr., Richard F. Moore and William H Cooper, three of the 12 crew members of the eight-meter yacht Angelita, skippered by Owen Churchill and by gymnasts Ray Bass (rope climb) and Dallas Bixler (high bar). Dr. Phillip R. Erenberg earned a silver medal in club swinging while George G. Jefferson (athletics-pole vault), Thomas F. Connolly (gymnastics-rope climb) and Edward Carmichael (gymanstics-vaulting horse) won bronze medals.

In the 1984 Olympics, 47 former, current and future Bruin athletes represented the United States and 10 foreign countries. UCLA athletes won a total of 36 medals -- 17 gold, 13 silver and six bronze. Gymnast Mitch Gaylord earned four medals (one gold, one silver and two bronze) while fellow gymnast Peter Vidmar captured three (two gold and one silver). In addition, UCLA had 10 current or former coaches on the Olympic staffs of the U.S. or foreign countries.

In 1988, 32 current and former Bruins representing the United States and six other nations earned a total of 22 medals -- 17 gold, four silver and one bronze. Florence Griffith-Joyner (track) led the group with three gold medals.

In 1992, UCLA was represented by 44 former, current and future athletes (41) and coaches (three) in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. UCLA represented the United States and nine foreign countries. Overall, UCLA's 41 athletes and three coaches won a total of 16 medals - eight gold, two silver and six bronze - and participated in all three track and field world records. If UCLA was a country, it would have tied for ninth in the world with its eight gold medals.

In the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, current, former and future UCLA athletes and coaches earned 22 medals, including 12 gold medals, two silver and eight bronze. Overall, UCLA athletes earned seven medals in softball (four gold and three bronze) and track and field (two gold, two silver and three bronze), two golds in men's beach volleyball, two bronze in baseball, one gold in women's gymnastics, one gold in men's basketball, one gold in women's swimming and one gold in women's soccer. UCLA had 49 athletes, six coaches and four consultants representing the United States and several foreign countries in the 1996 Olympics.

The Bruins have had at least one competitor in every Olympics since 1920 with one exception (1924) and UCLA has won a gold medal in every Olympics since 1932 with the exception of 1980 (boycott). Overall, UCLA has 183 medals to its credit -- 95 gold, 46 silver and 42 bronze.

Jackie Joyner Kersee has won more Olympic medals (six, including three golds) than any other female competitor. Evelyn Ashford won gold medals in three consecutive Olympic Games. UCLA athletes have won the women's 100-meter dash in each of the last four Olympics. Karch Kiraly is the only volleyball player to win three gold medals.

Academics
UCLA student-athletes have earned 50 NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships, one of the highest totals in the nation. UCLA student-athletes have also been selected to various Academic All-America teams 80 times, including 47 first-team selections. UCLA also has four former players and one former coach enshrined in the GTE/Academic All-America Hall of Fame. Four former student-athletes have earned prestigious Rhodes Scholarships, most recently swimmer Annette Salmeen in 1996-97, and 11 former student-athletes have been winners or finalists for the NCAA's Today's Top Eight Award.

Here is a sport-by-sport rundown of UCLA's success:

Men's Volleyball
Al Scates has established himself as the premier coach in the sport. Scates' total of 17 NCAA titles is a single sport record and the Bruins have played in the NCAA Final Four 21 times in 30 years. Karch Kiraly, Doug Partie, Ricci Luyties and Dave Saunders all played on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Gold Medal team, and many of the stars of the beach, including Kiraly, Sinjin Smith and Kent Steffes, are Bruin alums. Kiraly and partner Steffes won the 1996 Olympic beach gold medal, and Jeff Nygaard, a two-time AVCA Player of the Year, and Dan Landry were members of the 1996 Olympic indoor volleyball team. A total of nine current or former players and coaches represented UCLA men's volleyball in the Atlanta Olympics, including beach legend Smith and 1996 FIVB World Champion Bjorn Maaseide.

Men's Basketball
UCLA basketball has been synonymous with success for over three decades. The Bruins have reached the NCAA Sweet 16 four times in the last eight years, including both 1996-97 and 1997-98. The 1994-95 Bruins won their 11th national championship, four more than any other school in the nation. UCLA has won 23 of the last 38 league titles, including three of the last five and four of the last eight and has participated in the NCAA playoffs in 32 of the last 38 years, including each of the last 11 (only three schools have a longer current streak). Legendary coach John Wooden won 10 NCAA championships in a 12-year span between 1964 and 1975. NBA stars such as all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hall of Famer Bill Walton and Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers, as well as current players such as Baron Davis, Darrick Martin and Tracy Murray enjoyed fine careers at UCLA.

Men's Tennis
The Bruin netters have earned 15 NCAA titles and have finished second 12 times. Under sixth-year coach Billy Martin, the Bruins reached the NCAA championship match against Georgia at Georgia a year ago after advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals in 1998. In 1997, they reached the NCAA semifinals. In 1996, UCLA was ranked No. 1 with a 27-1 record and reached the NCAA championship match after reaching the semifinals in each of the previous three years (1993-95). Justin Gimelstob, now on the pro tour, and Srjdan Muskatirovic won the 1996 NCAA doubles title. Jimmy Connors and the late Arthur Ashe are just a few of the UCLA alums who played professional tennis.

Football
The Bruin football program has been one of the more successful over the last two decades. In the last 18 years, only four schools have won more bowl games than UCLA (nine). Jerry Robinson and Kenny Easley, the nation's only three-time consensus All-Americans in the last 50 years and members of the College Football Hall of Fame, played at UCLA, as did Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys, the only quarterback to win three Super Bowls in four years, Ken Norton of the San Francisco 49ers, the only man to play on three straight Super Bowl champions, Mike Lodish, the only man to play in six Super Bowls, 1995 Outland Trophy winner Jonathan Ogden of the Baltimore Ravens, 1998 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner Cade McNown of the Chicago Bears and 1998 Outland Trophy winner Kris Farris of the Pittsburgh Steelers. UCLA was the first school in NCAA history to win a bowl game in seven consecutive years. UCLA which defeated crosstown rival USC a record eight straight seasons (1991-1998), won a school-record 20 straight games in 1997 and 1998 and were ranked No. 8 in 1998 after finishing No. 5 in 1997.

Men's Track & Field
UCLA owns one of the most respected track and field programs in the nation. The Bruins have won eight NCAA crowns, including the 1987 and 1988 titles, and have finished second six other times, including 1995. In addition, they have placed in the top five in 22 of the last 34 years, and also own 10 Track & Field News dual meet titles. UCLA has won six of the last eight and nine of the last 13 Pac-10 titles. Willie Banks, Greg Foster, John Smith, Mike Powell, Steve Lewis, Kevin Young, Mike Marsh, Danny Everett, John Godina, Jonathan Ogden, Ato Boldon and Mebrahtom Keflezighi are just a few of the NCAA and/or Olympic champions produced by UCLA.

Men's Soccer
UCLA became the first school in history to win NCAA titles in eight different men's sports when the soccer team won the 1985 championship. New head coach Todd Saldana has led the Bruins to another Men's College Cup in his first year. UCLA won its third NCAA crown in 1997 and has been to four Men's College Cups in the 1990s (1990,1994, 1997 and 1999). The Bruins have competed in the playoffs 27 times in 32 years, including each of the last 17 years, and have finished second three times, third twice and fourth once entering the 1999 tournament. UCLA was the only school to place five players on the 1994 U.S. World Cup soccer squad - Paul Caligiuri, Brad Friedel, Cobi Jones, Mike Lapper and Joe-Max Moore and six players on the 1992 Olympic team - Friedel, Chris Henderson, Zak Ibsen, Jones, Lapper and Moore. Twenty former Bruins currently play for Major League soccer teams.

Men's Golf
UCLA earned a championship in a ninth men's sport when the golf team captured its first NCAA title in 1988, coming from 13 strokes back entering the final day to win by three. UCLA finished in the NCAA Top Ten four times in the 1980s, and the program has produced some of the PGA's top young stars, including Corey Pavin, Scott McCarron, Steve Pate, Duffy Waldorf and Jay Delsing. Five former Bruins played in the 1995 U.S. Open, which Pavin won. Brad Sherfy, another former Bruin who is currently one of the country's top club professionals, is in his fifth year as head coach.

Baseball
The Bruin baseball squad has qualified for the NCAA playoffs eight times in the last 14 years. In 1997, perhaps the finest baseball team in school history reached the College World Series, winning five straight Midwest Regional games after losing its opener. Led by first-team All-Americans Troy Glaus, who set school and Pac-10 season (34) and career (62) home run records while batting .409, and Jim Parque (13-2 with a 3.08 ERA) and second-team All-Americans Jon Heinrichs (28 homers) and Eric Valent (27 homers, including six in the regional), the Bruins rewrote the record books while winning a school-record 45 games and finishing with a No. 5 ranking. UCLA reached regional championship games in 1987, 1992 and 1996 in addition to the 1997 College World Series berth. A top producer of major leaguers (45 overall), former Bruins in the majors include Parque, 1992 National League Rookie of the Year Eric Karros, Todd Zeile, Rich Amaral, Bill Hasselman, Torey Lovullo and Sean Berry. Glaus, the 1997 Pac-10 Southern Division Player of the Year, and Parque were members of the 1996 Olympic team and the third and 46th selections, respectively, in the 1997 Free Agent draft. In May of 1998, Parque (Chicago White Sox) became the first player from the 1997 draft to reach the major leagues and Glaus became a California Angel a few months later.

Men's Water Polo
UCLA's water polo team won the school's latest championship, capturing the 1999 NCAA title with a 6-5 victory over Stanford on Dec. 5. It was the Bruins' third in the last five years and sixth in the program's history. UCLA also has finished second five times and third six times. In head coach Guy Baker's nine seasons, UCLA has finished lower among the top five in NCAA play seven times and has now finished fifth or better in 17 of the last 26 years. Alex Rousseau and Dan Hackett played for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, and the late Jim Toring was an alternate

Other Men's Sports
At the end of the 1993-94 school year, UCLA discontinued two programs for financial reasons, but their accomplishments are still part of UCLA's tradition. The Bruins won the 1982 NCAA swimming title and finished among the top seven nationally between 1970-90. Brian Goodell, Tom Jager, Bruce Hayes, Bill Barrett and Robin Leamy earned Olympic honors as Bruins.

UCLA won two NCAA men's gymnastics titles (1984 and 1987). Peter Vidmar, Mitch Gaylord and Tim Daggett, each a 1984 Olympic gold medalist, competed at UCLA as did 1992 Olympians Chris Waller and Scott Keswick and 1996 Olympian Chainey Umphrey.

Softball
UCLA has dominated the sport of softball for two decades. It has participated in 16 of the 18 NCAA College World Series and has won eight NCAA titles. In 1999, a young Bruin team compiled a record of 63-6 and defeated Washington in the College World Series to win the program's most recent NCAA title. In the first 11 years of the NCAA Tournament, UCLA won seven team championships. The Bruins also have finished second four times, including 1993 and 1997, third twice and fourth once in their 16 NCAA appearances and won an AIAW title in 1978. Some of the top collegiate stars in the history of the game are Bruins, including three-time College Player of the Year and 1996 Olympian Lisa Fernandez, Bruin Hall of Fame pitcher Debbie Doom, 1996 Olympians Sheila Cornell and Dot Richardson, and All-America third baseman Jennifer Brundage, who was selected the 1995 GTE/Academic All-American of the Year, played at UCLA. Junior Stacy Nuveman could become the NCAA's career home run leader after belting 31 in 1999.

Women's Volleyball
Another very successful sport at UCLA is women's volleyball. The Bruins won three national titles in the 1970s. In the 1980s, UCLA captured the 1984 NCAA title and appeared in seven Final Fours, finishing second twice. The Bruins have been as successful in the 1990s, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 1990 and 1991, finishing second in 1992 following an undefeated regular season, posting a 30-2 record and reaching the regional final in 1993, placing second nationally in 1994, reaching the regional final in 1995 and the second round in both 1997 and 1998. In 1999, the Bruins have reached the Sweet 16. UCLA has played in the NCAA Final Four 10 times in its 18 years, including five straight between 1988-92. The first women's volleyball coach to win 800 matches, Hall of Famer Andy Banachowski has led UCLA to six national titles and five second-place finishes, including the AIAW years. Banachowski has produced 17 AVCA All-Americans who have earned 29 All-America certificates, and 22 Volleyball Magazine All-Americans. His program has produced six Olympians - Laurie Lewis, Jeanne (Beauprey) Reeves, Liz Masakayan, Elaine Youngs, Holly McPeak and Linda (Robertson) Hanley - 25 pro beach players and 20 National Team players, including 1997 senior Kara Milling. Sophomore Kristee Porter is a future NCAA Player of the Year candidate.

Women's Gymnastics
The Bruins boast one of the top women's gymnastics programs in the nation. In 1999, UCLA finished fifth at the NCAA Championships and had two athletes win individual crowns for a second consecutive year. In 1997, the Bruins won their first NCAA team title, completing a run which saw them improve each year, finishing second in 1996, fourth in 1995 and fifth in 1994. The Bruins have won eight of the last 13 Pac-10 championships and have won six NCAA Regional crowns in the last seven years. UCLA Hall of Famer Sharon Shapiro, Jill Andrews, Kim Hamilton, Stella Umeh, Heidi Moneymaker and Kiralee Hayashi have all won individual NCAA titles. In 1999, four Bruins earned All-America acclaim and Hayashi was selected Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year while Moneymaker was named Region I Gymnast of the Year.

Women's Track & Field
The women's track and field team contends for the NCAA title on an annual basis. In 1999, UCLA finished second at the NCAA outdoor championships for the second straight year after placing third in 1997. In 1995, the Bruins placed second in both outdoor and indoor competition and tied for ninth outdoors in 1996. UCLA won back-to-back championships in 1982 and 1983 and finished second in 1988-89-90, fourth in 1991 and third in both 1993 and 1994. Including the AIAW years, the Bruins have won four national titles and have finished second nine times thanks to Olympic gold medalists such as Gail Devers, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith Joyner and Evelyn Ashford and NCAA champions such as Dawn Dumble, Amy Acuff (five outdoor and indoor titles), Karen Hecox, Valeyta Althouse and Seilala Sua. Acuff, Joyner-Kersee and Suzy Powell were just a few of the Bruins who competed in Atlanta. In 1999, UCLA won its third straight Pac-10 title and its eighth championship in 10 years and was just two points shy of the NCAA title.

Women's Tennis
UCLA has recorded 12 Top Five finishes in the 18 years of the NCAA Tournament. In 1991, the Bruins reached the NCAA championship match for the second time in three years (they reached the semifinals in 1990) and also finished second in 1982 and third in 1983 and 1988. The Bruins won the AIAW Tournament in 1981 and have produced numerous All-Americans over the years. Keri Phebus was selected the 1995 ITA Player of the Year after becoming UCLA's first NCAA singles champion. UCLA doubles teams have won four championships, with Phebus and her partner Susie Starrett taking the title in 1995.

Women's Swimming
In women's swimming and diving, the Bruins have finished in the Top Ten at the NCAA championships in 10 of the last 15 seasons and in the Top 16 in 16 of the 18 years in which the event has been held. In 1999, they placed 16th after finishing 13th in 1998 and 14th in 1997. UCLA finished 11th in 1996, 10th in 1995, seventh in 1993 and 1994, sixth in 1992 and fifth in both 1991 and 1990. Senior Keiko Price, one of the top swimmers in the nation, is the defending Pac-10 champion in the 100 freestyle and an Olympic hopeful. Annette Salmeen, the 1996 UCLA Female Athlete of the Year, became the first female UCLA swimmer to win an NCAA individual championship (200 butterfly). She also won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games (800 free relay) and is the first Bruin female student-athlete to earn a Rhodes Scholarship, having compiled a 3.9 grade-point average in Chemistry.

Women's Basketball
The UCLA women's basketball program has produced some of the most famous players in the game, including Olympians Ann Meyers and Denise Curry, both of whom have been voted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, and several All-Americans, including Pac-10 Female Athlete of the Decade Natalie Williams, who won NCAA Player of the Year honors in volleyball, Pac-10 Player of the Year acclaim in basketball and was selected the 1998 MVP of the American Basketball League. Head coach Kathy Olivier has built a solid foundation for future success. In 1999, the Bruins won the Pac-10 title for the first time, reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time and finished the year ranked No. 7. Most of the key members of that team return this year, including Kodak All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year Maylana Martin, third-team All-American Erica Gomez and All-Pac-10 performer LaCresha Flannigan. In 1998, UCLA finished second in the Pac-10 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UCLA won the AIAW national title in 1978.

Women's Golf
In 1991, the Bruin women won their first NCAA golf championship, defeating top-ranked San Jose State in a one-hole playoff. New head coach Carrie Leary was a member of that championship squad. In 1997, the Bruins placed fifth - their seventh consecutive Top 10 finish. The Bruins own 12 Top 10 finishes (eight NCAA) and have participated in 14 of the 18 NCAA championships. Former Bruin Lisa Kiggens is a rising star on the pro tour.

Women's Soccer
In only seven seasons, UCLA's women's soccer team has established itself among the elite programs in the nation. In 1999, the Bruins qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and reached the third round, finishing with a 15-5-1 record and No. 14 ranking. In 1998, UCLA compiled its second-best record ever (17-4-1) and won a second consecutive Pac-10 title. In 1997, UCLA won two NCAA Tournament matches to reach the Elite Eight and finished the year ranked sixth in the nation. The Bruins also won their first Pac-10 title and became the first league team to go 9-0.

Women's Water Polo
In 1999, UCLA's women's water polo program compiled a record of 24-10 and placed third in the national collegiate championships despite the absence of head coach Guy Baker and three players who were competing for the U.S. National team. Prior to the third-place finish, UCLA had won three consecutive National Collegiate championships (1996-98). In 1998, the Bruins won their third straight title, finishing with a 35-1 record. In a three-year span (1996-98), the Bruins won 95 of 98 matches while capturing three consecutive titles. In 1998, Baker was named National Coach of the Year for the third straight season while Coralie Simmons was named National Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Simmons, Nicolle Payne and Catharine von Schwarz were selected first-team All-Americans. In its five years of existence, the team has compiled a record of 132-24 and has finished first in the nation three times, third once and fifth once while producing 11 All-Americans.

Women's Cross Country
In women's cross-country, UCLA has established a fine program and has competed in the NCAA championships six times in the last 11 years. The Bruins finished fourth in the District and 30th in the NCAA championships in 1999.

NCAA Titles (79)

Men (64)

Basketball (11)
1964    1971
1965    1972
1967    1973
1968    1975
1969    1995
1970

Golf (1)
1988

Gymnastics (2)
1984    1987

Soccer (3)
1985    1997
1990

Swimming (1)
1982

Tennis (15)
1950    1970
1952    1971
1953    1975
1954    1976
1956    1979
1960    1982
1961    1984
1965

Track & Field (8)
1956    1973
1966    1978
1971    1987
1972    1988

Volleyball (17)
1970    1983
1971    1984
1972    1987
1974    1989
1975    1993
1976    1995
1979    1996
1981    1998
1982

Water Polo (6)
1969    1995
1971    1996
1972    1999

Women (15)

Softball (8)
1982    1989
1984    1990
1985    1992
1988    1999

Track & Field (2)
1982    1983

Volleyball (3)
1984    1991
1990

Golf (1)
1991

Gymnastics (1)
1997

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