University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Lexus Gauntlet Presentation Scheduled for May 16
May 11, 2005 | Bruin Athletics
May 11, 2005
UCLA has brought the Lexus Gauntlet trophy back to Westwood. The Bruins won the perpetual trophy and city-wide bragging rights of athletic supremacy in Los Angeles for the second time since the storied collegiate rivalry was formalized into a head-to-head challenge by Lexus four years ago. Competing in 18 sports, UCLA defeated USC by a score of 70-40 in the all-sports competition between the two schools.
The Southern California Lexus Dealers Association will present the rivalry's crown jewel - recognizing UCLA as L.A.'s top athletic university - to UCLA director of athletics Dan Guerrero in a trophy presentation Monday, May 16 on the Westwood campus. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the Pauley Pavilion Plaza (east of Pauley Pavilion, south of the Morgan Center).
"We're happy to have the Lexus Gauntlet trophy back in Westwood," said Guerrero. "This trophy is a tribute to the exceptional student-athletes and the tremendous coaching staffs here at UCLA. We are proud of the excellence of all our sports."
The Bruins and Trojans battled against each other in 18 sports in the annual year-long contest. Points were awarded to the winner of each season series or, for those sports that didn't meet head-to-head, the team that placed higher in the conference championship earned points toward the trophy.
The Lexus Gauntlet trophy was fabricated using the most ancient of all manufacturing processes from the Bronze Age, coupled with the most advanced mold-making technology available today. The 150-pound, pewter-gilded trophy is modeled after the piece of armor knights would throw to the ground to challenge their rival.
Each school has now won the all-sports trophy twice. UCLA's 30-point margin of victory is the widest point difference in the four-year history of the Lexus Gauntlet. USC claimed the 2004 Lexus Gauntlet trophy by five-points, 57.5-52.5. In the previous two Gauntlet competitions, a tie-breaker was needed to break a 55-all deadlock and determine the winner. UCLA won the Gauntlet challenge in 2003 while USC captured the inaugural championship in 2002.
The Southern California Lexus Dealers are proud to be the leading sponsors of both UCLA and USC athletic departments as well as the exclusive title sponsor of every USC-UCLA athletic competition. For more than 80 years, these champion rivals have competed for the ultimate city-wide title of number one. Now, based on the practice of knights who challenged each other to duel by throwing their armored gauntlets to the ground, Lexus has issued the absolute challenge: the Lexus Gauntlet competition.
