June 12, 2006
True Blue Celebration Photo Gallery
The UCLA Athletic Department wishes to take this opportunity to thank all of our fans who participated in the first annual True Blue Celebration last Saturday night, June 10, at the John Wooden Center.
"We are most appreciative to everyone who helped make the night a memorable one," said Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. "We want to thank the people who donated items, the people who bid on the silent and live auction items, the food and beverage vendors in attendance and, most importantly, to all who came to campus on Saturday for what proved to be an enjoyable evening for everyone.
"Our goal is to make the True Blue Celebration even bigger and better next year."
According to Senior Associate Athletic Director Ross Bjork, 800 people, including Bruin fans, coaches, staff and former and current student-athletes attended the event, which raised close to $200,000 for the Wooden Athletic Fund, which benefits student-athletes in all sports.
The evening started at 5:00 p.m., when the Wooden Center doors opened for the silent auction. Fans had until 7:00 p.m. to bid on close to 800 different items. Some of the items included helmets autographed by some of the greatest players in UCLA history, including Gary Beban, Jerry Robinson and Kenny Easley. One helmet had autographs of John Wooden, Terry Donahue and Al Scates and another had several UCLA head coaches, including Pepper Rodgers, Dick Vermeil, Terry Donahue and Karl Dorrell.
There were several items, including basketballs, signed by Coach Wooden. Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar autographed items were also available. Autographed uniforms of different former Bruins were also available, as were coaching sessions, dinners and golf outings with coaches from various sports. Other items included holidays at hotels and various restaurant certificates.
One of the highlights was watching former head football coach Dick Vermeil pouring wine from his Napa winery for Bruin fans. There were also several former and current players in attendance during the silent auction, including most of the starting lineup from the 1967 NCAA championship men's basketball team (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lynn Shackelford, Mike Warren and Kenny Heitz), UCLA men's basketball career scoring leader Don MacLean, All-America tailback Freeman McNeil, Mike Lodish, the only man to play in six Super Bowls, and the father-son football combination of George and Danny Farmer.
At 7:00 p.m., dinner was served. Several outstanding restaurants provided fans with "A Taste of UCLA," as fans could choose from barbeque to pasta to Asian food and everything in between.
At the conclusion of the dinner, the live auction program started. UCLA football radio announcers Chris Roberts and Matt Stevens served as the emcees. The program began with Guerrero welcoming everyone, followed by an inspiring speech by Rafer Johnson about the pride he feels, and our student-athletes feel, representing UCLA. Roberts and Stevens then introduced the coaches and current players in attendance. Virtually every sport was represented, and the coaches and players sat at various assigned tables with Bruin fans.
There were several highlights during the live auction session. The bidding for the "Honorary Bruin for a Day at the Rose Bowl versus USC" was so spirited that head coach Karl Dorrell got into the action and created a second package. Both were bought for $7,500 each, and both winners appeared to be ecstatic. Dick Vermeil was the winning bidder for a dinner for four with John Wooden, contributing $6,000 to the department. The opportunity to be a Bruin for a Day at Notre Dame, which includes running out of the tunnel and breakfast with Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban, closed at $9,000. An awesome framed picture of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jackie Robinson and Bill Russell, donated and autographed by Abdul-Jabbar, along with a letter describing his only meeting with Jackie Robinson, went for $2,750, as did the opportunity to play a round of golf with Bruin All-America quarterback Troy Aikman and UCLA golf coach O.D. Vincent.
Overall, the night was a great one for Bruin fans, coaches, student-athletes and staff. The coaches mingled and enjoyed their discussions with the fans and thanked them for their participation. Once again, all of those involved with the True Blue Celebration want to extend their thanks to the fans who attended and made the event so memorable.
Remember True Blue Celebration II will take place next year at about the same time. You should plan early to join us for a great night of fun and excitement.