Nov. 21, 2011

On Nov. 25, the eve of the UCLA-USC football game, all UCLA student-athlete alumni are invited to "The Showdown" from 7-10 p.m. at the Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge (800 W. Olympic Blvd., LA, CA, 90015) for a night of fun and Bruin-Trojan trash talking at the bowling alley.

The event is being hosted by the Bruin Leadership Athletic Alumni Council (BLAAC), which was formed by former UCLA defensive tackle Andre Farr (1988-91). Farr, who is a member of one of the most famous families in UCLA football history, has been the Chairman and CEO of the Black Sports Agents Association (BSAA) since 1996.

"I got the idea for the BLAAC earlier this year," said Farr, whose three cousins all played football at UCLA - All-American halfback Mel Farr, Sr. (1964-66), fullback Mel Farr, Jr. (1984-87) and flanker Mike Farr (1986-89). "I'm always looking for ways to reconnect with former teammates and make a stronger connection for our campus and our community. I thought this may be a great way to accomplish that. So I called some people that I'm pretty close with who all played at UCLA. I was amazed at how interested they were and how excited they were to do it."

"The Showdown" is an event Farr hopes to make into an annual affair. Alumni athletes from any sport from both UCLA and USC have been invited. UCLA basketball alumni Toby Bailey and Mitchell Butler will be competing in the bowling competition, and Farr is also expecting some track and field standouts from both schools, including Olympic gold medalists Dawn Harper, Joanna Hayes and Allyson Felix.

Last April at a BSAA event to highlight the 2011 NFL Draft, Farr had his first BLAAC gathering and honored several Bruins, including Dr. Berky Nelson, PhD, director of the UCLA Center for Student Programming; Frank Stephens, Bruin linebacker (1975-77) who once served as UCLA Athletics Director of Student Services; and 96-year-old Catherine Bodenstein, a long-time UCLA tutor and teaching assistant.

The BLAAC sponsored free health screenings at a Culver City event in August, featuring Dr. Emmanuel Onwutuebe, an internal medicine specialist based in Las Vegas who was a UCLA nose tackle (1988-91); Steve Lewis, Bruin track & field great (1988-91) who won three Olympic Gold Medals in the 400m/1600m relay; Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Barnes, who was a UCLA standout from 1999-02; and Bruin soccer great Cobi Jones (1988-91), who is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Before the Texas game at the Rose Bowl, BLAAC sponsored a tailgate party, inviting all UCLA student-athlete alumni to attend.

"We're a group of UCLA student-athlete alumni who come together to impact the campus, the community and each other," Farr explained. "To have attended UCLA as student-athletes was a tremendously unique and life-changing experience. Our experiences are different from the non-athlete student, our challenges once we leave UCLA are different, our transitions are different, and our opportunities are different. So in order to share the resources, experiences, and opportunities, we decided to come together. We emphasize community outreach, professional networking and socializing to have a little fun as well."

Farr is looking forward to working with the UCLA Athletic Department to combine efforts. "I know James Washington is making a great impact with alumni support, and we want to make connections with Courteney Cosso and the Bruin Varsity Club," he said. "Any way we can help to support Bruin Athletics, we will do our best. It's our way of giving back to what has given us so much. Many members of BLAAC are already doing things in the community, and BLAAC gives us the opportunity to come together and do things collectively."

For more information about the BLAAC and to RSVP for the Nov. 25 "The Showdown" event at Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge, please call 310-568-8500, ext. 450, e-mail contactBLAAC@gmail.com and view online at blaac.wordpress.com. Registration fee for "The Showdown" is $50.