University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Why UCLA Men's Tennis?
June 5, 2000
HERE ARE 25 MAJOR REASONS WHY ATTENDING UCLA IS SO SPECIAL:
- The Pac-10 considers UCLA as the #1 Athletic Program of the 20th century, because of all of the Bruins' amazing accomplishments, including being #1 in NCAA team titles.
- Through the 1999-2000, UCLA leads all colleges in overall NCAA team titles won with 82, including a NCAA leading four during the athletic year. More amazingly, all championships have been won since 1950.
- Beginning with the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and including the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, 1998 in Seoul, 1992 in Barcelona and 1996 in Atlanta, UCLA has produced more Olympians and Olympic Medals than any other college. Over 50% of UCLA's lifetime Olympians have won medals.
- For the past three academic years (1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00), UCLA has been the nation's most popular university to attend with over 30,000 applications for admission each year. More students apply here than any other college for UCLA's 4,000 admission spots per year.
- In the latest 'US News & World Report Magazine' survey on top academic universities across the nation, UCLA is among the top ten. In fact, UCLA has seven times as many academic departments ranked in the top ten as its cross-town rival from USC. In fact, UCLA had over 60 more departments ranked in the top 20 in the annual academic survey.
- UCLA won the Football National Championship in 1954, the Bruins won 11 NCAA basketball titles, more than any other college and also appeared in more championship games than any other school. UCLA won the 1978 Women's Basketball National Collegiate Championship. UCLA is one of only a couple of other colleges that have won national championships in football and basketball.
- The most successful active coach in NCAA history is UCLA's Al Scates with a record 18 NCAA men's volleyball titles. Scates is believed to be the only current NCAA coach to have won titles in 5 decades--60's (2 USVBA's), 70's (7 NCAA's), 80's (6 NCAA's) and 90's (4 NCAA's) and the first title of new Millennium (2000).
- Since the early 1970's, UCLA is the only university in Division I to never have a head coach leave for another college coaching job. This stability in coaching is because UCLA is the #1 place nationally to be a head coach. If you are going to ever leave UCLA, it is usually for a professional coaching position.
- If you add the current UCLA professional players in major league baseball, professional football, pro basketball, major league soccer and pro beach volleyball, there are more Bruin representatives playing professionally by a wide margin than any other school.
- The 2000 World Figure Skating Champion Michelle Kwan attends UCLA. In the summer LA Laker Kobe Bryant takes classes here. Spin City actress Heather Locklear attended UCLA and her father Bill still works on campus. There are numerous famous individuals attending or have attend UCLA.
- UCLA was the university where the Internet was invented. UCLA is the university that awards more doctoral degrees to minority students than any other college. UCLA was the first university in the Western United States to perform open-heart surgery. UCLA's Medical Center has been #1 on the West Coast every year since 1989 and is the #1 ranked hospital among the top athletic programs.
- Since national athletic department overall sport finish rankings began in 1971, UCLA is the only university to be ranked in the top 5 every year and for that matter in the top 10 every year. 21 times UCLA was honored as the #1 men's or #1 women's program, more than double of any other university. The first time a total athletic program was recognized, it was UCLA. Since the Sears' Cup came out in 1993-94, UCLA has ranked in the top 5 every year.
- UCLA is the only university to have a professional football player--Ken Norton--be a part of three straight Super Bowl Champions. UCLA is the only university to have a football quarterback--Troy Aikman--win three Super Bowls in four years?
- In qualifications for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney in Beach Volleyball, UCLA is the university that graduated the women's #1 team of Liz Masakayan and Elaine Youngs and the #2 team of Jenny Johnson-Jordan and Annett Buckner-Davis. 1996 Olympians Linda Hanley and Holly McPeak are both UCLA graduates and trying to qualify for Sydney.
- On the USA Domestic Women's Beach Volleyball Professional Tour, a UCLA player has been in the championship match every event from April of 1993-June of 2000--over seven years and almost 80 tournaments. A UCLA player has won almost 90% of the USA women's pro beach events.
- When Sports Illustrated rated the nation's collegiate athletic programs for the first time and had to pick the #1 athletic school, UCLA was the selection. UCLA was recognized for its balance in academics, athletics and social life.
- UCLA's Paul Caligiuri scored the goal that advanced the USA team to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, its first appearance in decades. In virtually every international USA match since that time, UCLA has had more players than any other college. Current 2002 World Cup candidates include former Bruin names like Cobi Jones, Brad Friedel, Eddie Lewis, Frankie Hedjuk, Anton Razov, Sasha Victorine, Peter Vagenas, Greg Vanney and Joe-Max Moore are among the candidates that have represented the USA internationally.
- The Pac-10 named UCLA's Natalie Williams as its first female Athlete of the Decade for her All-American play in both volleyball and basketball. She followed a long line of multi-sport Bruin athletes that included greats like Jackie-Joyner-Kersee, Rafer Johnson, Jackie Robinson and current Bruins Kristee Porter (volleyball, basketball, track & field), Freddie Mitchell (football & baseball), Lauren Fredrick (volleyball & softball) and Damian Allen (football & track & field). UCLA's Quarter Academic System makes multi-sport student-athletes a strong possibility.
- UCLA was the first university to ever win seven consecutive football bowl games. UCLA has played in the New Year's Day Rose Bowl game in five straight decades.
- UCLA's location among colleges is definitely the nicest geographically among Southern California universities and perhaps the State. The average home price within a three mile radius of the Bruin campus is valued at over $1 million dollars. The beautiful area allows UCLA to have the lowest crime rate of any major college in the State. The average year-round temperature is 74 degrees with little humidity and being within 5 miles of the beach, UCLA has not had a first stage smog alert since the early 1980's
- In the sport of tennis, UCLA is the only university to ever have two players from the same school play for the prestigious Wimbledon title-Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe back in 1975. On the collegiate level, UCLA has been one of the two most dominant programs, with numerous team and individual titles.
- The JobTrak job placement system for college students to locate full-time and part-time jobs, plus internships is an important academic resource in more than 300 colleges across the nation. UCLA is a clear #1 in placement of its students in these positions and the Quarter System allows internship experience with class credit around playing seasons.
- UCLA has the longest streak in NCAA history for consecutive winning seasons in the sport of men's basketball and that record is now over 50 years in length going back to the 1940's. No other major program is close to that figure.
- UCLA is the university that has produced the Olympic Games 100 meters track & field champions in 1984-Evelyn Ashford, 1988--Florence Griffith-Joyner and 1992 & 1996--Gail Devers. UCLA is the only university to produce Olympic gold medalists in the decathlon (Rafer Johnson in 1960) and heptathlon (Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 1988 & 1992).
- When you blend prestigious academics where the average UCLA graduate earns over $75,000 per year, great all-around athletics where every top student-athlete has the opportunity to move the next level and an incredible social life with Westwood Village and the weather, there is no university that can match the "total package" that UCLA offers.