Where Winning Is Second Nature ...

by Nestor on May 15, 2007 4:35 AM PDT in News

Our 100th national championship has made the Bruins a national story. USA Today profiles most successful broad-based athletics program in America:

Is it the idyllic campus?

The strong academic reputation? The Southern California weather? The superb coaching? The outstanding facilities?

Is it the shoes?

All of the above, perhaps. Whatever it is, UCLA is at the top of the world in college sports when it comes to a successful broad-based athletic program.

When the Bruins' women's water polo team won Sunday night, UCLA became the first university with 100 NCAA team championships.

The first came in men's tennis in 1950. Later, championships would come in all sorts of sports, made possible by all sorts of legendary coaches and athletes.

Most people consider John Wooden one of the greatest coaches in the history of American sports, but he's not No. 1 in terms of championships at his own school.

That of course would be Coach Al Scates who has stockpiled an astounding 19 national championships in volleyball.

What I found reaaaaaaaaaaaally interesting from that article was this quote from DG:

Guerrero says when one of his coaches wins a title, it motivates the others. "There's always a buzz in this department," he says. "And the expectations here are very, very high. We expect to win national championships."

I don't believe DG is making that comment in a vacuum. I think it is unmistakable the remarkable successes we are experiencing in all of our athletics programs are only going to increase the existing pressure on Karl Dorrell and Kathy Olivier, two coaches who have failed miserably when it comes to meeting that bottom line of winning championships. They haven't come close during their mediocre tenures in Westwood. And when winning is second nature in all sports programs at UCLA, those results are going to put even more pressure on these coaches to produce championships this coming season.

In any event despite the lack of results from Dorrell and Olivier's programs, our athletic program as a whole has a lot to be incredibly proud of. There will be an on campus celebration today in honor of our 100th national championship. If you are on campus or anywhere close you should be there.

Going back to DG I also think he deserves some credit. The UCLA athletics administration by all accounts had been nothing short of a pathetic bureaucracy before he arrived. Peter Dalis was a total joke who was just cruising along hiring internally promoting pathetic joke head coaches such as Lavin, Olivier and Toledo to positions they didn't really deserve and in return destroying those programs. There was a culture of stagnation plaguing UCLA athletics department before DG's arrival and he is slowly changing it.

Ben Howland was DG's first real hire which had his fingerprints all over it, and it was a massive one. Then he brought in John Savage who has revived a perennial underachieving baseball program. It seems like he has set in motion some concrete plans to restore Pauley. There is an unmistakable sense that cache of UCLA brand is back in all sports. Now it is a matter of getting clarity with regards to football program this upcoming year. Make no mistake about it. I don't think DG is the kind of Director who would sit by passively should KD fails to deliver what his colleagues are doing on a regular basis in every other UCLA sports: championships.

And if KD is shown the door I am confident that DG is going to bring in a coach like Ben Howland or John Savage who would be perfect for waking up the sleeping giant that is the Bruin football program. Sooner or later winning will become second nature in every single UCLA sports program including our football program.

We all need to be a little patient. I can tell you we are not going anywhere here on BN. We will be right here. You can see how we celebrated a championship for waterpolo. Just imagine what this place is going to look like when we win our first football championship since 1954 or bring home banner number 12.

It's just a matter of time.

GO BRUINS.

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Comments

glad to see the LA Times run such a great story

Oh wait, they didn't say anything. Im sure they are preparing their next story on how impressive Floyd's trip to the sweet sixteen was.

The Times sucks.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on May 15, 2007 6:27 AM PDT reply actions

Actually

The Times did run a story and it's not too bad.

by tasser10 on May 15, 2007 7:55 AM PDT up reply actions

i hadn't seen the tuesday paper when i commented

but now i have and i thought the story sucked. It was all about women's athletics, something the general public doesn't care about and falling into the SUC spin that its only women's athletics that makes us dominant.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on May 15, 2007 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions

Do You Really Care

about $UC spin? I mean, you only have to be half brain dead to go to $UC. All of us at UCLA could have gone to $UC, we just chose not to for an infinite amount of reasons (better school, hotter girls, gorgeous area and campus, richer sports history, etc.). Why would you care if they say it? If it comes out of their mouth, you know it's probably dumb.

Don't worry about $UC spin.

by BruinFan1 on May 15, 2007 5:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Except that

some of us didn't bother applying to USC.

by SuperBruinMan on May 15, 2007 9:07 PM PDT up reply actions

Just some

by bruinhoo on May 16, 2007 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions

In the sense that

Some is an unknown amount. Some could be many, some could be few. In this case it's many.

by SuperBruinMan on May 16, 2007 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions

You know what

I totally agree with you. It came across to me the exact same way as you read it. But its from the same author who also called Dorrell a "Thinker."

by Nestor on May 16, 2007 5:51 AM PDT up reply actions

Reprise on KD hiring and DG

I have stated this so often it appears I have inside knowledge but this is from the public newspapers. The Chancellor "really hired" KD, so DG, who was new, kind of got him that way. KD has had plenty of time, so DG knows if it doesn't happen this year big time, then we will be faced with, is mediocre at best OK for the football program? DG doesn't sound like it is, but we shall see.
Bill

BillSouthBay

by Mensgym on May 15, 2007 7:17 AM PDT reply actions

Nestor, don't make the classic mistake

of believing your own hype. I will believe that Mr. Dorrell is under some sort of pressure when Mr. Guerrero says so, and says it directly. So far, he has just mouthed cliches (hmm, who does that sound like) about winning championships. What else would he say? He can't say, "You know, Mr. Dorrell has been mediocre, but by golly, that's what we strive for here in Westwood."

Mr. Guerrero has yet to say anything directly about Mr. Dorrell's job security. There is the quote from the SID, but the SID is not the same as the AD.

Mr. Guerrero has yet to say that Mr. Dorrell must produce a championship or he's out. Until he says something like that, then I put him with the problems, not with the solutions. Sure Mr. Guerrero made good basketball and baseball hires, but that's what he's supposed to do. But until he at least tries to fix the football program, I'm not prepared to give him tenure, either.

by Fox 71 on May 15, 2007 10:09 AM PDT reply actions

Dorell's days will end soon

That upset of SC certainly bought him some time but I do believe, knowing how so many of you at BN feel, that another season of mediocrity will witness Guerrero's axe chopping upon Dorell's neck.

Dorell's ties with Donahue's winning seasons in the 80's can only earn him so much patience. His floundering reminds me of Hazzard's final days also. It would pain us to see an illustrious former Bruin sacked, let go but if he has to go, he has to go, period.

by Htse005 on May 15, 2007 2:45 PM PDT up reply actions

DG never said Lavin or Adams was under pressure

its not his way to say things like that publicly.

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on May 15, 2007 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions

But if you're in their shoes

you'd feel the implicit pressure to either produce results, which Lavin knew he couldn't, or resign to the inevitable fate of being sacked. He at least walked with the buyout money so undeservedly.

Dorell's an adult, not so thick skinned as Lavin hopefully.

by Htse005 on May 15, 2007 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions

As if recruiting

needs to get any easier for the coaches. Go Bruins. #100 and the last two by women's water polo; that's a pretty tough sport to play. I'd like to see Men's soccer get the next one in the fall, they got so close.

by bruin95 on May 15, 2007 10:39 AM PDT reply actions

One Of The Main Reasons I Love BN

is because we hold ALL coaches accountable. It's not just football and basketball here. Its anything Bruin! I love to see us keep Olivier's feet to the fire. Nothing at UCLA should be mediocre...NOTHING!

I'm also loving how $UC fans don't understand why we actually care about 100 Championships or championships in non-revenue sports. You know, if they had a quarter of the rich history UCLA has in all sports, they'd understand. I would love for one of them to tell that to the face of Jackie Robinson, Jackie Joyner-Kearse (sorry if I spelled that incorrectly) and Arthur Ashe. Morons.

by BruinFan1 on May 15, 2007 12:34 PM PDT reply actions

And 100 Is Amazing

considering UCLA is fairly young in comparison to most other schools with major sports programs.

by BruinFan1 on May 15, 2007 12:35 PM PDT reply actions

Even More Amazing...

...considering the NC men's sports that we've dropped due to Title IX constraints!

by Calchas on May 15, 2007 1:50 PM PDT reply actions

Ironically...

...it might be BECAUSE of it that we got to 100. Women's teams have won far more championships lately.

by tasser10 on May 15, 2007 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions

we did....

have a pretty damn good men's gymnastics team when it was here, sadly replaced by crew =/

by redsand514 on May 15, 2007 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions

coaches...

was toledo really that bad of a football coach? i didnt follow ucla football too closely in high school because i was busy most saturdays, but huge winning streak and almost on the verge on NC? I know he didnt recruit much of a defense, JP Losman being a bitch and bailing didn't help, but overall the teams were somewhat stocked, which dorrell wasted in his first years.

with skip, i dont think he wasn't really under too much pressure, he had the occasional good year when the teams clicked, like when he had Glaus and actually had some pithing, the only real knock on him was that he was too old school and didn't desire the control that savage has (i.e. calling every pitch and taking 5 minutes to do it).

by redsand514 on May 15, 2007 4:40 PM PDT reply actions

OH

UCLA doesn't have to lie about championships to feel good (fake football championships in 2003 and 1928).

by BruinFan1 on May 15, 2007 8:25 PM PDT reply actions

um

were? (#3)

by SuperBruinMan on May 15, 2007 9:06 PM PDT reply actions

I don't understand what you're questioning

by BruinFan1 on May 15, 2007 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions

They are* pedophiles

by SuperBruinMan on May 15, 2007 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions

Don't Forget Don Segretti

In charge of dirty tricks for Nixon's re-election, and a trOJan through and through.

You don't have to make that a partisan or political issue, just an integrity issue.

by Fox 71 on May 15, 2007 9:17 PM PDT reply actions

More from Terry Bowden

"I think this is a really big year for Karl Dorrell and his UCLA Bruins. Many people believe, including me, that UCLA has the ability to contend for the Pac-10 crown almost every year. I'm not saying the Bruins necessarily should knock USC off the top of the mountain, but if you asked me which two or three teams in the conference had the means to be in the top three every year I'd say UCLA would have to be one of them. Florida, Texas and Ohio State have shown us that schools with great tradition in one sport can excel in another sport as well. And if Dorrell is going to build a championship program at UCLA, it must start with a championship defense."

by SuperBruinMan on May 15, 2007 10:56 PM PDT reply actions