Four Stories About What Those Four Letters Mean To Us (And Some More)

by Nestor on Aug 30, 2009 10:11 AM PDT in Off Topic Comment 14 comments

I had a feeling this thread had a potential to become epic. Not only didn't it live up to expectations, I think it has gone past something special. I'd say it touched the blue and gold nerve in this community resulting in outpouring of emotion that is beyond overwhelming. Let me repost the two questions I posted on Friday night:

What is your connection to UCLA?
How did you become a part of Bruins Nation?

Since then we have more than 100 comments with Bruins ranging from high-schoolers to retirees, spanning more than 50 years, pouring their heart and soul into that thread. Every single story in that thread is amazing. Still I wanted to pluck out three stories and highlight them here on the frontpage to give everyone else a little sense of what this community going:

Bruins095:

UCLA, those 4 letters mean everything. I grew up mostly in Northern California with generations of my family attending Cal. Everything and everyone around me had some connection to Berkeley, but I knew UCLA was in my future. My brother started his love affair with UCLA at a very young age. He dreamed about becoming a bruin and worked extremely hard to make that dream come true. He and I would talk about UCLA and hopefully becoming a part of the bruin family some day. We would attend Cal-UCLA football and basketball games and were the only ones rooting for the bruins. When he got into the university, we were jumping up and down knowing one part of our dream had come true. My first visit was in 1983 and I fell in love with the school. I would visit every summer and love every minute of my stay. He would show me every part of the campus and rave about his experience. The bruin indoctrination was in full swing. My turn came in 89 and we both were now officially members of the bruin family.

My brother passed away in 1998. He was the biggest bruin fan I had ever met and we shared countless experiences with UCLA athletics. I thought the bruins might win the football championship that year. They came so close that year, and I know he is a proud bruin still. Every event I attend, I always think of him. Some may not understand how fanatical I can be, but the institution is a part of me. Thanks to him, my bruin pride is immense. He is the reason UCLA is in my blood. I’m extremely grateful for communities like this one. Thanks fo everyone for sharing their stories and experiences. Go Bruins!!!

Are you getting goose bumps yet? We are not done. More after the jump.

Scotucla03:

I’ll admit I came a little late to the game. As a young high school grad, I thought it would be a better idea to work in construction and retail rather than go to school. Became a plumber and, later, an assistant superintendent back in the late 90’s. But one day, I found myself digging a trench for some new homes at the top of a hill in Westlake Village; no trees; middle of August all by myself. At that moment, I decided it might be a good idea to go back to school and enrolled shortly thereafter.

Full-time employment and night school for the next 3-4 years, sometimes driving from home in Northridge, to west Simi Valley for work, to Santa Monica CC for the one summer calculus class that no other JC in the area offered, and back to Northridge. Anyhow, I applied to ALL the UC’s since my previous flaky stints at JC’s helped drag my GPA down…

In the interim, my mother-in-law one day went to the hospital for flu-like symptoms. When the doctor came out at Kaiser, he said that there was nothing they could do there since they didn’t have the facilities. But, by a stroke of miraculous luck, he called UCLA medical center, a colleague apparently worked there, and they said they had an ICU bed open. We rushed her over in an ambulance, making it in what seemed an agonizingly long time. When we got there, they wheeled her into the ICU and we were standing at the doors with her visible in the background. The young doctor was talking to us when all hell broke loose in the background; whistles, buzzers, nurses jumping on the bed to administer CPR. Needless to say, we were all terrified when they pushed us out and sat us in the waiting room.

They came out a little later and said they had stabilized her (but only later did they mention that her heart had actually stopped beating), but that she needed a transplant since her heart was only pumping at 15% of capacity. Somehow, during the next day or so, she ended up getting put on a machine that basically did the pumping for her heart, allowing it to rest. Apparently, that was all that was needed and she was taken off after about two to three weeks. Her heart started right up and, 8 years later, she’s logged 10’s of thousands of miles traveling.

So, needless to say, my wife and the entire family are indebted to UCLA more than we could ever express. Were it not for UCLA, their excellent staff and amazing resources, my life would be very different right now. The aforementioned happened in February/March. I go the acceptance letter in May.

As a returning student, with the knowledge of what life without a degree offered, I embraced my time at north campus with a vengeance. I can honestly say that I loved every single minute there, whether it was studying, driving in horrendous traffic to get there, or trying to find parking. Managed to graduate with a double major in Biz Econ and Poli Sci in ’03. First member of the immediate family to graduate from college.

hval14:

My memories of how I became a UCLA fan had very little to do with academics and even less to do with sports, although that is were it started. I remember being enrolled in the Jeopardy Boxing program for at risk youth in the early 90’s. One day, one of the counselors told us that UCLA had donated a bunch of football tickets and that Jeopardy was going to arrange a trip to the Rose Bowl for a game.

That day I became a fan, not because of the football game, but because some one from UCLA cared enough to give a bunch of kids the chance to experience something like that. I came from a hard working Mexican immigrant family and unfortunately I would never have experienced UCLA the way I did that day.

As much as UCLA was in my heart throughout high school, I didn’t have what it took to go there, or any college for that matter, and at 18 I joined the Marines. One day when I was walking my post in Wash D.C, I looked through the officers’ command room and they were watching a UCLA football game. I saw one play in which a running back got a hand off and ran for about 8 yards. To my surprise, it was one of my high school classmates. I felt so pumped after that, even though I was miles away from my family and home, for that moment I felt as if I was back in L.A.

After I got discharged I attended the local community college, I couldn’t believe how I was busting out all those A’s. I was going to attend CSU Somewhere, but when I realized that my GPA was in the high 3’s, I realized that I had to shoot for the moon and apply for UCLA. It was like a dream when the acceptance letter came. I graduated in ’06 BA Sociology.

Bruins102NCAA:

Those four letters mean everything to me: UCLA. Class of ’04, BA in history. I just got my JD from another school. I am a lifelong Los Angeleno as is my wife, Class of ’08 BA in Classical Civ. and current law student at another school. I come from a family of five in which none of my siblings graduated high-school. I am the first of my family to go to college as is my wife in her family. I come from an Irish-Catholic family and I grew up loving Notre Dame football. Needless to say, I hate u$c* with a passion. My wife and I both applied to UCB, UCSB, UCI, and UCLA. We were accepted into each school but chose UCLA because we are Los Angelenos and chose to serve the people of Los Angeles. I came to UCLA the first time for orientation and was awed by Royce quad. "Now this is a place to go to school" I thought. My wife remembers looking at the course catalog for the first time like a kid in a candy store. Here were the classes she only dreamed about taking. She signed up for all she wanted. I was given scholarships to attend as was my wife. I graduated summa cum laude with college honors.

I tell you this not for any purpose which would be self-aggrandizing, but rather to attempt to express my gratitude to the University. Can you imagine the pride my mother and father felt watching their son walk across the stage in Royce to shake the Chancellor’s hand? My parents—two people who just a decade before had been living on the streets, without a home and with a large family? From the moment I first got to UCLA, I was embraced by everyone and made to feel welcomed and part of a larger family. To this very day I feel that I have accomplished little to warrant such honor and dignity that UCLA has given me. UCLA gave me everything.

Anyone still have any questions about what those four letters mean to us? :-)

I only highlighted four stories in this post. They are just four examples of more than 100 stories we have compiled here and here. And we have room for lot more.

If you haven't shared your story yet here and here, I think it's time. Step up. We'd love to hear your answers to the two questions we posed on Friday. Let it all out before we get ready for the first game week of 2009.

GO BRUINS.

0 recs | Comment 14 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I missed hval's story

since (and you pointed this out) comments literally overflowed with positive stories.

hval, my hat’s off to you compadre! Verdad que si se puede?

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden

by MexiBruin on Aug 30, 2009 11:23 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Si se puede!

Sometimes kids need to be shown that it is out there. UCLA is a gateway to alot of dreams and opportunities. When I heard that Junior Taylor was out in Arizona bringing kids to the games I was so glad that people out there are still care.

by hval14 on Aug 30, 2009 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Necessitas burrito spectacular???? :-P

yup! I threw in some cash. Love causes like that.

PS- I too also am of latino decent, just in case the PC police is around ;-)

by impaulv on Aug 30, 2009 5:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Se Puede!

I was working construction a year before I came to UCLA. I told my foreman I was going to UCLA and enrolling in Film School. He sneered at me and said something along the lines that would be the day. A year later I was in UCLA, and a year after that I was in Film School. All you have to do is want it, put in the work, and never give up.

PS: like others here, I also applied for one school and one school only. My advisers said I was crazy, but I didn’t care. I knew what I wanted, I had put in the work, I wasn’t going anywhere else.

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden

by MexiBruin on Aug 31, 2009 12:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

98 Poli Sci

My older brother graduated from UCLA in 1994. During my sophomore year in high school he took me to campus with him one day so that I could see what it was like, and by the end of the day I knew that I belonged at UCLA. I remember reading Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s autobiography. In it he recalls his first impressions of UCLA and of The Coach of coaches: John Wooden. He was struck by the ordinariness of it all. At UCLA greatness in athletics and academics is simply the norm, not the exception. Just a group of talented individuals seeking to better themselves and get the job done.

During my own 5 years on campus I felt the exact same way. Our school produces greatness in so many different fields, and while each achievement is celebrated and recognized, it is powerfully motivating to know that Bruins continue to push the frontiers and to excel throughout life instead of resting on our collective laurels.

I found Bruins Nation through www.dumpdorrell.com, which also serves as a timeframe of when I began to be passionate about Bruin football. Because I’m still learning the game, dumpdorrell.com served as an educational resource teaching me what NOT to do with a football team. I’m happy to add that since I first visited BN over a year and a half ago, I have continued to learn quite a bit from reading the posts of my more knowledgeable Bruin brothers and sisters. Thanks for all the hard work and for providing a link back to our Bruin roots.

by 98BruinPride on Aug 30, 2009 1:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I wish those guys had saved that site

They did great work.

by Nestor on Aug 30, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Typical Bruin here

’92 Grad. Big Basketball fan growing up during the Wooden era. Disappointed a bit to get there during the end of the Hazzard Era. Happy now during the CBH era.

Once again I could thanks iTunes and Apple for hooking us up. Heard about dumpdorrell.com after listening to the Bruin podcast(I miss you guys). Of course, dumpdorrell.com steered viewers to BN after their successful run.

by Bruin15 on Aug 30, 2009 1:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I was a sophomore in high school from San Diego when I first had the opportunity to visit UCLA’s campus. My U.S. History teacher, who was a UCLA Alum, had organized a class trip to see a UCLA football game at the rose bowl against Oregon. Before we went to the Rose Bowl, we drove to UCLA to tour the campus. We got to campus around noon, got off our buses and walked up Bruin Walk to Royce Plaza. When we reached the top, I fell in love with what I was seeing. It was right there in that moment, I decided UCLA was going to be the place for me. My teacher was telling a small group of us stories about how he used to hang out in the quad in between class, where he would go to eat with his friends, and specific memories of the culture of UCLA during the 70’s and the Wooden era. With each story, I was falling more and more in love.

The football game at the Rose Bowl was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. A packed stadium, the electricity in the air… it was the icing on the cake.

Two years later, I was accepted into UCLA. 4 years after that (’07), I graduated with a double major in Sociology and Communications. My time in Westwood changed my life. The pride I feel to have attended the most complete academic and athletic institution in the world, is a feeling only Bruins past and present will ever understand.

I will forever be indebted to UCLA. GO BRUINS!!

by A G Bruin on Aug 30, 2009 2:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

four beautiful letters

My mom.class of 50. introduced me to UCLA when i as about 8. She absolutely loved being a bruin and to say she was a devoted sports fanatic would be an inadequate discription of how much she pulled for her bruins. She first took me to Spaulding field when Tommy Prothro was the coach. it seemed like we were always there. me running around after practice. her talking bridge. and football. with coach Prothro. She instilled in me a hatred of all things $C. which I have passed on to my daughters. and together we would watch every UCLA football and basketball game that was on tv.. Dick Enberg calling the late weekend replays. I looked forward to those games like Christmas. still do. My mom loved UCLA. everything about it and passed that on to me. I take my girls to Pauley for Volleyball and Basketball. and to the Rose Bowl for football and on the drive down from Santa Barbara we talk about what it will be like when they go to school there.
My then 10 yr. old. while sitting in the student section of an $c-UCLA womens volleyball game looked up at me after hearing a particularly raunchy cheer. smiled and asked if she could join in when they did it again…I told her she could do it when she was a student to which she replied.“I can’t wait”. One of my proudest moments!! When I stumbled across this community I couldn’t believe how good it felt to know you all are out there and to quote former bruin quarterback Mike Flores who lives up here F*%# the trojans

by bruingolf on Aug 30, 2009 8:40 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Just got home

and noticed my story was highlighted. Thanks so much Nestor and to everyone who shared their stories and experiences. I greatly enjoyed reading them which increase my passion and bruin pride tenfold. Congratuation to all who have had the tremendous fortune to be a part of such an incredible institution.

Saturday can’t come soon enough. At every home opener, I feel like a child attending Disneyland for the first time. I can barely sleep the night before, and my day always starts with singing the fight song. Upon entering the rosebowl, I’m always in Bruin heaven.

Thanks to all for the daily updates and contributions to this board. My daily fix for all things UCLA continues. Go Bruins!!

by Bruins095 on Aug 30, 2009 8:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Being from Northern California (Technically Central Coast)

I wasn’t too familiar with Southern California schools. Typically, people in Santa Cruz County went to Berkeley. Fortunately, my brother had moved down to Los Angeles after graduating from UCSB, and lived in Westwood where I would come down to visit while I was in highschool. After getting a tour, and listening to my brother tell me that UCLA was one of the best schools in the country I decided to pursue my newly found dream of going to this University.

I spent the remaining 2 years studying my A** off and putting off having too much of a good time in high school to get into the school of my choice. I would later be faced with one of the most difficult choices presented to a 17 year old (Young for my grade) kid about to graduate high school.

I had been accepted to UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA, as well as someother schools, but my top 3 had accepted me.

It was then that I really had to sit down and figure out my life, for the next 4-5 years. Being as good a procrastinator as I was when it came to studying, I decided to take my time before accepting the school of my dreams…It wasn’t until the Saturday before the deadline that I really knew deep in my heart that being Bruin was not only the best school for me, it was the best school in the entire World.

I drove down to visit my brother that weekend, and we walked around campus together. I probably spent 6 hours that day walking from North Campus to South, stopping inside Powell Library to soak in the mysterious feeling from those unusually high ceilings, and tall pillars posted throughout the building, I walked down Jans steps admiring the view of the Residential buildings in the distance. And finally made it to the top of Drake Stadium, overlooking the track. I studied the entire campus from a distance and absorbed its magnificence. I decided right then and there, that UCLA was where I belonged. The countless championships and traditions upheld by what I had believed were honest values enforced by the administration gave me a sense of pride to even be considered as an option to come here. I knew that with hard work, I could make it through the UCLA program and would be proud to call myself a Bruin. I chose UCLA over Stanford and Cal (In that Order), because I knew that it would eventually become a framework for success that was dependent on my merits and nothing else. I later became even more proud to call myself a Bruin when I joined my fraternity, which is the same fraternity that Dan Guerrero, Jim Collins, Todd Spieker, Gail Goodrich, John Anderson, Murphy, and even Wooden (though he was in it at Purdue) and several other amazing Bruins had been a part of. And after seeing what they were able to contribute to society, as well as UCLA, My appreciation for success at UCLA grew exponentially.

UCLA was an amazing experience, and the memories I created there will last me a lifetime. After graduating in the Spring of 2009, I can honestly say that I made the right choice, and it has prepared me for the future. And as much as it pains me to move forward after my Undergraduate experience, it is my hope to be able to return someday in the future to contribute to its timeless glory. (Hopefully as a grad-student/professor someday)

I found out about BruinsNation through 2 sources, 1 was a fraternity brother who worked for UCLA athletics. and 2 was an amazing site known as DumpDorrell.com. After posting countless times on that site and being immersed into an actual place where I felt that UCLA kept the die hard passionate fans, I was fortunate enough to come across BruinsNation where I have religiously, through procrastination from studying, or breaks at work, have come to feel a part of this amazing community, as well as the overall UCLA community as well.

It is truly an honor to call myself a Bruin, and have everyone else on here a Bruin Brother as well. Hopefully this wasn’t too long, and I apologize if its scattered, it took me a while to think of the right words to post.

GO BRUINS!!!

by UCLABRU1 on Aug 31, 2009 12:52 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Midwest Bruin

1. My connection to UCLA comes due to a lucky admissions letter and a lot of support from my family. I moved around most of my life (Columbus, Ohio to Gurnee, Illinois, to San Diego and back to the North Suburbs of Chicago) and when it came down to colleges I had been waiting on one acceptance letter. I had already heard from Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and North Carolina but it was March and nothing yet from UCLA. Growing up in Big Ten country I hadn’t heard much of UCLA’s athletic tradition, but was quite familiar with their academic reputation. Attending Michigan in the fall seemed inevitable as the days went by without any notice from the only school that could compete with my beloved Wolverines. It finally came in a regular sized envelope that usually means, “sorry bud, good luck someplace else.” To my surprise it said quite the opposite. Granted I hadn’t even seen the campus yet I had to take a visit. I think it was mid-April and Spring was arriving in the Midwest (meaning high 40s/low 50s with a chance of rain just about daily), but the weather in Westwood couldn’t have been any better. I started with my pops up Westwood Blvd. past the medical buildings to Ackerman. We stayed on path avoiding the mess of people on what I would soon to know only as Bruin Walk up to Powell and Royce. That did it for me. Those four buildings leading up from Janss overlooking Drake and the dorms were all I needed to see to know that I could live there for 4 years. I recall apologizing to my dad on the spot about how I couldn’t go to Michigan. He couldn’t blame me for that decision. After graduating this past Spring with a degree in History and Political Science I can’t imagine what it would have been like not to be a Bruin. I’m really at a loss for words when it comes to describing my actual college experience. There isn’t enough time or space to describe the imprint UCLA has left on my life so far, probably in ways I won’t see until my undergraduate days are long behind me. Maybe Fox and 66 can let us all in on the secret….

2. Regarding Bruins Nation, as a freshman on campus in Fall 2005 I knew very little about UCLA football. As an avid Michigan football fan I had spent some time perusing the internets for my fix. I think a link from Sunday Morning Quarterback (which isn’t up anymore because the mod got one of those cushy corporate blogger jobs) brought be to Bruins Nation. This was sometime during midseason after already witnessing several miracle comebacks that led me to believe this team was getting by on sheer talent. I never thought I’d find such a bastion of people sharing my disdain for UCLA’s playcalling and general offensive schemes (aka throw it up to Marcedes and get Mo the rock). But I think that crazy football season, combined with the first of three runs to the Final Four got me stuck on UCLA Athletics. This site allowed me to stay up to date with news and notes to complement whatever crappy coverage the MSM was giving us. After a while I started posting and it has become much more than that. I’ve heard stories from older alums, history that I previously had no connection to, a sense of community that is quite uncommon among fan blogs where the internet flame wars can get pretty vulgar with everyone hiding behind keyboards and monitors. This place doesn’t have that and I don’t think it ever will considering the tremendous amount of respect and camaraderie we have here as part of an institution that demanded these qualities from its students. Let’s keep it going. Thanks N, Ty, rye, 66, Fox, et al that lead this thing and set the example from which I believe all of us lesser contributers follow. Go Bruins!!!

by mdjohns4 on Aug 31, 2009 10:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

County Bruin

my love affair with UCLA began at a very early age and my Uncle Bill who is by far and away the biggest UCLA fan there is … im not kidding ,. im not embellishing… my Uncle Bill has worn soemthing with UCLA on it every day of his life with the exception of various events funerals weddings etc …. but every day.. a UCLA hat or shirt or jacket or sweater … so I grew up watching UCLA football and basketball …. the disappointment of
the 1973 SC game.. the euphoria of the 1975 SC game… the most nervous I have ever been was the UCLA-Louisville semifinal BB game in 1975… OMG sheer terror …. so as I went through my years in HS I knew the only school I could ever go to was UCLA… and back then ( 1977) all you had to have was a B average and you would get into a UC.. might not be your first choice but you were guaranteed a spot … so off my application went and I remember the day I got my letter.. my mother called my school and told me taht the UCLA letter had arrived …. OMG i remember jumping in my car with two friends… rushing home to open the letter…i rmember that feeling when you first open the envelope and unfolding the letter and thefirst word you see is Congratulations !!! OMG the joy of that day I wish i could bottle because it was the best day of my life ….God I love UCLA so much and consequently hate USC so much

by UCLADave on Aug 31, 2009 1:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Tears to my eyes...

I’m a 2-year lurker, first time poster compelled to write after reading these moving contributions, many of which have brought tears to my eyes.

I had no connection to UCLA growing up in So. Cal; in fact I was a Cornhusker fan since my dad went to the University of NE. But when the time came to apply to college I didn’t want to move that far away, so decided to consider both UCLA and USC. A family friend was just finishing up grad school at USC, and had been an undergrad at UCLA, so she offered to take me on tours of both campuses. First stop was SC – what a disappointment. I wasn’t impressed with the campus at all, and of course the surrounding neighborhood was enough to scare anyone off. But as soon as we arrived at UCLA I felt my mood beginning to lift, and with my first look at Royce Quad (not to mention the outstanding academics) I was sold. UCLA was the only school I applied to and thankfully I got in because I still look back on my experience there as the best time in my life. Favorite memories include working as a campus Tour Guide; being a newscaster for the campus radio station KLA (is that still there?); working in booths at Mardi Gras; being one of the “Pauley Overnighters;” and meeting my husband. I never missed a home football or basketball game as a student.

I got more out of my experience at UCLA than I could ever give back, but I’ve tried as an alum by volunteering when I can to represent UCLA at high school college fairs, helping at athletic fundraising events, etc. My husband and I have twin boys who have been indoctrinated into UCLA lore since birth – they attended their first football game at 6 months and have been going ever since. We attended Bruin Woods for 12 straight summers while they were growing up – highly recommended to anyone who wants their kids to grow up loving all things Bruin! In fact, my boys were the ones who referred me to Bruins Nation – they found it during the Dorrell years and thought I’d enjoy it. Boy, were they right – now I’m hooked, checking in several times a day for the latest Bruin news. I love knowing there are others out there who love the Bruins as much as I do, and can relate to the latest triumph or heartache.

One of my proudest moments: My twins will both be students at UCLA in about 3 weeks – we move them into the dorms on 9/20 (originally scheduled for 9/19 but we couldn’t miss the Kansas State game!). They applied to UCLA, Cal, UCI. and UCSD and got into all 4 – but there was no question where they would end up as long as they got in! What a blessing to see the Bruin tradition being carried on.

There is one UCLA “moment” I’m still waiting on…..I sure would like to see us win another national championship in football. So far it seems like we’re on the right track with Coach Neuheisel and his exceptional staff. My fingers are crossed that it happens while my sons are there!

Many thanks to Nestor and the rest who moderate here….keep up the good work and Go Bruins!

by UCLA4EVR on Aug 31, 2009 1:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs