Bumped. Great post from bruinclassof10 that really takes Gene Block and Chianti Dan to task for the loser mentality they installed at UCLA. -BN Eds.

U.C.L.A. What do these four letters mean to you?

Growing up in the U.S.A., perhaps you knew UCLA to represent academics because of the national rankings and worldwide prestige. Or perhaps you correlated UCLA with sunshine, hot girls, sports, Hollywood, basketball or even football (if you grew up in the 90s like I did). To each of us Bruins, whether on Bruins Nation, BRO, InsideUCLA or the student who has never been to a single sporting event, UCLA may mean something completely different.

However, there is one undeniable thing about UCLA, that all of us share in common, once we step onto campus, regardless of background, age, class or generation: UCLA is great. Whether it be through academics, sports, entertainment or just the campus itself, UCLA is considered great. Being a Bruin for one day, is greater than being a Trogan for a lifetime. Now why is it so great? Please allow me to explain, after the jump.

UCLA is great because we, Bruins always expect greatness. It is because of these expectations, that the people who put us on the map, put in the hard work and put it on themselves to create a name for themselves and the university they represent so proudly. Champions Made Here should always be our motto, not First to 100. Why boast about 100? 100 is just another number that other universities will eventually reach. 1 or 12 should be more important numbers. The only "First" shirt I'll wear is a "First Since 1995" or "First NCAA Football Championship" shirt. I'll wear it for a while, then expect another championship shirt, the year after.

The people who built UCLA into the worldwide institution that it is recognized as today, knew UCLA had the potential to be great and expected it to be. Do you think that Coach once thought, "UCLA basketball has never been as good as the USF program up north. Let's make it our goal to beat Occidental this year!" Heck No! Do you think that Franklin Murphy or Charles E. Young thought, "USC and Cal State Somewhere has been around longer. Perhaps if they surpass us, it is not so bad just as long as we keep expanding our medical facilities?" Nope. Do you think that any of the household names in our UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame thought, "Perhaps I'll just cruise and enjoy this free tuition thanks to the taxpayers of California."? Ummm...nope.

Heck, do you think that any of you, former or current students, once thought "I worked really hard in high school to get here. I guess I'll just become complacent and expect nothing more of myself than to graduate and if I do, I guess that's fine with me." Never! It's that expectation of greatness, that drives us to become the best students in the classroom and the best professionals in our field, afterwards. Even our employers know to expect more when they hire somebody with a UCLA degree. Greatness holds its weight in our four letters.

I once read a quote that was attributed to former Bruin PG Earl Watson, "I take offense to those who act like UCLA is just another school compared to Duke. Duke is a great school in the east, but UCLA is worldwide." Isn't that the truth, Bruins?

In conclusion, I believe that we, true Bruins frown upon Chancellor Gene Block, Dan Guerrero and the enabling "fans" because they, unlike us Bruins, do not and will not expect the same thing that makes UCLA so great. UCLA is not great because it's just another great school that once had a bunch of household names walk through its hallways once. UCLA is great because thousands of hard-working men and women expected greatness from themselves and have shed blood, sweat and tears, making our university so great. It is evident that Chancellor Block and Dan Guerrero are complacent and do not share the same expectations that we do. Please go to another university where greatness is not expected and the two of you can pat each other's backs over balancing the budget or safeguarding the medical school ranking. This is UCLA. Champions Are Made Here. Fans who have grown to expect .500 seasons, 4th-tier bowl games and "Aw shucks. Stop whining and give ____ another year! He'll turn it around even though his record is awful, he was decent once upon a time," please go become a fan of your local high school team, you are not doing anybody a favor. Nothing short of greatness should be expected at UCLA.