So UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale (Carny) is leaving Westwood in June 2006 to resume to "resume teaching, scholarship and engagement in international affairs,national security policy." Here is the release from UCLA's Office of Media Relations, listing all the "accomplishments" Carny had at UCLA. It doesn't mention the fact before Carny arrived in Westwood, UCLA was around no. 19 in the US News & World Report rankings in 1991 (our entering class), and we are now barely hanging into the top-25 slot, while USC (which still is a joke school) have crept into the second tier of academic rankings. But the issue whether UCLA has advanced its already elite stature as one of the premier higher education institutions is debatable and we can talk about that another day. But in terms of athletics it is probably a good think that this guy (who is not an alum unlike his predecessor Charles Young) is leaving because his actions showed he knew nothing about either UCLA basketball or football.

Yes Carney is a tool when it comes to understanding UCLA football or basketball. Carny was the guy who kept Lavin, providing that con artist administration cover time and time again. Here is an example. From Michale Miller, a Lavin apologist from back in the day (emphasis mine):

Yeap it was Carny saving Lavin's ass over and over again and Lavin made it sure to broadcast that fact by using people like Michael Miller. Lavin also always made it clear who had his back at UCLA. He never got along with former AD Peter Dalis (who was fairly worthless on his own right) but he always had the support he needed to stay on at UCLA (emphasis mine): Yeap, it was Carney (and Blackmun) who time and time again provided Lavin with the cover he needed so that the roach could stay on and further drive UCLA basketball into the ground. Lavin conned these guys into thinking that he was actually a real basketball coach simply because somehow he was making to all those Steve-16s riding the overwhelming talent Lavo stocpiled in his first two recruiting classes. The way Carney let Lavin skate at UCLA while the guy was berating UCLA alums and fans for being "unreasonable" day in and day out showed how little Carnesale appreciated the tradition of John Wooden's basketball program, and what it mean to the alums who bled blue and gold. Carney who came from Harvard never understood UCLA athletics and never got it. This was apparent when I met him in person during an alumni reception back in Lavin era when he showed total lack of knowlege and passion for UCLA athletics.

Carnesale (and Blackmun) did not have much better judgement in football either. It was them who made the call on UCLA's hiring Karl Dorrell (emphasis mine): So just like Lavo conned Carny with his smooth talk over the years, Dorrell blew him away with his stylish dark suit and white shirt? And check this out from Carnesale on Dorrell hiring press conference: So much for the passion Dorrell has brought into Bruin football. Side bar re. that press conference. This is what Dorrell said the day he was officially introduced as the UCLA head coach: Well I will let you guys react to that doozy. You wonder why we set the expectations of beating SC and winning Pac-10? On surface those were the criterias UCLA's PR department belted around when announcing/publicizing the hire of Karl Dorrell. Of course he has come no where close to delivering those goods after three years in Westwood. But we will get back to that topic later.

Now going back to Carnesale. I cannot wait for this Ivy League loser to get out of Westwood. Perhaps UCLA will bring in someone who understands college sports, gets how important it is to the fabric of UCLA's tradition, the Bruin culture, and how it is engrained in the history and identity of this great university. Carnesale never got it. He never had a clue as evident in his clueless support of Lavin over the years, and the role he played in the hiring of Karl Dorrell. He cannot leave the campus sooner.

GO BRUINS.