I don't like looking back and rehashing bad memories. And, UCLA football has given us nothing but bad memories full of nightmares, heartbreaks, and frustrations since the night of December 5, 1998, when an undefeated 10-0 UCLA football team choked away a 54 year drought in national title against Butch's crew in Miami. You knew right then ... right there ... we were going to get in a funk for a while. I just had no idea it would last for more than 6 years.
Two figures who were prominent in our accelerated demise during the last two years of past century were the two of the most heralded football recruits we ever signed from Southern California: DeShaun Foster, the all world running back out of Tustin High School from the OC (class of 97), and J.P. Losman, the heir apparent of No. 18 who committed early to UCLA, and checked in early in campus during the spring workouts of 1999. Of course it all fell apart. J.P. was just a 17 year old scrawny kid checking into the dorms with no friends, who panicked when the other QBs (led by Cory P) sort of ganged up on him. Couldn't take the ribbing so he took the easy way out to play football at that powerhouse D-1 football program, and bastion of academics - Tulane University. After downing few hurricanes at Patty O'Briens (I am assuming here) and hand grenades at Bourbon Street JP ended up at Buffalo, and is now primed to become heir apparent of Jim Kelley for this hardworking no-nonsense town from Upstate New York:
As for DeShaun - no need to rehash his UCLA travails. Let's remember the good memories:
and wish him luck as the featured starting tailback of UCLA East - the Carolina Panthers (remember they also have Manning, Siedman, and have now signed Ben Emanuel). It looks like DeShaun hasn't forgotten his hometown and doing his part in giving back to his old community. Good for him. Again we wish these kids luck.
Let's hope sooner or later all the bad memories wash away. We have been suffering for way too long.