UCLA-USC rivalry

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The UCLA-USC rivalry is the intense rivalry between two universities located in Los Angeles, California: the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. Both schools are among the best in the United States in terms of both athletic and academic prowess.

The athletic competition rivalry between the two schools is one-of-a-kind in NCAA Division I sports because both schools are located within the same city. The campuses are only ten miles apart. The sheer closeness of alumni and students, and the likelihood of encountering each other and interacting on a daily basis make this one of the most intense college rivalries in the United States.

Contents 1 Traditional Strengths 2 Football rivalry 2.1 Title of the game 2.2 Activities before the game 2.2.1 CONQUEST! "The Ultimate Trojan Experience" 2.2.2 ROTC "Blood Bowl" 2.2.3 Daily Bruin vs. Daily Trojan "Blood Bowl" 2.2.4 Band Bowl 2.3 Los Angeles Coliseum 2.4 The Victory Bell 2.5 Football Series Record 2.5.1 Winning streaks in the series 2.6 Notable Games 2.6.1 The "Game of the Century" in 1967 3 Other notable sports rivalries between UCLA and USC 3.1 Lexus Gauntlet 3.2 Basketball 3.3 Volleyball 3.4 Tennis 4 UCLA-USC rivalry outside sports competition 4.1 Geographic location 4.2 Funding 4.3 Founding 5 UCLA-USC rivalry in popular culture 6 Other rivalries 7 See also 7.1 Other Pacific Ten Conference football rivalries 8 Notes 9 External links 9.1 Articles

[edit] Traditional Strengths

UCLA is recognized as having one of the top basketball programs in the nation, while USC is recognized as having one of the top football programs in the nation. However, a somewhat rare confluence of events occurred in 1954, which began with USC in their only Final Four appearance in the 1954 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and ended with UCLA winning their only NCAA Division I-A national football championship.

[edit] Football rivalry

Quite often, the winner of the football game has won or shared the Pacific Ten Conference title in football. A berth in the Rose Bowl game has been on the line many times as well for both schools. USC is one of the top teams in the country in college football, and recognizes 11 of its teams as National Champions. UCLA has one team recognized as a National Champion. Both teams have spoiled conference and national championship runs for the other.

Since the formation of the Pacific Coast Conference in 1916, USC has won or shared 35 conference titles and UCLA has won or shared 17 titles. Washington is third in overall conference titles with 15.

Since the 1959 season, when the Athletic Association of Western Universities conference was formed, through the 2006 season, the schools have won or shared 32 of the 48 conference titles. USC has won 17 championships outright, shared 6 and gone to the Rose Bowl or BCS bowl 20 times. UCLA has won 6 championships outright, shared 5 and gone to the Rose Bowl 8 times. The schools have shared the championship between them 3 times.

USC was already an established national football power under Howard Jones and had begun a major rivalry with Notre Dame when UCLA joined the Pacific Coast Conference in 1928.

[edit] Title of the game

The football rivalry game does not have a catchphrase moniker like other college football rivalries, an example being "The Big Game" played between Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. At UCLA, it is simply known as "the 'SC game" and the week before it, appropriately, as "Beat 'SC Week" (officially dubbed "Blue and Gold Week"). At USC, the week before the game is known as "Troy Week" or, more popularly, "Conquest". Sports pundits have tried to assign names like "The Los Angeles City Championship," "The Crosstown Showdown" or "The Battle of L.A.", but none have really gained traction.

[edit] Activities before the game

[edit] CONQUEST! "The Ultimate Trojan Experience"

Launched in 2004 by Heather Larabee, Director of Campus Activities at USC, CONQUEST! occurs the Thursday before the USC-UCLA Football Game. It brings together athletics, academics, school spirit and traditions and attracts almost 10,000 students, alumni, faculty and staff.^[1]

Performances by the USC Song Leaders, USC Competition Cheer and the Trojan Dance Force lead up to the introduction of senior athletes in fall varsity sports. Head football coach Pete Carroll takes the stage to recognize the senior football players, who each speak briefly all while the USC Trojan Marching Band and the USC Song Girls entertain the crowd.

Prizes are distributed to academic competition winners in recognition of students' creative work.

A fireworks display lights up the sky over the USC campus. The traditional bonfire is lit and a concert concludes the program. Past concert performers include:
2004: Kinky
2005: Jimmy Eat World
2006: The Fray

The event includes appearances, and in 2006, a 60-foot Ferris Wheel was constructed in McCarthy Quad for students to ride throughout the day and the evening.

It is planned by a student committee and is funded through the Office of Campus Activities and funds from the Spirit Activity Card.

[edit] ROTC "Blood Bowl"

The football rivalry extends to the military training units at both schools. The Naval, Army, and Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps midshipmen and cadets at both universities compete in the annual "Blood Bowl" flag football game against each other, usually held the Friday before the official game, as a parallel to the varsity match. The name stems from the often rough and passionate play by the midshipmen and cadets representing school pride.

[edit] Daily Bruin vs. Daily Trojan "Blood Bowl"

Staff of the Daily Bruin and Daily Trojan have competed in a flag football contest that is also called the "Blood Bowl". This tradition has existed since at least 1982.

[edit] Band Bowl

From the 1950's until the mid 1990's the UCLA Marching Band and the USC Marching Band played in a flag football contest called the "Band Bowl". Following a fight between the two bands at a contest and multiple cases of theft of the UCLA instruments, it was decided to suspend the series. The trophy from this version of the rivalry remains missing.

[edit] Los Angeles Coliseum

Main article: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

For a number of years, the schools shared the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as their home stadium until UCLA moved to the Rose Bowl for the 1982 season. Each school alternated as the "home" team for the game, with fans on one sideline or the other. The schools both also wore their home football jerseys for the game. Since the 1984 season, when the game was played at the Rose Bowl for the second time, the visiting fans sit in the visitor section of the respective stadium, and the visiting team wears their white jerseys.

Pete Carroll, the current USC Football Coach, and Karl Dorrell, the current UCLA football coach have both expressed interest in restarting the tradition of both teams wearing home jerseys. However, ARTICLE 3. a. of the NCAA football rules states, "Players of opposing teams shall wear jerseys of contrasting colors, and the visiting team shall wear white jerseys." [1]

[edit] The Victory Bell

Main article: Victory Bell (USC-UCLA)

When the football teams from these schools compete against each other, the victor is awarded the Victory Bell. The Victory Bell, which was originally given to the UCLA student body by the UCLA Alumni Association in 1939, was the school's symbol of victory until it was stolen by USC students in 1941. When it was surrendered in 1942, the student body presidents of the two schools agreed that the bell would be the trophy awarded the winner of the annual UCLA-USC football game.

[edit] Football Series Record

As of the 2006 season, the overall record of the football series is 41 wins for USC, 28 wins for UCLA and 7 ties.

Year	Winner	USC	UCLA	Site	Trivia
1929	USC	76	0	Coliseum*
1930	USC	52	0	Coliseum**
1936	TIE	7	7	Coliseum*
1937	USC	19	13	Coliseum**
1938	USC	42	7	Coliseum*
1939	TIE	0	0	Coliseum**	First game with the Rose Bowl on the line for both teams. USC voted National Champions and into the Rose Bowl.
1940	USC	28	12	Coliseum*
1941	TIE	7	7	Coliseum**
1942	UCLA	7	14	Coliseum*	UCLA makes first appearance in Rose Bowl after first victory over USC
1943	USC	20	0	Coliseum**
1943	USC	26	13	Coliseum*
1944	TIE	13	13	Coliseum*
1944	USC	40	13	Coliseum**
1945	USC	13	6	Coliseum**
1945	USC	26	15	Coliseum*
1946	UCLA	6	13	Coliseum**
1947	USC	6	0	Coliseum*
1948	USC	20	13	Coliseum**
1949	USC	21	7	Coliseum*
1950	UCLA	0	39	Coliseum**
1951	UCLA	7	21	Coliseum*
1952	USC	14	12	Coliseum**	Both teams unbeaten and untied. UCLA ranked #3 and USC ranked #4
1953	UCLA	0	13	Coliseum*	Rose Bowl on the line for both teams
1954	UCLA	0	34	Coliseum**	conference championship on the line for both teams, however UCLA could not go to the Rose Bowl because of PCC no-repeat rule
1955	UCLA	7	17	Coliseum*
1956	USC	10	7	Coliseum**
1957	UCLA	9	20	Coliseum*
1958	TIE	15	15	Coliseum**
1959	UCLA	3	10	Coliseum*	Final outcome a tie for first in the PCC, USC banned from postseason bowls
1960	USC	17	6	Coliseum**
1961	UCLA	7	10	Coliseum*
1962	USC	14	3	Coliseum**	USC #1 and undefeated
1963	USC	26	6	Coliseum*
1964	USC	34	13	Coliseum**	USC and Oregon State tied for 1st, OSU selected as AAWU representative for Rose Bowl
1965	UCLA	16	20	Coliseum*	Rose Bowl on the line for both teams
1966	UCLA	7	14	Coliseum**	UCLA had a 3-1 record to the 4-1 conference record of USC, and USC was voted into the Rose Bowl
1967	USC	21	20	Coliseum*	The Game of the Century
1968	USC	28	16	Coliseum**
1969	USC	14	12	Coliseum*	Both teams undefeated with one tie each on their records
1970	UCLA	20	45	Coliseum**
1971	TIE	7	7	Coliseum*
1972	USC	24	7	Coliseum**
1973	USC	23	13	Coliseum*
1974	USC	34	9	Coliseum**
1975	UCLA	22	25	Coliseum*
1976	USC	24	14	Coliseum**
1977	USC	29	27	Coliseum*
1978	USC	17	10	Coliseum**
1979	USC	49	14	Coliseum*
1980	UCLA	17	20	Coliseum**	Neither team bowl eligible due to probation
1981	USC	22	21	Coliseum*
1982	UCLA	19	20	Rose Bowl**
1983	UCLA	17	27	Coliseum*
1984	UCLA	10	29	Rose Bowl**	USC in the Rose Bowl already before the game
1985	USC	17	13	Coliseum*	UCLA goes to the Rose Bowl when Arizona defeats Arizona State
1986	UCLA	25	45	Rose Bowl**
1987	USC	17	13	Coliseum*
1988	USC	31	22	Rose Bowl**
1989	TIE	10	10	Coliseum*	USC already invited to the Rose Bowl before the game, last tie in the series
1990	USC	45	42	Rose Bowl**
1991	UCLA	21	24	Coliseum*
1992	UCLA	37	38	Rose Bowl****
1993	UCLA	21	27	Coliseum*
1994	UCLA	19	31	Rose Bowl**
1995	UCLA	20	24	Coliseum*	USC finished in 1st and invited to the Rose Bowl on basis of overall record
1996	UCLA	41	48(2OT)	Rose Bowl**	Only overtime game in the series
1997	UCLA	24	31	Coliseum*
1998	UCLA	17	34	Rose Bowl**	UCLA already in first with possible BCS on the line
1999	USC	17	7	Coliseum*
2000	USC	38	35	Rose Bowl**
2001	USC	27	0	Coliseum*
2002	USC	52	21	Rose Bowl**
2003	USC	47	22	Coliseum*
2004	USC	29	24	Rose Bowl**	BCS on line for USC
2005	USC	66	19	Coliseum*	BCS in Rose Bowl on the line for USC, tie for first in conference for UCLA
2006	UCLA	9	13	Rose Bowl**	BCS #2 USC's loss to unranked UCLA denies the Trojans a berth in the BCS Championship Game and instead sends them to the Rose Bowl Game.

Notes: *USC home game, **UCLA home game, highlighted scores indicate school with Rose Bowl on the line.

[edit] Winning streaks in the series

USC had possessed the Victory Bell for the seven football seasons from 1999 to 2005. This was USC's longest football winning streak over UCLA, and was broken with the 2006 game. The USC streak followed directly after UCLA's longest football winning streak against USC (and the longest football winning streak in the series), when UCLA won eight straight games from 1991 to 1998.

[edit] Notable Games

• In the 1929 season, UCLA would play football in the Pacific Coast Conference for the first time. USC had just come off an undefeated National Championship season under the legendary Howard Jones. In the opening game of the season, USC defeated UCLA 76-0, which stands as the most lopsided score of the series.

• 1952 season - UCLA was ranked #3 and USC was ranked #4. Both teams were undefeated and untied. USC would win on 14-12. USC would later go on to lose to Notre Dame but win the Rose Bowl.

• 1969 season - Undefeated #6 UCLA (8-0-1) met undefeated #5 USC (8-0-1) with the Rose Bowl on the line. USC would prevail with a score in the final two minutes to win 14-12.

• 1988 season - Undefeated second-ranked USC (9-0) and quarterback Rodney Peete met 9-1, sixth-ranked UCLA and quarterback Troy Aikman with the Rose Bowl on the line. UCLA had been ranked #1 before losing to Washington State. A possible Heisman trophy for Peete or Aikman was on the line. The attendance set a regular season Rose Bowl record of 100,741. Rodney Peete was stricken with measles the week before the game and had been to the hospital. But he managed to lead the Trojans over the Bruins 31-22. It would set up the classic #1 Notre Dame vs #2 USC matchup the following week. Peete and Aikman would finish 2nd and 3rd in the Heisman balloting behind Barry Sanders.

• 2005 season - USC had been ranked #1 all season and faced a one-loss eleventh ranked UCLA (9-1) team as its last obstacle to the dream 2006 Rose Bowl BCS Championship matchup with #2 Texas. USC featured Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart and eventual winner Reggie Bush. USC crushed UCLA 66-19 in one of the most lopsided games of the series since the first matchup in 1929.

• 2006 season - On December 2, 2006, UCLA, which finished the regular season with a record of 7-5 (5-4 Pac-10), pulled one of college football's biggest upsets for 2006 by defeating the Trojans 13-9. In doing so, the Bruins not only ended No. 2 ranked USC's 63-game streak of scoring 20-plus points per game, but also dashed the Trojans' hopes of playing No. 1 ranked Ohio State for the 2006 national championship.

[edit] The "Game of the Century" in 1967

Main articles: Game of the Century (college football)#1967 USC vs. UCLA and 1967 USC vs. UCLA football game

• 1967 season - One of the Games of the Century , the 1967 USC vs. UCLA football game was one of the defining college football games of the 20th century. It matched No. 4 USC with O.J. Simpson against No. 1 UCLA with Gary Beban for the Conference Championship, National Championship, and Heisman Trophy on the line for Beban or Simpson. USC won 21-20 and went on to defeat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and win the national championship. Beban won the Heisman Trophy.

[edit] Other notable sports rivalries between UCLA and USC

Because of the geographical proximity and conference affiliation, UCLA and USC compete in other NCAA sanctioned sports, such as Basketball, Track and Field, Volleyball, and Water Polo. UCLA and USC are #1 and #3 respectively in terms of the most NCAA championships won in Division I as of 2006.^[2] They have faced each other for the national title in several sports including Men's Volleyball and Women's water polo.

[edit] Lexus Gauntlet

Main article: Lexus Gauntlet

The Lexus Gauntlet is the name given to a competition between UCLA and USC in the 18 varsity sports that both compete in head-to-head; in 2003 and 2005, UCLA won the Lexus Gauntlet Trophy, while the University of Southern California won the trophy in 2002, 2004, and 2006.

[edit] Basketball

When John Wooden became the coach, UCLA turned into a national basketball powerhouse. UCLA has won 11 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments and has dominated the conference. However, there have been some notable games in the rivalry.

• The first official meeting between the two schools as they are now known took place in February 1928 after UCLA was invited to join the Pacific Coast Conference. UCLA won two of a three game basketball series to inaugurate the basketball rivalry.
• In the 1968-1969 season, USC took UCLA, led by Lew Alcindor to two overtimes before losing 61-55 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. On the second game, one night later on March 8th, 1969, USC would finally defeat UCLA 46-44, marking the Bruins' first loss in Pauley Pavilion.
• In the 1970-1971 basketball season, #2 ranked USC coached by Bob Boyd suffered its first loss against #3 ranked UCLA. In the rematch, #3 ranked USC would lose to #1 ranked UCLA again 72-63 to finish the season 24-2 and #3 in the country behind UCLA and Marquette. Only the conference champion, UCLA, was invited to the 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
• In the 1984-1985 season, UCLA and USC would meet for the game that would decide first place in the Pacific 10. USC had already beat UCLA 78-77 in double overtime at the Sports Arena. The second game on February 28, 1985 was finally decided in quadruple overtime with USC winning 80-78. USC would be invited to the 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, while UCLA was invited to and won the National Invitation Tournament.

In Women's basketball, UCLA has one AIAW championship and USC has two NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships. The Bruins and the Trojans have faced each other twice in the second round of the the AIAW championships with UCLA winning in 1979 and USC winning in 1981.

[edit] Volleyball

UCLA has dominated men's volleyball under the coaching of Al Scates and as of 2006 has won 19 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships. USC has won six. UCLA and USC have faced each other in the championship game of the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship four times.

• 1979 UCLA 3-1 USC
• 1980 USC 3-1 UCLA
• 1981 UCLA 3-2 USC
• 1987 UCLA 3-0 USC

USC and UCLA have each won three NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships in Division I. In addition, USC has three AIAW Women's volleyball championships.

[edit] Tennis

As of the 2006 season, UCLA and USC have each won 16 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships including a run from 1960 to 1971 where either UCLA or USC was the champion.

[edit] UCLA-USC rivalry outside sports competition

College Comparison

Category	USC	UCLA
Ownership	Private university	State of California
Location	Los Angeles, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Students	33,000	35,967
School Colors	Cardinal & Gold	Blue & Gold
Mascot	Trojans	Bruins
Football Stadium	LA Coliseum	Rose Bowl
Basketball Arena	Galen Center	Pauley Pavilion

The UCLA-USC rivalry is like few other college or university rivalries. Both universities are in the same city. Both universities are at the top in the nation not only for their sports achievements, but also for academic standing, with UCLA consistently ranked higher in the latter. Graduates from both universities work together all across Southern California. It is not uncommon for married couples or family members to consist of graduates from each school. Undergraduates of one school can be found attending graduate school across town. High schools in Southern California send some of their top graduates to both schools every year. Students from each school, including athletes, can even be found rooming together in the same house or apartment in Los Angeles.

The rivalry is also a microcosm of a geopolitical rivalry based upon the locations of the schools, the cost of attending each school, and the founding and growth patterns of the schools.

[edit] Geographic location

USC is located on the Southern fringe of downtown Los Angeles by Exposition Park. In the early years of the city, it was a fashionable area, but it began to be rundown as wealthier residents migrated towards other suburban neighborhoods, following the national trend. USC was an isolated enclave for a number of years and the surrounding neighborhood had a bad reputation. Lately, with newer downtown construction, the area is becoming connected with downtown again. Most of the major LA area public sports facilities are located near campus, including the Los Angeles Coliseum and Staples Center.

UCLA is located on the West side of Los Angeles and is nestled between many affluent suburban communities: Brentwood, Bel-Air, Beverly Hills and Westwood. With continuing growth in the area around campus, UCLA is no longer suburban.

[edit] Funding

The University of California is a public school, while the University of Southern California is a private school. The tuition for a California resident at UCLA has run significantly less than tuition for USC. However, out of state residents may pay nearly the same amount in tuition at either UCLA or USC. An academic or athletic scholarship from either school can render the funding difference to be negligible.

[edit] Founding

USC was established in 1880 and what would become UCLA, the California State Normal School in 1881. UCLA is seen as the "newer, younger" school, since it did not move to its current location until 1927 when it was renamed the University of California at Los Angeles. USC had been playing football since 1888 and joined the Pacific Coast Conference in 1922. UCLA did not start playing football until 1919 and joined the PCC in 1928.

[edit] UCLA-USC rivalry in popular culture

• On the Jack Benny NBC radio program from November 26, 1950 (the Sunday after that season's UCLA - USC game), the episode was about Jack trying to go to the game with Mary Livingstone and Dennis Day. [2] Jack also had the USC and UCLA coaches as guests on his television show.
• In a 2005 ESPN commercial, a man wearing a UCLA sweatshirt opens his door on Halloween to find a young Trick-or-treater dressed in a Trojan outfit. He closes his door in disgust without handing out any candy. (The commercial's comedy lies in the fact that UCLA and USC fans retain a lifetime rivalry with each other, while still living side-by-side.)
• In a 2006 episode of The New Adventures of Old Christine, Old Christine's ex husband, Richard, takes their son Richie to the UCLA-USC game at the Coliseum.

[edit] Other rivalries

Because of their dominance of their respective sports, other schools in the Pacific 10 conference regard a basketball game with UCLA or a football game with USC as one of their top games of the year, no matter what the current standings.

USC also has a football-only rivalry with the University of Notre Dame, which many Trojan fans regard as a greater football rivalry. This predates the UCLA-USC rivalry by three years. Although a conference championship is never at stake, both schools have the college football national championship as their ultimate goal. And the game is usually used as a measuring stick to compare not just those two programs, but also the relative performance of many of the top teams in college football. In the Notre Dame-USC rivalry, the schools play for the Jeweled Shillelagh. USC radio broadcaster Pete Arbogast coined the phrase "perfect day" to describe a college football Saturday in which when UCLA and Notre Dame lose, and USC wins.

UCLA had a basketball rivalry with Notre Dame while Digger Phelps was the Notre Dame coach. UCLA and Notre dame played a home-and-home meeting for several seasons, which is otherwise uncommon outside conference play. This rivalry existed from the desire of the Notre Dame athletic department to schedule the top schools for intersectional competition.

UCLA and USC both have rivalries with the Bay Area Pacific 10 schools, the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University. These rivalries extend to all sports within the conference, and stem from the Northern vs Southern California dynamic. There also exists the commonality of UCLA and Cal as public institutions against Stanford and USC as private institutions.

[edit] See also

• UCLA Bruins athletics
• USC Trojans athletics
• 1967 USC vs. UCLA football game
• Game of the Century (college football)
• Victory Bell (USC-UCLA)
• Lexus Gauntlet
• UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports by Lonnie White (ISBN 1-883792-27-4)

[edit] Other Pacific Ten Conference football rivalries

• Apple Cup - Trophy for the Washington / Washington State football game
• Civil War - Oregon / Oregon State football game
• Big Game - Stanford / California football game
• Territorial Cup - Trophy for the Arizona / Arizona State football game

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Offical UCLA athletics site
• Offical USC athletics site
• The Lexus Gauntlet

[edit] Articles

• The Start of Something Big: USC vs. UCLA by Lonnie White, marking 75 years of the UCLA-USC rivalry

Pacific Ten Conference
Arizona • Arizona State • Cal • Oregon • Oregon State • Stanford • UCLA • USC • Washington • Washington State