Friday, November 21, 1997
Bruins know what passion is all about
UCLA football games vs. USC brings students pride, joy and some
of the greatest college memories
By Renzo Salerno
Picture this: A high school graduate just accepted to his school
of choice, wide-eyed and naive as ever, but quite aware of one
thing – UCLA sports. This was me about four years ago when I went
to my summer freshmen orientation. The first organization that
attracted me was the UCLA Rally Committee. Its "free tickets to
UCLA football" got my attention, and ever since, I’ve been hooked.
Now, four ‘SC game victories later, I can look back upon my
experiences and say that I want more.
Bruin spirit has come a long way since I was a freshman, and I’m
very glad to have been a part of it. Going to a football game is
something, going to a UCLA football game is something else. And you
know what? Going to a UCLA vs. USC game is something indescribable.
I’ve been quite spoiled for these past four years, and I love it. I
still remember going to the L.A. Coliseum that Saturday afternoon
in 1993. My friend and I were sitting in the nosebleeds, but we
really didn’t care. We knew this was UCLA football at its best.
When the final whistle blew and Marvin Goodwin stood in the end
zone with the football he had just intercepted to stifle USC’s
fourth quarter rally, it was pure madness. That’s when we both
realized what Bruin spirit was all about. The camaraderie we felt
was incredible, and we felt like every fan had something to do with
the outcome. Yeah, going to the Rose Bowl my first year at UCLA was
definitely a great moment, and I never thought anything could top
it.
That was until last year. Down 17 points, 6:13 left in a game
that had been dominated by USC’s big plays. People were leaving the
stands. Did you read that? People were leaving the stands. I
couldn’t believe it. You never leave early, especially when we’re
playing ‘SC. I was telling people to stay, to believe. And little
by little, point by point, UCLA mounted a comeback, probably the
best in UCLA history. After cutting the lead down to seven points
with just under three minutes left, the entire student section was
holding hands. It was like magic, and then the improbable happened.
After what I thought a finished play, a UCLA defensive player
picked up a fumble, giving us a shot to tie. The stands were going
nuts. I was hugging people I didn’t even know. Well, the rest of
the game is history. And after reading the score in overtime, UCLA
48, USC 41, every fan felt a connection with each other that wasn’t
there before. Amid chants of "beat ‘SC, the Rose Bowl" and "six
more years," I can truly say I will never witness or feel anything
like that again.
There are so many instances of Bruin spirit that I couldn’t even
name half of them. The time Tyus Edney ran the length of the court
in 4.8 seconds and put up the winning shot to keep our quest for an
unprecedented 11th basketball national championship alive. The time
Cameron Dollar made the winning half court shot that clinched the
Pac-10 title and how everyone rushed the court. The time we
welcomed back our national champions at a packed Pauley Pavilion
and Ed O’Bannon cut down the nets. Or even watching our team from
one of the residence halls fall short to Princeton and sharing the
pain with about 40 other students.
For this and many more reasons, I will always be glad to say, "I
am proud to be a UCLA Bruin."