CHRIS BACKLEY A Trojan effigy is set aflame in front of a
large crowd Wednesday night during the annual bonfire held before
the UCLA-USC football game.
By Karen Albrecht
Daily Bruin Contributor
A Trojan erupted in flames Wednesday night to the cheers of more
than 1,000 Bruins waving pom-poms and shouting the eight-clap.
The annual Trojan-burning ritual on the intramural field marks a
long tradition of pre-game bonfires and rallies in anticipation of
this year’s UCLA-USC football game.
“The Salem-esque Trojan sacrifice is a great pre-USC game
tradition,” said Kunal Mehtani, third-year psychobiology
student. “The bonfire gets everyone enthusiastic about our
rivalry and the upcoming game.”
Sponsored by the Student Alumni Association, the annual bonfire
rally opened with highlights of the Bruin football season.
Following a cheers and a brief introduction by Shannon Davis,
executive director of the SAA Student Spirit Committee,
firefighters ignited the towering structure of wooden pallets.
Complete construction of the bonfire is carried out every year
by the Rally Committee, according to Chansotch Migletz of the
Events Office, and has been overseen by UCLA Fire Marshall Gary
Dunger since 1990.
Despite the 1999 tragic collapse of the Texas A&M bonfire
that left 12 students dead, Russel Heskin, adviser for the student
bonfire committee, said the accident has not adversely affected the
UCLA event.
“Our bonfire is completely different from the one at Texas
A&M,” he said. “It is much smaller and is under the
supervision of the UC fire marshal.”
The structure is composed of up to four tiers of wooden pallets
stacked on a base of drywall, according to Dunger. A metal railing
was also assembled to keep Bruin fans a safe distance from the
conflagration.
“We usually have a very good turnout to this event,”
said Dunger. “Like tonight, two to three thousand students
usually come out for this.”
Although a rally has been held almost every year since the first
UCLA-USC game, there was a long hiatus of the bonfire beginning in
the 1970s.
Since 1990, however, a bonfire has been planned every year,
although weather conditions have prevented it on several occasions,
according to Dunger.