IN THE BEGINNING

UCLA first opened its doors in 1919 as the Southern Branch of the University of California (SBUC). They fielded a team that same year and went 2-6, losing to Manual Arts HS 74-0 in the 1st game but went on to beat LA City College and the Occidental College Frosh team. They were known then as the Cubs.

In 1924, SBUC reached 4 year status and changed the school moniker from Cubs to Grizzlies. During this time, they played in the old Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) with the likes of Pomona, Whittier, and Caltech.

In 1926 the University of Montana Grizzlies became agitated that the upstart SBUC school had taken its name and filed a formal protest directly to SBUC's Vermont Blvd campus. Keeping with the bear motif, the school selected Bruins because Cal had already used Bears. (Incidently, UCLA met Montana in 1929 and beat them, 14-0.)

In 1927, the school changed its name to the University of California at Los Angeles and a year later moved their campus to Westwood and joined the Pacific Coast Conference (the precursor to today's Pac-10 conference); thus becoming our modern UCLA Bruins.

Team Highlights

• All-time record: 549-373-37
• National Championship in 1954.
• Eighteen Conference championships
• Had a string of eight straight bowl victories spanning from 1983 to 1991.

Traditions

• Victory Bell
• Joe Bruin and previous mascots
• Fight Songs