20 yrs left on RB lease....so if there was ever any serious thought for on-campus stadium, now is the time. The last serious plans were done in the 60's and much has changed. It will take years for a new feasibility study plus environmental impact studies, committee to study the studies, etc. With the right marketing, this is something much of the Bruin community would get behind, I believe. A consistently winning and contending team would go a long way in helping.
Not to wade in like the Old Codger I am, but to bring up some historical points and the typical old codger grumbling.
(1) Historical note: when I was a yute, we had to bus our [now prune-wrinkled] asses over to the Los Angeles Mausoleum for games. True, the fraternity buses had the requisite beer kegs and "tailgating" - as it were - consisted of 12 oz cups of Coors or Bud and liverwurst sammiches that Florida (our cook) prepared the day before. The obvious downside was the totally dreary atmosphere surrounding that decaying edifice. Tangential observation: can any of youse imagine what it was like to go to a round ball game over at the Sports Arena? That was before Pauley and it was miserable. There were only two times I recollect that the Sports Arena was joyous: once in 1972 when UCLA won its eighth NCAA title versus the FSU Semi-Noles. The other was in 1983 when my HS alma mater (a small prep school in Menlo Park) won the Division II CIF basketball championships. That was it!
(2) Historical note: in 1968, there was a referendum on the school ballot about re-purposing the soon-to-be Duck Drake track stadium (in its own right, a magnificent venue for that sport) as a "modest 20-25,000 on-campus football stadium. At the time a lot of the student body were protesting the war 'n stuff and, for one reason or another, they thought this was an off-shoot of Dow Chemical and the establishment poised to take over the Uni to turn it into one giant ROTC mill. (Or something.) There was even a big sign spray-painted on an apartment house midway up Strathmore saying "FREE THE UCLA 30,000". Those were trying times, brothers and sisters. The paranoia was rampant and scruffy haired agitators were walking around, whispering, "See the light stanchions? Their gonna turn them into supports for the second deck!"
(3) Hysterical note: having been to a few games in Pasadena, one wonders how much impetus the Big 10 had to invite UCLA and USC to join based on some of their members having dreams about a game or two out there instead of some arctic-shilled Midwestern brick charnel houses. (Think Northwestern's Dyche Stadium, South Bend or Lincoln, Nebraska, etc. Despite the tradition, late fall games are no fun.) Moreover, any number of young men play their hearts out to just to have ONE GAME in Pasadena. UCLA schedules four to six per year.
(4) Crowds: If you win, they will come. It goes unargued that over the last decade, Guerror eroded UCLA's athletic standing and prominence to the point where attendance dropped off due to inferior coaching choices as well as commensurate achievements. The new AD has taken steps to reverse this slide. Certainly the Basketball has regained some semblance of prominence but progress in football has been tenuous at best.
A stat that jumped up and bit my ample, more-than-middle-aged ass was that the victory over Washington was THE FIRST over a ranked opponent Kelly has had at UCLA -- or something like that.
Also, though I love him and he is a more-than-faithful UCLA alum, but I'd think a lot more of Troy Aikman had he scored on that fourth quarter drive against USC back in 1987. I mean, Rodney Peete had the flu, fer crissakes!
No, old sons of Westwood, we have a long road back and mile to go before we will have the stones to dictate terms to the Rose Bowl folks as to where we play home games.
I attended the CAL/Arizona game a few weeks ago. I entertained the thought of what it would be like to have a on campus stadium in Westwood. After driving around for thirty plus minutes looking for parking I realized UCLA would have the same issues. I ended up paying $40 for parking at a hotel right outside of the campus.
I'm happy to see we aren't getting the usual comments from the close-minded easy-to-say-no people who trot out the same tired reasons why an on-campus stadium can't be done. Of course there are a lot of logistical and physical and economic and psychological roadblocks to such a dream, but each of those roadblocks has a variety of solutions. An on-campus stadium could absolutely be done if there were widespread support and adequate financial backing to make it happen, and it deserves a legitimate consideration.
If the costs are unaffordable or the disruption to campus is too great or the infrastructure can't support it or the overall desire just isn't there, then so be it. But we should find out those answers instead of summarily dismissing the idea, as many so easily do.
But seriously, wtf was Guerrero thinking when he negotiated that lease? Hey, let's sign a contract that totally handcuffs us from doing what we want with our football program and hampers us financially for the next 40 years! Good thing U.C.L.A. has an excellent Law School...
The wealthy homeowners in the area would react the same as half a century ago. I remember that. I’m old. 😊 They bought off the politicians. It would be great to have an on campus stadium.
Very interesting ideas proposed here. I like it. We need new creative thinking to get out of this mess known as the Rose Bowl. As someone who attended UCLA Law, I never felt the law school was really part of the fabric of UCLA's campus. We never really ventured off beyond the law building and we were almost always confined there. It actually became really exhausting and stale being surrounded by the same miserable people all day, every day. I even once proposed to the school we should have social functions with the other UCLA graduate schools like the medical students, dental students, MBA students. Honestly, if the law building left the campus, no one there would even notice them gone. While for me personally, it was important that the law school be on the UCLA campus for continuity to my undergraduate days, I would definitely kick them to the curb now in exchange for a football stadium on campus. They don't even promote or instill Bruin pride at the law school.
How would you address the issue of all of the new traffic into Westwood from game day with the surrounding neighborhoods?
It’s a nice dream but that’s all it is.
20 yrs left on RB lease....so if there was ever any serious thought for on-campus stadium, now is the time. The last serious plans were done in the 60's and much has changed. It will take years for a new feasibility study plus environmental impact studies, committee to study the studies, etc. With the right marketing, this is something much of the Bruin community would get behind, I believe. A consistently winning and contending team would go a long way in helping.
Joe, et al..
Not to wade in like the Old Codger I am, but to bring up some historical points and the typical old codger grumbling.
(1) Historical note: when I was a yute, we had to bus our [now prune-wrinkled] asses over to the Los Angeles Mausoleum for games. True, the fraternity buses had the requisite beer kegs and "tailgating" - as it were - consisted of 12 oz cups of Coors or Bud and liverwurst sammiches that Florida (our cook) prepared the day before. The obvious downside was the totally dreary atmosphere surrounding that decaying edifice. Tangential observation: can any of youse imagine what it was like to go to a round ball game over at the Sports Arena? That was before Pauley and it was miserable. There were only two times I recollect that the Sports Arena was joyous: once in 1972 when UCLA won its eighth NCAA title versus the FSU Semi-Noles. The other was in 1983 when my HS alma mater (a small prep school in Menlo Park) won the Division II CIF basketball championships. That was it!
(2) Historical note: in 1968, there was a referendum on the school ballot about re-purposing the soon-to-be Duck Drake track stadium (in its own right, a magnificent venue for that sport) as a "modest 20-25,000 on-campus football stadium. At the time a lot of the student body were protesting the war 'n stuff and, for one reason or another, they thought this was an off-shoot of Dow Chemical and the establishment poised to take over the Uni to turn it into one giant ROTC mill. (Or something.) There was even a big sign spray-painted on an apartment house midway up Strathmore saying "FREE THE UCLA 30,000". Those were trying times, brothers and sisters. The paranoia was rampant and scruffy haired agitators were walking around, whispering, "See the light stanchions? Their gonna turn them into supports for the second deck!"
(3) Hysterical note: having been to a few games in Pasadena, one wonders how much impetus the Big 10 had to invite UCLA and USC to join based on some of their members having dreams about a game or two out there instead of some arctic-shilled Midwestern brick charnel houses. (Think Northwestern's Dyche Stadium, South Bend or Lincoln, Nebraska, etc. Despite the tradition, late fall games are no fun.) Moreover, any number of young men play their hearts out to just to have ONE GAME in Pasadena. UCLA schedules four to six per year.
(4) Crowds: If you win, they will come. It goes unargued that over the last decade, Guerror eroded UCLA's athletic standing and prominence to the point where attendance dropped off due to inferior coaching choices as well as commensurate achievements. The new AD has taken steps to reverse this slide. Certainly the Basketball has regained some semblance of prominence but progress in football has been tenuous at best.
A stat that jumped up and bit my ample, more-than-middle-aged ass was that the victory over Washington was THE FIRST over a ranked opponent Kelly has had at UCLA -- or something like that.
Also, though I love him and he is a more-than-faithful UCLA alum, but I'd think a lot more of Troy Aikman had he scored on that fourth quarter drive against USC back in 1987. I mean, Rodney Peete had the flu, fer crissakes!
No, old sons of Westwood, we have a long road back and mile to go before we will have the stones to dictate terms to the Rose Bowl folks as to where we play home games.
If the distance is really the main issue (and it is), it would be much more easily solved by playing at Sofi. Should stay at Rose Bowl though.
I attended the CAL/Arizona game a few weeks ago. I entertained the thought of what it would be like to have a on campus stadium in Westwood. After driving around for thirty plus minutes looking for parking I realized UCLA would have the same issues. I ended up paying $40 for parking at a hotel right outside of the campus.
I'm happy to see we aren't getting the usual comments from the close-minded easy-to-say-no people who trot out the same tired reasons why an on-campus stadium can't be done. Of course there are a lot of logistical and physical and economic and psychological roadblocks to such a dream, but each of those roadblocks has a variety of solutions. An on-campus stadium could absolutely be done if there were widespread support and adequate financial backing to make it happen, and it deserves a legitimate consideration.
If the costs are unaffordable or the disruption to campus is too great or the infrastructure can't support it or the overall desire just isn't there, then so be it. But we should find out those answers instead of summarily dismissing the idea, as many so easily do.
But seriously, wtf was Guerrero thinking when he negotiated that lease? Hey, let's sign a contract that totally handcuffs us from doing what we want with our football program and hampers us financially for the next 40 years! Good thing U.C.L.A. has an excellent Law School...
The wealthy homeowners in the area would react the same as half a century ago. I remember that. I’m old. 😊 They bought off the politicians. It would be great to have an on campus stadium.
Very interesting ideas proposed here. I like it. We need new creative thinking to get out of this mess known as the Rose Bowl. As someone who attended UCLA Law, I never felt the law school was really part of the fabric of UCLA's campus. We never really ventured off beyond the law building and we were almost always confined there. It actually became really exhausting and stale being surrounded by the same miserable people all day, every day. I even once proposed to the school we should have social functions with the other UCLA graduate schools like the medical students, dental students, MBA students. Honestly, if the law building left the campus, no one there would even notice them gone. While for me personally, it was important that the law school be on the UCLA campus for continuity to my undergraduate days, I would definitely kick them to the curb now in exchange for a football stadium on campus. They don't even promote or instill Bruin pride at the law school.