Football kaleidoscope: Bruin under wraps

The USC game isn’t until next week, but the Bruins are taking no chances, having already covered up the giant Bruin that sits in front of Morgan Center to protect it from Trojan vandals. Otherwise:

>> Kevin Pearson of the Riverside Press-Enterprise noted the progress made off the field during coach Karl Dorrell’s tenure at UCLA:

"After spending his first two seasons weeding out players who did not buy into his system, Dorrell has dealt with very few off-field incidents over the past three years. The only major issues were former kicker Justin Medlock driving while intoxicated and current assistant Eric Scott facing charges of robbery that were dismissed."

Pearson quoted Dorrell: "I felt we had to tear down the inside and then build the foundation up. I knew it was going to take a while. After the first season, I knew we had a lot of work to do with the mind-set of this program.

"Now, its about getting our players in position to make plays and getting future players here who can continue to make plays."

>> A fund-raising drive to put up an $11,000-plus billboard demanding the firing of Dorrell fell short, but the dumpdorrell.com website did raise enough to buy four ads in the UCLA Daily Bruin. A half-page, one-color ad that included a four-paragraph "open letter" to Athletic Director Dan Guerrrero and Chancellor Gene Block ran Monday, followed by a much smaller, eighth-page ad today. Both ads are scheduled to run again next week, according to Daily Bruin business manager Jeremy Wildman. He said the four ads cost $2,430. A fifth ad, of undetermined size, may run Dec. 3.

>> In case you missed it: Former Bruin Maurice Jones-Drew scored again in Jacksonville’s 24-17 win over San Diego on Sunday and now has 23 touchdowns in his last 24 games for the Jaguars.

Bruin "hibernation" photo by Rich Perelman

Comments

[jaded]

I'm a true blue Bruin alum, and cast no criticisms on the University, but......isn't "The Bruin Bear" redundant? Shouldn't it just be "Joe Bruin is hibernating"?

[Brian theriot]

Dear Fellow Bruins,

The decision to run ads in our Daily Bruin cuts against anything deemed "good form" or "fair play". Newspapers, lettters to the editor, websites, etc., all fair game. Whomever is the person that decided to run ads or under guidance to run ads in the Daily Bruin has obviously no marketing experience, no political experience, and NO understanding of the godfather of all we endear - John Wooden. I am an ex-captain lucky enough to have been groomed by J.D. Morgan and Jim Bush. The litmus test is: would John Wooden approve of your Daily Bruin actions? That is the litmus test. A horrible dirty decision that literally invades a man's own backyard. Might have well raised your leg on the corner of the JD Morgan Athletic Center and dropped a load of evilness. 2 games left and you all drop a bomb for not only the student body to see but our 105 men. You have successfully and most likely added to the defocus on the remaining two games with what I view, and I have my ring of lore, as a below the belt shot. Heck, why not run your ad in the Times, why in the backyard of our boys? If you have ever been in rare air you would know what it takes to remain focused as an athlete. Your ads were misguided in timing and focus. Karl is a human, with family, parks on campus, and walks the walks we all walk. It was hurtful and not "the baird school way". As Hook said: "Not good form Peter". Enough said, other than you should fire on your team or "dumpthedorrelldecisionmakers" so you might understand that Karl is a humanbeing and your actions on campus was not fair game. Other than that, it is a free world, have fun, do what you do, and let the chips fall where they may. My beef, in short form, is the tactics here were not becoming of our University nor were they fair to a man that is named Karl and a former Bruin.

My thanks for this chance to share

Brian Theriot
UCLA 1980
CAPTAIN

[Fox 71]

Dear Capt. Theriot:

With the utmost respect, I do not understand your outrage at the fact that I and many others contributed to post an ad in the Daily Bruin. The current head of our football team may be a nice person, a fine father and a great husband. But the undisputable facts show that he is a poor football coach. His record is the worst of any UCLA football coach since World War II. He has flatly failed to achieve any of the goals which were set for him and to which he agreed to meet when he took the job. He has been described by many respected journalists as the worst coach in America Most recently, he stated that he has not received a fair shake anywhere in his career because he is Black.. Although he tried to backtrack from that statement and claim that he did not mean to include UCLA, his original statement contained no such limitation.

I would think that a former athlete and protege of Bruin legends would want and demand excellence rather than mediocrity. Surely you remember your time under Coach Bush with much more fondness than your son will remember his time on this team under these inept coaches.

The Daily Bruin ad which you find so abhorrent is meant to influence Mr. Guerrero and Chancellor Block. When I contributed to the ad, I did so in order to make it clear that there are many who believe our current head football coach is leading the football program into depths from which it will never recover. There is no reason to believe that his coaching will improve. His team this year had 20 returning starters and a favorable schedule. Nonetheless, there were horrific losses to poor teams.

I agree with many of your points as to the humanity of our current coach. He hardly needs any sympathy, in my opinion. He has been more highly compensated than anyone I know. If he is fired, as I hope will take place, he will take an enormous severance package with him, something which very few people could ever hope to have. Our current coach will, quite frankly, leave UCLA more financially secure than he could ever have dreamed. He will still be the human being he is now, except for two things: He will be much more financially well-off, and he will not be destroying our football program.

My final comment: In 27 years, will your son look back on his collegiate athletic career with the same fondness as you look back on yours? Or more to the point, will he have the same memories that his contemporaries on the basketball team have? You obviously know your son better than I do. But in my own case, involving much more lower profile athletics, I remember the one winning team I was on much more than the many also-rans. I

And one final, final comment. IMy personal opinion is that it is poor taste to mention Coach Wooden in the same sentence as the current head football coach. You ask whether Coach Wooden would approve of the Daily Bruin actioins. IIf our current head football coach had even the smallest portion of the integrity which oozes from every pore of Coach Wooden, he would do the honorable thing and resign rather than continue to ruin the football program.

[Mark Hersberger]

Yes, "Bruin Bear" is totally redundandt and very Trojanesque in its folly. More critically, however, why does the Bruin "hibernate" during the most triumphant week of the year? He should be showcased so all the world can revel in his glory. If we're so afraid of Tommy Trojan vandalising him, MAN UP and guard the Bruin 24/7! If dedicated Dukies can spend January and February in a virtual tent city in support of their team, can't we guard the Bruin for a week or so?