UCLA-USC rivalry week claims casualty as The Bruin statue is splattered in cardinal and gold paint [Updated]

Authorities are trying to determine this morning who splashed cardinal and gold paint -- USC school colors -- all over a statue of the UCLA Bruin mascot on the Westwood campus.

Police say the prank is being treated as a felony vandalism investigation.

The Bruins and Trojans will meet Saturday in the traditional crosstown football game, and UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton said it's unclear when the statue, which had been wrapped to protect it from harm, was vandalized. But it could have been between 10 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. today, when the paint-splattered bear was discovered. [Updated at 10:02 a.m.: A previous version of this post incorrectly indicated that the game was Thursday.]

Despite the heated passions of rivalry week, there have been few pranks because officials from both universities have taken steps in recent years to protect icons on campus from vandalism.

The statue sits in Bruin Plaza and was unveiled in 1984, Hampton said. Since 1999, school officials have  protected the statue with a tarp during rivalry week, telling students the bear is hibernating.

At USC, campus officials wrap the Tommy Trojan statue and students have taken to guarding the statue in shifts. There was no reported retaliation. 

-- Andrew Blankstein

Photos: Top, maintenance workers clean up the paint on the Bruin statue at UCLA. Bottom, students gather to see the defaced mascot. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

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Comments

[smak]

the game isn't until saturday, fact-check fail.

[Scott]

The game's on Saturday! :)

[Miki]

The game is Saturday, not tonight or tomorrow. Tomorrow would be Thanksgiving. As an LA news reporter, how do you NOT know that?

[Jaymie Santiago]

The game is on Saturday, the 28th. We're not playing Thanksgiving Day.

[joe bruin]

the game isn't until Saturday

[Chase]

Where's a picture of the damage?

[steve]

bwahahahahaha ucla really does suck

[Gordon]

It never fails. You can always depend on the USC end of this rivalry to take it too far. Let's hope the hooligans involved are prosecuted.

[gobruinhoops]

When is the game???

[Brad]

and what....USC is good this year? Bwahhhahhhhahhha

[John]

Get a grip of yourself, Gordon. This sort of thing has been going on for the better part of a century and is just tradition. Both teams are playing for the Victory Bell on Saturday- a gift from the UCLA Alumni Association that was "appropriated" by USC students in 1939. Similarly, "Save Tommy" at USC- where students camp out beneath Tommy Trojan goes back to a time when he got painted blue and gold. There's also a trail of blue and gold paint that runs the length of the sidewalk on Fraternity and Sorority Row at USC.

It's just good natured banter between the two schools and if kept in check builds a collective identity and a pride in one's school and it goes on everywhere. It's not as if there's rioting and mass-murder. A couple of years ago US Naval Academy Midshipmen painted an F4 Phantom jet fighter that stood at the corner of the parade square at the USAF Academy in the colors of the Blue Angels the night before the Navy-Air Force game.

[Bea]

Hey Gordon...the hooligan antics were started by UCLA. It's part of the tradition and rivalry, Get over it!
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/allthingstrojan/2008/11/tommy-trojan-fe.html

[ROB]

@Gordon 2 Years ago UCLA pulled the same thing with Tommy, but USC was more vigilant and cleaned it up before any pictures were shot. This is not too far. This is normal rivalry.

[steve]

Wow are all the UCLA girls that ugly?

[Michael Matelyan]

Typical USC shenanigans. It's ok though, this will be remembered as the turning of the tides in LA. USC is on the decline and UCLA is on the rise. USC's blatant vandalism is just one more nail in the coffin.

[trueblue]

Those who bleed trueblue....be prepared to be call upon in name of honor!!

[Cy]

"There was no reported retaliation on the eve of the big game?"

The big game is Saturday.

[Mr. Furlough]

UCLA can use some of that 32% fee hike to pay for the cleaning.

[Cy]

Gordon, last year Tommy Trojan was splashed with baby blue paint NOT during rivalry week when there was no protection around the statue at all.

[InTexasNow]

I once parked my car with bruin lic plates at usc for 1 hour. In one hour my car was keyed (or knifed?). I think usc students take these games too seriously. They need to get a life.

[Tom]

Yes! This is good old (relatively) harmless rivalry stuff. Pursuing this as a felony goes WAY too far. Let them have some fun.

[Jon]

Paint on a statue = taking the rivalry too far?

Sending Dragovic to sucker punch folks on USC's campus -- that would be taking the rivalry too far.

Get off your high horse, Gordie. Bear poop stinks too.

[disappointed]

What!!! Our plastic tarp failed to protect the Bruin?

[JC]

Who cares when the game is. USC will whoop that a$$ anyway!!! It's on baby!!
Trojans strike first. Kill the Bruins. Fight on!!

[ABG]

I guess when you give up 55 points at home to Stanford, you tend to take to your frustrations out on anybody.