FOOTBALL 
FOOTBALL  |
The 1964 UCLA football team was hardly brilliant, but it had its moments. Under Head Coach Bill Barnes, the football team started the season with an upset win over Pitt (17-12). Penn State and Stanford also fell to the Bruin eleven on successive weekends. Unfortunately, The Bruins then had to face three of the nation’s top ten teams, and each proved unsuccessful. The varsity team got it together, however, and came back in the last minute of play to beat Cal (25-21). UCLA lost to Air Force Academy, Washington, and USC to finish the season. Bill Barnes resigned after this season.
To view record of 1964 UCLA Football Season, Click Here
 |
 |
For the 1965 season, the head coach was replaced by one James Thompson Prothro. Many doubted his ability to make UCLA a big winner, but by January of 1966, this doubt ceased completely. The big man and his superbly gifted staff brought UCLA back to football majesty. The 1965 UCLA football team won the AAWU championship, had a number five national ranking, and won the Rose Bowl Game on New Year’s Day.
The season started out like the 1965 UCLA Basketball season started… with a loss. Neither team knew that their respective seasons would be that of destiny. Nine weeks later, Michigan State played Notre Dame with the national championship at stake, and UCLA played USC for the AAWU championship. At the time of the season opener, however, it was just Michigan State 13, UCLA 3, with Gary Beban making his 122 yard debut as UCLA’s sophomore quarterback and the Bruin Defense stopping MSU four times inside its own 30 yard line.
The rest of the season leading up to the USC game had the smell of sweet success. They beat Penn State away, and demonstrated dominance over Syracuse at the Coliseum. UCLA tied its game with Missouri, but there is no doubt that Missouri felt UCLA as a powerful force in the NCAA. The mighty Bruins wiped the floor with the Cal football team, and beat Air Force, Washington, and Stanford, who was the pre-season contender for the AAWU championship. This set the stage for the UCLA-USC game.
|
55 Minutes of Agony
|
The first 55 minutes of the UCLA-USC game was painful to watch. It started out well, as All-American Tailback Melvin Farr sped throw a gaping hole and ran 49 yards for the touchdown. The extra point was blocked, and it went down hill from there. For every minute after that and before the last five minutes of the game, it seemed like UCLA’s Rose Bowl hopes had vanquished. With five minutes left, the Trojans had held UCLA to only five first downs and 85 yards in total offense. In contrast, USC had gained a whopping 405 total offensive yards and 21 first downs.
|
|
5 Minutes of Glory
|
Then miracles happened. USC had the ball at their own 23 yard line. As USC quarterback Winslow hiked the ball and rolled out to the left, linebacker Dallas Grider hit Winslow, forcing the fumble and turnover. Beban took full advantage of the situation and connected with Dick Witcher for the touchdown. UCLA’s two point conversion proved successful, but they were still down by two, 14-16.
With just four minutes left, Coach Prothro called for an onside kick, a play that rarely works. Only this time it did work, as Girder caught the ball at the Trojan’s 49 yard line. They still had to scored, however, and after two downs, the Bruins faced a long 3 rd down with 24 yards to go. Prothro decided to call X Post H, a play which had been intercepted earlier in the game. This time it was different, as the ball was caught by wide receiver Kurt Altenberg, and he ran the final 5 yards for the touchdown. USC had one last chance to score, but it proved to be futile, and UCLA defeated USC 20-16. UCLA lost the last game of the season to Tennessee, but their record was good enough to be AAWU champions, and they were invited to the Rose Bowl Game.
|
The Rose Bowl - The Big Game
 |
The season started as it had begun, against Michigan State University, but the outcome is another story. In a game that was supposed to be “no contest” for the “Jolly Green Giants” of MSU, MSU found themselves down 7-0 at the end of first quarter. In the opening minutes of the second quarter, they found themselves down 14-0. It was going to be a game after all. MSU had several attempts deep in UCLA territory, but the mighty Bruin defense came up big on several occasions. After several fumbles, missed kicks, and failed 4 th down conversions, MSU found themselves still down by 14 in the waning minutes of the 4 th quarter. MSU finally struck, when MSU fullback Bob Apisa sprinted to the endzone, making it 14-6. They faked the kick and after a failed attempt or the two point conversion, the score remained the same. UCLA had the ball briefly and were forced to punt. The punt was partially blocked, and Michigan State gained possession at midfield. In 13 plays, the Spartans marched to the Bruin one yard line, and scored with 31 seconds left in the game. The Spartan team lined up for the two-point conversion, and the Bruin team was ready. With the collective effort of three lineman, Apisa was brought to the ground, and the attempt was no good. At 4:35 on New Years day, UCLA had beaten the number one ranked team in the nation.
 |
To view record of 1965 UCLA Football Season, Click Here
Home Academics Architecture Athletics Speeches
Created by Geoffrey Michael Smith
GE Cluster 60CW Seminar 7 - UCLA in the 1960's
last updated: 6/13/2005