I am still just blown away by the heart and effort that was displayed in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday!  What a way to close out the season and the arena that Coach built.  I am lucky to have been in the building that day and will never forget it.  I took a few videos to give those who could not be there, a feeling of what it was like inside Pauley on that historic day.

Enjoy and GO BRUINS!!!

Reeves takes it strong to the hoop early in the game!

More videos after the jump.

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Hi BN! 

For those of you who are new to BN, this photo was taken the evening before the TN game in Knoxville last year. I still think back on that amazing, unforgettable experience all the time and recently thought of this picture.  I loved this photo then, and it's even more fitting now.  Richard Brehaut was intently reading about 13-9 for quite a while.  He was soaking it all in and now it is his turn to lead us to victory over $c!  I am fired up and it's only Monday! 

GO BRUINS!!!

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Yes, of course winning would have been great but something else was on our minds and filling our hearts yesterday.  We met up with Tyler and his father, Derek (Insomniacslounge) before the game.  What a wonderful boy Tyler is!  He is outgoing, friendly, sweet and has such an amazing spirit.  The amount of heart and fight he must have to overcome the obstacles he has faced, and continues to face on a daily basis, is inspiring.   Through it all, he has a beautiful smile on his face.

First, we went to the "Then, Now, Forever" tailgate party where former players go before games. Corey Paus spent a good deal of time chatting with Tyler:

Pat Cowan, Danny Farmer and a few others also stopped by to say hello. 

After the jump, I have some more photos and a video from Tyler's pre-game experience to share with all of you. 

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Hi BN! Last night we were able to attend a preview of Wooden's Den:

Anyone who is in the LA area needs to get over to campus and check it out.  UCLA did an amazing job.  You can spend hours just looking at the detail.  They handed out some information to us describing The Den that I'd like to share with you:

In 1972, John and Nell Wooden moved into their condominium in Encino, CA.  When Coach Wooden retired as the UCLA men's basketball head coach in 1975, his "Den" became his office and place of work.

 Every morning he would start his day at his desk, where he would go through his mail, write letters and poetry and autograph thousands of pictures, basketballs and books.  It's where every month, after Nell's death in 1984, he would write to her a love letter and place it on her side of the bed.

While seated in his motorized reclining chair, Coach Wooden would entertain guests and conduct countless interviews over the telephone.  While eating his favorite chocolate covered raisins, jelly beans or orange candy slices, Coach would watch his favorite Jimmy Stewart westerns and sports on television and listen to the Mills Brothers on his music box.

 His wife Nell decorated the den, including arranging on the wall Coach's 10 UCLA NCAA Championship team pictures into a pyramid, similar to his international symbol of leadership, the "Pyramid of Success"

 In Coach Wooden's den were hundreds of books about sports, historical figures and religion.  Following his retirement from coaching, Coach became known throughout the business world for his own writings about success and leadership on and off the basketball court.  Here are two of Coach Wooden's famous quotations:

"Success is peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of being"

"Make each day your masterpiece"

Photos of Wooden's Den can be seen here

GO BRUINS!!!

From My Sweet Boy

Happy Game Day, BN!

I put this bandana on my dog, Bruin the morning of the Houston game, and obviously have not removed it since!  I guess I should have put it on him a little sooner.  Let's hope it keeps on working and brings us a little mojo for today!!!

We're about to head out to the Rose Bowl to enjoy a beautiful day in Pasadena.  See you there!

GO BRUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

What a GREAT trip!  I had never been to Austin and had no idea what a fun town it is.  The fans there were some of the nicest I have ever met.  They were polite on our way in saying things like "Welcome to Austin" and "We are happy to have you guys here" etc.  On the way out, person after person congratulated us on the victory and said what a great game we played.  

Don't forget to watch The Rick Neuheisel Show. Monday night at 10:30pm PST on Prime Ticket.

Below are a few videos.   Enjoy and GO BRUINS!!!

Johnathan Franklin Touchdown!!!

More after the jump.

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Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Saturday night was just FUN, wasn't it?!  During the Stanford game the crowd felt like a champagne bottle that had been shaken over and over and was just waiting to explode...and never could.  That carried over to the Houston game and as soon as we got that first touchdown, the place erupted with elation and relief.  There was a great crowd on hand - many more than I expected - and the fans did a great job. 

I took a few videos and wanted to share with all of you here at BN!

Jonathan Franklin - Touchdown #1:

More videos after the jump.

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I debated whether or not to post this because we lost the game but decided to share after all.  Even though the final score isn't what we wanted, we still had a great time on our trip to Manhattan.  The people were very nice and welcoming - more than one KSU tailgate offered us food and drinks! 

Here is a video of our guys taking the field that will make you feel like you are right there:

And below is our first TD and celebration:

We were excited to say the least!  

Here is a link to some photos from the trip.

I think there were a lot of positive signs from this team and I know they will work hard to improve each week.  Looking forward to Saturday night at the Rose Bowl!  GO BRUINS!!

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Hello Bruins!  I just wanted to remind everyone to watch "Rick Neuheisel: UCLA Football Weekly" tonight at 10:30pm Pacific Time on Prime Ticket.  I know we had a tough weekend, but it is important that we tune in and support the new show.   This show has been in the works for some time now and I think its a great idea.  I personally miss "UCLA Rewind" and was disappointed it had been canceled, so I am glad to see a new weekly UCLA show! 

Within the last couple of weeks, $c found out that UCLA had a coaches show, so they called up Fox at the last minute and got themselves one too.   I think we all know who will be more successful in this format

GO BRUINS!!!

So, one of my friends on Facebook made this comment today:

“Pittsburgh fans showed the appropriate amount of disgust over Roethlisberger’s actions. L.A. didn’t show barely any over Kobe (to a disgusting degree). New York, now it’s your turn. How do you defend your greatest football player ever after what he (allegedly) did?”

He’s no Laker fan, but he is a HUGE UCLA fan. Then, some friend of his, clearly not of mine, comments on the post by saying:

“Two correct analogies. 1, John Wooden is to UCLA fans as Kobe Bryant is to Laker Fans. 2, John Wooden is to Championships at UCLA as Barry Bonds is to the single season and career home run record.”

 and he went on to say::

“All of Wooden’s championships are tainted because of blatent recruiting violations that have been confirmed by the players and unchecked by the NCAA because they’re in the past and they don’t want to rip down one of their icons. Any basketball fan knows this, UCLA fans shrug it off…much like what Shawn is talking about concerning Laker fans shrugging off any bad press about Kobe because he’s their hero. they’re both champions, but aren’t as squeeky clean as they’re made out to be by their faithful. Wooden was a great coach, but he doens’t win 10 championships without paying players.”

Kobe, Bonds and Wooden are not even in the same universe. Now that I have picked my jaw up off the floor, I’m ready to argue with this guy – suggestions???

My family and I had the PLEASURE of being on the sidelines yesterday at the game!  It's an awesome experience being so close to the action.  I took a few videos to share with BN...

This one is inside the tunnel as the team comes out of the locker room and gets ready to take the field.  The bell they are ringing is new.  I'm not sure when they added it but it was not there last season.

You can also hear the fans in the stands above stomping on the ground, which is really cool.  If you are someone who sits there, keep that up!

More after the jump including videos of Logan's big catch and run, Harkey's TD and Austin's awesome TD.

Continue reading this post »

Bumped. GO BRUINS. -N

Former UCLA Wide Receiver Junior Taylor (8),  is doing great things as the Athletic Director of a foundation known as Champion Schools in Phoenix, Arizona.  He would like to ask Bruin fans to help his kids board a bus to the UCLA-Washington game in conjunction with the "I'm Going to College" program.

Most of these kids are from economically disadvantaged  homes and have never been to a college football game. He told me that he wants to show them that it's possible to attend the best college in the country like he did.  Here is the email he sent to me:

UCLA's “I'm Going to College” program, the nation's largest collegiate community outreach effort, has touched the lives of thousands of elementary, middle, and high school students across Southern California. Offered through the Southern California school systems, this unique program couples the excitement and tradition of UCLA Athletic events with a message about the importance of higher education. UCLA has extended a special invite to Champion Schools of Phoenix, Arizona the only Out of State School to participate in the program.

My team and I will be participating in the “I’m Going to College” program November 6th-8th. The objective of this program is designed to place young students (5th-8th grade) in a collegiate atmosphere that stresses the excellence of education and athletics. In hosting us, UCLA’s goal is to build positive relationships with young people in their own community and to motivate them to continue achieving goals in both school and life.  The three-day experience includes pre-game activities, tickets to UCLA vs. University of Washington, a campus tour, and attendance at a college fair.

Several of our team members have never been on a college campus before and most of them have never had the opportunity to travel out of the state of Arizona.  This trip will truly be a life-changing experience for our kids.

I am currently seeking financial sponsors to help with expenses of the trip and hope I can count on your support. Any contributions are greatly appreciated.

This is a great weekend for the kids.  If you would like to donate, please email me at uclafan11@yahoo.com and I will send you the tax deductible form.  You can fax or scan/email to Junior with your credit card info and donation amount.  If you wish to pay by check, the address is on this form as well. 

The deadline is November 2nd for donations!  If you have any questions about this program, please contact Junior at jtaylor@championschools.org.

GO BRUINS!!!