A History of Volleyball Rivalry: UCLA Bruins vs. USC Trojans

The athletic rivalry between the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans extends to many sports, with a particularly rich history in women's volleyball. The schools have been together in the same athletic conference since 1928, when UCLA joined USC in the Pacific Coast Conference, a predecessor of the Pac-12 Conference. USC had joined the PCC in 1922. When the PCC broke up after the 1958-1959 season, USC and UCLA were charter members of the newly formed Athletic Association of Western Universities. The AAWU, with expansion, would become the Pac-8, Pac-10, and then the Pac-12 Conference. Both schools also are successful in many "non-revenue" or "Olympic" sports. Both have had success in track and field, water polo, tennis, volleyball, and golf. As of 2023, USC has won 26 NCAA championships in men's outdoor track and field, 21 in men's tennis, and 12 in baseball, the most of any school in each respective sport. Likewise, UCLA has won 20 NCAA championships in men's volleyball and 12 in softball, also the most of any school in those sports. As of June 2024, UCLA ranked second overall and USC ranked third overall in NCAA team championships behind Stanford.

The Beginning of UCLA Women's Volleyball

The UCLA women's volleyball program began in 1965. Andy Banachowski served as the head coach from 1965 until his retirement after the 2009 season, except for the 1968-69 and 1969-70 seasons, when Mardi Hardy Monroe took the lead after he graduated from UCLA. Banachowski holds the record for the most wins of any NCAA Division I women's volleyball coach, with a record (since 1970, as records were not kept from 1965 to 1969) of 1,106-301.

National Championships of UCLA

Under Banachowski, UCLA won six national championships (3 NCAA-1984, 1990, 1991; 2 AIAW-1974, 1975; and 1 DGWS-1972).

In 1984, a record-setting crowd of 10,498 saw the Bruins play against No. UCLA claimed the program's first NCAA national title (fourth overall) after four previous runner-up finishes following the team's 1975 AIAW title. In the deciding fifth game against Stanford, UCLA was down 12-4, but with heroics from Liz Masakayan, the Bruins continued to chip away at the lead before earning match point at 14-13.

In 1990, UCLA won the NCAA title by defeating Pacific 15-9, 15-12, 15-7. UCLA was led by Natalie Williams and Marissa Hatchett who had 12 kills a piece.

Read also: Volleyball Camps at UCLA

In 1991, playing at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins repeated as NCAA champions by defeating Long Beach State in five games. UCLA's comebacks was one of the biggest in NCAA history, since this match, no team had ever before rallied from 2 games to 0 to win in five games in the NCAA national championship.

After 20 years, the UCLA Bruins captured their fourth NCAA title and seventh overall by defeating Illinois 3-1 on December 17, 2011, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Bruins were seeded ninth in the NCAA championship tournament. On their way to the title game, they defeated 4-time defending champions Penn State and No. 1 seeded Texas to face No. 3 seeded Illinois. Rachael Kidder was named the most outstanding player of the tournament. Lauren Van Orden and Zoe Nightingale were also named to the all tournament team. Head coach Michael Sealy became a champion both as a player and a head coach.

General Athletic Rivalry

The Crosstown Cup, formerly the Lexus Gauntlet, the Crosstown Gauntlet, and the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup, is the name given to a competition between UCLA and USC in the 19 NCAA-sanctioned varsity sports in which both compete. (Although slightly different scoring rules were in effect in the different versions of the competition.) In 2003, 2005, and 2007 UCLA won the Lexus Gauntlet Trophy, while USC won the trophy in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2009 (the first back-to-back win). After the 2009 season, Lexus stopped sponsoring the award. The competition was renamed the Crosstown Gauntlet, which USC won in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014, and UCLA won in 2013.[7][8][9][10][11] In 2015, due to new sponsorship, the competition became the SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup.[12] It was won by UCLA in 2015 and USC in 2016, when the sponsorship arrangement concluded. The competition has since been known simply as the Crosstown Cup.

Quite often, the winner of the football game has won or shared the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12) title in football. A berth in the Rose Bowl game has been on the line many times as well for both schools. Since the 1916 formation of the Pacific Coast Conference, which the Pac-12 claims as part of its history, USC had won or shared 37 conference titles and UCLA had won or shared 17 titles. Washington is second in overall conference titles with 18. Since the 1959 season, when the Pac-12 was formed as the Athletic Association of Western Universities, through the 2007 season, the schools had won or shared 33 of the 48 conference titles. USC won 17 championships outright, shared eight and gone to the Rose Bowl or BCS bowl 21 times. UCLA won six championships outright, shared five and gone to the Rose Bowl eight times. The schools have thrice shared the championship. In 2011, UCLA became the first Pac-12 South Division champion - while USC held the better of the two records, the Trojans were ineligible for postseason play that year due to NCAA sanctions.

Football Rivalry

USC began a rise to national prominence under Howard Jones in 1925. The Trojans began a major rivalry with Notre Dame in 1926. By the late 1930s, star players such as Kenny Washington, Jackie Robinson, and Bob Waterfield enabled UCLA to be competitive. With the hiring of Hall of Fame coach Henry "Red" Sanders, UCLA became the more dominant program in the 1950s and won their first and only National Championship in 1954. Sanders died suddenly of a heart attack before the 1959 season. In 1960 John McKay, the winningest coach is USC football history, took over the struggling USC program. Upon the arrival of McKay, USC entered a new golden age in its storied history. During McKay's tenure, the Trojans won 8 conference titles, 5 Rose Bowls, produced two Heisman Trophy winners (Mike Garrett and O. J. Simpson) and won three national championships (1962, 1967, and 1972) and shared one (1974). Against UCLA, McKay was tough to beat, posting a 10-5-1 record against the Bruins between 1960 and 1975.

Read also: Classic Men's Volleyball Matchups

For most seasons from the mid-1960s to the end of the 1970s, the two schools were the top powers on the West Coast with USC usually holding the top spot. In the 15 Rose Bowls played from 1966 to 1980, USC or UCLA played in 12 of them. Even with the rise of Don James' Washington Huskies in the 1980s and early 90s, UCLA or USC still went to the Rose Bowl seven times between 1981 and 1995. The Bruins' unbeaten string ended in 1999 when the Trojans began their longest win streak, 7, against the Bruins, though two of those wins (2004 and 2005) are now vacated, cutting the USC streak to five. Pete Carroll was hired by USC in December 2000. During Carroll's tenure (2001-2009 seasons), USC was virtually unbeatable against its two most heated rivals, UCLA and Notre Dame.

A number of titles have been applied to the football game such as: "The Los Angeles City Championship", "The Crosstown Showdown", "The Battle of L.A. or Los Angeles", or simply the "crosstown rivalry". None have become the singular name for the game. At UCLA, the week before the game is known as "Beat 'SC Week" (officially dubbed "Blue and Gold Week"). Both schools host a number of activities on their respective campuses during the week to promote school spirit. Also, both schools take steps to prevent vandalism of two major landmarks on campus: USC wraps its Trojan Shrine (better known as "Tommy Trojan") in bubble wrap and duct tape, while UCLA covers its Bruin Bear statue with tarp stating "THE BRUIN BEAR IS HIBERNATING. BEAT 'SC.", and more recently a $5000 wooden puzzle box. Groups of UCLA students known as "Bruin Bear Security Force" also camp out in Bruin Plaza, ostensibly to protect the Bruin Bear in the event of a prank, while the USC Trojan Knights hold a week-long vigil guarding Tommy Trojan with the sign "Don't Bruin your life".

Other Sporting Events

ROTC "Blood Bowl" - The football rivalry extends to the military training units at both schools. The Naval and Army Officers Training Corps midshipmen and cadets at both universities compete in the annual "Blood Bowl" flag football game against each other, usually held the Friday before the official game, as a parallel to the varsity match. The name stems from the often rough and passionate play by the midshipmen and cadets representing school pride. After a 25-12 victory on December 3, 2010, by the Army Battalion, UCLA continues to lead the series all time versus USC 15-11.

Daily Bruin vs. Daily Trojan "Blood Bowl" - Staff of the Daily Bruin and Daily Trojan have competed in a flag football contest that is also called the "Blood Bowl".

The Band Bowl - From the 1950s until 2000 the UCLA Marching Band and the USC Marching Band played in a flag football contest called the "Band Bowl".

UCLA vs. USC Men's Ice Hockey - UCLA and USC have teams that compete in ACHA Division II club-level Ice hockey.

UCLA vs. USC Men's Rugby - UCLA and USC compete every year on the day after the football game.

We Run the City 5K - A 5 km rivalry run held the Sunday before the football game that benefits Special Olympics Southern California. Runners pledge their allegiance to their team upon registration. Registration is open to all fans, students, alumni, staff, and the community.

Starting with the 2008 season, the winners of a blood drive competition were announced during halftime, with the winners donating more blood to the American Red Cross.

Stadiums and Traditions

For a number of years, the schools shared the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as their home stadium until UCLA moved to the Rose Bowl for the 1982 season. Each school alternated as the "home" team for the game, with home fans on the north side of the Coliseum and visiting fans on the south (press box) side. Until the 1983 meeting where the visiting UCLA team wore their white jerseys, players on both teams wore their home football jerseys for the game. An NCAA rule change for the 1983 season required the visiting team specifically to wear white jerseys. Beginning in the 1984 season, when the game was played at the Rose Bowl for the second time, the visiting fans moved to the end-zone visitor sections of each respective stadium.

Starting in 2006, the coaches at the time, USC coach Pete Carroll and UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, expressed an interest in restarting the tradition of both teams wearing primary colored home jerseys. At the time, the NCAA football rules Article 3. a. stated, "Players of opposing teams shall wear jerseys of contrasting colors, and the visiting team shall wear white jerseys." USC coach Pete Carroll said he would be willing to lose two timeouts during the game so that the USC team could wear their cardinal jerseys for the UCLA-USC football game on December 6, 2008. It was determined before the 2008 game that the visiting school would only lose one timeout for incorrect equipment.

The Victory Bell

When the football teams from these schools compete against each other, the victor is awarded the Victory Bell. The Victory Bell was originally from an old Southern Pacific railroad locomotive. It was UCLA's symbol of victory until it was stolen by a USC organization called the Trojan Knights in 1941. The bell itself is brass, and the metal mounting around it is painted blue or cardinal by the school that won the football game and earned its possession. When UCLA possesses it, the UCLA Rally Committee is responsible for its protection and care. While it is in USC's possession, the Trojan Knights are responsible for hiding, protecting, and showcasing the bell (including ringing the bell during home football games).

Rose Bowl and Championship Implications

Until the Rose Bowl Game became part of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and later the College Football Playoff (CFP), a berth in the Rose Bowl to face the Big Ten Conference champion was the ultimate goal that was awarded to the then-Pacific-10 conference champion. Through the 2016 season, USC has appeared in the Rose Bowl 34 times and UCLA has appeared 12 times. During the BCS era (1998-2013), the Rose Bowl was the destination for the first-place Big Ten and Pac-12 teams, should either fail to qualify for the BCS championship game. UCLA was the first Pac-10 team to appear in a BCS bowl, the 1999 Rose Bowl, their last conference championship year. USC has appeared in six BCS bowl games, winning the BCS championship in 2005.

Before the Pac-10 expanded in 2011 and became the Pac-12, the Rose Bowl and conference championship were on the line for both teams 20 times and at least one team 37 times. Following expansion and the division of the conference into two football divisions, with UCLA and USC both in the South Division, the division title and a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game have been on the line for at least one team twice.

Football Game Results

As of the end of the 2025 college football season, USC leads 53-34-7 (record excludes two vacated USC wins due to NCAA penalty for violation of NCAA rules). There has been one overtime game in the series in 1996. Many of the games of this rivalry have ultimately determined the Pac-10 Rose Bowl representative and often a chance for USC to play for the national championship.

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