A Storied Rivalry: Tracing the Basketball and Football History Between UCLA and Utah

The UCLA Bruins and the Utah Utes, two prominent athletic programs, share a history marked by memorable encounters and shifts in dominance. This article delves into the history of their basketball and football matchups, highlighting key moments and figures that have shaped this rivalry.

Football: Gridiron Clashes

The UCLA Bruins' 2025 season is officially here as they take on the Utah Utes in the Rose Bowl Saturday night. The Bruins and Utes have faced off 21 times, with UCLA holding a 12-9 overall record. However, Utah has asserted its dominance recently, winning six of the last seven contests.

Their initial meeting occurred in 1933, resulting in a 21-0 victory for UCLA. Following this initial encounter, matchups between the two programs were infrequent until 2006, when they became regular competitors within the Pac-12 Conference.

When playing at home, the Bruins boast a 7-3 record against Utah, while their record on the road stands at 5-6. In their 2025 matchup, the Utes are favored by 6.5 points coming into Westwood to take on the revamped DeShaun Foster-Nico Iamaleava Bruins.

A Noteworthy Gridiron Game

On September 8, 2007, UCLA faced Utah in their season opener. UCLA's quarterback at the time, Ben Olson, completed 25 of 33 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns, leading his team to a 31-10 victory. Olson distributed his touchdown passes to Matt Willis, Marcus Everett, and Ryan Moya. The Bruins' defense was equally impressive, forcing two fumbles and intercepting Utah quarterbacks Brett Ratliff and Tommy Grady. Al Verner, a Bruins corner, returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown.

The difference in their 2025 matchup? UCLA has NFL talent under center in Nico Iamaleava, and he's looking to spearhead a complete turnaround in Westwood this year under DeShaun Foster.

Basketball: Hardwood Battles

The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1919, represents the University of California, Los Angeles, in men's basketball as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The program boasts a record 11 NCAA titles. From 1964 to 1975, Coach John Wooden led the Bruins to 10 national titles in 12 seasons, including seven straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA achieved undefeated seasons a record four times (1964, 1967, 1972, and 1973). In 1995, Coach Jim Harrick guided the team to another NCAA title. They spent 134 weeks ranked No.

Early Years and the Rise of Wooden

Fred Cozens, the first head coach of UCLA basketball and football teams in 1919, finished with a 21-4 record over two seasons. Caddy Works, who coached the Bruins from 1921 to 1939, achieved a 173-159 record.

John Wooden, the "Wizard of Westwood," took over as UCLA's head coach from 1948 to 1975. Before his arrival, UCLA had only won two conference championships in 18 years. In his first season, Wooden led the Bruins to a 22-7 record, the most wins in a season in program history at the time and the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) Southern Division championship. The following season, Wooden guided the Bruins to a 24-7 record and the PCC championship. The Bruins won the division title in each of the next two seasons and the conference title in the latter season. In 1955-56, Wooden led the Bruins to their first undefeated PCC conference title and a 17-game winning streak that ended in the 1956 NCAA Tournament against a University of San Francisco team featuring Bill Russell.

By 1962, Wooden had returned the Bruins to the top of their conference (now the Pac-12 Conference). In 1967, with the arrival of sophomore All-America and MVP Lew Alcindor, the Bruins unleashed a run of dominance.

Wooden's Dynasty and the Alcindor Era

In January 1968, UCLA took its 47-game winning streak to the Astrodome in Houston, where Alcindor faced off against Elvin Hayes in the Game of the Century. Houston upset UCLA 71-69 behind Hayes' 39 points. UCLA avenged the loss in the semi-final rematch of the NCAA tournament, winning 101-69 en route to the national championship. Hayes, who had been averaging 37.7 points per game, was held to only 10 points.

The emergence of the Bruins under Wooden vastly increased the program's popularity. Since 1932, the Bruins had played at the Men's Gym, which had limited seating. This forced games to be moved to larger venues when bigger crowds were expected. Wooden coached his final game in Pauley Pavilion on March 1, 1975, when UCLA trounced Stanford 93-59.

During his tenure with the Bruins, Wooden won 620 games in 27 seasons and 10 NCAA titles during his last 12 seasons, which included seven in a row from 1967 to 1973. His UCLA teams also had a then-record winning streak of 88 games and four perfect 30-0 seasons. They also won 38 straight games in NCAA Tournaments and 98 straight home game wins at Pauley Pavilion. Wooden was named NCAA College Basketball's "Coach of the Year" multiple times and shared Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award with Billie Jean King in 1972.

The Sam Gilbert Controversy

During Wooden's time at UCLA, he faced criticism for the program's relationship with local businessman and booster Sam Gilbert, known as "Papa Sam." Gilbert was known for providing UCLA players with financial benefits. A 1981 Los Angeles Times investigation revealed the extent of Gilbert's involvement. The Times investigation found that Gilbert's involvement in the program began in 1967, when UCLA stars Alcindor and Lucius Allen were considering transferring to Michigan State. Gilbert met with the two players, and both remained at UCLA. Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, said later that he would have stayed regardless but called Gilbert "like my surrogate father." Allen credited Gilbert with dissuading him from transferring.

In his autobiography Giant Steps, Abdul-Jabbar called Gilbert "that odd combination, a cagey humanitarian with a lot of muscle. Guys would go to him when they were in trouble, and he would find a way to fix it…Sam steered clear of John Wooden, and Mr. Wooden gave him the same wide berth.

In 1978, NCAA field investigator J. Brent Clark testified before a Congressional subcommittee that he had begun investigating Gilbert's activities but was told to back off by a superior at the NCAA. Wooden was aware of Gilbert's closeness with his players. In 1972, Wooden said "I personally hardly know Sam Gilbert…I think he's a person who's trying to be helpful in every way that he can. I sometimes feel that in his interest to be helpful it's in direct contrast with what I would like to have him do to be helpful. I think he means very well and, for the most part, he has attached himself to the minority-race players. Despite concerns about Gilbert, Wooden said he chose not to ask players to cut off contact.

The Times reporters concluded: "Wooden knew about Gilbert. He knew the players were close to Gilbert. He knew they looked to Gilbert for advice. Maybe he knew more. He should have known much more. Wooden did pass along his concerns to UCLA athletic director J. D. Morgan, but Morgan did not pursue the matter aggressively, in part because he believed Gilbert was connected to the Mafia.

In 1981, after Wooden's retirement, an NCAA investigation sanctioned UCLA for its relationship with Gilbert, putting the program on probation for two seasons and ordering the school to disassociate itself from him. In 1987, Gilbert was indicted in Florida for conspiracy, racketeering, and money laundering, but he died of heart failure before he could be prosecuted.

Post-Wooden Era: Coaching Changes and Continued Success

From 1975 to 1977, Gene Bartow served as the head coach of UCLA, guiding them to a 52-9 record, including a berth in the 1976 Final Four. Gary Cunningham became the head coach at UCLA in 1977.

Larry Brown then moved on to coach UCLA from 1979 to 1981, leading his freshman-dominated 1979-80 team to the NCAA title game before falling to Louisville, 59-54. However, that runner-up finish was later vacated by the NCAA after two players were found to be ineligible.

Larry Farmer was the head coach of UCLA from 1981 to 1984, guiding them to a 61-23 record. In 1984, Walt Hazzard was named the UCLA basketball coach. He coached for four seasons, winning 77 out of 125 games. The 1984-1985 UCLA Bruin basketball team won the NIT championship.

In 1988, Jim Harrick returned to UCLA to assume head coaching duties after the firing of Walt Hazzard. During the recruiting period before his first season, he recruited Don MacLean, the most significant recruit to commit to UCLA in several years. McLean's arrival helped start a revival of the basketball program. During the 1994-1995 season, he led UCLA to a 32-1 record and the school's eleventh national championship, its first since the 1974-75 season. The 31 actual wins would stand as a school record until the 2005-06 season. In 1996, Harrick's Bruins were upset in the first round by Princeton. Shortly before the 1997 season, UCLA fired Harrick for lying about who attended a recruiting dinner.

The Lavin Era

Later that season on February 11, 1997, with the Bruins tied for first place in the Pac-10 with an 8-3 record, UCLA removed the "interim" tag from Lavin's title and formally named him as its 11th head coach. The Bruins then won their next 11 games en route to the Pac-10 title, before being eliminated by the Minnesota Gophers in the NCAA Midwest Regional Final. In seven seasons as head coach Lavin's record was 12-4 in games involving overtime. Additionally Lavin's Bruins had a 10-4 record against the rival USC Trojans. During the period 1997-2002, Lavin's Bruins compiled nine consecutive overtime victories. These included victories over Arizona, Cincinnati (2002 NCAA second round double overtime victory over No. 1 West Region seed), Kentucky, and Stanford (then ranked No 1). At UCLA from 1996 to 2003, Lavin compiled a record of 145-78. As both an assistant and head coach, Lavin participated in 13 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances (1990-2002), while working at Purdue and UCLA. During Lavin's tenure as a head coach, he was one of only two coaches in the country to lead his team to five NCAA "Sweet 16s" in six years (1997, 1998, 2000-2002), the other coach being Duke's Mike Krzyzewski. Lavin signed seven McDonald's High School All-Americans. During Lavin's tenure as head coach, the Bruins qualified for six consecutive NCAA Tournaments (1997-2002). Lavin's record in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament is 10-1. His winning percentage (90.9%) in the first two rounds is second only to Dean Smith in NCAA Tournament history. In seven seasons as head coach Lavin's record was 12-4 in games involving overtime. The Bruins defeated the No.

The Howland Era

Despite some success under the watch of Steve Lavin, the program wanted to regain its position in the college basketball upper echelon. Even the success in the NCAA tournament belied the fact that UCLA had earned no better than a number 4 seed with the exception of the 1997 season. The 2002-03 season turned out to be the back-breaker for Lavin as the Bruins stumbled to a 10-19 record and a 6-12 record in the conference. It was the first losing season for UCLA in over five decades. UCLA looked to find a coach that could move the Bruins back to the elite ranks of the Pac-10 and the country. Ben Howland's success at the University of Pittsburgh and his southern California roots made him an attractive candidate. Howland remedied this disappointment in his recruiting efforts. Howland produced a top tier recruiting class from athletes in southern California that fit his Big East style. Starting the 2005-06 season with the majority of the roster made over in Howland's image and with the Lavin hold-overs (e.g., Ryan Hollins and Cedric Bozeman), the Bruins produced an excellent campaign. They finished the regular season 24-6, winning the Pac-10 Conference title. They then roared through the Pac-10 tournament, winning each game by double digits en route to only the second Pac-10 tournament championship in school history. The momentum continued into the NCAA tournament as the second-seeded Bruins defeated Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen. They then upset top-seeded Memphis to reach the school's first Final Four in 11 years. Howland continued his success at UCLA the following year. The Bruins finished undefeated at home for the first time in 22 years, winning the Pac-10 conference title. However they lost in their first Pac-10 tournament game and were seeded second in the NCAA Tournament West Region. After a close second-round win over Indiana, Howland led the Bruins to a win over his former team, Pitt in the Sweet Sixteen. At the start of the 2007-08 season, expectations for UCL…

Basketball Game Streaks

All Games:
- Wins: 6 games - 1962/03/16
- Losses: 2 games - 1932/??/??, 2 games - 1936/??/??
- Current: Wins - 6 games - 1962/03/16
Home Games:
- Wins: 2 games - 1962/12/26
- Losses: 2 games - 1932/??/??, 2 games - 1936/??/??
- Current: Wins - 2 games - 1962/12/26

Noteworthy Basketball Games

(N) 2025/03/20 UCLA 72 - Utah State 47 W !! NCAA Round of 64 !!
(N) 2001/03/17 UCLA 75 - Utah State 50 W !! NCAA Round of 32 !!
(N) 1970/03/14 UCLA 101 - Utah State 79 W !! NCAA Quarterfinal !!
(N) 1962/03/16 UCLA 73 - Utah State 62 W !! NCAA Round of 16 !!
(HOME) 1936/??/??
(HOME) 1936/??/??
(HOME) 1936/??/??
(HOME) 1935/??/??
(HOME) 1933/??/??
(HOME) 1932/??/??
(HOME) 1932/??/??
(HOME) 1932/??/??

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