List of UCLA Bruins bowl games

Through 2023, the UCLA Bruins have played in 38 bowl games, compiling a record of 18–20–1 (.474).

After California's third straight Rose Bowl loss in 1951, the Pacific Coast Conference disallowed consecutive appearances. The first PCC program adversely affected was UCLA; the undefeated and second-ranked 1954 team was ineligible for the 1955 Rose Bowl; it would have been the second of three consecutive. The rule was dropped by the succeeding AAWU (Big Five) in 1959 (Washington won in 1960 and 1961), but the Big Ten kept it from the late 1940s until the early 1970s.

The Pac-8 (and Big Ten) did not allow multiple bowl teams until the 1975 season, in which the Bruins won the Rose Bowl. In twelve Rose Bowl appearances, UCLA has won five (.417), with three streaks: five losses, five wins, and currently two losses. The last victory was in January 1986 (third in four years), and the most recent appearance was in 1999.

Bowl games

edit
List of bowl games showing bowl played in, date, winning team, score, losing team, stadium, location, attendance, head coach, and MVP
# Bowl Date Winning team Score Losing team Stadium Location Attendance Head coach MVP
1 Rose Bowl January 1, 1943 Georgia L 0–9 UCLA Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 93,000 Edwin Horrell Charley Trippi (Georgia)
2 Rose Bowl January 1, 1947 Illinois L 14–45 UCLA Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 93,000 Bert LaBrucherie Buddy Young (Illinois)
Julius Rykovich (Illinois)
3 Rose Bowl January 1, 1954 Michigan State L 20–28 UCLA Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 100,500 "Red" Sanders Billy Wells (MSU)
4 Rose Bowl January 1, 1956 Michigan State L 14–17 UCLA Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 100,809 "Red" Sanders Walt Kowalczyk (MSU)
5 Rose Bowl January 1, 1962 Minnesota L 3–21 UCLA Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 98,214 Bill Barnes Sandy Stephens (Minnesota)
6 Rose Bowl January 1, 1966 UCLA W 14–12 Michigan State Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 100,087 Tommy Prothro Bob Stiles (UCLA)
7 Rose Bowl January 1, 1976 UCLA W 23–10 Ohio State Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 105,464 Dick Vermeil John Sciarra (UCLA)
8 Liberty Bowl December 20, 1976 Alabama L 6–36 UCLA Memphis Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee 52,736 Terry Donahue Barry Krauss (Alabama)
9 Fiesta Bowl December 25, 1978 UCLA T 10–10 Arkansas Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona 55,227 Terry Donahue James Owens (UCLA)
Jimmy Walker (Arkansas)
10 Bluebonnet Bowl December 31, 1981 Michigan L 14–33 UCLA Houston Astrodome Houston, Texas 50,107 Terry Donahue Butch Woolfolk (Michigan)
11 Rose Bowl January 1, 1983 UCLA W 24–14 Michigan Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 104,991 Terry Donahue Tom Ramsey (UCLA)
Don Rogers (UCLA)
12 Rose Bowl January 2, 1984 UCLA W 45–9 Illinois Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 103,217 Terry Donahue Rick Neuheisel (UCLA)
13 Fiesta Bowl January 1, 1985 UCLA W 39–37 Miami Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Arizona 60,310 Terry Donahue Gaston Green (UCLA)
James Washington (UCLA)
14 Rose Bowl January 1, 1986 UCLA W 45–28 Iowa Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 103,292 Terry Donahue Eric Ball (UCLA)
15 Freedom Bowl December 30, 1986 UCLA W 31–10 Brigham Young Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, California 55,422 Terry Donahue Gaston Green (UCLA)
16 Aloha Bowl December 25, 1987 UCLA W 20–16 Florida Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI 24,839 Terry Donahue Troy Aikman (UCLA)
Emmit Smith (Florida)
17 Cotton Bowl January 2, 1989 UCLA W 17–3 Arkansas Cotton Bowl Dallas 74,304 Terry Donahue Troy Aikman (UCLA)
LaSalle Harber (Arkansas)
18 Sun Bowl December 31, 1991 UCLA W 6–3 Illinois Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas 42,281 Terry Donahue Arnold Ale (UCLA)
19 Rose Bowl January 1, 1994 Wisconsin L 16–21 UCLA Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 101,237 Terry Donahue Brent Moss (Wisconsin)
20 Aloha Bowl December 25, 1995 Kansas L 30–51 UCLA Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI 41,112 Terry Donahue Karim Abdul-Jabbar (UCLA)
Mark Williams (Kansas)
21 Cotton Bowl January 1, 1998 UCLA W 29–23 Texas A&M Cotton Bowl Dallas 59,215 Bob Toledo Cade McNown (UCLA)
Dat Nguyen (Texas A&M)
22 Rose Bowl January 1, 1999 Wisconsin L 31–38 UCLA Rose Bowl Pasadena, California 93,872 Bob Toledo Ron Dayne (Wisconsin)
23 Sun Bowl[1] December 29, 2000 Wisconsin L 20–21 UCLA Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas 49,093 Bob Toledo Freddie Mitchell (UCLA)
24 Las Vegas Bowl[2] December 25, 2002 UCLA W 27–13 New Mexico Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, Nevada 30,324 Ed Kezirian Craig Bragg (UCLA)
25 Silicon Valley Bowl[3] December 30, 2003 Fresno State L 9–17 UCLA Spartan Stadium San Jose, California 20,126 Karl Dorrell Garrett McIntyre (FSU)
Rodney Davis (FSU)
26 Las Vegas Bowl[4] December 23, 2004 Wyoming L 21–24 UCLA Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, Nevada 29,062 Karl Dorrell Corey Bramlet (Wyoming)
27 Sun Bowl[5] December 30, 2005 UCLA W 50–38 Northwestern Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas 50,426 Karl Dorrell Kahlil Bell (UCLA)
Chris Markey (UCLA)
28 Emerald Bowl[6] December 27, 2006 Florida State L 27–44 UCLA AT&T Park San Francisco 40,331 Karl Dorrell Lorenzo Booker (FSU)
Tony Carter (FSU)
29 Las Vegas Bowl[7] December 22, 2007 Brigham Young L 16–17 UCLA Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, Nevada 40,712 DeWayne Walker Austin Collie (BYU)
30 EagleBank Bowl[8] December 29, 2009 UCLA W 30–21 Temple RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. 23,072 Rick Neuheisel Akeem Ayers (UCLA)
31 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl December 31, 2011 Illinois L 14–20 UCLA AT&T Park San Francisco 29,878 Mike Johnson Terry Hawthorne (Illinois)
Nathan Scheelhaase (Illinois)
32 Holiday Bowl December 27, 2012 Baylor L 26–49 No. 17 UCLA Qualcomm Stadium San Diego 55,507 Jim L. Mora Lache Seastrunk (Baylor)
Chris McAllister (Baylor)
33 Sun Bowl December 31, 2013 No. 17 UCLA W 42–12 Virginia Tech Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas 47,912 Jim L. Mora Brett Hundley (UCLA)
Jordan Zumwalt (UCLA)
34 Alamo Bowl January 2, 2015 No. 14 UCLA W 40–35 No. 11 Kansas State Alamodome San Antonio, Texas 60,517 Jim L. Mora Paul Perkins (UCLA)
Eric Kendricks (UCLA)
Tyler Lockett (Kansas State)
35 Foster Farms Bowl December 26, 2015 Nebraska L 29–37 UCLA Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California 33,257 Jim L. Mora Tommy Armstrong, Jr. (Nebraska)
Jaleel Wadood (UCLA)
36 Cactus Bowl December 26, 2017 Kansas State L 17–35 UCLA Chase Field Phoenix, Arizona 32,859 Jedd Fisch Alex Delton (Kansas State)
Denzel Goolsby (Kansas State)
37 Sun Bowl December 30, 2022 Pittsburgh

L 35–37

UCLA Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, Texas 41,104 Chip Kelly Rodney Hammond Jr. (Pittsburgh)
38 LA Bowl December 16, 2023 UCLA W 35–22 Boise State SoFi Stadium Inglewood, California 32,780 Chip Kelly Ethan Garbers (UCLA)
Darius Muasau (UCLA)

Note: UCLA also played in the 1939 Pineapple Bowl, beating Hawaii W 32–7. However, the NCAA does not consider it a Major Bowl, and therefore does not count it towards a team's bowl record as it was a pre-scheduled game.[9]

Game notes

edit

1943 Rose Bowl

edit
1 2 3 4 Total
Georgia 0 0 0 9 9
UCLA 0 0 0 0 0

1st quarter scoring: No score

2nd quarter scoring: No score

3rd quarter scoring: No score

4th quarter scoring: Georgia – Willard "Red" Boyd blocks Bob Waterfield's punt out of bounds for an automatic safety; Georgia – Frank Sinkwich, one-yard run (Leo Costa converts)

1947 Rose Bowl

edit

The 33rd Rose Bowl featured the 10-0 UCLA Bruins, led by head coach Ray Eliot, and the 7-2 Illinois Fighting Illini, led by head coach Bert LaBrucherie. UCLA lost the game, 14-45, they were favored to win by 14 points. Illinois rushed for a combined 320 yards, a then Rose Bowl record (Harrison 2018).[10] UCLA Bruins kick returner, and member of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, Al Hoisch, returned a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, a current Rose Bowl record (Bowman).[11]

1 2 3 4 Total
Illinois 6 19 0 20 45
UCLA 7 7 0 0 14

First quarter scoring:

  • UCLA - Ernie Case, one-yard quarterback sneak. (Case converts).

Second quarter scoring:

  • Illinois - Buddy Young, two-yard run. (Maechtle converts).
  • Illinois - Paul Patterson four yard run. (Kick failed).
  • Illinois - Perry Moss one-yard sneak. (Kick blocked).
  • UCLA - Al Hoisch returns Maechtle's kickoff 103. (Case converts).

Third quarter scoring:

  • No scoring.

Fourth quarter scoring:

  • Illinois - Young, one-yard run. (Maechtle converts).
  • Illinois - Russ Steger, 68-yard interception return. (Kick failed).
  • Illinois - Stan Green, 20 yard interception return. (Maechtle converts).

1954 Rose Bowl

edit
  • In the fourth quarter, the Bruins recovered another Spartan fumble and scored to make the score 21–20. But the extra point kick failed. Billy Wells of Michigan State returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown with 4:51 left in the game.

1956 Rose Bowl

edit

1962 Rose Bowl

edit

1966 Rose Bowl

edit

1976 Rose Bowl

edit

1983 Rose Bowl

edit

1984 Rose Bowl

edit

1985 Fiesta Bowl

edit

1986 Rose Bowl

edit

The 72nd Rose Bowl Game played on January 1, 1986. Between The UCLA Bruins upset the Iowa Hawkeyes. The UCLA Bruins upset the Iowa Hawkeyes 45–28. UCLA tailback Eric Ball was named the Player Of The Game. He ran for a Rose Bowl record four touchdowns and was MVP of the game. The game Attendance was 103,292.

Box Score
Team 1st Q 2nd Q 3rd Q 4th Q Total
UCLA 10 14 7 14 45
Iowa 7 3 7 11 28

1994 Rose Bowl

edit
1 2 3 4 Total
#9 Wisconsin 7 7 0 7 21
#14 UCLA 3 0 0 13 16

The weather was 73 degrees and hazy. UCLA receiver J. J. Stokes set Rose Bowl records for receptions (14) and receiving yards (176). Brent Moss gashed the UCLA defense for 158 rushing yards and 2 TDs.

First quarter scoring: UCLA — Bjorn Merten 27-yard field goal; Wisconsin — Brent Moss three-yard run (Rick Schnetzky kick)

Second quarter scoring: Wisconsin — Moss one-yard run (Schnetzky kick)

Third quarter scoring: No Scoring

Fourth quarter scoring: UCLA — Ricky Davis 12-yard run (Merten kick); Wisconsin — Darrell Bevell 21-yard run (Schnetzky kick); UCLA — Mike Nguyen five-yard pass from Wayne Cook (2-point conversion pass failed)

Statistics

Team Stats Wisconsin UCLA
First Downs 21 31
Net Yards Rushing 250 212
Net Yards Passing 96 288
Total Yards 346 500
PC–PA–Int. 10–20–1 28–43–1
Punts–Avg. 6–38.2 2–35.0
Fumbles–Lost 2–0 5–5
Penalties–Yards 12–89 9–95

1995 Aloha Bowl

edit
1 2 3 4 Total
UCLA 0 0 7 23 30
Kansas 7 10 20 14 51

First quarter scoring: KU—Jim Moore, nine-yard pass from Mark Williams. Jeff McCord converts.

Second quarter scoring: KU—June Henley, 49-yard run. McCord converts; KU—McCord, 27-yard field goal.

Third quarter scoring KU—Henley, two-yard run. McCord kick fails; UCLA—Brad Melsby, eight-yard pass from Cade McNown (Bjorn Merten kick); KU—Isaac Byrd, 77-yard pass from Williams (McCord converts); KU—Andre Carter, 27-yard pass from Williams (McCord converts)

Fourth quarter scoring UCLA—Kevin Jordan, eight-yard pass from McNown (Merten kick); UCLA — Karim Abdul-Jabbar five-yard run (Melsby pass from McNown); KU—Williams, six-yard run (McCord converts); UCLA—Melsby, seven-yard pass from McNown (Abdul-Jabbar run); KU—Eric Vann, 67-yard run (McCord converts)

1998 Cotton Bowl Classic

edit
UCLA vs. Texas A&M
1 234Total
#5 Bruins 0 7148 29
#20 Aggies 7 970 23

1999 Rose Bowl

edit
Wisconsin vs. UCLA
1 234Total
#9 Badgers 7 1777 38
#6 Bruins 7 1473 31

2000 Sun Bowl

edit
UCLA vs. Wisconsin
1 234Total
Bruins 10 730 20
Badgers 7 077 21

2002 Las Vegas Bowl

edit
New Mexico vs. UCLA
1 234Total
Lobos 6 007 13
Bruins 3 3714 27
  • Date: December 25, 2002
  • Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Whitney, Nevada
  • Game start: 1:30 PM PST
  • Elapsed time: 3:30
  • Game attendance: 30,324
  • Game weather: Clear, 50°F, 2mph S
  • Referee: Rogers Redding

2003 Silicon Valley Bowl

edit
UCLA vs. Fresno State
1 234Total
Bruins 0 720 9
Bulldogs 14 300 17
  • Date: December 30, 2003
  • Location: Spartan Stadium, San Jose, California
  • Game start: 7:34 PM PST
  • Elapsed time: 3:17
  • Game attendance: 20,126
  • Game weather: Cool, 54°F, wind SE
  • Referee: David Witvoet

2004 Las Vegas Bowl

edit
Wyoming vs. UCLA
1 234Total
Cowboys 10 0014 24
Bruins 0 1470 21
  • Date: December 23, 2004
  • Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Whitney, Nevada
  • Game start: 7:00 PM PST
  • Elapsed time: 3:36
  • Game attendance: 29,062
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 42°F, 9mph N
  • Referee: Rocky Goode

2005 Sun Bowl

edit
Northwestern vs. UCLA
1 234Total
Wildcats 22 0313 38
#17 Bruins 7 22714 50

2006 Emerald Bowl

edit
Florida State vs. UCLA
1 234Total
Seminoles 7 61021 44
Bruins 10 1070 27

On February 8, 2010, Florida State University agreed to accept NCAA sanctions against its athletic programs, and agreed to vacate 12 football victories, including the 2006 Emerald Bowl victory over UCLA. Florida State has stated their intention to return the championship trophy.[23]

2007 Las Vegas Bowl

edit
UCLA vs. Brigham Young
1 234Total
Bruins 3 1003 16
#19 Cougars 3 1400 17

2009 EagleBank Bowl

edit
UCLA vs. Temple
1 234Total
Bruins 7 3713 30
Owls 7 1400 21
 

2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

edit
Illinois vs. UCLA
1 234Total
Fighting Illini 0 3710 20
Bruins 0 707 14

2012 Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl

edit
Baylor vs. UCLA
1 234Total
Bears 14 2177 49
#17 Bruins 0 10313 26

Baylor (8–5) vs No. 17 UCLA (9–5)

2013 80th Hyundai Sun Bowl

edit
Virginia Tech vs. UCLA
1 234Total
Hokies 7 032 12
• #17 Bruins 7 7028 42

Virginia Tech (8–5,5–3) vs. No. 17 UCLA (10–3,6–3)

2015 22nd Valero Alamo Bowl

edit
Kansas State vs. UCLA
1 234Total
#11 Wildcats 0 61514 35
• #14 Bruins 17 1436 40

#11 Kansas State (9–3,7–2) vs. No. 14 UCLA (9–3,6–3)

2017 Cactus Bowl

edit

Kansas State Wildcats (7–5) vs. UCLA Bruins (6–6)

1 2 3 4 Total
Wildcats 7 0 14 14 35
Bruins 3 14 0 0 17

2021 Holiday Bowl

edit

No. 18 NC State Wolfpack (9–3) vs. UCLA Bruins (8–4)

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 18 Wolfpack 0 0 0 0 0
Bruins 0 0 0 0 0

References

edit
General
  • National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). "Bowl/All-Star Game Records" (PDF). 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA.org. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  • "UCLA's bowl tradition" (PDF). 2011 UCLA Football Media Guide. UCLA. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
Specific
  1. ^ "Wisconsin 21, UCLA 20 - UCLA Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  2. ^ "UCLA 27, New Mexico 13 - UCLA Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  3. ^ "UCLA Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  4. ^ "Wyoming vs UCLA Bruins (Dec 23, 2004) - UCLA Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  5. ^ "UCLA Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  6. ^ "UCLA Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on June 12, 2012.
  7. ^ "UCLA Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  8. ^ "UCLA Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  9. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ^ Harrison, Scott (December 27, 2018). "From the Archives: UCLA loses 1947 Rose Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  11. ^ "UCLA football star, World War II veteran Al Hoisch dies at 91". Daily Bruin. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  12. ^ "1998 Cotton Bowl Classic Recap" (PDF). attcottonbowl.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  13. ^ "Rose Bowl 1999". rosebowlhistory.org. Archived from the original on December 12, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  14. ^ "Box Score: Wisconsin at UCLA". cnnsi.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  15. ^ "UCLA vs. Wisconsin box score". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  16. ^ "2000 NCAA Football Bowls". cnnsi.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  17. ^ "New Mexico vs. UCLA (Dec 25, 2002)". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  18. ^ "UCLA vs Fresno State (Dec 30, 2003)". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  19. ^ "Wyoming vs UCLA Bruins (Dec 23, 2004)". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  20. ^ "Wyoming Cowboys vs. UCLA Bruins Recap". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  21. ^ "Northwestern vs UCLA Bruins (Dec 30, 2005)". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  22. ^ "Florida State vs UCLA Bruins (12/27/06)". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  23. ^ "SPORTS BRIEFING COLLEGE ATHLETICS; Florida State To Vacate Wins". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 8, 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  24. ^ "UCLA vs BYU (Dec 22, 2007)". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  25. ^ Megargee, Steve (December 19, 2007). "Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. UCLA". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  26. ^ "UCLA Bruins vs. Brigham Young Cougars Recap". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  27. ^ "UCLA vs Temple (Dec 29, 2009)". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  28. ^ "UCLA Bruins vs. Temple Owls Recap". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  29. ^ "UCLA Bruins vs. Temple Owls Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  30. ^ "Illinois Fighting Illini vs. UCLA Bruins – Box Score". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  31. ^ "Illinois vs. UCLA (Dec 31, 2011)". UCLABruins.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2011.