Terry Donahue was one of the most successful football coaches in UCLA's history. In 20 years, he amassed a 151-74-8 record, winning five conference championships. Let's take a look at each of those titles.
1982
Coming off a loss to Michigan in the 1981 Blue Bonnet Bowl, Terry Donahue knew that he had a roster to compete in the stacked Pac-10. They began 1982 ranked 18th in the nation and made quick work of Long Beach State (41-10) and Wisconsin (51-26) before running into the revenge-minded Wolverines. The two squads battled it out in Ann Arbor with the Bruins coming out on top, beating the 20th ranked Michigan Wolverines 31-27.
After beating Colorado 34-6, Arizona stunned them in a 24-24 tie. Washington State (42-17), Cal (47-31) and Oregon (40-12) went down with relative ease, but Washington proved to be fickle. Against the 10th ranked Huskies, the Bruins fell 10-7.
Down, but not out, the Bruins returned from Seattle determined to get back into conference title contention. After squeaking out a 38-35 win over Stanford, UCLA beat 15th ranked USC 20-19 to clinch a berth in the Rose Bowl. Waiting for them was non-other than the Michigan Wolverines. In a tight, defensive struggle, UCLA was ahead 10-7 at the half before outscoring Michigan 14-7 in the second to take the game.
With the Rose Bowl trophy safely in hand, the Bruins finished the season fifth in the final AP Poll. After the season, linebacker Blanchard Montgomery was drafted by the 49ers in the third round and receiver Jo-Jo Townsell was drafted shortly after by the Jets.
1983
Rick Neuheisel had risen through the ranks in Westwood and now he was a senior. Having proven himself on the practice field and in the locker room, he was finally the Bruins starting quarterback, eager to lead his teammates to a second straight Pac-10 title. It wasn't all smooth sailing. After starting the season ranked 20th in the nation, UCLA fell out of thepolls with a 19-8 loss to 15th ranked Georgia. and a 26-26 tie to unranked ASU.
Things only got worse in Westwood as the Bruins went on to lose to top ranked Nebraska 42-10 and BYU 37-35. It was not the way that Neuheisel envisioned his final year as a Bruin panning out. Staring at an 0-3-1 record, the Bruins were undaunted and promptly started winning games. Stanford (39-21) and Washington State (24-14) didn't stand a chance and both Cal (20-16) and 11th ranked Washington (27-24) tried and failed to stop the growing tidal wave.
After beating Oregon in Eugene by 11, the rumbling Bruins were stunned in the desert, losing to Arizona by a field goal. They handled business at the L.A. Coliseum by beating the rojans 27-17 and clinching their second straight conference championship.
Having done the seemingly impossible, UCLA was brimming with confidence going into the Rose Bowl and convincingly beat fourth ranked Illinois 45-9. Having been out of the AP top 25 for nearly every week of the year, UCLA finished the season ranked 17th in the nation. The Washington Redskins surprised many by taking backup quarterback Jay Schroeder in the third round of that year's draft.
Meanwhile, Rick Neuheisel would go undrafted and spend crumbs of time on a couple of professional football rosters before embarking on a lengthy coaching career. He would eventually serve as UCLA's head coach from 2008-2011. Schroeder would get the last laugh though, winning the 1987 Super Bowl as Doug Williams' backup.
1985
Despite losing their shot at a third straight Pac-10 championship, 1984 was a successful year for the Bruins as they finished the year by beating the Miami Hurricanes, the era's premier dynasty, in the Fiesta Bowl. They entered 1985 ranked 20th in the nation and promptly left Provo, Utah with a 27-24 win over eighth ranked BYU. Their enthusiasm was extinguished the following week in a 26-26 tie at unranked Tennessee. After a convincing win over San Diego State, UCLA lost to Washington by a touchdown.
With the season on the brink, UCLA rebounded to win their next six games. The Pac-10 wasn't very strong that year as none of their opponents were ranked. Still a win is a win. Even though the Bruins lost to USC 17-13 in the last regular season game of the year, they still won the conference. They went on to beat fourth ranked Iowa in the Rose Bowl 45-28.
After the season, the seventh ranked Bruins were honored with six members being drafted into the NFL. Their most notable player was receiver Mike Sherrard who was drafted in the first round by the Cowboys before going on to win a Super Bowl with the 49ers in 1989. Even UCLA's kicker, John Lee, was drafted in the second round by the Cardinals. It was a successful year all around for UCLA football.
1987
Troy Aikman was still new to his surroundings. Having transferred from Oklahoma the year before, he fit in perfectly in Homer Smith's pro-style offense. The third ranked UCLA Bruins entered 1987 brimming with confidence and promptly spanked San Diego State 47-14. However, they crumbled under the weight of the Lincoln crowd, losing to second ranked Nebraska 42-33. UCLA hardly broke a sweat the rest of the regular season.
They even smoked 16th ranked Oregon 41-10. But once they traveled to the Coliseum, all bets were off. They lost to USC 17-13 and the fifth ranked Bruins tumbled down the polls, all the way to ten. The Pac-10 champs rebounded by beating Florida 20-16 in the Aloha Bowl to finish the season ninth in the nation.
While Aikman (65.4%, 2,354 yds and 16 tds) would wait a year before going first overall, a slew of Bruins were drafted in 1988. Running back Gaston Green went to the Rams in the first round while both linebacker Ken Norton Jr. and receiver Flipper Anderson went in the second round to the Cowboys and Rams, respectively. Even their star transfer from SMU, guard David Richards, went in the fourth round to the Chargers.
1993
It had been five years since the Bruins had last won the Pac-10 and they entered 1993 unranked. They opened the year losing to Cal and eighth ranked Nebraska by a combined three points. UCLA rebounded the following week by beating 17th ranked Stanford by a field goal. And just like that, they were off and running. They shellacked San Diego State (52-13), 19th ranked BYU (68-14) and 12th ranked Washington 39-25.
After beating unranked Oregon State by a field goal, the Bruins "rebounded" by beating seventh ranked Arizona by 20. By this point of the season, the previously unranked UCLA Bruins had won so much that. they were ranked 10th in the nation.
That would quickly change after losing to unranked Arizona State 9-3, UCLA traveled to the L.A. Coliseum where they beat the 22nd ranked Trojans by six, earning them the fifth Pac-10 championship in the Terry Donahue era. While the Bruins would go on to lose to ninth ranked Wisconsin 21-16 in the Rose Bowl and no one was drafted that year, it was a successful season.
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