1953 UCLA Bruins football team
| 1953 UCLA Bruins football | |
|---|---|
PCC champion | |
Rose Bowl, L 20–28 vs. Michigan State | |
| Conference | Pacific Coast Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 4 |
| AP | No. 5 |
| Record | 8–2 (6–1 PCC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive scheme | Single-wing |
| Home stadium | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 UCLA $ | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Stanford | 5 | – | 1 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 4 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 2 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington | 2 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 2 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Idaho | 0 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1953 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1953 college football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Red Sanders, the Bruins played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The team completed the regular season with an 8–1 record (6–1 in PCC, first) for the first of three consecutive conference titles.
UCLA played in the Rose Bowl but was defeated 28–20 by eighth-ranked Michigan State and finished at 8–2. The Bruins finished fourth in the Coaches Poll and fifth in the AP Poll, both released prior to the bowl games.[1]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | Oregon State | No. 4 | W 41–0 | 39,209 | [2] | ||
| September 25 | Kansas* | No. 4 |
| W 19–7 | 42,829 | [3] | |
| October 3 | at Oregon | No. 5 | W 12–0 | 24,587 | [4] | ||
| October 9 | Wisconsin* | No. 6 |
| W 13–0 | 69,161 | [5] | |
| October 17 | at Stanford | No. 4 | L 20–21 | 45,000 | [6] | ||
| October 24 | Washington State | No. 12 |
| W 44–7 | 27,608 | [7] | |
| October 31 | California | No. 10 |
| W 20–7 | 70,073 | [8] | |
| November 14 | Washington | No. 7 |
| W 22–6 | 13,302 | [9] | |
| November 21 | at No. 9 USC | No. 5 |
| W 13–0 | 85,366 | [10] | |
| January 1, 1954 | vs. No. 3 Michigan State | No. 5 | NBC | L 20–28 | 100,500 | [11] | |
Game summaries
USC
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| USC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
By winning this game, the Bruins were the PCC Champions and received the Rose Bowl bid. California assisted with a 21–21 tie with Stanford. Bob Heydenfeldt and Paul Cameron scored in the second and fourth quarter respectively.
Michigan State (Rose Bowl)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSU | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| UCLA | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
This was the first meeting between the two schools. It was the first Rose Bowl appearance for the Spartans. They had previously only played in the 1938 Orange Bowl. It was the third bowl appearance for the Bruins. The weather was sunny. The Spartans wore their green home jerseys and the Bruins wore their white road jerseys.
The Spartans fumbled twice in the first half, which allowed the Bruins the first two scores. Michigan State had only one completed pass and 56 yards in the first half. The Spartans scored a touchdown with 4:45 remaining in the first half.
Victor Postula knocked down four Bruin passes. Coach Biggie Munn instituted a "split line offense" against the Bruins.[14]
The Spartans assembled two long drives in the third quarter to pull ahead 21–-14. 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.
First quarter scoring
- UCLA – Bill Stits 13-yard pass from Paul Cameron. John Hermann converts.
Second quarter scoring
- UCLA – Cameron, two-yard run. Hermann converts.
- MSU – Ellis Duckett, six-yard blocked punt return. Evan Slonac converts.
Third quarter scoring
- MSU – LeRoy Bolden, one-yard run. Slonac converts.
- MSU – Billy Wells, two-yard run. Slonac converts.
Fourth quarter scoring
- UCLA – Rommie Loudd, 28-yard pass from Cameron passes 28 yards to Rommie Loudd. Kick failed.
- MSU – Wells, 62-yard punt return. Slonac converts
Awards and honors
- First Team All Americans – Paul Cameron (H, Consensus selection)[15]
- All Coast/Conference first team – Chuck Doud (T), Jack Ellena (T), Paul Cameron (H)
References
- ^ 2014 UCLA Bruins Football Media Guide (p108), UCLA Athletics Department, August 2014
- ^ "UCLA eleven tromps on OSC, 41 to 0". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. September 19, 1953. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hyland, D. (September 26, 1953). "Cameron leads Bruins to 19–7 victory". The Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166525838.
- ^ Hyland, D. (October 4, 1953). "Bruins down Ducks, 12–0, to end jinx". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166548349.
- ^ "Wisconsin beaten by U.C.L.A., 13 to 0". Chicago Daily Tribune. October 10, 1953. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hyland, D. (October 18, 1953). "Inspired Indians stun Bruins, 21–20". The Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166523019.
- ^ "UCLA wins easily". Omaha World-Herald. October 25, 1953. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Geyer, J. (November 1, 1953). "70,073 'Smoggies' see Bruins take 3rd straight over Bears". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166577996.
- ^ "Huskies tab Bruins as Coast's best bet". Pasadena Star-News. November 15, 1953. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bruins win PCC title as Indians tie". The Sacramento Union. November 22, 1953. Retrieved January 17, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ George S. Alderton (January 2, 1954). "Wells Sparks Rose Bowl Win: Punt Return Cinches Big Game, 28–20". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1, 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1953 UCLA Bruins Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
- ^ "Schedule/Results (1953 UCLA)". NCAA Statistics. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
- ^ Richmond, Jim - Postula family traveled long road to America Deprecated link archived 2012-07-22 at archive.today. Battle Creek Enquirer, September 5, 2005
- ^ 1975 UCLA Media Guide, UCLA Athletic News Bureau, 1975