Victory Bell (UCLA-USC)

Victory Bell (UCLA-USC)
Teams UCLA Bruins
USC Trojans
First Meeting 1929
Trophy Originated 1942
First Meeting 1929 (USC 76–0)
Last Meeting 2014 (UCLA 38-20)
Next Meeting November 28, 2015
Series USC leads, 44–31–7
(2 wins vacated)
Trophy Series USC leads, 39–31–4
Longest Streak UCLA, 8 (1991-1998)
Current Holder UCLA

The Victory Bell is the trophy that is awarded to the winner of the UCLA–USC football rivalry game. The game is an American college football rivalry between the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans.

Victory Bell

The Victory Bell is a 295-pound brass bell that originally rang atop a Southern Pacific railroad locomotive. It is currently mounted on a special wheeled carriage.

History

The bell was given to the UCLA student body in 1939 as a gift from the school's Alumni Association.[1][2] Initially, the UCLA cheerleaders rang the bell after each Bruin point. However, during the opening game of UCLA's 1941 season (at the time, both schools used the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for home games), six members of USC's Trojan Knights (who were also members of the SigEp fraternity[3]) infiltrated the Bruin rooting section, assisted in loading the bell aboard a truck headed back to Westwood, took the key to the truck, and escaped with the bell while UCLA's actual rooters went to find a replacement key. The bell remained hidden from UCLA students for more than a year, first in SigEp’s basement, then in the Hollywood Hills, Santa Ana and other locations. At one point, it was even concealed beneath a haystack. Bruin students tried to locate the bell, but to no avail. A picture of the bell appeared in a USC periodical. Tension between UCLA and USC students rose as each started to play even more elaborate and disruptive pranks on the other. When the conflict caused the USC President to threaten to cancel the rivalry, a compromise was met: on November 12, 1942, the student body presidents of both schools, in front of Tommy Trojan, signed the agreement that the bell would be the trophy for the game.[4]

The winner of the annual football game keeps the Victory Bell for the next year, and paints it the school's color: "True Blue" for UCLA, or cardinal for USC.

USC

Before home games, when the bell is in USC's possession, it sits along Trousdale Parkway for fans to ring as they participate in the "Trojan Walk" to the L.A. Coliseum. During home games, and whenever USC faces UCLA at the Rose Bowl, the Victory Bell is displayed at the edge of the field for the first three quarters of the game. Members of the Trojan Knights ring the bell every time the Trojans score. The carriage is painted cardinal red.

UCLA

UCLA's possession of the Victory Bell. Painted Blue.

When the bell is in UCLA's possession, the carriage is sandblasted and painted "True Blue". While in the possession of UCLA, the Bell is safeguarded by the UCLA Rally Committee.[5][6] During UCLA home games at the Rose Bowl and whenever UCLA faces USC at the Los Angeles Coliseum, it resides on the field in front of the student section. It is rung by members of the Rally Committee after each score. The Bruins also ring the bell using a rope attached to the handle, swinging the whole bell, as opposed to the Trojan style of attaching a rope to the tongue or clapper on the inside of the bell. The Bell also makes special appearances at rallies and athletic events. It has been used to accompany the UCLA Band during halftime shows. In particular the bell will make an appearance at a major gathering if the bell returns to UCLA.[7]

Series record

The first victory for UCLA in the series occurred after the agreement over the Victory Bell, making the Bruins the first winner of the trophy. The Bruins made their post-season appearance in the 1943 Rose Bowl. The teams played each other twice in the same season in 1943, 1944, and 1945. This was due to travel restrictions during World War II.

UCLA took the bell back following the 38-28 victory over USC on November 17, 2012. The Victory Bell was held by USC during the 1999-2005 and 2007-2011 football seasons. USC leads with an overall record of 44-31-7 in football contests with UCLA (Not including 2 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty).[8] Before the streak of seven Trojan wins, the Bruins had won the Bell for the eight consecutive years from 1991–1998, the longest streak in the rivalry. There have been 7 ties and one overtime game (1996, 2OT) in the history of the series. In the event of a tie, the Victory Bell was retained by the last winner. Since the institution of the overtime rule in college football, the tie rule became obsolete.

Game results

UCLA victories USC victories Ties Vacated
Date Site Winning team Losing team Series
September 28, 1929 Coliseum* USC76 UCLA0 USC 1–0
September 27, 1930 Coliseum** USC52 UCLA0 USC 2–0
November 26, 1936 Coliseum* USC7 UCLA7 USC 2–0–1
December 4, 1937 Coliseum* USC19 UCLA13 USC 3–0–1
November 24, 1938 Coliseum* #14 USC42 UCLA7 USC 4–0–1
December 9, 1939 Coliseum** #3 USC0 #9 UCLA0 USC 4–0–2
November 30, 1940 Coliseum* USC28 UCLA12 USC 5–0–2
December 6, 1941 Coliseum** USC7 UCLA7 USC 5–0–3
December 12, 1942 Coliseum* #13 UCLA14 USC7 USC 5–1–3
September 25, 1943 Coliseum** USC20 UCLA0 USC 6–1–3
November 27, 1943 Coliseum* USC26 UCLA13 USC 7–1–3
September 23, 1944 Coliseum* USC13 UCLA13 USC 7–1–4
November, 25 1944 Coliseum** #8 USC40 UCLA13 USC 8–1–4
September 21, 1945 Coliseum** USC13 UCLA6 USC 9–1–4
December 1, 1945 Coliseum* #16 USC26 UCLA15 USC 10–1–4
November 23, 1946 Coliseum** #4 UCLA13 #10 USC6 USC 10–2–4
November 22, 1947 Coliseum* #4 USC6 #18 UCLA0 USC 11–2–4
November 20, 1948 Coliseum** USC20 UCLA13 USC 12–2–4
November 19, 1949 Coliseum* USC21 UCLA7 USC 13–2–4
November 25, 1950 Coliseum** UCLA39 USC0 USC 13–3–4
November 24, 1951 Coliseum* #18 UCLA21 #11 USC7 USC 13–4–4
November 22, 1952 Coliseum** #4 USC14 #3 UCLA12 USC 14–4–4
November 21, 1953 Coliseum* #5 UCLA13 #9 USC0 USC 14–5–4
November 20, 1954 Coliseum** #2 UCLA34 #7 USC0 USC 14–6–4
November 19, 1955 Coliseum* #5 UCLA17 USC7 USC 14–7–4
November 25, 1956 Coliseum** USC10 UCLA7 USC 15–7–4
November 23, 1957 Coliseum* UCLA20 USC9 USC 15–8–4
November 22, 1958 Coliseum** USC15 UCLA15 USC 15–8–5
November 21, 1959 Coliseum* UCLA10 #4 USC3 USC 15–9–5
November 26, 1960 Coliseum** USC17 #11 UCLA6 USC 16–9–5
November 25, 1961 Coliseum* UCLA10 USC7 USC 16–10–5
November 24, 1962 Coliseum** #1 USC14 UCLA3 USC 17–10–5
November 30, 1963 Coliseum* USC26 UCLA6 USC 18–10–5
November 21, 1964 Coliseum** USC34 UCLA13 USC 19–10–5
November 20, 1965 Coliseum* #7 UCLA20 #6 USC16 USC 19–11–5
November 19, 1966 Coliseum** #8 UCLA14 #7 USC7 USC 19–12–5
November 18, 1967 Coliseum* #4 USC21 #1 UCLA20 USC 20–12–5
November 23, 1968 Coliseum** #1 USC28 UCLA16 USC 21–12–5
November 22, 1969 Coliseum* #5 USC14 #6 UCLA12 USC 22–12–5
November 21, 1970 Coliseum** UCLA45 USC20 USC 22–13–5
November 20, 1971 Coliseum* #15 USC7 UCLA7 USC 22–13–6
November 18, 1972 Coliseum** #1 USC24 #14 UCLA7 USC 23–13–6
November 24, 1973 Coliseum* #9 USC23 #8 UCLA13 USC 24–13–6
November 23, 1974 Coliseum** #8 USC34 UCLA9 USC 25–13–6
November 28, 1975 Coliseum* #14 UCLA25 USC22 USC 25–14–6
November 20, 1976 Coliseum** #3 USC24 #2 UCLA14 USC 26–14–6
November 25, 1977 Coliseum* USC29 #17 UCLA27 USC 27–14–6
November 18, 1978 Coliseum** #5 USC17 #14 UCLA10 USC 28–14–6
November 24, 1979 Coliseum* #4 USC49 UCLA14 USC 29–14–6
November 22, 1980 Coliseum** #18 UCLA20 #12 USC17 USC 29–15–6
November 21, 1981 Coliseum* #10 USC22 #15 UCLA21 USC 30–15–6
November 20, 1982 Rose Bowl** #11 UCLA20 #15 USC19 USC 30–16–6
November 19, 1983 Coliseum* UCLA27 USC17 USC 30–17–6
November 17, 1984 Rose Bowl** #7 UCLA29 USC10 USC 30–18–6
November 23, 1985 Coliseum* USC17 #8 UCLA13 USC 31–18–6
November 22, 1986 Rose Bowl** #18 UCLA45 #10 USC25 USC 31–19–6
November 21, 1987 Coliseum* USC17 #5 UCLA13 USC 32–19–6
November 19, 1988 Rose Bowl** #2 USC31 #6 UCLA22 USC 33–19–6
November 18, 1989 Coliseum* #8 USC10 UCLA10 USC 33–19–7
November 17, 1990 Rose Bowl** #19 USC45 UCLA42 USC 34–19–7
November 23, 1991 Coliseum* #25 UCLA24 USC21 USC 34–20–7
November 21, 1992 Rose Bowl** UCLA38 #15 USC37 USC 34–21–7
November 20, 1993 Coliseum* #16 UCLA27 #22 USC21 USC 34–22–7
November 19, 1994 Rose Bowl** UCLA31 #13 USC19 USC 34–23–7
November 18, 1995 Coliseum* UCLA24 #11 USC20 USC 34–24–7
November 23, 1996 Rose Bowl** UCLA48 (2OT)USC41 USC 34–25–7
November 22, 1997 Coliseum* #7 UCLA31 USC24 USC 34–26–7
November 21, 1998 Rose Bowl** #3 UCLA34 USC17 USC 34–27–7
November 20, 1999 Coliseum* USC17 UCLA7 USC 35–27–7
November 18, 2000 Rose Bowl** USC38 UCLA35 USC 36–27–7
November 17, 2001 Coliseum* USC27 #20 UCLA0 USC 37–27–7
November 23, 2002 Rose Bowl** #7 USC52 #25 UCLA21 USC 38–27–7
November 22, 2003 Coliseum* #2 USC47 UCLA22 USC 39–27–7
December 4, 2004 Rose Bowl** #1 USC (Vacated)29 UCLA24 USC 40–27–7
December 3, 2005 Coliseum* #1 USC (Vacated)66 #11 UCLA19 USC 41–27–7
December 2, 2006 Rose Bowl** UCLA13 #2 USC9 USC 41–28–7
December 1, 2007 Coliseum* #8 USC24 UCLA7 USC 42–28–7
December 6, 2008 Rose Bowl** #5 USC28 UCLA7 USC 43–28–7
November 28, 2009 Coliseum* #24 USC28 UCLA7 USC 44–28–7
December 4, 2010 Rose Bowl** USC28 UCLA14 USC 45–28–7
November 26, 2011 Coliseum* #10 USC50 UCLA0 USC 46–28–7
November 17, 2012 Rose Bowl** #17 UCLA38 #21 USC28 USC 46–29–7
November 30, 2013 Coliseum* #22 UCLA35 #23 USC14 USC 46–30–7
November 22, 2014 Rose Bowl** #11 UCLA38 #24 USC20 USC 46–31–7

Notes: *USC home game, **UCLA home game, # Associated Press (AP) Poll Ranking

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ UCLA Alumni Association
  2. ↑ UCLA Alumni Association About the Association. The Post-War Years, 1944 - 1953
  3. ↑ "SigEp USC - Victory Bell".
  4. ↑ Gong with the Wind UCLA Magazine, sourced from the UCLA History Project, October 1, 2006
  5. ↑ UCLA Rally Committee
  6. ↑ UCLA Student Groups - Rally Committee: Statement of Purpose
  7. ↑ Tuesday, December 5, 2006, where it was rung by head football coach Karl Dorrell at a home basketball game to celebrate the recent victory over USC.
  8. ↑ Complete USC Football records against all opponents, College Football Data Warehouse