Author Archives: Mike Crawford

A Big Ten Bruinprint: UCLA’s Bold New Era

A Bold Leap and a Historic Year

When UCLA officially joined the Big Ten Conference on Aug. 2, 2024, it didn’t just shuffle opponents and game times — it stepped boldly into a new era of Bruin athletics.

For nearly 100 years, the Bruins called the Pac-12 home. Leaving behind decades of tradition wasn’t easy, but the promise of sharing the Bruin story nationwide, opening new doors for student-athletes and keeping our programs strong made the leap a bold but thoughtful step forward. Plus, a lucrative annual payout worth between $60 and $75 million made this move too good to pass up.  

The stakes were clear: could UCLA carry its legacy of academic and athletic excellence into a conference that stretched coast to coast? In year one, the answer was a resounding “yes,” and then some.  

UCLA closed out its debut Big Ten season by finishing fifth in the Learfield Directors’ Cup, an award that recognizes the top overall collegiate athletic programs in the United States, based on their performance in NCAA and NAIA championships. This was the program’s best showing since 2017-18 and a proud reminder that Bruins can thrive anywhere.

Championships, Records and Remarkable Moments

On the field and court, Bruins teams didn’t just compete…they excelled.  

UCLA won its 124th NCAA title, the second-most of any university in the nation, when Men’s Water Polo toppled USC, 11-8, in December.

Gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Brooklyn Moors brought home NCAA individual championships on the uneven bars and floor exercise, while the team came in second at the National Championships.  

Men’s Volleyball finished second in the nation after advancing to the national final for the third consecutive year.

Nearly 60 Bruins earned All-America honors, with four winning individual national titles.

UCLA was the only school this season to have both softball and baseball teams advance to the College World Series. Men’s Tennis continued its winning tradition by capturing the Big Ten Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the 40th time since the NCAA adopted a bracket format in 1977. UCLA teams won a total of 10 conference titles, most among Big Ten schools.

Bruins fans broke barriers, too. Women’s Basketball set a new single-game attendance record at Pauley Pavilion, with 13,659 fans cheering on the blue and gold on two different occasions, and Women’s Gymnastics also set a program attendance record with 12,918 fans in attendance at the March 9 meet.

For Women's Basketball, the Bruins' inaugural Big Ten campaign was a historic one. They posted a 34–3 overall (16–2 Big Ten), captured the Big Ten tournament crown, swept major conference honors - including Lauren Betts earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Player (Janiah Barker), and First‑Team alongside Kiki Rice - and secured the program’s first Final Four appearance under the NCAA era before falling to national champ UConn.

Men’s Basketball finished their inaugural Big Ten season at 23‑11 (13‑7 Big Ten), tied for fourth in conference play, and bowed out in the NCAA Tournament’s Second Round.

Football’s Big Ten debut put the Bruins on some of college football’s grandest stages. Historic matchups brought thousands of traveling fans, sparked new rivalries and gave our student-athletes the chance to play in some of the sport’s most legendary venues.

Miles Traveled, Lessons Learned

Behind the headlines is a quieter story of resilience and adaptation.  

The jump to the Big Ten meant transitioning from the Pac-12’s travel to mostly western schools. Many teams found themselves crossing the country several times a month — some logging more than 20,000 miles in a single year, nearly triple what they’d traveled before.  

But instead of letting all that travel slow them down, UCLA’s coaches, staff and student-athletes turned miles into momentum.

Teams stacked back-to-back away games to cut down on extra flights. Travel days doubled as study time. Hotel ballrooms turned into film rooms and pop-up study halls. The added miles tested not just their endurance, but their adaptability, time management and grit.

Investing in Mental Health and Academic Support

The University knew that cross-country travel could add stress and make balancing academics even tougher. That’s why before the first Big Ten whistle blew, UCLA invested in mental health services for student-athletes.  

Licensed therapists joined the athletics staff and new programs helped students build better sleep habits, handle jet lag and stay balanced while living out of a suitcase and keeping up GPAs.  

Advisors and faculty worked hand-in-hand with coaches to make sure coursework flexed with travel schedules. Online lectures, recorded classes and one-on-one tutoring kept Bruins plugged in, whether in a study hall, at home or an airport terminal halfway across the country.  

What emerged was a stronger culture of openness and support, a community that’s helping college athletes everywhere destigmatize mental health.

Bruins spoke up, supported each other and showed that mental well-being is just as vital to success as physical training.

The Power of Community

If the extra miles tested our student-athletes, they also brought the Bruin family closer together. Games in Piscataway, College Park, Omaha and beyond became mini-reunions for thousands of Bruins living in Big Ten country.

To help Bruins rally behind this new chapter, the UCLA Alumni Association carried the spirit of Westwood on the road all season long. On Aug. 2, UCLA Alumni kicked things off with the B1G Event – a launch party celebrating this new chapter in UCLA Athletics history.

Bruin Bash pregame parties and Big Bruin Weekends turned game days into celebrations - from the James West Alumni Center and the Rose Bowl to College Park, Maryland, Piscataway, New Jersey, Omaha, Nebraska and cities across Big Ten territory. Wherever Bruins gathered, there was always a place to reconnect, share stories and get the 8-Clap going before kickoff.

From record crowds at home to loyal fans on the road, Bruins showed what makes UCLA special, no matter where the team plays.

Looking Ahead

This national presence is already paying off. The Big Ten spotlight has amplified UCLA’s Olympic sports, opened new doors for students from the Midwest and welcomed thousands of new fans to the Bruin family.

Being part of the Big Ten has also brought opportunities for alumni to network and learn from our partner schools. This summer, UCLA Alumni will be hosting the Big Ten Alumni Relations Institute (BTARI) at the James West Alumni Center. This three-day conference will welcome alumni relations professionals from across the Big Ten to explore emerging trends, share innovative strategies and build meaningful connections.

Financially, the move kept all 25 varsity programs strong and boosted resources for travel, nutrition and wellness.

There was concern the extra miles would stretch the budget and the athletes too thin. But year one showed that smart planning, strong support and the Bruin spirit can turn challenges into an edge.

The miles aren’t going away, but maybe that’s not so bad.

The systems built this year — from mental health resources to flexible classes — laid the groundwork for even bigger success in year two and beyond.

Final Whistle

A year ago, the Big Ten move felt like a leap into the unknown. Today, as the final whistle has blown following the 2024-25 campaign, it’s now a blueprint for how Bruins can grow without giving up what makes us special: championship ambition, student-first values and a family that shows up — whether the team is playing at home or 2,800 miles away.  

Bruins didn’t just adapt; they excelled. They brought home trophies, broke attendance records, raised the bar for mental health and proved success is about more than wins and losses. It’s measured in study sessions on late-night flights, in professors who work with deadlines across time zones and in teammates who lift each other up through long road trips.  

Most of all, it’s measured in the unshakable spirit of Bruins everywhere…a reminder that wherever we play, we play together, for each other and for UCLA.