^ – Selected as Rose Bowl representative UCLA won rivalry game over USC, but no-repeat rule was in effect
Rankings from AP Poll
The 1954 UCLA Bruins football team represented the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the 1954 college football season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and were coached by Red Sanders. It was Sanders' sixth season as the UCLA head coach; the Bruins finished 9–0 overall, and were Pacific Coast Conference Champions with a 6–0 record.[1] In nine games, UCLA outscored their opponents, 367 to 40.
The Bruins were not eligible to play in the Rose Bowl vs. co-top-ranked Ohio State because of the PCC's "no repeat" rule, in effect for most of the decade, after California lost a third straight Rose Bowl in January 1951. Since UCLA had played in the 1954 Rose Bowl, they were excluded from the 1955 event. The game likely would have made for a de facto national championship game, but thus, rival USC (whom the Bruins soundly defeated 34–0) went instead, and lost 20–7 to Ohio State. Following the outcome, UCLA and Ohio State split the national championship.
UCLA was selected national champion by NCAA-designated major selectors of Dunkel, FW, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, and UPI/coaches, and co-champion by both Football Research and Helms.[2]: 113 This consensus national championship is claimed by the school.[2]: 120 [3] Ohio State was selected national champion by the AP Poll among other selectors.
During the season, the Bruins debuted their powder blue uniforms, referred to as "powder-keg blue" by head coach Sanders, that featured two white stripes around the shoulders.[4] The white uniforms with blue stripes were used the previous season during the game against USC but this was the earliest known instance of the stripes becoming a regular part of the UCLA uniform.[5][6]
The Bruins finished the 1953 regular season with a 9–1 record, and won the Pacific Coast Conference at 6–1; the loss was by a point (20–21) at Stanford. UCLA participated in the 1954 Rose Bowl, but lost 20–28 to the #5 Michigan State Spartans.
Ronnie Loudd 4-yard pass from Gerry McDougal (Doug Bradley Kick)
UCLA 61–0
4
7:10
UCLA
Doug Peters 2-yard run
UCLA 67–0
The Bruins had originally scheduled Santa Clara to open their season but after the Broncos suspended football, the San Diego Naval Training Center was scheduled as a replacement. Although the San Diego NTC featured players such as All-American Bucky Curtis from Vanderbilt and All-PCC Earl Stelle from Oregon, UCLA was favored three touchdowns.[16]
Primo Villanueva scored the first two touchdowns of the game and the Bruins led 13–0 within 7 minutes. Bruce Ballard, Sam Brown, Villaneuva, and Bob Davenport would each score another running touchdown giving the Bruins a 40–0 halftime lead. Davenport, Gerry McDougal, and Doug Peters would each score three more running touchdowns and Ronnie Loudd would score a passing touchdown from Gerry McDougal to give UCLA a punishing 67–0 victory.[17][18]
Kansas[]
UCLA at Kansas
1
2
3
4
Total
• Bruins
18
0
0
14
32
Jayhawks
0
7
0
0
7
Date: September 25, 1954
Location:Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS
Game start: 4:00 p.m. CST
Game attendance: 25,000
Scoring summary
1
4:27
UCLA
Bob Davenport 1-yard run
UCLA 6–0
1
8:45
UCLA
Jim Decker 18-yard run
UCLA 12–0
1
13:19
UCLA
Doug Bradley 3-yard run
UCLA 18–0
2
13:36
KU
Ralph Moody 82-yard punt return (Reich Kick)
UCLA 18–7
4
3:31
UCLA
Jack Ellena 50-yard punt return (Doug Bradley Kick)
The Bruins scored three consecutive touchdowns in the first quarter. Kansas player Ralph Moody scored the first Kansas touchdown on an 82-yard punt return. Jack Ellena would score on a 50-yard punt return in the fourth quarter and Don Shinnick would score on a 73-yard run to give the Bruins a 32–7 victory.[8][19][20][21]
Maryland[]
Maryland at UCLA
1
2
3
4
Total
Terrapins
0
0
0
7
7
• Bruins
6
0
0
6
12
Date: October 1, 1954
Location:Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA
Game start: 8:30 pm PST
Game attendance: 73,376
Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Clear
Maryland were the 1953 national champions. Bob Davenport gained 89 yard on 23 carries and scored both of UCLA's touchdowns. Maryland's Howard Dare scored a touchdown on a pass from Charley Boxold to give the Terrapins the lead early in the fourth quarter. Davenport scored the go ahead touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter to give the Bruins the victory.[22][23]
Washington[]
UCLA at Washington
1
2
3
4
Total
• Bruins
7
0
14
0
21
Huskies
0
0
7
13
20
Date: October 9, 1954
Location:Husky Stadium Seattle, WA
Game start: 2:00 p.m. PST
Game attendance: 35,700
Game weather: Weather: Warm-Overcast
Referee: Jack L. Sprenger, Melvin W. Nicherson, Ted T. Fehring, Albert A. Bodner, Rudolph E. Hansen, Fred L. Gali
Bob Davenport scored two rushing touchdowns, Primo Villanueva scored one rushing touchdown, and Johnny Herman converted all three extra points to give UCLA a 21–0 led midway through the third quarter. After Bruins Coach Sanders replaced his starters with his second and third string players, Washington quarterback Bob Cox threw a passing touchdown to Dean Derby and Bob Dunn converted the extra point to reduce UCLA's lead to 21–7 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Sam Brown fumbled which allowed Washington to recover at the UCLA 25. Cox threw another touchdown, this time to Corky Lewis but Dunn missed the extra point kick. Brown fumbled again for a 13-yard loss and Washington scored another passing touchdown on a 56-yard drive. Dunn's extra point reduced the UCLA lead to 21–20 with 2:30 minutes left. The Bruins would hold out to win the game.[24]
Stanford[]
Stanford at UCLA
1
2
3
4
Total
Indians
0
0
0
0
0
• Bruins
13
14
21
24
72
Date: October 16, 1954
Location:Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA
Game start: 2:00 p.m. PST
Game attendance: 70,555
Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Hot
Scoring summary
1
4:08
UCLA
Bob Davenport 27-yard run (Johnny Hermann Kick)
UCLA 7–0
1
14:25
UCLA
Jim Decker 64-yard run
UCLA 13–0
2
7:36
UCLA
Villanueva 11-yard run (S. Brown Kick)
UCLA 20–0
2
13:28
UCLA
Villanueva 5-yard run (S. Brown Kick)
UCLA 27–0
3
0:30
UCLA
Rommie Loudd 27-yard pass from Villanueva (Johnny Hermann PAT)
The Bruin defense intercepted Stanford quarterbacks Jerry Gustafson and John Neff eight times and returned them for 210 total yards. Sam Brown set a new conference record for punt returns with 132 yards in three returns. Villanueva, Davenport and Brown each scored twice while Decker, Loudd, Heydenfeldt and McDougall scored once each for a total of 10 touchdowns.[25]
Oregon State[]
UCLA at Oregon State
1
2
3
4
Total
• Bruins
13
20
14
14
61
Beavers
0
0
0
0
0
Date: October 23, 1954
Location:Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR
Game start: 1:30 p.m. PST
Game attendance: 8,500
Game weather: Weather: Fair
Scoring summary
1
2:27
UCLA
Bob Davenport 1-yard run (Johnny Hermann Kick)
UCLA 7–0
1
13:52
UCLA
Johnny Hermann 18-yard pass from Bradley
UCLA 13–0
2
6:35
UCLA
Primo Villanueva 2-yard run (Johnny Hermann Kick)
UCLA 20–0
2
8:36
UCLA
Sam Brown 62-yard punt return (Sam Brown Kick)
UCLA 27–0
2
10:26
UCLA
Doug Peters 21-yard run
UCLA 33–0
3
6:00
UCLA
Don Shinnick 1-yard run (McDougal Kick)
UCLA 40–0
3
12:35
UCLA
Russ Hampton 8-yard pass from McDougal (Bradley Kick)
UCLA 47–0
4
4:30
UCLA
Sam Brown 62-yard punt return
UCLA 54–0
4
11:00
UCLA
Clarence Norris 21-yard blocked kick (Sam Brown Kick)
Sam Brown scored two touchdowns and Bob Davenport, Johnny Hermann, Primo Villanueva, Doug Peters, Don Shinnick, Russ Hampton, and Clarence Norris each scored a touchdown to give UCLA the 61–0 victory over Oregon State. The Bruins rushed for 498 yards and 593 total yards while holding Oregon State to 88 rushing yards and 111 total yards.[26]
Primo Villanueva rushed for two touchdowns in the first half and threw a touchdown pass to Johnny Hermann in the fourth. Cal's Paul Larson set new Bears record for passes (38), pass completions (25), and pass yards (280) and Williams scored the Bear's lone touchdown on a 7-yard run.[27]
Oregon[]
Oregon at UCLA
1
2
3
4
Total
Webfoots
0
0
0
0
0
• Bruins
7
14
6
14
41
Date: November 6, 1954
Location:Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA
Game start: 2:00 pm PST
Game attendance: 46,435
Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Clear
Scoring summary
1
6:16
UCLA
Rommie Loudd 16-yard pass from Primo Villanueva (Johnny Hermann Kick)
With the victory, UCLA set a new single scoring record of 333 points, surpassing the previous record of 327 points in just 8 games. Rommie Loudd scored the first points of the game on a 16-yard pass from Primo Villanueva. Bob Davenport, Jim Decker, Doug Bradley, Sam Brown, and Rommie Loudd each scored rushing touchdowns. Oregon only moved passed the 50 yard line two and the UCLA defense limited George Shaw, the country's leading passer with 178 yard per game, to only 29 yards.[28]
USC[]
USC at UCLA
1
2
3
4
Total
Trojans
0
0
0
0
0
• Bruins
7
0
0
27
34
Date: November 20, 1954
Location:Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA
Game start: 2:00 p.m. PST
Game attendance: 102,548
Game weather: Temperature: 90 °F (32 °C) • Weather: Clear-Hot
Scoring summary
1
6:48
UCLA
Bob Heydenfeldt 48-yard pass from Primo Villanueva (Johnny Herman Kick)
UCLA 6–0
4
0:44
UCLA
Bob Davenport 1-yard plunge (Johnny Herman Kick)
UCLA 14–0
4
2:13
UCLA
Terry Debay 12-yard pass from Villanueva (Johnny Herman Kick)
UCLA 21–0
4
6:00
UCLA
Rommie Loudd 7-yard pass from Bradley (Johnny Herman Kick)
UCLA 28–0
4
14:13
UCLA
Bruce Ballard 48-yard pass from Brown (Johnny Herman Kick)
A 48-yard pass from Primo Villanueva to Bob Heydenfeldt gave UCLA a 7–0 first quarter lead. The Bruins poured on with four touchdowns in the fourth quarter: Bob Davenport scored from the one-yard line, Villanueva passed to Terry Debay for a 12-yard touchdown, Rommie Loudd caught a pass from Doug Bradley for an 8-yard touchdown, and Sam Brown passed to Bruce Ballard for a 17-yard touchdown. USC had only 5 yards rushing.[29]
Henry "Red" Sanders returned to coach the Bruins for the sixth season. The Bruin coaching staff included four future college head coaches, including three (Barnes, Dickerson, and Prothro) who would eventually serve as UCLA head coaches.[33]
Ranking movements Legend:██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
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^Hyland, Dick (7 October 1954). "UCLA Surprises Maryland; Play Washington Saturday". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest562397195.
^Hyland, Dick (3 October 1954). "UCLA Rally Beats Maryland, 12-7". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166667199.
^Hyland, Dick (10 October 1954). "Bruins Edge Past Pesky Huskies, 21-20". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166703359.
^Hyland, Dick (17 October 1954). "Bruins scalp Indians in 72-0 Massacre". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166703575.
^Hyland, Dick (24 October 1954). "Point-a-Minute Bruins Run Roughshod Over Beavers: Bruins Run Wild Again, Win, 61-0". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166679136.
^Hyland, Dick (31 October 1954). "Villanueva Sparks Bruins to 27-6 Win". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166703880.
^Hyland, Dick (7 November 1957). "Uclans Run Over Duck Grids, 41-0: Bruins Ruin Ducks". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166679468.
^Zimmerman, Paul (21 November 1954). "102,548 Watch UCLA Crush SC: Zimmerman's Report of UCLA Win". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166699977.
^Southern Campus (1955 ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Associated Students, University of California at Los Angeles. pp. 268–271.
^Associated Press (29 September 1954). "Notre Dame's Footballers Top AP Poll". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166665709.
^"Bruins Second to Oklahoma: Sanders' Team Runner-up in Nationwide Balloting". Los Angeles Times. 5 October 1954. ProQuest166702562.
^Associated Press (13 October 1954). "Oklahoma First, UCLA 3rd in Poll". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166708873.
^Associated Press (19 October 1954). "Bruins Remain Third in Poll: Oklahoma, Wisconsin Top Teams in Nation". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166705923.
^"Bruins Take First Place in UP Poll: Oklahoma, Ohio St. Tie for Second in Weekly Balloting". Los Angeles Times. 26 October 1954. ProQuest166686675.
^Associated Press (2 November 1954). "Bruins Top Nation in AP and UP Polls". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest166707897.
^Associated Press (10 November 1954). "Bruins Expand Lead in Polls: UCLA Voted Tops by 117 on AP Football Ballots". Los Angeles Time. ProQuest166690945.
^ ab"UP's Coaches Poll: Men Who Know Best Tab UCLA UP POLL". Los Angeles Times. 24 November 1954. ProQuest166699164.
^"Bruins Voted UP National Champion: Coaches Tab UCLA Over OSU". Los Angeles Times. 30 November 1954. ProQuest166685847.
^"Tradition"(PDF). 2016 UCLA Football Information Guide. UCLA Athletics. pp. 126–142. Retrieved 4 May 2018.