College basketball is as incredibly popular as ever. It is often seen as a pathway to success for the underprivileged in America, giving players a stable outlet and a way to move on from their current circumstances. World-famous basketball players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and Scottie Pippen grew up poor before making it big, and they are the ultimate definition of success today.

The UCLA Bruins have certainly continued that culture of success. Read on to learn more about the history of the UCLA Bruins.

The 1919 to 1948 Era

The history of basketball betting can be traced to the 1900s, when the sport was first introduced. As something entirely novel, it became immensely popular. However, it was not present in college basketball as much as it is today, so the UCLA Bruins were largely unaffected by betting at the time. However, that doesn’t mean betting wasn’t happening during this period.

Despite a slow start for the UCLA Bruins when they were first formed in 1919, with an overall record of 21–4 under Fred Cozen’s leadership, it wouldn’t be long before they would be winning every trophy you could think of. Between 1921 and 1939, the UCLA Bruins were coached by Caddy Works, who guided the team to a 173–159 record. Wilbur Johns took over from 1939 until 1948. The team’s overall record was 93–120.

The 1948 to 1975 Era

Nicknamed the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden is arguably the team’s most successful coach to date, molding the UCLA Bruins into the powerhouse that annihilated nearly every team they faced. He led them to countless wins, including 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships in a 12-year period, 10 of which were won in a row. In fact, the UCLA Bruins still hold the title for most consecutive titles to this day. 

Wooden’s first season saw the team finish with a record 22–7, which they beat in the second season with a record of 24–7. They also won the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) Southern Division championship that year. Things were looking good for UCLA. In 1955, Wooden guided the team to their first undefeated PPC conference title.  Unfortunately, it was around this time that UCLA faced a serious scandal that put a damper on sports at the university. Illegal payments were made to players on the university’s football team, negatively affecting all sports and resulting in the UCLA Bruins not being able to compete formally.

By 1962, the UCLA Bruins were allowed back into the college basketball arena — and they were hungry to win. Here is everything they won from 1962 until Wooden’s retirement in 1975:

• NCAA tournament champions: 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1975.
• Conference regular season champions: 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975.

In addition to their impressive number of championship wins, the Bruins also managed to secure an astonishing win streak of 88 games in a row between 1971 and 1974 — a streak that has yet to be bested, even today.

The 1975 to 1988 Era

The next coach was Gene Bartow, who guided the team from 1975 until 1977. The Bruins had a record of 52–9 at the time. In 1977, Gary Cunningham took over for the next two seasons, guiding the team to wins for the Pac-8 and Pac-10 conference championships. Larry Brown took over from 1979 until 1981. Brown led a first-year team to the NCAA title game. They came close to winning it but sadly lost to Louisville. The next coach, Larry Farmer, coached the UCLA Bruins from 1981 until 1984. Farmer famously recruited superstar Earvin “Magic” Johnson, but Magic never actually ended up playing for the team.

From 1988 to Now

Jim Harrick coached the Bruins for nearly 10 years, from 1988 until 1996. He led the team to an impressive 191 wins with only 62 losses during his tenure. The team also won the Pac-10 Conference regular season four times. From 1996 until 2003, Steven Lavin was at the helm. During his time, he guided the team to 145 wins with 78 losses and won the Pac-10 Conference regular season in 1997 and 2001. 

Next is Ben Howland, who coached the Bruins from 2003 until 2013. He guided the team to a record 233 wins with 107 losses. He also led them to three consecutive Final Four appearances from 2006 to 2008. Steve Alford took over as coach from 2013 until 2019. During his tenure, the team had a record of 124 wins and 63 losses. Current coach Mick Cronin took over in 2019, and at the time of writing, in late October 2023, the Cronin era is still going strong. While the Bruins may have missed out on the conference title for the 2022–23 season to the Arizona Wildcats, they still hold the record for the most national championship titles in the sport with 11 wins, including their seven-year streak from 1967–1973.

Famous Bruins Players

The UCLA Bruins have produced some top talent over the years, some of which are very well-known. They include:

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: He went on to play for the Milwaukee Bucks and the LA Lakers. He has won six NBA Championships and six MVP awards. LeBron James recently broke Kareem’s all-time leading scorer record, something Kareem celebrates, too.
• Bill Walton: He has won two NBA Championships and one MVP award. He has also played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics.
• Kevin Love: He is a five-time NBA All-Star and has won one NBA Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• Reggie Miller: A five-time NBA All-Star.
• Baron Davis: A two-time NBA All-Star who has played for multiple teams.
• Gail Goodrich: He has won one NBA Championship with the Lakers and is a five-time NBA All-Star. 
• Jamaal Wilkes: He has won four NBA Championships.

The long history of the UCLA Bruins has been marked by challenges and triumphs. Despite being a long time since their last championship win, the UCLA Bruins are still among the most successful college basketball teams in history, so their legacy is far from over. It could be just a matter of time before their pursuit of greatness leads them back to the top of the rankings.