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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast…1:30pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on the Table..Stay for Fans Forum
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“UCLA–ALL TIME LOW”
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They have played football at UCLA since 1928.
There have been spectacular seasons, some disappointing seasons, but nothing in modern day football like the disgrace we have just witnessed.
UCLA’s coaching ledger stretched from Bill Barnes to Pepper Rodgers, to the greatness of Terry Donahue, the short venue of Dick Vermeil, the ups and downs of Rick Neuhisel, the dynamics of Bob Toledo and the good old boy Tommy Prothro.
It also contains the fallout from the expected success, but the failures of Chip Kelly, here today, gone tomorrow.
But no one has seen what we have just seen in the last three game stretch at the Rose Bowl.
Yes there has been an odd awful fall, a (2-7-1) under Rodgers. A (3-7-1) season with Donahue. Neuhisel staggered to a (4-8) campaign.
Kelly, with all his accolades, went (5-8) and (4-9) to start a rocky road, that is now littered with a death like financial deficit gripping the athletic program.
All that has been bypassed by the arrival-and-failure of ex Bruins running back DeShaun Foster, who had limited coaching experience, was never a coordinator anywhere, and yet was given the job after a 72-hour window of interviews.
An awful start in 2024 was followed by a disgrace beginning in 2025. Sandwiched in the middle was the firing of 9-assistant coaches, after only 9-months on the job, all hand picked by Foster.
It got worse and worse in year two. 3-blowout losses in a row to start this fall. A defense torched in all 3-games.
The arrival of Tennessee QB-Nico Iamaleava, who bailed from UT in a dispute over NIL money, showed up and announced he would play one year and then likely go to the NFL. No one else wanted him and his attitude, but Foster took him, and his play has been erratic.
Attendance has plunged in the Rose Bowl. Season ticket support has cratered.
And Foster picked a war with the working media, closing practices, banning interviews this year too. How’d all that work out?
And now with the firing of Foster on Sunday, hours after the horror show loss to New Mexico, comes this nugget. His players now have a 30-day window ‘right now’ to enter the transfer portal. And four top recruits-decommitted within hours of the firing.
So we sit here now with a poor roster, the beginning of the Big 10-schedule, and an Athletic Director who still has his job, despite all of Martin Jarmond’s decisions.
He is the one who hired Foster,and also delivered the disaster that was Chip Kelly, and all the transactions that have left the Athletic Department (216M) in the red.
Off the field, social media has been vicious. A year ago, the Men of Westwood said they would no longer fund Bruins football if Kelly was retained. He was told to leave.
Then as the losses bled into more losses this year-came this social media slam ‘We regret to inform you the season ticket holders are entering the Transfer Portal.
And the weekend gem after the loss to New Mexico, ‘Congrats UCLA, you are now in last place in the Big 10-Big 12 and Mountain West Conference. Ouch.
Firing an unqualified head coach is the right move. That’s not the only firing that should have taken place at UCLA this weekend.
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