Terry Donahue’s UCLA Teams Dominated Cal

UCLA dominated Cal for more than two decades when Terry Donahue was part of the Bruins football program, and it wasn’t until Donahue’s final few seasons in Westwood that the Golden Bears exacted some revenge.

Donahue died on Sunday at the age of 77 following a two-year battle with cancer, leading us to recall that Donahue won his first 14 games against Cal as the Bruins’ head coach. In fact, he had Cal’s number as a UCLA player, assistant coach and head coach until the 1990’s.

We will highlight two of the 27 games in which Cal faced UCLA when Donahue was part of the Bruins’ football program – the 1975 game that kept Cal out of the Rose Bowl, the 1990 game that ended UCLA’s 18-game winning streak over the Bears.

Donahue actually began his college career as a walk-on at San Jose State, spent one year at junior college, then played two seasons at UCLA as a 190-pound defensive lineman.

Donahue vs. Cal as a Bruins player

---1965: UCLA 35, Cal 19.

---1966: UCLA 21, Cal 19.

UCLA finished ranked No. 4 in 1965 and No. 5 in 1966

Donahue’s record vs. Cal as a UCLA player: 2-0

Donahue vs. Cal as Bruins offensive line coach

---1971: Cal 31, UCLA 24

This was the Bears’ last win against UCLA before losing 18 in row to the Bruins.

---1972: UCLA 49, Cal 13

---1973: UCLA 61, Cal 21

Mark Harmon, star of TV’s “NCIS,” was UCLA’s quarterback in 1973 and shared the job with John Sciarra in 1973

---1974: UCLA 28, Cal 3

---1975: UCLA 28, Cal 14

The Bruins’ 1975 win kept Cal out of the Rose Bowl. Both team finished with 6-1 record in the Pac-8, but UCLA got the Rose Bowl berth by virtue of its victory over the Bears. Cal finished the 1975 season as the nation’s No. 1 team in total offense led by quarterback Joe Roth and running back Chuck Muncie, who would finish second in the 1975 Heisman Trophy voting.

Muncie went over 100 yards rushing against the Bruins, but UCLA quarterback John Sciarra, who would finish seventh in the Heisman voting, scored two touchdowns and passed for another, and running back Wendell Tyler ran for 143 yards for the Bruins.

UCLA went on to beat No. 1 Ohio State 23-10 in the Rose Bowl, which was Donahue’s final game as a UCLA assistant coach before he was promoted to head coach, succeeding Dick Vermeil.

Donahue’s record vs. Cal as a UCLA assistant coach: 4-1

Donahue vs. Cal as Bruins head coach:

---1976: UCLA 35, Cal 19

---1977: UCLA 21, Cal 19

---1978: UCLA 45, Cal 0

Here is a video of the second half of Cal's 45-0 loss to UCLA in 1978, with the classic college football broadcasting team of Keith Jackson and Frank Broyles doing the announcing:

---1979: UCLA 28, Cal 27

---1980: UCLA 32, Cal 9

---1981: UCLA 34, Cal 6

---1982: UCLA 47, Cal 36

---1983: UCLA 20, Cal 16

Rick Neuheisel was UCLA's quarterback in 1983

---1984: UCLA 17, Cal 14

---1985: UCLA 7, Cal 6

---1986: UCLA 36, Cal 10

UCLA's Gaston Green rushed for 134 yards in the 1986 game, even though he sat out the entire fourth quarter with a toe injury.

---1987: UCLA 42, Cal 18

Green rushed for 220 yards against Cal in 1987

---1988: UCLA 38, Cal 21

Troy Aikman, who finished third in the 1988 Heisman voting, was the Bruins’ star in 1987 and 1988. He outdueled Cal's Troy Taylor in 1988.

---1989: UCLA 24, Cal 6

---1990: Cal 38, UCLA 31

The 1990 result did a few things:

--It ended UCLA’s winning streak over Cal at 18 games.

--Donahue had been 14-0 against Cal as the Bruins head coach before this loss.

--This was the first time Donahue had lost to Cal in Berkeley as a UCLA player, assistant coach or head coach, having gone 10-0 on Cal’s home field as a part of the Bruins football program before this loss.

--It began Cal’s five-game winning streak over UCLA and Donahue.

And the Golden Bears, coached by Bruce Snyder, nearly let the 1990 game get away. Antony Wallace rushed for 134 yards and Russell White added 125 yards on the ground, helping Cal take a 38-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. But the Bruins closed to within 38-31 and had the ball at the Cal 14-yard line with a little less than five minutes left. Cal defensive back Michael Davis sacked UCLA quarterback Tommy Maddox, forcing a fumble that the Bears recovered, ending the UCLA threat.

---1991: Cal 27, UCLA 24

---1992: Cal 42, UCLA 12

It was UCLA’s most lopsided conference loss in Terry Donahue's 20 seasons as a head coach. Cal's Russell White had 141 yards rushing in the first half, and Cal coach Keith Gilbertson apologized to Donahue after the game for running up the score..

---1993: Cal 27, UCLA 25

UCLA nonetheless went to the Rose Bowl in the 1993 season.

---1994: Cal 26, UCLA 8

---1995: UCLA 33, Cal 16

Although Keith Gilbertson had a losing record as Cal’s head coach from 1992 through 1995, he went 3-1 against UCLA and Donahue.

Donahue’s record against Cal as UCLA’s head coach: 15-5

Donahue's record against Cal as a UCLA player, assistant coach and head coach: 21-6

Cover photo of UCLA-Cal football by Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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