Photo by Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times
Rivalry Related Articles
Usually, it is the home team that has to worry about rival hijinks and shenanigans leading up to game time; however, in the case of the USC-UCLA rivalry, all bets are off.
The UCLA campus was infiltrated either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, resulting in the giant Bruin statue getting slathered in red and gold paint.
The statue had originally been covered by a tarp but the vandals apparently were able to cut out a section and proceed with their misdeeds.
While university officials from both the USC and UCLA schools have taken measures to temper the destruction of its cherished symbols, the vandals were still able to strike.
According to an Los Angeles Times Report:
“Despite the heated passions of rivalry week, there have been few pranks because officials from both universities have taken steps in recent years to protect icons on campus from vandalism.
The statue sits in Bruin Plaza and was unveiled in 1984, Hampton said. Since 1999, school officials have protected the statue with a tarp during rivalry week, telling students the bear is hibernating.
At USC, campus officials wrap the Tommy Trojan statue and students have taken to guarding the statue in shifts. There was no reported retaliation.”
Even with the precautionary measures that each school has taken to deter would-be pranksters, I have a feeling that this is not the last we have heard on matter.
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