Rose Bowl Stadium Names Home Locker Room in Honor of Former UCLA Chancellor Charles E. Young

On Saturday, February 26th in a private ceremony, the Rose Bowl Stadium dedicated the UCLA Home Locker Room in honor of former UCLA Chancellor Charles E. Young. The naming, which was generously supported and funded by donors to the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, recognized Young’s historic 29-year tenure as Chancellor of UCLA from 1968 to 1997 and, in particular, the decision he made in 1982 to select America’s Stadium, the Rose Bowl, as the home field of UCLA football. Dr. Young’s decision in July 1982 to relocate the home field for the UCLA football program to the Rose Bowl Stadium located in the City of Pasadena remains one of the most important decisions of the past 40 years for both UCLA Athletics and for the City of Pasadena.

“The Rose Bowl Stadium has been forever impacted by the decision that former UCLA Chancellor Charles Young made more than 40 years ago,” said CEO / General Manager Darryl Dunn. “We are grateful for our partnership with UCLA and opportunity to be the home field for the Bruins.”

While Young’s decision to move the Bruins to Pasadena was initially criticized by some, subsequent events quickly proved the vision and foresight of that historic action in establishing a specific identity for Bruin football that allowed UCLA to be ranked among the Top Ten of all NCAA football programs for the decade of the 1980s, with seven consecutive postseason bowl game victories. For many Bruins and for many in Pasadena, the memories and pride still resonate as to UCLA’s accomplishments in a conference championship in Fall 1982 and a Rose Bowl Game victory over the University of Michigan on January 1, 1983 — followed by Rose Bowl Game victories again on January 2, 1984 (vs. University of Illinois) and January 1, 1986 (vs. University of Iowa).

“While it was 40 years ago, the decision to use the Rose Bowl Stadium as the home field of UCLA football still stands out in my mind as one of the more important decisions I made regarding UCLA Athletics during my tenure as Chancellor of UCLA,” said Chancellor Young. “The boost that gave to UCLA football in the 1980s under Terry Donahue and to all fans of UCLA Athletics remains vivid in my mind even today.”

The Rose Bowl Stadium, which is celebrating its Centennial Celebration in 2022, has benefited from the 1982 decision of Dr. Young to relocate the UCLA football program to Pasadena. Affixing the name of Charles E. Young to the home locker room on the 40th anniversary of that decision will also allow all Bruins – past, present and future – to appreciate the contributions made by Chancellor Young in support of UCLA Football. Gifts to the project will be split between the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and UCLA Athletics.