I am shocked and heartbroken by the tragic news and passing of my close friend Bill Courtney. Bill made such a big impact on our program in such a short time. He was one of the most respected coaches in the country - thoughtful, prepared and deeply committed to the game and to winning the right way. Bill made every program he touched better, and his loss is felt profoundly by everyone who knew him.
The Sleeping Giant of a football program has been hibernating for so long that no one can be certain it's still hibernating. The Sleeping Giant could be a Dead Giant. Bob Toledo couldn't build a consistent winner at UCLA. Rick Neuheisel, Jim Mora and Chip Kelly couldn't either. None of them were able to build a nationally relevant program by leveraging UCLA's numerous advantages - the high-profile conferences in which its teams competed, the second-largest media market in the country, the school's academic reputation, the Southern California weather.