UCLA Bruins softball
| UCLA Bruins | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 1975 |
| University | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Conference | Pac-12 |
| Location | Los Angeles, CA |
| Head coach | Kelly Inouye-Perez (10th year) |
| Home stadium | Easton Stadium (Capacity: 1328) |
| Nickname | Bruins |
| Colors |
True Blue and Gold |
| NCAA championships | |
| 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995*, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2010 | |
| AIAW championships | |
| 1978 | |
| NCAA WCWS appearances | |
| 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995*, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2016 | |
| AIAW WCWS appearances | |
| 1978, 1979, 1981 | |
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |
| 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995*, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 | |
| Conference champions | |
| SCWIAC: 1975, 1976 WCAA: 1983, 1984 Pac-10: 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2009 *vacated by NCAA |
|
The UCLA Bruins softball team represents the University of California, Los Angeles in NCAA Division I softball. The Bruins are among the most decorated programs in NCAA softball, leading all schools in NCAA championships with 11, overall WCWS championships with 12, championship game appearances with 21,Women's College World Series appearances with 28, and NCAA Tournament wins with 187.
Judith Holland, UCLA senior associate athletic director, hired Sharon Backus as a part-time coach upon the program's founding in 1975. Holland recalled, "I had seen her play, and she was probably one of the best shortstops who ever played the game." Backus was a physical education teacher at a high school in Anaheim, California when she was hired by UCLA and kept her teaching job for the first couple years after being hired at UCLA. Backus taught in Anaheim in the mornings and drove to UCLA for practice and games in the afternoon. Holland recalled that UCLA paid Backus about $1,500 year as a part-time coach, "and I don't think the money even paid for her gas."
In Backus's first three years at UCLA, the team struggled. Between 1975 and 1977, UCLA compiled a record of 44–20. In the formative years of the program, the Bruins played at city parks, where they were "often bumped from fields by recreational softball leagues." Backus moved her team to the UCLA intramural field, but it was not until 1980 that her team got its own field.
In 1978, the Bruins won their first AIAW national softball championship with a 31–3 record. After women's softball became an NCAA sport in 1982, Backus's teams won six of the first nine NCAA softball tournaments. In all, Backus led UCLA to eight NCAA tournament championships (in addition to the 1978 pre-NCAA championship) in 1982 (33–7–2), 1984 (45–6–1), 1985 (41–9), 1988 (53–8), 1989 (48–4), 1990 (62–7), 1992 (54–2), and 1995 (50–6).
From 1988 to 1990, the Bruins won three consecutive NCAA championships and compiled a record of 163–19. Backus's success led the Los Angeles Times in 1990 to compare Backus to UCLA's legendary basketball coach John Wooden:
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