Matt Zemek
 | UCLA Wire
UCLA men’s basketball created the ultimate dynasty in college hoops when it won seven straight national championships from 1967 through 1973. Yet, before the goliath gained full strength and dominance, the foundation had to be established. That formative occasion was 1962, which was also a special year in Los Angeles sports. Consider UCLA’s evolution part of The Los Angeles Sports Empire:
“In 1962, UCLA reached its first Final Four under John Wooden. The Bruins didn’t win this one; UCLA lost to Oscar Robertson and Cincinnati. Nevertheless, they had broken through after several years in which either California, coached by Pete Newell, or USC — coached by Forrest Twogood — had stood in their way. UCLA was not far away from becoming the Final Four’s most familiar face and college basketball’s most successful program.”
Duke basketball didn’t win the national championship in 1986, but that team reached the national title game and created the foundation Mike Krzyzewski used to build a juggernaut in the next several decades with the Blue Devils. The 1962 UCLA team is the direct and obvious comparison to Duke 1986. It is the group which set the table for a glorious future.
The year 1962 in Los Angeles sports featured UCLA basketball’s rise to the big time. It also created the Lakers’ first trip to the NBA Finals since their move to LA from Minneapolis. USC football also won a national title. 1962 was a big year in the City of Angels, and UCLA was part of it.