Alum leads cheers for 28 years

UCLA fans have seen him at the Bruins’ football games,
bullhorn in hand, leading the masses in the traditional UCLA
8-clap.

He’s recognizable as the male cheerleader who looks a bit
too old for his job. Whether or not these references ring a bell,
it is important to associate a name with the face. In this case,
the name is Geoffrey Strand, arguably UCLA’s “Super
Fan.”

Strand is a man who many have seen but few truly know. He
graduated from UCLA in 1971, where he majored in economics and
geography and was an active member of the UCLA cheerleading team.
After graduating, Strand went to work at Sears Roebuck in Honolulu
and attended business school at the University of Hawaii.

Answering the call from then-football coach Terry Donahue,
Strand and a group of “activist” graduates informally
created the alumni supporters group; all were intent on changing
the UCLA fan attitude.

Beginning with the 1976 football season, Strand became active in
and around the Rose Bowl, not only leading the cheering Bruin fans,
but also organizing the pre-game tailgate party outside the
stadium.

“I have been visiting numerous longtime fan groups and
leading 8-claps for over 28 years,” Strand said.

Much like the student cheerleaders, Strand arrives at the Rose
Bowl between three to five hours before the game. In fact, Strand
is so busy come game day that he is constantly on the go until 30
minutes before game time, when he reports to the field to set
up.

Upon taking over in the fall of 1976 and up until today, Strand
and his group of activist fans have been striving to recreate a
positive, family-oriented, all-American fan environment at the UCLA
football games.

“We at UCLA are different. I feel it is my job to work
hard for the fans, to use a microphone and get our whole family up
and supporting our team together,” he said.

In his 28 years as Alumni Cheerleader, Strand has seen many
memorable moments in UCLA football history.

“There have been several games when we were down, then the
crowd rose and delivered, and we came back to win,” Strand
said. “I hear back from the UCLA players how
effective we have been in helping them win
big games. Those memories are worth everything.”

Strand is more than willing to offer his opinion of crosstown
rival USC and their fans.

“Go to a regular season USC game. You will never see them
be as passionately involved as you would if you are a True Blue
Bruin.”

And as for the USC cheerleaders?

“To me, they look like a Hollywood scripted set,” he
said. We are real blood and guts life.”

Not surprisingly, Strand is picking UCLA this weekend, but he
acknowledges that the Bruins are heavy underdogs.

“I believe a ray of sunshine will appear from the heavens
and UCLA will prevail by a field goal,” he said.

In addition to his work with UCLA, Strand has spent the past 20
years as the senior vice president and senior financial consultant
for Morgan Stanley.

But for Strand, being the 12th man on the field for the Bruins
has certainly been a large part of his life, and it appears as
though he has attained a certain sense of fulfillment.

“All the sweat and toil, all the years of work, to be able
to direct that spirit of the fans is a huge honor and
privilege,” he said.