UCLA to Induct Seven New Members into Athletic Hall of Fame
June 20, 2024 | Football, Men's Basketball, Men's Tennis, Men's Water Polo, Women's Golf, Women's Rowing, Gymnastics, Bruin Athletics
Seven new members will join the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame on Sept. 13. The members of the Class of 2024 are: Milt Davis (football), Rod Foster (men's basketball), Sean Kern (men's water polo), Charlotte Mayorkas (women's golf), Brian Teacher (men's tennis), Vanessa Teff (women's rowing) and Vanessa Zamarripa (women's gymnastics).
The new Hall of Fame members combined to win seven NCAA Championships and 33 All-America honors. Included in the group are a two-time NFL champion (Davis), an Olympian (Kern), and a Grand Slam tournament winner (Teacher).
Following are biographies on the 2024 UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame members, who will be recognized at halftime of the Sept. 14 UCLA vs. Indiana football game:
Milt Davis (Football, 1952-53)
The late Milt Davis led UCLA Football to a 16-3-1 record and Top 10 national ranking over two seasons (1952, 1953). In his final year, the Bruins finished first in the Pacific Coast Conference to advance to the 1954 Rose Bowl Game. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 1954 NFL Draft but delayed his professional career as he served in the U.S. Army. He returned in 1957 and signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Colts, helping lead the team to back-to-back NFL Championships in 1958 and 1959. In his rookie season, he recorded 10 interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, and was named to the AP NFL All-Pro first team. He was a second-team NFL All-Pro in 1959 after totaling seven interceptions and returning one for a touchdown in the NFL Championship game. He retired from the NFL after four seasons and returned to UCLA to pursue a doctorate degree in education. He taught at John Marshall HS in Los Angeles and was a professor at LA City College for 25 years. He also worked as a NFL scout for 36 years before he passed away in 2008.
Rod Foster (Men's Basketball, 1980-83)
One of just 15 four-year starters in UCLA men's basketball history, Rod Foster was given the nickname "Rocket Rod" for being one of the quickest players in the nation. In 113 career games, he totaled 1,365 points (12.1 average) and 240 (2.1 average) assists and remains UCLA's all-time leader in career free throw percentage (88%). He also holds UCLA's No. 1 and No. 3 single-season free throw marks, leading the nation during his junior campaign with a 95% rate (95-for-100) and hitting 90.9% (60-for-66) as a sophomore. Foster helped UCLA advance to the 1980 NCAA Championship game as a freshman, leading the team in the title game with 16 points and adding six steals and five assists. After earning All-Pac-10 honors as a senior in 1982-83, he was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 1983 NBA Draft. He led the Suns in three-point shooting percentage during his three-year stint before sustaining a career-ending leg injury. Foster later served as a player and coach with Athletes in Action and was an assistant coach at Wright State for four years. He has also coached high school and middle school basketball and owned and coached the basketball club LA Rockets.
Sean Kern (Men's Water Polo, 1997-2000)
Two-time National Player of the Year and two-time Cutino Award winner Sean Kern led UCLA to back-to-back NCAA titles in 1999 and 2000, being awarded Tournament MVP both years. Kern still ranks third all-time at UCLA in career goals with 177 after leading the Bruins in scoring in each of his first three seasons (41 as a freshman, 50 as a sophomore and 53 as a junior). He missed 10 games his senior year while playing for Team USA in the 2000 Olympics but still totaled 33 goals for the Bruins, including two in the NCAA Final, and was named the MPSF and National Player of the Year. Kern, along with Adam Wright, was the first player in UCLA history to earn All-MPSF honors all four years, and he was just the second Bruin ever to receive All-America honors all four years. Kern was also a standout in the classroom, earning three MPSF All-Academic honors and receiving a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
Charlotte Mayorkas (Women's Golf, 2002-05)
Charlotte Mayorkas made history by becoming the first-ever UCLA women's golfer to earn first-team All-America honors three times. The two-time Team MVP had a standout 2004 season, leading UCLA to the NCAA title with a fourth-place individual finish. She was also the 2004 Pac-10 Championship medalist and UCLA's first-ever Pac-10 Golfer of the Year and won the 2004 California Women's State Amateur Championship. Mayorkas won five tournaments during her collegiate career, including a school single-season record four in 2004, and back-to-back ASU Invitationals. She made her professional debut in 2005 on the Futures Tour and was second on the money list after recording 13 out of 16 Top 10 finishes. She went on to make 54 out of 67 cuts during her career on the LPGA Tour.
Brian Teacher (Men's Tennis, 1973-76)
Four-time All-American Brian Teacher led UCLA Men's Tennis to a pair of NCAA team titles in 1975 and 1976, as well as the 1976 Pac-8 title. The Bruins' team captain in 1975, he led his teams to a four-year record of 75-8. Individually, he won Pac-8 singles and doubles titles in 1974 and paired with Billy Martin to finish as NCAA doubles runner-up in 1975. Teacher achieved a high level of success on the ATP tour, reaching career-highs of No. 7 in singles and No. 5 in doubles in 1981. He won the Australian Open singles title in 1980 and totaled eight singles and 16 doubles titles in his career. Teacher is a member of the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis HOF, Southern California Tennis Association HOF, San Diego Tennis HOF, and the International Jewish Sports and the Southern California Jewish Sports Halls of Fame. Following his playing career, he moved into coaching and coached Greg Rusedski to a No. 4 ATP singles ranking in 1997. Teacher also worked with five world No. 1 doubles players and many top juniors over the years. He has also founded and developed the Full Court Tennis app.
Vanessa Teff (Women's Rowing, 2006-09)
One of the most accomplished rowers in UCLA history, Vanessa Teff was a three-time All-American and four-time All-West Region and All-Pac-10 performer. In 2006, she became just the second Bruin ever to earn All-America honors and was one of just 12 collegiate rowers from a school in the Western United States to be named an All-American. Also that year, she was selected UCLA's Most Valuable Freshman. In each of her next three years, she was named UCLA's Most Valuable Oarswoman. Teff,a two-year team captain, helped UCLA's varsity eight crew secure at-large NCAA Championship berths in 2006 and 2007.
Vanessa Zamarripa (Women's Gymnastics, 2009-13)
Two-time NCAA champion Vanessa Zamarripa finished her UCLA career with 19 All-America honors, second-most in UCLA history. She also scored nine perfect 10s on vault in her career. As a freshman, she became just the sixth UCLA gymnast ever to earn the maximum five All-America honors in one season. The following year, she recorded the highest all-around score in the NCAA team final, leading the Bruins to the national championship. She won the NCAA vault title that year as well. Zamarripa won a total of six Pac-12 titles, including three vault titles and the 2010 all-around crown, and was selected the 2010 and 2013 Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year. During her senior season, she was named the NACGC/W Division I National Gymnast of the Year and the AAI Award-winner as the top senior in the nation. Zamarripa made an elite run in 2010 and finished eighth in the all-around and second on vault at the U.S. Championships and was named to the U.S. National Team.