The 2008 UCLA Golf Classic VIPs

A four-year letterman and starter on the UCLA women’s tennis team from 1983-1988. Individually, she holds two national doubles titles, along with one national runner-up title. She played on the pro satellite tour for a short time, before attending law school, from which she graduated in 1991. Since that time, Jessica has become a veteran in the field of motion picture and television distribution. She started her career as a lawyer with MGM Studios, Inc. and ultimately segued from legal to the business side of the industry, when she joined Discovery Communications, Inc. in 1997. In 2001, she was hired to run programming/content acquisitions for Movielink LLC, the video-on-demand joint venture recently sold to Blockbuster by its five major studio owners. Jessica is now with HighView Media, LLC, a boutique strategy-consulting firm that advises cable, satellite and telecommunications clients on their digital media, programming acquisition and overall content deployment strategies. She is based Santa Monica.

Completing his second year as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations at UCLA. Bjork directs capital fundraising, The Wooden Athletic Fund, Marketing, Community Relations, Licensing, Multi-Media, Ticket Sales, and ISP Sports for Bruin athletics. Since coming on board at UCLA, Bjork has overseen a quick turnaround of the External units. Total giving to Athletics has doubled in one year and season tickets sales for football and men’s basketball increased to record totals for 2006-07. He has established the Building on Tradition Capital Campaign to raise funds to renovate legendary Pauley Pavilion. Bjork is a native of Dodge City, KS, and received his bachelor’s degree in recreation administration from Emporia State University in 1995, where he was a two-year starter at fullback. He earned a master’s degree in athletic administration from Western Illinois University in December 1996. His wife Sonya is the Director of Donor Relations for the UCLA Foundation. Ross and Sonya have a son, Payton, and reside in West Los Angeles.

A four-year letterman (1990-93) and three-year starter (1991-93) for Bruin Head Coach Jim Harrick, Butler holds the UCLA record for most games played (130). His Bruin teams averaged almost 24 wins a season, won the Pac-10 title in 1992, and made four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including the Elite Eight in 1992 and Sweet 16 in 1990. In 1990, Butler was given the “Ducky Drake” Memorial Award (Competitive Spirit, Inspiration and Unselfish Contribution), in 1991 the UCLA Faculty Athletic Representative Award (Academic Achievement and Team Contribution) and in 1993 the J. D. Morgan Memorial Award (Outstanding Team Player). Following his UCLA career, Butler played eight years in the NBA. Currently a professional sports agent, among his many clients is Bruin great Earl Watson, a starter this season for the Seattle Supersonics.

Quarterback Wayne Cook concluded his UCLA career in 1994 with 352 completions for 4,723 yards, which places him fourth on the UCLA career lists in those categories. His 34 touchdown passes is third best in UCLA history behind only Tom Ramsey (50) and Troy Aikman (41). Wayne Cook will always be remembered as the UCLA quarterback who was at his best against USC, after notching his second win as a starter in the cross-town rivalry.

A graduate of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Donahue played defensive line at UCLA. After graduating, he became an assistant coach at the University of Kansas under Pepper Rodgers, and then returned to UCLA in 1971, where he served as an assistant under Rodgers and Dick Vermeil. Donahue is the most winning coach in the Pacific-10 Conference (98 league victories) and UCLA (151 wins) history. He compiled a record of 8-4-1 in bowl games and was the first coach in NCAA history to win a bowl game in seven consecutive seasons. Donahue was a starting linebacker at Notre Dame High. After playing freshman football at San Jose State, he attended L.A. Valley College, before enrolling at UCLA, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1967. He later added a master’s degree from UCLA in kinesiology in 1977. Donahue was born in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Andrea, have three grown children: Nicole, Michele, and Jennifer.

Danny holds the UCLA football record for career receiving with 3,020 yards (1996-1999). A former walk-on, he earned a scholarship prior to the 1996 season and concluded it with a team-leading 31 catches, after which he was winner of UCLA’s first annual Terry Donahue Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Walk-on and offensive winner of UCLA’s John Boncheff, Jr. Memorial Award for Rookie of the Year. Danny earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors in 1998 for his outstanding play, and was also a standout volleyball player for the Bruins. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played two seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals. He is a 1995 graduate of Loyola High School in Los Angeles and hails from a family of former UCLA and USC athletic standouts.

An associate athletic director, who has served as a member of UCLA’s athletic administration since January of 2001, Field oversees men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s rowing, and aides Dan Guerrero in all football matters. He also oversees housing, parking, training table, video services, agent relations and coaches’ development. Prior to his switch to administration, Field spent 22 seasons as an assistant coach with the Bruin football team. Field has been at UCLA since 1978, with the exception of the 1980 season. Over the years, he tutored some of the top athletes in school history and crafted numerous defenses ranked in the Top 20 in various categories. He began his coaching career under the legendary Bear Bryant at Alabama and moved to Mississippi State. Field earned a bachelor’s degree in Science Education at Arkansas in 1971, and was named to the All-Southwest Conference Academic Team his senior year. He was a three-year varsity letterman and two-year starter in the secondary. He is married to UCLA’s women’s gymnastics coach, the former Valorie Kondos, and has three sons: Kyle, Brian and Michael.

In his fourth season on the UCLA staff and his second as an assistant coach for Head Basketball Coach Ben Howland, Garson directs the development of the team’s post players, while leveraging his ties in the Southern California area to help with recruiting efforts. Garson served as the Bruins’ video coordinator for two seasons (2004-06). He is now the co-director, along with Administrative Assistant Doug Erickson, of the UCLA boy’s basketball summer camps. Prior to coming to UCLA, he served five seasons (1999-2004) on the University of Utah staff under Hall of Fame coach and current ESPN analyst, Rick Majerus. Garson graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in law and society in 1999. He later earned a master’s of science in exercise and sports science with an emphasis in sport psychology from the University of Utah in 2003.

Spent 10 years as the women’s head basketball coach at Southern Utah, before serving as the UCLA men’s basketball director of operations with the 2007-08 season. Hillock is Southern Utah’s all-time most winning women’s basketball coach with 128 victories. Hillock earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at Southern Utah in 1976, and served as an undergraduate assistant women’s coach for the first varsity team at SUU. He then went on to the first of two stints as the head boy’s basketball coach at nearby Milford High School (Milford, Utah). After guiding Milford to back-to-back regional titles, he served 12 years as an assistant to Dan Fitzgerald at Gonzaga. The Santa Barbara native completed his master’s degree in administration at Gonzaga in 1982. Hillock and his wife, Denise, a former star softball pitcher at Southern Utah in the mid-70s, are the parents of three children: Joe, Jr. (24), Heather (20) and Jordan (17).

Played three years (1986-88) for the Bruin baseball team. A two-time All-Pac-10 first baseman, Karros’ .365 career batting average still ranks second on the Bruins all-time list. In 1988, he led the Bruins in batting (.415), hits (100), home runs (17) and RBI’s (54), while earning All-American and Pac-10 honors. The L.A. Dodgers drafted Karros in the sixth round in 1988. In 1992, he won the starting job at first base for the Dodgers and went on to win the National League Rookie of the Year. Karros spent 14 years in the Major Leagues, including 12 seasons with the Dodgers. During his 12 seasons in Dodger Blue, Karros set the team’s Los Angeles career record for home runs (270) and career home runs at Dodger Stadium (130). Karros also played for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics, and finished his 14-year Major League career with 284 home runs, 1,027 RBIs and a .268 batting average. Karros endowed a UCLA baseball scholarship in 1994. He received a degree in Economics from UCLA.

Born in Portland, OR, Cade became the starting quarterback at UCLA as a true freshman, four games into the season, ranking first among all freshmen quarterbacks in many statistics. After a 0-2 start in 1997, UCLA would win all of its remaining games, to end the season ranked 5th in the nation. During that time, Cade was a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award, enjoyed early consideration as a Heisman contender, was named an All-American by the Associated Press (third team), The Sporting News (third team) and to the All-Pac-10 team (second team). He led the nation in passing efficiency with a 168.6 rating. His play broke many UCLA records, most of which had been set by Tom Ramsey. Cade began a professional career with the Chicago Bears, followed by a back-up quarterback position for the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers.

Born in Westmoreland, KS, Billie was the first coach in women’s basketball history to lead two teams to national championships. She coached a California State University, Fullerton, team from 1969 to 1977 (where she won the AIAW national title in 1970 in her first year with the team) and a UCLA team from 1977 to 1993 (winning the AIAW national title in 1978). Her overall college coaching record is 436-196. Billie coached the first U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team to a silver medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. She was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999 and in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in the same year. Billie, who coached Hall of Famers Ann Meyers Drysdale and Denise Curry at UCLA, became the eighth coach in women’s basketball history to reach the 400-win mark. Her overall 24-season record was 436-196.

Quarterbacked UCLA to victory in the 1984 Rose Bowl, compiled a record of 66-30 as a collegiate head coach, and now is his alma mater’s new head football coach. Neuheisel returns to the collegiate ranks after spending the past three seasons in the NFL, and was recognized as one of the nation’s top recruiters during his college coaching days. Neuheisel began his collegiate career at UCLA (1979-83) as a walk-on, holding for place kicker John Lee, and earned the starting quarterback job during his senior season (1983). He led the Bruins to the Pac-10 title after a 0-3-1 start, earning honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors, while completing 185 of 267 passes for 2,245 yards and 13 touchdowns. His completion percentage of .693 that season is still a school record. Neuheisel grew up in Tempe, AZ, attending McClintock High School. He and his wife Susan, a UCLA graduate, have three children, Jerry, Jack and Joe.

A former Oregon distance All-American, Eric enters his 15th year on the staff of the UCLA cross country/track and field program, and has established himself as one of the top collegiate cross country and distance coaches in the nation. He begins his eighth season as head coach for the UCLA men’s cross country team and specialty coach for the Bruin women and men’s track distance corps. Prior to joining UCLA, he served as an assistant to the 2004 U. S. Olympic men’s distance coach. This past season, the men’s team returned to the NCAA Championships for the first time in 21 years under Peterson, despite having no senior runners. The women also excelled behind senior leader Ashley Caldwell and breakout newcomer Allie Bohannon.

A four-year letterman (1979-82), who assumed quarterback duties after his first season, Ramsey went on to carry UCLA to a 31-13-2 record. He captained the Bruins in 1982, leading the team to a 1981 Bluebonnet Bowl appearance and a victorious 1982 Rose Bowl appearance over Michigan, 24-14, while gaining Player of the Game honors. His 153.5 quarterback rating was tops in the NCAA in 1982 and that same year, he was selected as the Southern California Athlete of the Year. Other honors included UCLA’s 1981 Most Improved Player award and 1982 MVP Award. During his UCLA career, Tom broke virtually every single season and career Bruin passing and total offense record. After graduation, he played two years in the USFL and five in the NFL, before going into business and becoming a football analyst for Prime Sports and Fox Sports West.

The “Voice of the Bruins” grew up in the very same area where his voice echoes throughout each UCLA football and basketball game. Roberts spent his earlier years in Baldwin Park, before attending Cal Poly Pomona, where his broadcasting career officially began. A twist of fate led Roberts to the job calling UCLA football games at KMPC, after the untimely death of John Reimenstorr one month prior to the 1992 season. Each week for the past 11 years, Roberts’ dulcet tones have imparted some of the great moments in UCLA sports, from John Barnes’ improbable 1992 comeback win over USC, to Tyus Edney driving coast to coast to beat Missouri and send the Bruins to their eventual national championship in 1995.

Each season the UCLA volleyball team points toward one goal: winning the NCAA championship. Al Scates has coached UCLA to 19 NCAA titles in his 45 years as the head coach, while all other collegiate men’s volleyball programs have won 17 championships combined. Scates’ 19th title, won against Penn State in 2006, continued one of the greatest careers in collegiate coaching. Scates’ 45-year coaching record of 1,154-223 (.838) is one of the best in collegiate sports. That record ranks first among all collegiate volleyball coaches in all divisions. The former UCLA All-American has traveled the world as both a player and coach, and is recognized as one of the United States’ foremost volleyball authorities. Scates and his wife, Sue, live in Encino. They have three children, daughters Tracy (UCLA ‘86) and Leslie (Northern Arizona `04), and a son, David (CS Northridge `93), and three grandchildren born to Leslie.

A three-year starter for the Bruins under Coach John Wooden on three consecutive NCAA Championship teams (‘67, ‘68, ‘69), Shackelford’s NCAA title teams had a combined record of 88-2, including an unbeaten 30-0 season in 1967. In 1969, he was awarded the JJ.D. Morgan Award as the Bruins’ “Most Outstanding Team Player.” Following his UCLA career, Shackelford was a seventh round NBA draft choice of San Diego, and played one year of professional basketball in the ABA. A former Laker broadcast analyst working with Chick Hearn, Shackelford is currently a Vice President (Acquisitions) for Touchstone Golf.

A former UCLA quarterback (1985-1986), Matt currently serves as a radio analyst for UCLA football on XTRA Sports AM 1150/690. This season marks his seventh year broadcasting UCLA football and his third working as an analyst. With appearances on Fox Sports Network’s Southern California Sports Report, Stevens has successfully diversified his football career, extending beyond the field to the mass media. During his collegiate career, Stevens lead the Bruins to a Rose Bowl with a 45-28 win over Iowa in 1986. The following year, Stevens led UCLA to its fifth straight bowl victory as the Bruins toppled BYU 31-10 in the Freedom Bowl. Prior to his work in sports broadcasting, Stevens spent a year with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, as well as in the Arena League.