Ucla Athletic Nirvana Notre Dame, Stanford Also Prime ‘Jock Schools’

UCLA tops Sports Illustrated magazine’s list of the top 50 “Jock Schools” in the U.S., followed by Notre Dame, Stanford, Texas and Florida.

Among the criteria used by the magazine’s writers and researchers were the number of varsity teams, the strength of the intramural sports program, famous former players and the percentage of students who participate in athletics.

The ranking also takes into account rivalries, sports bars, national championships, bands, cheerleaders, proximity of professional franchises and on-campus athletic facilities.

The magazine cites the Los Angeles school’s 94 national team titles in 19 sports, the most of any school. It also noted that 49 current or former Bruins athletes were in the Atlanta Summer Olympic Games and captured 22 medals, including 12 golds.

“All things considered, UCLA should change the name to the University of California, Loaded with Athletes,” wrote author Steve Rushin.

UCLA also boasts famous athletic alumni such as Jackie Robinson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Arthur Ashe, among others.

Notre Dame’s inclusion on the list is based largely on Fighting Irish football, which includes 11 national championships, legendary head coach Knute Rockne, seven Heisman Trophy winners and arguably the most famous fight song.

The South Bend, Ind., school also is given credit for having 75 percent of its students with high-school letters, while 90 percent of undergraduates have participated in club, intramural recreational or varsity sports programs.

Stanford has 73 national team titles, 24 in this decade. Some previous Stanford athletes include quarterback John Elway, Olympic gold-medal swimmer Janet Evans and Masters golf champion Tiger Woods.

Joining Texas and Florida in the top 10 were Michigan, North Carolina, Penn State, Nebraska and Princeton.

USC, Arizona, Ohio State, Virginia, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Iowa, California, Indiana and Alabama completed the top 20.

The only Northwest school listed was the University of Washington, ranked No. 27.