ERIK ESCHER

Steve Virgen

The pageantry, the pomp and the purity, that is why Erik Escher loves

to watch college football, especially the UCLA Bruins.

However, there is an underlying reason why Escher enjoys college

football and the Bruins so much. He used to play for the blue and

gold.

“I love college football, and especially UCLA football,” said

Escher, a former Newport Harbor High standout. “I’ll watch any

college football game. “

Escher can identify with the college game. As a walk-on he

improved throughout his days at UCLA, earning valuable playing time

and unforgettable memories in 1978. He went from a 5-foot-8,

150-pound defensive back for Newport Harbor to a bulked-up, pesky

wide receiver for UCLA and Coach Terry Donahue.

It seemed as if Escher was destined to play for the Bruins. His

father, Werner, also played for UCLA, and as a child, Escher’s home

was near what is now Pauley Pavilion on the Bruins’ campus.

“I knew I was going to UCLA,” Escher said. “I bled blue and gold.

I guess that’s why I love college football.”

Escher also had some blue and gray in him, while playing for the

Sailors. Escher was known as, “The Flea,” at Newport Harbor, where he

elevated his play each of his four seasons before graduating in 1974.

While growing up, people told Escher he was too small to play. In

high school, and also at UCLA, he did his best to prove people wrong.

“Part of my thing was hearing, ‘you can’t play,’ and I wanted to

show them that I could,” Escher said.

Escher, who gained respect on defense because teams usually did

not throw to his side, helped lead Newport Harbor to a Sunset League

title in the fall of 1973. He lettered in football and track and

field in his final two years at Newport. He received interest from

several universities, but Escher wanted to go to UCLA.

Dick Tomey, who went on to coach Arizona, was a defensive

assistant with UCLA at the time. Tomey told Escher to play at Golden

West, where the Rustlers ran a defense similar to the Bruins. He

wanted to play there for two years and hopefully receive a

scholarship for UCLA.

However, Escher became a wide receiver. He excelled in drills and

was switched over to offense. In his second year, he earned

all-conference honors. Then the Bruins invited him to try out as a

walk-on for the UCLA football team.

He was a redshirt his first year. Most of his days consisted of

hard hitting and he was usually on the receiving end as part of the

scout team. In his second year, he was dismissed from UCLA.

“I was kicked out of school by accident because a teacher put in a

wrong grade,” Escher said. “The year I was out, I was the team

manager. When I finally got back in school and brought my grades up,

it made it all the more sweeter to be part of the UCLA tradition.”

Escher earned respect while playing for the Bruins. He received a

plaque with the inscription, “Winners never quit and quitters never

win.” It came from other walk-ons who did not make the UCLA team.

After the Bruins, Escher was invited to try out for the Oakland

Raiders. But he said he wanted UCLA to be his final football memory.