UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava will want to impress more than his coaches and teammates Saturday.
A glance around the practice field could reveal …
Gary Beban, the school’s only Heisman Trophy winner. Tom Ramsey, the star of the Bruins’ 1983 Rose Bowl victory over Michigan. Cade McNown, the only quarterback from either UCLA or USC to go 4-0 as the starter in the crosstown rivalry.
Those legends are expected to be among the 24 former UCLA quarterbacks returning to campus this weekend for a charity fundraiser benefiting UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.
“We have guys flying in from all over the country,” Patrick Cowan, a former Bruins quarterback and the primary organizer of the event, told the California Post. “And I still get giddy being able to hang out with these guys because I remember watching them and they were my heroes and even the guys that have played after me, it’s been fun to cheer for them.”
This is the 20th anniversary of Cowan’s own historic moment, when he helped UCLA edge then-No. 2 USC, 13-9, in 2006 in one of the greatest upsets in the rivalry.
“I think the longer it’s been since that game, the lore of it continues to grow,” Cowan said with a chuckle, “but luckily we’re on the right side of it, so I’ll let it keep growing.”
The quarterbacks are scheduled to visit children at the school’s on-campus hospital Friday morning before convening for lunch at favorite hangout spot Phil Trani’s in Long Beach. That’s the same restaurant where the idea was conceived in 2018 to start holding reunions that could double as fundraisers.
The plan was to hold the inaugural event in 2020 before the pandemic pushed it back to 2023. Beban was among the 22 quarterbacks who showed up that year, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the special-needs fund of UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. The money was used for expenses such as the transportation of severely immunocompromised children and the hiring of staff to meet specialized patient demand.
This will be the second fundraiser hosted by the quarterbacks.
“The opportunity provided by the UCLA quarterback club event uniquely transfers the time, bruises and results spent playing a game to provide financial support promoting scientific advancements and health care for youngsters in need of life-enhancing solutions and discoveries,” Beban told the Post.
“I have found it very personally fulfilling to experience the ease one has to exercise to rally UCLA quarterbacks to huddle and share their good fortunes with their teammates and supporters for such a worthwhile cause.”
The quarterbacks will attend practice Saturday before reconvening at the Luskin Center on campus for “An Evening with the UCLA Quarterback Club,” with UCLA radio broadcaster Josh Lewin serving as the emcee. Ramsey and McNown – whom Cowan labeled the “Trojan Slayer” – will be the keynote speakers.
Among the other quarterbacks expected to attend is Brett Hundley, who was still playing during the first event three years ago. Beban, who will turn 80 in August, said he was looking forward to attending “except for the probability of being the oldest Bruin quarterback in the huddle.”
“At the last reception, I found myself undergoing a similar exhilaration as I did winning USC and Rose Bowl games,” Beban said. “I expect to do the same [this time] with teammates who share common values and commitments which were discovered, developed and shared on Spaulding Field.”
Money will be raised through sponsorships, donations, ticket sales and a silent auction including autographed footballs, helmets and jerseys. The event will start with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and a panel discussion.
Tickets are $1,250 each and table sponsorships are available for $10,000 and $25,000. For more information, go to giving.ucla.edu/uclaquarterbackclub2026 or call (310) 569-9657.
