USA TODAY International Edition
Hyphen means a lot to UCLA’s Jones- Drew
Grandfather’s in > uence special to electric Bruin
LOS ANGELES — His legal name has always been Maurice Jones- Drew, but he never used it.
“ What grade- school kid wants a hyphen in his name?” says his mother, Andrea Drew. “ So he justwent by Maurice Drew.”
Years later, just as the 5- foot-8 Drewwas
making a big name for
himself as the do-everything tailback at
UCLA, he went and confused the issue by changing the name on his powder- blue jersey from “ Drew” to “ Jones- Drew.”
But it wasn’t confusing to him. It made perfect sense. It was a - tting tribute to his grandfather, Maurice Jones.
“ He was myworld,” Drewsays. “ When I was assigned in school to write about the most important person in my life, it was my grandpa, no second thought about it. We just always kicked it off because we both loved sports.”
Drew was named after his grandfather, and for much of his youth he lived with him and his grandmother, Christina, in Pinole, Calif., near San Francisco.
It was his grandfather who steered him into sports — - rst soccer, then basketball, then, when little Maurice stopped growing, football. “ He never missed a game, never missed a practice,” Drewsays.
Itwas his grandfatherwho helped guide Drew to Concord De La Salle High School, the legendary Bay Area football powerhouse. That was - ne with Drew’s mother, who was more concerned about academics than football. “ It worked out for everyone, the best of both worlds,” she says.
As always, Drew’s grandfatherwas there in the Rose Bowl for the Bruins’ home opener this season against Rice on Sept. 10.
As the third quarter began, Drew’s grandfather, 69, a retired probation of - cer who had a heart condition and had been diagnosed with diabetes last year, suffered a heart attack. He died on the way to Pasadena’s Huntington Memorial Hospital.
Drew left the game immediately and got to the hospital in time to see his family gathered around, crying. “ I was numb,” he recalls. “ I really didn’t feel anything for the next two or three days.”
But he suited up for the next game, which would turn into a huge victory in the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma, with the name “ Jones- Drew” on his back.
“ My dad would have wanted him to play,” Drew’s mother says. “ To him, itwas a big game.”
It was a big game for UCLA, too, a 41- 24 victory that was the third of seven consecutive
In focus
Los Angeles’ other Lightning: UCLA running back Maurice Jones- Drew, all 5- foot-8 of him, has scored 16 touchdowns in a variety of ways— averaging 28.1 yards a scoring play. wins for the Bruins, who, at 7-0 and No. 6 in the BCS, are arguably the biggest surprise of the college football season.
Drew, a mighty- mite junior who packs 208 pounds onto his small frame, has been at the center of most of the Bruins’ highlights. On UCLA’s - rst offensive play of the season, he went 64 yards for a touchdown.
In an upset of California, he produced 299 yards all- purpose yardage and tied his own school record of - ve touchdowns.
In the most recent Bruins triumph, an impressive 51- 28 rout of Oregon State on Saturday in the Rose Bowl, Drew rushed for 120 yards, caught touchdown passes of 43 and 20 yards, had a 59- yard punt return and - nished with 250 all- purpose yards.
Overall, he has rushed for 605 yards, is averaging 185.6 all- purpose yards and has scored 16 touchdowns. He has scored on punt returns of 72, 66 and 81 yards and, counting a 65- yarder that was called back on a penalty, he has six returns of 59 yards or more.
“ Oh my goodness, the dude is seriously outrageous,” UCLA linebacker Spencer Havner says of watching his teammate tear up the turf.
Drew is easily the most exciting runner in, say, a 13- mile radius.
Fourteen miles away, at No. 1 Southern California, is Reggie Bush.
Both teams are 7-0, perhaps headed for amonumental intracity showdown Dec. 3. Bush, a leading Heisman contender, leads the nation with 203.1 all- purpose yards a game. Drew’s 185.6 average is fourth. Bush has 13 touchdowns. Drew has 16, tied for second in the country.
“ Back when I was in high school and in my - rst and second years at UCLA, I used to look atwhat he was doing,” Drewsays of Bush. “ But I don’t really compare myself to him any more. What he’s doing is not going to help my team out, and all I’m concerned about now is doing whatever I can to help out the Bruins.”
Drew has been a dream in Westwood, producing highlights on and off the - eld. A good student, unusually team-oriented, he has become one of the most popular Bruins athletes in years. Quarterback Drew Olson, a breakout star in his own right with 21 touchdown passes and only three interceptions, including 11 touchdown passes in just the last two games, de > ects any Heisman questions to the other Drew.
“ That’s for Maurice, not for me,” he says.
While Olson, like everyone, loves to watch Drewrun, he also loves to watch the little guy block. “ On pass protection, he’s awesome,” Olson says. “ You should see him drive his helmet into those big guys’ thigh pads.”
Drew says it’s his way of getting back at all those linebackers and defensive linemen who are out to punish him.
“ A lot of running backs don’t pass block in the Pac- 10,” he says. “ But I just see it as a personal challenge.”
It’s probably - tting for one of college football’s littlest stars to be so grounded. And not surprising, given the guidance he received from his grandfather and De La Salle coach Bob Ladouceur.
Of Ladouceur, Drew says, “ We always wanted to make him proud. So we didn’t drink, smoke, steal, cheat or lie. We didn’t do any of that. We did everything we could to stay on his good side.”
Ladouceur calls Drew “ one of the best kids I’ve ever been around. I really love that guy.”
Drew had a team- - rst attitude even in Pop Warner football.
“After a Pop Warner game, Maurice called all the guys on the offensive line to thank them for blocking for him,” his mother says. “ The only reason I knew that is that one of the kids was the coach’s son. The coach called me and told me. He said he’s never seen that as long as he’s been coaching. . . . Maurice got that from my father. My father told him always give credit to your team. It’s a team sport. You can’t do it by yourself.”