If it seems like old times at UCLA, then Ken Norton Jr. will have succeeded in return

The outdated linebacker is educating the brand new technology what it means to follow like a Bruin.

“Get there, get there, get there!” he hollers throughout a pursuit drill. “Nice intent, now. Nice intent!”

The outdated linebacker desires his successors to grasp what it means to be imply.

“See ball, get ball,” he howls. “Gotta have it!”

The outdated linebacker … nicely, he isn’t joyful.

“Naw, naw, naw,” he says. “Come again.”

Ken Norton Jr. desires a do-over. This isn’t as much as the UCLA normal. The workforce’s new inside linebackers coach wiggles his fingers, beckoning Jake Newman again to the blocking sled.

A member of the final batch of Bruins to win a Rose Bowl, solely weeks earlier than the house shuttle Challenger exploded in January 1986, Norton is forging a brand new legacy at his alma mater.

Halfhearted effort doesn’t minimize it. Norton crouches in entrance of the sled, displaying Newman how one can place his physique and strike with extra power. Taking a feeble slap on the ball, Norton mimics the best way Newman had tried to power a turnover.

Norton throws a number of jabs along with his proper hand into the heavy late-summer air to reveal energy. The namesake son of a heavyweight boxing champion seems able to go the space.

“Rise up in there!” Norton instructions. “Palms up excessive. Go!”

It’s go time in Westwood, due to perhaps the best Bruins linebacker of all of them. He has returned to recapture blue-and-gold grandeur, a 55-year-old with a hitch in his stride placing a spring within the step of gamers roughly one-third his age.

“I simply wish to do my half,” he instructed The Occasions afterward the identical follow area, “in serving to us regain that glory.”

For the reason that onetime All-American left UCLA for the NFL greater than three a long time in the past, Norton hasn’t watched the Bruins intently. He hasn’t missed a lot. UCLA has been again to the Rose Bowl solely twice, in 1994 and 1999, dropping each occasions.

In the meantime, Norton continued to thrive. A 3-time Professional Bowl choice, he grew to become the primary participant to win three consecutive Tremendous Bowls, two coming with the Dallas Cowboys and one with the San Francisco 49ers. As a coach, he was a part of USC’s nationwide championship within the 2004 season and one other Tremendous Bowl title with the Seattle Seahawks within the 2013 season, successes that got here below longtime UCLA nemesis Pete Carroll.

Alongside the best way, Norton by no means ceased an inside eight-clap.

“In all places I’ve gone on my journey,” Norton mentioned, “UCLA has at all times been in my coronary heart.”

Some shudder on the thought Norton may have remained a Bruin this complete time. He made robust overtures about becoming a member of the UCLA employees upon Karl Dorrell’s hiring earlier than the 2003 season, however a misunderstanding led to Norton turning into a Trojan. Dorrell mentioned on the time that his solely opening was for a full-time place and he wasn’t certain whether or not Norton simply needed to dabble within the occupation, his first job coming as an assistant at Los Angeles Hamilton Excessive.

“In all places I’ve gone on my journey, UCLA has at all times been in my coronary heart,” mentioned Ken Norton Jr., who received three consecutive Tremendous Bowls as a linebacker with Dallas and San Francisco.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Occasions)

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By the point Dorrell dangled a graduate assistant job, Norton had already taken the identical put up throughout city. Perhaps it was simply as nicely, Norton mentioned this week.

“On the time, I used to be very emotionally concerned,” he mentioned, “however issues turned out for the higher. You already know, I’ve had a extremely thrilling teaching profession and it’s been actually enjoyable, so it didn’t occur for a motive as a result of I used to be capable of develop and expertise so many various issues and be touched by so many gamers and coaches and conditions.”

A kind of coaches was almost UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel, who tried to deliver again Norton to Westwood as an assistant head coach earlier than the 2008 season. Norton mentioned no, telling reporters the timing wasn’t proper to come back house.

The awkwardness intensified later that 12 months when Norton alleged Bruins coaches have been attempting to lure recruits by telling them Norton would be part of the UCLA employees if defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker left for an additional job.

Requested about that scenario this week, Norton mentioned he had forgotten the small print, the passage of so a few years fogging his reminiscence. Regardless of. He’s again now, Carroll lastly doing UCLA a favor early this 12 months by dismissing Norton as Seattle’s defensive coordinator.

Chip Kelly pounced on the chance, the Bruins coach acquainted with Norton’s worth as a rival at Oregon and within the NFL. It helped that UCLA had a gap at Norton’s place within the wake of Don Pellum’s retirement.

Ken Norton Jr., proper, was a standout linebacker at UCLA and helped lead the Bruins to their final Rose Bowl victory, in January 1986.

(Getty Pictures)

“Ken was in all probability the primary man we considered, introduced him in to go to with him a bit of bit,” Kelly mentioned. “He nonetheless has a home right here [in Marina del Rey], so that is type of an offseason house for him, so it simply type of lined up and match.”

Reminders of Norton’s time as a Bruin are — and aren’t — in all places. The gleaming Wasserman Soccer Middle and fancy follow area are a part of an athletics overhaul that make the coach really feel he may as nicely be on Mars, not again at his alma mater. However the regal tutorial buildings nonetheless have the identical maintain on him when he strolls to different elements of campus.

That outdated rivalry hatred has additionally been revived. Norton referred to USC as “the opposite faculty” and prompt the Bruins is perhaps on the verge of a return to their house stadium shortly after the calendar flipped to 2023.

“I believe we’re about due,” Norton mentioned. “We’re about as a result of make some new recollections within the Rose Bowl.”

They actually received’t go down quietly. Norton’s voice is the one which recurrently carries throughout the follow area every morning, phrases that may frighten others invigorating the latest batch of Bruins.

“He’s onerous on us, [but] it’s not any onerous emotions,” linebacker Darius Muasau mentioned. “On the finish of the day, he’s simply getting his message throughout by means of all of the yelling. You already know, he’s an old-school coach — he’s been right here, he performed right here, been within the league, coached within the league, been there, accomplished that, in order that’s simply his means of teaching and we’re all simply adapting to him and we’re loving each second of that.”

New inside linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. is “onerous on us, [but] it’s not any onerous emotions,” Bruins linebacker Darius Muasau mentioned.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Occasions)

Properly, perhaps not each second.

After absorbing his prolonged tutorial, Newman launched himself into the sled, the steel base lifting off the bottom earlier than touchdown with a heavy thud. He stepped towards the ball provider and slapped the ball towards the turf earlier than selecting it up.

It nonetheless wasn’t adequate for the outdated linebacker who is aware of the way it must be accomplished.

“OK, OK,” Norton mentioned “Now, we’ll work on that.”