UPDATE: Adam Rose of What’s Bruin actually asked Neuheisel how he pulled off the helicopter deal. He assured him that a booster paid for it and it was permitted by the NCAA rules. Thank God.
There he goes again.
Driving? That is sooooooo what that team across town does.
Yep. Rick Neuheisel took the skies friday night in a helicopter to visit UCLA recruits. Brian Dohn has the skinny on “Air Neuheisel”:
UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel brought some of his well-known flair into recruiting Friday when he beat the brutal Los Angeles evening commute by doing what all quarterbacks love to do - he went to the air.
Neuheisel saw UCLA target Shaquelle Evans, a receiver, and his Inglewood team play against Wilson, then took a helicopter from nearby Hawthorne Airport and flew the 60 miles to watch Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga quarterback Richard Brehaut, a UCLA commit, play Bishop Amat of La Puente and cornerback Sheldon Price, also a Bruins commit.
Neuheisel actually wanted to land on the adjacent baseball and walk to the football field, commander-in-chief style…but the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department wouldn’t have any of it:
Originally, the helicopter was cleared by the school to land on the adjacent baseball field, which would have allowed him to walk to the football game.
However, Brehaut said he received an e-mail from Neuheisel, stating the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department would not allow the helicopter to land at the school. Instead, the helicopter landed at Ontario Airport, and Neuheisel made the eight-mile drive to Los Osos High and arrived near the end of the game.
And the recruits? They were pretty friggin’ impressed:
“That’s so awesome that he would take a helicopter to see us play, Sheldon and I,” Brehaut said. “It just shows how dedicated he is to his recruits, and letting us know he can’t wait to get us there. It just makes you feel really cool that your future head coach takes a helicopter to see you play in high school. That’s just awesome.”
Remember that scene from the Little Giants when Ed O’Neill and Rick Moranis race to recruit that Spike kid? Well, Neuheisel would have kicked both their asses. Just two more thoughts from me on this:
1) I really really really hope he didn’t break any rules.
2) I really really really hope, as a california taxpayer, I didn’t pay for any of this.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
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