Spring Sing History

The Spring Sing Story

It was right before the close of World War II that a few of the more enterprising - and certainly more romantic - UCLA fraternities began the quaint custom of serenading sorority sisters. It wasn't long before there was a difference of opinion as to whose group was the best.

The gauntlet was thrown, and the challenge was accepted. In 1945, ASUCLA director William Ackerman arranged for the first Spring Sing competition to be held in Royce Hall with 11 groups competing.

The singing competition grew quickly. In the years to follow, the event outgrew Royce Hall and was moved to the open-air theater on campus. When the theater was demolished to make room for construction of the UCLA Medical Center, the competition was moved to the Hollywood Bowl, where each year the challenge was renewed and witnessed by some 15,000 Bruins and friends. Celebrities - including Ronald Reagan in 1952 - served as masters of ceremonies and judges. Contest winners were recorded and the albums were distributed with yearbooks and later sold separately in the student store.

When Pauley Pavilion opened in 1966, Spring Sing returned to UCLA for two years; however, after the 1967 show Spring Sing fell dormant for a decade, until student and alumni interest revived the event in 1978.

In 1986, the Student Alumni Association became the organizers of the event in an effort to return the show to its previous glory and have it represent the diversity of today's students. By 1989, Spring Sing moved back outdoors to Los Angeles Tennis Center and it continues to grow to be a bigger and better show for Bruins, young and old.

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