Family Affair

By Scott Marshutz
09/07

It’s all about family, and this family has grown exponentially. In 2001, Bernie and Julie Ware were wandering around the Rose Bowl parking lot wondering how parents got involved in a tailgating group. (Their eldest son, Mathew, became a University of California, Los Angeles Bruin that year; he’s now a defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals. Matt’s brother Aaron has two years of eligibility remaining.)

“We had no experience tailgating with other parents,” says Bernie, an attorney in Los Angeles.

It sparked an idea, which turns out the Wares had plenty of experience in: hosting parties. “We used to own a catering business, and we know how to party,” he adds.

So instead of trying to join someone else’s group, they started their own.

The potluck gatherings started small, about 25 or so. But as more people got involved, they had to reserve a larger space. “It’s probably 60 feet by 80 feet now,” says Sandy Radicevic, who owns Premiere Party Rents and donates tents, chairs and tables to the group. Her son Steven Urrutia transferred from University of California, Davis, last year.

More importantly, the area is located close to where the UCLA team bus drops off the players. The anticipation of the players’ arrival only adds to the excitement of the tailgate experience. “The kids come off the bus and they get to hug their parents and friends on their way into the Rose Bowl,” Bernie adds.
Word spread like wild fire and now the gatherings reach as high as 350, especially when UCLA plays its cross-town rival University of Southern California. Parents come from as far away as Virginia and Texas to attend games and join in the festivities.

A big reason The Special Team has grown so quickly is the way in which the Wares have positioned it. When a new student joins the team, Bob Lopez, UCLA’s director of football operations, puts them in touch with the Wares. Bernie makes the introduction and welcomes a new student/player and his parents into the community. “When we arrived, parents didn’t know each other,” Bernie says. “But now when you join the UCLA family, you have an opportunity to know every one, and some of these relationships last beyond football. It’s a great networking tool.”

And the group’s mission runs much deeper than hosting a typical beer-barbecue blowout. “Our slogan is ‘family matters.’ It’s important to be family, to be there to support your kids and to provide a framework to continue to do that.” To better handle the flow of information and inquiries the group received, they launched a website (thespecialteam.com). The group is self-supported and assumes three major costs: site reservation fees, beverages and Senior Family Appreciation Day. On average, members pay $100 per season to join in the fun.
Back at the party, the group enjoys regular visits by the UCLA alumni band, which plays a couple of ‘fight’ songs to get them pumped up. Jeff Strand, a popular cheerleader, yells out “every man, woman and child” before he starts a cheer along with a huge bell adds to the entertainment as well. A successful tailgate isn’t complete without a variety of cuisine, and the spread offered by The Special Team holds up to any other in the Rose Bowl parking lot. “People are coming in from all over the country and they’re bringing in an amazing amount of home-made dishes,” Bernie says. “We’ll have fried chicken, carne asada, very hot chili, pancakes—you name it.”

Like the other changes made to accommodate growth and popularity, the group has hired a caterer for the first time this season.

Although Aaron still has two years of eligibility remaining, the Wares are already thinking about the future. “It’s a lot of work,” says Bernie. “We’re hoping someone will step up to the plate and take over.”

Even so, he says he’ll miss the experience once it’s over.

“It ranks very close to the top in terms of things I’ve done in my life. It’s something we look forward to every year, and we’ll forego other things during the football season for this.”