Troy Aikman to have number retired by UCLA

Troy Aikman’s last game in the Rose Bowl wasn’t when he was playing UCLA, but when he was in the NFL.

In 1993, Super Bowl XXVII was held in Pasadena and pitted the Dallas Cowboys against the Buffalo Bills. Aikman, who quarterbacked the Cowboys after his time at UCLA, was named the Super Bowl MVP after throwing for 273 yards and four touchdowns to lead his team to a 52-17 victory.

That game, which was played more than 20 years ago, is the last time Aikman has been back in the Rose Bowl.

But Aikman will return to his old home stadium when UCLA plays Stanford on Nov. 28. That’s when the Bruins will retire his No. 8 jersey, making him the ninth player in team history to receive such an honor.

“It’s hard for me to express what this means to me,” Aikman said in a conference call on Monday. “It’s as big an honor as I’ve ever received. I couldn’t be more thrilled about it, super excited to get out there in November for the ceremony.”

Aikman said his best memory at the Rose Bowl was beating Nebraska, 41-28, in 1988. In that game, he threw for 205 yards and a touchdown in front of 84,086.

He didn’t beat USC or win a conference championship in his two seasons in Westwood, but still finished as one of the best quarterbacks in school history. After transferring from Oklahoma, Aikman played for the Bruins in 1987 and 1988. In his two seasons, UCLA went 20-4, and Aikman became the first quarterback in school history to have back-to-back 10-win seasons. Before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, he became an All-American and placed third in Heisman trophy voting his senior season.

In the NFL, he won three Super Bowls, was a six-time Pro-Bowler, and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2005. The teams he played on at UCLA, though, remain some of his favorite.

“It was as much a team as anything I’d been a part of,” Aikman said. “I had some years in Dallas when we were like that and had great success, but those years at UCLA were terrific. … It was just a great experience for me after getting through a tough couple of years at Oklahoma and being in an offense I was not suited for.”

Aikman now works on the broadcast side of football for Fox. He’s worked four Super Bowls and won an Emmy in 2004 for his work. Because of his schedule, he’s only been to two UCLA games since graduating, and none at home.

It’s been a while, but Aikman can’t wait to get back.

“It’s going to be a great day for myself, and my daughters will be with me,” Aikman said. “I’m pretty fired up about being back home.”

For more Bruin observations, follow Everett Cook on Twitter @everettcook