Friday Flashback: Tod Spieker Gives Back to UCLA at Every Turn

@RoseBowlStadiumAs we move closer to the horizon of football season (yay!), I thought it fitting to profile the man for whom the field at the Rose Bowl was named last year.

As planes were flying overhead calling for the firing of then-head coach Jim Mora, something great was taking place on the field. Tod Spieker, a former UCLA swimmer, had donated $10 million of the $40 million that was being raised to finish improvements on the facility in time for the stadium’s 100th anniversary, which will be in 2022. Spieker’s name now appears on the hedges surrounding the edges of the field. This donation will ensure that the Rose Bowl will be around for decades to come.

But you must be an incredibly…