No one wore his love for UCLA on his chest quite like Paul Cameron. When his daughter Kathleen enrolled at the school, she learned just how much of an impact her father had truly left on Westwood.
"He took great pride in it," she said. "And so being on the younger end of the (seven) siblings, it would just come out in passing and we would just be walking around and I'd talk to one of my friends' parents — since I was younger, they all were high school children when he was at UCLA — and they were like, 'Wow.'
"And when I met my husband and he called to tell his dad we were getting married, his biggest thing was, 'Wow, you married Paul Cameron's daughter.' So, it did leave a sense of pride that locally everybody knew who he was and he was respected."
Now that legacy has an exclamation point. Cameron is entering the College Football Hall of Fame, becoming the 17th person associated with the Bruins to receive the honor.
The news was made official on Jan. 8, 2024, just 17 days after Cameron passed away at the age of 91.
"When we got the news, Dad had just passed," said Scott, Paul's son. "And we were all with him when he died. So, we're a close group. And I must say that for us, it just made it even sweeter to have the recognition right then at that time. It's pretty remarkable. And so we're really honored and have big, big, proud, swollen hearts with this honor."
A jack of all trades for UCLA, Cameron ran, threw, defended and even punted as well as just about anyone ever had in a Bruins uniform. He exited UCLA as the school's career leader in total offense (3,332 yards), touchdown passes (25) and yards per punt (41.83).
Cameron was named Team MVP in 1951 and '53, and he led the Bruins in interceptions in '53 (four). He averaged 13.1 yards per return on 23 punt returns as well.
He had season tickets for multiple UCLA sporting events and regularly brought his family to games.
"I remember him taking us to basketball games and to track meets," his son Jim said, adding: "He never bragged about his career."
UCLA went 21-6-1 during his three seasons in Westwood, including winning the Pacific Coast Conference in 1953 and appearing in the Rose Bowl against Michigan State, which was the first game televised nationally in color. The Bruins finished at No. 5 in the final 1953 AP Poll with an 8-2 record and at No. 6 in 1952 with an 8-1 record.
Cameron finished in the top-six of the Heisman Trophy voting in 1952 and '53. The Bruins retired his No. 34 jersey, and he became a charter member of the school's athletics Hall of Fame in 1984.
"He had a good relationship with Red Sanders, and loved him, thought he was the greatest football coach," Scott said. "Also, Dad had a good relationship with John Wooden. He didn't play basketball at UCLA, but he was maybe good enough…. They would say hi at basketball games. And that was nice, because of course Wooden was such a legend. And so, as a little kid to get introduced to Wooden and see that kind of nice respect that they had for one another was special."
The Steelers drafted Cameron in 1954, and he spent a year with Pittsburgh before embarking on a four-year career in Canada with the BC Lions. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954-56.
Cameron later made a name for himself in Hollywood, working his way up to vice president of production with EMI Television.
"My father was ill this past year, and he was talking about his accomplishments with us, and he was amazed by the athletes in his sport, and would have been thrilled," Kathleen said. "He was so proud of his career. And I think he would have been speechless. I know it would have (been) very touching for him, because in his last years, he was very reflective of his career, and mentioned that he had been recognized at many different levels — high school, college, the Army, professionally, and with Canada.
"This was such a sense of pride for him, and to have him acknowledged this way I truly think would have been the pièce de résistance for him."
PAUL CAMERON: UP CLOSE
- Earned First Team All-America honors in 1952 and consensus laurels in 1953, finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1953 and sixth in 1952.
- Amassed 3,332 yards of total offense during his career, rushing for 1,451 yards and 19 touchdowns while passing for 1,881 yards and 25 touchdowns during his career.
- Average 20.2 yards per kickoff return and 13.1 yards on punt returns while also corralling four interceptions on defense.
- Played for College Football Hall of Fame Coach Red Sanders.
- Becomes the 14th Bruin to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
