On Wednesday, we wrote about the pranks exchanged between USC and UCLA students, including a UCLA dorm being lit up to spell “F*** SC.” As it turns out, the widely circulated photo — shared by many via social media and reported by other websites in addition to ours — is likely from 35 years ago.
Redditors who commented on the photo pointed out the existence of the same photo from 1977 as well as 1) The fact that other photos from different angles would have been shared had the prank been pulled today; and 2) The second and third floors of the dorm, Sproul Hall, are under construction and yet no construction equipment is visible in the photo.
A Daily Bruin article from December 2006 confirms that the prank was actually pulled off in 1977 by then-UCLA students David Tilles and Matt Natalizio in advance of a basketball game against the Trojans.
Count us among the disappointed that one of the best college sports pranks in recent memory apparently isn’t real.
[LAist]
