Underdog Done Good

Persistence Pays Off

Three days later, Raih was back at UCLA, tracking Neuheisel down. Neuheisel promised a sit-down conversation. Raih waited for that conversation on Neuheisel’s couch for four hours. It was 8:30 p.m., and Raih was supposed to be catching a plane to Las Vegas to receive a national sales award from his medical device company.

Neuheisel finally came back to his office to find Raih, still waiting, and said, “Who are you? What’s your deal?”

Raih told his story: How he had grown up in Minnesota, walked on in Iowa to play quarterback, studied business and had spent three years in the business world. And yet, at the age of 27, he wanted to give up a well-paying job to coach football.

Neuheisel was familiar with the story. He told Raih that he had grown up in Wisconsin, walked on at UCLA to play quarterback, spent three years in law school, until he took a graduate assistant position with the Bruins, also at 27.

Despite the similarities, Neuheisel told Raih that he was “absolutely crazy” and that he should just go away for two weeks to think about it and make sure it was really what he wanted. Neuheisel didn’t think he’d ever see Raih again.

But he was wrong. Raih kept coming back and dropping off letters, and had Ferentz call Neuheisel on his behalf. Finally, Neuheisel had had enough. He told Raih there was no room left on the UCLA staff.

But Raih still didn’t give up. He told Neuheisel that he’d work without pay for a month, or three months, or six months, or however long it took, and that Neuheisel could kick him out if he wasn’t doing a good job.

It was only then that Neuheisel said he’d give Raih 10 weeks to prove his worth as his personal intern giving him every lousy job there was so that he’d quit. He told Raih to be sure his medical device company would take him back.

So there he was, a former medical device sales professional, cleaning out recycling bins, organizing playbooks and supply rooms, driving Neuheisel to speaking engagements, and helping out with UCLA’s high school coaching clinic—and getting paid nothing!

But Raih is the product of a good family with a strong work ethic and solid values, and he proved to be extremely valuable. It only took him six weeks to win over Neuheisel, who promoted him to offensive intern to assist offensive coordinator Norm Chow, where he got paid a “very, very, very nominal amount,” he says.

On September 1, when the Bruins opened their season against Tennessee, Raih was on the sidelines in the Rose Bowl, his dream of coaching realized.

Well done, David! Who’da thunk a kid from our neighborhood would someday be coaching for the UCLA Bruins? Thanks for giving us all a lesson about having the guts to pursue our dreams with determination, persistence, and sacrifice. Best of luck to you and the Bruins . . . unless, of course, you play the Gophers!