Donn Moomaw
UCLA Remembers Hall of Famer Donn Moomaw
February 11, 2025 | Football
UCLA Athletic and College Football Hall of Famer Donn Moomaw, the first two-time All-American in program history, passed away Monday in Pasadena, Calif. He was 93.
Moomaw was a two-way star for the Bruins from 1950-52, arriving on campus as an end before being shifted to center and linebacker by head coach Henry "Red" Sanders. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound standout immediately found a home on defense, twice earning team MVP honors and garnering Lineman of the Year accolades as a senior. Considered one of the best linebackers in UCLA history, Moomaw's No. 80 is retired by the program.
His decorated senior season accompanied one of the best by a Bruin team, as the 1952 group went 8-1 and reached the Pacific Coast Conference championship game. Two years later, UCLA won its first national championship. Moomaw in 1952 played what Sanders called "the greatest game I ever saw a linebacker play," as the visiting Bruins held Alan Ameche and Wisconsin to just 48 rushing yards on Oct. 25. The Badgers entered play that day averaging 240 yards per game on the ground. Moomaw, a co-captain, finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and was a consensus All-American.
Injuries in 1951 limited him to the All-America second team, but he was deemed an All-Conference first-teamer for the second of three consecutive years. In UCLA's season finale at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Moomaw had an interception return for a touchdown to help the Bruins upset crosstown rival USC 21-7.
Moomaw also collected accolades off the field for his academic prowess. He earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-Americaยฎ First Team in 1952 and was inducted into the organization's first hall-of-fame class in 1988. Also a charter member of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame (1984), he joined the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
Santa Ana, Calif. native Moomaw was a first-round draft pick of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 1953, but his time at the next level was abbreviated due to his pursuits of a career in the ministry. He would graduate from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in divinity and in 1968 added a doctor of divinity from Sterling College. Moomaw played parts of two seasons in the CFL while attending Princeton Seminary.
He was senior pastor at Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles from 1964-1993 and during this time met Ronald Reagan. Moomaw offered invocations at Reagan's 1967 and 1971 inaugurations as governor of California, as well as his 1981 and 1985 inaugurations as president of the United States. Moomaw served on the California State Board of Education from 1968-1972.
He and his wife, the late Carol Moomaw, were the parents to sons Dann Moomaw and Jonn Moomaw and daughters Nancy Goodwin, Michelle Le Beau and Carrie Brakebush, and grandparents to 10. Donn Moomaw had one brother, Dick Moomaw, and one sister, Jane Elson. There are no service plans at this time.
Moomaw was a two-way star for the Bruins from 1950-52, arriving on campus as an end before being shifted to center and linebacker by head coach Henry "Red" Sanders. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound standout immediately found a home on defense, twice earning team MVP honors and garnering Lineman of the Year accolades as a senior. Considered one of the best linebackers in UCLA history, Moomaw's No. 80 is retired by the program.
His decorated senior season accompanied one of the best by a Bruin team, as the 1952 group went 8-1 and reached the Pacific Coast Conference championship game. Two years later, UCLA won its first national championship. Moomaw in 1952 played what Sanders called "the greatest game I ever saw a linebacker play," as the visiting Bruins held Alan Ameche and Wisconsin to just 48 rushing yards on Oct. 25. The Badgers entered play that day averaging 240 yards per game on the ground. Moomaw, a co-captain, finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and was a consensus All-American.
Injuries in 1951 limited him to the All-America second team, but he was deemed an All-Conference first-teamer for the second of three consecutive years. In UCLA's season finale at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Moomaw had an interception return for a touchdown to help the Bruins upset crosstown rival USC 21-7.
Moomaw also collected accolades off the field for his academic prowess. He earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-Americaยฎ First Team in 1952 and was inducted into the organization's first hall-of-fame class in 1988. Also a charter member of the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame (1984), he joined the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
Santa Ana, Calif. native Moomaw was a first-round draft pick of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 1953, but his time at the next level was abbreviated due to his pursuits of a career in the ministry. He would graduate from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in divinity and in 1968 added a doctor of divinity from Sterling College. Moomaw played parts of two seasons in the CFL while attending Princeton Seminary.
He was senior pastor at Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles from 1964-1993 and during this time met Ronald Reagan. Moomaw offered invocations at Reagan's 1967 and 1971 inaugurations as governor of California, as well as his 1981 and 1985 inaugurations as president of the United States. Moomaw served on the California State Board of Education from 1968-1972.
He and his wife, the late Carol Moomaw, were the parents to sons Dann Moomaw and Jonn Moomaw and daughters Nancy Goodwin, Michelle Le Beau and Carrie Brakebush, and grandparents to 10. Donn Moomaw had one brother, Dick Moomaw, and one sister, Jane Elson. There are no service plans at this time.
UCLA Football Postgame - vs. New Mexico (Sept. 12, 2025)
Saturday, September 13
Bruin Insider Show - DeShaun Foster (Sept. 10, 2025)
Wednesday, September 10
UCLA Football Media Availability - Ikaika Malloe (Sept. 9, 2025)
Tuesday, September 09
UCLA Football Media Availability - Anthony Jones (Sept. 9, 2025)
Tuesday, September 09