At Notre Dame, they talk about winning one for the Gipper.

At UCLA, one man talks -- make that, shouts -- about winning one for Ducky.

Think the latter request, regardless of how it is delivered, lacks the umph needed to create a ruckus?

If so, get within earshot of UCLA's Spaulding Field late this afternoon, and you might find yourself thinking otherwise.

"We wait for this day every year," UCLA senior cornerback Jason Bell said. "We talk about it in practice. We remind each other it's coming."

It is the story of the late Elvin C. "Ducky" Drake, a UCLA alum, track coach and trainer considered by many as the father of the school's athletic program.

It is the story of Drake's deep-seeded dislike for the California Golden Bears, who long were viewed as the golden boys of the University of California system.

And, most of all, it is a significant part of UCLA history no one can relate as well or as loudly as Ed Kezirian, a former UCLA football player, current athletic department administrator and all-around good guy with a great set of pipes.

"You can be a mile away and hear it," Bruins football coach Bob Toledo said.

Normally a soft-spoken, mild-mannered type, Kezirian won't apologize for raising his voice -- or the tiny hairs on the back of anyone's neck -- while delivering his annual address, which focuses on how much beating Cal meant to Drake.

"I get emotional," said Kezirian, UCLA's assistant director of academic services. "I get excited. I think tradition is important. I want the kids to know about Ducky Drake."

As the 13th-ranked Bruins prepared for this week's game against Cal at Berkeley, Kezirian warmed up for today's speech by talking about Drake, who was affiliated with UCLA for more than 60 years as a student-athlete, coach and trainer.

Kezirian said he never realized how much the Cal-UCLA rivalry meant to Drake until 1972.

Kezirian was a junior on the UCLA football team that season. Drake, who planned to retire at the end of the year, asked then-football coach Pepper Rodgers if he could talk to the team after practice on the Thursday before the Cal game.

Rodgers agreed, and a tradition was born.

In an emotional speech, Drake told of how he perceived that UCLA, as Cal's little brother in the UC system, always got the hand-me-downs and leftovers.

Drake implored the Bruins to go into Saturday's game against Cal and, "Line up and whip the man across from you."

Kezirian recalled, "I think all the players, including myself, were surprised to hear Ducky's emotions for playing Cal."

The Bruins defeated Cal, 49-13.

For the next 16 years, Drake returned to UCLA on the Thursday before the Cal game and delivered the same address. And the Bruins won.

Drake died of heart attack on Dec. 23, 1988. He was 85.

In 1989, Drake's widow, Rose, spoke to the team on the Thursday before the Cal game. The Bruins won.

From 1972 through 1989, UCLA had a perfect 18-0 record against Cal.

In 1990, for reasons no one can recall, no one called the team together after practice on the Thursday before the Cal game. The Bruins lost.

The story went untold until 1995, when Kezirian stepped forward.

UCLA had lost five consecutive games to Cal.

Kezirian made then-Coach Terry Donahue aware of the streak and his desire to talk to the team on the Thursday before the Cal game.

Donahue agreed. Kezirian spoke. The Bruins won.

With that, Kezirian added another duty to his job description and says he relishes the opportunity to share a piece of UCLA history with the football team each fall.

"But I'm no Ducky Drake," he said, "as evidenced by last season's loss."

The Bears' 17-0 victory over the Bruins last season at the Rose Bowl was Cal's first in the series since 1994.

Undaunted, Kezirian will return to Spaulding Field today.

"I just want the kids to know what Ducky Drake meant to UCLA," he said. "He was here for 62 years, serving as a trainer emeritus after he retired in 1972.

"I want them to know how loving and giving Ducky was. And I want them to know how important the Cal game was to him."

Players say Kezirian has gotten his message across.

"It is one of the most intense speeches I've ever heard," said sophomore punter Nate Fikse. "When he starts calling out people -- asking, `What are you going to do?' -- it really puts you in your place."

Bell has heard the spiel before but admits he still gets goose bumps.

"Even though I've been through it four times and it's always the same, you're still not ready for it," Bell said. "It's emotional."

That's especially true for Kezirian.

"I remember Ducky saying, `Line up and whip the man across from you,' " Kezirian said.

"Try to imagine him saying that in 1987 or 1988, when he was 84, 85 years old. Can you imagine him pointing his finger and saying, `Line up and whip the man across from you'?

"I'm not sure some of the guys standing in the back could even hear what he had to say then. But when he was finished, they'd still all cheer. It was out of respect. It was part of the tradition.

"By Saturday, I'm sure all the players will be thinking about UCLA football and playing their best. And I'd like to believe they will think about Ducky, too."