Kase Work Just About Over : Football: Defensive lineman and Academic All-American from Hart High considers a career after football on eve of Aloha Bowl against Kansas, which will be his final game as a Bruin.

As UCLA defensive tackle George Kase prepares to put on his blue and gold uniform for the last time Monday, his future is gray.

“I gotta get a job,” Kase said while preparing for the Aloha Bowl against Kansas. “I’ve explored a lot of things. But I really don’t know what I want to do yet.”

Five years ago, Kase came to UCLA from Hart High with similar doubts, which he quickly dismissed.

As a somewhat smallish 6-foot-3, 250-pound lineman, he has started the past three seasons and leads the Bruins in sacks this season with five and tackles for a loss with 15.

Barely eligible after his first quarter at UCLA, Kase has become a force in the classroom. He has a 3.61 grade-point average and is only one of 12 players in Bruin football history chosen first-team Academic All-American--the highest honor for a college scholar-athlete.

“When I first got to college I thought it would be just like high school, but my first quarter was a rude awakening,” said Kase, who had a GPA of only 2.2 after one semester. “I spoke with my parents and I just really motivated myself to stay here. I haven’t been below a 3.4 in any semester since.

“I didn’t really have a plan. I just wanted to leave with a degree and start in football. Things worked out well for me.”

Kase initially wanted to follow the path of his father, George Sr., and majored in engineering. But when he found engineering too tedious, he switched to economics and became fast friends with former Bruin basketball center George Zidek, who carried a 3.8 GPA.

Kase said he and the 7-foot Zidek were afraid to be anything short of top achievers.

“We were the two biggest guys in our classes,” Kase said. “We just stood out and didn’t want to come off as stupid. We wanted to fit in with the scheme of things.”

Kase is one of only 19 players in the history of the UCLA-USC game to win five years in a row against his rival.

And despite his impressive statistics (137 career tackles, 90 solo, 11 sacks), pro football doesn’t fit into his plans, he said, because he’s too small.

But football is just about all behind him now. Three classes away from graduation and with Coach Terry Donahue having announced his resignation after 20 seasons, Kase desperately wants to help the 7-4 Bruins beat Kansas (9-2) on Christmas Day.

“I really want [Donahue] to go out with a victory,” Kase said. “He brought me here. Terry Donahue is a player’s coach. Everybody wants to win for him. There’s definite emotion there.”

Kansas is a formidable opponent with its own coach, Glen Mason, leaving to become head coach at Georgia.

“They’re 9-2, No. 11 in the nation,” Kase said. “They beat Colorado. They’re good. We’re confident. If we come out and play like we did against SC or Miami, we can beat them.”