One Stand-Up Guy Makes Difference for UCLA

Throughout the rest of college basketball, it’s the hottest form of harassment.

At UCLA, it’s the loneliest.

Throughout the rest of college basketball, when a visiting player walks to the foul line, hundreds of fans behind that basket stand and wave their arms and holler.

At UCLA, this is done by one.

When a visiting player steps in front of Pauley Pavilion’s east basket, only one fan in the end zone bleachers tries to distract him.

Only one fan stands, waves his arms and hollers.

This being the final home weekend of a tumultuous Bruin winter, perhaps this fan should know somebody is listening.

Mark Kowal, one voice, the strength of many.

“He’s the best,” senior forward Sean Farnham said. “He’s always there, always cheering the same way. People like him are so special.”

Special.

Kowal, 34, used to hear that only because he was born with a mild form of cerebral palsy and aphasia, a disorder that makes it difficult to process language.

But his love of UCLA and sports helped give him words. It found acceptance. It cleared a space.

Now that he speaks and understands well enough to hold down a full-time job and lead a normal life, he is known as something else.

Mark Kowal is the immovable Bruin.

“He doesn’t get caught up in the politics or other stuff that goes on,” said his brother, Eric, assistant video director for the UCLA athletic department. “A lot of fans go up and down, but Mark stays true.”

True and blue and impossible to miss.

Been to a game at Pauley Pavilion in the last five years? Then you’ve seen him.

Section 116B. Row 1. Seat 8.

The tall guy with the glasses, mustache and scorecard.

If you still can’t pick him out, wait for somebody on the other team to shoot a first-half free throw.

Then you’ll know.

His voice is not always the loudest. His hands don’t always wave in rhythm. It’s absolutely perfect.

“I just love UCLA, and I love to cheer,” he said. “I like to jump up and down and distract the other guys as best I can. It’s good for us.”

Some might find it sad that a venerable school like UCLA has only one person participating in the sport’s most venerable cheers.

Mark Kowal merely considers it another challenge.

“I am definitely surprised more fans don’t do it, and I certainly recommend that they do,” he said.

Not that their apathy is bad, of course. Kowal can’t imagine how anything associated with UCLA could be bad.

“Our fans are great, we’ve had hard times, but we’ll be fine,” he said. “I believe that.”

Funny what can happen when you believe.

The UCLA sports information department recently dug through this season’s statistics and came up with one designed only for the immovable Bruin.

In the first half of games, facing Kowal, opponents connected on 66.7% of their free throws.

In the second half of games, facing the distant seats of the west end, opponents shot 67.8%.

The way Kowal sees it, 1% is 1%.

“I’ve been told I have an effect on things,” he said with a laugh.

Others like to talk about the effect the Bruins, and sports, have had on him.

“Sports taught him math because he wanted to know batting averages,” explained his mother, Marti. “Sports gave him a reason to learn to read.”

One of his early teachers thought he was autistic when he kept repeating “Ann Meyers did great last night at the UCLA basketball game.”

Turns out, the previous night, Ann Meyers did play great for UCLA.

After progressing from his special schools to Eagle Rock High, Kowal navigated an unfamiliar place by becoming the only student to attend all the sporting events.

“All the athletes defended him,” said his mother.

He became the manager for a couple of teams, and then scorekeeper, working for everything from girls’ basketball to gymnastics.

Soon he became one of the school’s most popular figures simply by, well, being immovable.

“Socially, sports help him blend in, fit in, everybody knew him,” his mother said.

He did not attend UCLA, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to love the Bruins.

His only participation sport is bowling--he has a 183 average--but that does not stop him from watching everything else.

He became a fixture at football games, then basketball games, then moved to the Pauley floor in 1995 when he started using his brother’s tickets.

Five years later, UCLA coaches call him on his birthday. Lavin invites him into the locker room. Players walk over to shake his hand. Their parents sometimes check his scorecard for statistics.

“The people around here respect him,” his brother Eric said. “They know he’s always with us.”

Just ask him.

On Lavin, Kowal said, “I wish everybody would get off his back. He’s doing his best.”

On the Bruins’ chances in the NCAA tournament, he said, “Hopefully, we can make it to the Sweet 16.”

And if not? “Then we’ll just get them next year.”

When Mark Kowal walked to the podium at his high school graduation, his resilience was awarded with a standing ovation.

Consider this another one.

*

Bill Plaschke can be reached at his e-mail address: bill.plaschke@latimes.com.

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