UCLA’s Nick Pasquale remembered; funeral a ‘great tribute’

A funeral was held Sunday for UCLA football player Nick Pasquale, who had been hit and killed by a car in San Clemente one week earlier. More than 1,000 friends, family and teammates turned out for the memorial service.

As a child, Nick had a bone disorder in his hip that was supposed to severely limit his ability to play sports, according to his father, Mel Pasquale.

But Nick Pasquale didn’t let his medical condition hold him back. He played football at San Clemente High School, lettering for three years. This season, he played for UCLA as a walk-on wide receiver.

Nick was struck and killed by car Sept. 8 in his hometown of San Clemente. The 20-year-old was walking in the middle of a street when he was hit, according to investigators. The driver of the car stayed with Nick until paramedics arrived; the driver was not cited in the incident.

“It was a great tribute to him,” UCLA Coach Jim Mora told The Times’ Chris Foster. “There was a lot of emotion.”

Foster reported that other Pac-12 teams reached out to the Bruins and to the Pasquales.

The Oregon football team sent a large card signed by Ducks players. Utah quarterback Travis Wilson, Pasquale’s teammate at San Clemente, came to the service. USC held a moment of silence before its game against Boston College on Saturday. California coaches reached out to the Pasquale family.

“Everything we heard today really confirmed some of the feelings that we all had for Nick,” Mora said. “We knew him in a certain way, as a teammate, as a team member. We saw that reflected in the things his friends said and the stories they told. It confirmed what we knew about him: He was a tough, compassionate young man.”

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