Getty Isaac Bruce races past Darnell Walker of the San Francisco 49ers during a 1999 game that ended the Rams' losing skid against their rival. Bruce will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
It’s true: Isaac Bruce used Los Angeles as his springboard to a Hall of Fame worthy career in Rams‘ lore.
But the franchise’s all-time leading wide receiver and member of the Rams’ only Super Bowl winning team shined in the L.A. region long before he began his NFL career there.
Before trying on his gold jacket for Saturday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony and before constructing the “Greatest Show on Turf” teams, Bruce was once, as he described to the L.A. Times on Friday, a South Florida kid with two bags who had to go the junior college route.
“I landed right in Inglewood,” Bruce told the Times. “L.A. was very similar to what I was used to — a melting pot. It didn’t disappoint me at all.”
Bruce Came From the ‘JUCO Struggle’
Bruce grew up in Fort Lauderdale and starred at Dillard High School, where he was good enough to land a scholarship offer from Purdue University out of high school. However, he couldn’t qualify for the Boilermakers by NCAA academic standards.
Wanting, and needing, any college where he could continue his football career, Bruce was suggested to not only look into the junior college scene in California, but consider West Los Angeles College.
Bruce rolled up to the Culver City campus, but only had a one year stint. He then relocated 17 miles west to Santa Monica City College, the place where he says is “One of the best moves I felt like I ever made in my life.”
SMC a Wide Receiver Hotbed
The SMC campus is located nine minutes north of the attractable Santa Monica Pier. But on the campus, the offense was considered a thrill ride for wideouts.
Why? The Corsairs operated with a more passer-friendly approach, much to Bruce’s liking.
Bruce not only thrived and reestablished himself as a NCAA Division I prospect who eventually made his way to Memphis, but Bruce is a part of the strong WR lineage at the junior college. Outside of “The Reverend,” other legendary Corsair wideouts include Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Steve Smith Sr., both of whom were SMC teammates.
In a February 2018 NFL Network panel on the eve of the Super Bowl, Smith Sr. mentioned how Bruce playing at SMC helped convince him to give the JUCO a try, saying “Everyone knew that Isaac Bruce went to that community college. So for myself, obviously everybody knows I went to community college with Chad. But one thing we always aspired to be, was to be like Bruce and get that opportunity. I aspire to just be a crumb of what this guy was.”
‘The Reverend’ Will Finally Get His Bust
It’s definitely been a long journey from Bruce’s South Florida days, to his brief stop in L.A. County all the way to putting together some memorable moments in the Rams’ uniform, including 25 of his best plays put together by the NFL Twitter account on Friday morning.
The 25 BEST plays from @IsaacBruce80’s legendary career!
📺: @ProFootballHOF Class of 2020 Enshrinement — Saturday on @NFLNetwork
And the congratulations have started to pour in for “The Reverend.”
A golden moment.
Congratulations, @IsaacBruce80!
And his presenter, brother Sam Bruce, had the honor of putting the gold jacket on the newest member of the HOF.
.@IsaacBruce80 receives his Gold Jacket from his presenter and brother, Sam Bruce.
But it wouldn’t have been made possible if it wasn’t for the knock on the door he’s been waiting for.
Two stops in L.A. became the stepping stone for Bruce’s Hall of Fame bust. And Bruce gave the Times this end quote as he continues to celebrate his big weekend.
“The journey was hard, it was easy, it was fun, it was at times miserable, it was glorious. A lot of people ask if I would do it all over again. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” he said.