BOZ'S BOYS ARE UCLA'S KOREY AND KYLE BOSWORTH FOLLOWING IN UNCLE BRIAN'S FOOTSTEPS? NOT EXACTLY.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

Kyle and Korey Bosworth were working out with the UCLA linebackers the other day, like they always do. And, like any other day, their uncle Brian Bosworth was watching from the top of a parking garage adjacent to Spaulding Field, mindful of their footwork and techniques while conducting business on his cell phone.

But this isn't just any week. This is Oklahoma week. And Brian Bosworth is the former brash Sooners All-American, the flamboyant linebacker who once ripped UCLA for everything from the way it played football to the shade of blue on its uniforms.

As outrageous as it would have appeared in 1986, and as strange as it still seems now, Brian Bosworth had made himself at home at UCLA. His twin nephews, whom he has molded, tutored and loved, are part of the Bruins family. And so is Brian Bosworth.

``Right now, my passion is where my family is, and I'm going to support them and their program,'' Brian says. ``I want to see how thick and redneck the UCLA boys can be.''

UCLA has a date Saturday with Oklahoma at the Rose Bowl, and the Bruins are the surprising favorite. Brian won't stand on either sideline nor wear Crimson or blue, but he'll be rooting for UCLA.

``This is a big part of him,'' Korey says. ``He's enjoying it and reliving it again. He gets to be part of the team.''

Brian's affinity for UCLA isn't difficult to make sense of when you understand the relationship between Brian Bosworth and his nephews, Texas natives whose parents divorced when they were young. Their father, they say, was never part of their lives. So Brian and Foster Bosworth, their grandfather, served as father figures.

Korey and Kyle, now 18, are carrying on the Bosworth name and linebacker tradition, albeit with much less bravado, controversy and hoopla. They're true freshmen searching for their own identities.

``It's rewarding that they made it this far without having a father, and they stayed focused and out of trouble,'' Brian says. ``They're my family and my blood. It wasn't about sports, but if they were playing football and they gave their best effort and did the right thing, they'd get all I could offer them.''

That included help during the recruiting process. Oklahoma and Texas were among the schools who recruited them, but Brian thought they fit in better with the Bruins - and he loved the education they'd receive at UCLA. That they'd be near his Malibu home was a bonus.

Kyle and Korey grew up in football-rich Texas and starred at Plano West High. They were soccer players at first, but in junior high they wanted to play football, and Brian took charge from there. The twins lived with their uncle for five weeks every summer, participating in ``mini-Boz'' camps, a linebacking boot camp of sorts.

Brian went to most of their games during their junior and senior seasons at Plano West, working his schedule as a TNT football analyst around their games.

``He only missed one game last year,'' Kyle says. ``It was a neat deal. It's cool to have someone like that around all the time.''

The twins emulated Brian from an early age. It's why when they were just 7 years old, they already were dissecting labels for calories and fat grams on everything from cereal boxes to drinks. It's why they haven't had sodas since they were 13. And it's why they follow workout schedules regimented down to the time of day.

It's because Uncle Brian said so.

``Whatever he said was law,'' says Robbie Bosworth, Kyle and Korey's mother. ``They loved it. Sometimes, I thought he was a little hard on them. Sometimes, maybe, he pushed them too hard. But some of it was, maybe, was good pushing.''

The twins were well-known as Bosworth's nephews, but they carried their father's last name, Miller - their nickname was ``Miller Time'' - throughout their high school careers, and kept it through the recruiting process so they would receive scholarships based on their play, not the name on their jerseys.

They longed to change their name, but their mother said everyone in the family, including their older sister, Amanda, would have to agree to the change. The decision was unanimous, and this summer they became Bosworths.

With the name comes expectations, and Foster Bosworth worries those expectations already are too high. He knows it's impossible to keep from comparing the Bosworth generations.

``Neither one is Brian, but they both have bits and pieces of him. I'm not so sure it's all good,'' Foster says, laughing. ``In Korey, I see a kid who's very confident with himself, and he feels like he's the best at what he does. With Korey, he's like a plow mule. He keeps on keeping on until he gets it, and he'll never make the same mistake again. And they both want to be successful.

``I'm not sure they can live up to (Brian's) reputation, and I'm not sure I want them to. I want them to be good football players and get their degree.''

Trying to tell them apart isn't easy. Korey has a more prominent dimple on his cheek, but the only other thing that distinguishes them is the numbers on their jerseys. Korey wears 55 and Kyle 54. Kyle wore Brian's old number, 44, in high school but Bruce Davis already had the number at UCLA.

Kyle already has played some on special teams, and Korey is waiting to see action. Neither has it in mind to ham it up like Brian.

Brian Bosworth, one of the most colorful and outspoken players of his generation, blasted the Bruins, then ranked fourth, after the No. 1 Sooners played them in the 1986 season opener.

``They played girls' football, and I didn't like the way they acted,'' he said. ``They were too nice. You'd hit them, and they would get up and say, `Nice play.' ''

When Bruins coach Karl Dorrell, a receiver on that UCLA team, and his staff started recruiting the Miller twins, they knew there was a connection to Bosworth. It wasn't until he accompanied them to UCLA's 2004 summer camp that they learned Bosworth was their uncle.

``It was like, 'Oh, Brian Bosworth is back in town,' and the first thing you flash back to is that we lost to them 38-3,'' Dorrell says. ``He's been very supportive. It is nice having him around, because he's been a great influence on the two young guys, and he'll be a positive influence on this program, too, because of where he was in college football.

``He played football at the highest level.''

Within UCLA's program, no one seems to hold grudges. Many chuckle when they're reminded of his comments, such as: ``I know I wouldn't wear pastel blue. I'd transfer.''

Brian still wishes UCLA's blue was a darker shade, like the navy blue trim on the Bruins' visiting uniforms. The school refers to the color as ``true blue,'' but Brian hopes it will be known as ``bruise blue'' after this week.

Although his feelings for UCLA have softened, don't expect Brian to sport the UCLA cap Kyle and Korey gave him. ``I tried it on in my closet,'' he says.

He was asked if he would ever wear UCLA gear. ``If we win a national championship,'' he replied, ``I'll wear it and ride around naked on my Harley.''

After the Bosworths have completed their UCLA career, Brian says he will again root for Oklahoma, where he was the first two-time Butkus Award winner (1985-86). The Sooners were 31-4-2 and won the '86 national title during his time in Norman, Okla.

Brian's NFL career stalled in Seattle after just three years, and his playing days were halted by a shoulder injury. He parlayed his fame into action-film roles - when he made ``The Longest Yard,'' which was released this year, the twins were regulars on the set.

Korey and Kyle still joke around with their uncle, like when they were kids, wrestling and playfully hitting one another. But they are serious about repaying him for all he's done.

``We want to live up to his expectations and let him know that all he's done for us has helped and show that on the field when we get our time to shine,'' Korey says. ``We want to keep the name alive. I think he's pretty appreciative of that.''

Jill Painter, [phone]

jill.painter(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth, above center, encouraged nephews Kyle, left, and Korey Bosworth to play for UCLA. ``The Boz'' played briefly for the Seattle Seahawks, right.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

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