Once a Bruin, Always a Bruin: UCLA Football Honors Nelson Rising

Commercial real estate icon Nelson Rising recently celebrated his 80th birthday at UCLA’s Wasserman Football Center. Rising, a scholarship football player at UCLA and co-founder of Rising Realty Partners, was recently honored by UCLA Athletics, with senior associate athletic director Josh Rebholz presenting him a personalized framed jersey to commemorate his life and decades-long support of UCLA Football.

Rising’s career, spanning more than 40 years in the real estate industry, includes leading two large publicly traded real estate companies, chairing the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and building some of the most iconic buildings and communities in California and the West. Rising has also served as a top political strategist and has the distinction of having a street named after him in San Francisco: Nelson Rising Lane.

Prior to forming Rising Realty Partners, Rising was president and CEO of MPG Office Trust Inc., the owner of more than half of the institution-quality office space in downtown Los Angeles. From 1994 to 2005, Rising served as chief executive officer of Catellus Development Corporation. During his tenure, he oversaw the company’s successful evolution from a railroad land company to a diversified development company and a real estate investment trust. Most notable of the many Catellus developments is Mission Bay in San Francisco, the largest mixed-use development in the city’s history.