Cal Football Anniversaries to be Recognized or Ignored in 2021

It's the 25th anniversary of Mariucci's one season at Cal

2011. This is the 10th anniversary of the lone season in which the Bears played their home games outside of Berkeley. While Memorial Stadium was being refurbished the Bears played their five home games at the home of the San Francisco Giants, now called Oracle Park. This was perhaps the worst good team the Bears have ever had. They had a winning season at 7-5 but lost to all three rivals and were beaten in their bowl game. There were no “special” wins.

2001. This is the 20th anniversary of the last of Tom Holmoe’s five losing seasons. The only victory came in the season’s last game at Rutgers (a game rescheduled after the September 11 attacks). The highlight of the season came immediately after it ended when Tom Holmoe was fired. (He was a nice man, though.)

1996. This is the 25th anniversary of Steve Marcucci’s lone season at the helm. (What might have been if he had been hired instead of Keith Gilbertson in 1992). The Bears went 6-6 after a roaring to a 5-0 start. They lost to Navy in the   Aloha Bowl.

1991. This is the 30th anniversary of Bruce Snyder’s fifth year in charge, the Bears went 9-2 in the regular season and then whipped Clemson 37- 13 in the Citrus bowl to give the Bears their first top ten finish in forty years.

1981. This is the 40th anniversary of Roger Theder’s fourth and final year and boy was it a stinker. The Bears managed two wins.

1971. This is the 50th anniversary of Ray Willsey’s eighth and final season as head coach. Like most years under Willsey, the Bears were mediocre posting a 6-5 mark which culminated in a brutally boring 14-0 Big Game loss. It was one of five seasons in which Willsey’s Bears finished either 5-5 or 6-5.

1961. This is the 60th anniversary of the Marx Levy’s second season. Like all four of his tenure it was not memorable.The Bears went 1-8-1 with a win at home over UW the only saving grace.

1951. This is the 70th anniversary of a very good Pappy Waldorf team that went 8-2. It was a bit of disappointment after three successive unbeaten regular seasons and consequent trips to the Rose Bowl. The season did end with a Big Game victory that kept the then Indians out of the Rose Bowl.

1946. This is the 75th anniversary of what until then was the worst ever Cal football team. Frank Wickhorst was the hapless coach of this 2-7 and he was quickly canned at season’s end.

1941. This is the 80th anniversary of one of the most unusual teams in Golden Bear teams in history. Cal has only ever beaten their three rivals in the same season six times and they’ve gone to the Rose Bowl five of those times. This was the exception. This squad not only didn’t go to the Rose Bowl but they only won one other game (against a semi-rival, St.Mary’s). Beating U$C, UC, Los Angeles and Stanfurd in the same year has to qualify as a great season, losing record or no.

1931. This is the 90th anniversary of Navy Bill Inghram’s first and most successful season. The Bears finished 8- 2 and reclaimed the Axe for the first time since 1925. The rest of Ingram’s tenure was not so hot.

1921. And finally this is the 100th anniversary of the second of Andy Smith’s Wonder Teams. The Golden Bears went undefeated, outscoring their opposition 312-33. Only a scoreless tie in the Rose Bowl against Washington and Jefferson (the school not the former presidents) marred the season.