Wherein the Author Compares the Cal Game Day Experience of the Sixties With That of Today

From the early Sixties, note the attire of fans

It was recently suggested to me by a friend that I write a piece comparing the game day experience at Cal football when I was a youth (in the 1960s) with today. Never one to pass on an opportunity to either extoll “the good old days” or rave about modern conveniences, I present the following.

One aspect of doing this comparison is noting how much is virtually the same. Memorial Stadium has been spit-shined and retrofitted but it is still nestled within picturesque Strawberry Canyon and has the same basic look — i.e. beautiful. Tightwad Hill remains, allowing freeloaders good views of the action. The Victory Canyon still introduces the team and punctuates scores and victories. The student section remains on the east end of the stadium and continues to perform card stunts and exhort the Bears. The band has much the same look and —thankfully — still plays those spirit songs we all love and know by heart.  Their halftime shows remain worth the price of admission. 

But, to turn a phrase, the more things stay the same, the more they change. While Cal still sports blue and gold uniforms and helmets now come in an array of styles including occasionally wearing gold as a dominant color (old fogies such as myself point out that our colors are blue and gold, not gold and blue.) There was even a case of white storm trooper like helmets. Utterly blasphemous. 

Variety and inventiveness in the cheers, chants and taunts by the student section has all but vanished. There are virtually no organized taunts directed at opposing student sections. Most cheers and chants are generic. No imagination. I wish I could offer you examples of different yells I heard from the student section as a lad. Maybe someone out there recalls some. I do know that the student section used to count off the yardage when Cal was assessed a penalty and when the ball was placed yell at the ref, “you bastard!” Wouldn’t do these days when ears are more sensitive. Still one is glad that “Roll on You Bears” is alive and well, if on a few occasions misused. 

One of the biggest changes from when I was a kid (and dinosaurs roamed the Earth) is the scoreboard. It’s hard to imagine we used to have to do without replays. On the flip side it’s hard to imagine that I went to games before the incessant noise that is in-game advertising. It is relentless and it aided by another big difference between then and now — constant and interminable breaks in the action. Hardly any game was televised in my youth and even those that were did not require constant breaks and such long ones at that. Games used to finish in well under two and half hours although some of that has to do with the fact that there was less passing. Games are also slowed down by reviews of plays. Getting the call right is nice and has improved the quality of the game, but goodness they do eat up time.

Some of the lengthy timeouts are still filled by the wonderful sound of the Cal band or the cacophony of opposing bands. This is nice. It is also nice when other Cal teams are introduced as a promo for their coming season or to recognize recent accomplishments. It’s nice to have an alum who has done well introduced too. Not so nice is having to meet some corporate bigwig who’s company spread some cash Cal’s way for promotional considerations.

I also could do without the piped in rock music that blasts our ears before the game and sometimes during timeouts. The band is sufficient for music. Can we not be allowed a few moments of quiet when we don’t have to yell to be heard by the people we are chatting with? It’s so bad it often overlaps with the PA announcer and worse it doesn’t allow the student section to build up momentum making noise before the snap on third down.

I also have mixed emotions about the fun and games that sometime take place during time outs. I may be in a minority on this one but I’ve had my fill of the cute little kiddies and the Golden Bear Growl. I love children (to the extent that I sired a couple) but find the exercise a bit tedious and overdone. Also watching some yokel try to kick a fifty-yard field goal in order to win a king’s ransom is not my idea of a good time. Last Saturday fans voted on preferences in three category raising one finger for Michael Jordan, two for LeBron James, one for the Giants, two for the A’s etc. What the hell was the point of that and where was the entertainment value? Nonsense.

The single best thing about Cal football when I was a child is that you knew BEFORE THE SEASON STARTED when every game was going to start and they usually all started at the same time  — in the early afternoon. None of this bullshit of game times not being announced until two weeks or even a week before a game. This is not conducive to those people who have other aspects to their lives besides Cal football, or just want to plan their game day experience. Also there were no night games when I was young. An occasional one is okay but I can say anecdotally that we lose a lot of fans to seven o’clock or later starts. Mostly our youngest and oldest ones. This whole issue boils my blood. No other sport does this to the extent that college football does and I say screw the bastards who can’t commit to setting game times (here come all caps again) BEFORE THE SEASON STARTS. It’s another example of how TV takes precedent over the fans who actually sit in the stadium.

Fans are, of course, the same hearty lot. However there was much less Cal gear sold when I was a child and no replica jerseys. Also, for some reason people were less likely to wear a cap to a game, those sitting in the sun had to shade their eyes with their hands. Fans are more sober than in the old days it being infinitely more difficult to smuggle spirits in. Ironically the increased sobriety remains even after they began selling beer in the stadium. During my teens and twenties there was often the smell of a marijuana wafting through the stadium. Not so much today. Speaking of smoking, thankfully there are no people puffing on tobacco these days.

I’ve never been one to spend time or money at concession stands, choosing to dine just before games and then bring my own snack, that being said I have to acknowledge that in-game diners have a dizzying array of foods to chose from compared to in my youth. Then it was pretty much cokes, orange sodas hot dogs and malts.

One treat I miss from my youth is the opportunity to prance around on the field after games. Many young ‘uns would bring a ball and toss it around post game. Just being on the field where are heroes only recently trod was a thrill. Of course allowing fans to access the field had practical purposes as well. If you sat in the north end but lived or parked nearer the south end (or vice versa), it was much faster crossing the field than going around the stadium. It also cut down on foot traffic congestion outside the stadium.

Oddly, in the Sixties no one brought their phones to games (these were the dark ages when people interacted face-to-face). The downside was we couldn’t check scores of other games. Smart phones allow one to constantly keep track of rival’s games or other games of interest. It’s also made it a whole lot easier to take photos. Few people brought cameras to games in days of yore. Then again I note people out of the corner of my eye staring at their phones while the ball is in play. What’s their deal?

One of the great conveniences of the modern age is being able to go home to your computer and immediately find all the game’s highlights and statistics and visit message boards where you can discuss the game and read other fans’ reactions. (Actually you can do a lot of that with your smartphone before you even leave the stadium). In the dark ages we had to turn on the TV and wait until the local news came on during which we’d get highlights of maybe five or six plays and sometimes snippets from interviews with the head coach or a player. If you missed that you had to wait until the eleven o’clock news. Then the next morning and you went to the sports section of the newspaper to get stats, more quotes and a rundown of the game. If you wanted to discuss the game with others you’d better hope you had friends, family and co-workers who were fans.

I am not going to conclude by saying that I prefer the experience of my youth or that of today.* I’m glad I’ve lived in both worlds. There is a lot that I miss about the proverbial good old days (mostly the infinitely fewer time outs and the absence of so many noisy adverts). But the jeannie is not going back in that bottle. All I can do is wax nostalgic about “back in the day.” Better today to focus on the ways the experience has improved.

Note: I’ve not mentioned ticket prices which is a whole other kettle of fish. Plus it was never an issue for me. As a kid games were so cheap it was not the slightest strain on the family budget to go to anything but the Big Game — and that wasn’t all that prohibitive either. As an adult, Cal football season tickets have always merely been part of the yearly budget and the price has never gotten out of hand. Perhaps on another occasion I can look at ticket prices then and now or someone can offer to write a guest post on the topic.

*I’ve changed my mind. I wrote the first draft of this before Saturday’s game and after my most recent “game day experience” have to conclude that I much prefer the days of yore. The hell with the silly games, piped in music, ads and constant and never-ending time outs.

Well, That Sucked, Nevada Spoils the Party -- Again

All was good at the pre-game rally. 

Lesson learned, if you’ve had a season without fans in Memorial Stadium, don’t invite Nevada to the first game back. After spending the 2011 season playing in San Francisco while Memorial Stadium was being refurbished, the Bears returned to Strawberry Canyon to open the 2012 campaign and the uncooperative Wolfpack beat us. After fans were prohibited from Memorial in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Bears returned Saturday night and Nevada was there to spoil the party.

Some party. The band didn’t enter the field through the north tunnel for the pre game show, a tradition that goes back for as long as I can remember (nearly sixty years) and perhaps well beyond. Instead they played from the stands. 

The game day experience has been losing more and more of its luster and Saturday night seemed another nail in the coffin.

Case in point: there was no, “hey alumni go!” Attempted until late in the game and it died aborning. 

The piped in rock music between plays stifles whatever noise and cheers the student section might make which is especially troublesome when the Bears are on defense. The music even overlaps with the PA announcer. Somebody needs to sort that out.

On the plus side there was a full student section, though how many return for Sac State is an open questions. Also on the plus side was the first quarter when the Bears drove the length of the field for two time-grinding touchdown drives while Nevada had a three and out on their possession. 

On the minus side was the rest of the game, which Cal lost 22-3. If I was sitting through a movie that bad I’d I’ve walked out.

(Wait a second, after the first quarter I put on my Cal sweatshirt, you don’t think I’m somehow responsible…..)

I’ll not do an entire game analysis, that’s not my thing on the Oski Archives. But I will say I was especially disappointed with OC Bill Musgrave’s “offense” and the abandonment of the running game that had been so successful. I don’t think Cal’s offensive personnel is designed to run a pro set. It was also disheartening seeing QB Chase Garbers, a veteran, seemingly regress. 

The defense was solid and holding Nevada to 22 points should be good enough to earn a victory. Then again they were lucky with some drops and penalties. It could have been worse.

I don’t know that Justin Wilcox’s seat is hot but another few performances like Saturday’s and it’ll certainly start to warm up. I think it might take something in the nature of a 4-8 season or worse for him to be canned. But another 5-7 to 7-5 season and he could really need to do well next year.

As for the rest of the season….Nevada may end up being one of the better teams we play this year. It’s early but UW, Stanf*rd, WSU, OSU, and Arizona looked bad in week one (Washington really lost to Montana? How cool is that?). Colorado looks beatable too. As for our TCU, USC, Oregon and UC, Los Angeles, those are looking like imposing tasks. Oh yes, there’s also Sac State and if that isn’t a Golden Bear win, all is lost.

So yes, it’s only one game but what a deflating start. The general mood among Cal fans has been that this is one of the more disheartening losses in recent memory. Now TCU looms and they’re a 9.5 point favorite. Cal hasn’t lost the first two games of a season (we’re not counting last year which was not a proper season at all) since 2001 when the Bears didn’t win until the finale against Rutgers.

Hey everybody, it was just one game, we can turn this around. Right? Right? Anyone?

Oski Archives Game Preview Week #1, The Bears Opener vs. Nevada

Hopefully more fans will be on hand than for this contest in the '50s.

I’m like a child awaiting Christmas morning; positively giddy in anticipation of the start of another Cal football season. True, I always salivate for opening day, but after a season lost to Covid the feeling is especially acute this year. The band! The canon! Strawberry Canyon! Memorial Stadium! The friends! The cheers! The chants! Oski! Oh yes and the football!

Cal has a long history against the University of Nevada dating back to their first encounter, a 24-0 Bear victory in 1899. The two schools met consistently (thirty-five clashes) from then through 1934. Since then the Bears and Wolfpack have played only four times. One in 1945, another in 1996, with the last two in 2010 and 2012. The Bears hold a 32-6-1 advantage in the series, but Nevada boasts a two-game winning streak, the latter of which ruined the debut of the refurbished Memorial Stadium in what turned out to be Jeff Tedford’s final season.

Andy Smith’s Wonder Teams faced Nevada six times winning five by scores of 88-0, 79-7, 51-6, 80-0, 61-13, 27-0 and — oddly — tying once, 0-0. 

Cal has outscored the Wolfpack 1,270-221.

Only four of thirty-nine games have been played in Reno, including the 2010 contest in which a quarterback named Colin Kaepernick ran and passed the beleaguered Bears ragged.

Focus on a game: (Each week I will focus on one game in Cal’s series against their upcoming opponent.) November 3, 1923, final score Bears 0 Wolfpack 0. What the hell? Cal had beaten Nevada five years in a row by a combined score of  359-26. That’s an average score of 71-5. Moreover the Bears had won fifteen straight overall without a tie. Plus the Bears had scored151in their last six games — an average of twenty-five points. So what happened? Hubris. For starters there were the starters, Cal didn’t use any. Head coach Andy Smith elected to play his reserves to spare the Wolfpuppies another in a string of embarrassing pummelings. Smith also asked officials — and such was his influence that they agreed — to play ten-minute quarters to limit how high Cal could run up the score against their hapless foes. Finally, Smith didn’t even stick around for the game, choosing instead to scout Stanfurd. All of this served to fire up Nevada who held the Bears to a draw, the only one in the series.

The Bears are 17-4 in home openers this century. Two of those losses came in seasons in which the Bears won only one game (2001 and 2013) one was last year with no fans (2020) and the other was against Nevada.

The Bears have a streak on the line: they have only played four previous games on September 4 and have won them all.

(College football seasons have only relatively recently begun in early September, or late August.)

I feel it incumbent on me to provide a prediction and my goals for the coming Golden Bear season. Simple enough, the Bears will finish the regular season 8-4. I think them more likely to win nine games than seven though seven is more likely than ten.

My six goals for the season in order of importance:

1. Reclaim the Axe.
2. Be bowl eligible
3. Beat U$C
4. Beat UC, Los Angeles
5. Go unbeaten at home
6. Win their bowl game

My prediction for tomorrow is a 45-17 Cal victory.

Hope to see you at the game tomorrow. I’ll be perched atop section E in the last row, wearing a script Cal hat and cheering on the Bears.

And oh by the way, Go Bears! 

Cal Football Records by Decades, 100 Years of the Good, the Bad and the Oh My

Andy Smith's Wonder Teams made the '20s a great decade

I’ve written previously on another website about Cal’s records by decade, specifically how many winning seasons versus losing seasons the Bears have had in each decade and their Big Game records in each decade. Despite re-gaining the Axe in 2019, the previous decade was the worst in Cal history for Big Games. In every preceding decade the Bears beat Stanfurd at least twice. From 2010-2019 the Bears managed the feat but once. The Bears had only four winning seasons in the ‘10s. This is a far cry from the eight winning seasons in the ‘00s but as you will see below, better than some decades.

For each decade I’ll look at Cal’s winning versus losing seasons, their Big Game record and how many great teams they boasted. A great team is defined — by me — as having met one of the following criteria: winning or sharing the conference title, finishing in the top ten or losing one or no games.

In the twenties the Bears sparkled, having winning seasons in nine of ten years, winning six Big Games and boasting seven great teams.

The thirties were a bit of drop of as the Bears had seven winning teams, one at .500 and two losing seasons (bookending the decade). There were three great teams —Stub Allison’s Thunder Teams (’35, ’37 ’38). Cal once again won six of ten Big Big Games. 

The forties started horribly but ended spectacularly. The Bears had three winning seasons at the end preceded by six losing seasons and one at .500. There were three great teams (’47-’49) under Pappy Waldorf and the Bears won four of the seven Big Games played in the decade.

The fifties were a mixed bag with four winning seasons, four losing seasons and two at .500. The Bears dominated the Big Game going eight and two. There were two great teams. (’50 and ’58).

The Sixties were terrible with the Bears posting only two winning seasons and two at .500 while only winning two Big Games and boasting no great teams.

The Sturdy Golden Ones bounced back a bit in the seventies having winning seasons six times and managing four Big Games victories and one great season (’75).

The Eighties were again abysmal. One winning season (’82), one .500 season (’83), no great teams and a four and six record in Big Games.

The Nineties were barely better with three winning seasons in the first four years and none thereafter, a two and eight Big Game record and one great team (’91).

At last came success in the 00s as the Bears had winning records eight times and won seven of ten Big Games. They also produced two great teams (’04, ’06).

The teens were a step in wrong direction with four winning seasons, one Big Game win (’19) and no great teams.

Ranking the decades: 

1. Twenties

2. Oughts

2. Thirties

4. Fifties

5. Seventies

6. Forties

7. Nineties

8. Teens

9. Eighties

10. Sixties

Let’s hope the second version of the twenties matches the last one. Wilcox Wonder Teams anyone?

How Cal Coaches Have Fared in Their Fourth and Fifth Seasons

Current Cal Head Coach Justin Wilcox

Justin Wilcox is entering his fifth year as Cal’s head coach. I thought it might be revealing to look back at how previous Cal head coaches have done in their year fifth year at the helm. BUT. Do we really count the truncated, bifurcated, covid-ravaged mess of 2020? I do and I don't. Since you may consider this his fourth FULL season or his fifth season, I decided to look at how all previous Bear coaches have fared in both their fourth and fifth seasons.

We’ll start with fourth-year coaches:

First let’s look at the coaches who had successful tenures. (I define successful as having gone to a Rose Bowl or won or shared a conference title or finished in the top ten in their time with the Bears.)

Andy Smith’s fourth team (1919) went  6-2-1, a slight drop off from the 7-2 1918 campaign. Of course the following season was the first of the Wonder Teams.

Nibs Price’s fourth year (1929) saw the Bears finish with an excellent 7-1-1 record however the one loss was in the Big Game and cost the team a trip to the Rose Bowl. Still, it was Price’s best overall record as head coach.

Stub Allison’s fourth season (1939) saw the Bears follow their unbeaten campaign by going 10-1 losing only at U$C. It was the last of the Thunder teams.

Pappy Waldorf went undefeated and to the Rose Bowl in his fourth year (1950). The season only marred by a tie in the Big Game and of course their third successive Rose Bowl loss.

Mike White’s fourth year team (1975) was his best going 8-3 and earning a share of the conference title.

Bruce Snyder’s fourth season (1990) produced the Bears’ first winning record in eight years and earned it’s first bowl appearance in eleven as they sported a 7-4-1 record.

Jeff Tedford’s fourth year (2005) was sandwiched in between his two best seasons but was pretty good in its own right with the Sturdy Golden Ones going 7-4 in the regular season then winning their bowl game for an overall record of 8-4.

Thus every successful Cal football coach had a winning record in his fourth season. Four coaches had their best teams and one had a breakthrough season.

Now let’s look at the coaches with unsuccessful tenures. (I define unsuccessful as having failed to go bowling and/or having a losing record overall.)

Navy Bill Ingrahm’s fourth season (1934) was his first not to produce a winning record. The Bears finished at .500 (6-6) and Allison was fired.

Marv Levy’s fourth season (1963) was the last of his tenure and like all those that preceded it was a losing campaign.

Ray Willsey went 5-5 in his four year (1967) just as he had in his second season, oddly his first and third teams went 3-7. He finished his career at Cal two games under .500 after coaching for eight years. Wilsey did win his first Big Game in ’67.

Roger Theder and Keith Gilbertson both coached four seasons and both had winning teams in their second years but losing seasons in years three and four and were then fired. Theder’s fourth team (1981) went 2-9 and Gilbertson’s (1995) was 3-8.

Joe Kapp

Joe Kapp started with a winning season in 1982 capped (Kapped off?) off by the most memorable of Big Games. His second team slipped to 5-5-1 and year three was a terrible 2-9 team that foretold his dismissal after year five. In year four (1985) the team went 4-7, the saving grace being a win over U$C.

Tom Holmoe’s fourth year (2000) was like all the rest, a losing one, 3-8. He, like Kapp, served a fifth season before Cal fans were put out of their misery.

Sonny Dykes’ fourth year (2016) — stop me if this sounds familiar — was his last. It was his third losing season atCal.

With the exception of Ingram who went .500, all Cal coaches who ultimately failed had losing seasons in year four. Many had their worst season. All but three were fired and two of them coached only one more season. 

Now let’s look at those coaches who made it to a fifth year. Starting with the successful coaches.

Andy Smith (1920) went undefeated and won the Rose Bowl. It was the first of the Wonder teams and they outscored opponents, 510-14.

Nibs Price (1930) had a disastrous fifth season that cost him his job, it culminated with a horrible 41-0 loss in the Big Game. Price had two bad years at Cal, his first and last and between did all right going  20-6-3  and earning a Rose Bowl berth.

Stub Allison (1939). After four excellent seasons the party was over. Stub never had another winning season starting with a 3-8 campaign in year five. He did, however, retain the Axe.

Pappy Waldorf (1951). The string of unbeaten regular seasons and Rose Bowl trips ended. But it was still a damn good season as the Golden Bears went 8-2.

Mike White (1976) followed up his co-conference championship the year before with a disappointing 5-6 season that ended with heartbreaking loss (is there any other kind?) in the Big Game.

Bruce Snyder (1991) finally hit the big time finishing 10-2 and earning a top ten ranking after a whipping  Clemson on New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl. His future was set. Unfortunately as Bob Bockrath was the AD, Snyder’s future played out at ASU. What might have been.

Jeff Tedford (2006) went 10-3 in his fifth season and shared the conference title with U$C. It was the second of two great seasons at Cal. But in his remaining six years he never matched the glory of '04 or ’06.

Interestingly, four successful had winning fifth years and three losing ones. Three of those who posted winning seasons had their best or one of their two best seasons

Most unsuccessful coaches never reached a year five. Here are the three who did.

Ray Willsey’s (1968) had his best season in year five finishing 7-3-1 earning national rankings and demolishing several prestigious programs such as Syracuse and UC, Los Angeles. However the Bears flopped in the Big Game. Willsey never re-captured the magic of the ’68 campaign as he hung on for three more mediocre years.

Joe Kapp (1986) went 2-9 and was finally canned. He did, however, engineer the biggest upset in Big Game history, thus finishing with a winning record (3-2) against ‘Furd.

Tom Holmoe (2001) had the worst of his five years at Cal and was fired after the Bears finished 1-10.

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.

The Agony and the Ecstasy and More Agony, A Brief History of Cal Football

From Cal's 1938 Rose Bowl victory over Alabama

The history of intercollegiate football at the University of California is replete with the pomp, pageantry and tradition that exemplifies college football in the United States. Cal has a particularly rich football past with many heroes and glorious football teams. But the hard truth is that, in general terms, the Golden Bears have, for over sixty years, pretty much sucked at football. True fans love their Golden Bears just the same; hope springs eternal.

I am second to no one in my love of Cal football. I love the stadium, the band, the cannon, the fight songs, the card stunts, the colors and of course, Oski. I love the university and all it stands for. I am proud to bleed blue and gold.

I've been attending Cal football games since before I can remember. The first game I can recall going to was, a loss to Missouri in 1962. My love affair with Golden Bear football began with my first exposure to the team, the stadium and the atmosphere. When, as a mere lad, I began attending games the Bears were in the midst of perhaps the worst run of in their history, which is really saying something. But I was hooked. It wasn't just football or college football it was Cal football that intoxicated me. Memorial Stadium was my favorite place in the world. If I went to a game and Cal lost I was forgiving and looked forward to better days ahead. I was happy just to have been there. If they won I was delirious with joy and anticipated more glory to come. In later years I took the losses a bit harder but I've learned — after far too much practice — to take defeats in stride and move on with my life. The wins I savor more and more with each passing year. I've come to realize how precious each is.

In the last sixty years Cal has boasted some excellent teams and great players and played in some legendary games including one that is generally acknowledged to be the greatest college football game of all time (the 1982 Big Game). In recent years Cal has featured such future NFL stars as Aaron Rogers, DeSean Jackson, Marshawn Lynch and Jared Goff, to name but a few. But the truth of the matter is that in terms of the college football universe Cal football has been — for quite sometime now — pathetic. 

But it didn't used to be this way. Not at all. (In discussing Cal football history I will always begin with the 1915 season when Cal made the permanent move back from rugby to American football.) From 1915 through 1938 The University of California was one of college football's powerhouses. In those 24 years there were 20 Bear teams that had winning records and only two with losing records, while two others finished at .500. Among those teams were Andy Smith's Wonder Teams which included five consecutive unbeaten seasons (1920-1924). Over those five years the Sturdy Golden Ones outscored their opponents 1,564 - 139.

A rare bright spot in the '60s, Craig Morton

Cal stumbled a bit in the aftermath of Smith's death following the 1925 season, but their 1928 squad went to the Rose Bowl and they lost but one game the following year. Later under Coach Leonard "Stub" Allison the Bears hit dizzying heights again. In his first four seasons (1935-1938) the Bears were 35-7-1 featuring a 1937 squad that earned a 13-0 Rose Bowl victory over Alabama and a claim to the then mythical national championship.

The Bears did not suffer a prolonged spell of sub par seasons in football until World War II. From 1939-1946 Cal had no winning seasons and managed only one at .500. Allison's early magic wore off and his 10-year tenure was done at Cal after the 1944 campaign.* There followed three head coaches in three years but the last of the trio was Lynn Pappy Waldorf, under whom the Bears instantly returned to glory. In his first four seasons (1947-1950) Cal went 38-4-1** and appeared in three Rose Bowls where three of those losses occurred, in each case ruining unbeaten seasons.

After the last of those Rose Bowls the Bears had two more winning seasons under Waldorf, going 8-2 in 1951 and 7-3 in 1952. It is since that 1952 season that Cal football has been in college football's doldrums — at least where wins, losses and conference titles are concerned. In the next fifteen years, Cal had ten losing seasons, four .500 seasons and only one winning year, albeit the last Cal Rose Bowl team (1958). That last Cal squad to win an outright conference crown was preceded by three teams that won a combined six games and was followed by four teams that managed six victories between them. The 1958 squad was a true outlier in a particularly bleak period of Cal football.

From 1953 through last season Cal has had only 25 winning seasons with 38  losing seasons and eight at .500. On top of that, since 1937 Cal has managed a combined total of zero unbeaten seasons. Also, since 1952 Cal has accumulated a grand total of zero seasons with just one loss. Since that time the Bears have had only two teams go through a season with as few as two losses. One of those was the 1991 squad which suffered a regular-season-ending seventeen point upset loss to the ‘Furd in the Big Game and the other was the 2004 team which ended its season the victims of a beating by a heavy underdog, Texas Tech, in the Holiday Bowl. Thus Cal's two best teams of the last 60 years each were dealt a convincing upset beating at or near the end of their campaign.

The Bears have managed a share of the conference crown twice (1975 and 2006) but both those teams missed out on the Rose Bowl as a consequence of losses to the team with whom they shared the title.

Do you have any idea how many college teams have gone unbeaten since Cal last did? Do you have any idea how many college football teams have gone through a season with just one loss since the last time Cal did? I don't know either but anyone who has even a cursory knowledge of college football can tell you that there have been a lot. A helluva lot. Many of those teams are Cal's arch rivals (‘Furd, U$C and UC,Los Angeles). Misery loves company and the best the Bears can do in their conference for company is the likes of Washington State. But even they have gone to the Rose Bowl twice in the last 20 years.

Cal's all-time leading rusher, Russell White

Speaking of Cal's rivals, if you are really a masochist check out the Bears' records against their three rivals over the past sixty years. I don’t have the heart to do it because I know just anecdotally it is very bad versus each one. These woeful records include long losing streaks against all of them (From 1972 through 1989 against UC, Los Angeles 1959-1969 and 2004 to 2017 against U$C and against the ‘Furd 1961-1966, 1996-2001 and from 2010 to 2018. The best winning streaks against each of the three has been five vs. UCLA, 1990-1994, five vs. ‘Furd, 2002-2006 and three vs. U$C, 1998-2000.) Here's how bad it is, Cal has not beaten all three in the same season since 1958, the school's last Rose Bowl year. Indeed the Golden Bears have only ever beaten all three in the same season in Rose Bowl years and in 1941(which is a story for a different time).

Besides their three California based rivals, the Bears have a very long standing rivalry against the University of Washington and I guess it wouldn't surprise you to know that our record against them has been abysmal in the past sixty years and also includes a horrific losing streak (1977-2001). We managed a five game winning streak against them from 2002-2006.

My intention here has not been to send anyone spiraling into depression nor make anyone ashamed of Cal football. (On the contrary I think Bear fans should be very proud of their team.) But I always think it's best to face the truth. I taught U.S. History for over twenty years and I believed it my responsibility to relate to students the horrors of slavery and the sufferings of so many Native American tribes. I did not sugar coat or embellish, I merely tried to present the facts as objectively as possible. In presenting this most abbreviated version of Cal football history I have endeavored to relate facts. I have been a student of Cal football history all my life so I knew what was coming in starting my research, but even I was struck by the dimensions of Cal's football futility.

The beauty of this recitation of horrors is how wonderful we'll all feel when this turns around, as I believe it will beginning this very season. I predict that sixty years in the future someone will be writing about the glorious records of Cal football over the preceding six decades, with statistics revealing their dominance in the conference in general and over their arch rivals in particular.

The question of why Cal has failed to scale the heights this past half century plus requires a detailed answer which I may explore in the future. I do know that teams in sports of all types at all levels, professional and amateur sometimes develop a winning or a losing culture and either is hard to break. When a game is on the line teams can sometimes expect to win or expect to lose as the case may be. It can also happen when two teams face one another. There have been far too many times in Big Game history when a close game did not go Cal's way. Meanwhile it was only in only in the early Tedford years that one felt certain that Cal would be the team that came through in the end, this feeling was epitomized by the 2009 Big Game.

Cal has certainly had bad luck with coaches and coaching hires. Pete Elliott left one season after leading the Bears to the Rose Bowl. His successor, Marv Levy went on to be a successful NFL head coach but had four horrible seasons at Cal (1960-1963). Mike White was running a fairly successful program (1972-1977) before running afoul of Athletic Director Dave Maggard and NCAA regulations. The hiring of former star player Joe Kapp (1982-1986) proved a big mistake. Bruce Snyder (1987-1991) had Cal in successive bowl games but the then AD Bob Bockrath drove him out as part of his torching of Cal athletics. The Bears hired Keith Gilbertson (1992-1995) to replace him and his tenure was short lived. Available at the same time as Gilbertson was Steve Mariucci. After Gilbertson was sacked Mariucci was brought in but left after one season (1996) to take the 49ers head job (things would have almost certainly been much different in Cal football if Mariucci had been hired in '92 instead). In the wake of Mariucci's sudden departure came the epically bad hiring of Tom Holmoe who is the only man to coach Cal for more than four seasons (1997-2001) without posting a single winning record. So the whole business of hiring and keeping head coaches has played a major role in the Bears' recent woes.

DeSean Jackson

Of all the fan bases I've been associated with Cal football's is the best. We are knowledgable, passionate, and (relative to other fans) patient. The years of suffering have hardened us to defeat but not accepting of it. When glory comes we will savor it. And it will come. Justin Wilcox and company are in the process of breaking the cycle. The Bears are on the verge of a major breakthrough that will bring a new era of Cal football. Not one of futility but one of glory. By Oski I know it.

*After Allison's fantastic start at Cal he never again had a winning season and only managed .500 once in his last six seasons at the helm.

**Like Allison, Waldorf roared in like a lion — or Bear — and went out like a lamb. After six straight winning seasons he had consecutive .500 teams and consecutive losing seasons. As most fans of today are no doubt aware Jeff Tedford also came on like gangbusters. With a 43-20 record in his first five seasons going to bowl games in all of those seasons save his first when Cal was on probation. In his last six years Tedford teams went 39-37 and missed going to a bowl game twice. The only Cal head coach who served for ten or more years who didn't fit the fast start slow finish trend was Andy Smith who built up for a few seasons before his Wonder Teams. But even he ended his career by slipping to 6-3. Of course he died after that season and we'll never know if he would have righted the ship or continued to slide. I think most students of Smith and college football would assume the former would have happened.