How the 1895 Track and Field Team Turned Cal into the Golden Bears

On May 2, 1895, eleven members of the California Track and Field team boarded a train at the Berkeley station on Shattuck Avenue and departed for the east coast to take on some of the great powerhouses of American track. No western team had ever traveled so far or competed against the highly regarded easternContinue reading “How the 1895 Track and Field Team Turned Cal into the Golden Bears”

Coach Clarence “Nibs” Price: A Rose Bowl AND a Final Four for Cal

Who is the only person who ever coached teams to both the Rose Bowl and the Final Four? The University of California’s Clarence “Nibs” Price. Nibs Price took over as Cal’s football head coach in 1926, after the death of Andy Smith. In his five years as head coach, he had three tremendous seasons andContinue reading “Coach Clarence “Nibs” Price: A Rose Bowl AND a Final Four for Cal”

Pappy Waldorf: Cal’s Most Beloved Football Coach

Lynn O. “Pappy” Waldorf was the most beloved football coach in Cal history: beloved by his players, by the fans, and even by the Bears’ opponents. He was a great coach. A career record of 157-89-19, and a 67-32-4 record at California, are evidence of this. So are three straight Rose Bowl appearances and back-to-backContinue reading “Pappy Waldorf: Cal’s Most Beloved Football Coach”

Andy Smith: Cal Football’s Greatest Coach

Andy Smith’s accomplishments at Cal are, quite simply, beyond compare. In 10 seasons at California, he compiled a 74-16-7 record, won five Pacific Coast Conference championships and four consecutive national championships, and took the Bears to two Rose Bowls. He also led Cal to an astonishing five straight undefeated seasons. In the Wonder-filled 1920 season,Continue reading “Andy Smith: Cal Football’s Greatest Coach”

Garrett Cochran: Cal’s First Great Football Coach

Garrett Cochran was only 22 years old when he was hired as head coach of the University of California football and baseball teams in 1898, and he only coached at Cal for two seasons. Despite his brief tenure, this young man earned the right to be considered Cal’s first great football coach by taking aContinue reading “Garrett Cochran: Cal’s First Great Football Coach”

The First College World Series Champions: The 1947 Golden Bears

By 1947, baseball was already an old and storied sport at Cal. The names of the members of inter-mural baseball teams representing each class, and the results of their games, were listed in the Blue and Gold yearbook as early as 1874. And by 1885, the Bears were playing against outside opponents. The 1886 BlueContinue reading “The First College World Series Champions: The 1947 Golden Bears”