The University Of California at Berkeley is best known as Cal or Cal Berkeley to distinguish it from the many parts of the large and geographically expansive state university system in the State Of California. Founded in 1868 and considered its flagship university as it was also the first of the ten primary campuses in the State system, Cal has a rich football history dating to 1882. The original game was more like rugby, a sport that Cal is expert at, fielding the most successful collegiate program in the nation's history, and winning twenty-two of twenty-seven national championships. Rugby Union as it is properly called, was dropped in favor of American style football in 1886 which was played until 1906 when it was eliminated due to the significant number of deaths that the game caused throughout the nation. Football was reestablished at Cal in 1915 and through the decades, the program has had a number of fruitful periods. From 1920 to '25 the Golden Bears registered a 46-0-4 record and were dubbed "The Wonder Teams" and made three trips to the Rose Bowl. Cal was again on the football map after the 1929 Rose Bowl as center Roy Riegels picked up a fumble and streaked towards the Georgia Tech goal line. He was literally turned around and ran in the opposite direction until tackled by his own teammate at the Cal one-yard line. On the next play the Cal punt was blocked in the end zone for a safety and "Wrong Way Riegels" had cost the Bears the Rose Bowl by a score of 8-7. "The Thunder Team" of 1937 held all opponents to only thirty-three points and beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl but the advent of World War II threw the program into mediocrity. Former Santa Clara coach Lawrence "Buck" Shaw was revered on the West Coast and considered one of the greatest minds in the game. He agreed to take the reins for 1945 but was clear that he would leave after one season to coach the San Francisco Forty-Niners of the fledgling All American Football Conference. His 4-5 record with limited material did not detract from his College Football Hall Of Fame career and former Illinois All American tackle, Cal assistant, and Naval officer Frank Wickhorst succeeded him. With the influx of servicemen returning to play football, his 2-7 record was less than expected and there was discord due to his relationship with the former military men who believed that Wickhorst was maintaining an "officer-to-enlisted men" mentality on the field.    

With the 1947 hiring of Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf as head coach, another period of excellence for the Golden Bears began. Waldorf had been an All American tackle at Syracuse and successful as a coach at Oklahoma State and Kansas State before taking over at Northwestern. He reversed the Wildcats' history of losing with his meticulous attention to detail and organization and won the first National Coach Of The Year award in 1935. He built Northwestern into a well-respected program and came west to Cal. In one of the greatest turnarounds in collegiate history, Waldorf took the '47 Bears to a 9-1 record and beat Stanford in the process. His success was due in part to the establishment of "The Ramblers" a junior varsity squad that eventually grew to two full teams that became the equivalent of on-campus scout teams and replacement parts for injured varsity players. He developed tremendous esprit de corps among these players, many of them ex-servicemen who fit in well with a regimented program designed for the greater good. In 1948, Waldorf put his team in navy blue Riddell RT helmets that matched the home jerseys and sent them off to a 10-0 season. The only blemish was a 20-14 Rose Bowl loss to his former Northwestern squad. Waldorf had inherited guard Rod Franz who had received some All American mention as a freshman in '46, and soph in 1947 and was voted to most All American teams after the '48 season as a junior. Opening holes for HB Jackie Jensen, who was also an All American made life easy for Franz, tackle Jim Turner, yet another '48 All American and the rest of the offense throughout "The Golden Boy's" participation from '46 through 1948. After his junior season Jensen signed a professional baseball contract and played in the Major Leagues through the 1961 season, achieving most of his success with the Red Sox where he was American League MVP.

SPOTLIGHT ON JACKIE JENSEN:

His nickname preceded that of Paul Hornung and "The Golden Boy" well described Jackie Jensen's entire existence. 5'11" and 190 pounds of muscle and speed, his handsome looks put him in the forefront of the Cal athletic program. An Oakland, CA high school star he is recognized as the finest athlete in Cal's storied history. He consistently produced big plays on the football field, long runs from scrimmage, heart-stopping kick and punt returns, and he did it from the very moment he stepped onto the gridiron, named to the West squad for the East-West Shrine Game as a freshman. He led Cal to the very first NCAA Baseball Championship, out-dueling Texas pitcher and all-time great QB Bobby Lane and defeating Yale and George Bush in the championship game. Jensen also hit a 535-foot home run, the longest in Cal history. He was spectacular in 1947 and overcame academic problems in the spring of '48 to win every All American team honor that fall, coming in fourth in the Heisman voting as a junior. He left Cal as a two sport All American after his junior year, their career rushing leader with 1703 yards and had the best one-year interception mark of seven in his soph season. Turning to pro baseball, Jensen starred with the Boston Red Sox, winning the AL's MVP award in 1958. Jensen had the distinction of being the first athlete to play in both the Rose Bowl and World Series. Fear of flying hastened his retirement from the Major Leagues and Jensen later coached baseball at Cal and in the minor leagues. His great play earned him entry to The College Football Hall Of Fame.

Cal's 10-0 record in '49 brought them to another Rose Bowl where they lost a close 17-14 contest to Ohio State. Guard Franz became a three-time All American and started forty consecutive games, while tackle Turner earned his second All American distinction. As great as they were, the line's stability was enhanced by soph Les Richter, a 230-pound mound of muscle who paved the way for HB Jim Monachino who put up 781 yards taking over for the departed Jensen. Franz returned to Cal as an assistant coach in the mid-'50's and was elected to The College Football Hall Of Fame. Coach Waldorf was known as a considerate gentleman to all and was widely hailed as a football genius as his 1950 squad captured their third consecutive Pacific Coast Conference title and trip to the Rose Bowl with a 9-0-1 record. Unfortunately, Waldorf and his team suffered their third Rose Bowl loss, this time in a 14-6 disappointment to Michigan. Seemingly able to reload annually, highly-recruited HB Johnny Olszewski was the power-packed back that sparked the team. A summer lifeguard in his hometown of Long Beach, CA, Johnny O began the season with 111 yards in the opener and never slowed down, gaining 1008 for the season. Much of the offensive success and stout defense could be laid at the feet of guard and LB Richter who was All American. John Ralston, a substitute linebacker, affectionately called "Little Rollo" would later have a large impact as a collegiate and pro coach, becoming one of Pappy's most successful proteges.

There was a big push to highlight Johnny O in '51. He had the ability, the catchy nickname, and great popularity. Cal's Memorial Stadium sold "Johnny O Juice" and a local ice cream spot offered the "Johnny O Sundae". Gaining 269 yards in the season's fourth game against Washington State, Johnny O was rolling but against USC in the next game, his knee was grabbed and twisted in a blatant act of poor sportsmanship. Olszewski missed the next three games and limped through the final two. His loss contributed to the good but disappointing 8-2 record. Newcomer Matt Hazeltine, a light but speedy center, followed in the Cal footsteps of his father who was a rugby and football star in 1915 before becoming a physician. Richter again was an All American as much for his accurate kicking as he was for his guard and LB play. The aggressive Richter was named team captain and continued to perform his three tasks well, earning All American honors for the second time.

SPOTLIGHT ON LES RICHTER:

After leaving Fresno High School for Cal, Les Richter was an immediate star. He was reliable as an offensive guard, linebacker, middle guard, and place kicker. An inspirational leader, the team rallied around him as team captain. He began at Cal as a fullback but with his ability to block and the arrival of heralded Johnny Olszewski, the staff knew he would be more effective on the offensive line. A selfless player, Richter put the team first and for his efforts, was a two-time All American. He received a number of awards that included the Andy Smith Award for most time played, All Pacific Coast Conference (and later named to the All-Time PAC Team), Cal MVP, and membership to The College Football Hall Of Fame. Many in the public missed the fact that he was also captain of Cal's highly-rated rugby team and Class Valedictorian. Drafted by the Dallas Texans, Richter was traded to the LA Rams for eleven players, the largest such trade in the history of pro football but he first served in the US Army for two years before beginning his pro football career that lasted nine seasons with the Rams. In those nine years, he excelled as a linebacker and went to nine consecutive Pro Bowls and at various times also played center, guard, and was the team's kicking specialist. After 1956 he played strictly on the defensive side of the ball as a middle guard and middle linebacker and was the Rams’ defensive captain through his final season in 1962. Richter went on to serve in a number of administrative positions for the governing body of auto racing and continues to do so while also owning the California Speedway.

Johnny O was healed for 1952 and closed out in All American fashion, setting a new PCC career rushing record of 2504 yards. He was the Chicago Cardinals first-round draft choice and played with the Cards, Redskins, Lions, and AFL Broncos from 1953 through '62 as a good, but not great running back, never regaining the form of his sophomore year after his terrible knee injury. The offense scored 247 points in a 7-3 season with Hazeltine a star at center and almost unstoppable as a linebacker. DB Ray Willsey was the surprise star of the Big Game vs. Stanford as he was pressed into duty as the QB and performed well. He would come back to lead the football team as head coach from 1964 through '71. Although it wasn't obvious, the reign of Waldorf and his Cal Bears as the dominant power in the West was all but over. The 4-4-2 mark of '53 was unfortunately, the beginning of Cal's slide to mediocrity in spite of QB Paul Larson's stats which led the nation in total offense with 1572 yards. He was so impressive that he was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals as a junior. End Jim Hanifan and C/LB Hazeltine made an effective pair up front with Hazeltine an All American primarily for his defensive play.