Tradition has been that the USC or UCLA home game is the Joe Roth game. Should that tradition end in 2024 when those teams leave the PAC? Should another game become the Joe Roth game?

Honor him at the Big Game when in Berkeley.

Or how about the home opener of every season?

BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

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Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

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Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

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I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

Strykur said:

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I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

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We probably wouldn't be able to afford them anyways.

Why does the team have to wear special uniforms to honor Joe Roth? They should still honor him despite having special uniforms. Add a (12) patch. Good lord, it's not about the uniforms, it's about the man.

We should wear them whenever we play Pitt in the ACC since their jerseys are so similar and it would piss them off. Plus I always see East coasters claim that Cal is copying Pitt's jerseys and it would be a fun little reminder that they're our 70's throwbacks and they actually copy-kittened us

In years ending in 5, wear the Joe Roth throwbacks for the Big Game. In years ending in 2, wear the uniforms of the 1982 team. Every other season wear the team's standard uniforms. That way Joe and The Play are honored at each decadal anniversary for the 1975 and 1982 teams.

Strykur said:

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MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

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Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

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I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

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Amen to that. Let them go with men's platform shoes, men's corduroy pant suits, and handlebar mustaches

Could we do the game this year but wear a patch in lieu of the whole throwback uniform?

Akin to wearing the Bill Russel 6 all season in the NBA last year.

We should continue the Joe Roth Game by continuing to play USC and UCLA. But leave the 70s uniforms behind.

bluehenbear said:

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Why does the team have to wear special uniforms to honor Joe Roth? They should still honor him despite having special uniforms. Add a (12) patch. Good lord, it's not about the uniforms, it's about the man.

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I agree 100%. Who knows what will happen after this season, so at least have the Joe Roth Memorial Game 1 final time against a southern California team. I graduated from Cal in '76, but I never understood why that shade of blue was worn instead of navy anyway.

This would be worse than not having the spirit teams at the beginning of last year.

Go Bears!
Richard

That's irritating to have another faux pas, this one involving the uniforms. This athletic administration can't get anything right. Even without the uniforms, they should have some sort of a Roth-related giveaway for the game against the LA school. I really treasure the caps and shirt I've gotten from past games.

Seems to me it would be appropriate to do something to honor Joe during homecoming. In fact, I think homecoming should always be not only the Joe Roth Memorial game but Alumni Band Day as well.

Regarding what to wear at stanford, as I've shared before, Cal should NEVER wear white jerseys in Palo Alto. Do what Cal teams did for decades......wear the Blue jerseys at Palo Alto and make that lousy place Bear Territory.

BearGreg said:

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Let me correct myself. We may well have a Joe Roth Memorial game this year, it simply will not be with the Roth throwback uniforms which BTW are very, very popular with fans, donors and the players

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Was gonna say.
Them thur wuz some fightin wurds

I remember when AD Dave Maggard announced the establishment of the annual Joe Roth game. He said the designation of the game would be an annual decision by the AD, leaving it open for him or his successors to choose a game other than a home game against a team from LA. For decades, there was no special/throwback uniform.

The tradition should be continued. In some ways it did not make sense to designate the Southern Branch game as Joe never beat them. He beat SC in what may have been his best game and then Cal won again in '73 in the first Joe Roth game (led by QB Charlie Young).

I'm actually tired of the so-called Joe Roth uniforms. I didn't like them in the '70's and like them less now. What about a Joe Kapp throwback? He took us to the Rose Bowl and it would be good to honor and remember that team.

I liked the uniforms worn at the Big Game last year. Kind of like the Roth game but different. Don't know how popular they were. As for the Big Game going forward, I think Cal and Stanford should wear their home uniforms, the Red for the 'Furd and blue for Cal, like it used to be done years ago. The colors are different enough that there would be no confusion. One caveat; Stanford cannot wear their hideous black uniforms.

I wasn't born when Joe Roth played for Cal. The uniforms for the Joe Roth Game actually appeal to me. I like them much better than the regular uniforms (especially the white on white). Also, just as a reminder, Cal (or technically, "Berkeley") blue is pantone 282 C while navy blue is 19-3832. So wearing navy blue uniforms wouldn't even be wearing Cal colors.

Strykur said:

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MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

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Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

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I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

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Agreed, we need to get our branding tighter and having a second set of jerseys with completely different colors show up in so many recruiting pic is not helping.

BearGreg said:

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Let me correct myself. We may well have a Joe Roth Memorial game this year, it simply will not be with the Roth throwback uniforms which BTW are very, very popular with fans, donors and the players

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and me!

BearGreg said:

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BTW are very, very popular with fans, donors and the players

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ColoradoBear said:

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Strykur said:

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MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

---

Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

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I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

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Agreed, we need to get our branding tighter and having a second set of jerseys with completely different colors show up in so many recruiting pic is not helping.

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some folks think that fans care, but really, those folks need to differentiate between how they as hardcore fans/donors feel (who are the minority of Cal fans) and everyone else.

Truth is most Cal fans don't care. Most fans get the narrative behind it, but whether it continues or stops will not alter how they feel about Cal football. The reality is that current Cal students and vast majority of alumni have no emotional connection to Joe Roth.

BarcaBear said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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Strykur said:

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MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

---

Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

---

I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

---

Agreed, we need to get our branding tighter and having a second set of jerseys with completely different colors show up in so many recruiting pic is not helping.

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some folks think that fans care, but really, those folks need to differentiate between how they as hardcore fans/donors feel (who are the minority of Cal fans) and everyone else.

Truth is most Cal fans don't care. Most fans get the narrative behind it, but whether it continues or stops will not alter how they feel about Cal football. The reality is that current Cal students and vast majority of alumni have no emotional connection to Joe Roth.

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The no emotional attachment part is because the admin does absolutely nothing to prop up the program. This game should be d@mn pilgrimage for all Cal alumni ... There is no marketing about the joe Roth game the week before which is the perfect time to educate everyone about the spirit of Roth. During the game there is virtually nothing or you can't hear it because the sound system sucks.

Everything points back to the leadership. The fans aren't coming out until the play on the field improves and the admin becomes more competent. Unfortunately, it is too late. We are left without a conference and got what the admin deserved.

Econ141 said:

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BarcaBear said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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Strykur said:

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MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

---

Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

---

I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

---

Agreed, we need to get our branding tighter and having a second set of jerseys with completely different colors show up in so many recruiting pic is not helping.

---

some folks think that fans care, but really, those folks need to differentiate between how they as hardcore fans/donors feel (who are the minority of Cal fans) and everyone else.

Truth is most Cal fans don't care. Most fans get the narrative behind it, but whether it continues or stops will not alter how they feel about Cal football. The reality is that current Cal students and vast majority of alumni have no emotional connection to Joe Roth.

---

The no emotional attachment part is because the admin does absolutely nothing to prop up the program. This game should be d@mn pilgrimage for all Cal alumni ... There is no marketing about the joe Roth game the week before which is the perfect time to educate everyone about the spirit of Roth. During the game there is virtually nothing or you can't hear it because the sound system sucks.

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I never knew anything about Joe Roth until I ran across this forum. Until then, the "Joe Roth Game" was more of an irritant than anything else. I was seriously bothered by the idea that some rich donor bought the naming rights to a Cal football game every year.* Then this board taught me the real reason why the "Joe Roth Game" exists and about who Joe Roth was. That changed my mind fully so that I became proud of Cal for having a Joe Roth Game every year and for honoring his memory. Of course, the AD and the administration really should be the ones pulling the load rather than having this forum provide the relevant information to fellow Cal football fans.

*As a side note, maybe it's time Cal looked into selling naming rights to games.

01Bear said:

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Econ141 said:

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BarcaBear said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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Strykur said:

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MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

---

Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

---

I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

---

Agreed, we need to get our branding tighter and having a second set of jerseys with completely different colors show up in so many recruiting pic is not helping.

---

some folks think that fans care, but really, those folks need to differentiate between how they as hardcore fans/donors feel (who are the minority of Cal fans) and everyone else.

Truth is most Cal fans don't care. Most fans get the narrative behind it, but whether it continues or stops will not alter how they feel about Cal football. The reality is that current Cal students and vast majority of alumni have no emotional connection to Joe Roth.

---

The no emotional attachment part is because the admin does absolutely nothing to prop up the program. This game should be d@mn pilgrimage for all Cal alumni ... There is no marketing about the joe Roth game the week before which is the perfect time to educate everyone about the spirit of Roth. During the game there is virtually nothing or you can't hear it because the sound system sucks.

---

I never knew anything about Joe Roth until I ran across this forum. Until then, the "Joe Roth Game" was more of an irritant than anything else. I was seriously bothered by the idea that some rich donor bought the naming rights to a Cal football game every year.* Then this board taught me the real reason why the "Joe Roth Game" exists and about who Joe Roth was. That changed my mind fully so that I became proud of Cal for having a Joe Roth Game every year and for honoring his memory. Of course, the AD and the administration really should be the ones pulling the load rather than having this forum provide the relevant information to fellow Cal football fans.

*As a side note, maybe it's time Cal looked into selling naming rights to games.

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I knew about Joe Roth because when I first saw the uniforms my first year at Cal I just googled it.

01Bear said:

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Econ141 said:

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BarcaBear said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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Strykur said:

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MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

---

Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

---

I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

---

Agreed, we need to get our branding tighter and having a second set of jerseys with completely different colors show up in so many recruiting pic is not helping.

---

some folks think that fans care, but really, those folks need to differentiate between how they as hardcore fans/donors feel (who are the minority of Cal fans) and everyone else.

Truth is most Cal fans don't care. Most fans get the narrative behind it, but whether it continues or stops will not alter how they feel about Cal football. The reality is that current Cal students and vast majority of alumni have no emotional connection to Joe Roth.

---

The no emotional attachment part is because the admin does absolutely nothing to prop up the program. This game should be d@mn pilgrimage for all Cal alumni ... There is no marketing about the joe Roth game the week before which is the perfect time to educate everyone about the spirit of Roth. During the game there is virtually nothing or you can't hear it because the sound system sucks.

---

I never knew anything about Joe Roth until I ran across this forum. Until then, the "Joe Roth Game" was more of an irritant than anything else. I was seriously bothered by the idea that some rich donor bought the naming rights to a Cal football game every year.* Then this board taught me the real reason why the "Joe Roth Game" exists and about who Joe Roth was. That changed my mind fully so that I became proud of Cal for having a Joe Roth Game every year and for honoring his memory. Of course, the AD and the administration really should be the ones pulling the load rather than having this forum provide the relevant information to fellow Cal football fans.

*As a side note, maybe it's time Cal looked into selling naming rights to games.

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I came to Cal in Fall '83, Roth had passed in '77, so the institutional memory was still very fresh. Now, it's 45 years later. I can understand confusion and even cynicism if you don't know the story. The Joe Roth story should be retold.

That said, we don't do anything of which I'm aware to honor the memory of Ted Agu - a Defensive Lineman who died as a result of sickle cell trait during a team workout. Ted's family alleged neglect on the part of the coaching staff, and Cal was forced to admit liability and settle for $4.75M with the family. Next year is the 10th anniversary of his death, and perhaps we might honor his memory at a bonfire rally (I know - we don't light bonfires anymore) since he fell, as it were, in the line of duty.

Maybe as a play on, or as an homage to, the "Three Soldiers" statue at the Vietnam Wall, we could do a lifesize bronze of Joe Roth, Joe Kapp, and Ted Agu standing together in the uniforms of their respective eras looking across Piedmont toward CMS.

BarcaBear said:

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01Bear said:

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Econ141 said:

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BarcaBear said:

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ColoradoBear said:

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Strykur said:

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MTbear22 said:

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BearGreg said:

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Sadly, there will not be a Joe Roth game in 2023. In the new deal with Nike, something went awry preventing them from having the uniforms ready in time for the USC game.

I believe the plan is to play one game a year in those uniforms in 2024. Will it be Big Game or a new ACC opponent, that's TBD

---

Personal opinion: strong no on making it the Big Game. Traditional uniforms for the traditional rivalry.

---

I would not be bothered if the Joe Roth throwbacks were shelved forever.

---

Agreed, we need to get our branding tighter and having a second set of jerseys with completely different colors show up in so many recruiting pic is not helping.

---

some folks think that fans care, but really, those folks need to differentiate between how they as hardcore fans/donors feel (who are the minority of Cal fans) and everyone else.

Truth is most Cal fans don't care. Most fans get the narrative behind it, but whether it continues or stops will not alter how they feel about Cal football. The reality is that current Cal students and vast majority of alumni have no emotional connection to Joe Roth.

---

The no emotional attachment part is because the admin does absolutely nothing to prop up the program. This game should be d@mn pilgrimage for all Cal alumni ... There is no marketing about the joe Roth game the week before which is the perfect time to educate everyone about the spirit of Roth. During the game there is virtually nothing or you can't hear it because the sound system sucks.

---

I never knew anything about Joe Roth until I ran across this forum. Until then, the "Joe Roth Game" was more of an irritant than anything else. I was seriously bothered by the idea that some rich donor bought the naming rights to a Cal football game every year.* Then this board taught me the real reason why the "Joe Roth Game" exists and about who Joe Roth was. That changed my mind fully so that I became proud of Cal for having a Joe Roth Game every year and for honoring his memory. Of course, the AD and the administration really should be the ones pulling the load rather than having this forum provide the relevant information to fellow Cal football fans.

*As a side note, maybe it's time Cal looked into selling naming rights to games.

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I knew about Joe Roth because when I first saw the uniforms my first year at Cal I just googled it.

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The closest option to that when I was a freshman would've been Ask Jeeves.

I was Joe Roth's good friend and roommate at CAL. THe fact we are having this discussion...46 years after his passing...is an amazing tribute to Joe being remembered by so many fans and non-fans over the decades! Can you imagine if it was you the Forum was talking about your legacy...this many decades later? A true honor to be remembered!

I have been invited by Coach Tedford and Coach Dykes to speak to the CAL football team several times over the years duting the week of Joe Roth Memorial games. I describe Joe as I knew him as: Courage, Attitude and Legacy. What's that spell? CAL!

Coach Wilcox has not extended an invitation to me to speak to the team during his tenure. But, that's okay... Joe's spirit lives on in my heart each and everyday.

Do you realize that had Joe been healthy enough to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL in 1977, by the Dallas Cowboys who GM Gil Brandt said Joe Roth was the best QB to come out of the college ranks since Joe Namath, he would have had a Super Bowl ring in his rookie season backing up Dallas QB Roger Staubach! Amazing would could have been...

Go BEARS!
John Matlock
(matlock.piano@gmail.com)

I was Joe Roth's good friend and roommate at CAL. THe fact we are having this discussion...46 years after his passing...is an amazing tribute to Joe being remembered by so many fans and non-fans over the decades! Can you imagine if it was you the Forum was talking about your legacy...this many decades later? A true honor to be remembered!

I have been invited by Coach Tedford and Coach Dykes to speak to the CAL football team several times over the years during the week of Joe Roth Memorial games. I describe Joe as I knew him as: Courage, Attitude and Legacy. What's that spell? CAL!

Coach Wilcox has not extended an invitation to me to speak to the team during his tenure. But, that's okay... Joe's spirit lives on in my heart each and everyday.

Do you realize that had Joe been healthy enough to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL in 1977, by the Dallas Cowboys who GM Gil Brandt said Joe Roth was the best QB to come out of the college ranks since Joe Namath, he would have had a Super Bowl ring in his rookie season backing up Dallas QB Roger Staubach! Amazing would could have been...

Go BEARS!
John Matlock
(matlock.piano@gmail.com)

What has Joe Roth got to do with Usc? They arbitrarily picked the Usc game to honor him. He did so much more than playing against Usc. Why would we stop remembering?

HoopDreams said:

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BearGreg said:

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Let me correct myself. We may well have a Joe Roth Memorial game this year, it simply will not be with the Roth throwback uniforms which BTW are very, very popular with fans, donors and the players

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and me!

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Add me as a fan of the throwbacks. Bet the recruits like them too since they are usually announced on social media wearing them. So much better than the crap unis UnderAmour rolled out the last few years. Adding to another thread, I think the all white road unis look great but they can burn the all blues or yellow home unis. All blue at night is laughable.

calumnus said:

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We should continue the Joe Roth Game by continuing to play USC and UCLA. But leave the 70s uniforms behind.

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eh. i used to be on the play sc/ucla at all costs bandwagon but the calculus has changed, to put it mildly