I'm glad to see the Bears continue to honor one of their best QB's ever. As I recall, TB Cal led the nation in total offense. They had the same number of yards rushing as they did passing! That will never be done again! I think that team with Roth, Chuck Muncie, Wesley Walker and others ranks as one of the best season performances ever by any Cal team and should be honored. Six months later, Joe Roth was dead.
Photo by X / Cal Football
The best threads on the West Coast are back.
Cal announced Wednesday that it will rock the classic Joe Roth Uniforms against UCLA in Week 1 of the 2026 season, rejuvenating the tradition against LA rivals that had disappeared in recent years.
Here’s Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele in the iconic throwbacks.
And here’s a video that pays homage to Roth — whose No. 12 jersey remains the only one retired in Cal football’s history — and his inspiring battle with melanoma.
“Every program has moments that define it; moments that become stories; stories that become tradition,” the narration reads. “Some names live in record books; others live in something bigger. Joe Roth wasn't remembered because the game was easy. He was remembered because he never stopped showing up.
“Because courage isn't measured when everything goes your way. It's revealed when it doesn’t.
“Honor the past, and earn the future."
The Golden Bears’ season opener against UCLA was already a big deal for several different reasons. And now, you can add the return of the Joe Roth Uniforms to the list.
Are you glad to see the iconic threads return?
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