I have a daughter who is a senior at Texas A&M and they are really big on traditions and even have a list of approved tradtions. This got me to thinking what are my favorite Cal traditions, football and non football?

Football: All the big game stuff (give em the Ax, bonfire, the Ax, etc.) with "Take off that red shirt!" being my favorite. Honorable mention to rolling people up, the cannon, and card stunts.

Non Football: It used to be Charter day before some thugs ruined it and the University cancelled the event. Currently: parking spaces for nobel prize winners. It always makes me laugh. Honorable mention to getting hot and bothered by people not recongnizing that our campus is the ONLY University of California and needs no geographic addendum.

I would be intersted to know your favoirte traditions.

Winning!
Go Bears!

Keeping our New Year's Day schedules completely flexible is a really solid one.

BlueBear...on Facebook recently, College GameDay asked "what's your favorite cFB tradition?" and all the SEC fans (especially Alabama) said "winning!". Made me want to reach through the computer and slap them. But then, that's true of everything an SEC fan says.

As an example of a real tradition .. the Band forming the Script Cal.

The Naked Run through stacks during dead week before finals.

Chowing down a couple Top Dogs before ballgames.

The Band forming up on Sproul and marching up to football games.

Shouting "What was your first choice school" to U$C fans.

Forgot an important one that I am now adding -- The California Drinking Song sung by the Cal Octet -- or by a bunch of fans in In and Out halfway between Berkeley and LA on way to game in LA the following day...

The Campanile playing fight songs on Fridays at noon. Heck, anything Campanile-related.

(On a side note...I remember being told (early 70s) that a Cal tradition was the Campanile playing "They're Hanging Danny Deever in the Morning" at the beginning of dead week. I can't say if I ever actually heard it -- but then not knowing the melody, I doubt if I'd recognize it if I did. Can anyone confirm that this ever happened? Does it still happen? If not, when did it stop?)

For me, just about anything involving the Band.....pre-game at Sproul, Script Cal, Bowles post-game.....to me the Cal Band is Cal. But I love bonfire and card stunts too. Cal is so lucky to have so many traditions to choose from. I covered U of O, OSU, and UW athletics before moving back to California (unfortunately it had to be SoCal, but at least I'm not drenched 365). In addition to watching the 3 northwest schools, I've observed UCla and U$C's traditions too. Cal is by far the most fun school for athletic traditions on the west coast.

Gameday morning ritual - jog up Strawberry Canyon with early stadium set up going on at Memorial - then up the hill to the Lab -- Often, the band is going through a dry run on the field..and the view from the top is the greatest on the planet..Running back down with the morning smells of the "forest" (in my mind), the singing Bluejays and the service vehicles start arriving. The lined up and clean Port-A-Potties often get my morning coffee..and then it's back down to the Faculty Club in time for the continental breakfast and more coffee..Sublime.

As a Cal freshman decades ago, I thought the Big Game Titration in my chemistry class was ingenious! Thanks to the web, I can still enjoy it from time to time.

I hope it continues.

tombear;842127010 said:

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for me, just about anything involving the band.....pre-game at sproul, script cal, bowles post-game.....to me the cal band is cal. But i love bonfire and card stunts too. Cal is so lucky to have so many traditions to choose from. I covered u of o, osu, and uw athletics before moving back to california (unfortunately it had to be socal, but at least i'm not drenched 365). In addition to watching the 3 northwest schools, i've observed ucla and u$c's traditions too. Cal is by far the most fun school for athletic traditions on the west coast.

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[size="3"][color="navy"]straw hat band !!![/color][/size]

TomBear;842127010 said:

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For me, just about anything involving the Band.....pre-game at Sproul, Script Cal, Bowles post-game.....to me the Cal Band is Cal. But I love bonfire and card stunts too. Cal is so lucky to have so many traditions to choose from. I covered U of O, OSU, and UW athletics before moving back to California (unfortunately it had to be SoCal, but at least I'm not drenched 365). In addition to watching the 3 northwest schools, I've observed UCla and U$C's traditions too. Cal is by far the most fun school for athletic traditions on the west coast.

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outside the Band Room. Each Band Member would rub the head of the Bear on the way up to Sproul.

After Sproul concert, following the Tuba Players through campus and up to the stadium.

Faculty Club after the game.............

Cal Drinking Song

Football: The Andy Smith Bench right behind the Cal bench....er...or outside the stadium. Either way is fine.

Football related: The pregame Band concert at Sproul, followed by the march up through campus to the stadium.

Football related (barely): Endless arguments over the ideal starting time for home games.

"Freshmen more wood"

"Roll on you Bears"

BearDevil;842127147 said:

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"Freshmen more wood"

"Roll on you Bears"

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Oddly, considering I'm not very musically inclined (I'm pretty much tone deaf and I've never purchased a CD/single/iTune), my two favorite traditions have to do with music/song:

Football-related: anything to do with the Band.

Non-football-related: the a cappella groups, particularly the Octet, and their free concerts (at Sather Gate and also the "secret" ones in the middle of the night at the Greek)

Yes. That is true, and I believe it is still done, although there is no longer a full dead week. It was traditionally played at noon on the Friday before finals, followed by a funeral dirge.

I would add a few traditions that have sadly disappeared: throwing hot pennies at the refs who blow calls at Harmon. Counting off as the ref marches a penalty against Cal in football: "12, 13, 14, 15, thanks a lot, you son-of-a-b*tch!" or "Referee has no father; referee has no father." Tossing orange gremlins at the Stanfurd or U$C bands (or eating half of the gremlin, then filling the space with vodka).

The drum major vaulting over the lead sax before they march down the field

then leaning back as far as he can to touch his bear hat to the ground

The drum major tossing his baton as high as he can- if he catches it, we win (at least in theory).

star spangled banner(remove all red from song and add "home of the Bears" to the end...

In my parents days at Cal- only men in the rooting section

the pledges get their super early to get the seats for the brothers

Stealing your Christmas tree (at least at our house)

And plenty more...Skull and Keys!

Football related: probably the Faculty Club before and after; followed closely by the student section on the 50, with yell leaders/mic people on the platform in front of them, and the California banner behind them. (I recently saw a picture from old California Field, pre-Memorial Stadium, c 1920 or so- and all that was already there- it didn't even begin with Memorial. Pretty amazing.)

Also- stopping at Harris Ranch on I5 on the way back from the LA game. A great way to drown your sorrows. (Someday I am *still* planning to eat there after a win - ~sigh~.)

Non football: Sproul Plaza, Telegraph Ave, and Doe Library. Three different places where you can meet the world- and measure yourself and your dreams against it.

And seriously- no one's mentioned Oski?

Many great tradtions have been mentioned.

A small shout out to the PA announcements of water polo scores during the game.

oskiwanabe;842126963 said:

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I have a daughter who is a senior at Texas A&M and they are really big on traditions and even have a list of approved tradtions. This got me to thinking what are my favorite Cal traditions, football and non football?

Football: All the big game stuff (give em the Ax, bonfire, the Ax, etc.) with "Take off that red shirt!" being my favorite. Honorable mention to rolling people up, the cannon, and card stunts.

Non Football: It used to be Charter day before some thugs ruined it and the University cancelled the event. Currently: parking spaces for nobel prize winners. It always makes me laugh. Honorable mention to getting hot and bothered by people not recongnizing that our campus is the ONLY University of California and needs no geographic addendum.

I would be intersted to know your favoirte traditions.

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Football: the explosion as the band marched on the field.

Non-Football: Daffodil Festival (do they still have that?). We sold over a million of 'em back in those days. Proceeds to Cal Camp.

....the entire pregame football band show, from the field bombs going off, to the drum major, to the Cal script...

...and the cannon

oskiwanabe;842126963 said:

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I would be intersted to know your favoirte traditions.

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oskiwanabe should know that Oski is my favorite tradition. And none of this crap about "modernizing" that bear. Oski's perfect the way he's always been.