This is more for the young'uns, as they don't know much about "the streak," or what it felt like that day on that beautiful fateful day of Oct 20, 1990.

Recall that UCLA had beaten Cal for 18 straight seasons, 1972 thru 1989. Oh sure, Cal "won" the 1977 game due to UCLA forfeiture, but make no mistake, the Bears had lost 18 in a row.

Then a new sheriff came to town, and Bruce Snyder's methods started taking hold. 1990 was the year when what he was building came to fruition, and the watershed moment in the transformation was Cal 38, UCLA 31.

The remarkable thing is that Cal has gone 14-10 versus UCLA from 1990-2013 (13-11 if you account for Cal's forfeit of the 1999 shutout victory due to Saragoza-gate and the academic proclivities of Ainsworth and Davenport.

But an 0-18 skein becoming a 14-10 competitive rivalry only tells part of the story. There was sheer joy in that stadium that afternoon, one of those gorgeous October days that Cal football always seems to serve up. The UCLA folks were expecting victory, because 18 straight breeds confidence at best and downright arrogance at worst. I don't remember all the details but the attached story helps capture the moment.

Cal has not lost to UCLA at California Memorial Stadium THIS CENTURY. The Bruins last won at Cal in 1998, and how great would it be to send them back to the southland with an 8th consecutive defeat at Berkeley. Know your history and GO BEARS.

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-10-21/sports/sp-4341_1_tommy-maddox

The crazy thing about the streak is that our really bad teams during this time still managed to beat their really good ones in Berkeley.

And just for added context I'll mention that Cal had lost to UCLA in basketball 52 straight times in a streak that ended in 1986. As a kid born in the mid 60s whose first Cal memories are in 1972 I didn't see Cal beat UCLA in either sport until 1986. USC was often better than UCLA (in football) and Cal could beat them but not UCLA.

I was at the 1990 game, and Snyder revised an old tradition: the players entered the stadium not through the North tunnel, but down the stairs through the students' rooting section. From that moment on, we all thought "today is definitely going to be different."

UrsaMajor;842382451 said:

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I was at the 1990 game, and Snyder revised an old tradition: the players entered the stadium not through the North tunnel, but down the stairs through the students' rooting section. From that moment on, we all thought "today is definitely going to be different."

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Thanks for this! I'm a '96 grad....a youngin from what I hear. I love to hear these stories from fans that have attended games before my time. Love that Snyder mixed it up and that Cal came out on top that day.

Ahhhh... what a wonderful memory that was. I was a young alum with seats in section T. When the players came down the steps through the student section, it really cranked up the electricity in the stadium and the buzz remained amped up for the entire game. One of the most fun days I can remember as a Cal fan. Thanks for posting the article. I tried to find one from one of the Bay Area papers but came up empty, but did find the following edited video of the game.



Edit: At 15:15 in the video, Pawlawksi shows why he is one of the all-time Cal greats. The guy's moxie and calm under fire was amazing, turning a potential disastrous play into a long gain.

85Bear;842382459 said:

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Edit: At 15:15 in the video, Pawlawksi shows why he is one of the all-time Cal greats. The guy's moxie and calm under fire was amazing, turning a potential disastrous play into a long gain.

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Couldn't help but notice just after Pawlawski's great play, at the 16:50 mark, Pawlawski's pass to put Cal up 17-zip went to Brent Woodall (RIP). And just before that was a sideline shot of Bruce (also RIP).

Man, except for my academic performance, those were great times.

BearBoarBlarney;842382462 said:

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Couldn't help but notice just after Pawlawski's great play, at the 16:50 mark, Pawlawski's pass to put Cal up 17-zip went to Brent Woodall (RIP). And just before that was a sideline shot of Bruce (also RIP).

Man, except for my academic performance, those were great times.

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Thought the same thing. Bittersweet memories...

UrsaMajor;842382451 said:

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I was at the 1990 game, and Snyder revised an old tradition: the players entered the stadium not through the North tunnel, but down the stairs through the students' rooting section. From that moment on, we all thought "today is definitely going to be different."

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One of my best days in Memorial. Got goosebumps when the team started in, and sitting on the alum side you could just feel the energy in the entire stadium take a huge jump. Heck, I was worried about some of the players falling over - cleats on concrete, you know.

UrsaMajor;842382451 said:

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I was at the 1990 game, and Snyder revised an old tradition: the players entered the stadium not through the North tunnel, but down the stairs through the students' rooting section. From that moment on, we all thought "today is definitely going to be different."

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I was visiting friends at ucla and they got me and my girlfriend into their student section.. I was getting razzed the entire game but left smiling from ear to ear. I also felt great for the So Cal kids that were overlooked by their hometown teams SUC and ucla: such as Mike P, Troy Auzenne, Steussie... What an awesome team that was.

I don't think the students realize what a jolt they can give to the team. Cheer the team buses as they head to Memorial right down frat lane (instead of ignoring them and continuing to drink; only takes 30 seconds out of your drinking time) and get to the stadium early so the team has the option to enter through the student section. It would be pretty embarrassing to have the team do that Saturday only to find the student section half empty.

I was an honorary waterboy for the game, along with my sister, we won a contest through the Cub Club, had a great sideline view!

Think Sack

Excellent history lesson. And, as someone who was at Cal '75-'80, that meant no wins in either football or basketball vs. the Ruins-pretty rough for us students who were from SoCal with friends at UCLA.
Most notable (from my view) from the streak: '75 the game vs. UCLA was at the Coliseum (yes, young Blues, they use to play there) and Cal out played them, but made stupid mistakes. That particular loss (for a team that was the best offensive juggernaut in the Nation) cost Cal the Rose Bowl; not sure if any other game vs. UCLA has that distinction.

That day is indelible. At 10 am I was mowing my lawn in Lafayette. The thought flashed that this was the day. Hadn't been to CMS for two years. I ran into the house and showered, left my wife note and took off for Berkeley by myself. The glow at game's end was indescribable. Only Dwight Clark falling on the onside kick in the 82 SB measured up.

My first Cal game ever was against UCLA in 2002... Probably top 3 game experiences ever.. Let's keep the home steak going!

bear945;842382449 said:

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As a kid born in the mid 60s whose first Cal memories are in 1972 I didn't see Cal beat UCLA in either sport until 1986.

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That long dry spell & the humiliation that went with it is one big reason why I cannot stand UCLA to this day. At one point I would have traded 10 wins over Furd for one win against them. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to be present for a Cal victory at Pauley. Something I never thought I would see. These are better times. I think that is why I am slow to criticize our recent coaches. I have experienced MUCH worse.

UrsaMajor;842382451 said:

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I was at the 1990 game, and Snyder revised an old tradition: the players entered the stadium not through the North tunnel, but down the stairs through the students' rooting section. From that moment on, we all thought "today is definitely going to be different."

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That was so cool... We should do that more. Unfortunately we have that awkwardly bad timing of the team coming out every game. So awkward.

Go!Bears;842382560 said:

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That long dry spell & the humiliation that went with it is one big reason why I cannot stand UCLA to this day. At one point I would have traded 10 wins over Furd for one win against them. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to be present for a Cal victory at Pauley. Something I never thought I would see. These are better times. I think that is why I am slow to criticize our recent coaches. I have experienced MUCH worse.

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Indeed, that was what it was like then: Cal fans COULDN'T STAND UCLA and really, really wanted to beat them... because we never did!

Obviously, with basketball, they were the Wooden Dynasty (even after he retired) and can you imagine losing to a team over fifty times in a row!

In football, someone referenced the '75 game that cost us the Rose Bowl, but then there was the '78 game... 1st time we were on a nationally televised game in a number of years and we lost something like 44-0. The following year, we go up on them something like 17-0 or 20-0 and they come back and nip us at the end. It was driving people crazy.

Now, to me, they are just another team we play. I want us to beat everybody. (Stanfurd much more than the rest, of course.)

UrsaMajor;842382451 said:

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I was at the 1990 game, and Snyder revised an old tradition: the players entered the stadium not through the North tunnel, but down the stairs through the students' rooting section. From that moment on, we all thought "today is definitely going to be different."

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I was there too. I always thought it was a shame the way we lost Snyder.

BearBoarBlarney;842382446 said:

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This is more for the young'uns, as they don't know much about "the streak," or what it felt like that day on that beautiful fateful day of Oct 20, 1990.

Recall that UCLA had beaten Cal for 18 straight seasons, 1972 thru 1989. Oh sure, Cal "won" the 1977 game due to UCLA forfeiture, but make no mistake, the Bears had lost 18 in a row.

Then a new sheriff came to town, and Bruce Snyder's methods started taking hold. 1990 was the year when what he was building came to fruition, and the watershed moment in the transformation was Cal 38, UCLA 31.

The remarkable thing is that Cal has gone 14-10 versus UCLA from 1990-2013 (13-11 if you account for Cal's forfeit of the 1999 shutout victory due to Saragoza-gate and the academic proclivities of Ainsworth and Davenport.

But an 0-18 skein becoming a 14-10 competitive rivalry only tells part of the story. There was sheer joy in that stadium that afternoon, one of those gorgeous October days that Cal football always seems to serve up. The UCLA folks were expecting victory, because 18 straight breeds confidence at best and downright arrogance at worst. I don't remember all the details but the attached story helps capture the moment.

Cal has not lost to UCLA at California Memorial Stadium THIS CENTURY. The Bruins last won at Cal in 1998, and how great would it be to send them back to the southland with an 8th consecutive defeat at Berkeley. Know your history and GO BEARS.

http://articles.latimes.com/1990-10-21/sports/sp-4341_1_tommy-maddox

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Well done. I am glad I was there.

To add to this story you have to know that the idea to enter the stadium through the student section had been discussed well in advance of the game. Snyder made the call (we werent sure he would approve it) and the team was fired up. What fans dont know was that many of the players were winded when they got to the field. It took longer than expected to get to the field. It definitely made a statement and the feeling on the sideline was that the team would not be denied a victory that day. One of the best days as a Golden Bear.

By chance does anyone have an extra program from that game that they would be willing to sell?

On the day of this game, I was at the UW bookstore in Seattle. The game was on a tv in one section of the store. People were gathered around. Faces were covered with incredulous looks of disbelief, and then someone stated, "This is not the same, old Cal."

The woman I was dating at the time was a ucla grad. I sat with her and her father (also a ucla grad) in the ucla section during that game. It was amusing to listen to the ucla fans' comments during the game. They really could not understand how ucla could possibly lose to Cal.

Dad never seemed to like me much. I do not know whether that was due to my being the embodiment of ucla's loss or due to the fact that his daughter was having sex with me. Both situations were good from where I sat. It was not a long term relationship.