Some names that immediately come to mind:
Ziv Gottleib has to be high on list for holders.
Dave Binn for Long snapper.
Desean Jackson for punt returner.
Russell White for kick returner.
Jhavid Best for gunnner.
Anger for punter.
Jim Breech for kicker.

91Gypo said:

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Some names that immediately come to mind:
Ziv Gottleib has to be high on list for holders.
Dave Binn for Long snapper.
Desean Jackson for punt returner.
Russell White for kick returner.
Jhavid Best for gunnner.
Anger for punter.
Jim Breech for kicker.

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Definitely DeSean. Every time he took a punt I thought he might take it to the house.

Not counting kickers, for me it's Rich Dixon. He blocked a few kicks and was Cal's best linebacker that couldn't break into the depth chart -- because Joe Kapp was such a great coach that he never noticed that when Dixon was in the game, something bad often happened -- to the other team.

If we're going for return men, it's gotta be Deltha.

And for unsung heros type, I pick LaShaun Ward. He was back for kick returns with Deltha. Deltha would get the ball and Ward would _always_ pick off the first guy down. When it became LaShaun's turn to return kicks he suffered badly from not having someone like that to block for him.

BearGreg said:

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Who you got? Bonus for photos or video inserts.

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I can't comment on guys who were around over 60 years ago since I didn't see them play. Since that time, Cal has had a number of sterling placekickers and punters. And, of course, kick and punt returners. However, the one guy that stands out in my mind was a gunner - Mike McGrath. He was as good a gunner as I have seen. Therefore, I'll go with him.....

Deltha O'Neal comes to mind

McGrath is not my favorite special teams player but he definitely is on the list. Kid played with so much hustle and heart.

McGrath Big Game Photo

Doug Brien (kicker) - he was so solid.

Kevin Moen, IIRC, was pretty significant

I remember Matt Clizbe being good as a gunner and even was a punt returner.

And Thomas Decoud blocked a few field goals and had the greatest block on Desean's PR TD vs UCLA

we literally had one of the all time greatest NFL and college punt returners in DJ, no question he's the top dog. the disrespect from some on this board has always been there for some reason.

deltha was dirty too. matt anderson on and off the field also!

DJax for punt return...that step back was insane.

flounder said:

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we literally had one of the all time greatest NFL and college punt returners in DJ, no question he's the top dog. the disrespect from some on this board has always been there for some reason.

deltha was dirty too. matt anderson on and off the field also!

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All-time great? College - yes. NFL - no. He is not listed in the NFL record book in any of the punt return categories.....

http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/puntreturns

71Bear said:

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flounder said:

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we literally had one of the all time greatest NFL and college punt returners in DJ, no question he's the top dog. the disrespect from some on this board has always been there for some reason.

deltha was dirty too. matt anderson on and off the field also!

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All-time great? College - yes. NFL - no. He is not listed in the NFL record book in any of the punt return categories.....

http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/puntreturns

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Well, first of all, if you read the link you provided you'd see that the stats are only up to date through the 2007 season, when DeSean was still in college.

Here are more up to date stats:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/punt_ret_td_career.htm

Second, DeSean is tied for 21st with 4 TDs . However, when looking at TDs per return, DeSean ranks very high TDs per Return, at 9th all time behind:

1. Dick Christy (1 every 16.75)
2. Devin Hester (1 every 22.5)
3. Reggie Bush (1 every 25.5)
4. Travis Benjamin (1 every 26)
5. Joey Galloway (1 every 28.2)
6. Desmond Howard (1 every 30.5)
7. Rich Upchurch (1 every 31
8. Lemar Parrish (1 every 32.75)
9. DeSean Jackson (1 every 33.5)

I'd say it's fair to call him one of the great NFL punt returners.

Definitely Bryan Anger at Punter. I remember a few booming 70+ yard punts...but watch this first highlight, a 73 yard coffin corner.

Nick Harris. Future NFL player and dude hit pretty damn hard in punt coverage too.

I'm with you on McGrath. I've never seen such dominant kick coverage by one individual. He was a blast to watch.

GMP said:

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71Bear said:

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flounder said:

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we literally had one of the all time greatest NFL and college punt returners in DJ, no question he's the top dog. the disrespect from some on this board has always been there for some reason.

deltha was dirty too. matt anderson on and off the field also!

---

All-time great? College - yes. NFL - no. He is not listed in the NFL record book in any of the punt return categories.....

http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/puntreturns

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Well, first of all, if you read the link you provided you'd see that the stats are only up to date through the 2007 season, when DeSean was still in college.

Here are more up to date stats:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/punt_ret_td_career.htm

Second, DeSean is tied for 21st with 4 TDs . However, when looking at TDs per return, DeSean ranks very high TDs per Return, at 9th all time behind:

1. Dick Christy (1 every 16.75)
2. Devin Hester (1 every 22.5)
3. Reggie Bush (1 every 25.5)
4. Travis Benjamin (1 every 26)
5. Joey Galloway (1 every 28.2)
6. Desmond Howard (1 every 30.5)
7. Rich Upchurch (1 every 31
8. Lemar Parrish (1 every 32.75)
9. DeSean Jackson (1 every 33.5)

I'd say it's fair to call him one of the great NFL punt returners.

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Fair enough on my oversight...

Still not one of the all-time greats in the NFL... IMO, a representative sampling of multiple metrics must be utilized to determine status as an all-time great. Heck, taking one metric is like suggesting Marino was an all-time great QB because he threw for a lot of yards. Marino was a very good QB on an above average team but he was nothing more than that.....

Having said that, Jackson certainly outplayed his draft slot.

Frankly I can't name them off the top of my head...but Cal's long snapper tradition in the NFL is a strong one. I think there were 3 Cal LS'ers in the NFL at one time? Talk about a legacy...Cal is LONG SNAPPER U!!!

In addition to the many fine choices already mentioned, I'll throw Vinny Strang's name out there...don't think he's gotten a mention yet.

Deltha O'Neal.
Our defense and special teams was our offense when we had no offense.

Another Bear said:

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Definitely Bryan Anger at Punter. I remember a few booming 70+ yard punts...but watch this first highlight, a 73 yard coffin corner.

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I expected to see his famous 76 yard punt v. Stanford in that reel. That was the best punt I have ever seen in person - it was like a tremendous golf shot that upon reaching its apparent apogee, continues even higher and further. It was well above the rim of the stadium...

71Bear said:

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Quote:

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Fair enough on my oversight...

Still not one of the all-time greats in the NFL... IMO, a representative sampling of multiple metrics must be utilized to determine status as an all-time great. Heck, taking one metric is like suggesting Marino was an all-time great QB because he threw for a lot of yards. Marino was a very good QB on an above average team but he was nothing more than that.....

Having said that, Jackson certainly outplayed his draft slot.

---

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Yeah, Marino isn't an all-time great. He just holds or is tied for various records, including but not limited to::

• Most seasons leading league in pass completions,
• Most games with 400 or more yards passing,
• Most seasons with 40 or more touchdown passes,
• Most seasons leading league in yards gained and
• Most consecutive seasons leading league in completions,
  

Not to mention the fact that he is 6th all-time in most yards passing, 2nd all-time in 4th quarter comebacks, has the 2nd lowest percentage of passes intercepted, is 4th all-time in most TD passes in a season, 2nd all-time in most seasons with 3,000 or more yards passing, 3rd all-time in career pass completions, 5th all-time in career passing yards, 5th all-time in career TD passes, 3rd all-time in throwing 3 or more TD passes in a game and 3rd in throwing 4 or more TDs in a game.

Pretty average wouldn't you say?

GMP said:

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71Bear said:

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flounder said:

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we literally had one of the all time greatest NFL and college punt returners in DJ, no question he's the top dog. the disrespect from some on this board has always been there for some reason.

deltha was dirty too. matt anderson on and off the field also!

---

All-time great? College - yes. NFL - no. He is not listed in the NFL record book in any of the punt return categories.....

http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/puntreturns

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Well, first of all, if you read the link you provided you'd see that the stats are only up to date through the 2007 season, when DeSean was still in college.

Here are more up to date stats:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/punt_ret_td_career.htm

Second, DeSean is tied for 21st with 4 TDs . However, when looking at TDs per return, DeSean ranks very high TDs per Return, at 9th all time behind:

1. Dick Christy (1 every 16.75)
2. Devin Hester (1 every 22.5)
3. Reggie Bush (1 every 25.5)
4. Travis Benjamin (1 every 26)
5. Joey Galloway (1 every 28.2)
6. Desmond Howard (1 every 30.5)
7. Rich Upchurch (1 every 31
8. Lemar Parrish (1 every 32.75)
9. DeSean Jackson (1 every 33.5)

I'd say it's fair to call him one of the great NFL punt returners.

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plus the fear he struck into special teams coordinators and punters, they knew damn well he could take it to the house anytime he was back there.

Well you did say favorite, so any of these players named are legit. They are all memorable but the two that standout as the most exciting, and guys that gave us hope that there was a real chance they'd take it to the house every time they touched the ball, were DeSean and Deltha.

From my perspective, in the many decades of watching Cal football, DeSean was the greatest punt returner I saw on our team or any other team. Deltha was a great returner of both punts and kickoffs, particularly great at KO returns.

71Bear said:

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I expected to see his famous 76 yard punt v. Stanford in that reel. That was the best punt I have ever seen in person - it was like a tremendous golf shot that upon reaching its apparent apogee, continues even higher and further. It was well above the rim of the stadium...

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Seeing Anger punt in person was quite a show. You just don't get the same experience on TV. I remember it was a bummer to fail on 3rd down conversions...but then we'd get to see Anger and that was okay and everyone would stand up to get a good look, and then he'd awe everyone.

Mike Pawlawski was pretty good in kickoff coverage too

RhetoriCal Bear said:

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71Bear said:

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Quote:

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Fair enough on my oversight...

Still not one of the all-time greats in the NFL... IMO, a representative sampling of multiple metrics must be utilized to determine status as an all-time great. Heck, taking one metric is like suggesting Marino was an all-time great QB because he threw for a lot of yards. Marino was a very good QB on an above average team but he was nothing more than that.....

Having said that, Jackson certainly outplayed his draft slot.

---

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Yeah, Marino isn't an all-time great. He just holds or is tied for various records, including but not limited to::

• Most seasons leading league in pass completions,
• Most games with 400 or more yards passing,
• Most seasons with 40 or more touchdown passes,
• Most seasons leading league in yards gained and
• Most consecutive seasons leading league in completions,
  

Not to mention the fact that he is 6th all-time in most yards passing, 2nd all-time in 4th quarter comebacks, has the 2nd lowest percentage of passes intercepted, is 4th all-time in most TD passes in a season, 2nd all-time in most seasons with 3,000 or more yards passing, 3rd all-time in career pass completions, 5th all-time in career passing yards, 5th all-time in career TD passes, 3rd all-time in throwing 3 or more TD passes in a game and 3rd in throwing 4 or more TDs in a game.

Pretty average wouldn't you say?

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I said "very good". Definitely no better than that...

Zero NFL championships. The greats all led their teams to titles at least once.......

Marino was the most overrated QB in NFL history.

71Bear said:

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GMP said:

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71Bear said:

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flounder said:

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we literally had one of the all time greatest NFL and college punt returners in DJ, no question he's the top dog. the disrespect from some on this board has always been there for some reason.

deltha was dirty too. matt anderson on and off the field also!

---

All-time great? College - yes. NFL - no. He is not listed in the NFL record book in any of the punt return categories.....

http://www.nfl.com/history/randf/records/indiv/puntreturns

---

Well, first of all, if you read the link you provided you'd see that the stats are only up to date through the 2007 season, when DeSean was still in college.

Here are more up to date stats:

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/punt_ret_td_career.htm

Second, DeSean is tied for 21st with 4 TDs . However, when looking at TDs per return, DeSean ranks very high TDs per Return, at 9th all time behind:

1. Dick Christy (1 every 16.75)
2. Devin Hester (1 every 22.5)
3. Reggie Bush (1 every 25.5)
4. Travis Benjamin (1 every 26)
5. Joey Galloway (1 every 28.2)
6. Desmond Howard (1 every 30.5)
7. Rich Upchurch (1 every 31
8. Lemar Parrish (1 every 32.75)
9. DeSean Jackson (1 every 33.5)

I'd say it's fair to call him one of the great NFL punt returners.

---

Fair enough on my oversight...

Still not one of the all-time greats in the NFL... IMO, a representative sampling of multiple metrics must be utilized to determine status as an all-time great. Heck, taking one metric is like suggesting Marino was an all-time great QB because he threw for a lot of yards. Marino was a very good QB on an above average team but he was nothing more than that.....

Having said that, Jackson certainly outplayed his draft slot.

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Yes, as did Rodgers. Would have loved to see them teamed up at Cal in 2005, it would have improved both of their draft slots.

How about Giorgio Tavecchio? One of our more colorful kickers, in his senior year he led the Pac12 with 20 field goals. And while he was a ton of fun to watch at Cal, his best Bay Area showing was his first NFL game last season replacing Janikowski where he went 4-4 including two 52 yarders - first player in NFL history to hit two 50+ yarders in his pro debut

heartofthebear said:

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Deltha O'Neal comes to mind

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Yes, O'Neal has to be someone in there. I recall games where his special team plays were Cal's only scoring.

CalVC2 said:

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How about Giorgio Tavecchio? One of our more colorful kickers, in his senior year he led the Pac12 with 20 field goals. And while he was a ton of fun to watch at Cal, his best Bay Area showing was his first NFL game last season replacing Janikowski where he went 4-4 including two 52 yarders - first player in NFL history to hit two 50+ yarders in his pro debut

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If you are going to count pro performance as well as college, Doug Brien winning a Super Bowl ring his first year as a pro with SF has to be included in the mix. Especially when one considers his excellent career at Cal.

Another Bear said:

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DJax for punt return...that step back was insane.

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For people that want to know if Cal can fill a stadium with excited fans, look at this film. Shows how far Cal football has fallen.

wifeisafurd said:

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Another Bear said:

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DJax for punt return...that step back was insane.

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For people that want to know if Cal can fill a stadium with excited fans, look at this film. Shows how far Cal football has fallen.

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Exactly. There is no need for pinball football. There is a need for basic blocking and tackling, interesting offensive schemes and defensive schemes designed to stifle a variety of game plans. Wilcox is on the right path to create the excitement seen in the clip but it will take time to dig out from the disaster that preceded him.