BearGreg said:

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Not just a game, a moment in a game. Tell us your story.

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The first time I was able to get a piece of a card that was used during the card tricks. When I was a kid, we would run to the area behind the Cal bench right after games hoping to grab a card (or piece of a card) off the ground. Generally, I was not as quick as my friends so I wasn't able to get over there from our end zone seats fast enough. On the rare occasions when I did get there first, there weren't any cards. Finally, it all changed on that magical day. The game? Who won? Who cares? I got a piece of a card. When you are 8 or 9 years old that is what matters......

my first game at Memorial, back in the dark ages when they gave out discounted passes to high school FB players. I got an end zone seat for a buck. Took a date. Big time. (ok, it cost me 2 bucks and 25 cents x 2 for a/c transit.)

Big Game ended with Ferragamo throwing a TD to Steve Sweeney in the very corner where we were sitting. Date was impressed that I got her such a good seat.

When I went down to the field to introduce my young son to Craig Morton, who I watched as a kid because my Dad took me to see Morton. That's Cal.

Keeping my hands in the air for 30 minutes after "the Play." That's Cal.

Watching the Old Blues come to the Big Game dressed in sports coats and ties, accompanied by wives with blue and gold flowers. That's Cal.

The Play. Speaks for itself. I was 28 years old. It was the first and last time I ever went onto a football field with the crowd after a game.

I can't decide between three so I'll rank them:

1) Upsetting USC with Reggie Robertson playing. That was the last game I went to with my grandpa so there is some personal importance as well. But as for the game, I'll never forget the shuttle ride up and a kid asking why even bother. And watching the game on replay years later, the pure talent and size for USC amazes me that we could do it, even if it took 3 OTs.

2) The Baylor game to open Tedford's tenure in Berkeley. My distinct memory is laughing at how ridiculous a bowl ban was for Cal. Little did we know what was coming. The start of an amazing run, the best in my life.

3) Best singular moment is hands down the Desean Jackson return against Tennessee. I skipped an annual family trip to watch the game from Knoxville on TV and what a disappointment. To see the pure speed and feel the electricity of Memorial at (in my opinion) an all time high will be something I never forget.

Russell White takes the opening kickoff against the Miami Hurricanes 99 yards for a TD. The band plays the Superman theme and the whole crowd is doing the "we're not worthy Wayne's World bow."

2002 Big Game.

After 7 years of pent up frustration,Memorial was going to release and unload with fans on both sidelines waiting to rush the field. Tedford's first year, Joe Igber setting a Big Game record for rushing yards, goal posts come down, that guy was lucky he didn't die, and Kyle Boller crowd surfing.

Quote:

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"We didn't want it to be dramatic. We didn't want a close game," Cal cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "Just the fact that we won was drama enough. I've never seen the fans like that in here. The excitement was all over the building. I don't think we've ever had that at home."

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I was sitting near the north endzone, some Stanford fans were sitting behind us and in the heat of the moment, I started a take off that red shirt cheer. Other fans joined in and poor Stanford guy took off his tshirt, he had nothing else on for some time. I felt bad after I realized what I had done, a good samaritan cal fan offered him his sweater, then we rushed the field.

oskirules said:

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A2002 Big Game.

After 7 years of pent up frustration,Memorial was going to release and unload with fans on both sidelines waiting to rush the field. Tedford's first year, Joe Igber setting a Big Game record for rushing yards, goal posts come down, that guy was lucky he didn't die, and Kyle Boller crowd surfing.

Quote:

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"We didn't want it to be dramatic. We didn't want a close game," Cal cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "Just the fact that we won was drama enough. I've never seen the fans like that in here. The excitement was all over the building. I don't think we've ever had that at home."

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I was sitting near the north endzone, some Stanford fans were sitting behind us and in the heat of the moment, I started a take off that red shirt cheer. Other fans joined in and poor Stanford guy took off his tshirt, he had nothing else on for some time. I felt bad after I realized what I had done, a good samaritan cal fan offered him his sweater, then we rushed the field.

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This is mine, too.

I can't limit it to just one:
1. At age 9 in 1965, I was at the Penn St game where, with ONE SECOND left on the clock, Cal threw a pass to Jerry Bradley for a winning TD.

2. My senior year at Cal in 1975, I was so hung over as we walked up to the USC game, that I threw up in the bushes before entering the student section. But the adrenaline rush I felt as the band came on the field was what I remember the most, followed by what had to be the greatest Cal football game of the 1970s.

3. The first game of 1981 where Cal played Texas A&M. There was a new bright green artificial turf field at Memorial and that combined with the Run-and-Shoot offense that had receivers running everywhere created this surreal sensation. Cal went ahead 21-0, I think. And I said to myself, "D*mn, we might be able to fool everybody with this for a season and get to the Rose Bowl!". Then Gale Gilbertson went down, and . . . well, so did the season.

3. 1983 - The Play, of course.

I was at the 1940 Big Game at Memorial when I met this scrawny Harvard grad named Jack who was taking some classes at Stanford. He was with a beautiful co-ed, as I recall.

Despite his allegiance, I convinced him to join the stadium-wide, "Go Berkeley!" chant.

Anyways, 20 years later the guy sitting next to me was elected president of the United States!

BearGreg said:

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Not just a game, a moment in a game. Tell us your story.

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Oh come on, the Big Play. Was there, and never saw the end of it due to madness and sitting on the wrong side of the stadium. In retrospect, maybe the greatest moment was when the cannon went off.

The 1975 game v USC was very emotional; the first Joe Roth Game in '77 v USC; beating UCLA for the first time in 18 years in 1990; the '91 USC game was such a dominating performance. Of course, the '82 Big Game is tight there too. HM: '93 Game v Oregon when Cal overcame a 30-0 deficit.
Losing to UCLA on the last play in 1970 was devastating. Dennis Dummit scrambled from the 18 yd line. His knees touched at the two and it would have been reversed on replay today.

So many ... 2003 -Tyler Fredrickson's winning FG in triple OT over USC, after what would have been the winning kick blocked twice previously.

1975 - Walking out of Memorial in ecstasy after drubbing the Trojans, passing a ditzy SC coed crying her eyes out while Toejam band was playing she said, "Can't you support your team when they lose?" My smile got bigger.

1993 - Mike Caldwell catching what would be winning two point conversion, while falling backwards and barely staying in bounds, to highlight comeback from 30-0 deficit against Oregon.

The Play - Just look at my screen name. What else could it be?

This is going to be peculiar but:

2006, 4th quarter vs. Portland State

Will give the full story later.

Strykur said:

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This is going to be peculiar but:

2006, 4th quarter vs. Portland State

Will give the full story later.

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Wait . . . what?

That's got to be quite a story.

DeSean's step back punt return against Tenn.

Other than The Play, which is in a category by itself...I'll post two:

2007 Tennessee: the sack-scoop-n-score. I think it was the loudest I've ever heard Memorial. The pent-up energy from the whole off-season build-up of expectations and desire for revenge on the Vols...exploded.

2003 USC, 2nd OT. As I recall, the Trojans had scored rather easily on their possession, and it felt like -- that's it, the party's over, we can't really hang with #3. But...boom: TD pass to Makonnen, and the Bears made it look easy. I was delirious with joy.

The year Cal Band got their "updated" uniforms and the student union was opened for the first time. Both were extremely exciting days for me, and for all I know they may be one and the same day. I don't remember much of the game other than it was Alumni Band Day. I THINK the game was against Missouri.

For a most memorable game moment, I have to go to '65 and that last second catch against Penn State......that was awesome. I missed The Play because at that time I was covering Husky Football for a Seattle Radio station.

Way too many other memories that run together. I loved running on the field after the game. The grass was so awesome and it gave off a wonderful aroma after a game. We all would play football on the field and pretend we were Bears.

1991.

When Bruce Snyder walked onto the field to shake Russell White's hand as he was coming out of the game -- because we had already totally routed U$C and Snyder didn't need to run up the score.

Surprised no one else remembers that as a big moment.

My favorite moment at Memorial was, although I
didn't know it would be at the time, was during the
final seconds of the 1958 Big Game when the Cal
entire student section chanted, "We smell Roses, we smell
roses....."

You mean this play:

https://www.facebook.com/181122311921516/videos/577329102016/UzpfSTM0MzQwNDIyOTA2NjcyNDoxNjI5NzgwNzk3MDk1NzIx/

https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaGridiron/photos/a.415707925169687.98382.343404229066724/1629766263763841/?type=3&theater

Hunt to Bradley

https://www.facebook.com/181122311921516/videos/577329102016/UzpfSTM0MzQwNDIyOTA2NjcyNDoxNjI5NzgwNzk3MDk1NzIx/

Great list.

BearGreg said:

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Not just a game, a moment in a game. Tell us your story.

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On a very personal note, one of the most memorable moments of any Cal game I have been to came on November 10, 1990 in Memorial Stadium. The game was a showdown between Oregon and Cal for second place in the PAC-10. As the clock expired, the score showed that the Bears had easily defeated the Ducks 28-3. Standing next to Coach Snyder that day was one of the longest days in my life - no dialogue with the coach, hardly eye contact, and definitely very little congratulations even after the Bears won. The Bear's victory had secured the team a bid to the Copper Bowl, Cal's first post-season bowl game in 11 years. The relief I felt when the clock turned 00:00 has surpassed any joy that I had previously or to this day experienced as a Cal fan. Knowing my actions did not cost the program a victory or a bowl berth, I walked off the field so happy the Bears had dominated the Ducks.

As for specific moments, The Play ranks #1, and as mentioned earlier, is on a level all by itself.

Some of my most memorable moments besides The Play and besides moments already mentioned above include:

Last season's pick-6 against Ole Miss to seal the game.

The 2007 moment against Oregon State when we heard LSU had lost and it appeared we could be ranked #1 (again, the question was for memorable "moment", not a game)

LenDale White's 2003 fumble at the goal line in OT enroute to our 3OT win against USC.

1991 USC when I first heard the students chanting singing along, " it's the only song they know, it's boring and it's slow..." (and all the iterations after that, lol).

1991 USC when it was announced we had just scored the most points ever against USC, besting Notre Dale's mark of 51 with our 52nd point

Hail2Calif said:

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As for specific moments, The Play ranks #1, and as mentioned earlier, is on a level all by itself.

Some of my most memorable moments besides The Play and besides moments already mentioned above include:

Last season's pick-6 against Ole Miss to seal the game.

The 2007 moment against Oregon State when we heard LSU had lost and it appeared we could be ranked #1 (again, the question was for memorable "moment", not a game)

LenDale White's 2003 fumble at the goal line in OT enroute to our 3OT win against USC.

1991 USC when I first heard the students chanting singing along, " it's the only song they know, it's boring and it's slow..." (and all the iterations after that, lol).

1991 USC when it was announced we had just scored the most points ever against USC, besting Notre Dale's mark of 51 with our 52nd point

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Hate to do this - but that was Hershel Dennis, not Lendale White.

Favorite moment for an actual play: Sweeney catch in the corner of the end zone (I was a kid)

Favorite non-football play moment at Memorial: Being smuggled into the stadium in handcuffs by a campus cop who I had befriended while working at Oscar's when I was in high school.

I'll play. Here's a partial list of my favorites, some of which have already been mentioned:

1982 Big Game (duh)
1983 tie against Arizona
1986 Big Game -- big upset; Joe Kapp being carried off the field
1993 comeback versus Oregon
2003 blowout of UW (54-7)
2008 blowout of UW (Jahvid gets over 300 yards; UW finishes 0-12)
(Yes, I do hate UW...why do you ask?)

Another one that I doubt anyone else will mention is the 2005 game against Washington St. Joe Ayoob was our QB, and had been booed as he was leaving the field at CMS the prior home game. That of course led to some spirited debates on the predecessor to this site and in the stands about the appropriateness of booing college players (more specifically, Cal players). Ayoob led the Bears to a comeback win over the Cougars that night. At the final gun, my buddy and I raced over to the north tunnel to cheer for Joe as he walked through...he walked very slowly, soaking up the cheers. That must have felt good.

A game I have not seen mentioned but which really marked a changing of the tide for Cal football was the 1990 game vs. UCLA. Like many of my youthful memories from Memorial, the memory of this game has turned golden-hued over the years.

Dateline: October 1990. Cal football has already made noise this season, and it is clear that this Golden Bears squad knows how to ball. But here comes Ucla, riding into Berkeley with an 18 year winning streak yes, 18 straight over Cal. It was a perfect late October day in Memorial sunny, crisp air, and temperatures still warm enough that not even the Southern Branch campus honks could bellyache about the weather being their downfall.

This one played out like a 5-act Shakespearean tragedy, with all the plot twists and turns that that entails, until the final twist all its own written by a new author. Cal raced out to about a 3 TD lead, and held it into the middle or late 3rd quarter. Then, like something out of a 70's/80's slasher flick, suddenly the monster came back to life. Like a gridiron version of Freddy Krueger/ Michael Myers/ Jason all rolled into one, much ballyhooed Ucla QB Tommy Maddox started carving up the D and got the Bruins back to within a TD. A fumble deep into the 4th by Cal gave the Bruins the ball once again, and Cal fans had seen this movie play out a hundred times before.

And then it happened. The moment is frozen in my mind. Tommy Maddox locked in on a receiver looking left and never saw the blitz come in like a looping missile from the right. Stationary object meet high-throttle missile. Advantage missile, fumble recovery Cal. The Bears milked the clock and salted away the victory, and to this day I don't know if Ucla coach Terry Donahue knew what happened.

18 years of misery to Ucla gone in an instant, good triumphs over evil (or at least over "less good"). And wouldn't you know it, Cal would rattle off 5 straight of its own over the Bruins. But on that late October afternoon as the shadows began to fall eastward over Berkeley, this sophomore would not have traded places for anywhere else in the world.

Long live Pawkawski, White, Treggs, Belli, Sanders and the whole lot of 'em. And RIP Coach Snyder.

UrsusTexicanus said:

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So many ... 2003 -Tyler Fredrickson's winning FG in triple OT over USC, after what would have been the winning kick blocked twice previously.

1975 - Walking out of Memorial in ecstasy after drubbing the Trojans, passing a ditzy SC coed crying her eyes out while Toejam band was playing she said, "Can't you support your team when they lose?" My smile got bigger.

1993 - Mike Caldwell catching what would be winning two point conversion, while falling backwards and barely staying in bounds, to highlight comeback from 30-0 deficit against Oregon.

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Outside of the Play my favorite moment was the 2003 victory. Wow it seems jus like yesterday when that kicked went through.

Edit an add: Also recall DeCoud's amazing block that sprung DJ in the punt return against UCLA, and the White kick-off return in 1991 against SC that started the onslaught. Cal's Anthony Davis moment.

BearBoarBlarney said:

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A game I have not seen mentioned but which really marked a changing of the tide for Cal football was the 1990 game vs. UCLA. Like many of my youthful memories from Memorial, the memory of this game has turned golden-hued over the years.

Dateline: October 1990. Cal football has already made noise this season, and it is clear that this Golden Bears squad knows how to ball. But here comes Ucla, riding into Berkeley with an 18 year winning streak yes, 18 straight

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Yes, it was on my list, the date was October 20, 1990. Cal dominated the game statistically, outgaining the Bruins 466 to 350. Cal had a 21 point lead with 10 minutes to go. UCLA made a Groundhog's Day comeback. Michael Davis stripped Tommy Maddox and Joel Dickson recovered on the Cal 25 yard line with 3:43 left. Cal ground out three first downs to secure the win.

Mike Davis crushes Maddox - here's the hit you are talking about.

California Gridiron

https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaGridiron/photos/a.415707925169687.98382.343404229066724/1607844372622697/?type=3&theater

Two great stories about the 1990 UCLA game without mentioning the truly memorable part: that was the game where the team entered by walking down through the student section. Crowd went crazy; Bears would not be denied that day.