Ultimate Insider Podcast E122: Pawlawski and Silver on Tosh Lupoi Hiring at Cal
In today's episode, Cal Hall of Fame QB and color analyst Mike Pawlawski talks with former Daily Cal editor and current writer for The Athletic about Cal's hiring of Oregon DC Tosh Lupoi as their next head coach.
You can hear the audio podcast on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or on most podcast streaming services. You can also view the podcast on the video below:
Ultimate Insider: A Long-Overdue Sit-Down With Mike Silver — And Why Cal Football Is Entering a New Era
Well hey, everybody — welcome back to Ultimate Insider, Bear Insider’s podcast. I’m Mike Pawlawski, former Cal quarterback, radio color analyst, and apparently… a guy who has taken way too long to bring one of the best football writers in the country onto this show.
I’ll own that one. My bad.
Today I finally fixed it.
I sat down with my good friend Mike Silver, class of ’88, longtime NFL writer and analyst, currently with The Athletic — and one of the most gifted storytellers in the sport. SI, Yahoo, the NFL Network… he’s been everywhere football is talked about intelligently.
This conversation?
It was a blast.
It was nostalgic.
It was bold.
And it was full of exactly the kind of Cal energy this moment deserves.
Because right now, folks… Cal Football is waking up. And Mike Silver sees it too.
Let’s get into it.
The Special Teams Draft of 1988 (Yes, This Is Real)
We started by taking a trip down memory lane — back to my mullet, my three earrings, my Newman gloves, and my one moment of pure collegiate glory:
The Kickoff Cover Draft.
Yes, that happened.
Our kickoff coverage team was so bad that our coaches literally held a draft. Each coach got one pick. O-line coach Bill Lavorone had the first overall selection…
…and he picked me.
And the funniest part?
Six or seven coaches told me, “You were my pick if it got to me.”
So yeah, I was the No. 1 overall pick of the only kickoff cover draft in Cal history. A true honor for the quarterback nobody thought should be running down and hitting people on special teams.
Silver remembered that era — and apparently, my “full speed with his hair on fire” reputation — more vividly than I did.
Ron Rivera, the Texas A&M Safety, and What Makes a Great Bear
Silver shared a story from his freshman year in 1983 — a wild game at Texas A&M featuring:
The debut of A&M’s “12th Man” kickoff tradition
A blown Cal lead
A chip-shot field goal wiped out by penalty
A late fumble
And then, on third-and-long at A&M’s own 3-yard line…
Ron Rivera diagnosed a deep pitch, read it perfectly, and made a solo ankle tackle in the end zone for a safety to win the game.
Classic Ron Rivera.
Tough. Smart. Clutch. Defiant.
A true Bear.
And that’s exactly the energy he brings now as Cal’s GM.
Silver put it beautifully:
“Ron can say the hard truths because everyone knows he loves this place. He bleeds it. And when a Cal guy tells you how to do it better, you listen.”
He’s dead on.
I’ve spent time with Ron this year — in the booth, on the field, bouncing between donor suites and coaches’ boxes — and the guy is sharp, honest, passionate, and absolutely committed to elevating Cal football.
Why This Moment is Different — And Why Cal Is Primed for a Surge
You’ve heard me talk about this for months:
Cal cares about football right now. At every level.
Chancellor Rich Lyons gets it.
Ron Rivera gets it.
Donors get it.
Former players get it.
And now — we are likely bringing back one of our own in Tosh Lupoi.
Silver didn’t hold back on this:
“Even if Tosh wasn’t a Cal guy, he’d be an A+ hire. But because he is a Cal guy — because he knows this place, loves this place, and has seen it at the highest levels — it’s beyond an A+ hire.”
NFL people have been texting Silver all week with reactions like:
“Home run.”
“Elite.”
“Gangster.”
“Ballplayer.”
“Big-time coach.”
And that’s not about recruiting — though Tosh is one of the best in the nation at it.
It’s about the coaching.
He’s coached Myles Garrett.
He’s coached at Alabama.
He’s coached in the NFL.
He’s coached in the Pac-12 at Oregon.
He understands what winning looks like at programs built to win.
But here’s the thing that matters most:
He loves Cal.
He gets Cal.
He stayed close with his teammates.
He never stopped believing in what this place can be.
With him, Ron, Chancellor Lyons, donors investing at a new level, and former players re-engaging, we are building something Cal has never truly had:
Alignment.
Top-down alignment.
Vision alignment.
Resource alignment.
Cultural alignment.
This is how great programs are built.
And if we get the offense rolling — Silver and I agreed on that — look out. Because defensive-minded coaches can win. But at Cal? You need the firepower too.
More on that in a minute.
The Spirit of Berkeley: Defiance, Audacity, and Making a Decision
One of my favorite parts of our conversation was when Silver described the Cal spirit — the same spirit you find in the 1982 Big Game crowd, in the free speech movement, in the Nobel laureates, in the startups, in the research labs, and yes, in football.
He told the story of watching that ’82 Big Game as a high school senior. Stanford took the lead with a late field goal. And instead of leaving, instead of giving up, instead of accepting the outcome…
The Cal student section rose to their feet for the kickoff — defiant, loud, energized.
“It was like they were saying: ‘No. We don’t accept this. We’re not done.’”
And then…
you know the rest.
That spirit, that audacity, that “you will not tell us how our story ends” energy — that’s the thread running through:
The free speech movement
Berkeley innovation
The great Cal teams
The play
The Snyder era
The Tedford era
And the moment we’re in right now
I shared the same message with the team this week — in person:
You have to make the decision.
You choose who you are.
Not your circumstances.
Not the critics.
Not the past.
You.
Silver connected that directly to Cal’s culture:
“If there seems to be no solution… you create one.”
That’s Berkeley.
That’s Cal.
That’s who we are.
Offense, Playmakers, and What Needs to Happen Next
No surprise — I had to steer us back to offense.
Because listen…
I don’t want to call another 13–7 season.
I don’t want to call games where we’re crossing our fingers for 17 points.
I want an identity.
I want a scheme.
I want big plays.
I want playmakers.
I want the ball thrown down the field.
And I want a quarterback who can make you pay when you press his best receiver.
We talked about it:
JKS has it — accuracy, toughness, guts, feel.
But imagine him with:
A true WR1 who scares defenses
Elite skill talent around him
Explosive run-game weapons
Big, nasty offensive linemen
A scheme that attacks instead of surviving
Silver agreed: that’s how you go from “solid” to “scary.”
He said it perfectly:
“Game breakers and nasty dudes in the trenches will only enhance everything.”
Facts.
The Citrus Bowl, Epcot, and the Legendary “UK-to-UK” Team Outing
If you think Silver is all analysis and no storytelling, think again.
We got into the Citrus Bowl memories. One of my favorites:
Our entire team — offensive linemen included — did the Epcot “drink around the world” gauntlet.
Started in the UK.
Made a full loop.
Ended in the UK again.
Clemson fans were in there and telling us:
“Oh, it’s cute y’all came down here. Too bad we’re gonna whip y’all.”
We told them — politely and with a little liquid courage —
“No, you’re not. We are going to beat you senseless.”
And we did.
If you know, you know.
That was football culture then — respectful, rowdy, competitive, and confident.
And honestly…
it’s the culture Cal needs again.
Silver’s Final Thoughts — And Why This Is the Time
Silver wrapped it up with something powerful.
He said Cal fans have reason to be skeptical — we haven’t sustained success long enough to feel safe trusting momentum.
But he also said:
This is different.
This is real.
This is aligned.
This is the moment.
And it has to be now.
He told his daughter — a recent Cal alum — this is her chance to experience what we experienced:
Big crowds
National attention
Real stakes
Signature wins
And that electric feeling when Memorial is rocking and Berkeley comes alive
But he made this point, and it’s an important one:
“Let’s not start celebrating too early. Let’s do the work. Let’s get grimy, get tough, get audacious — and then let’s enjoy the ride together.”
Amen.
Where Cal Goes From Here
We closed with the same truth we’ve been hammering:
Keep JKS → Check
Bring playmakers → In progress
Get a big, tough offensive line → Non-negotiable
Build an identity → Coming
Get donors engaged → Happening
Hire the right coach → Tosh looks imminent
Align from Chancellor to GM to Head Coach → In place
Cal fans…
It’s time to change expectations.
Not hope for mediocrity.
Not settle for “tough losses.”
Not accept being an afterthought.
This is the moment to demand excellence.
This is the moment to invest.
This is the moment to believe.
Cal is a sleeping giant — and it’s finally stretching, waking up, and ready to stand.
As always…
Go Bears.
Related:
Ultimate Insider Podcast E121: SMU Review, Thoughts on Coaching Change
