Monday, Nov. 30, through Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020
Issue No. 357
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Cal Bears 23
Stanford Cardinal 24
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The Big Game...
off the field
By Andy Dolich
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On November 22, 1997, 92,000 Cal and Stanford football fans filled Stanford Stadium to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Big Game. This football extravaganza was the final Big Event capping off a year long celebration of the incredible impact these universities have made on the Bay Area, the nation and around the globe.
The 100th Big Game Centennial Celebration incorporated a series of cultural, academic, community based, philanthropic, student-inspired and multiple athletic events. This unique project of teamwork showcased the partnership and positive historic rivalry between the public and private institutions of Cal and Stanford.
As we know, the result of Big Game 123, played on Friday, Nov. 27 was a literal kick in the butt for the Bears as Stanford blocked the game-tying extra point with 58 seconds to play. Final score: Stanford 24, Cal 23.
The Axe is now back on The Farm, at least until Big Game 124 next year, to
be determined by Stanford. Big Game 125 will be played on a date to be determined by Cal in 2022.
In the world of COVID-19 we have experienced unpredictability in our daily lives and how the sports world is dealing with a new set of rules. With the Pac-12 season being played out in the middle of postponements and crazy kickoff times, I thought it might be time to take a deep breath and look at both the incredible athletic and societal achievements of these two ultra competitive institutions.
Cal vs. Stanford
- Nobel Prize Winners: Cal - 32, Stanford - 22
- Supreme Court Justices: Stanford 4; Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O’Connor, William Rehnquist. Cal 1; Earl Warren
- Oscar winners: Cal - Gregory Peck. Stanford -- Jack Palance
- United States President: Stanford -- Herbert Hoover; Cal -- 0
- United States Senator: Cal -- William Knowland; Stanford -- 0
- Size of Campus in acres owned: Stanford 8,180; Cal 8,163
- Astronauts: Stanford – 8; Cal -- 5
- Tallest campus structure: Cal's Sather Tower, 307 ft.; Stanford's Hoover Tower, 285 ft.
- Largest monetary gift: Stanford -- Nike's Phil Knight gave $400 million in 2016 and the Hewett Foundation gave $400 million in 2001; Cal -- $252 million by an anonymous donor in 2020
- Miss Americas: Cal -- Teresa Scanlon, 2011; Stanford -- Crystal Lee, First Runner Up, 2014
- #1 Billboard hit: Cal -- Gregory Abbott, Shake You Down; Stanford -- 0
- Stanford Stadium was downsized from 89,000 seats to 50,000 seats in 12 months in 2006 at a cost of $90 million dollars. Cal's stadium was retrofitted in 21 months in 2010-2012 for $325 million dollars.
- Higher IQ? Oski or The Tree -- TBD
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Stanford coach David Shaw had his nine-game Big Game winning streak snapped last season with a 24-20 home loss. With his 24-23 win on Friday, Shaw is now 9-1 in his 10 years as coach. Photo by Darren Yamashita
Sports
- NCAA championships: Stanford 126; Cal 97
- NFL Hall of Famers: Stanford – 3, John Elway, James Lofton and Ernie Nevers. Cal -- 2, Tony Gonzalez and Les Richter
- Heisman Trophy Winners: Stanford -- Jim Plunkett; Cal -- 0
- Super Bowl Winning QBs: Stanford -- Jim Plunkett and John Elway with two each. Cal -- Aaron Rodgers
- Stanford is one of only four schools which has produced a US President and Super Bowl winning QB (President Herbert Hoover quarterbacks Plunkett and Elway.) In case you were wondering about the other three schools:
- US Naval Academy: Jimmy Carter and Roger Staubach
- University of Michigan: Gerald Ford and Tom Brady
- Miami of Ohio: Benjamin Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger
- MLB Hall of Famers: Stanford -- Mike Mussina. Cal -- 0
- NBA Hall of Famers: Stanford -- Hank Luisietti. Cal -- Jason Kidd
- Golf Majors: Stanford – 25. Tiger Woods 15, Tom Watson 8, Lawson Little 1, and Bob Rosberg 1. Cal –1. Collin Morikawa.
- Tennis Majors: Cal -- Helen Wills (31); Stanford 23, John McEnroe and Bryan Brothers
- Olympic gold medalists: Stanford – 139; Cal -- 117
- Olympic medals: Stanford – 270; Cal -- 207
- Coaching Record: Stanford, Tara VanDeveer -- 936-199 (825%); Cal, ?
Miscellaneous
Oh, one more. First women’s intercollegiate basketball game between Stanford and Cal in April of 1896 -- Cal 2, Stanford 1
* * *
Andy Dolich has over five decades of leadership in the sports industry, including executive positions in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, pro soccer and lacrosse. Presently Dolich is COO of the Fan Controlled Football (FCF) and teaches sports business at Stanford's School of Continuing Studies. Dolich is also co-author of the book:
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San Francisco 49ers 23
Los Angeles Rams 20
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Game Changer: Deebo Samuel
"I can't tell you how good Deebo was today... He's got a lot to work on, but he's one of the best football players I've been around." -- 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of Samuel, via ESPN's Nick Wagoner. San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, selected in the second round (36th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, provided his own highlight reel on Sunday afternoon. Capitalizing on his return from missing four games with a hamstring injury, Samuel caught a career-high 11 passes for 133 yards, including a pivotal 24-yard catch on the game's final drive. Shortly afterward, place kicker Robbie Gould provided the winning field goal as time expired. Final score: 23-20. With the win, the 49ers (5-6) have revived their playoff hopes and find themselves only one game behind the Arizona Cardinals (6-5) in the NFC West. The Niners next opponent are the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills (8-3), already installed as a three-point favorite. The game, originally scheduled for Monday Night, Dec. 7, at Levi's Stadium at 5:15 p.m. on ESPN. will now move to an undetermined site under a ruling by Santa Clara County officials that Levi's Stadium cannot be used. (Samuel is pictured above in the Niners vs. Steelers game on Sept. 21, 2019
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San Francisco 49ers Schedule |
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Remound Wright, running back, entrepreneur
by Kenny Karst
Stanford 24, Cal 23. The Big Game of 2020 lived up to its moniker for college football fans. As usual, an unexpected event played a decisive role in the outcome: a blocked extra point by Stanford with under a minute remaining in the game was the difference maker. So after a one-year stay in Berkeley, The Axe is back in Palo Alto. The Big Game hero of 2014 was Stanford junior running back Remound Wright (22), pictured above scoring the first of his four touchdowns on that November afternoon: a one-yard leap over the Cal defense and Stanford offensive guard Johnny Caspers (57) into the north end zone at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Often playing in the shadow of fellow running back Christian McCaffrey during his junior and senior seasons, Wright was routinely called upon in short-yardage, goal line situations to put points on the board. And he delivered, scoring 29 touchdowns in his career with the Cardinal, while amassing 1,104 rushing yards and 1,615 yards overall (including receiving and kick returns). Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Wright attended Stanford from 2011 to 2015 and majored in Science, Technology & Society. Upon graduating, Wright founded his own immersive e-commerce company in Oakland and is a self-defined AR/VR creative technologist.
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Cal Bears 52
CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 60
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Cal Bears guard Alma Elsnitz scored a team-high 14 points in the Bears' 60-52 defeat to the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners on Sunday, November 29th, at Haas Pavilion. Photo and caption by Darren Yamashita.
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Point guard Lelani McIntosh played the entire 40 minutes, scoring 12 points and grabbing a team-leading six rebounds. Photo and caption
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Cal Bears 48
San Jose State Spartans 56
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San Jose State forward Tyra Whitehead filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and two blocks in the Spartans' 56-48 defeat of the California Golden Bears on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at Haas Pavilion
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The Holiday Priority Pack is the perfect gift, offering Giants fans savings and priority to purchase tickets for the 2021 season. Each Holiday Priority Pack includes 4 value vouchers to be applied toward a game ticket for the
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Easily giftable, each value voucher within a pack can be gifted individually. Give all four, give two and keep two, or keep all four for yourself! Packs start at $45.
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Hardly Trivial by T. Buff |
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Football as a life saver/life changer...
What well known Motown singer tried out for the Detroit Lions in 1970?
(See answer below...)
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Vin Scully, for 67 years the Voice of the Dodgers and the Voice of Baseball, turned 93 on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020. Pictured in 2016 with Oakland A's broadcaster Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, the Spanish radio voice for Oakland A’s
radio, 1010 KIQI Le Grande San Francisco
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The BEST Bay Area sports photos from
Michael Zagaris, Ed Jay, Rich Yee, Darren Yamashita,
Ron Sellers, Alex Ho, Rob Edwards, Kenneth Wong,
Timothy Reynolds and Larry Rosa
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Where The Bay Comes To Play! |
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"It's an ocean planet. As the oceans go, so goes the planet."
-- Bill Carvalho, Wild Planet founder and president
Wild Planet Foods has been honored with TWO awards by Whole Foods Market -- Global Supplier of the Year AND Environmental Stewardship! The annual awards recognize suppliers who embody Whole Foods Market's mission and values through a proven commitment to quality, environmental stewardship, organic integrity, innovation, and partnership.
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Take advantage of this limited, one-day offer and save 10% on 10 Flex Tickets for the 2021 Season. In addition, all ticket fees will be waived. Secure your Town Pack today, only available through Cyber Monday.
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Hardly Trivial by T. Buff |
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Marvin Gaye (left) bulked up nearly 30 pounds and trained with future Hall of Famer tight end Charlie Sanders. He didn't make it but several Detroit Lions ended up being background vocals on Gaye's 1971 monster hit
What's Going On?
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How Marvin Gaye's NFL tryout changed his career is the headline for an ESPN take on the Marvin Gaye story found at this link, https://es.pn/39BHZUn. The photo is captured from the same link. It's an incredible story! Join 5.5 million that have listened to What's Going On? at this link, https://bit.ly/37kACgW!
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The 2019 Fall/Winter edition of the Ultimate Sports Guide, a San Francisco Bay Area sports reference publication published twice a year for avid Bay Area and Northern California sports fans, is in the house. The Ultimate Sports Guide is distributed free of charge or may be ordered via subscription. Each seasonal edition provides professional and collegiate team coverage through commentary, photo essays and player profiles. To order, visit www.ultimatesportsguide.net or send $5 to: Ultimate Sports Guide,
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Back Issues
not to be missed!
Offering superb photography and
entertaining chronicles
* Click here for 2019 editions.
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Weekly Bay Area
Sports Calendar
Monday, November 30 through
Sunday, December 6, 2020
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Games for most major and minor league sports, including collegiate and high school teams,
have been cancelled.
Monday, November 30
Cal Bears (MBB) vs. Nicholls State, 4:30 p.m.
Stanford Cardinal (MBB) @ Alabama, 6:30 p.m. (Asheville, NC)
Stanford Cardinal (WBB) vs. San Diego, 2 p.m.
Saint Mary's Gaels (WBB) vs. Arizona State, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, December 1
Stanford Cardinal (MBB) vs. TBD, TBD (Asheville, NC)
USF Dons (MBB) @ Nevada, 6 p.m.
Saint Mary's Gaels (MBB) vs. Nicholls State, 7 p.m.
San Jose State Spartans (WBB) vs. USF, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, December 2
Stanford Cardinal (MBB) vs. TBD, TBD (Asheville, NC)
San Jose State Spartans (MBB) @ Pepperdine, 5 p.m.
Thursday, December 3
Cal Bears (MBB) vs. Arizona State, 7 p.m.
Saint Mary's Gaels (MBB) vs. Texas Southern, 7 p.m.
Friday, December 4
Cal Bears (WBB) vs. Washington, TBD
Stanford Cardinal (WBB) vs. Washington State, TBD
Saturday, December 5
Cal Bears vs. Oregon Ducks, TBD
Stanford Cardinal @ Washington, TBD
San Jose State Spartans vs. Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors, 1 p.m., Spectrum Sports
Sunday, December 6
Cal Bears (MBB) @ UCLA, 5 p.m.
San Jose State Spartans (MBB) vs. UOP, 3 p.m.
Cal Bears (WBB) vs. Washington State, TBD
Stanford Cardinal (WBB) vs. Washington, TBD
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Enjoy the
Under the ultra-skilled leadership of Cal graduate Ricky Liu, a team of talented Cal students assembled the elegant Ultimate Sports Guide website for your readers. Ricky's team included Natalie Leung, Yafei Liang and Kasey Woo. Visit www.ultimatesportsguide.net
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The vast majority of student-athletes dreaming of athletic stardom won't make it to the pros. Yet, the discipline and skills they've developed while balancing a sport and academics make them ideally suited for satisfying careers elsewhere. In 20 Secrets to Success for NCAA Student-Athletes Who Won't Go Pro, the authors draw on personal experience, interviews, expert opinion, and industry data to provide a game plan for student-athletes through key transitions at each stage of their careers, from high school through college and beyond. Modeled on Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this book provides a much-needed strategy for achieving career success. Readable and concise, it will be a valuable tool for students, parents, and sports administrators. To order, click here.
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5980 Stoneridge Drive, Ste. 122
Pleasanton, CA 94588-2723
CalBRE License #:01770629
Agent 510.512.2145
Office 925.847.8900
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Many people -- maybe even you -- have been getting out on their bikes more during Shelter-in-Place. "Check for Bikes" clings and bumper stickers are great ways to keep bicyclists safer out there on the road by promoting awareness by drivers to share the road. Keep safe out there and keep your neighbors safe by using or passing along vinyl clings for inside a car window or windshield and
4" circular bumper stickers. We have Youth and Spanish versions, too!
with questions or to order.
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Ultimate Sports Guide
P.O. Box 4515
Berkeley, CA 94704
510-845-2035
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The Ultimate Sports Guide is very appreciative to the ongoing contributions made by former staff photographer Kenny Karst, now retired. Mr. Karst continues to contribute through helpful ideas and his archives.
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