BERKELEY – Former Cal All-American and current San Francisco Golden Gate captain Brendan Daly has been named the 2016 Club Player of the Year in a fan poll hosted by This Is American Rugby.
 
A 6-5, 245-pound lock for the Bears who arrived in Berkeley from across the Bay at St. Ignatius High School and graduated as a Scholar Athlete from the Haas School of Business in 2013, Daly led the senior SFGG side to the final of the 2016 Pacific Rugby Premiership and has been instrumental in Golden Gate's campaign for the California Cup this winter.
 
"When you want a leader that leads by example then Daly is your guy," wrote TIAR in its announcement of Daly's award. "He is one of the better players in the country but it's his work rate that pushed SFGG to another PRP final."
 
A native San Franciscan, Daly has remained in his hometown following his collegiate career, having worked in the off-season for his father, the recently deceased Daniel Daly, before embarking on his professional life at Visa and, most recently, the cloud service distribution provider AppDirect.
 
"It's truly an honor to have been selected by the fans as the player of the year," said Daly. "I couldn't have done it without my coaches and teammates throughout my career. This is especially true of the foundation given to me at Cal that has helped me succeed on and off the field."
 
"Brendan is an excellent player in his own right," said Cal head coach Jack Clark, "but on our campus he will always be known as a team-man first and foremost."
 
The Golden Bears are set to begin their 15-a-side season with a January 14-15 trip to the Dennis Storer Classic at UCLA followed by their home opener on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 1 p.m. vs. Arizona on Witter Rugby Field, as the oldest intercollegiate sport at the University of California continues its 134th year.