Steve Bartkowski has never met Jared Goff, but he owns a Goff-signed helmet that was sent to him personally from Goff after the Cal football staff enlightened him about Bartkowski's legacy at Cal.
Nobody will ever see that helmet on EBay, Bartkowski said with a chuckle. The memento given to him by Goff carries a lot of sentimental value.
Bartkowski led the nation in passing as a senior for the Golden Bears in 1974 and he is Cal football's only No. 1 overall selection in the NFL Draft.
Goff is hoping to become the second Cal football player in the history of the program to be the No. 1 overall selection at the 2016 NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Bartkowski remembers his path to the draft well, and he said things were much different in 1975 compared to today.
“The draft was in January back then, so I was fresh off of the college football season,” Bartkowski said. “I got myself into the best shape that I could, but it is certainly not the process that players go through this year. The NFL Combine didn't exist and the biggest thing that we had was our Pro Day. There is a lot of scrutiny these days. Everything is wide open and each team chooses differently based on what is going on. With social media, there is really no way to hide.”
While the NFL is doing its best to keep it a secret who the Los Angeles Rams will be selecting with the first pick this year, Bartkowski knew where he was headed to a couple days before his draft.
Bartkowski received a phone call from the Atlanta Falcons a few days prior to the draft, and they informed him that they were making a trade to move up to the No. 1 spot and they were going to select him.
The Falcons' sentiments proved to be true when Bartkowski was the only player invited to attend the draft in New York that year, another major difference from current NFL Drafts.
Bartkowski remembers fondly standing with former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and holding up a jersey with his name on it.
“It was the culmination of a dream I have always wanted,” Bartkowski said. “I always wanted to be a professional ballplayer. I thought I was going to be a professional baseball player for a long time, but the cards just didn't fall that way. Still, I had reached my dream. It was like stepping out of a dream into reality, just so phenomenal. It was so exciting, I knew that I was going to have an opportunity to take care of my family and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was going to become mine.”
That pot of gold was plentiful for Bartkowski, as he put together a successful career in the NFL. He enjoyed an 11-year career with honors like Rookie of the Year and he was a two-time Pro Bowl selection. He led the league in passing in 1983 (97.6 passer rating) and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
Amongst all of those accomplishments, Bartkowski is proud to be a part of the long tradition of Cal quarterbacks who go on to successful careers in the NFL.
“One of the reasons I went to Cal was because of guys like Craig Morton and Joe Kapp,” he said. “They had such a great heritage at that position. It hasn't been anything but amazing, and it has been fun to watch Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff come out and carry the tradition on. I think it's just going to get better and better as long as Sonny Dykes is the head coach. I love his offense. I really think that he is the right guy for Cal. Most quarterbacks stand up and take notice if they have the chance to play in such a high-caliber offense with a coach who is not afraid to put the ball in the air. California is a very good school for a quarterback to go to.”
Although Bartkowski still lives in Atlanta, he has followed Goff's collegiate career and he's excited to see how he does in the NFL.
“I have been following his career and am very proud of the legacy he's made,” Bartkowski said. “I've seen a skinny little freshman out there learning the game, and he took a beating out there initially, but I knew he was going to be better for it. Boy, has that proven out to be true. He looks like he has total command, can make any throw, really smart, sharp guy with great decision making skills and I really think he has a great professional career ahead of him. I'm really anxious to see where he ends up, and I hope he ends up with an organization that is strong and stellar.”
It's quite possible that Bartkowski may no longer be able to call himself Cal football's only No. 1 overall draft selection after Thursday night, but he has no problem sharing that honor with Goff. Both of these former Cal quarterbacks have earned their pots of gold.
