Geoff McArthur sat at his locker during halftime of the 2003 Big Game nursing an ankle injury. His teammate Adimchinobe Echemandu walked up to him and said, "G-Mac, we need you out there."
 
McArthur forgot about his sore ankle and answered the call. He went out and set Big Game records with 16 receptions for 245 yards in helping the Golden Bears retain the Axe.
 
Efforts like that have landed McArthur in the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
McArthur, who currently coaches wide receivers at El Camino College in Southern California, said he was surprised when he heard the news he was part of the 2018 class. He said he felt honored and thankful to be included with so many memorable Golden Bears.
 
"The best decision I've ever made was to become a Cal Bear," McArthur said. "It changed me. I was always considered by my peers as a good player, teammate and person overall, but Cal allowed me to be myself in all facets and it was an experience you can't put into words. But it has shaped the person I've become today."
 
A 2003 All-American as a junior, McArthur's name can be found all over the Cal record book. He currently stands as the all-time leader with 3,188 receiving yards and shares the all-time lead in 100-yard receiving games (11) while ranking second with 202 career receptions.
 
Of course, while battling defenders on the field, it didn't hurt that the man throwing him the ball was NFL star and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. McArthur said having Rodgers under center made him step up his game because he didn't want to let him down.
 
Rodgers said his favorite memory of playing with McArthur was his epic performance in the 2003 Big Game. He recalls McArthur being unstoppable against Stanford that day.
 
"I always enjoyed playing with Geoff," Rodgers said. "He was a phenomenal talent, a great locker-room guy, a great leader, one of the toughest guys I have ever played with and super-deserving of going into the Cal Hall of Fame.
 
"Off the field, I just enjoyed spending time with him. We had a lot of fun going to college together and spending time at the facility, training table and after the games were over, going out and hanging out and being college kids. Geoff was a great guy to hang out with off of the field."
 
Running backs coach Burl Toler III, a teammate of McArthur's at Cal, wasn't surprised to hear about his induction.
 
"I could have seen it happening when he was playing here," Toler said. "We used to mess around with Geoff because he was like a coach when he played. He was extremely detailed, tough and you had to drag him off the field. He loves football and is a passionate individual. When I heard he was going in, I just thought it was a natural fit."
 
Former Cal linebacker Wendell Hunter knew of McArthur before they arrived in Berkeley together. They grew up in the same area of Los Angeles and were recruited at the same time.
 
Hunter remembers when McArthur wanted to make a big splash during training camp his freshman year.
 
"Geoff has this inner grit, and it wasn't just the plays when he was getting the ball." Hunter said. "He was one of our most physical blockers. In his first training camp, Geoff made it a point to put every linebacker on his back. I took it personally, in a joking way, because he was my roommate. There was no way I was going to let him put me on my back. Geoff put every linebacker, except me, down during that training camp."
 
Originally recruited during Tom Holmoe's tenure as head coach, McArthur was a key contributor during the program's renaissance when Jeff Tedford arrived in 2002.
 
McArthur helped put the program on the national map.
 
"That's one of those once-in-a-lifetime things that will affect you in a positive way," he said. "It changes your perception on things. We had the same recruits during those down years who ended up being the guys who turned the program around. With the right group of guys and the right leaders in place, you'd be amazed what you can accomplish."
 
In addition to the numbers and accolades that made McArthur special to the Bears, he battled multiple injuries throughout his career. Whether he was toughing it out on the field or motivating his teammates from the sidelines, he never missed a beat with his leadership attributes.
 
There were many memorable games and moments in McArthur's career, but he's most proud of how he and his teammates left the program in a great position that extended in future seasons to bowl victories, future NFL stars and high national rankings.
 
"We left the Bears with a winner's mentality and we had so many good players coming in when I left," McArthur said. "The amount of talent that we had, I definitely felt proud about the mark I left on the program."
 
McArthur has one more moment to shine in the Blue and Gold at the induction ceremony this Friday at the annual Hall of Fame banquet at the Greek Orthodox Church Conference Center in Oakland. McArthur and the rest of the class will be honored on the field during Saturday's football game against Washington.