Dear Friend of Cal Athletics:  
 
What an exciting time to be a Golden Bear! With the Olympics in full swing, we are seeing Cal athletes excel at the highest level each and every day in Tokyo. All told, we have 49 athletes and eight coaches at the Games competing in 10 different sports. Sixteen of our athletes are representing Team USA, which ties us for third among all universities. Amazing!
 
As I write today, our Bears have captured 12 medals to bring our all-time total to 219. Swimmer Abbey Weitzeil earned Cal's first medal with a bronze finish for the United States in the women's 400-meter free relay, while Rosemary Popa, rowing for Australia, earned the first gold medal in the women's four. We have much more to come in the second week from Tokyo, and you can keep up with all the Cal action through our social media channels and CalBears.com/Olympics. To learn more about the path to the Olympics from some of our coaches, be sure to watch our Cal Athletics Fund Caravan: Olympics-Blue and Gold Edition. We are planning to honor all of our 2021 Olympians at a football game this fall and will share the details once they are set.
 
By the time the Olympics conclude, several of our teams will have already returned to campus for training camps in preparation for their fall seasons. In fact, our first official event is only two weeks away when men's soccer hosts Sacramento State on Friday, Aug. 13!
 
In another sign that college sports will resume soon, the Pac-12 held its annual football media day in Los Angeles last week. I was on hand with Travers Family Head Football Coach Justin Wilcox, senior quarterback Chase Garbers and senior linebacker Kuony Deng. You could feel their enthusiasm for the coming year following all of their hard work during the spring and summer, and I know they are eager to compete together after an abbreviated season last fall. Based on calls and emails I've had with many of you, our alumni and fans, I also know how excited you are for the 2021 football season. If you haven't done so already, reserve your season tickets or mini plans today as we welcome fans back into California Memorial Stadium.  To purchase your tickets, click here, or call us at (800) GO BEARS (462-3277).
 
Media day also provided an opportunity to spend time with new Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff. He takes over the conference at a unique time in college athletics with expanded opportunities for student-athletes, Supreme Court rulings, upcoming media rights negotiations, and most recently, potential conference realignment. I believe that Cal and the Pac-12 are well positioned given the strength of our universities athletically and academically. As the commissioner noted in his comments, the Pac-12 has received interest from other schools, and he did not rule out possible expansion. However, decisions are not imminent, and I expect it will take some time before we have true clarity on the best way forward for the Pac-12.
 
One significant change in the college landscape became official on July 1 when student-athletes were allowed to take advantage of new legislation that permits them to generate income from their name, image and likeness. To support Cal student-athletes in this endeavor, we launched the GOLDEN program, which provides a comprehensive set of resources only available at the world's No. 1 public university, including a partnership with the Haas School of Business and utilization of our Cameron Institute. The plan came about through the recommendations of a working group comprised of staff, coaches, current and former student-athletes, and faculty. We will certainly evolve as we learn more, but I believe that we have positioned our student-athletes well to benefit responsibly in this new era.
 
Last Thursday, we held our annual head coaches' retreat at the T. Gary Rogers Rowing Center, where we had a chance to review this past year, talk about the future of Cal Athletics and discuss many of the issues facing intercollegiate athletics. Our basketball coaches Charmin Smith and Mark Fox presented to their colleagues, while we also heard from Dr. Ty Douglas on how to engage teams on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging matters, and Dr. Sean Hendricks and Dr. Graig Chow from the Cameron Institute on how to develop team leaders. Our Associate Athletic Director Gordon Bayne facilitated a panel discussion with Jenny Simon-O'Neill and Jay Larson on the state of college athletics, including such topics as the College Football Playoff expansion, NIL and the future of Olympic sports. In addition, psychology professor Dr. Dacher Keltner, who also serves as co-director of the Greater Good Science Center on campus, presented on how to communicate with Generation Z. I could not be prouder of how our head coaches have led during the pandemic, and it is gratifying to see everyone in person (outdoors) working together as we continue to strive for excellence in all we do!
 
We recently named two new coaches, including a familiar face coming back to lead our beach volleyball program in Meagan Owusu. Meagan served as our head coach for six years before stepping down almost a year ago to take care of her three newborn triplets. But after nine months away, she realized the desire to return to coaching was strong, and she once again proved to be the best candidate after a national search. I'm also thrilled to welcome Oleg Andriyuk as our new men's and women's diving coach. Oleg brings his expertise to Cal from the Stanford Diving Club, where he earned multiple international assignments, including as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and at the 2015 World Championships.
 
We held our second Emerging Leaders Program retreat in mid-July, a half-day session focused on the external relations of an athletics department and included speakers from the Chancellor's office, the Pac-12 and a development consulting firm. The Emerging Leaders Program, which includes 14 staff this year, is a 12-month program that allows us to invest in and develop the next set of leaders of Cal Athletics through special projects, education opportunities and a speaker series that align with our strategic plan.
 
Cal Athletics continued to Roll On through the end of the fiscal year, raising an outstanding total of $40.8 million in gifts and pledges during the just-completed fiscal year. The support from the Cal family made it possible for all 30 of our sports to return to practice and competition and enabled our department to continue providing the resources needed for our students to excel academically and athletically despite the challenging year. With two-and-a-half years remaining in the Light the Way Campaign, we are excited to continue the important work ahead around raising support for gender equality, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives, enhanced facilities, and increased scholarship opportunities with the ultimate goal of exceptional student-athlete experiences. We are making great progress, thanks to you!!
 
With health conditions improving over the summer months, we had several in-person events at Lake Tahoe with our Coaches Caravan featuring head coaches Amanda Augustus (women's tennis), Walter Chun (men's golf), Elisabeth Crandall-Howell and Justin Howell (women's gymnastics), Mark Fox (men's basketball), Nancy McDaniel (women's golf) and Charmin Smith (women's basketball). In partnership with Bears in the Woods, Tom '76 and Maureen Turner, owners of Gar Woods, opened up their restaurant to over 200 Golden Bears to celebrate Cal Athletics. Seeing our Cal family in person was energizing, particularly the passion on display.
 
The momentum is already building for the Cal-TCU football game in Fort Worth, Texas. If you're planning on joining us for that game, make sure to grab tickets to the pregame tailgate and join in on what is sure to be a fantastic event. Purchase tickets here!  For those interested in traveling to TCU for the game but haven't made plans yet, you can work with one of our Cal alums to make arrangements. Visit gettravel.com to learn more.
 
I want to conclude with a note about my future here at Cal. Chancellor Christ and I have finalized an agreement that will allow me to remain as your athletic director through 2029. I am so grateful for the Chancellor's trust and confidence. I love our Cal family and the direction we are heading, and I am excited to spend the rest of my career here in Berkeley.
 
Go Bears! 
 

Jim Knowlton
Director of Athletics