Dear Friend of Cal Athletics:  
 
With the fall semester underway, our campus is brimming with energy and activity as students return to classrooms and university life moves closer to what we love about our Berkeley campus. With 97 percent of students and nearly 90 percent of faculty and staff fully vaccinated, we have, as Chancellor Christ wrote last week, avoided any serious outbreaks while protecting our community and adhering to scientific guidance. I have now seen firsthand how excited our students and student-athletes are for in-person learning and activities.
 
When Cal takes the field against Nevada on Saturday for our first football game of the season, it will mark the return of fans to watch the Golden Bears in person in Berkeley for the first time in 658 days! We have felt the buildup to this moment for months, and we're looking forward to welcoming our fans back to Berkeley. I know that Coach Wilcox and his young men are ready to show what they can do after a productive and spirited training camp.
 
While much of what you will see at games this season will look familiar, there are several important changes.

• To comply with the state policy for hosting mega-events and guidance from the City of Berkeley Public Health, fans are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings in outdoor areas, while face coverings will be required indoors at all times for those over the age of 2 regardless of vaccination status, except when actively eating or drinking. Masks will be available at gates and all club entrances for fans upon request. Of course, we will be ready to adjust these guidelines should conditions or protocols change.
• To help ensure the well-being of our guests, we are implementing contactless entry with mobile tickets, similar to what is offered at most professional sports and entertainment venues around the country. To make the process as easy as possible, I suggest downloading our new Cal Bears app, which is available in both Google Play and on the Apple App Store. For more information, please see our FAQ on how to manage your mobile tickets.

We know that this is a change for many of you and change doesn't always come easily. By adhering to these guidelines can we mitigate the risk of the coronavirus and ensure that we are able to host events in a safe and enjoyable manner.
 
One other new aspect you will notice will be found on the turf. Last Monday, we announced, along with Learfield's Cal Bears Sports Properties, a new field naming rights contract with FTX. This 10-year, $17.5 million agreement names our field FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium. The partnership also features support for our Cameron Institute and the Cal Veterans Group, as well as a significant investment from FTX to assist vulnerable and underserved communities on campus and in the Berkeley area. We believe we have found a great partner in FTX, a leading U.S.-regulated cryptocurrency exchange that is at the forefront of innovation in an emerging technology. In fact, this agreement forms the first-ever collegiate cryptocurrency naming rights sponsorship and, of course, that should happen at Cal!
 
While the start of football season is still a few days away, we have already held several events on campus, starting when our women's soccer team battled second-ranked Santa Clara to a 1-1 tie at Edwards Stadium on Aug. 22. While the matchup is always an exciting one, our team navigated through significant adversity with more than 10 student-athletes unable to play for a variety of reasons. As a result, Makena Smith, more known as a catcher for our softball team, stepped in at goalkeeper and turned away seven of eight shots to earn Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors.  We saw student-athletes from football, men's basketball, men's water polo, men's soccer, women's rowing and many other teams supporting the Bears from the stands, but the loudest group was our softball team sitting behind the goal to cheer on a teammate. It was such a fun afternoon!
 
We held our annual Big C Welcome Back event for the entire department last week (albeit online), with student-athletes Reece Whitley (men's swimming) and Brynn Zorilla (field hockey) serving as co-hosts. Chancellor Christ offered remarks, noting how much she appreciates and values the partnership she has with student-athletes and the entire Cal Athletics community. I know I say it often, but we are so thankful for her leadership and support for our campus and our department!
 
One of the highlights of the Big C event was the presentation of the Newmark Awards. Established by Kent '60 and Pat Newmark to recognize teams with the highest GPAs over the past year, as well as the most improved team, these honors come with a $7,500 award to use in each team's operating budget. This winners for 2020-21 were:

• Men's large team - men's rowing (3.46 GPA)
• Women's large team - field hockey (3.60 GPA
• Men's small team - men's golf (3.56 GPA)
• Women's small team - women's tennis (3.59 GPA)
• Most improved - women's basketball (25.4% to 3.55 GPA)

Congratulations to all of our STUDENT-Athletes!!!
 
On Sunday, Aug. 29, our campus held an in-person ceremony at the Greek Theatre for 2020 graduates who had their original ceremony canceled due to the onset of the pandemic. There is no doubt the highlight was watching former rugby student-athlete Robert Paylor walk across the stage in front of a roaring crowd. Robert, who was paralyzed during the opening minutes of the 2017 Rugby Varsity Cup Championship match, had long dreamed of this moment. Since his injury, he has inspired the world with his determination and optimistic approach to his recovery and the opportunities ahead of him. We are incredibly proud of Robert and so excited to continue to work with him as the recently named Executive Director of the Big C Society!
 
Peter Wright, who has been a part of Cal tennis for nearly four decades as a player and coach, announced his retirement last week after serving as Director of Men's Tennis for 29 years. With student-athletes who achieved success on the court and graduated at a very high level, Peter certainly left his mark on Cal tennis and we wish him the best of luck in his next chapter.
 
The past couple of weeks have been busy for the Pac-12, with several announcements that affect the future of our conference. First, Commissioner George Kliavkoff, along with the commissioners from the Big Ten and ACC, announced an alliance that brings together 41 institutions on a collaborative approach surrounding the future evolution of college athletics and scheduling. Given the amount of change we have seen in collegiate sports recently, I see this as an effort to bring a level of stability and chart a course for our future. In addition, the Pac-12 decided not to pursue expansion at this time and, in a separate action, announced that the conference will sponsor a baseball tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, beginning this spring. Definitely a lot happening!
 
The month of August saw the return of regularly scheduled engagement events, including a great event on the Peninsula hosted by the Kennedy family. It was wonderful seeing our Cal family members in person, and I know I will run into many of you during this weekend's football festivities. If you're a member of the Cal Athletics Fund, don't forget to visit the CAF hospitality in Tailgate Town on Maxwell Family Field before our football game against Nevada for food, live music and more!
 
With football just a few days away, we are excited to announce the $1.5 million transformational gift from Paul White to create the Paul F. White Innovation and Wellness Center, which will enhance spaces used for treatment and nutrition and ensure our student-athletes have access to world-class wellness facilities. Thank you, Paul and his wife, Linda!
 
Lastly, we wrapped up our Cal Athletics Fund Caravan this summer with our final topic, "Women Win." Please watch our incredible coaches, Charmin Smith (women's basketball), Chelsea Spencer (softball), and Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead talk about the past, present and future of women's sports at Cal.
 
Thank you, as always, for your support, and I hope to see you at California Memorial Stadium this weekend!
 
Go Bears,
 
 
Jim Knowlton
Director of Athletics