Like an author taking one last look at the manuscript or a composer running through the concerto one final time, Octavio Rodriguez always made sure to evaluate and appreciate his handiwork.

The former lead groundskeeper for Cal Athletics spent decades preparing the field at California Memorial Stadium for home football games, painstakingly and diligently taking the steps necessary to paint the field in the days leading up to gameday. On Fridays, the day before a game, he would then take the elevator up to the press box to look down on what he had just crafted, soaking in the finished product and basking in another week of producing his work of art.

"Among the crew, Tavi was known as our premier field painter," former Cal stadium manager Bob Milano Jr. said. "He took great pride in painting and prepping, and providing some artistic quality to Memorial Stadium. He did a really good job with that. He tried to give it a Super Bowl look every Saturday."

While field painting held extra significance to Rodriguez, the truth is he did just about everything imaginable as a facilities worker during his 40 years at Cal. Rodriguez, whose first day on the job was in 1981, retired last summer.

"To work in the same place for 40 years is unfathomable to think about," said Josh Hummel, Cal's senior associate athletic director for facilities, events and capital projects. "But he enjoyed what he did and he could probably do it another five years. But it will give him a chance to spend more time with his family."

It didn't take long for Rodriguez's family to become part of the Cal family. He moved to Oakland from a small town in Mexico when he was 14 and ended up attending and playing soccer at Merritt College. He soon met a woman named Betty, and when they decided to get married and save some money, Rodriguez needed to find a second job to be paired with his position in shipping and receiving at a local bakery.

Rodriguez's cousin, Freddie Pintor, was working at the football stadium and let him know they were looking for part-time workers.

"I came for an interview, and they said I could start tomorrow," Rodriguez said. "I never knew I was going to be here 40 years. It just happened. I fell in love with the university."

Tavi and Betty were married and started a family, and a year after working part-time, Rodriguez was hired as a full-time employee. Along the way, the couple had four children, two of which – Adrian and Christian – attended Cal.

"When you're around that long, you become part of the program just like any other coach or student-athlete," Hummel said. "Everyone knew Tavi."

Rodriguez did just about every job at every athletic facility on campus, and forged relationships with student-athletes, coaches and staff along the way. He was beloved and respected universally, not only because of the work he produced, but how he treated others.

"It just seemed like Tavi was a pillar in the stadium itself because he was just always there," former Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio said. "Tavi is a very genuine, kind, good-hearted man who will give you the shirt off his back in his kindness and generosity. I got the feeling that it wasn't just a job for Tavi. It was essentially a mission or a purpose to make sure the stage was set for all student-athletes. He became a pillar of the campus, a pillar of the institution."

Like Rodriguez and his field painting, Tavecchio was similarly committed to his craft during his time at Cal. He and teammate Vince D'Amato were consistently looking to get in extra work on the Memorial Stadium field, and it was Rodriguez who either got them in to the facility during off-hours or let them know when the field would be available.

Tavecchio also at times invited Christian, an aspiring kicker himself, to join the workouts.

"Just being around so long, you kind of get to know Tavi just because he was always in and around the facilities," Tavecchio said. "You just get the feeling he is a good, genuine person. You respect the respect that he has. It always seemed like he had a certain level of meaning and purpose for what he did. It showed, and it's something I admired."

Cal head rugby coach Jack Clark marvels at Rodriguez's talent and work ethic. He and his program often showed their appreciation for Rodriguez and other members of the facilities crew by either taking them out to lunch or having a barbecue at Witter Rugby Field.

"Tavi and the boys would take care of our field, and I couldn't go home without thinking about who is climbing over the fence on my field right now," Clark said. "I was like the old man in the neighborhood saying, 'Get off my lawn.' It was never good enough for Tavi just to say you did it. It always had to be right."

Rodriguez was at his post in the southwest corner of the end zone for The Play in 1982, right behind the area where the Stanford band took its infamous spot on the Memorial Stadium field. Not surprisingly, that ranks as the most memorable moment of his career.

"When the game ended, I had to grab the pylons and run all the way to the north side of the stadium to our office," Rodriguez said. "One of the security guards saw me with the stuff and went with me, pushing people out of the way. I was just focused on my job. Later on, everyone was talking about the play and the highlights kept getting played over and over. It was incredible."

Rodriguez also was there when Cal's men's basketball team snapped its 52-game losing streak to UCLA at Harmon Gym in 1986. He became close with other coaches like Jeff Tedford, Diane Ninemire and Kevin Grimes. Tavecchio and D'Amato ended up working with Rodriguez in facilities for a summer. He got to know a number of other student-athletes across campus.

"He kind of hit the mark on everything he was supposed to do and when he was supposed to do it, and did it in a really high-quality way," Clark said. "Everything was just done as well as it could be done. Even if you're a slacker, you can pull it together to do a great job on occasion. But how about the guy that everything they touch, all day long, all week long, all month long, all year long, all decades long? It wasn't just one time he did a great job. Everything he touches is gold. It was done as well as it could be done."

Rodriguez was honored during halftime of the Cal football team's season-finale against USC last year. Even though he's now retired, he says he still plans on coming back to campus when he can as a fan.

"It was a great career," Rodriguez said. "You meet great people. I'm leaving with a great feeling about my co-workers, my bosses and the people I have met. I feel like I can always come back and feel good about it."

"He'll be back," Hummel said. "My guess is he'll get that itch and come back and look over our shoulders and tell us what we are doing wrong."