BERKELEY – On the solemn anniversary of 9/11, we remember the ultimate sacrifice that former Cal rugby player Mark Bingham made on board United Airlines Flight 93.

Twenty-one years ago, chaos and great sorrow erupted in the United States as terrorists carried out attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and at the Pentagon in the nation's capital. As the horrors of the morning's events unfolded, a fourth hijacked plane emerged as another threat to the lives and safety of countless people at the U.S. Capitol Building. Four American heroes who were passengers on that flight faced the threat head-on as they devised a plan to retake the plane. After a struggle with the terrorists in the cockpit, they diverted the plane to an open field in Pennsylvania where it crashed down and squashed the threat to the capitol building and the lives of hundreds in Washington D.C. One of those heroes was Bingham. 

Bingham was a member of the Cal rugby 1991 national championship team and varsity letter winner. He graduated from the university in 1993, earning a bachelor's degree in social sciences with an emphasis in international relations. The 6-foot-4 backrower was a steady force on the pitch and a beloved member of the Berkeley community off of it.

Bingham's memory has been honored in many ways since his heroic efforts on September 11, 2001. Most recently, the U.S. Rugby Foundation awarded him and fellow rugger at the University of Rochester and passenger on Flight 93, Jeremy Glick, with the Chairman's Award in 2021. He was also posthumously awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2002 ESPYs. A biennial rugby tournament called the Bingham Cup is named in his honor, and is considered to be the world championships of gay and inclusive rugby, for which Bingham was an advocate. Now the world's largest amateur rugby union tournament, it features 148 teams from 20 countries.  

The Cal community also honors Bingham's memory each year. Cal rugby alumnus Stuart Shiff and his wife, Josie, recently established the "Mark Bingham Rugby Back Row Endowment". The University also created an annual award called the "Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement" which is given to an undergraduate student at the Cal Alumni Association's Charter Gala each spring. Framed and displayed at the Doc Hudson Fieldhouse on campus is a charcoal impression of Bingham's name which is etched at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York.

This year, members of the current Cal rugby squad attended an event hosted by the UC Berkeley Army ROTC program to remember and honor Bingham on the anniversary of 9/11. Current prop Michael Puckett was a coordinator of the event, which was a march through campus and the Berkeley Fire Trails.
 

Members of Cal rugby participated in the memorial event, and former teammate of Bingham's and 2022 Cal Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Ray Lehner was also a speaker. He spoke about his relationship with Bingham and his fond memories as his teammate and dear friend. 

"Mark was a tall, lanky, square-shouldered back row and sometimes lock," Lehner said. "He was a great teammate and a really great guy…Mark and I would tape each other's ears – he would always tape my ears and I would tape his. That was the pre-game ritual we had."

Lehner also shared his memories of Bingham off the pitch: "Off the field, he was just a lovely guy."

Today, and every day, we remember and honor the life and heroism of Bingham.

"It will always be an important yet difficult day to remember," Cal head coach Jack Clark said. "We are able to carry on today because of the sacrifice and heroism of individuals like Mark. We are forever proud of him."