Hi, Cal Family - 

What. A. Weekend! 

My head is still spinning with excitement after watching our football team's breathtaking comeback to win the Big Game on Saturday! Of all the memorable moments our rivalry with Stanford over the 127 years, that final drive our offense put together to complete the comeback and send our fans into a frenzy has to rank up there with the best! I could not be prouder of every single member of our football program – from coaches to student-athletes to staff and everyone else.  I will never get tired of watching our passionate fans storm the field after a victory like that. The smiles (and tears) of joy never get old, and I know it means so much to our players and staff. Winning four in a row and five of the last six is special, and to also qualify for a bowl game made the day truly extraordinary. We will find out where we play our bowl game on Dec. 8.

This weekend was also special as we hosted our 2004 football team to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of one of the greatest seasons in the history of our program. The 2004 squad went 10-2 under legendary coach Jeff Tedford and was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country. We had over 90 players from that team return to campus for the weekend to enjoy a reunion on Friday night at California Memorial Stadium, as well as at the game. Aaron Rodgers also gave an inspirational speech to our current team Friday night.

We have exciting news, as we have entered into a new sponsorship agreement with Troutman Amin, LLC – a nationally recognized law firm that was founded by 1999 Cal alumnus Eric J. Troutman. As part of our agreement, the Troutman Amin, LLC logo was painted on the field at California Memorial Stadium in strategic locations. We are thrilled about this new partnership that helps us financially support a world-class experience for our student-athletes.

We also learned last week that we earned a Graduation Success Rate of 93 percent – the highest in our department's history! That mark continues a gratifying upward trend we have seen recently – we have now set a department record in seven of the past eight years. This year's data also revealed we had nine programs with a perfect GSR of 100 percent, which is also the most we've ever had in a single year. I am filled with gratitude for everyone in our Cal Athletics village that supports our student-athletes every day, and continue to beam with pride over the work our student-athletes do in the classroom while still competing at the highest level of their sport.

As we look ahead toward the future, I wanted to also touch on the NCAA House settlement that has grabbed so many headlines in recent months. The agreement was preliminarily approved last month, and a final hearing is scheduled for April. If approved, it will allow universities to provide up to $20.5 million annually to student-athletes primarily in the form of NIL licensing agreements, and student-athletes will be able to help us market our programs and university.

The key initiatives listed below have supported and will continue to support our head coaches and Athletic Director's top priorities. In this new environment, these initiatives will now allow our coaches and department to implement the House settlement. To learn more or to make a tax-deductible gift or pledge to Cal Athletics, please click on these links.

• Championship Caliber
• Cal Men's Basketball Excellence Initiative
• Cal Women's Basketball Golden Way
• Athletic Director's Excellence Circle

I'd like to also encourage you to support all of our sports programs to help impact our entire student-athlete population and their pursuit of excellence.

We also remain grateful for the community's support of the California Legends Collective, which has provided and will continue to provide critical resources and opportunities for our student-athletes to benefit from NIL.          

I wanted to take a moment for us to pause and remember Nancy McDaniel, who passed away last month after a battle with cancer. Nancy founded our women's golf program in 1995 and was our only head coach ever until she retired at the end of last season. Not only was she an incredibly accomplished coach, but she was a role model and endearing friend to so many. The countless women who came through our program were privileged to feel Nancy's imprint on their lives, and she lit up every room she entered – and put a smile on the face of everyone around her. She will be dearly missed.

Earlier this month, to celebrate 30 years of Cal women's golf and honor Nancy's legacy, we hosted over 100 of her former student-athletes, supporters and Cal golf enthusiasts at the Faculty Club in Berkeley. They all came together to share stories of the past, reflect on the present, and look ahead to the program's future under new head coach Sofie Aagaard. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this a truly special day!

In memory of Nancy, the Nancy McDaniel Fund for Women's Golf has been created. If you are interested in supporting, please reach out to the Cal Athletics Fund for more information. 

While there was a lot of focus on the Big Game last week, both of our basketball teams are off to great starts! Our women's squad is 6-1 and our men's basketball team is now 5-1. Both teams are on the path to do some great things this season, and I am looking forward to their first season in ACC play. Make your plans now to join us at Haas Pavilion to be a part of the excitement!

I want to wish you and your families and friends a Happy Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing you at an event in the months to come.

Best Wishes – Go Bears!


 
Jim