Cal Family –

Greetings from Haas Pavilion!

I want to begin this month's newsletter by sending our thoughts and well-wishes to everyone in our Cal Family and beyond who has been affected by the devastating and tragic wildfires that have caused such unimaginable destruction in Southern California. We know there are countless alums, families of current student-athletes and so many more connected to our athletic department and university that are still dealing with the crisis, and you are all on our minds. I'm grateful for the Cameron Institute – notably Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships Jessie Stewart – for partnering with the Golden State Valkyries and Bay FC to participate in a supply drive to support relief efforts in the Greater Los Angeles area. We know there is a long road ahead to rebuild the affected areas and our Cal Family is with you every step of the way.

I just returned to the Bay Area after a productive week on the road. I teamed up with Chancellor Lyons in Los Angeles to meet with Cal supporters and then I continued on to Dallas to support our men's basketball team against SMU. It's a new day in intercollegiate athletics, and more than ever we are relying on our fans and alumni to support our mission to provide a world-class experience for the greatest student-athletes in the world. Chancellor Lyons is one of our biggest fans, and he is well-aware of the challenges the new and ever-changing landscape of college athletics presents. We are grateful for his support and for him to be so present in everything that we do.

I want to thank all of you who continue to support Cal Athletics. We saw incredible generosity from our Golden Bears as we closed out the 2024 year. Your support makes a direct impact on our student-athletes and sports programs, and if you haven't already looked through the Cal Athletics Annual Report, I encourage you to do so! In December, we also launched our Fight for California initiative, which aims to position our department for success amidst these changing times; in particular in response to the impending approval of the House settlement. You can learn more about this initiative here. 

As we look to the spring, please mark your calendars and plan on participating in the Big Give - Cal's annual day of giving that takes place on March 13th! You can learn more here about this exciting day that helps raise millions of dollars in support of Cal - including Athletics!

As we put the first fall season in the ACC in the rearview mirror and delve into our winter and spring seasons, it is becoming more and more apparent to me the impact that the exposure provided by the ACC is having on our national and international brand. Most of our broadcasts for our sports air on one of ESPN's platforms, and that has paid big dividends as we continue to engage with alums and fans across the nation. A great example is the success and exposure the first-ever ESPN College GameDay visit had on our campus. The three-hour program brought our campus together and highlighted our incredible university while also allowing us to tell so many compelling Cal stories.

You may have seen that we announced our 2025 football schedule earlier this week – it features four more new ACC opponents visiting California Memorial Stadium as well as nonconference games against Texas Southern and Minnesota. We are excited to welcome, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and SMU to Berkeley – UNC's visit will feature legendary coach Bill Belichick, who recently took over as the Tar Heels' new head coach. With an influx of exciting new players from the transfer portal and a revamped offensive coaching staff, I can't wait to watch what this team has in store for us next season. You can get your season tickets now!

It was so gratifying to see former Cal great Alex Mack get selected for the College Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot! Alex was everything a Cal student-athlete should be – an exemplary figure both on the field and in the classroom and beyond. Not only was he an All-American center and first-round NFL draft pick, but Alex also won the Draddy Trophy as the top football scholar-athlete in the nation. The honor, which is now called the Campbell Trophy, is often referred to as the "Academic Heisman." Congrats, Alex!

We are looking forward to February 16 when the Cameron Institute will be hosting the second annual Go Girls, Go Bears, Go Play Field Day for East Bay families and students ages 6-13 in honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day! This exciting, student-athlete-led event takes place from 12-2 p.m. at Edwards Stadium. Participants and families will get to engage with our Cal Bears firsthand and try out different sports and drills side by side with the Bears and our community partners. Admission is free to the field day event, and all youth participants (ages 6-13) will be eligible to attend the Cal women's basketball game against Syracuse at 3 p.m. at Haas Pavillion following the event free of charge! Adult tickets will be available for purchase at a discounted price ($3). Read more on the website and register today!

Speaking of our women's basketball team, it continues to roll along and open eyes across the country with its performance this season. They are ranked No. 19 in the country this week after completing their first season sweep over Stanford in 39 years! The team has a big one at home tonight against No. 15 North Carolina. Don't miss your chance to see what these young women are doing this season. Tickets for tonight's game and all ensuing home games this season are available!

Women's basketball is just one of many of our programs that are currently enjoying success. Both of our swim teams, both of our gymnastics squads, our women's water polo team and rugby team are all ranked in the top-10 nationally. Men's track & field and women's tennis are also in the national polls. More of our spring sports will also be beginning play in the coming weeks – our softball team has already garnered a preseason ranking of No. 19!

As we move into 2025, I want to wish every member of our Cal Family a prosperous and enriching new year! I hope to see you at one of our games soon!

Go Bears!
 


Jim