On the 24th anniversary of September 11, 2001, California rugby remembers and honors the life and ultimate sacrifice of former Golden Bear, Mark Bingham.
 
The United States erupted into chaos and devastation on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as terrorists carried out attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Flight 93 emerged as another hijacked plane that was threatening an attack on the U.S. Capitol Building. Bingham was a passenger on that flight.
 
Bingham, along with three other American heroes, recognized the impending threat to the countless lives surrounding the capitol building and devised a plan to intervene. They stormed the plane's cockpit and, after a physical struggle with the terrorists, managed to thwart the hijackers' intentions, resulting in the plane crashing into an open field in Pennsylvania. Their heroic actions surely saved the lives of thousands in our nation's capital.
 
Bingham was a 6-foot-4 backrower for the Bears who was a member of the 1991 national championship team and a varsity letterwinner. He was a 1993 Cal graduate who earned a bachelor's degree in social sciences with an emphasis on international relations. Following his graduation, he became a public relations executive and formed his own company, the Bingham Group.
 
Bingham is regarded as an American hero and has been honored in many ways since his tragic passing. He was posthumously awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2002 ESPYs, and a biennial rugby tournament was named in his honor. The Bingham Cup is now recognized as one of the premier competitions for gay and inclusive rugby, for which Bingham was an advocate. Most recently, Bingham and Jeremy Glick, a fellow rugger and passenger on Flight 93, were presented with the Chairman's Award by the U.S. Rugby Foundation in 2021.
 
At Cal, Bingham's memory lives on in various ways, one of which being the "Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by Young Alumni". The university established the annual award to commend a Cal graduate who has made a significant contribution to their community, country or the world. Cal rugby alumnus Stuart Shiff and his wife Josie also established the "Mark Bingham Rugby Backrow Endowment", one of the positional endowments that supports the program each year. On display in the Doc Hudson Fieldhouse at Witter Rugby Field is a charcoal impression of the etching of Bingham's name at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York.
 
 
Cal rugby squad members also honor Bingham each year - this year participating in a team run in remembrance of their fallen fellow Bear. All members of the team gathered to run from the Simpson Center for High Performance at the top of campus, past the Berkeley landmarks of the Campanile tower and the half-mast flag outside California Hall before pausing for a moment of reflection.
 

"It's a day of solemn remembrance, of deep sorrow and pride in Mark." Cal rugby head coach Jack Clark said.