Sept. 3, 1997
California (0-0) Visits Houston (0-1)
Bears Make First Visit to Lone Star State Since 1993 Alamo Bowl
- GAME NO. 1
- California Golden Bears (0-0, 0-0 Pac-10) at Houston Cougars (0-1, 0-0 Conference USA)
- Saturday, Sept. 6, 1997
- Astrodome (60,000 - Turf), Houston, TX
KICKOFF/ATTENDANCE: Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. CT/12:30 p.m. PT. Attendance is expected to be approximately 50,000.
TELEVISION: The game will be aired live nationally as part of the Conference USA - Fox syndication package (locally on Bay TV). Paul Kennedy will call play-by-play with Brian Baldinger providing analysis. Ron Johnson will supply sideline reports.
RADIO: The game will be aired live over KGO Radio (810 AM) San Francisco and the five-station Golden Bear Radio Network. Other stations on the network are: KRCK (1490 AM) in King City; KGOE (105.5 FM) in Eureka; KFIV (1360 AM) in Modesto; and KJAX (1280 AM) in Stockton. The pre-game show begins 15 minutes prior to kickoff. KGO Radio is in its 24th season as the Golden Bears flagship station. Sports Director Joe Starkey is in his 23rd season handling play-by-play duties, and he is joined with color commentary by Lee Grosscup, who is in his ninth year in the booth. The Tom Holmoe Show airs weekly on KGO Radio each Tuesday at 6:20 p.m.
CAL GAMES AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE BY 800 TELEPHONE SERVICE: All Cal football radio broadcasts during the 1997 season are available nationwide via telephone through the facilities of TRZ Telephone Broadcast Services. Fans can access the Cal Radio Network from anywhere in the country at 1-800-846-4700, ext. 5918. The cost is $.50 for the first minute, with decreasing rates for additional minutes.
CAL BROADCASTS AVAILABLE OVER THE INTERNET: All Cal football radio broadcasts can be heard on the Internet at www.audionet.com/schools/berkeley. Visit the site and download the necessary software, then log on at game time to catch the Bears live.
THE SERIES: This game will be the first meeting between the Bears and Cougars.
TRAVEL PLANS: The California travel party will depart from Oakland Airport Friday at 11:30 a.m. on a Champion Airlines charter and will stay at the Westin Galleria (713/960-8100) in Houston. Associate Athletic Director for Communications Kevin Reneau and Associate Media Relations Director Herb Benenson will accompany the team. Cal will return to Berkeley immediately after the game.
AROUND THE PAC-10: The remainder of the Pac-10 schedule for the week of Sept. 6 is: Arizona at Oregon (Sept. 4);
North Texas at Oregon State; Washington at Brigham Young; San Jose State at Stanford; Florida State at USC; Tennessee at UCLA.
WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE: California's weekly press luncheon will begin at 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 4 in the Hall of Fame Room in Memorial Stadium. Head coach Tom Holmoe and several Cal players will be in attendance for interviews. In addition, Houston head coach Kim Helton will be available via a speakerphone beginning at 11:45.
THE COACHES: Tom Holmoe, California (Brigham Young '83) enters his first year as head coach of the Bears and second with the Cal program. A 1993 graduate of BYU, Holmoe was the Cougars starting cornerback from 1980-82, and led the WAC in interceptions as a sophomore in 1980. He went on to earn first team WAC honors as a senior and later was drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers. Holmoe went on to play seven years with in the NFL, all with San Francisco, and helped the 49ers win three Super Bowls. After retiring from pro football, he entered the coaching ranks, serving as a graduate assistant during the 1990 and '91 seasons under LaVell Edwards at his alma mater, BYU. In 1992, Holmoe was reunited with Bill Walsh after accepting and offer to become the Stanford secondary coach. After two years as a member of the Cardinal staff, he moved back to the pro ranks and his former team, the 49ers, as George Seifert's defensive backfield coach for the 1994 and '95 seasons. Last year, Holmoe joined the Bears staff as the defensive coordinator and on Jan. 18, 1997, he was named head football coach at Cal.
Kim Helton, Houston (Florida '70) was hired in 1993 as the Cougars' eighth head coach. During his four-year tenure in Houston, he has compiled an 11-34-1 record. Last season, Helton's Cougars tied Arizona State as the most improved team in the nation as they jumped from a 2-9 mark in 1995 to a 7-4 regular season record in 1996. The Cougars also won the Conference USA championship and made an appearance in the 1996 Liberty Bowl. It was Houston's most successful season since the Cougars finished the 1990 campaign with a 10-1 mark. Prior to arriving at Houston, Helton served as an assistant coach with three NFL teams: offensive line coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1983-86; offensive line coach with the Houston Oilers from 1987-89; and offensive line coach with the Los Angeles Raiders from 1990-92. Preceding his NFL coaching career, Helton served as the offensive line coach at his alma mater, Florida, from 1973-78, and from 1979-82, he was the offensive coordinator at Miami.
SCHEDULES THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT NEXT OPPONENT
CALIFORNIA (0-0, 0-0) HOUSTON (0-1, 0-0) OKLAHOMA (0-1, 0-0)
Sept. 6 at Houston Aug. 30 at Alabama, 17-42 Aug. 23 at Northwestern, 0-24
Sept. 20 OKLAHOMA Sept. 6 CALIFORNIA Sept. 6 SYRACUSE
Sept. 27 USC Sept. 13 PITTSBURGH Sept. 20 at California
Oct. 4 at Louisiana Tech Sept. 27 at Minnesota Sept. 27 LOUISVILLE
Oct. 11 WASHINGTON Oct. 4 at UCLA Oct. 4 at Kansas
Oct. 18 at Washington State Oct. 18 CINCINNATI Oct. 11 vs. Texas
Oct. 25 at UCLA Oct. 25 at Louisville Oct. 18 BAYLOR
Nov. 1 OREGON STATE Nov. 1 at Memphis Oct. 25 KANSAS STATE
Nov. 8 ARIZONA STATE Nov. 8 EAST CAROLINA Nov. 1 at Nebraska
Nov. 15 at Arizona Nov. 15 at Southern Mississippi Nov. 8 OKLAHOMA STATE
Nov. 22 at Stanford Nov. 22 TULANE Nov. 15 TEXAS A&M
Nov. 22 at Texas Tech
PAC-10 FEED: The Pacific-10 Conference provides a weekly satellite feed throughout the season. The weekly feed will air from 11:30 to 12 noon PT Wednesdays on Telstar 5, Transponder 23 (C-Band). In case of trouble with the feed, call Master Control at (310) 286-3800 or Erin Heiney at (510) 932-4411.
HIGHLIGHT SHOW: The weekly one-half hour California Football Highlight Show, hosted by Tim Sharp, is in its 12th season on KPIX-TV (Channel 5) in San Francisco. The show will be aired each Sunday on KPIX in San Francisco at 5 p.m. In addition, the program will be rebroadcast on SportsChannel on Mondays, usually at 6:30 p.m. each week. In addition, Cal football will also be featured in SportsChannel's weekly Cal Sports Magazine show this fall. The show is scheduled to air each Thursday at 8:30 p.m. with occasional airings earlier the same evening at 6 p.m. There will be re-airings throughout Friday and Saturday mornings.
IKON OFFICE SOLUTIONS PLAY OF THE WEEK: Each week throughout the 1997 football season, Canon Copiers will salute the Golden Bear Play of the Week.
