DECEMBER 1922 | The construction of California Memorial Stadium officially began in Strawberry Canyon.
NOVEMBER 24, 1923 | California Memorial Stadium officially opened its' doors in time for the 29th annual Big Game. Cal Football capped off an undefeated 9-0-1 season, claimed a national championship, and secured a co-Pacific Coast Conference title by shutting out Stanford, 9-0, in front of a crowd of 73,000 that at the time was the largest to ever see a college football game on the West Coast.
OCTOBER 3, 1924 | The 54-0 win over Nevada marked the final victory on a school-record 40-game home unbeaten (39-0-1) and a 50-game overall unbeaten (46-0-4) streak for Cal Football. The streak spanned from the opening of California Memorial Stadium and included four unbeaten home seasons.
JANUARY 1, 1925 | Cal Football wrapped up an unbeaten season (8-0-2) with a 14-0 win over Pennsylvania, playing a collegiate football opponent from the Eastern Time Zone for the first time in Berkeley and only the third time overall. The home win was the Golden Bears' eighth to tie a school record.
SPRING 1925 | Cal's baseball team called California Memorial Stadium home during the 1925 season. Due to the demolition of California Field, an oval diamond was created with home plate in the northeast corner.
NOVEMBER 6, 1937 | Cal Football battled Washington – the nation's top-ranked team – to a scoreless tie on its way to claiming national and Pacific Coast Conference titles, and winning its' most recent Rose Bowl.
NOVEMBER 19, 1938 | Cal Football defeated Stanford in the Big Game, 7-6 and as a result, captured a share of the Pacific Coast Conference title.
DECEMBER 26, 1938 | Cal Football wrapped up a perfect 8-0 home season with a 13-0 victory over Georgia Tech at CMS. The eight wins tied the school record for most home victories in a season.
SEPTEMBER 27, 1941 | Oski, the beloved Golden Bear mascot, made his official debut during Cal Football's home opener vs. Saint Mary's.
OCTOBER 14, 1944 | Cal Football defeated Pacific, 14-0, to record its 100th win at California Memorial Stadium.
DECEMBER 8-10, 1944 | The United States military staged and performed "East Bay Attacks" at California Memorial Stadium, turning the entire playing field into a simulated South Pacific jungle. The show simulated a mock WWII battle in order to demonstrate what was happening overseas to those still at home.
SEPTEMBER 27, 1947 | Cal Football recorded the largest attendance in California Memorial Stadium history. In front of a crowd of 83,000 fans, Cal defeated Navy, 14-7.
NOVEMBER 15, 1947 | Cal Football set a school-record by rushing for eight touchdowns in a 60-14 win over Montana.
June 12, 1948 | President Harry S. Truman delivered the keynote address at the 1948 University of California, Berkeley Commencement ceremony. The university made changes to the original Commencement schedule in order to accommodate President Truman's schedule and ensure his attendance.
NOVEMBER 20,1948 | With a 7-6 victory over Stanford, Cal Football completed a perfect 10-0 regular-season, won its' school-record-tying 10th game at home (the only time ever), and recorded the final win on a school-record 14-game win streak.
NOVEMBER 18, 1950 | Cal Football capped its' school-record 22-game conference win streak with a 13-7 win over Pacific Coast Conference foe San Francisco, 13-7.
OCTOBER 6, 1951 | Cal Football dominated Minnesota, 55-14, behind a school-record 490 yards rushing.
OCTOBER 27, 1951 | No. 9 Cal Football defeated No. 6 Oregon State, 35-14, and it would be another 40 years until two top-10 teams played against each other at California Memorial Stadium. Bill Powell's 98-yard run in the contest is Cal's longest rush ever.
NOVEMBER 22, 1952 | The 55th annual Big Game hailed a crowd of 83,000 fans, tying California Memorial Stadium's all-time attendance record that had been set five years earlier against Navy. Cal Football defeated Stanford, 26-0.
SEPTEMBER 25, 1954 | Cal Football blanked San Jose State, 45-0, with the Golden Bears taking advantage of 10 turnovers by the Spartans (the most ever by a Cal opponent).
NOVEMBER 13, 1954 | Jerry Drew set a Cal Football record for most rushing yards in a half with 268 after halftime in a 46-7 win over Oregon State. Drew finished the game with 283 yards on the ground (second-most in school history) on only 11 carries with his 25.7 yards per rush a school single-game mark.
NOVEMBER 22, 1959 | Cal Football qualified for its' most recent Rose Bowl appearance with a 16-15 win over Stanford in its home finale.
MARCH 23, 1962 | President John F. Kennedy gave a speech at California Memorial Stadium before an estimated crowd of 88,000 in celebration of Charter Day, the anniversary of the University of California's founding.
SEPTEMBER 19, 1964 | The California Victory Cannon officially made its debut at California Memorial Stadium during Cal Football's season-opener against Missouri. The cannon was kept on the sidelines and shot off at the beginning of the game, after each score, and after the 21-14 victory.
SEPTEMBER 28 and OCTOBER 5, 1968 | Cal Football's vaunted Bear Minimum Defense shut out Colorado (10-0) and San Jose State (46-0) in back-to-back home games, a feat no Cal team has matched since.
FALL 1971 | As a result of a new Pac-8 rule banning cannons from stadiums, the California Victory Cannon was relocated to Tightwad Hill, just above California Memorial Stadium.
NOVEMBER 18, 1972 | On the last play of game, Cal Football's Vince Ferragamo found a diving Steve Sweeney in the end zone on fourth down to defeat Stanford, 24-21. This marked the first of five times in Big Game history that the contest would be determined on its' final play.
AUGUST 25, 1973 | The Oakland Raiders hosted the Minnesota Vikings in a preseason match-up at California Memorial Stadium. The Raiders hosted several preseason contests at CMS in the early 1970's.
SEPTEMBER 23, 1973 | As a result of a scheduling conflict with the Oakland A's at the Oakland Coliseum, the Oakland Raiders hosted their 1973 home opener at California Memorial Stadium. Led by legendary coach John Madden, the Raiders would beat the Dolphins, 12-7, ending Miami's 18-game win streak.
NOVEMBER 16, 1974 | Cal Football registered a school-record-tying six interceptions including a school-record four by Herm Edwards in a 37-33 win over Washington State. Half of the 12 passes thrown by the Cougars were picked.
NOVEMBER 1, 1975 | Cal Football knocks off No. 4 USC, 28-14. It was the first victory of a four-game win streak to end the season that earned Cal a share of the Pac-12 title and a final No. 14 national ranking. It was also their 200th win at California Memorial Stadium and only the third-ever win against a Top 5 team for the Golden Bears.
OCTOBER 2, 1976 | Wesley Walker had eight catches for a school-record 289 yards in Cal Football's 43-16 win over San Jose State.
OCTOBER 29, 1977 | Cal Football hosted the inaugural Joe Roth Memorial Game at California Memorial Stadium. A portion of the game's ticket sales was dedicated to the Joe Roth Memorial Scholarship Fund. Cal officially retired Roth's #12 during a special pregame ceremony as the Golden Bears defeated the 10th-ranked Trojans, 17-14.
NOVEMBER 20, 1982 | Simply known as "The Play," Cal lateraled the ball five times on a kickoff in the game's final play. Cal Football's Kevin Moen ran in the for the game-winning touchdown and crashed into Stanford trombone player Gary Tyrrell in the process. The Stanford Band had prematurely entered onto the field in celebration, creating an additional obstacle for Cal's players in the final four seconds.
OCTOBER 1, 1983 | Cal Football and Arizona played to the highest scoring tie in the history of California Memorial Stadium. Cal kicker, Randy Pratt hit a 22-yard field goal with 48 seconds left to tie it at 33-33. The Golden Bears got another chance from 61 yards on the game's final play to win the contest, but the kick came up well short.
NOVEMBER 22, 1986 | In what is described as the greatest Big Game upset of all-time, Cal Football defeated Stanford, 17-11. Cal entered the contest just 1-9 on the season and as a 21-point underdog against No. 16 Stanford. After his final game as Cal's head coach, Joe Kapp was carried off the field by his players.
NOVEMBER 19, 1988 | During the 1988 Big Game, tensions were high between mascots as Cal's Oski and Stanford's Tree faced off in a fight that would needed to be broken up by security.
NOVEMBER 19, 1988 | Following a failed field goal attempt as time expired, the 91st annual Big Game concluded in a tie. This was the first time since 1953 and the final time in history that the Big Game would end in a tie with rules changing to not allow ties after the 1995 season.
MARCH 31 – APRIL 1, 1990 | British rock star and former Beatle, Paul McCartney performed two shows at California Memorial Stadium as part of his 1990 world tour.
SEPTEMBER 7, 1991 | The California Victory Cannon ran out ammunition following a modern-era school-record 12 touchdowns scored against Pacific, including a then school-record and career-high six touchdown passes from current radio analyst and Cal Football Hall of Famer Mike Pawlawski. This would mark the first and only time (so far) that the cannon has run out of ammunition. Cal won the game, 86-24, also setting a modern-era school record for points scored.
OCTOBER 3, 1992 | With a final score of 42-0, Cal Football defeated Oregon State to record its 250th win at California Memorial Stadium.
OCTOBER 2, 1993 | Cal Football trailed Oregon, 30-0, before rallying for a 42-41 win that at the time was the largest comeback in Pac-10 history and the third biggest ever in the FBS.
NOVEMBER 13, 1993 | Cal Football scored all 24 of the game's second-half points after trailing 20-0 at halftime and ended Arizona's Rose Bowl hopes with the 24-20 win.
SEPTEMBER 28, 1996 | In its fourth game of college football's first season with overtime, the Golden Bears needed three extra periods to beat Oregon State, 48-42, in the first overtime game in school history.
November 2, 1996 | Pat Barnes tossed a school-record eight touchdown passes and the Bears prevailed when Arizona failed to convert a fake extra-point attempt at the end of the fourth overtime. It would be the final win for coaching legend Steve Mariucci in his only season for Cal Football before leaving for the 49ers.
FEBRUARY 20, 1999 | In only its second varsity game ever and first home contest at California Memorial Stadium, Cal Football knocked off Stanford, 10-9.
OCTOBER 14, 2000 | Cal Football had averaged only 13 points per game in its' first five contests before exploding for 46 against the Bruins in a 46-38 triple overtime win.
AUGUST 31, 2002 | Cal Football blows out Baylor, 70-22, scoring a then modern-era school-record 35 first-quarter points in the debut of head coach Jeff Tedford and the 2002 season opener. The first-offensive play Tedford called was a halfback option pass that resulted in a 71-yard touchdown pass from Terrell Williams to wide receiver David Gray.
NOVEMBER 23, 2002 | Cal Football fans were elated after a 30-7 victory over Stanford ended a seven-game Big Game losing skid, tearing down both goalposts and parading them around the stadium.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2003 | Tyler Fredrickson nailed a 38-yard field goal to lift Cal Football to an improbable 34-31 triple overtime victory over No. 3 USC. It was the Golden Bears' first win against a Top 5 team since 1975 against a No. 4 Trojans' squad. An often looked over fact is that it was Aaron Rodgers' second career start at Cal.
FEBRUARY 29, 2004 | In arguably its' biggest victory in program history, the Cal lacrosse team upset No. 9 Ohio State, 10-6.
NOVEMBER 6, 2004 | Cal Football kept its BCS hopes alive with a 28-27 victory over Oregon that snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Ducks and was the first for head coach Jeff Tedford against the school he was previously the offensive coordinator for.
OCTOBER 1, 2005 | Cal Football's most recent shutout came in the fashion of a 28-0 win over Arizona.
OCTOBER 7, 2006 | Cal Football made its first appearance in gold jerseys and rolled to a 45-24 victory over a No. 11 Oregon program with a reputation of being a fashionable group. DeSean Jackson flashed in the threads, returning a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and catching a Nate Longshore pass for another. Jackson's quote about his punt return TD ... "I was following yellow jerseys. I couldn't even see one Oregon jersey all the way in."
OCTOBER 21, 2006 | Marshawn Lynch celebrated Desmond Bishop's game-winning interception that lifted Cal Football to a 31-24 overtime win by commandeering an injury cart and jubilantly driving it around the field in celebration. It went viral before going viral was a thing.
NOVEMBER 27, 2006 | California Memorial Stadium was officially added to the United States National Register of Historic Places.
DECEMBER 2, 2006 | Cal Football defeated Stanford, 26-17, to secure its fifth consecutive Big Game victory and earned a share of the conference championship (No. 3 USC was knocked off by UCLA shortly afterward). It was the Bears' first conference title since they shared the 1975 Pac-8 crown. Tom Schneider made a 55-yard field goal that tied for the longest ever at Cal.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2007 | Cal Football knocked off No. 15 Tennessee of the SEC, 45-31, before a sellout crowd of 72,516 at California Memorial Stadium. As the clock wound down in the final minutes, Cal fans jubilantly chanted "Pac-10 football!" at the departing Tennessee fans. DeSean Jackson returned a punt 77 yards for his sixth career punt return touchdown.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2007 | With a final score of 42-12, Cal Football defeated Louisiana Tech to record its 300th win at California Memorial Stadium.
OCTOBER 13, 2007 | One of the most memorable moments in CMS history is also one of the most infamous. The second-ranked Cal Football team was in position to become the nation's No. 1 team after LSU had lost earlier in the day. However, Kevin Riley was tackled on the Oregon State two-yard line with 14 seconds remaining and the Bears couldn't get the field goal unit on time for another play in a 31-28 loss to the Beavers.
NOVEMBER 1, 2008 | Cal Football handled one of the worst rainstorms in the history of California Memorial Stadium with a 26-16 victory over No. 23 Oregon.
DECEMBER 6, 2008 | Jahvid Best rushed for a school-record 311 yards and four touchdowns that tie for the most ever at CMS as Cal Football closed out a perfect 7-0 regular season at home with a 48-7 victory over Washington.
APRIL 17, 2009 | Molly Everett converted an eight-meter shot in the third overtime to give Cal Lacrosse a 13-12 sudden victory over No. 18 Oregon.
NOVEMBER 21, 2009 | Cal Football capped off back-to-back wins over nationally-ranked teams for the first time since 1950 with a 34-28 victory over Stanford in the Big Game. Shane Vereen rushed 42 times for 193 yards (both career-highs) with a career-high-tying three touchdowns.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2010 | Five-star recruit Keenan Allen made his highly-anticipated debut for Cal Football by scoring both receiving and rushing touchdowns in a 52-3 win over UC Davis.
DECEMBER 2010 | California Memorial Stadium began a 21-month renovation to bring the facility up to modern standards and create a seismically safe environment for years to come.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012 | A sellout crowd of 63,186 was on hand for the reopening of California Memorial Stadium following nearly $500 million dollars in renovations for the 2012 Cal Football home opener against Nevada.
OCTOBER 6, 2012 | During halftime of Cal Football's annual Homecoming game and a 43-17 win over UCLA, the newly renovated California Memorial Stadium was rededicated "in memory of all Californians who have sacrificed their lives in service to our nation." The ceremony featured representatives from the United States Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, including former Cal tight end and current Marine, Lt. Garrett Cross.
AUGUST 31, 2013 | Freshman Jared Goff made his debut as Cal Football's starting quarterback in the season opener vs. Northwestern at California Memorial Stadium. Goff became the first true freshman ever to start the season opener for the Golden Bears.
JULY 26, 2014 | A sold-out crowd of 62,583 watched Real Madrid and Inter Milan in a International Champions Cup match on a natural-grass field that replaced the stadium's artificial turf. The teams were tied 1-1 after regulation before Milan won the match 3-2 score after a penalty shoot-out.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 | James Langford made a 34-yard field goal in the second overtime to set off a wild on-field celebration in a 59-56 double overtime win over Colorado that ended Cal Football's 15-game Pac-12 losing skid. Jared Goff threw a career-high seven touchdown passes including the longest pass play in school history on a 92-yarder to Daniel Lasco.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2015 | Cal Football scored a modern-era school-record 52 points in the first half but did not stop the much-acclaimed Grambling State University Marching Band from a highly-anticipated and memorable halftime performance in its only visit ever to California Memorial Stadium.
OCTOBER 3, 2015 | Jared Goff became Cal Football's all-time leader in touchdown passes in a 34-28 victory, moving past former record-holder Kyle Boller's 64. Goff would finish his career at the end of the 2015 with 96 career touchdown passes.
NOVEMBER 14, 2015 | Cal Football set a school record with 760 yards of total offense in a 54-24 win over Oregon State. Jared Goff threw for 453 yards and six touchdown passes.
NOVEMBER 28, 2015 | Cal Football rallied from a 27-10 halftime deficit by scoring 38 second-half points. Jared Goff broke Cal records with 542 passing yards and 573 total yards, while throwing for five touchdowns in the 48-46 win.
MARCH 19, 2016 | A little over a month before he was selected No. 1 overall in 2016 NFL Draft, the eyes of the football world were focused in on Jared Goff and his Pro Day workout at California Memorial Stadium. ESPN and NFL Network both went live, all 32 NFL teams were represented and over 80 media credentials were issued.
MARCH 19, 2016 | Cal Lacrosse won their first game against a team ranked No. 11 or better since 2007 with a wild 50-43 win over No. 11 Texas in the Longhorns' first visit to Berkeley since 1969.
OCTOBER 1, 2016 | Cal Football's defense stopped Utah at the Golden Bears' one-yard line on the game's final play, securing a 28-23 Bears' victory.
OCTOBER 1, 2016 | Cal Football's defense stopped Utah at the Golden Bears' one-yard line on the game's final play, securing a 28-23 Bears' victory.
OCTOBER 21, 2016 | Cal Football secured a 52-49 victory against Oregon following an interception by Jordan Kunaszyk in the second overtime. Cal ran an NCAA-record 118 offensive plays in a game that lasted 4:18, while the Golden Bears' 40 first downs were a school record. Khalfani Muhammad (154) and Tre Watson (148) combined for 302 rushing yards.
NOVEMBER 5, 2016 | Just over 10 years after his famous cart ride, Marshawn Lynch recreated the feat prior to Cal Football's game against Washington. This time, his mother, Delisa Lynch, and Bay Area rap legend E-40 went along for the ride.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2017 | Redshirt freshman Cameron Goode's 32-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter sealed Cal Football's 27-16 win over Ole Miss of the famed SEC in the first game ever between the teams. Cal would also win in 2019 at Ole Miss.
OCTOBER 13, 2017 | Cal Football dominated No. 8 Washington State, 37-13, for its' first win against a Top-10 team since 2003. Cal forced seven turnovers without allowing one and had 9.0 sacks.
NOVEMBER 4, 2017 | Matt Anderson became Cal Football's all-time scoring leader in a 37-23 win over Oregon State, breaking the record previously held by Doug Brien since 1993.
APRIL 1, 2018 | Kirsten Swanson notched a game-high seven points to lead Cal Lacrosse to its first Pac-12 win with a 17-13 victory over Arizona State.
OCTOBER 27, 2018 | Evan Weaver made one of the most memorable plays in Cal Football history with a pick-six capped by his dive over the pylon that lifted the Golden Bears to a 12-10 win over No. 15 Washington without scoring an offensive touchdown.
NOVEMBER 24, 2018 | Cal Football forces five turnovers (all in the first half) and scored two defensive touchdowns in the game's opening 1:54 on back-to-back pick sixes by Elijah Hicks and Ashtyn Davis.
JANUARY 24, 2019 | Cal Lacrosse welcomed the English National Lacrosse team to California Memorial Stadium for a special preseason scrimmage.
DECEMBER 5, 2020 | Cal Football ended a 2020 season shortened to four games by COVID with a 21-17 win over No. 21 and eventual Pac-12 champion Oregon.
DECEMBER 4, 2021 | Cal Football defeated USC at home for the first time since 2003 with the victory keyed by Trey Paster's 55-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 | Jaydn Ott rushed for 273 yards and three touchdowns including a pair of runs of more than 70 yards in his fourth career game for Cal Football to lead Golden Bears to a 49-31 win over Arizona. His 274 rushing yards were the most ever by a Pac-12 true freshman.
NOVEMBER 19, 2022 | Cal Football retained The Axe, defeating Stanford 27-20 in the 125th annual Big Game in front of a sold-out crowd at California Memorial Stadium.
APRIL 21, 2023 | Riley Drulinger saved a dramatic 14-13 victory for Cal Lacrosse over Oregon when she turned back a Ducks' free position shot with four seconds remaining. Drullinger finished with a career-high 18 saves on 41 Oregon shots.
MAY 5-8, 2023 | Cal Lacrosse hosted the Pac-12 Championship for the first time ever.
