1975 California Golden Bears football team

1975 California Golden Bears football
1975 California Golden Bears football
Pac-8 co-champion
Conference	Pacific-8 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 14
Record	8–3 (6–1 Pac-8)
Head coach	Mike White (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Roger Theder
Captains	Chuck Muncie; Paul Von der Mehden;
Home stadium	California Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 1974 1976 →

1975 Pacific-8 Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 5 UCLA ^ +	6	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	1
No. 14 California +	6	–	1	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
Stanford	5	–	2	–	0	6	–	4	–	1
Washington	5	–	2	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
No. 17 USC	3	–	4	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
Oregon	2	–	5	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Oregon State	1	–	6	–	0	1	–	10	–	0
Washington State	0	–	7	–	0	3	–	8	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – Selected as Rose Bowl representative Rankings from AP Poll

The 1975 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) during the 1975 NCAA Division I football season. In their fourth year under head coach Mike White, the Golden Bears compiled an 8–3 record (6–1 in Pac-8), finished in a tie with UCLA for the Pac-8 championship, and outscored their opponents 330 to 233. The Golden Bears gained 2,522 passing yards and 2,522 rushing yards. The average was 229 total yards per game and the team was ranked number one in total offense.^[1]

The team did not participate in the Rose Bowl because during the season it lost to co-champion UCLA.^[2]^[3] In the first year that the Pac-8 allowed additional bowl games, only fifth-place USC was invited, to the Liberty Bowl.

The team's statistical leaders included Joe Roth with 1,880 passing yards, Chuck Muncie with 1,460 rushing yards, and Steve Rivera with 790 receiving yards.^[2] Roth, a junior college transfer, became the starting quarterback in the season's fourth game, taking over from junior Fred Besana.^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	at Colorado*		Folsom Field Boulder, CO	L 27–34	46,211	^[5]
September 20	No. 20 West Virginia*		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	L 10–28	23,375	^[6]
September 27	at Washington State		Martin Stadium Pullman, WA	W 33–21	24,500	^[7]
October 4	San Jose State*		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	W 27–24	32,788	^[4]
October 11	at Oregon		Autzen Stadium Eugene, OR	W 34–7	18,500	^[8]^[9]
October 18	Oregon State		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	W 51–24	31,758	^[10]^[11]
October 25	at No. 19 UCLA		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)	L 14–28	36,100	^[12]
November 1	No. 4 USC		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	W 28–14	58,871	^[13]
November 8	Washington	No. 18	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	W 27–24	43,270	^[14]
November 15	at Air Force*	No. 15	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO	W 31–14	35,770	^[15]
November 22	at Stanford	No. 13	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (Big Game)	W 48–15	88,000	^[16]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[17]

Roster

1975 California Golden Bears football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
OT	`79`	Ted Albrecht	Jr
QB	`11`	Fred Besana	Jr
RB	`42`	Chuck Muncie	Sr
WR	`7`	Steve Rivera	Sr
QB	`12`	Joe Roth	Jr
WR	`99`	Wesley Walker	Jr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`3`	Jim Breech	So
P	`25`	Greg Cummins	So

Head coach

Mike White (4th year)

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

^[18]^[19]

Game summaries

Stanford

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
California	14	13	0	21	48
Stanford	6	0	0	9	15

at Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, California

Date: November 22
Game attendance: 88,000

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	California	Stanford
1					California	Chuck Muncie 7-yard touchdown reception from Joe Roth, Jim Breech kick good	7	0
1					California	Chuck Muncie 14-yard touchdown run, Jim Breech kick good	14	0
1					Stanford	Tony Hill 38-yard touchdown reception from Guy Benjamin, kick no good	14	6
2					California	48-yard field goal by Jim Breech	17	6
2					California	Chuck Muncie 1-yard touchdown run, Jim Breech kick good	24	6
2					California	38-yard field goal by Jim Breech	27	6
4					Stanford	Safety	27	8
4					Stanford	Jenke 4-yard touchdown reception from Guy Benjamin, Langford kick good	27	15
4					California	Chuck Muncie 3-yard touchdown run, Jim Breech kick good	34	15
4					California	Walker 46-yard touchdown reception from Chuck Muncie, Jim Breech kick good	41	15
4					California	Jones 6-yard touchdown run, Jim Breech kick good	48	15
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							48	15

Cal needed a win and UCLA tie or loss to earn a berth in the Rose Bowl.

Chuck Muncie finished with over 3,000 yards rushing in his career along with 37 touchdowns, 230 points and 4,188 all-purpose yards. By scoring four times, Muncie also tied a single game school record and finished the year with 15 TDs for another Cal mark.

After the game, coach Mike White said "If Chuck Muncie isn't the Heisman Trophy winner, I don't know who is."

^[20]

NFL draft

Two Golden Bears were selected in the 1976 NFL draft.

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Chuck Muncie	Running back	1	3	New Orleans Saints
Steve Rivera	Wide receiver	4	100	San Francisco 49ers

^[21]

References

^ Jares, Joe (September 6, 1976). "SCOUTING REPORTS". SI.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "1975 California Golden Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. p. 148. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
^ "California 2015 Football Information Guide" (PDF). CalBears.com. Cal Golden Bears Athletics. p. 165. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Roth finds Walker, Cal trips San Jose". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 5, 1975. p. 3B.
^ "Colorado wears Cal down, 34-27". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 14, 1975. p. 3C.
^ "W. Va. shocks overconfident Cal, 28–10". The San Francisco Examiner. September 21, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ '16 Cougar Football (PDF). Washington State University Athletics. p. 81.
^ Withers, Bud (October 12, 1975). "Ducks make 'one big mess,' 34-7". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1D.
^ Oregon Football 2015 Media Guide (PDF). University of Oregon Athletics. p. 134.
^ Kennedy, Steve (October 19, 1975). "Oregon State goes from bad to worse". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.
^ "Year-By-Year Results" (PDF). 2017 Oregon State Football Media Guide Football. Oregon State Athletics. p. 170.
^ Florence, Mal (October 26, 1975). "UCLA Beats Cal, 28-14; Vermeil Cries Foul: UCLA Beats California, 28-14". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 157797276.
^ USC Football 2017 Media Guide (PDF). University of Southern California Athletics. p. 70.
^ 2017 Washington Football Information (PDF). University of Washington Athletics. p. 197.
^ "Cal cruises to easy win over AFA". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 16, 1975. p. 4B.
^ "Muncie bowls over Cards, and wait begins". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. November 23, 1975. p. 3B.
^ 2009 California football information guide
^ "Bears vs. Cougars". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (probable starters, rosters). September 27, 1975. p. 12.
^ "Starting lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). October 11, 1975. p. 1B.
^ "Muncie bowls over Cards, and wait begins." Eugene Register-Guard. 23 Nov 1975
^ "1976 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.

External links

Game program: California at Washington State – September 27, 1975

[1] Jares, Joe (September 6, 1976). "SCOUTING REPORTS". SI.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.

[:0-2] "1975 California Golden Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. p. 148. Retrieved October 21, 2016.

[3] "California 2015 Football Information Guide" (PDF). CalBears.com. Cal Golden Bears Athletics. p. 165. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.

[tripsj-4] "Roth finds Walker, Cal trips San Jose". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 5, 1975. p. 3B.

[cwcdn-5] "Colorado wears Cal down, 34-27". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 14, 1975. p. 3C.

[6] "W. Va. shocks overconfident Cal, 28–10". The San Francisco Examiner. September 21, 1975. Retrieved January 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

[7] '16 Cougar Football (PDF). Washington State University Athletics. p. 81.

[obgms-8] Withers, Bud (October 12, 1975). "Ducks make 'one big mess,' 34-7". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1D.

[9] Oregon Football 2015 Media Guide (PDF). University of Oregon Athletics. p. 134.

[bdtowrs-10] Kennedy, Steve (October 19, 1975). "Oregon State goes from bad to worse". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 1B.

[11] "Year-By-Year Results" (PDF). 2017 Oregon State Football Media Guide Football. Oregon State Athletics. p. 170.

[12] Florence, Mal (October 26, 1975). "UCLA Beats Cal, 28-14; Vermeil Cries Foul: UCLA Beats California, 28-14". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 157797276.

[13] USC Football 2017 Media Guide (PDF). University of Southern California Athletics. p. 70.

[14] 2017 Washington Football Information (PDF). University of Washington Athletics. p. 197.

[cruiafa-15] "Cal cruises to easy win over AFA". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 16, 1975. p. 4B.

[bowlovr-16] "Muncie bowls over Cards, and wait begins". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. November 23, 1975. p. 3B.

[17] 2009 California football information guide

[roscal-18] "Bears vs. Cougars". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (probable starters, rosters). September 27, 1975. p. 12.

[lucalf-19] "Starting lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). October 11, 1975. p. 1B.

[20] "Muncie bowls over Cards, and wait begins." Eugene Register-Guard. 23 Nov 1975

[21] "1976 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.

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v t e California Golden Bears football
Venues	California Field (1904–1923) California Memorial Stadium (1923–2010, 2012–present) Oracle Park (2011)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Stanford: Big Game (Stanford Axe) UCLA
Culture & lore	Oski "Fight for California" "Big C" History Marching band Tightwad Hill The Play
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906–1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Pac-12 Conference football champions
Pacific Coast	Washington (1916) Washington State (1917) California (1918) Oregon & Washington (1919) California (1920) California (1921) California (1922) California (1923) Stanford (1924) Washington (1925) Stanford (1926) Idaho, Stanford, & USC (1927) USC (1928) USC (1929) Washington State (1930) USC (1931) USC (1932) Oregon & Stanford (1933) Stanford (1934) California, Stanford, & UCLA (1935) Washington (1936) California (1937) California & USC (1938) USC (1939) Stanford (1940) Oregon State (1941) UCLA (1942) USC (1943) USC (1944) USC (1945) UCLA (1946) USC (1947) California & Oregon (1948) California (1949) California (1950) Stanford (1951) USC (1952) UCLA (1953) UCLA (1954) UCLA (1955) Oregon State (1956) Oregon & Oregon State (1957) California (1958)
AAWU	UCLA, USC, & Washington (1959) Washington (1960) UCLA (1961) USC (1962) Washington (1963) Oregon State & USC (1964) UCLA (1965) USC (1966) USC (1967)
Pacific-8	USC (1968) USC (1969) Stanford (1970) Stanford (1971) USC (1972) USC (1973) USC (1974) California & UCLA (1975) USC (1976) Washington (1977)
Pacific-10	USC (1978) USC (1979) Washington (1980) Washington (1981) UCLA (1982) UCLA (1983) USC (1984) UCLA (1985) Arizona State (1986) USC & UCLA (1987) USC (1988) USC (1989) Washington (1990) Washington (1991) Washington & Stanford (1992) Arizona, UCLA, & USC (1993) Oregon (1994) USC & Washington (1995) Arizona State (1996) UCLA & Washington State (1997) UCLA (1998) Stanford (1999) Oregon, Oregon State, & Washington (2000) Oregon (2001) USC & Washington State (2002) USC (2003) USC (2004) vacated USC (2005) vacated California & USC (2006) Arizona State & USC (2007) USC (2008) Oregon (2009) Oregon (2010)
Pac-12	Oregon (2011) Stanford (2012) Stanford (2013) Oregon (2014) Stanford (2015) Washington (2016) USC (2017) Washington (2018) Oregon (2019) Oregon (2020) Utah (2021) Utah (2022) Washington (2023)
National championships in bold