Among the Stephen Mather materials in the Bancroft Library collection are three pieces that reflect Stephen’s rooting interest in University of California football.
The first two are in anticipation of the 1928 Cal-Stanford Big Game…
The first is a November 23, 1928 telegram that reads in full…THE FOLLOWING EIGHTY SEVEN MEN AT THE ANNUAL FOOTBALL DINNER SEND YOU THEIR WARMEST PERSONAL REGARDS EXPRESS THEIR GREAT PLEASURE AT THE GOOD NEWS OF THE IMPROVEMENT IN YOUR CONDITION AND THEIR BEST WISHES FOR YOUR SPEEDY RECOVERY YOUR CHEERS TOMORROW WILL HELP WIN THE GAME…
And in a November 22, 1928 letter, Francis Farquhar, a future president of the Sierra Club, writes in part: “…Speaking of cheering, we shall hear plenty of it day after tomorrow. California has a splendid team this year and we are looking for a fine game.”
Did Cal win? No, but they didn’t lose either. Final score: 13-13.
We’ll save the loss for what happened next…
California made to the January 1929 Rose Bowl and faced Georgia Tech. A letter from Charles Townsend, recaps the event’s unforgettable and now legendary moment: “Nan, Barbara, and I took two of the fraternity boys and drove down to Pasadena, only to see Cal lose, when she should have won, due to our Center, Riegels, running 70 yards in the wrong direction and resulting in a safety (2 points) to Georgia…”
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