California

1976 - 77 Golden Bears
(Authentic Reproduction)

Replacing the standard gray face masks with new yellow masks proved easier than replacing Chuck Muncie and the Golden Bears dropped to 5-6 which included a heart-breaking 27-24 loss to Stanford. OT Ted Albrecht won All America accolades and then played for the Chicago Bears from 1977 through '81. QB Joe Roth again was the leader of the offense in an emotional season as he played with melanoma, a fact that wasn't revealed until his performance began to tail off toward the end of the season. A pro prospect who won All American honors, the cancer would take his life three months after the end of the season. A beloved scholar-athlete, there are a number of Cal awards in Roth's name that exemplify attitude, scholarship, and athletic ability. Wesley Walker was again the big play receiver and had a terrific thirteen-year career with the Jets, though TE George Freitas did plenty of damage. Jim Breech was the best kicker in the conference. LB Burt Toler and DB Ken McAllister played great defense all year. A 4-0 start to the ’77 season had fans in a tizzy but the bottom fell out and the Bears limped home at 7-4 with a loss to Stanford and their new coach Bill Walsh. That win put Stanford into the Sun Bowl while Cal stayed home. The inconsistent play put Coach White on the hot seat and when it was revealed that White and his staff had flagrantly violated eligibility standards, he was fired. White continued to have a successful career, heading the Illinois program and taking it from the bottom of the Big 10 to the Rose Bowl in 1983, and again winning UPI National Coach Of The Year honors. He defeated Bear Bryant in the latter's final game. A long-time NFL assistant he became the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 1995 and '96 before going into administrative work with the Kansas City Chiefs. DE Ralph DeLoach gained All American notice and LB Toler, Jr. and DB McAllister were solid performers. TE Freitas complemented FB Paul Jones who ran for 805 yards in an injury-shortened season. Kicker Breech again was a potent long-range weapon.

If interested in any of these Cal helmets please click on the photos below.

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