California Memorial Stadium , also known simply and commonly as Memorial Stadium , is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States , located on the campus of the University of California in Berkeley, California . It is the home field for the California Golden Bears of the Atlantic Coast Conference (beginning in the fall of 2024).
162-426: Ernest Alonzo Nevers (June 11, 1902 – May 3, 1976), nicknamed " Big Dog ", was an American professional football and baseball player and football coach. Widely regarded as one of the best football players in the first half of the 20th century, he played as a fullback and was a triple-threat man known for his talents in running, passing, and kicking. He was inducted with the inaugural classes of inductees into both
324-403: A halftime period, and the first and third quarters are followed by a short break. Before the game starts, the referee and each team's captain meet at midfield for a coin toss . The visiting team can call either "heads" or "tails"; the winner of the toss chooses whether to receive or kick off the ball or which goal they wish to defend. They can defer their choice until the second half. Unless
486-401: A 10-yard-long chain between them, are used to measure for a first down. The chain crew stays on the sidelines during the game, but if requested by the officials they will briefly bring the chains on to the field to measure. A typical chain crew will have at least three people—two members of the chain crew will hold either of the two sticks, while a third will hold the down marker. The down marker,
648-402: A 15-year $ 18 million naming rights deal with Kabam , at the time the largest naming rights agreement in the history of college athletics. Under the agreement, the field was called Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium . In July 2017, Kabam pulled out of the deal. In August 2021, Cal Athletics announced a 10-year $ 17.5 million naming rights deal with FTX . Under the agreement the field
810-524: A 29-game schedule and compiled a 19–7–3 record. Nevers reportedly played 1,714 minutes out of a possible 1,740 minutes that year. Highlights of Nevers' 1926 season included the following: Out of the 29 games played by the Eskimos in 1926, 14 are considered official by the NFL; in those games, Nevers scored 71 points on eight touchdowns, 11 extra points, and four field goals. At the end of his rookie season, Nevers
972-525: A PAT attempt or successful field goal, the scoring team must kick the ball off to the other team. A safety is scored when the ball carrier is tackled in the carrier's own end zone. Safeties are worth two points, which are awarded to the defense. In addition, the team that conceded the safety must kick the ball to the scoring team via a free kick . Football games are played on a rectangular field that measures 120 yards (110 m) long and 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (48.8 m) wide. Lines marked along
1134-453: A field goal instead. A group of officials, the chain crew, keeps track of both the downs and the distance measurements. On television, a yellow line is electronically superimposed on the field to show the first down line to the viewing audience. There are two categories of kicks in football: scrimmage kicks, which can be executed by the offensive team on any down from behind or on the line of scrimmage, and free kicks. The free kicks are
1296-621: A general all-around backfield star" and "the backbone of the Stanford offense." In the final game of the 1923 season, the dedication game for California Memorial Stadium , Nevers gained more yards than the entire California team, even though Cal won the Big Game 9–0. After the game, the Los Angeles Times wrote: "The desperate drive of Ernie Nevers . . . will go down in history as one of the greatest individual efforts ever seen on
1458-473: A gridiron." At the end of the 1923 season, Nevers was selected by the United Press as the first-team All-Pacific Coast fullback. He was also selected by Walter Camp as the third-team fullback on the 1923 College Football All-America Team . After the 1923 football season was over, Nevers demonstrated his overall athletic ability by also starring for Stanford's basketball, baseball and track teams. He
1620-457: A group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they could now hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, in a game between Yale and Princeton, both teams used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records. Each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0–0 tie. This "block game" proved extremely unpopular with both teams' spectators and fans. A rule change
1782-563: A kidney disorder, and another saying he had been under treatment for a heart condition. He was buried at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael, California . # denotes interim head coach # denotes interim head coach American football American football , referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football , is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on
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#17327874721971944-533: A large stick with a dial on it, is flipped after each play to indicate the current down and is typically moved to the approximate spot of the ball. The chain crew system has been used for over 100 years and is considered an accurate measure of distance, rarely subject to criticism from either side. Football is a full-contact sport, and injuries are relatively common. Most injuries occur during training sessions, particularly ones that involve contact between players. To try to prevent injuries, players are required to wear
2106-595: A lineup that included Hall of Famers Ty Cobb , Heinie Manush , Charlie Gehringer , and Harry Heilmann , and Bob Fothergill who hit .367 that year. In September 1926, Nevers left the Browns to play professional football for the Duluth Eskimos of the National Football League (NFL). Nevers' childhood friend Ole Haugsrud owned the Eskimos. The 1926 Eskimos , with a 16-man roster, played
2268-408: A long circumference of 28 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (71 to 72 cm), and a short circumference of 21 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). In college and high school play the ball has a long axis of 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 to 11 + 7 ⁄ 16 inches (27.6 to 29.1 cm), a long circumference of 27 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (70 to 72 cm), and
2430-571: A memorial to Californians who lost their lives in World War I (1917–18). The chair of the architectural committee was John Galen Howard , the university's chief architect , and his influence is evident in the stadium's neoclassical motif. In addition to its unique architecture, the stadium's position at the foot of the Berkeley Hills provides top row spectators with panoramic views of San Francisco Bay and west side viewers with views of
2592-420: A minimum of 10 feet (3.0 m) on high school fields. Goal posts are padded at the base, and orange ribbons are normally placed at the tip of each upright as indicators of wind strength and direction. The football itself is a prolate spheroid leather ball, similar to the balls used in rugby or Australian rules football . To contain the compressed air within it, a pig's bladder was commonly used before
2754-510: A modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association , although Yale did not join until 1879. Yale player Walter Camp , now regarded as the "Father of American Football", secured rule changes in 1880 that reduced the size of each team from 15 to 11 players and instituted the snap to replace the chaotic and inconsistent scrum . While the game between Rutgers and Princeton
2916-470: A new stadium elsewhere) would be the best scenario for the California football program. In February 2005, Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announced plans to renovate Memorial Stadium, improving the existing facilities and creating a safer environment for the fans as well as the people that work at the stadium. HNTB Architecture and STUDIOS Architecture were the architects for the renovation of the stadium and
3078-428: A pass hits the ground without a player having caught it. A forward pass can be legally attempted only if the passer is behind the line of scrimmage; only one forward pass can be attempted per down. As in rugby, players can also pass the ball backwards at any point during a play. In the NFL, a down also ends immediately if the runner's helmet comes off. The offense is given a series of four plays, known as downs . If
3240-479: A pitcher, for the 1926 Browns , compiling a 2–4 win–loss record and a 4.46 earned run average (ERA) in 74-2/3 innings pitched. At the plate, he had a .185 batting average in 27 at bats. Nevers threw the ball in an unusual underhand delivery . On August 13, 1926, in the highlight of Nevers' 1926 season, he pitched a complete game victory over the Detroit Tigers , giving up eight hits and two runs against
3402-583: A player being paid to participate in a game of American football , although many athletic clubs in the 1880s offered indirect benefits, such as helping players attain employment, giving out trophies or watches that players could pawn for money, or paying double in expense money. Despite these extra benefits, the game had a strict sense of amateurism at the time, and direct payment to players was frowned upon, if not prohibited outright. Over time, professional play became increasingly common, and with it came rising salaries and unpredictable player movement, as well as
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#17327874721973564-417: A player, stating that he was getting out while he was "still in one piece," and expressing a desire to pursue a career as a coach. In March 1932, Nevers was hired as an assistant coach under Pop Warner at Stanford. His initial assignment was to coach the "goof squad". At the end of the 1932 season, Warner resigned as Stanford's head coach, but Nevers remained as an assistant coach under Tiny Maxwell through
3726-427: A quarter ends, play continues until the down is completed. If certain fouls are committed during play while time has expired, the quarter may be extended through an untimed down . Games last longer than their defined length due to play stoppages—the average NFL game lasts slightly over three hours. Time in a football game is measured by the game clock. An operator is responsible for starting, stopping and operating
3888-456: A rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense , the team with possession of the oval-shaped football , attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or throwing it , while the defense , the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance the ball at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over
4050-511: A round ball. An 1875 Harvard–Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two Princeton athletes who were impressed by it. They introduced the sport to Princeton, a feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to "selling refrigerators to Eskimos ". Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia then agreed to intercollegiate play using a form of rugby union rules with
4212-436: A secondary signal. Women can serve as officials; Sarah Thomas became the NFL's first female official in 2015. The seven officials (of a standard seven-man crew; lower levels of play up to the college level use fewer officials) on the field are each tasked with a different set of responsibilities: Another set of officials, the chain crew , are responsible for moving the chains. The chains, consisting of two large sticks with
4374-403: A separate sport from rugby, and the resulting five-yard lines added to the field to measure distances made it resemble a gridiron in appearance. Other major rule changes included a reduction of the field size to 110 by 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (100.6 m × 48.8 m) and the adoption of a scoring system that awarded four points for a touchdown, two for a safety and a goal following
4536-545: A set of equipment. At a minimum players must wear a football helmet and a set of shoulder pads , but individual leagues may require additional padding such as thigh pads and guards, knee pads, chest protectors, and mouthguards . Most injuries occur in the lower extremities, particularly in the knee, but a significant number also affect the upper extremities. The most common types of injuries are strains , sprains , bruises , fractures , dislocations , and concussions . California Memorial Stadium Opened in 1923 ,
4698-410: A short circumference of 20 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). Football games last for a total of 60 minutes in professional and college play and are divided into two halves of 30 minutes and four quarters of 15 minutes. High school football games are 48 minutes in length with two halves of 24 minutes and four quarters of 12 minutes. The two halves are separated by
4860-764: A single game against the Chicago Bears , a record that remained unequaled until the 2020 season in which New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara also accomplished the feat, scoring six touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day. Nevers also played professional baseball as a pitcher for the St. Louis Browns of the American League from 1926 to 1928 and the Mission Bells of
5022-543: A team in Jacksonville, Florida . Nevers' team played two exhibition games against NFL opponents: the Chicago Bears , led by Red Grange , on January 2, and the New York Giants on January 9. However, meager crowds forced the team to fold after only two games. After his first venture with professional football ended, Nevers joined the St. Louis Browns of Major League Baseball . He appeared in 12 games, 11 as
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5184-445: A temporary facility that stood until the 2010 season. The installation of the temporary press box brought the stadium's capacity down to 73,347 and then down to 72,516 for the 2004 season. California brought the seating capacity further down to 67,537 with tarps being placed over four sections (one in each corner). The university did remove the tarps, however, for important games allowing a full 72,516 to attend. Because of safety concerns,
5346-416: A touchdown , and five for a goal from the field . Additionally, tackling below the waist was legalized, and a static line of scrimmage was instituted. Despite these new rules, football remained a violent sport. Dangerous mass-formations like the flying wedge resulted in serious injuries and deaths. A 1905 peak of 19 fatalities nationwide resulted in a threat by President Theodore Roosevelt to abolish
5508-682: A wine association and a wholesale liquor company. In 1950, Nevers and his wife had a television show broadcast on Friday nights on KGO in San Francisco . In September 1954, Nevers began another television show known as "Out on a Limb With Ernie Nevers". Nevers died in May 1976 at age 73 at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, California . Press accounts differed as to the cause of his death, one indicating that he had been suffering from
5670-460: Is a sport in which two competing teams vie for control of a ball, which can be kicked through a set of goalposts or run into the opponent's goal area to score points. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between Rutgers and Princeton , two college teams. They consisted of 25 players per team and used a round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with
5832-425: Is called on the offense. There are two main ways the offense can advance the ball: running and passing . In a typical play, the center passes the ball backwards and between their legs to the quarterback in a process known as the snap . The quarterback then either hands the ball off to a running back, throws the ball, or runs with it. The play ends when the player with the ball is tackled or goes out-of-bounds or
5994-437: Is caught or recovered behind the line of scrimmage. If it is touched or recovered by the kicking team beyond this line, it becomes dead at the spot where it was touched. The kicking team is prohibited from interfering with the receiver's opportunity to catch the ball. The receiving team has the option of signaling for a fair catch , which prohibits the defense from blocking into or tackling the receiver. The play ends as soon as
6156-516: Is commonly considered the first American football game, several years prior in 1862, the Oneida Football Club formed as the oldest known football club in the United States. The team consisted of graduates of Boston's elite preparatory schools and played from 1862 to 1865. The introduction of the snap resulted in an unexpected consequence. Before the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position. However,
6318-403: Is known as a two-point conversion . In general, the extra point is almost always successful, while the two-point conversion is a much riskier play with a higher probability of failure; accordingly, extra point attempts are far more common than two-point conversion attempts. A field goal (FG), worth three points, is scored when the ball is place kicked or drop kicked through the uprights and over
6480-401: Is often remembered for having given up two home runs to Babe Ruth during the 1927 season in which Ruth broke the major league record with 60 home runs. In 1927, Nevers became head coach of the Eskimos in addition to his regular position at fullback. The 1927 Eskimos compiled a 1–8 record and finished in 11th place in the NFL. Highlights of Nevers 1927 season included the following: After
6642-407: Is responsible for all kicking plays. The special teams unit of the team in control of the ball tries to execute field goal (FG) attempts, punts , and kickoffs , while the opposing team's unit will aim to block or return them. Three positions are specific to the field goal and PAT (point-after-touchdown) unit: the placekicker (K or PK), holder (H), and long snapper (LS). The long snapper's job
Ernie Nevers - Misplaced Pages Continue
6804-421: Is to block members of the defensive line from tackling the ball carrier on running plays or sacking the quarterback on passing plays. The leader of the offensive line is the center, who is responsible for snapping the ball to the quarterback, blocking, and for making sure that the other linemen do their jobs during the play. On either side of the center are the guards (G), while tackles (T) line up outside
6966-437: Is to snap the football to the holder, who will catch and position it for the placekicker. There is not usually a holder on kickoffs, because the ball is kicked off a tee; however, a holder may be used in certain situations, such as if wind is preventing the ball from remaining upright on the tee. The player on the receiving team who catches the ball is known as the kickoff returner (KR). The positions specific to punt plays are
7128-566: The 1925 Stanford football team won the Pacific Coast Conference championship with a 7–0–1 record in the regular season before losing to Notre Dame and the famous Four Horsemen backfield in the 1925 Rose Bowl . Five days after having a cast removed from one of his ankles, Nevers played all 60 minutes of the Rose Bowl, averaged 42 yards on his punts, and carried the ball 34 times for 114 yards, only 13 yards less than all
7290-428: The 2014 International Champions Cup . The match, played before a sold-out crowd of 62,583, ended in a 1–1 tie after regulation and Inter Milan won the shootout 3–2. The usual artificial turf was converted and this match was played on natural grass. The NFL's Oakland Raiders played their second game of the 1973 regular season at Memorial Stadium. The game against the defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins
7452-776: The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1997. The BCS arrangement proved to be controversial , and was replaced in 2014 by the College Football Playoff (CFP). A football game is played between two teams of 11 players each. Playing with more on the field is punishable by a penalty. Teams may substitute any number of their players between downs; this "platoon" system replaced the original system, which featured limited substitution rules, and has resulted in teams utilizing specialized offensive, defensive and special teams units. The number of players allowed on an active roster varies by league;
7614-610: The College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. He was also named in 1969 to the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team . Nevers played four sports (football, basketball , baseball, and track and field ) for Stanford University from 1923 to 1925 and was a consensus first-team All-American in football in 1925 . He played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for
7776-573: The Duluth Eskimos in 1926 and 1927 and the Chicago Cardinals from 1929 to 1931. In 1929, one week after defeating the Dayton Triangles , who were playing in their final game before moving to Brooklyn to embark on their long and tenuous history through the league, he set an NFL record that still stands by scoring 40 points in a single game. In the same game he subsequently set another NFL record by scoring six rushing touchdowns in
7938-598: The NCAA and the NAIA . The National Football League (NFL) has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world . Its championship game, the Super Bowl , ranks among the most-watched club sporting events globally. In 2022, the league had an annual revenue of around $ 18.6 billion, making it the most valuable sports league in the world. Other professional and amateur leagues exist worldwide, but
8100-626: The Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1928 and 1929. Nevers also had a long career as a football coach, including stints with the Stanford Indians (assistant, 1928, 1932–1935), the Chicago Cardinals (head coach, 1930–1931, 1939), Lafayette Leopards (head coach, 1936), Iowa Hawkeyes (assistant, 1937–1938), and the Chicago Rockets (assistant, 1946). Nevers' parents, George and Mary Ann Nevers, were immigrants to
8262-850: The United States Marine Corps ; he was given the rank of captain. In the spring of 1943, he was stationed at the Olds Gunnery School in Lansing, Michigan . While Nevers was stationed at a Marine base in Santa Barbara, California , his wife became ill with pneumonia; she died in a San Francisco hospital in July 1943. Nevers left for the South Pacific theater of World War II in October 1943. In April 1944, he
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#17327874721978424-412: The center (C), are allowed to line up in or cross the neutral zone until the ball is snapped. Interior offensive linemen are not allowed to move until the snap of the ball. The main backfield positions are the quarterback (QB), halfback/tailback (HB/TB), and fullback (FB). The quarterback is the leader of the offense. Either the quarterback or a coach calls the plays. Quarterbacks typically inform
8586-409: The commissioner . NCAA and NFHS teams are "strongly advised" to number their offensive players according to a league-suggested numbering scheme. Although the sport is played almost exclusively by men, women are eligible to play in high school, college, and professional football. No woman has ever played in the NFL, but women have played in high school and college football games. In 2018, 1,100 of
8748-555: The forward pass , created the neutral zone , and specified the size and shape of the football. The sport is closely related to Canadian football , which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game, although its rules were developed independently from those of Camp. Most of the features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football. The two sports are considered
8910-411: The kickoff , which starts the first and third quarters and overtime and follows a try attempt or a successful field goal; the safety kick follows a safety. On a kickoff, the ball is placed at the 35-yard line of the kicking team in professional and college play and at the 40-yard line in high school play. The ball may be drop kicked or place kicked. If a place kick is chosen, the ball can be placed on
9072-407: The neutral zone was created along the width of the football before the snap. Scoring was also adjusted: points awarded for field goals were reduced to three in 1909 and points for touchdowns were raised to six in 1912. Also in 1912, the field was shortened to 100 yards (91 m) long, two 10-yard-long (9.1 m) end zones were created, and teams were given four downs instead of three to advance
9234-407: The punter (P), long snapper, upback , and gunner . The long snapper snaps the football directly to the punter, who then drops and kicks it before it hits the ground. Gunners line up split outside the line and race down the field, aiming to tackle the punt returner (PR)—the player who catches the punt. Upbacks line up a short distance behind the line of scrimmage, providing additional protection to
9396-634: The 1929 season, Nevers was a consensus pick as the fullback on the 1929 All-Pro Team , receiving first-team honors from the Green Bay Press-Gazette , based on the return of 16 ballots sent to the team owners, managers, and sports writers of clubs in the NFL, Collyer's Eye magazine, and the Chicago Tribune . In 1930, Nevers returned to the Cardinals as both head coach and fullback. Highlights of his 1930 season included: At
9558-456: The 1935 season. During that time, Stanford won three consecutive Pacific Coast Conference championships and played in the 1934 , 1935 , and 1936 Rose Bowls . In January 1936, Nevers resigned his position at Stanford to accept the head coaching job at Lafayette College . Nevers was welcomed to the Easton, Pennsylvania , campus with a parade and street celebration as classes were suspended for
9720-413: The 1966 season. Once the merger was completed, it was no longer a championship game between two leagues and reverted to the NFL championship game, which came to be known as the Super Bowl . College football maintained a tradition of postseason bowl games . Each bowl game was associated with a particular conference and earning a spot in a bowl game was the reward for winning a conference. This arrangement
9882-567: The 225,000 players in Pop Warner Little Scholars youth football were girls, and around 11% of the 5.5 million Americans who report playing tackle football are female according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. The role of the offensive unit is to advance the football down the field with the ultimate goal of scoring a touchdown . The offensive team must line up in a legal formation before they can snap
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#173278747219710044-463: The Bears' five consecutive undefeated seasons were played at California Field; the stadium was home to three of California's four straight claimed national championships. Because of this success, it became evident that California needed an even larger venue to host its football team; therefore, the team and its fans began pushing for a new stadium. The early 1920s saw four major collegiate venues open in
10206-521: The Berkeley Hills and Strawberry Canyon. This has earned it a reputation as one of the most scenic venues in college football. Traditionally, during all football games and especially during the Big Game against Stanford , the hill overlooking the eastern side of Memorial Stadium attracts spectators hoping to watch a game for free, earning the nickname " Tightwad Hill ". On February 14, 1885,
10368-415: The California campus gave the stadium a "poor" rating (meaning that the building represents an "appreciable life hazard" in an earthquake), and estimated the cost of making the structure safe at $ 14 million. Because the stadium is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and because of the nostalgia that surrounds the site, the university decided that a retrofit and renovation (as opposed to building
10530-614: The Four Horsemen combined. Nevers again proved to be a multi-sport star, competing for Stanford's basketball and baseball teams in the winter and spring of 1925. A newspaper account from February 1925 stated that he was "pressing for honors as the best all around athlete in the annals of the west." During the summer of 1925, Nevers worked for the Starrett Meat Company in Guerneville, California , and pitched for
10692-518: The Memorial Stadium renovation and retrofit is the renovation of the stadium's east side by adding modern amenities to that side of the stadium. Originally, this part of the project was to begin in the Fall of 2009, but because of the delay of phase II, the east side's improvements have been delayed indefinitely. The eventual improvements on the east side of the stadium called for an extension of
10854-516: The NFL had established itself as America's premier professional football league. The dominant form of football at the time was played at the collegiate level . The upstart NFL received a boost to its legitimacy in 1925, however, when an NFL team, the Pottsville Maroons , defeated a team of Notre Dame all-stars in an exhibition game . A greater emphasis on the passing game helped professional football to distinguish itself further from
11016-570: The NFL has a 53-man roster, while NCAA Division I allows teams to have 63 scholarship players in the FCS and 85 scholarship players in the FBS, respectively. Individual players in a football game must be designated with a uniform number between 1 and 99, though some teams may "retire" certain numbers , making them unavailable to players. NFL teams are required to number their players by a league-approved numbering system, and any exceptions must be approved by
11178-717: The Rockets. Nevers ultimately served in the fall of 1946 as the backfield coach for the Rockets. Nevers was remarried to Margery Luxem Railton of Chicago in February 1947. It was the second marriage for both. They had a daughter, Tina (born May 1948), Ernie Nevers also had a son, Gene Sullivan (born Aug 1947). After retiring from football, Nevers lived in Strawberry and then Tiburon , both in Marin County, California , and worked in public relations and sales promotion for
11340-572: The SAHPC. The roof of the athletic center also acts as a pedestrian plaza. Phase I of the renovations were originally scheduled to begin the spring and summer of 2006 but was delayed by a court injunction due to three lawsuits against the project. A small group of tree-sitters occupied the oak grove on the west side of the stadium beginning on the "Big Game" day in December 2006 but in September 2008
11502-590: The State of California: Stanford Stadium , the Rose Bowl , the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , and California Memorial Stadium. With the success of the California football program and the openings of the new football venues for Stanford and USC, the campus community was nearly unanimous in its desire to see the Bears get a new stadium of their own. One of the first proposals for a new stadium
11664-407: The United States from New Brunswick , Canada. In addition to Ernie, they had five sons (Harry, Frank, John, George, and Arthur) and one daughter (Edith). By the time Nevers was born, the family had moved from New Brunswick to Willow River, Minnesota , where Nevers was born in 1902. The family moved again to Superior, Wisconsin , where Nevers grew up and attended Superior Central High School. In 1920,
11826-558: The University of California campus, with the exercises being performed at Memorial Stadium, Haas Pavilion , Hearst Greek Theatre , and most recently Edwards Stadium . On March 23, 1962, to commemorate Charter Day (the anniversary of the founding of the University of California), President John F. Kennedy gave a speech at Memorial Stadium in front of an above capacity crowd of 88,000. Real Madrid and Inter Milan played at Memorial Stadium on July 26, 2014, one of their matches in
11988-403: The University, and create traffic and transportation problems." There were also protests from homeowners whose homes would be demolished, as well as those whose views would be blocked by the building. However, the popularity of Andy Smith's "Wonder Teams" prevailed and fundraising began in 1922. The $ 1 million stadium was funded completely by 10,000 seat subscriptions at $ 100 per subscription,
12150-460: The advent of artificial rubber inside the leather outer shell to sustain crushing forces . At all levels of play, the football is inflated to 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 to 13 + 1 ⁄ 2 psi (86 to 93 kPa), or just under one atmosphere, and weighs 14 to 15 ounces (400 to 430 g); beyond that, the exact dimensions vary slightly. In professional play the ball has a long axis of 11 to 11 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (28 to 29 cm),
12312-420: The annual debt payment will rise to about $ 26 million per year, about $ 28 million in 2033, about $ 30 million per year for 2034–2038, and about $ 37 million per year for 2039–2044. The debt payments are scheduled to continue for 100 years from its 2013 inception, concluding in 2113. On November 3, 2017, Chancellor Carol Christ announced that the university would overtake the earthquake retrofitting expenses part of
12474-614: The athletic officer at the Marine Corps base in San Diego . At the end of February 1945, Nevers agreed to serve as an assistant coach with the Chicago Rockets of the All-America Football Conference upon his discharge from the Marine Corps. As of mid-May 1945, Nevers was awaiting his discharge papers and had become associated with a trucking company pending the commencement of his coaching duties with
12636-572: The ball 10 yards (9.1 m). The roughing the passer penalty was implemented in 1914, and eligible players were first allowed to catch the ball anywhere on the field in 1918. On November 12, 1892, Pudge Heffelfinger was paid $ 500 (equivalent to $ 16,956 in 2023) to play a game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club . This is the first recorded instance of
12798-435: The ball is caught, and the ball may not be advanced. Officials are responsible for enforcing game rules and monitoring the clock. All officials carry a whistle and wear black-and-white striped shirts and black hats except for the referee, whose hat is white. Each carries a weighted yellow flag that is thrown to the ground to signal that a foul has been called. An official who spots multiple fouls will throw their hat as
12960-430: The ball. An offensive formation is considered illegal if there are more than four players in the backfield or fewer than five players numbered 50–79 on the offensive line. Players can line up temporarily in a position whose eligibility is different from what their number permits as long as they report the change immediately to the referee, who then informs the defensive team of the change. Neither team's players, except
13122-459: The city collected 10% of all gate receipts, making the staging of professional games inside the city cost-prohibitive. The Raiders were granted an injunction from the city collecting the tax, arguing that the tax was a regulatory measure rather than a revenue measure, and was therefore an improper regulation on land held in trust by the Regents of the University of California. However, the grant of
13284-527: The college game during the late 1930s. Football, in general, became increasingly popular following the 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants , still referred to as the "Greatest Game Ever Played". The game, a 23–17 overtime victory by the Colts, was seen by millions of television viewers and had a major influence on the popularity of the sport. This, along with
13446-517: The concourse to wrap around the stadium, new restrooms, ADA seating, and vendors. For the stadium's $ 321 million renovation and a new $ 153 million Student-Athlete High Performance Center, the university incurred a controversial $ 445 million of debt, which it planned to finance with the sale of special stadium seats in the Endowment Seating Program. Before the start of the stadium reconstruction, Professor Brian Barsky showed that
13608-552: The conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. After playing McGill University using both American (known as "the Boston game ") for the first game and Canadian (rugby) rules for the second one, the Harvard players preferred the Canadian style of having only 11 men on the field, running the ball without having to be chased by an opponent, the forward pass, tackling, and using an oblong instead of
13770-551: The conservative NFL to expand to Dallas and Minnesota in an attempt to destroy the new league. Meanwhile, the AFL introduced many new features to professional football in the United States: official time was kept on a scoreboard clock rather than on a watch in the referee's pocket, as the NFL did; optional two-point conversions by pass or run after touchdowns; names on the jerseys of players; and several others, including expansion of
13932-582: The court injunction was lifted, the protesters came down, and construction of the athletic center began. The Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance (originally SAHPC) opened in the Fall of 2011 and became 100% operational in January 2012. On January 19, 2010, the UC Board of Regents approved the retrofit and renovation of California Memorial Stadium. The $ 321 million project commenced in June 2010 and
14094-413: The crossbars of the defense's goalposts. In practice, almost all field goal attempts are done via place kick. While drop kicks were common in the early days of the sport, the shape of modern footballs makes it difficult to reliably drop kick the ball. The last successful scoring play by drop kick in the NFL was accomplished in 2006; prior to that, the last successful drop kick had been made in 1941. After
14256-557: The day and Lafayette students anticipated the school's "return to 'Big Time' position" of previous years. The 1936 Lafayette team compiled a 1–8 record. In March 1937, Nevers resigned his post at Lafayette upon being appointed backfield and ends coach for the University of Iowa under head coach Irl Tubbs . Tubbs had been Nevers' high school football coach in Superior, Wisconsin . Nevers coached at Iowa for two years during which time
14418-399: The defense is to prevent the offense from scoring by tackling the ball carrier or by forcing turnovers . Turnovers include interceptions (a defender catching a forward pass intended for the offense) and forced fumbles (taking possession of the ball from the ball-carrier). The defensive line (DL) consists of defensive ends (DE) and defensive tackles (DT). Defensive ends line up on
14580-430: The defensive backfield. They are divided into two types: middle linebackers (MLB) and outside linebackers (OLB). Linebackers tend to serve as the defensive leaders and call the defensive plays, given their vantage point of the offensive backfield. Their roles include defending the run, pressuring the quarterback, and tackling backs, wide receivers, and tight ends in the passing game. The defensive backfield , often called
14742-527: The early 1970s. Ultimately, in response to traffic and parking issues associated with these games (while Cal games drew a large number of students who live on or near campus and walk to the games, Raider games attracted fans from a larger geographic area who were used to tailgating at the Coliseum and were more likely to drive to games), the City of Berkeley passed a Professional Sports Events License Tax in which
14904-438: The end of December 2011; this was followed by further reporting of poor seat sales in the Endowment Seating Program. As of June 30, 2016, the fund balance was $ 60.98 million, far short of the $ 215 million that had been claimed five years earlier. The roughly $ 18 million interest-only annual payments on the debt consumes 20% of Cal's athletics budget and 15% of the campus structural deficit; principal repayment begins in 2032 when
15066-455: The end of the 1930 season, Nevers was again selected as the consensus first-team fullback on the 1930 All-Pro Team with Bronko Nagurski being picked for the second-team at the position. Nevers returned to the Cardinals as fullback and head coach in 1931. Highlights of his seasons included: At the end of the 1931 season, Nevers was again selected (for the fifth time in five years in the NFL) as
15228-472: The ends and sides of the field are known as the end lines and sidelines . Goal lines are marked 10 yards (9.1 m) inward from each end line. Weighted pylons are placed the sidelines on the inside corner of the intersections with the goal lines and end lines. White markings on the field identify the distance from the end zone. Inbound lines, or hash marks , are short parallel lines that mark off 1-yard (0.91 m) increments. Yard lines , which can run
15390-404: The ends of the line, while defensive tackles line up inside, between the defensive ends. The primary responsibilities of defensive ends and defensive tackles are to stop running plays on the outside and inside, respectively, to pressure the quarterback on passing plays, and to occupy the line so that the linebackers can break through. Linebackers line up behind the defensive line but in front of
15552-670: The family moved to a ranch and fruit farm in the Rincon Valley section of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, California . Nevers attended Santa Rosa High School for the first half of his senior year. He led the Santa Rosa football team by scoring 108 of the team's 170 points. After starting the basketball season for Santa Rosa, he returned to Superior early in 1921 to play for Central. He graduated from Central that spring. In 1921, Nevers attended Santa Rosa Junior College and
15714-499: The feet, hands, head, or sides, with the objective being to advance it into the opponent's goal. Rutgers won the game 6–4. Collegiate play continued for several years with games played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia , Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19, 1873, to create a standard set of rules for use by all schools. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet (122 m × 76 m) were specified. Harvard abstained from
15876-400: The field began to fall in the second half of the century and there was a demand for wheelchair seating along the eastern rim, the university did away with the temporary bleachers bringing the stadium's maximum football capacity back down to the permanent capacity of 75,000. Due to the seismic vulnerability of the old press box, the University of California dismantled the structure and installed
16038-442: The field was officially named West Field and seating capacity was expanded to around 5,000. However, by 1904 , California's football team had become so popular that West Field became too small, therefore, the university decided to build a new stadium with an excess of 20,000 seats. California Field opened its doors in 1904 to replace the antiquated West Field and the boosted capacity allowed California to host important games for
16200-577: The financial plan was unrealistic and calculated that although $ 215 million had been claimed to have been raised as of January 15, 2010, the true figure was closer to only about $ 20 million as of December 2010, and that the total financial obligation including interest would exceed a billion dollars. His calculations were subsequently corroborated by the Wall Street Journal, which reported in April 2012 that only $ 31 million had been received as of
16362-564: The first football game was played on the University of California campus between the hometown Bears and a football club from San Francisco known as the Merions. The field was located where the Valley Life Sciences Building currently stands ( 37°52′16″N 122°15′43″W / 37.8712°N 122.262°W / 37.8712; -122.262 ), and the game drew some 450 spectators. In subsequent years,
16524-471: The first time. While playing at West Field, the Bears played important games (namely the Big Game ) at neutral site venues in San Francisco and with a new over 20,000-seat stadium, California was able to host the first Big Game played outside of San Francisco. The new stadium was located much closer to the center of campus (where Hearst Gymnasium now stands) and was able to draw unprecedented crowds for
16686-452: The following: Nevers was married to Mary Elizabeth "Mae" Heagerty in February 1926 in San Francisco . On August 20, 1938, Nevers served as an official for a golf match at Duluth, Minnesota , between blind golfers Clinton F. Russell of Duluth and Dr. W. H. I. Oxenham of England, both of whom had been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! . In September 1942, Nevers enlisted at age 39 in
16848-416: The football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive . Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal . The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. American football evolved in the United States, originating from
17010-461: The fullback on the All-Pro Team , receiving first-team honors from the Green Bay Press-Gazette based on the returns of ballots sent to each club in the league as well as sports writers and officials, the United Press , and Collyer's Eye . On January 25, 1932, Nevers broke his wrist on the final play of a charity football game in San Francisco. Afterward, Nevers announced his retirement as
17172-483: The fundraising drive through these subscriptions was a complete success having sold out in less than ten days. With the funding secured, the university broke ground in January 1923 hoping to open the new stadium in time for the 1923 Big Game. Because the stadium would be directly atop the Hayward Fault , it was constructed out of two halves, the eastern side was built into the hills, while the west side contained
17334-419: The game clock based on the direction of the appropriate official . A separate play clock is used to show the amount of time within which the offense must initiate a play. The play clock is set to 25 seconds after certain administrative stoppages in play and to 40 seconds when play is proceeding without such stoppages. If the offense fails to start a play before the play clock reads "00", a delay of game foul
17496-655: The game unless major changes were made. In response, 62 colleges and universities met in New York City to discuss rule changes on December 28, 1905. These proceedings resulted in the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The legal forward pass was introduced in 1906, although its effect
17658-405: The general commencement exercises of the University of California were regularly held at Memorial Stadium. The large campus-wide commencement, however, was cancelled in 1970 because of the many protests that were taking place at the time—university officials at the time did not see it wise to have such a large gathering annually with the protests going on. General Commencements have since returned to
17820-443: The ground or a tee; a holder may be used in either case. On a safety kick, the kicking team kicks the ball from their own 20-yard line. They can punt, drop kick or place kick the ball, but a tee may not be used in professional play. Any member of the receiving team may catch or advance the ball. The ball may be recovered by the kicking team once it has gone at least ten yards and has touched the ground or has been touched by any member of
17982-434: The guards. The principal receivers are the wide receivers (WR) and the tight ends (TE). Wide receivers line up on or near the line of scrimmage, split outside the line. The main goal of the wide receiver is to catch passes thrown by the quarterback, but they may also function as decoys or as blockers during running plays. Tight ends line up outside the tackles and function both as receivers and as blockers. The role of
18144-555: The illegal payment of college players who were still in school. The National Football League (NFL), a group of professional teams that was originally established in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, aimed to solve these problems. This new league's stated goals included an end to bidding wars over players, prevention of the use of college players, and abolition of the practice of paying players to leave another team. By 1922,
18306-619: The injunction was reversed by the California Court of Appeals, who found it to be a revenue measure, despite the fact that the city had made the measure immediately effective "due to danger to the public peace, health, and safety of the City of Berkeley as a result of the holding of professional sports events there." Originally a natural grass field, AstroTurf was installed in Memorial Stadium in 1981 and remained for fourteen seasons. Natural grass returned in 1995 , and varsity football practices were held at Witter Rugby Field, saving
18468-451: The innovations introduced by the new American Football League (AFL) in the early 1960s, helped football to become the most popular sport in the United States by the mid-1960s. The rival AFL arose in 1960 and challenged the NFL's dominance. The AFL began in relative obscurity but eventually thrived, with an initial television contract with the ABC television network. The AFL's existence forced
18630-545: The main structure built in the neo-classical architecture style to resemble the Roman Coliseum . Expansion joints were placed where the two sides connected, allowing them to separately move during an earthquake. During the construction 2,500 pine trees were planted on what became known as the Tightwad Hill . California played its first seven games of the 1923 season at old California Field preparing to open
18792-555: The money could be taken out of funds for academic departments. The University of California reopened the stadium on September 1, 2012, for a home football game against the University of Nevada . This was the first football game in Berkeley since the end of the 2010 season. The sellout crowd of 63,186 watched the Nevada Wolf Pack spoil the grand re-opening with a 31–24 victory, Cal's first loss to Nevada at home since before
18954-494: The new 75,000-seat stadium at Strawberry Canyon for the final game of the season—the Big Game—against Stanford. Both teams were having a good season in 1923 with California going undefeated up to that point (with a tie to Nevada) and Stanford going into the Big Game with a record of 7–1. Leading up to the first game at Memorial Stadium, some in the media suggested to Bears coach Andy Smith that the opening of new stadiums
19116-501: The new Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance. Phase I consisted of building the 142,000-square-foot (13,200 m ) Simpson Center for Student-Athlete High Performance next to the west wall of the stadium. The center was built to be the home of football and 12 of California's Olympic sports that were previously housed in Memorial Stadium. The center saw the construction of new locker rooms, offices meeting rooms, training and sports medicine facilities, and an academic center in
19278-429: The offense advances ten or more yards in the four downs, they are awarded a new set of four downs. If they fail to advance ten yards, possession of the football is turned over to the defense. In most situations, if the offense reaches their fourth down they will punt the ball to the other team, which forces them to begin their drive from farther down the field; if they are in field goal range , they might attempt to score
19440-427: The official lines. The Hayward Fault passes directly under the playing field of Memorial Stadium (nearly from goal post to goal post.), where right-lateral strike-slip motion is shifting the east half of the building to the south at a rate of 1.2 mm/yr; during its construction, expansion joints had been placed in the walls of the stadium to maintain the integrity of the building. A 1998 seismic safety study on
19602-406: The official stadium capacity would be around 63,000–65,000, down from the 71,799 capacity that Memorial Stadium had in 2010. Capacity at the beginning of the 2012 season ended up at 63,186. Since 2022, the four southernmost sections have been tarped off, and a terrace was built in the middle, connected to the concourse. 2012–present: 63,186 Estimate during construction: 62,717 The playing field
19764-489: The original stadium opened in 1923. There were many noticeable differences between the new, more modern stadium and the old stadium that closed in 2010. Except the historic façade, the entire west side of the stadium was demolished, allowing the university to make the venue seismically safe, and add modern amenities. Most noticeable changes included club seating, along with a new pressbox, atop the western stands. The east side, however, has remained relatively unchanged. The stadium
19926-409: The permanent capacity of the venue was around 75,000 and expandable to around 85,000. For important games, the university would bring out temporary bleachers that would stand around the eastern rim of the stadium. It was during this time, that California set their all-time attendance record in 1947 with an announced crowd of 83,000 for a game against Navy . As the California football team's fortunes on
20088-445: The plane of the two end lines. The crossbar of these posts is 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground, with vertical uprights at the end of the crossbar 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) apart for professional and collegiate play, and 23 feet 4 inches (7.11 m) apart for high school play. The uprights extend vertically 35 feet (11 m) on professional fields, a minimum of 10 yards (9.1 m) on college fields, and
20250-451: The point(s)-after-touchdown (PAT) or conversion, which is a single scoring opportunity. This is generally attempted from the two- or three-yard line, depending on the level of play. If the PAT is scored by a place kick or drop kick through the goal posts, it is worth one point, typically called the extra point. If the PAT is scored by what would normally be a touchdown, it is worth two points; this
20412-556: The primary proponents of the rugby-style game, compromised and did not request the name of the sport be changed to "rugby". The terms " gridiron " or "American football" are favored in English-speaking countries where other types of football are popular, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. American football evolved from the sports of rugby and soccer . Rugby, like American football,
20574-429: The primary variants of gridiron football . American football is the most popular sport in the United States in terms of broadcast viewership audience. The most popular forms of the game are professional and college football , with the other major levels being high-school and youth football. As of 2022 , nearly 1.04 million high-school athletes play the sport in the U.S., with another 81,000 college athletes in
20736-422: The punter. In football, the winner is the team that has scored more points at the end of the game. There are multiple ways to score in a football game. The touchdown (TD), worth six points, is the most valuable scoring play in American football. A touchdown is scored when a live ball is advanced into, caught, or recovered in the opposing team's end zone. The scoring team then attempts a try, more commonly known as
20898-401: The receiving team. The three types of scrimmage kicks are place kicks, drop kicks, and punts. Only place kicks and drop kicks can score points. The place kick is the standard method used to score points, because the pointy shape of the football makes it difficult to reliably drop kick. Once the ball has been kicked from a scrimmage kick, it can be advanced by the kicking team only if it
21060-409: The renovation. This amount is estimated to be approximately 60 percent of the total expenses or $ 200 million with the remaining expenses still being retained by the athletic department. Exactly where in the budget the funds would be taken was not announced, although the chancellor did state that they would not be taken out of student tuition or tax-payer funds for the university. It was not ruled out that
21222-507: The reserve football players. In February 1929, Nevers resigned from his coaching job at Stanford to return to the Mission baseball club in the PCL. He appeared in 41 games during the 1929 season and compiled a 7–8 win–loss record. In the fall of 1929, Nevers returned to the NFL to play fullback for the Chicago Cardinals . Highlights of Nevers' 1929 season include the following: At the end of
21384-631: The rest of the offense of the play in the huddle before the team lines up. The quarterback lines up behind the center to take the snap and then hands the ball off, throws it, or runs with it. The primary role of the halfback, also known as the running back or tailback, is to carry the ball on running plays. Halfbacks may also serve as receivers. Fullbacks tend to be larger than halfbacks and function primarily as blockers, but they are sometimes used as runners in short-yardage or goal-line situations. They are seldom used as receivers. The offensive line (OL) consists of several players whose primary function
21546-507: The role of minority players, actively recruited by the league in contrast to the NFL. The AFL also signed several star college players who had also been drafted by NFL teams. Competition for players heated up in 1965, when the AFL New York Jets signed rookie Joe Namath to a then-record $ 437,000 contract (equivalent to $ 4.23 million in 2023). A five-year, $ 40 million NBC television contract followed, which helped to sustain
21708-564: The season, Nevers was again selected by the Green Bay Press-Gazette , based on the results of a questionnaires sent to the league managers and reporters, as the first-team fullback on the 1927 All-Pro Team . Nevers career in Major League Baseball came to an end in the spring of 1928. In six games for the Browns, he compiled a 1–0 record and 3.00 ERA in nine innings pitched. His final major league appearance
21870-503: The secondary, consists of cornerbacks (CB) and safeties (S). Safeties are themselves divided into free safeties (FS) and strong safeties (SS). Cornerbacks line up outside the defensive formation, typically opposite a receiver to be able to cover them. Safeties line up between the cornerbacks but farther back in the secondary. Safeties tend to be viewed as "the last line of defense" and are responsible for stopping deep passing plays as well as breakout running plays. The special teams unit
22032-539: The sport does not have the international popularity of other American sports like baseball or basketball ; the sport maintains a growing following in the rest of North America, Europe, Brazil, and Japan. In the United States, American football is referred to as "football". The term "football" was officially established in the rulebook for the 1876 college football season , when the sport first shifted from soccer-style rules to rugby-style rules. Although it could easily have been called "rugby" at this point, Harvard, one of
22194-439: The sports of soccer and rugby . The first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton , using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp , the "Father of American Football", established the snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes legalized
22356-402: The stadium's grass field for game days only. In 2003 , Momentum Turf, an infilled artificial turf similar to FieldTurf , was installed. This allowed for minimal maintenance and increased utilization of the stadium, for football practices and other sports, on the space-limited campus. The field is also marked for international soccer , but this wider dimension allows little reserve room beyond
22518-455: The team compiled records of 1–7 in 1937 and 1–6–1 in 1938 . In December 1938, after the Chicago Cardinals had compiled a 2–9 record during the 1938 season, Nevers was hired as the team's head coach. The 1939 Cardinals compiled a 1–10 record. In February 1940, Nevers resigned from the Cardinals, saying he wished to reside permanently in San Francisco. Nevers received numerous honors and awards during and after his playing career, including
22680-494: The time. California Field is also notable because it is where many of California's longstanding traditions began to take form. In 1910, the first card stunt was performed at the Big Game and after victories, the students would "serpentine" around the field—something that is mentioned in the song " Big C ". California Field is also where the Golden Bears gained national prominence under head coach Andrew Latham Smith . Four of
22842-834: The town's baseball team. As a senior, Nevers and Pop Warner led the 1925 Stanford football team to a 7–2 record. At the end of the 1925 season, Nevers was a consensus All-American, receiving first-team honors from, among others, the All-America Board, the Associated Press , Collier's Weekly , the International News Service , Liberty magazine, the Newspaper Enterprise Association , and Athlete & Sportsman magazine. In December 1925, Nevers received between $ 25,000 and $ 35,000 to play professional football for
23004-405: The university brought the capacity down to 71,799 for the 2008 season. After the 2010 season, the entire west side of the bowl was demolished and rebuilt. The stands in the original stadium descended right down to the football field, and the view from the lowest midfield seats on the west side could be blocked by the standing visiting team members. To eliminate this problem, the surface of the field
23166-421: The venue currently seats around 63,000 for football; its playing field runs northwest to southeast at an approximate elevation of 410 feet (125 m) above sea level . It has been named one of the top college football stadiums by various publications, and it was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on November 27, 2006. Memorial Stadium was funded from public contributions, as
23328-420: The west side, which previously were blocked by standing visiting team members. A surface rupture block was placed in each end zone where the fault line passes through the stadium. These blocks can move independently from the rest of the stadium and were built on top of three feet of sand and plastic sheets. Expansion joints were placed between the surface rupture blocks and the rest of the stadium. Phase III of
23490-411: The width of the field, are marked every 5 yards (4.6 m). A one-yard-wide line is placed at each end of the field; this line is marked at the center of the two-yard line in professional play and at the three-yard line in college play. Numerals that display the distance from the closest goal line in yards are placed on both sides of the field every ten yards. Goalposts are located at the center of
23652-408: The winning team decides to defer, the losing team chooses the option the winning team did not select—to receive, kick, or select a goal to defend to begin the second half. Most teams choose to receive or defer, because choosing to kick the ball to start the game allows the other team to choose which goal to defend. Teams switch goals following the first and third quarters. If a down is in progress when
23814-408: The young league. The bidding war for players ended in 1966 when NFL owners approached the AFL regarding a merger, and the two leagues agreed on one that took full effect in 1970. This agreement provided for a common draft that would take place each year, and it instituted an annual World Championship game to be played between the champions of each league. This championship game began play at the end of
23976-486: Was a consensus pick for the fullback position on the 1926 All-Pro Team , receiving first-team honors from Collyer's Eye magazine, the Chicago Tribune , and the Green Bay Press-Gazette . Nevers returned to the St. Louis Browns in 1927. He appeared in 33 games for the team, 27 as a pitcher, and compiled a 3–8 win–loss record and a 4.94 ERA in 94 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings pitched and a .219 batting average in 32 at bats. He
24138-415: Was completed in time for the 2012 season. The Bears played at AT&T Park in San Francisco for the 2011 season while the renovations were being made. The west side of the stadium was demolished and rebuilt except for the outer wall. Club levels, a new press box, bathrooms and concession stands were added. The surface of the field was lowered four feet to improve the view from the lowest midfield seats on
24300-596: Was cursed: Stanford lost the first game played at Stanford Stadium while USC lost the inaugural game of both the Rose Bowl and the Los Angeles Coliseum. Smith simply replied, "Why, of course they did, it was always California they invited to help dedicate their stadiums." The Bears went on to win the inaugural game at California Memorial Stadium by a final score of 9–0, beating Stanford for the fifth straight year and securing their fourth straight undefeated season. When California Memorial Stadium opened in 1923,
24462-418: Was initially minimal due to the restrictions placed on its use. The idea of a 40-yard-wider field was opposed by Harvard due to the size of the new Harvard Stadium . Other rule changes introduced that year included the reduction of playing time from 70 to 60 minutes and an increase of the distance required for a first down from 5 to 10 yards (4.6 to 9.1 m). To reduce infighting and dirty play between teams,
24624-491: Was lowered 4 feet (1.2 m) to improve sight lines, and surfaced with Matrix Turf, an artificial turf with crumb rubber infill along with a silica pea gravel base to allow improved field drainage. In 2017, the playing surface was changed to FieldTurf as part of Cal's transition to its new partnership with Under Armour . In 2023, the turf was replaced with sod, and the endzones became gold, likely to Cal's new partnership with Nike. In December 2013, Cal Athletics announced
24786-407: Was lowered four feet to allow unobstructed seats in the first few rows during the 2010-12 renovation. The capacity of the refurbished stadium is now 63,186, and was sold out for the first game of the 2012 season in a 31-24 Cal loss against the University of Nevada Wolf Pack. California Memorial Stadium has seen a number of major events throughout the years other than California football. Before 1970,
24948-721: Was moved from the Raiders' regular home, the Oakland Coliseum , because of a scheduling conflict with the Oakland Athletics , who hosted the Minnesota Twins at the Coliseum the following night. The Raiders ended the Dolphins' NFL record 18-game winning streak with a 12–7 victory on four field goals by 45-year-old George Blanda on September 23. Several preseason games were also played at the stadium in
25110-440: Was necessary to prevent this strategy from taking hold, and a reversion to the scrum was considered. However, Camp successfully proposed a rule in 1882 that limited each team to three downs , or tackles, to advance the ball 5 yards (4.6 m). Failure to advance the ball the required distance within those three downs would result in control of the ball being forfeited to the other team. This change effectively made American football
25272-791: Was on May 4, 1928, at age 25. Nevers was sold by the Browns for $ 7,500 to the Mission Bells , a Pacific Coast League baseball team in San Francisco , in late May 1928. He appeared in 35 games for the Reds in 1928, compiling a 14–11 record in 206 innings and batting .374 in 91 at bats. Nevers proved a draw for the Mission team, as Stanford fans and locals from Sonoma County flocked to see Nevers pitch. In March 1928, Nevers announced that he would not return to professional football that fall, opting instead to serve as an assistant coach to Pop Warner at Stanford. Nevers said of professional football: "I hurt my back last year and don't care to take any more chances." He returned to Stanford in September 1928 as coach of
25434-415: Was on the south-western corner of the campus where Edwards Stadium and Evans Diamond currently stand. This proposal was eventually rejected and the regents settled on a site at the mouth of Strawberry Canyon. The location caused considerable controversy, with objections rising from local community arguing that it would "ruin the beauty of the canyon, destroy the canyon as a natural biological laboratory for
25596-468: Was originally dedicated to the memory of those Californians that were lost in World War I , and on October 6, 2012, the university rededicated California Memorial Stadium in the memory of all Californians who sacrificed their lives in service to the nation. Because of the inclusion of seat back and bench back seating in the same footprint as before, the renovation and retrofit reduced the seating capacity by around 10,000 seats. Original estimates stated that
25758-556: Was profitable, but it tended to prevent the two top-ranked teams from meeting in a true national championship game, as they would normally be committed to the bowl games of their respective conferences. Several systems have been used since 1992 to determine a national champion of college football. The first was the Bowl Coalition , in place from 1992 to 1994. This was replaced in 1995 by the Bowl Alliance , which gave way to
25920-511: Was rated as the Pacific coast's best player in both football and basketball, the best college pitcher, one of the leading track performers, and "a crack swimmer" as well. In April 1924, Stanford's assistant director of physical education, Harry Maloney, called Nevers "a freak genius" who also excelled in the classroom. As a junior, Nevers was sidelined for most of the football season after suffering two broken ankles. Under head coach Pop Warner ,
26082-498: Was reported by the Associated Press to have been stationed for the past several months with a marine amphibious unit in the Pacific. In October 1944, Nevers returned to San Francisco after spending 10 months in charge of ground personnel with a squadron in the South Pacific. In December 1944, while stationed at Naval Station Treasure Island in San Francisco, Nevers was promoted to the rank of major. In February 1945, he became
26244-409: Was the star of the school's football team. In a game against Petaluma, he scored four touchdowns and kicked six extra points and a field goal. In 1922, Nevers enrolled at Stanford University . He played for the freshman football team at fullback and halfback in the fall of 1922. As a sophomore, Nevers became a star for the 1923 Stanford varsity football team . He was described as "a sweet punter and
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