The 1980 Golden Bears won 44 games (most in team history) and finished atop the Pac-10's Southern Division with a 17-13 league record, tied with the University of Arizona Wildcats (also 17-13). Arizona's Jerry Kindall and Cal's Bob Milano were named Pac-10 co-coaches of the year while Wildcat outfielder Terry Francona (.396) and Golden Bear shortstop Rob Booker (.318) was named Pac-10 co-players of the year. Both teams advanced to College Baseball's World Series held at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. Az stayed in the West Regional due to their 4-2 record against Cal while the Bears traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Midwest Regional where they advanced with a 5-1 tournament record. 14 members of the 1980 team would go on to sign pro contracts while 4 would reach the major leagues. The Bears set a school record by turning 80 double plays.
1947 GOLDEN BEARS--During the winter of 1947, Cal baseball coach Clint Evans suggested the idea of determining a National collegiate baseball champion. Basketball had a National tournament but not college baseball. A few months later, his California Golden Bears became college baseball's first National champion. Upon defeating the Trojans of USC in a one-game playoff to determine the CIBA champ (both teams were tied with 11-4 league marks), the 27-10 Bears headed to Denver, Colorado for a Regional tournament. After defeating the Univ. of Denver 3-2 and the Texas Longhorns 8-1, Cal headed to Kalamazoo, Michigan to face the Bulldogs of Yale University, winners of the East in a best two-out-of-three championship series. Cal was led by center fielder Lyle Palmer, pitchers Dick Larner and Virgil Butler, and three All-Americans--Pitcher Nino Barnise, outfielder John Fiscalini, and 17-year-old freshman pitcher/outfielder Jackie Jensen. Fiscalini led the Bears in hitting with his .368 average. He would sign a pro contract and average .284 during three seasons in the minors (1948-'50). Dick Larner (6'5", 185 lbs) would pitch four years in the minor leagues with a career 65-44 record including a 19-7 (3.00 ERA) season with Salt Lake City of the "C" Pioneer League in 1949. He would also pitch briefly with the AAA San Francisco Seals. Left-handed pitcher Virgil Butler led the Bear's pitching staff with his 10-1 record. His .909 Winning % remains fourth-best on Cal's all-time record list while his 10 wins is Cal's sixth-best and career 20 wins ninth best. A year later, in 1948, Nino Barnise's 102 strikeouts set a new Cal record and remains as the Bear's seventh-best. He pitched two years as a professional (1948, '49) at level-C Albuquergue with a 30-16 record, however a 6.02 ERA in the hitter-friendly level-C West Texas-New Mexico League.
CAPTAIN
GEORGE BUSH
Slick-fielding shortstop Rod Booker was born in Los Angeles, Calif. and attended Pasadena City College before enrolling at UC Berkeley. He was drafted three times, including a 4th round pick in 1980 when he signed with the Minnesota Twins organization. He spent parts of 11 seasons in the minor leagues between 1980 and 1992 (career .264 average) and parts of five seasons in the major leagues (career .248 avg. in 173 games) mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals (.277/47 ab's in 1987). His best year as a pro was 1987 when he hit .348 in 135 at-bats for the Louisville Redbirds of the "AAA" American Association. Center fielder Lyle Brackenridge also attended Pasadena City College where he was a 2nd round draft pick in 1977. He was named to the CWS all-tournament team and shortly thereafter signed with the Twins organization. He averaged .288 during his three years in the minors including batting .289 with 30 stolen bases for the Visalia Oaks of the "A" California League in 1981.
Second baseman Jeff Ronk attended College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita before becoming a Golden Bear. He led the Bears in hitting with his .359 average and won Cal's batting title again a year later at .389. His career .377 average is UC Berkeley's 3rd best all-time. Ronk averaged .279 over the course of his five seasons ('81-'85) in the minor leagues. He hit .370 at lower-A Walla Walla of the Northwest League in 1981 and .326 a year later with the Amarillo Gold Sox of the "AA" Texas League.
Back-up freshman catcher Bob Melvin from Palo Alto, Calif., hit .269 for the '80 Golden Bears. He attended Menlo High School in Atherton, Ca. (3rd round draft pick in 1979) and Canada Community College in Redwood City (1st round--Jan. Draft-Secondary Phase in 1981) a year after attending Cal. He signed with the Detroit Tigers and spent parts of eight seasons in the minors (career .262 average) and parts of 10 seasons in the major leagues (career .233 average). Melvin is mostly noted as a major league manager. He guided the Seattle Mariners in 2003/'04 (156-168), the Arizona Diamondbacks from '05-'09 (337-340) and the Oakland A's from 2011 to date (440-413). He skippered the '07 D-Backs to a 90-72 NL West title and was named NL Manager of the Year after falling to the Rockies in the NLCS. He also piloted the 2012 A's (94-68) to an AL West championship (AL Manager of the Year) before losing the ALDS to Detroit in five games. The 2013 season was a near carbon copy (96-66) and falling to Detroit in the ALDS three games to two.
Left-hander Chuck Cary from Whittier, Calif., was employed for 13 years as a professional pitcher, including parts of eight seasons in the major leagues (career 14-26, 4.17 ERA) and one year in Japan (1992) with the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League (3-5, 3.61 ERA). In 1992, Cary logged 156.2 innings, the most as a major leaguer, for the New York Yankees (6-12, 4.19 ERA). Besides the Yanks, he suited up with the Tigers and White Sox of the AL and Braves of the NL. Chuck Hensley, from Tulare, Calif. led Bears in victories (9-3, 2,75 ERA) and toiled for 11 seasons in the minor leagues (39-47, 4.13 ERA), mostly in the Pacific Coast League with four different teams. He was 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA for the Phoenix Giants in 1985. He began the '86 season at Phoenix and later that year got into 11 games for the San Francisco Giants, all in relief, logging 7.2 innings while allowing two runs (2.45 ERA). He ended his pro career at age 31 with the Williamsport Bills of the "AA" Eastern League.
Yale was led by All-American Bill Howe and five future professionals, three of which would advance to the major leagues including All-American pitcher Frank Quinn. Pitcher Dick Manville played six seasons in the minors with a career 4.90 ERA and parts of two seasons in the majors where he got into 11 games as a reliever with the Chicago Cubs (no decisions with a 7.94 ERA). Outfielder Dick Tettlebach appeared in 29 games with the NY Yankees and Washington Senators but only hit .150 in 80 at-bats. He averaged .302 during his six seasons in the minor leagues. The Bulldogs, or Elis, as their alumni are called, were skippered by legendary coach Ethan Allen. Allen, who coached Yale from 1946-1968, was a center fielder in the major leagues for several different teams between 1926 and '36. He averaged .300 over the course of his 13-year career including batting .330 with a NL league-leading 42 doubles for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1934. He hit over .300 eight times during his MLB career.
JEFF RONK CHUCK HENSLEY ROD BOOKER CHUCK CARY BOB MELVIN DAN McINERNY
1965/'66 GOLDEN BEARS--The 29-14 (12-8) Bears finished tied atop the California Intercollegiate Baseball Association standings but didn't survive the one-game playoff vs USC; however, not due to their young pitching staff--possibly the greatest in Golden Bear history. Two pitchers were 1st round Draft picks and became All-Americans. Two had great careers in the major leagues while another, the best as a Golden Bear, advanced to the Triple-A level of the Pacific Coast League.
Rich Nye, the weakest link of Cal's "Big Three" that formed the nucleus of the pitching staff was born in Oakland, California and attended Las Lomas High School. He was a 56th round draft pick as a freshman out of Cal in 1965 and a 16th round pick from Cal a year later. Nye shut out UC Santa Barbara 11-0 and on April the 8th, improved to 4-0 with a wee 0.31 ERA when he bested the great Tom Seaver and the Trojans of USC 2-1. A year later, he again combined with Messersmith with a 3-hitter to shut out the Philadelphia Rookies 3-0 and followed by blanking USC 11-0. On April the 26th, he chucked a 2-hit shutout over the UCD Aggies. Nye's 1.68 ERA remains as Cal's 9th best. Later that spring, he signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs and reported to the Treasure Valley Cubs of the rookie Pioneer League. There, he went 3-1 (3.00 ERA) before getting promoted to Lodi of the "A" California League (5-3, 2.87 ERA) which led to his major league debut with the Cubs that same summer at age 21 (0-2, 2.12 ERA). A year later, Nye posted his best season during his five years in the majors (career 26-31 with a 3.71 ERA). In 1967, Nye won 13 games while losing 10 with a 3.20 ERA while striking out 119 batters in 205 innings pitched for the 3rd place Chicago Cubs. Nye later became a veterinarian.
CLINT EVANS
BOB MILANO
LETHBRIDGE
FRANK QUINN
Jackie Jensen, from Oakland California, would be considered as among the greatest athletes of all-time. He's the only athlete ever to have played in the Rose Bowl, the College World Series, Major League Baseball's World Series, and in a MLB All-Star game. Jensen was an All-American in both football (1949) and twice in baseball as an outfielder (1947, '49). He set several football records at Cal including the 1st player to rush for more than a 1,000 yards in a single season. He passed up his senior year at Cal and the NFL to sign a $40,000 contract with Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League. The Oaks later sold his contract to the New York Yankees for 75 grand. Jensen averaged .279 for his 11-year MLB career. He led the American League in stolen bases (22) in 1954, RBI's (116, 122, and 112) in 1955, 1958 and 1959 respectively. He also led the AL in triples (11) in 1956. He hit .315 for the Boston Red Sox in 1956 and hit 32 HR's with a .535 slugging % for the Bo Sox in '58. Jensen was a 3-time AL All-Star, a Gold Glove winner, and the Boston outfield of Jensen, Jimmie Piersall, and Ted Williams during the late 1950s is considered as one of the best of all-time.
1980 GOLDEN BEARS
LYLE BRACKENRIDGE, CF .326, 35 SB
ROD BOOKER, SS .315
DAN McINERNY, RF 9 HR*
TOM COLBURN, C
ROB JESSEN, 1B
JEFF RONK, 2B .359*
KELLY WOOD, DH .324
DON DRISCOLL, LF
GREG ZUNINO, 3B .306
GLENN PRATER, RHP 9-3* 2.48
MITCH HAWLEY, P 8 saves* 1.29
BRIAN DUFFY, P
CHUCK CARY, LHP 4-1
STEVE CONROY, LHP
DAVE GRANGER, 3.21
CHUCK HENSLEY, LHP 9-3* 2.75
GLENN NEWTON, RHP 7-1 3.05
BOB MELVIN, C .269
BRUCE JOHNSON, 2B .279
TIM GERLACH, DH
BRIAN GUINN, INF
JOHN HOUSE, C
JIM SELVITELLA, P/OF
MICHAEL BUGGS, CF
* denotes led team
JACKIE JENSEN
ETHAN ALLEN
Mike Epstein, from the Bronx, New York was a football player at Cal before joining the baseball team as a sophomore. He hit .384 as a junior for the Golden Bears and hold's Cal's all-time record for career batting average (.381, min 200 at-bats) set during the 1963 and '64 seasons. His career .592 Slugging Percentage remains as Cal's 6th best all-time (min. 200 ab's). He led Rod Dedeaux's U.S. National Baseball Team in hitting during their 20-game schedule which included the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games before signing a free contract with the Baltimore Orioles. After struggling in the Florida Instructional League in 1964 and the beginning of the 1965 season, Epstein broke out and led the 1965 Class-A California League in Batting Average (.338), Home Runs (30), Slugging Percentage (.627) and On Base % (.475). His 100 RBI's, 99 Base On Balls, and 250 Total Bases were the league's 2nd best. Epstein was named league MVP as his 83-57 Stockton Ports were league champions. A year later, The Sporting News named Epstein Minor League Player of the Year after he hit .309 with 29 homers and 102 RBI's for the Rochester Red Wing of the AAA International League. A few days later, he made his major league debut with the Orioles (Sept. 16, 1966). "Boog" Powell was entrenched as Baltimore's first baseman and after a failed attempt to convert Epstein into an outfielder, he was traded to the Washington Senators early the next year. Epstein spent parts of nine seasons in the major leagues with five different teams. He averaged .244 with 130 HR's and a .424 SLG over the course of his MLB career. His best season was 1969 when he hit .278 with 30 home runs and a .551 SLG for the Washington Senators. He hit .270 with a team-leading 26 HR's and .490 SLG for the World Champion Oakland A's in 1972, a team that also featured Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Joe Rudi, Bert Campaneris, Vida Blue and Rollie Fingers. The A's defeated the Cincinnati Reds(Johnny Bench and Oroville's Gary Nolan) in a tough 7-game series.
ROD BOOKER
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS BASEBALL
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BASEBALL CALIFORNIA BASEBALL HISTORY
UNIDENTIFIED
CAL PLAYER
LATE 19TH CENTURY
Bob McCarthey coached Cal for two seasons (1-2 in 1907, 9-9 in 1908) and W.Z. Smith coached the Bears in 1909 and '10 (2-1, 1-2). Jimmie Schaeffer took over from 1911-1915 (7-3-1, 16-10, 0-2, 4-2-1, and 12-4). He also coached Cal's football team (1909-1915) before resigning, possibly forced, after Cal lost a football game 72-0 to Washington. He was 73-16-8 as a football coach and 39-21-2 in baseball before Carl Zamloch took over in 1916. THE GREAT ZAM. In 1937, Carl Zamloch published a book--17 Simple but Mystifying Tricks to Entertain Your Friends under the pseudonym "The Great Zam". Zamloch often assisted his father in vaudeville acts and later, when not coaching at Cal, toured the country performing his own magic. Zamloch, from Oakland, California, won 146 games, lost 93 and tied seven during his 13 years as head baseball coach at Berkeley. His 11-2 record in 1925 is the best winning percentage (.846 ) in Cal baseball history. In 1929, his last season at Cal, the Golden Bears won their first conference baseball title with an 11-3 California Intercollegiate Baseball League record (16-7 overall). Prior to and during his coaching career, Zamloch spent 15 years as a professional ballplayer including part of the 1913 season in the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers (1-6, 2.45 ERA). He logged a total of nine years (between 1911 and 1930) as a right-handed pitcher in the minors, mostly in the Pacific Coast League with Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, and Seattle. He could also hit, batting .320 in 272 at-bats for Seattle in 1920 and .289 as a first baseman for the Calgary Bronchos of the level-B Western International League in 1922. As a minor-leaguer, Zamloch won 25 games and lost 25 while batting .315 for his career. He also managed the Twin Falls Bruins of the "C" Utah-Idaho League in 1926 and the PCL's Oakland Oaks from 1930-'32.
It's difficult to fathom, considering the careers that Rich Nye and Andy Messersmith had as Golden Bears and in the majors, that neither of these pitchers was Cal's ace during the 1966 season. Both were overshadowed by the pitching of All-American Bill Frost. On March the 16th, 1966, Cal's right-handed pitcher Frost tossed a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in a 3-0 victory over John Strohmayer and the UOP Tigers, only the 3rd pitcher to ever toss a no-no in Golden Bear history. The only hit of the game was a 3-run homer by Cal's Gary Coburn. On April the 6th, Frost shutout Fresno State 1-0 with 13 K's and followed by beating Stanford 2-1 with 14 K's. He improved to 9-1 on the year with a 7-2 win over USC and his 119 strikeouts for the year set a new Golden Bear single-season record. He then tossed a 3-hitter with 13 K's to top UC Santa Barbara 5-1. On April 27th, 1966, Frost hurled his 3rd shutout of the year by blanking Santa Clara 1-0. One of Frost's rare loses was a 3-2 setback to Cal State Hayward although he K'd 17 batters.
Bill Frost struck out 169 batters (128 innings) during the 1966 season, a Cal record at that time. His .800 winning % (12-3) remains as Cal's 2nd best all-time and his career .762 Win % (16-5) is Cal's 7th best. Frost's career ('65, '66) 1.51 Earned Run Average remains as Cal's all-time best. His 1.12 ERA of 1966 is 3rd best. Frost, from Ontario, Calif., attended Chafey High School before accepting a scholarship from UC Berkeley in the fall of 1963. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 20th round after his sophomore year at Cal and the San Francisco Giants made Frost their #1 pick in the '66 June Draft-Secondary Phase (players who have been previously drafted). He reported to the Fresno Giants of the "A" California League and posted an 8-2 record with a 2.76 ERA as a 20-year-old rookie. After spending another season with Fresno in 1967, (6-6, 2.80 ERA), Frost went 4-1 with a 2.77 ERA with Amarillo of the "AA" Texas League and 5-5, 4.33 ERA with the Phoenix Giants of the "AAA" Pacific Coast League in ''68. Frost returned to Amarillo in 1969 and was named Texas League Pitcher of the Year with his 16-6 record and 3.28 ERA. After getting traded to Philadelphia, Frost ended his professional career with the "AA" Reading Phillies of the Eastern League with a 5-3 record and 2.41 ERA. He spent a total of 6 years in the minors with a career 45-26 win-loss record (.634 Win%) and 3.28 ERA.
VAN HALTREN
CARL ZAMLOCH
Bob Milano (Pac-8/Pac-10)
688–644–4 (.516) 250–386 (.393)
1978---35–27 6–12 T–3rd (Pac-8)
(Pac-10 South)
1979---31–25–1 16–14 3rd
1980---44–23–1 17–13 T–1st
7–3 (CWS, 3rd Place)
1981---31–31–1 12–18 5th
1982---29–32 9–17 5th
1983---23–37 9–20 6th
1984---39–28–1 12–18 4th
1985---42–24 17–13 T–2nd
0–2 (NCAA Regionals)
1986---32–25 10–20 6th
1987---36–25 12–18 T–5th
1988---40–25 16–14 T–3rd
4–2 (CWS, T–7th Place)
1989---35–24 10–20 T–5th
1990---18–43 3–27 6th
1991---37–27 14–16 3rd
3–2 (NCAA Regionals)
1992---35–28 14–16 T–3rd
4–3 (CWS, T–7th Place)
1993---27–30 13–17 5th
1994---25–35 12–18 4th
1995---32–25 18–12 3rd
1–2 (NCAA Regionals)
1996---27–29 10–20 5th
1997---21–38 4–26 6th
1998---22–32 5–24 6th
(Pac-10)
1999---27–31 11–13 7th
EARL ROBINSON
SAM CHAPMAN
BOB MILANO
Sam Chapman was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 3rd round of the 1938 NFL Draft. Instead, he opted to sign a professional baseball contract upon graduation and hit .259 with 17 home runs as a rookie with the Philadelphia Athletics. Chapman would go on to spend 11 seasons in the majors (1938-1951), mostly with the A's, and average .266 with 180 HR's during his MLB stint. He also spent three seasons in the Pacific Coast League with the Oakland Oaks ('52-'53) averaging .270 with another 49 homers. Chapman's best season was 1941 when he led Philadelphia in Home Runs (25, AL's 3rd most), Triples (9), Hits (178), and Slugging % (.543). His .322 average and 106 RBI's were the team's 2nd best. After serving Uncle Sam in WWll, Chapman returned to lead the 1946 A's in Hits (142), HR's (20), and RBI's (67). He ended his major league career with the Cleveland Indians after spending 10 seasons with Philly.
Cal scored two runs in the first inning off Yale starter Jim Duffus to start the 1947 College World Series, however Bear's starter Nino Barnise allowed three in the bottom half and was immediately replaced by Dick Larner who in turn, gave up another run in the 2nd inning. Yale's ace pitcher Frank Quinn entered the game with the Bulldogs leading 4-2 and held the Bears scoreless for the next five innings. Quinn had struck out 20 batters in an earlier game and his 149 K's for the season set a new Yale record. In the 7th, with Yale clinging to a 4-3 lead, Coach Evans sent pinch-hitter Jackie Jensen to the plate with a runner at 3rd base. The freshman delivered a clutch, game-tying single and Cal followed with two more runs off the mighty Quinn in the 8th before unloading with 11 runs in the top of the 9th and coasting to a opening-game 17-4 victory.
Jackie Jensen started on the mound for Cal in game #2 and took a 7-3 lead into the 4th inning when he lost control of his blazing fastball and allowed Yale to knot the score at seven apiece. Virgil Butler entered the game, put out the fire, and tossed shutout ball for five innings. After the Bears scored an unearned run in the 7th inning, George H.W. Bush, who later became America's 41st president, stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the 9th and struck out. The 1947 Golden Bears became college baseball's 1st National champions and can thank Yale's captain and 1st baseman Bush for going 0-7 in the series. Yale returned to the CWS a year later against the University of Southern California. With that series tied at one game apiece, George Bush was waiting in the on-deck circle in the last inning with USC leading by a single run. The bases were loaded with nobody out when a rare triple-play ended the game. Bush hit .208 for the 1947 season and .215 with one home run during his 3-year career at Yale. One has to wonder what the world would be like today if the former Skull & Bones member would have signed a pro contract as did several of his Eli teammates.
George Wolfman: 484–335 (.591)
(CIBA)
1955 George Wolfman 17–16 7–9
1956 George Wolfman 25–9 9–7
1957 George Wolfman 35–10 12–4t**
1958 George Wolfman 19–12 9–7
1959 George Wolfman 22–13 9–7
1960 George Wolfman 30–14 12–4t
1961 George Wolfman 29–10 11–5
1962 George Wolfman 24–20 7–9
1963 George Wolfman 19–21 4–12
1964 George Wolfman 25–17 5–15
1965 George Wolfman 29–14 12–8t
1966 George Wolfman 32–14 11–9
AAWU
1967 George Wolfman 17–27 3–13
(PAC-8)
1968 George Wolfman 24–24 7–12
1969 George Wolfman 31–19 12–9
1970 George Wolfman 28–19 9–8
1971 George Wolfman 24–24 5–12
1972 George Wolfman 33–21 9–9
1973 George Wolfman 21–31 6–12
t--denotes tied for conf. title
** National Champion
1957 Golden Bears
Catchers
Charles Thompson
Infielders
Ron Gaggero,3b
Roger Gregg, 2b
Ed Kraft
Warren Lavorell,1b
Earl Robinson, ss
Outfielders
Bernie Kelley
Tom Palma, lf
Paul Piper
Bob Puccinelli, cf
Al Reynolds,rf
Pitchers
Kim Elliott
George Sterling
Doug Weiss, MVP
Charles Becker
Position Unknown
Bernie Simpson
KIM ELLIOTT
Bob Milano has won more games in Golden Bear baseball history (688). He has also lost the most (644) and coached the most (1,336). His .516 winning% (league .393%) ranks as the school's 7th best. He has shared one conference title and finished 2nd once in his 21 years as Cal's head baseball coach. Milano has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice (1980, 1982) and has guided the Bears to three College World Series tournaments (1980, '88, '92). Milano served as head coach of the U.S. National Team in 1997 (4th place) and in 2010 was inducted into the American Coaches Association Hall of Fame. As a player, Milano led the 1960 Bears in hitting with his .357 average as a catcher. A year later, he hit .324 for Lloydminster/Lethbridge of the Western Canada League (WCL's 3rd best).
ROGER GREGG
Only a few athletes have been named All-American twice in their careers. California pitcher Doug Weiss accomplished the feat twice in less than 10 months. The Deming Loggers, representing the tiny community of Deming, Washington with a population of 250, finished 2nd (11-7) in the tough Northwest International League. The circuit included the Bellingham Bells and the Tacoma-Chaney Studs, both perennial powerhouses. Doug Weiss and his Loggers defeated Bellingham 6-4 and again 6-5 in the finals of the National Baseball Congress' Washington semi-pro state tournament. The championship qualified the Loggers for entry into the NBC semi-pro World Series held annually in Wichita, Kansas. There, the Loggers finished as National runners-up with a 6-2 record, losing twice to the 4-time NBC champion Fort Wayne Dairymen (Indiana). Weiss went 3-0 with 20 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched and was named NBC All-American.
Doug Weiss pitched three seasons at Cal with a record of 31-12. He set Golden Bear career records for Most Victories (31, 1st all-time) and Strikeouts (275, 2nd all-time). His 344.7 career innings pitched remains 3rd best all-time. In 1957, he set single-season records that still stand today--Most Wins (14), Complete Games 12), and Innings Pitched (149). His 1.51 ERA and 107 K's in 1957 were Cal records and both still stand as 5th best all-time. He was named Cal's MVP and a few months later named to the All-American Team. Weiss toiled for four seasons in the minors (1957-'60) with a career 24-27 record and 5.04 ERA. His best season as a pro was his 1st when he went 13-5 with a 3.35 ERA for the Modesto Reds of the "C" California League.
UC Berkeley shortstop Earl Robinson was born in New Orleans, LA., attended Berkeley High School and led the Bears in hitting a year earlier as a freshman when he batted .385. He signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958 at age 21. He averaged .266 with 69 home runs over the course of eight seasons in professional baseball including four stints in the major leagues. He hit .266 with eight HR's in 96 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1961, .286 in 29 games in '62, and .273 in 37 games in 1964. His best season as a pro was 1964 when he hit .307 with 11 homers and a .516 slugging percentage for the Rochester Red Wings of the AAA International League. Robinson hit .352 for the 1957 Golden Bears where he was a 2-sport athlete. He was Cal's starting point guard for their '56, '57, and '58 Pacific Coast Conference champion basketball teams and was named All-Conference three times. He became head basketball coach at Merritt Jr. College in 1966 and led Laney Jr. College of Oakland to a 17-9 record a year later.
Bear first baseman Warren Lavorell signed a pro contract with the Yankee organization and spent three seasons (1957, '58, and '60) with the Modesto Reds of the level-C California League where he averaged .267 with 25 home runs over three years. In 1958, he batted .267 with 18 homers with a .435 SLG in 506 at-bats. Outfielder Bob Puccinelli averaged .282 during his two seasons in the minor leagues. He hit .307 for the North Platte Indians of the Nebraska State League in 1959. The NESL was an experimental league consisting of 1st-year professionals only and well documented in Pat Jordan's book A False Spring. Outfielder Bernie Kelly also spent two years in the minors including a .284 average with 15 home runs for the Billings Mustangs of the "C" Pioneer League. Kim Elliott from Vancouver, B.C Canada, pitched three seasons for the Bears with a career 11-3 record (.786 Win%, Cal's 4th best) but didn't fare so well in the minor leagues as he only won four games while losing 22 with a 6.20 ERA. Pitcher Charlie Becker from Marysville, Calif. never signed a professional contract; however, his career 11-2 (.846 Win%) ranks as Cal's all-time career-best for career winning percentage (min. 12 decisions).
Four Golden Bears played summer baseball for the 1957 Humboldt Crabs. Roger Gregg was the Crab's lead-off man while Palma, Reynolds, and Puccinelli hit in the # 3, 4, and 5 spots respectively. Kim Elliott was the ace of the staff and went 10-2 on the season for the 24-8 Crabs.
George Van Haltren took over Berkeley's coaching duties in the year 1900 and guided the Golden Bears to a 2-1 record. Van Haltren spent 17 years (1987-1903) in the major leagues, mostly with the Chicago White Stockings and New York Giants of the NL where he started at every position except behind the plate. He hit .351 and led the NL in triples (21) in 1896, led the league in stolen bases (45) in 1900, and hit over .300 thirteen times while averaging .316 for his lengthy career. Van Haltren was born in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Oakland, Calif. at age two. He began his baseball career as a left-handed catcher for a local amateur team called the Emeralds before converting to pitcher for the semi-pro Greenhood & Morans. In 1904, Van Haltren hit .270 as playing/manager for the Seattle Siwashes of the PCL and performed with the same duties for the Oakland Oaks from 1905 to1908. The following year, he was deemed too old at age 43, and axed from the Oaks, thus ending his long career.
Cal continued to play without a coach from 1901 to 1906, winning 11 games while losing 14 during that span. Orval Overall was a member of Cal's baseball and football teams in 1901, '02, and '03. Overall, standing 6'2" tall and weighing 214 pounds, would later be known as "Big Groundhog" Overall because of his birth date (February 2, 1881) in Farmersville, California. He left Cal early in the year 1904 after signing a contract with the Tacoma Tigers for a salary of $300/month (more than most major-leaguers at that time) and helped Tacoma win the Pacific Coast League pennant with his 32-25 record. Overall made his major league debut a year later with the Cincinnati Reds where he won 18 games and lost 23 with a 2.86 ERA. After beginning the 1906 season at 4-5 with a 4.26 ERA, "Groundhog" was traded to the Chicago Cubs at midseason where he responded by finishing the year by winning 12 of 15 games with a 1.88 ERA for the NL champion 116-36 Cubbies. The Cubs lost the World Series in six games to the Chicago White Sox with Overall pitching 12 innings, all in relief while allowing two runs. He spent a total of seven seasons in the major leagues (the last six with the Cubs) with a .603 winning % (108-71) and stellar, career 2.23 ERA. He led the NL in shutouts (8) in 1907, and again in 1909 with nine while also leading the NL in strikeouts (205) that same year.
DOUG WEISS
MIDWESTERN REGIONAL
UNLV 3 CAL 2
CAL 5 WICHITA ST. 1
CAL 7 ARKANSAS 1
CAL 7 MISSOUR1 1 (14 INN.)
CAL 6 UNLV 2
CAL 12 UNLV 0
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
MICHIGAN 9 CAL 8 (11 INN.)
CAL 6 CLEMSON 4
CAL 8 ST. JOHNS 5
CAL 4 MIAMI 3
ARIZONA 11 CAL 10
ARIZONA 5 HAWAII 3
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THE SIXTIES
'65 GOLDPANNERS
JOHN FISCALINI
Dave Dowling was born in Baton Rouge, La. and moved to Chehalis, Wa. when he was two years old. After starring at Chehalis High School, he received a scholarship to UC Berkeley where he pitched for George Wolfman's Golden Bears during the 1961, '62, and '63 seasons. During the summer of 1961, Dowling ventured north and pitched for the Lethbridge White Sox of the Western Canada Baseball League. Although he finished the regular season with a 3-4 record, Dowling twice struck out 18 batters in a game, including 18 in his victory against league pennant-winning Saskatoon in the playoffs final. Saskatoon fielded five players that would go on and play in the major leagues. Dowling's batterymate was Cal teammate and future Cal head coach Bob Milano. Milano hit .324, third-best in the WCBL. Dowling spent the next summer with the Lewis County, Washington Pavers and struck out 20 in a game against the powerful Santa Maria, Calif. Indians.
In his 3rd year at Cal, 1963, Dowling struck out 103 batters (Cal's 6th best all-time) before spending the summer in Fairbanks, Alaska where he won 11 of 14 decisions for the 45-12 Goldpanners and was named team MVP. He set several Panner records that still stand today--Earned Run Average (0.85), Strikeouts in a Season (217 [in just 116 innings pitched]), Most K's in a Game (24), Most consecutive K's (16), Shutouts in a Season (7), Most consecutive Scoreless Innings (36), and Most Complete Games in a Season (11). He also K'd 22 batters in two other games. At the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas, Dowling tossed a 1-hitter and shutout Lynchburg, Virginia Stadium Inn 5-0 in a 1st-round game, and then shutout the Madison, Wisconsin Manona Grove Lakers 8-0 in the 2nd round with a 3-hitter. In the 4th round, he improved to 3-0 for the National tournament by besting the Greensboro N.C. Rainey All-Stars 8-1 with a nifty 2-hitter. In the semi-finals, Dowling took a tough 2-1 loss to the Ponchatoula Athletics from Louisiana. The 6-2 Goldpanners finished 3rd in the tournament with Dowling being selected to the NBC All-American team and named "Sandlotter of the Year".
Shortly after the NBC tournament, Dowling signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He began his pro career with AA Tulsa where he won 7 of 8 games with a 2.59 ERA before getting promoted to the AAA Jacksonville Suns where he pitched the final game that clinched the International League pennant. Later that same year, 1964, Dowling made his major league debut with St. Louis and pitched one scoreless inning. He was released early the next spring in favor of future Hall o Famer Steve Carlton and Santa Clara pitcher Nelson Briles; however, Dowling was picked up by the Chicago Cubs and sent to the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs where he went 14-7 with a 2.77 ERA. After starting the 1966 season at AAA Tacoma of the PCL, Dowling made his 2nd appearance in the major leagues--a complete game 7-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds. A torn rotator cuff injury suffered while in the Army Reserves that summer ended his MLB baseball career at 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA. He later earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the Univ. of Tennessee and became a dentist, DDS.
Clint Evans is the winningest and most successful baseball coach in UCB Golden Bear history (.681 winning %--547-256) including nine CIBA conference titles (six outright) and a National championship. Only one year during his 25-year tenure as head baseball coach, 1944, did the Bears suffer a losing season (9-14). Four times, his teams topped the .800 mark in winning percentage--12-3 (.800 in 1930), 25-6 (.806 in 1934), 39-8 (.830 in 1938), and 22-5 (.815 in 1942). Only one other baseball coach, Carl Zamloch at 11-2 in 1925 has topped the .800 win % in Cal history (min. five games). Evan's conference marks of 14-1 (.933 win %), accomplished twice (1934, '43), are Cal's best all-time.
Sam Chapman was an All-American football player (there were several All-Am. polls at that time) at Cal in 1937 and a member of the 1938 team that beat Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the only time that the Golden Bears have ever won the prestigious event. Chapman led the Bears in hitting in 1936 and also played left field for Cal when they won consecutive CIBA championships in 1937 and 1938. Chapman was born in Tiburon, California and graduated from Tamaipais High School of Mill Valley in 1934. The city of Tiburon erected a large bronze statue downtown in his honor where he was nicknamed the "Tiburon Terror.
CHUCK CARY, 1988
PUERTO RICO
WINTER LEAGUE
Clint Evans---547–256 (.681)
1930 Clint Evans 12-3 12–3
1931 Clint Evans 15–7 13–5
1932 Clint Evans 16–6 12–6
1933 Clint Evans 19–9 9–2*
1934 Clint Evans 25–6 14–1*
1935 Clint Evans 20–9 10–5*t
1936 Clint Evans 18–13 6–9
1937 Clint Evans 20–7 11–4*
1938 Clint Evans 39–8 12–3*
1939 Clint Evans 24–9 9–6
1940 Clint Evans 22–10 9–6
1941 Clint Evans 37–11 11–4*t
1942 Clint Evans 22–5 11–4
1943 Clint Evans 23–9 14–1*t
1944 Clint Evans 9–14 3–5
1945 Clint Evans 12–9 7–1*
1946 Clint Evans 24–9 8–4
1947 Clint Evans 31–10 11–4**
1948 Clint Evans 20–14 8–3
1949 Clint Evans 31–17 5-10
1950 Clint Evans 24–13 8–6
1951 Clint Evans 22–16 6–10
1952 Clint Evans 21–16 5–11
1953 Clint Evans 22–15 8–8
1954 Clint Evans 19–11 7–9
t--denotes tied for Conf. title
* denotes Conf. Champion
** denotes National Champion
MIKE EPSTEIN
George Wolfman took the helm of Golden Bear baseball in 1955 and skippered the Bears for the next 19 years, 14 of which were winning seasons including three shared conference titles and a National Championship in 1957. Under his tutelage, Cal won 30 or more games five times including a 35-10 (.778%) season in 1957 when he was named College Baseball's National Coach of the Year. As a player, Wolfman was Cal's catcher (1930-'33) and team captain during the 1933 season. He caught for the Mission Reds of the AA Pacific Coast League in 1934 and '36, hitting .213 and .200 in 71 career minor league at-bats.
1957 GOLDEN BEARS (35-10)--Once again, the Cal Bears finished atop the California Intercollegiate Baseball Association tied with USC with 12-4 league records, and again the Golden Bears prevailed and advanced to the regional playoffs, this time a best-of-three District-8 series against the Waves of Pepperdine University. After taking two of the three games from the Malibu college (4-2, 6-10, 10-3), Cal moved on to Omaha, Nebraska for their 2nd appearance in college baseball's World Series. They shutout Northern Colorado 4-0 in the opening round and followed with an 8-2 victory over Iowa State, 8-0 vs Penn State, 9-1 over Iowa State in the semi-final and blanked Penn State again 1-0 in the final, thus claiming their 2nd National Championship. The Bears scored 30 runs in the tournament while only allowing three, which included three shutouts. The pitching performances are among the greatest, if not the greatest in CWS history. Cal catcher Charles Thompson, shortstop Earl Robinson, and pitcher Doug Weiss were named 1st-team All-Americans. Nine 1957 Golden Bears would sign professional baseball contracts.
DAVE DOWLING
EARL ROBINSON
Jackie Jensen (Pac-8/CIBA)
109–95 (.534) 29–46 (.387)
1974---25–24 8–10 3rd (Pac-8)
1975---22–24 7–9 4th (Pac-8)
1976---33–20 9–14 4th (CIBA)
1977---29–27 5–13 T–3rd (Pac-8)
JOE CORBETT
The University of California at Berkeley, UC Berkeley, California, or just Cal was founded in 1868. Cal baseball began in 1892 and operated without the aid of a coach for their first five seasons. They did not win a single game (0-11) while only playing 2-3 games a year against nearby colleges Stanford, Santa Clara, and the Phoenix of St. Mary's (the nation's top team of any kind, collegiate or professional, in the West during that era). Berkeley won their 1st game in 1897 under coach Cohen and finished at 1-2 for the year. In 1899, Joe Corbett, from San Francisco, managed Berkeley to a 2-0 season. Corbett, younger brother of heavyweight champion "Gentleman" Jim Corbett, had earlier pitched St. Mary's to a Pacific Amateur Baseball League title in 1892 and later spent four years in the Major Leagues where he won 32 games while losing 18 with a career 3.42 earned run average. In 1897, he was 24-8 with a 3.11 ERA and struck out 149 batters for the 2nd place 90-40 Baltimore Orioles. Corbett worked five years as a sportswriter for the San Francisco Call before becoming a member of the fabled Los Angeles Angeles pitching staff of the new formed 1903 Pacific Coast League when the Angels won the pennant by 27.5 games ahead of the Sacramento Senators. Corbett was 23-16 with a 2.36 ERA while leading the PCL in strikeouts (196) and shutouts (8). He also hit .336 in 262 at-bats and later played for the San Francisco Seals and managed at Santa Clara College.
ANDY MESSERSMITH
GEORGE WOLFMAN
CARL ZAMLOCH
146–93–7 (.608) 28–19 (.596)
1916 Carl Zamloch 11–11–2
1917 Carl Zamloch 12–8–1
1918 Clair Goodwin 4–1
Carl Zamloch (1919–1929)
1919 Carl Zamloch 7–5
1920 Carl Zamloch 22–10–1
1921 Carl Zamloch 10–8–1
1922 Carl Zamloch 12–6–1
1923 Carl Zamloch 12–7–1
1924 Carl Zamloch 13–11
1925 Carl Zamloch 11–2
1926 Carl Zamloch 8–6
1927 Carl Zamloch 4–8 4–8
1928 Carl Zamloch 8–4 8–4
1929 Carl Zamloch 16–7 11–3*
* denotes Conference Champ
Andy Messersmith finished his sophomore season at Cal in 1965 with an 8-2 record (.800 Win %, Cal's 8th best all-time) and 1.63 earned run average (Cal's 7th best all-time). His career (1965, '66) ERA ( 2.00 ) ranks as Cal's 3rd best. He shut out UCLA 2-0 to pick up his 1st win as a Golden Bear and later ended Fresno State's 8-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory. Messersmith was named to college baseball's All-American team (2nd Team) and was playing for Mike Salta Pontiac of the California Collegiate Baseball League that summer before being "stolen" for a financial fee by the Alaska Goldpanners. On their way to Wichita for the NBC semi-pro World Series, Messersmith shutout the Grand Junction, Colorado Eagles 7-0 and then got schooled at the National tournament.
Messersmith was born in Toms River, New Jersey and later moved to Southern California where he went 16-2 his senior year at Anaheim's Western High School in Orange County. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 3rd round of MLB's 1965 June Amateur Drafted however opted to stay at Cal for his junior year. He was again drafted a year later in the 1st round (12th overall) in the 1966 June Draft-Secondary Phase and signed with the California Angels, 20 credits shy of receiving his college degree. Messersmith reported to the Seattle Angles of the AAA Pacific Coast League (4-6, 3.36 ERA) before spending the '67 season with the El Paso Sun Kings of the "AA" Texas League (9-7, 4.73 ERA). He began the '68 season back in Seattle (6-7, 2.96 ERA) before making his major league debut on Independence Day, July 4th with the California Angels. He finished the year with a 4-2 record and stellar 2.25 ERA for the Angels. Messersmith would go on and spend 12 years in the majors (1968-1979) with 4 different teams (career 130-99, 2.86 ERA, 1,625 K's). He was a 4-time All-star (1971, '74, '75, '76) and twice received Gold Glove Awards (1974, '75).
In 1971, Messersmith led the Angels in Victories (20-13), Complete Games (14), Shutouts (4), and Innings Pitched (276.2). In 1974, while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he led the National League in wins (20-6) and WHIP (1.098 BB+Hits/Inn). His .769 Win %, 221 Strikeouts, and 292.1 Innings Pitched were all the NL's 2nd best. In 1975, Messersmith pitched for the Dodgers without a contract (he wanted a no-trade clause) and led the NL in Games Started (40), Complete Games (19), Shutouts (7) and Innings Pitched (321.2). His 2.29 ERA led the Dodgers and was the NL's 2nd best. His 6.827 Hits/9 inn. was the stingiest in the NL. and his 213 K's was the NL's 3rd most. After another contract dispute, Messersmith signed with Ted Turner's lowly Atlanta Braves for the 1976 season but it was all downhill thereafter.
BOB MELVIN
DOWLING
LYLE PALMER
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