Top 10 Cal Quarterbacks

Chase Garbers declaring for the NFL Draft got me thinking about the best Cal quarterbacks of my lifetime. Garbers played his way onto the list of with those quarterbacks. His highs were very high. Two wins against Stanford. Two wins against USC. No Cal quarterback had managed that in my lifetime. My Golden Bear football interest, as well as my desire to attend that magnificent university, began the day I witnessed Joe Roth throwing beauties to Wesley Walker. My Cal student days were the mid-1980s. Joe Kapp coaching. Gale Gilbert throwing. There weren’t a lot of wins but there was a lot of football fun. Everything is fun when Kapp is involved. From my earliest Cal football memories to the present, these are my Top 10 Cal quarterbacks.

1.   Aaron Rodgers (2003-04)

2.   Joe Roth (1975-76)

3.   Steve Bartkowski (1972-74)

4.   Rich Campbell (1977-80)

5.   Mike Pawlawski (1988-91)

6.   Jared Goff (2013-15)

7.   Chase Garbers (2018-21)

8.   Gale Gilbert (1980-84)

9.   Nate Longshore (2005-08)

10. Troy Taylor (1986-89)

When I think of Aaron Rodgers' Cal days I can't help but think about some scouting idiocy. The San Francisco 49ers had the first pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Mike McCarthy was the 49ers' offensive coordinator. So, he had a role in the team’s scouting of Rodgers. When McCarthy was hired as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2006, he inherited the quarterback that he didn’t draft. Rodgers asked him why the 49ers passed on him with that first pick. McCarthy said that a reason that they passed on him for Alex Smith was that they decided that Rodgers wasn't mobile enough. When I heard that I couldn't help but wonder if the 49ers' scouts had even watched the Cal quarterback. His mobility was easy to see and it was just across the bay from the 49ers to see. The natural passing talent that he's shown for the Packers could be seen in the quarterback that he was at Cal. For being part of that scouting idiocy, McCarthy didn't deserve the quarterback that he inherited. 

Aaron Rodgers is the best college quarterback that I've ever witnessed from stadium seats. Better than Drew Bledsoe, Ryan Leaf, Carson Palmer, and Andrew Luck. Rodgers' performance against USC in 2004 was beautiful football art.

Joe Roth might've been the second best college quarterback that I witnessed from stadium seats. If cancer hadn't taken him shortly after his final college football game, he would've been an NFL great. 

Fred Besana had the talent to be on this list. Unfortunately, he was at Cal the same time as Roth. 

My most vivid Cal football and Cal quarterback memories really start with Roth. Steve Bartkowski’s playing days are more blurred than vivid. Despite playing in Atlanta, I remember his NFL days fairly well. His passing talent was obvious. 

Rich Campbell was the first Cal quarterback to be a first round selection of the Green Bay Packers. After Bartkowski, Roth, and then Campbell, I thought that the Golden Bears would always field an offense led by one of the best quarterbacks in the country. I was spoiled. Cal fans were spoiled. 

Mike Pawlawski wasn't gifted with natural NFL talent but he was an excellent college quarterback. It was so much fun watching him lead the Golden Bears. The 1991 Cal football team was the best of my lifetime. Rodgers' 2004 team is a very close second. Both teams ranked in the final Top 10 nationally. 

Jared Goff was a fine college quarterback. He impressed me most his freshman year. Despite looking like a stiff breeze might snap him in half, he was always poised in the chaos of the pocket. He never seemed bothered by the pass rush. He certainly wasn’t afraid of it. He looked like a high school freshman. He had the poise of a college senior. That being said, his statistics were bloated by a Sonny Dykes offense that did little to prepare him for the NFL. 

Chase Garbers was fun. His passing wasn’t always pretty but he was definitely committed. His effort and passion were always sky high. Perhaps too high at times. His best games were often the biggest games. Stanford and USC. In a way, he reminded me of a modern day Joe Kapp. 

Gale Gilbert was a fun, productive college quarterback. He didn’t play much in the NFL but he did go to five consecutive Super Bowls. Buffalo Bills (1990-93) San Diego Chargers (1994).

Nate Longshore had the tough task of replacing Aaron Rodgers. Longshore’s first full season as a starter was outstanding. Each season after was a little less outstanding. 

Troy Taylor followed Gale Gilbert and kept Cal football fun. Unfortunately fun doesn’t always translate into success. Cal just wasn’t very good in the 1980s. Taylor left Berkeley as Cal’s most prolific passer. Even with nearly two decades of quarterbacks coached by Jeff Tedford and Sonny Dykes, Taylor is still one of the most prolific passers in school history. 

The departure of Chase Garbers leaves Cal with a quarterback competition. The top contenders are Purdue transfer Jack Plummer and sophomore Kai Millner. Here’s hoping that one (or both?) plays his way on to this list.