End of an Era and Traditions

The University of California Golden Bears played their final Pac-12 football game last night. It was a sad end of an era and a century of traditions. Greed. Greed ended a great athletic conference. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington wrecked the Pac-12 by choosing money over tradition. Rivalries, traditions, and pageantry make college football a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, those beautiful things no longer mean a thing. Money. Greed. Money rules everything. There’s never enough. It’s fitting that Cal closed their Pac-12 days by taking apart their UC little brother UCLA, 33-7. That’s no small thing. 

At least Cal and Stanford still have each other. They were the first college football teams on the west coast. They started together. They continue into a new athletic future together. In the Atlantic Coast Conference. So much for geographic accuracy. 

Dave Flemming and Brock Osweiler had the ESPN call of the Cal-UCLA game. They reminisced about the Pac-12 throughout the game. Osweiler played at Washington State. He knows the conference from playing experience. Flemming has spent his broadcasting career covering Pac-12 games. Towards the end of the game, Flemming selected his Mount Rushmore of Pac-12 players. Here are his selections.

Anthony Munoz

Reggie Bush

Ronnie Lott

Andrew Luck

 

Well, of course, that got me thinking about my Pac -12 Mt. Rushmore. 

Ernie Nevers

Steve Emtman 

Anthony Munoz

Junior Seau

Then, of course, that got me thinking about a Cal Mt. Rushmore.

Brick Muller 

Jackie Jensen

Chuck Muncie

Joe Roth

Cal athletics will continue and thrive. It’s a damn shame it won’t be in the conference they helped build.