The Cal 100: No. 74 -- Mike Montgomery

Montgomery led Cal to its only conference title in the past 63 years, and he coached Stanford to a No. 1 ranking in the final 2004 AP poll

We count down the top 100 individuals associated with Cal athletics, based on their impact in sports or in the world at large – a wide-open category. See if you agree.

No. 74: Mike Montgomery

Cal Sports Connection: He was Cal's basketball coach for six seasons from 2008 to 2014

Claim to Fame: Cal won its only conference championship in the past 63 years when Montgomery was its coach, and he led Stanford to national prominence, helping the Cardinal earn the No. 1 ranking in the final 2004 AP poll.

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Mike Montgomery proved two things people thought were impossible: 1. You can win consistently at a high level in basketball at Stanford. 2. You can win consistently at a high level in basketball at Cal.

His unprecedented and odd experience of being head coach of both Bay Area rivals merely cemented his reputation as a great college basketball coach.

His reputation as a pro coach? Well, that’s another matter.

His reputation as a master of sarcasm? Undeniable.

Unlike most of the people on The Cal 100, Montgomery’s most noteworthy impact occurred before he was associated with Cal, although his impact with the Golden Bears was significant, guiding Cal to its only regular-season conference title in the past 63 years.

His first head coaching experience came at Montana before he was hired as Stanford’s head coach in 1986. Before Montgomery arrived, Stanford had not been to the NCAA tournament since 1942. In Montgomery’s 18 seasons as the Cardinal’s head coach, Stanford reached the NCAA tournament 12 times, including the last 10 years in a row. His Stanford teams won three Pac-10 titles and won 30 games or more three times. The Cardinal was ranked No. 1 during three different seasons under Montgomery, including a No. 1 ranking in the final AP poll in 2004. 

Stanford’s Maples Pavilion was always sold out during Montgomery’s final dozen years on The Farm, a far cry from the situation today.

Montgomery’s 1998 Stanford team may not have been his best, but it was the one that reached the Final Four before losing to eventual national champion Kentucky in the semifinals.

He left Stanford to take a shot at the NBA with the Golden State Warriors. That did not work out as well as the Warriors went 34-48 in both of his seasons, and he was dismissed.

Two years later, in 2008, Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour surprised the public by naming Montgomery as the Bears’ head coach. In his six seasons at Cal, the Bears went to the NCAA tournament four times, and in 2010, his Cal squad won the Pac-10 regular-season championship. It was the Bears’ first conference title since 1960, and they have not won another conference title since.

Montgomery left a string of other noteworthy achievement behind:

--- In three of Montgomery’s six seasons, a Cal player was named conference player of the year – Jerome Randle in 2010, Jorge Gutierrez in 2012 and Allen Crabbe in 2013.

Mike Montgomery with Jorge Gutierrez / Photo by Cary Edmondson, USA Today

--- The Bears routinely drew more than 9,000 fans to Haas Pavilion when Montgomery was there and drew more than 11,000 on several occasions. Cal’s season high in attendance in 2022-23 was 3,648.

--- In his 32 seasons as a college head coach, Montgomery had one losing season.

--- Montgomery had bladder cancer in 2011, but had surgery in October and did not miss any games.

Montgomery, now 76 years old, has been a TV commentator for West Coast college basketball games in recent years, including the 2022-23 season. 

He also has been consulted when Cal has hired head basketball coaches, and he was Stanford's head coach when new Cal coach Mark Madsen played for the Cardinal.

A few months ago, Montgomery expressed his thoughts on what it would take for Cal to return to the elite level in basketball, suggesting it would require "structural changes."

The Cal 100: No. 75 -- Ron Fimrite

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Cover photo of Mike Montgomery by Darren Yamashita, USA TODAY Sports

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