The Cal 100: No. 49 -- Loren Hawley
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. 49: Loren Hawley
Cal Sports Connection: Hawley played rugby for Cal in the 1960s and also was a member of the Golden Bears’ football team
Claim to Fame: He is considered one of the best American-born rugby players ever and is credited with helping to revolutionize the game with his aerial skills. He also was standout at several positions for the Bears’ football team, eventually being drafted by the Oakland Raiders.
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You can debate whether Loren Hawley or Mike McDonald was Cal’s best rugby player ever, since both are considered among the best American-born rugby players in history.
However, Hawley gets the nod in our Cal 100 because of his influence on the game of rugby and his impact as a Cal football player.
The 6-foot-4 Hawley could play nearly every position on the rugby pitch if needed, but he typically was a flanker. He was an athletic and physical player, but it was his ability in lineouts that separated him from the pack. He was known as the King of the Lineouts, and his height and jumping ability helped revolutionize the game of rugby in this aspect.
Famed Cal rugby coach Jack Clark was younger than Hawley, but knew him by reputation.
“Loren had a long body type, 6-foot-6 with the arm length of a 7 footer,” Clark said. “He was unstoppable in the lineouts. Great aerial abilities. He was tough and ultra competitive. His teammates still talk about him in awe. He is among the best American rugby players of all-time.”
Hawley led Cal to an undefeated record against American competition in 1965, and helped the Bears do much better than anticipated in their trip to New Zealand and Australia. Expected to go winless on the tour, Cal went 5-2-2.
Hawley played rugby before there was a USA national team or a national collegiate rugby championship, so his exploits were less publicized than those of recent players.
Photo courtesy of C
Hawley also was a three-time letter winner in Cal football (1961, 1963, 1964). He played running back, wide receiver and defensive back at Cal, and was drafted in the 14th round of the 1965 AFL draft by the Oakland Raiders as a defensive back.
His best offensive football season at Cal was 1963, when he finished fifth in the conference (then the Athletic Association of Western Universities) in receptions (25), seventh in receiving yards (305) and third in receiving touchdowns (4). He caught a long touchdown pass from his friend, Craig Morton, in a 15-8 victory over Iowa State in the 1963 season opener.
His sons, Colin and Garrett, were also rugby standouts, and Hawley routinely attended Cal rugby games as a spectator even after he developed throat cancer and was unable to speak.
Hawley died in 2008 at the age of 65.
Cover photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
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