The Cal 100: No. 72 -- Steve Bartkowski
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. 72: Steve Bartkowski
Cal Sports Connection: Bartkowski was the starting quarterback for the 1974 Cal team that went 7-3-1 and was standout baseball player for the Bears.
Claim to Fame: He was a consensus first-team All-America quarterback, a two-time Pro Bowl selection in the NFL, and a second-team All-America baseball player at Cal
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Steve Bartkowski and Vince Ferragamo are linked in Cal football lore. They shared the Cal starting quarterback job in 1972 and 1973 until Ferragamo transferred to Nebraska, allowing Bartkowski to be the unquestioned starter for one season in 1974.
Both became starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and Ferragamo was the Rams starting quarterback in Super Bowl XIV, while Bartkowski never got to the Super Bowl. However, two elements of their resumes earned Bartkowski a spot on The Cal 100 list while Ferragamo was left off.
--- Bartkowski was also a standout baseball player at Cal, earning American Baseball Coaches Association second-team All-America honors in 1973 as a sophomore first baseman. He was drafted in the 19th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball draft following his junior year.
--- In football Bartkowski was a consensus first-team All-America quarterback while at Cal in 1974, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft, was the Pro Football Writers of America NFL offensive rookie of the year in 1975, was a two-time Pro Bowl selection, led the NFL in touchdown passes in 1980 with 31, led the NFL in passer rating in 1983, had his number unofficially retired by the Atlanta Falcons and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, Ferragamo was a third-team All-America selection in 1976 while at Nebraska, was a fourth-round pick in the 1977 draft, was never named to a Pro Bowl, did not have his number retired and is not in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Photos courtesy of Cal Athletics
Bartkowski was the best college quarterback in the country in 1974, after Ferragamo ended the competition by going to Nebraska. That year Bartkowski was named a first-team All-America by every noteworthy body, and he led the Pac-8 in completion percentage (56%), passing yards, passing yards per attempt and passer rating.
More significantly, after going 3-8 and 4-7 in the two previous seasons with Ferragamo and Bartkowski sharing the job, the Bears went 7-3-1 overall and 4-2-1 in the Pac-8 in 1974 with Bartkowski in control in Mike White’s third season as head coach.
Bartkowski’s best baseball season was 1973, when he hit .329 with 12 homers, but he also lettered in the spring of 1974 as a junior under first-year Cal head baseball coach Jackie Jensen.
The 1975 NFL draft was held in January, so after being the No. 1 overall pick (three spots ahead of Walter Payton) he did not play baseball for Cal that spring.
Bartkowski was named to the Pro Bowl in 1980 and 1981, and led the NFL in passer rating in 1983, finishing ahead of Dan Marino, Joe Montana and Dan Fouts, among others. Atlanta’s best season with Bartkowski as its starter was 1980 when the Falcons went 12-4 during the regular season and finished first in the NFC West but lost to the Cowboys in a first-round playoff game, one of three times Bartkowski led Atlanta to the postseason.
Bartkowski is a member of the Falcons' Ring of Honor, and no subsequent Falcons player can wear Bartkowski's No. 10, although the Falcons don't officially retire numbers. But he was benched to start the 1978 season and was on the verge of being considered a bust before a game later that season, highlighted in the video below:
Bartkowski is currently a member of the Falcons Board of Advisors.
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Cover photos of Steve Bartkowski courtesy of Cal Athletics
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