Cal's Top Stories in 2023: Death of the Pac-12 Conference As We Know It

We count down the 15 biggest stories of the year involving the Golden Bears.

Headlines chased Cal sports throughout 2023, including one we never could have imagined just a few years ago: The Pac-12 Conference as we know it is about to perish after 108 years, sending Cal (and rival Stanford) to an unlikely new competition address in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But there was more. Much more.

The worst era in Cal basketball history mercifully ended with the dismissal of coach Mark Fox and the hiring of Mark Madsen. Yes, the Mad Dog from Stanford is now on the sideline at Haas Pavilion.

The saddest episode in recent Cal athletics annals saw its final chapter last January when the university fired women’s swim coach after an eight-month investigation into allegations of abuse from her former athletes.

Aaron Rodgers, who seems to always find a way to keep his name in the conversation, was traded from the Green Bay Packers to the long-suffering New York Jets and barely worked up a sweat in the NFL opener before his season ended with a torn Achilles tendon.

Marcus Semien helped lead the Texas Rangers to their first-ever World Series title and Jared Goff is orchestrating the best season the Detroit Lions have enjoyed in three decades.

The Cal football team, on the verge of a fourth straight season without a bowl game, won its final three games to land a berth in the Independence Bowl. And the Bears will enter the ACC equipped with a star running back in Jaydn Ott, who announced he will return for the 2024 season.

Camryn Rogers and Ryan Murphy won world titles, the Cal men’s swim and water polo teams captured NCAA crowns, and the rugby team got close enough to taste another championship.

Bob Melvin returned to the Bay Area after being named manager of the Giants, golfers Max Homa and Collin Morikawa continued to compete near the top of their sport, and Jaylen Brown signed the richest deal in NBA history.

Here are our top-15 Cal stories of 2023:

Photo by Kirby Lee, USA Today

1. Goodbye Pac-12; Hello ACC

This all started in the summer of 2022 when USC and UCLA announced plans to leave for the Big Ten and a bigger TV deal, beginning in the fall of 2024. That sparked tremors throughout the Pac-12 and by last summer Washington and Oregon accepted invitations to join their SoCal brethren in the land of Michigan and Ohio State.

A day later, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State bolted for the Big 12, which was seeking new members to fill the void as Texas and Oklahoma exit for the Southeastern Conference.

Suddenly, the Pac-12 was the Pac-4 and revenue from that arrangement that wasn’t going to keep the lights on inside Haas Pavilion. So, faced with no better alternative, Cal and Stanford completed the destruction of the Pac by making the geographically ridiculous shift to the ACC, where their teams will play road games in North Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Turns out Florida State now wants to leave the ACC after its unbeaten football team was bypassed for the College Football Playoff. The Seminoles have filed suit against their own league, challenging the $130 million exit fee that is part of the contract they signed. Yes, one big happy ACC family the Bears are joining.

It was that kind of season for Mark Fox and the Bears / Photo by Neville E. Guard, USA Today

2. Mark Fox out after 3-29 season; Bears hire Mark Madsen

This wasn’t all Mark Fox’s fault. Cal basketball had gone south under Wyking Jones, whose two seasons produced a 16-47 ledger. And the COVID-19 pandemic, which arrived late in Fox’s debut season, didn’t help.

But after four years and a 38-87 record punctuated by an all-time worst 3-29 slate last season that drove away even some of Cal’s most patient fans, Fox was sent packing.

Mark Madsen, the Mad Dog from Stanford who won an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, was hired and immediately recruited four Division I transfers to provide the Bears with a talent base that will give them a chance to compete in the final season of Pac-12 hoops.

Aaron Rodgers is tackled on the play that ended his season / Photo by Robert Deutsch, USA Today

3. Aaron Rogers traded to NY Jets, tears Achilles in opener

Cal’s greatest quarterback, Aaron Rodgers was just a year removed from winning his third MVP in the NFL when he agreed to a trade from Green Bay to New York. Jets fans were giddy, envisioning the franchise’s first Super Bowl title since Joe Willie Namath more than a half-century ago.

Rodgers embraced the optimism, and fueled it by talking up his teammates and maintaining a high profile in NYC. Could the Jets really compete with the NFL’s best?

The dream came crashing down when Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon on the third play of the season. He told fans he hoped to return this season if the Jets were positioned to reach the postseason. Neither will happen, but Rodgers, now 40, says he will be back in 2024.

Jaydn Ott was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection / Photo by Darren Yamashita, USA Today

4. Bears earn first bowl bid since 2019

It wasn’t enough that the Bears were 3-6, but they were pounded 63-19 by Oregon at Autzen Stadium and had no margin for error remaining in their quest for a bowl bid.

They had to win three in a row — against Washington State and on the road against Stanford and UCLA. And they did it, winning the Big Game for the third straight season before kissing off the Big Ten-bound Bruins 33-7 to reach 6-6 and postseason eligibility.

Cal played its poorest game in more than a month in a 34-14 loss to Texas Tech at the Independence Bowl but the week wasn’t a total loss. Sophomore running back Jaydn Ott, who finished the season with 1,302 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns, announced he will return for 2024.

Marcus Semien celebrates the Rangers' championship, / Photo by Matt Kartozian, USA Today

5. Marcus Semien helps Rangers win 1st World Series

Berkeley-born Marcus Semien, who played baseball at Cal from 2009 through ’11, reached the peak of his MLB career, helping the Texas Rangers to their first World Series championship.

Semien, 33, struggled through much of the postseason, driving in just three runs without a home run in the Rangers’ first 15 games. But in the decisive final two games of the Fall Classic against Arizona, Semien tripled, homered twice and drove in seven runs.

He was terrific all season, playing in his second All-Star game and capturing a Silver Slugger award for the second time in three seasons.

Semien led the American League with 122 runs scored, 185 hits, and 670 at-bats. His 7.4 WAR was second in the AL to MVP Shohei Ohtani, and his 73 extra-base hits and 320 total bases were most among second basemen. He also drove in 100 runs for the second time in his career, even while batting leadoff.

For the third time in five seasons — with the A’s in 2019, the Blue Jays in ’21 and the Rangers in ’23 — Semien finished third in the American League MVP voting.

Teri McKeever / Photo by Kyle Terada, USA Today

6. Cal fires women’s swim coach Teri McKeever

By the time Cal fired long-time women’s swim coach Teri McKeever last January her fate seemed sealed. McKeever, 61, was the subject of a series of investigative stories by the Orange County Register, dating back to the previous June, in which more than a dozen former athletes made damning allegations of bullying and abuse over a period of years.

Cal responded by authorizing an independent investigation, producing a 482-page report that led to her firing. McKeever filed a lawsuit against the UC Regents in May, claiming gender-biased standards led to her dismissal.

McKeever, who worked at Cal for 29 years, was one of the most successful women’s swim coaches in the country. Her Cal teams won four NCAA championships and were top-five finishers nationally for 15 consecutive seasons.

Her program produced 26 Olympians who combined for 36 Olympic medals.

Jared Goff and Lions coach Dan Campbell / Photo by Jamie Sabau, USA Today

7. Jared Goff leads Detroit Lions resurgence

Cal’s most prolific quarterback, Jared Goff has helped lead the Detroit Lions to their finest season in decades. The 29-year-old, who previously quarterbacked the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl, is No. 3 in the NFL with 3,727 passing yards, on pace for his fourth season of at least 4,000 yards. His 26 touchdown passes are tied for third-most in the NFL.

Goff threw five touchdown passes last week in a 42-17 win over the Denver Broncos, adding to a resume that has him on the periphery of the MVP conversation.

More importantly, the Lions are 10-4 entering play today and own a three-game lead in the NFL North division. With a win at Minnesota today, Detroit can clinch its first division title in 30 years.

Coach Dave Durden and the Bears win another title / Courtesy of Cal Athletics

8. Bears repeat as NCAA men’s swim champs

The Cal men’s swim team finished second to Arizona State at the Pac-12 championships last spring, snapping its run of five straight conference crowns. But the Bears answered by winning their second straight NCAA championship, outscoring ASU 482-430.

Powered by Destin Lasco, Reece Whitley, Bjorn Seeliger, Jack Alexy, Hugo Gonzalez and Gabriel Jett, the Bears earned coach Dave Durden his sixth NCAA title since 2011 and the program’s eighth national championship overall.

Perhaps most impressive: Cal has finished either first or second at 13 consecutive NCAA meets.

The Golden Bears celebrate their victory / Photo by Catharyn Hayne, KLC fotos

9. Cal men’s water polo three-peats

Cal beat top seed UCLA 13-11 to capture its third straight NCAA men’s water polo crown. Max Casabella scored five times, Roberto Valera had four goals and tournament MVP Nikolaos Papanikolaou drew 11 exclusions by Bruins defenders, giving him 26 for the three-game event.

The Bears finished 24-5, adding to a three-year record of 69-11. The Bears won their 17th NCAA title in the sport, their sixth under coach Kirk Everist, who also won twice as a Cal player.

Papanikolaou finished his career as a five-time All-American and climbed to second on Cal’s all-time list with 249 goals.

Camryn Rogers enjoys a group hug with fellow medalists / Photo courtesy of Camryn Rogers

10. Camryn Rogers a world champion in the hammer

A three-time NCAA hammer throw champion at Cal and owner of the 11 longest marks in college history, Camryn Rogers struck gold last summer in Budapest.

The 24-year-old Canadian dominated the field at the World Championships to become the first Cal athlete to win a gold medal in the 40-year history of the World Championships and the first to finish atop the podium at a World Championship or Olympics since pole vaulter Guinn Smith at the 1948 London Games.

Rogers, who finished second at the Worlds the year before in Eugene, Oregon, threw 253 feet, 4 inches (77.22) on her first attempt and wound up with the top five marks of the competition.

Earlier in the season, Rogers threw 257-11 (78.62) to climb to No. 5 on the all-time world list.

Cal sophomore Mykolas Alekna won the bronze medal in the men's discus a year after taking the silver.

Bob Melvin during his Padres days / Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski, USA Today

11. Bob Melvin comes home as Giants manager

Cal baseball alum and Bay Area native Bob Melvin, 62, left his two-year post as manager of the San Diego Padres this offseason to take the reins of the San Francisco Giants.

Embarking on his 20th season as an MLB skipper, Melvin ranks 25th on the all-time list with 1,517 career managerial victories. He played catcher for 10 seasons in the majors, three of them with the Giants.

Melvin previously managed the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland A’s. His teams have earned eight postseason bids, six of those with the A’s.

Max Homa and Collin Morikawa enjoy a moment / Photo by Andrew Wevers, USA Today

12. Golfers Max Homa, Collin Morikawa excel

Cal alums Max Homa and Collin Morikawa each won once during the 2023 PGA season, finishing the year at No. 7 and 13, respectively, in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Homa, 33, had 13 top-10 finishes on the year and earned more than $10 million in prize money. He ascended as high as No. 5 in the world rankings at one point.

Morikawa, 26, the winner of two golf majors, ended a 27-month victory drought by capturing the ZOZO Championship in October. He and Homa were teammates for the Zurich Classic at New Orleans in April, but failed to make the cut.

Cleveland defenders try to box in Jaylen Brown / Photo by David Butler II, USA Today

13. Jaylen Brown signs richest deal in NBA history

Now eight years removed from his lone season at Cal, Jaylen Brown comes off a watershed NBA season in which he averaged a career-best 26.6 points before signing a record contract extension worth $304 million over five years.

Brown, 27, played in his second All-Star Game last season and earned second-team All-NBA honors, which qualified him for the max contract extension from the Boston Celtics.

His 2022-23 season ended in disappointment when he averaged 19.0 points and shot just 16 percent (7 for 43) from the 3-point arc in the Celtics’ seven-game loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

Cal can't quite get over the top vs. Navy in the national title match / Guy Warren Photography

14. Cal rugby flirts with another national title

The Cal rugby 15s advanced to their first national championship game since 2019 before coming up short in a 28-22 loss to Navy.

The Bears, who have won 28 national titles in the 15s since 1980, blasted Cal Poly 82-15 to open the national tournament, then knocked off rival Saint Mary’s 29-28 and clobbered BYU 55-31 to reach the title match.

Cal finished the year 13-4.

Ryan Murphy / Photo by Robert Hanashiro, USA Today

15. Ryan Murphy still tops in the backstroke

Four-time Olympic gold medalist Ryan Murphy showed he’s still a force in the swimming pool, winning the 100-meter backstroke at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

Murphy, 28, took home a total of four medals from the competition, also including a silver in the 200 backstroke and a gold in the 400 medley relay.

He swept the NCAA meet in the 100 and 200 back four straight years (2014 to ’17) at Cal and won gold in both events at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Honorable mention

— Keenan Allen entered play this week leading all NFL receivers with a career-best 108 catches and is fifth with 1,243 receiving yards. The 31-year-old Los Angeles Chargers receiver had 18 catches for 215 yards in a 28-24 win at Minnesota on Sept. 24, and has 904 catches for 10,530 yards with 59 touchdowns in his NFL career. He has sat out the past two games due to a heel injury.

— Safety Camryn Bynum has emerged in his third NFL season with the Minnesota Vikings. His 112 total tackles are tied for 16th most in the NFL, but first among non-linebackers and tops on his team. He has 45 tackles the past four games, including 15 in a loss to the Eagles

— Cal women’s field hockey team advanced to the NCAAs for the first time since 2006. The Bears qualified by capturing the America East tournament, winning all three games by a single goal, two of the in overtime. Cal lost 3-0 to Miami-Ohio in its first NCAA match in 17 years.

— The Cal softball team were selected to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018, splitting four games in the event to finish the season with a record of 35-21-1.

Cover photo by unidentified athlete apparently sprinting away from the Pac-12 by Darren Yamashita, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo