The Cal 100: We Explore the Most Impactful People Associated with the Golden Bears

Beginning Sunday we count down 100 men and women who excelled on and off the field.

The history of Cal athletics, now into its second century, has a broad reach. Men and women with connections to the Golden Bears in a multitude of sports have made significant impact on and off the playing field.

Beginning Sunday, Cal Sports Report embark on a series called The Cal 100, where we will endeavor to highlight and rank 100 of the greatest of these men and women.

Many of them will be obvious to Cal fans — Aaron Rodgers, Jason Kidd, Pappy Waldorf. The Bears have produced an impressive list of athletes and coaches who have exceled while at Berkeley and beyond.

But our list extends beyond merely those who have competed as athletes or coaches. Anyone with a connection to Cal sports who has made a tangible contribution to the culture was considered for our countdown.

We expect that some of our selections may surprise you. We hope they do.

We want readers to be entertained and informed by the list. We invite debate and encourage you to provide your own suggestions, reminders of someone you believe is worthy that should not be allowed to slip through the cracks.

This was a lot of territory to cover and we did our best to mine not only the primary core of Cal’s athletic heritage but also the rich fringes of the sports landscape.

We begin our series by revealing No. 100 on Sunday. Enjoy and let us know what you think.

Cover photos of 1940s baseball and football star Jackie Jensen courtesy of Cal Athletics.

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