The Cal 100: No. 21 -- Mark Bingham

Bingham was a Cal rugby player who became a national hero when he gave up his life to help squelch at terrorist attack on Washington, D.C.

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. 21: Mark Bingham

Cal Sports Connection: Bingham was a member of Cal’s 1991 national championship rugby squad.

Claim to Fame: He was a principal player in the planning and execution of the strategy that foiled the 9/11 airline terrorist attack that was directed at Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001

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Many of our Cal 100 representatives did remarkable things after their time in Berkeley, but only one sacrificed his life and became a national hero.

Ten years after he was a member of the 1991 Cal rugby that won a national championship, 31-year-old Mark Bingham played a critical role in thwarting the 9/11 terrorist effort aimed at crippling or destroying the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House. Bingham lost his life in the process of his courageous effort, which caused  United Airlines Flight 93 to crash in Pennsylvania, killing all the occupants, including the terrorists.

The posthumous awards and accolades followed.

---U.S. Senators John McCain and Barbara Boxer honored Bingham on September 17, 2001, and presented a folded American flag to Paul Holm, Bingham’s partner for six years.

---Bingham was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 2002 ESPYs.

---The 2013 documentary film The Rugby Player examines Bingham’s relationship with his mother and his deeds during Flight 93.

---The Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement is presented each year to a Cal undergraduate student at the Cal Alumni Association's Charter Gala

---Bingham and fellow airline passenger Jeremy Glick earned the U.S. Rugby Foundation’s Chairman's Award in 2021.

---The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial tournament, also known as the Bingham Cup, is a biennial rugby tournament considered to be the world championships of gay and inclusive rugby. 

---The Mark Bingham Rugby Back Row Endowment was established by Cal rugby alumnus Stuart Shiff and his wife, Josie.

---In 2022 members of the Cal rugby squad attended an event hosted by the UC Berkeley Army ROTC program to remember and honor Bingham on the anniversary of 9/11.

---The heroic actions of the rugged, 6-foot-4 Bingham are said to have initiated a reassessment of gay stereotypes.

A hint at Bingham's courage came the day Bingham, as a Cal undergraduate, ran out of the stands and tackled the Stanford Tree at midfield at halftime of the 1992 Big Game. Police followed in pursuit.

So let’s recount the actions of Mark Bingham during his last day on Earth – September 11, 2001.

He nearly missed the flight out of Newark. He overslept, ran to the gate, and was the last passenger to board United Airlines Flight 93.

Two minutes after his plane took off, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into New York’s World Trade Center. 

A half hour after Flight 93 became airborne, hijackers surged into the cockpit and took over control of the plane, telling passengers to stay seated and that they had a bomb. The plane changed course and was headed for Washington, D.C. Passengers who made phone calls to loved ones were told of the World Trade Center attack, leading many of the passengers to assume their plane was on a similar mission.

Bingham, Todd Beamer, Tom Burnett and Jeremy Glick formulated a plan to regain control of the plane from the hijackers. Bingham called his aunt’s house to let her know what he was planning.

His mother called back, and according to ABC News, left this message: "Mark, this is your mom. The news is that it's been hijacked by terrorists. They are planning to probably use the plane as a target to hit some site on the ground. I would say go ahead and do everything you can to overpower them, because they are hellbent. Try to call me back if you can."[

Bingham never called back.

The four-man band of passengers forced their way into the cockpit, causing a major commotion. That led to the plane spinning out of control and crashing into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 580 miles per hour, killing everyone on board.

The plane was 20 minutes from its presumed target, either the White House or the U.S. Capitol Building.

The Cal 100: No. 22 -- Stanley Barnes

Cover photo of Mark Bingham courtesy of Cal Athletics

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