SECOND TO NONE
Darren Baker found himself pushing to be something he wasn’t as a sophomore at Sacramento’s Jesuit High. Five years later, he is a third-year starter at second base at Cal and free from the expectations that were held over his head for much of his career. While he’s proudly the son of Dusty Baker – a longtime fixture in Major League Baseball – he’s not playing for anyone but himself.
SPECIAL BOND
John Mann nearly skipped his recruiting visit to Bear Territory. Fortunately for Cal, his change of heart led to one of the most successful individual careers in program history. Years later, Mann will now be one of seven highly accomplished individuals enshrined into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame as the class of 2020.
1-2 PUNCH
Moments after delivering a 1-2 punch in the 50 free at the 2019 NCAA Championships last March, the expressions on Ryan Hoffer and Pawel Sendyk's faces may have left fans wondering which California swimmer won the event. Like much of the 2018-19 swimming season – which culminated in the Golden Bears' sixth NCAA championship – Hoffer and Sendyk found themselves neck-and-neck.
SELF MADE
The odds usually stack up against young men in western North Carolina who had it as tough as Bobby Isaac. But Isaac had a gift – he could drive stock cars. A look back at the Catawba County native’s life and legendary stock car racing career ahead of his 2016 posthumous induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
FIRE & WATER
In the 18 months since helping lead the Golden Bears to the 2019 NCAA title, former All-American Mike Thomas has graduated from California and pushed himself through training to become a Wildland Firefighter 1 for Cal Fire. Now, in the summer of 2020, the former IM standout finds himself on the front lines of the battle against a historic slew of wildfires throughout the state of California.
INDIANS REV IT UP
With their current and fallen teammates in their thoughts and prayers, St. Stephens High’s Indians hit the ground running against Bunker Hill, rushing for 291 yards in a convincing 42-16 win at Indians Stadium. Quarterback Spencer Brown paved the way, totaling 266 yards of offense and three touchdowns.