California Golden Bears

California Golden Bears
California Golden Bears
University	University of California, Berkeley
Conference	Pac-12 (primary); Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (men's gymnastics, indoor track & field, water polo); America East (field hockey)
NCAA	Division I (FBS)
Athletic director	Jim Knowlton
Location	Berkeley, California
Varsity teams	30 (14 men’s, 16 women’s)
Football stadium	California Memorial Stadium
Basketball arena	Haas Pavilion
Baseball stadium	Evans Diamond
Softball stadium	Levine-Fricke Field
Soccer stadium	Edwards Stadium
Other venues	Clark Kerr Sand Courts
Mascot	Oski the Bear
Nickname	Golden Bears
Fight song	Fight for California
Cheer	Oski Yell
Colors	Blue and gold;
Website	www.calbears.com

The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as California or Cal, the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I primarily as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, and for a limited number of sports as a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). Over the course of the school's history, California has won team national titles in 13 men's and 3 women's sports and 115 team titles overall. Cal athletes have also competed in the Olympics for a host of different countries. Notable facilities used by the Bears include California Memorial Stadium (football) and Haas Pavilion (basketball and other indoor sports). Cal finished the 2010–11 athletic season with 1,219.50 points, earning third place in the Director's Cup standings, the Golden Bears' highest finish ever. Cal did not receive any points for its national championships in rugby and men's crew because those sports are not governed by the NCAA.^[2] Cal finished 12th in the 2014-15 standings.^[3]

In 2014, Cal instituted a strict academic standard for an athlete's admission to the university. By the 2017 academic year 80 percent of incoming student athletes were required to comply with the University of California general student requirement of having a 3.0 or higher high school grade point average.^[4]

California's nickname originated in 1895 during California's dominant track and field team's tour of Midwest and Eastern universities. A blue silk banner with the golden grizzly bear, the state symbol, was displayed by the team during that tour. Since then, Cal's athletic teams have been known as the Golden Bears.^[5]

After more than 100 years in the Pac-12 Conference, California is set to join the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. ^[6]

^ Cal Brand Guidelines (PDF). June 1, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
^ 2011-12 Director's Cup Standings
^ "2014-15 Director's Cup Standings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
^ Smith, Isaac. "Academic Senate releases new admissions criteria for student-athletes". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
^ "ESPN.com – NCAA College Football – The 100". ESPN. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
^ "ACC adding Stanford, Cal, SMU as new members in 2024". ESPN. September 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.

[1] Cal Brand Guidelines (PDF). June 1, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2017.

[2] 2011-12 Director's Cup Standings

[3] "2014-15 Director's Cup Standings" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.

[4] Smith, Isaac. "Academic Senate releases new admissions criteria for student-athletes". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.

[5] "ESPN.com – NCAA College Football – The 100". ESPN. Retrieved November 14, 2015.

[6] "ACC adding Stanford, Cal, SMU as new members in 2024". ESPN. September 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.

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