Geoff McArthur on Cal Coach Tosh Lupoi's Unstoppable Determination

`There’s nothing you can do to stop him from getting that goal,' McArthur says of his former Golden Bears roommate

Geoff McArthur | Jeff Faraudo

Twenty-six years after they arrived at Cal as freshmen roommates during summer bridge classes, Geoff McArthur and Tosh Lupoi are reunited at Berkeley.

McArthur is thrilled to be working as an assistant wide receivers coach for the Bears and he’s not the least bit surprised that his old teammate has climbed the ladder to become a first-time head coach at their alma mater.

“I can see it. He’s a leader of men,” McArthur said. “The reason he’s a leader of men is because he can lead himself into doing anything he wants to achieve. When you have that type of pedigree, others will follow.”

McArthur and Lupoi hit it off from the start. McArthur came to the Bay Area from Los Angeles, where he was a star receiver at Palisades High School, which also spawned the likes of Steve Kerr, Forrest Whitaker and Susanna Hoffs.

Lupoi was a local kid and his family provided McArthur with an immediate anchor at his new locale.

“He was an amazing roommate. Very welcoming. That brotherhood spirit from De La Salle was obvious,” McArthur recalled. “His parents were really nice and kind to me. Sometimes his mother would do my laundry. It made me uncomfortable because I’d be like, I didn’t know how dirty those clothes were, but she didn’t mind at all. 

“They just made me feel warm and welcome like I was a part of a family.”

The two stayed on as roomies at the Clark Kerr Campus dorms their freshman season, when McArthur saw significant playing time as a wide receiver and Lupoi, a defensive lineman, was redshirted.

But he showed McArthur a work ethic and a determination that he still sees.

“He got up for the volunteer workouts at 4:30 in the morning,” McArthur said. “Just so committed. A fabulous, fantastic teammate.”

McArthur tells the story from what he recalls as the Bears’ first game in 2000, but it was more likely their first road game. Cal beat Utah at home in its opener, then lost 17-3 at Fresno State.

“I had a couple catches so I was excited I existed as a college football player,” he said of the game, where his numbers actually were three receptions for 79 yards. Lupoi did not make the trip.

“When I got back to the dorms I was looking for him and it was all dark,” McArthur said. “I heard this noise in the room and I was like, `Omigod, something must be wrong.’ I went inside and asked what’s wrong? 

“He said, `How can you be smiling right now? We just lost our first game.’ The guy never lost a game in high school. That was his first loss and I was there to witness it.”

Cal made a coaching change after their second season, hiring Jeff Tedford, who turned the program around. As a redshirt junior in 2003, McArthur caught 85 passes for 1,503 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

A year later, as seniors, the two helped the Bears assemble a 10-2 record. McArthur remains the program’s career receiving yardage record-holder with 3,188 yards.

He is confident that with Lupoi leading the charge, the Bears return to those successful days.

“This guy is determined. He puts his eyes and he sets his goals. There’s nothing you can do to stop him from getting that goal,” McArthur said.

"He strongly believes in his ability to get things done. I think that his belief is not only from talent, but more so through grinding. He’s a grinder.”

Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky