How Did Cal's Alex Mack Get Word About the College Hall of Fame?

Alex Mack was overseas last January, visiting his wife’s family, when unexpected news came to him in a surprising manner.

“I was visiting my wife’s family in Ireland and my phone started buzzing and beeping during dinnertime,” the former Cal center recalled Saturday afternoon before the Bears kicked off against Duke. “People saying congratulations to me. About what?”

What he didn’t know was he had been chosen to the College Football Hall of Fame. Official notification came in a package that was sitting in his mailbox back home.

“College Hall of Fame was far beyond the scope of anything I expected to do in college. It’s an incredible honor,” said Mack, who played at Cal from 2005 through 2008.

“I loved playing football. I loved playing for Cal. I did it because it got me a great education and it was fun. To be recognized as one of the best to ever do it is very special.”

Mack, honored on the field during Cal’s game against Duke on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, holds a special distinction among the 21 former Golden Bears players and coaches in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.

Mack, 39, is Cal’s only representative in the Hall who played his college career in the past 50 years.

That’s right, while long-ago stars such as Brick Muller, Jackie Jensen and Les Richter reside in the Hall, the next most-recent Cal player inducted is quarterback Steve Bartkowski, whose playing days with the Bears spanned from 1972 through ’74.

Tony Gonzalez, Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch and Jared Goff are not part of the fraternity.

“I think some of those names definitely deserve to join me,” Mack said. “Marshawn Lynch is one of the reasons I think I was a good player. He was such an incredible running back”

They didn’t make the cut because one of the criteria for selection is having been named a first-team All-American.

Mack played center for Cal from 2005 through ’08, helping the Bears win four consecutive bowl games and earning a long list of individual honors for his achievements on and off the field. Cal’s teams were 34-17 during his playing career and ranked in the AP Top-25 at least once in each of his four seasons.

"Alex Mack became one of the most respected linemen in college football, earning first-team All-American honors and anchoring California's front line with intelligence, toughness, and remarkable consistency throughout his career." NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said.

"His intelligence extended to the classroom as the winner of the 2008 Campbell Trophy, and we are thrilled to honor him at California Memorial Stadium as a member of the 2025 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class.”

He was never a sure thing as a college player, rated as a modest 2-star prospect out of high school in Santa Barbara.

Mack laughs as he recalls in the video above a moment during fall camp his freshman year when sophomore defensive lineman Brandon Mebane, also a future NFL star, showed him how far he had to grow.

Mack was voted into the Hall in January and will be formally inducted during ceremonies at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Dec. 9. Others in the 22-man 2025 class that will be enshrined at the College Hall of Fame in Atlanta include Michael Strahan, Michael Vick, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban.

From Cal, Mack was selected 21st in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played 13 seasons with the Browns (2009-15) and Atlanta Falcons (2016-20).

He was chosen to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2010s NFL All-Decade Team, was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time second-team All-Pro.

Mack talks in the video above about the satisfaction he experienced as a college player and his reaction to how today's changing college football landscape.

Mack’s highest honor during his Cal was was winning what Hatchell referred to as theWilliam V. Campbell Trophy. It was known as the Draddy Trophy in 2008, when Mack was honored as the college football’s elite scholar-athlete for his football and academic achievements and leadership abilities.

He also was honored that year as the Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and won the Morris Trophy as the league’s top offensive lineman for the second straight year. He was a two-time All-America selection and a three-time first-team All-Pac-10 honoree.

Mack was a Pac-10 All-Academic selection all four years and is a member of the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame and the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame.

CAL’S NFF COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMERS

(21 – 17 Players, 4 Head Coaches)

Name – Position (Seasons Played/Coached At Cal) – Year Inducted

Stan Barnes – Line (1918-21) – 1954

Steve Bartkowski – Quarterback (1972-74) – 2012

Vic Bottari – Halfback (1936-38) – 1981

Sam Chapman – Halfback (1935-37) – 1984

Rod Franz – Guard (1946-49) – 1977

Walter Gordon – Tackle (1916-18) – 1975

Matt Hazeltine – Center (1951-54) – 1989

Bob Herwig – Center (1935-37) – 1964

Babe Horrell – Center (1923-24) – 1969

Bill Ingram – Head Coach (1931-34) – 1973

Jackie Jensen – Fullback (1946-48) – 1984

Joe Kapp – Quarterback (1956-58) – 2003

Alex Mack – Center (2004-08) – 2025

Don McMillian – Tackle (1920-21) – 1971

Craig Morton – Quarterback (1962-64) – 1992

Brick Muller – End (1920-22) – 1951

Les Richter – Guard (1949-51) – 1982

Buck Shaw – Head Coach (1945) – 1972

Andy Smith – Head Coach (1916-25) – 1951

Pappy Waldorf – Head Coach (1947-56) – 1966

Ed White – Defensive Line (1966-68) – 1999

NOTE: Eggs Manske (1947-52, inducted 1999) and John Ralston (1956-58,iInducted 1992) were assistant coaches at Cal who are also in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.