Marshawn Lynch Headlines the 35th Class of Cal's Athletic Hall of Fame
Ten deserving men and women are members of the 35th class of inductees into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame. But the headliner, without much argument, is running back Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch was a star at every level from his days at Oakland Tech High through an NFL career that spanned parts of 12 seasons.
At Cal, he rushed for 3,230 carer yards and helped lead the Bears to a combined record of 28-9 in his three seasons (2004-06).
Often controversial but never boring, Lynch celebrated the Bears’ overtime victory vs. Washington in 2006 by commandeering the injury cart and taking it on a joyride around the Memorial Stadium turf to the delight of fans.
At Super Bowl media day in 2015, Lynch wrote every reporter’s story by answering each question with the terse remark, "I'm just here so I don't get fined.”
Still an iconic figure in his hometown of Oakland, Lynch was durable and productive on the football field.
Beginning with his junior season at Oakland Tech in the fall of 2002 through his retirement from the NFL after two quiet playoff games with the Seattle Seahawks in January 2020, put up these impressive numbers:
Here’s a rundown on the latest Cal Athletic Hall of Fame members, to be enshrined the weekend of October 29-30 in Berkeley, the weekend the Bears face Oregon State at home. Bios courtesy of Cal:
SOPHIE ANDERSSON (AAGAARD) - Women's Golf (2004-06)
Andersson transferred to Cal from Mississippi State in the fall of 2003 and went on to become a three-time All-American, leading the Golden Bears to three consecutive top-5 finishes at the NCAA Championships. She finished her Cal career with a school-record 74.2 stroke average (since broken) and as a three-time All-Pac-10 and two-time All-West Region selection. Individually, she captured the 2005 Spartan Invitational and recorded 16 top-10 finishes, including a sixth-place showing at the 2004 NCAA Championships. A member of the Swedish National team for seven years, she helped her home country to the 2004 World Amateur Team title and a silver-medal finish in 2006. Andersson played professionally for six years and competed in two U.S. Opens. Andersson returned to Cal as an assistant coach and helped the Bears advance to the NCAA Championships in both 2014 and 2015. She has served as head coach at Cal Poly since July 2015 and is a two-time Big West Coach of the Year.
SUSIE BABOS – Women's Tennis (2005-08)
Babos became the first Golden Bear to win the NCAA singles title when she defeated USC's Lindsey Nelson, 6-4, 6-1, in the 2006 championship match. She earned All-American honors five times in singles and doubles during her career. Babos won back-to-back ITA All-American singles championships from 2006-07. She and teammate Zsuzsanna Fodor were named the 2007 Pac-10 Doubles Team of the Year, and together they won the 2006 ITA Northwest Regional Championships doubles title. A four-time All-Pac-10 selection, Babos was named the 2005 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. She also earned two Pac-10 All-Academic awards and was a member of the 2006 ITA All-Star Team.
ERIN CAFARO – Women's Rowing (2003-06)
One of the most decorated rowers in school history, Cafaro helped Cal to the NCAA team championship in both 2005 and '06, earning first-team All-American and All-Pac-10 honors as a senior in 2006. As a member of the varsity eight, she won an NCAA title in 2005 and was runner-up in 2006. The varsity eight also won back-to-back Pac-10 crowns from 2005-06. A fixture on the U.S. National Team from 2005-12, Cafaro was named USRowing's Female Athlete of the Year in 2009 and World Rowing Female Crew of the Year in 2008 and 2009. She captured a gold medal in the eight at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and earned gold in the eight and pair at the 2009 World Championships, In addition, she captured gold in the four at 2007 Worlds. An 11-time medalist in World Cup racing, she is a member of the National Rowing Foundation Hall of Fame (as part of the 2008 Olympic champion 8).
JUSTIN FORSETT – Football (2004-07)
Forsett was chosen first-team All-Pac-10 and Cal's Offensive MVP as a senior in 2007 when he rushed for 1,546 yards (third all-time at Cal) and tied the school season record with 15 rushing touchdowns. He also set a school mark with 305 rushing attempts that season. Forsett completed his career among the school's all-time leaders in 100-yard rushing games (T2nd, 15), rushing yards (3rd, 3,220), rushing touchdowns (6th, 26) and all-purpose yards (10th, 3768). He rushed for a career-high 235 yards vs. New Mexico State as a sophomore, which ranks fifth in school history. Forsett combined for 264 yards rushing and three touchdowns in bowl game victories over Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl and Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl in his final two collegiate seasons. Chosen in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Forsett played professionally for nine seasons, including a Pro Bowl year in 2014 when he rushed for 1,266 yards with the Baltimore Ravens.
MARSHAWN LYNCH – Football (2004-06)
Lynch was named a first-team All-American and the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2006 when he rushed for1,356 yards and led Cal to a share of the conference title. He is Cal's all-time leader with 17 games of 100 or more yards rushing, while his 3,230 career rushing yards rank second in school history. Lynch is tied for third at Cal in rushing touchdowns (29), and he is fourth in all-purpose yards (4,574). During his career, the Bears posted a 28-9 overall record, including 18-7 in Pac-10 games. In the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl, Lynch set Cal's single-game bowl record with 194 yards rushing and three rushing touchdowns. He was elected in the first round (No. 12 overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and played for 12 NFL seasons with Buffalo (2007-10), Seattle (2010-15, '19) and Oakland (2017-18). A member of the NFL 2010's All-Decade team, Lynch won a Super Bowl with Seattle following the 2013 campaign and was a first-team All-Pro selection for the Seahawks in 2012..
BILL McCLINTOCK – Men's Basketball (1959-61)
A forward for the Golden Bears, McClintock was a member of Cal's 1959 NCAA championship squad and the 1960 NCAA runner-up team. He totaled eight points in the Bears' 71-70 victory over West Virginia in the '59 title game and started for Cal the following season. A two-time all-conference selection, he earned honorable mention All-America honors as a junior and third-team All-America recognition as a senior. McClintock received the Nibs Price Award as Cal's MVP in 1960-61 and the team's Most Inspirational Award in 1959-60. He finished his career with 740 rebounds (8.8 rpg), which ranked second in school history at the time (now 10th). He also ranks 11th on Cal's season rebounding list with 289 from 1959-60 (10.6 rpg) and grabbed a career-best 20 rebounds at UCLA in 1961. As a senior, he led the Bears in scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.6 rpg).
XAVIER NADY – Baseball (1998-2000)
One of Cal's all-time leaders in a number of statistical categories, Nady was a three-time All-American and All-Pac-10 selection. He finished his career as Cal's all-time leader in home runs (57), RBI (191), total bases (479) and slugging percentage (.729) while also ranking fourth in runs (174) and fifth in batting average (.370) in Cal history. One of two Golden Bears to hit a Cal single-season record 23 home runs (1999), Nady is also second on the single-season RBI list (70, 1998). Nady was named the National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America in 1998 after batting .404 when he became one of four Bears to post a single-season batting average above .400. Nady went on to enjoy a highly productive 12-year major league career in which he hit .268 with 104 home runs and 410 RBIs. His best year came in 2008 when he played for the Pirates and Yankees and finished the year with a .305 average, 25 home runs and 97 RBI.
ANGIE PRESSEY FORSETT – Volleyball (2004-07)
A two-time All-American, including a first-team nod as a senior in 2007, Pressey led Cal to its first-ever NCAA national semifinal berth in 2007. She was a four-time All-Pac-10 first-team selection, a member of the 2004 Pac-10 All-Freshman team and completed her career fourth on Cal's all-time kills list with 1,725. She posted 487 kills as a junior in 2006, which continues to hold the eighth position on the school's single-season list. Pressey was also a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection and the 2007 Pac-10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for volleyball.
KORT SCHUBERT – Rugby (1998-2002)
Schubert earned the Woodley Award as the National Collegiate Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2001, 2002) for the Golden Bears, helping the team to five consecutive national titles. As a senior in 2002, he served as team captain, was named MVP of the National Collegiate Championship and chosen the Cal Male Student-Athlete of the Year by the Daily Californian. Following his graduation, Schubert enjoyed a significant career with U.S. National Team from 2000-08, which included starting all four matches of the 2003 Rugby World Cup He was also a professional star with the Cardiff Blues in Wales, UK, from 2004-06.
ASHLEY WALKER – Women's Basketball (2006-09)
Walker was a four-time All-Pac-10 selection who also became the first player in school history to earn All-America honors three times. Over the course of her collegiate career, she totaled 2,142 points (third all-time at Cal) and then-school-record 1,117 rebounds (now third) and is one of only three players in program history to amass at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. As a senior in 2009, Walker led the Bears to their first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. She scored a career-high 32 points three times, including vs. Virginia in the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. As a junior, Walker set a school season record with 317 rebounds (since broken). She was selected with the 12th overall pick in 2009 WNBA Draft, first player in program history chosen, and she had a successful professional career spanning a decade, both in the WNBA and overseas.
Cover photo of Marshawn Lynch courtesy of Cal Athletics
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