Cal Football: Justin Wilcox's Musical Taste: Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox has definite opinions when it comes to football, but he had trouble answering a basic personal preference: Who is your favorite musical artist?
Brett McMurphy recently asked all 130 FBS head coaches as well as the commissioners of every conference that very question, and his findings are here.
Wilcox’s response? Bruce Springsteen, the Asbury Park wonder from the E Street Band who turned 70 last month.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly also chose Springsteen, for whatever that’s worth.
The 42-year-old Wilcox was just 8 years old when Springsteen’s most popular album “Born in the USA” was released, but he considers himself a big fan of The Boss nonetheless.
He has seen Springsteen in concert a couple of times, he said in the video, but had a tough time choosing between Springsteen and Led Zeppelin, which also peaked before Wilcox reached puberty.
Led Zeppelin's active years were between 1968 and 1980, so Wilcox would have been 4 years old during that group's last active year.
Just call the Cal coach and oldies freak. Maybe he listened to a lot of music played by his father, former 49ers linebacker Dave Wilcox.
Justin Wilcox was really stumped when asked to name his favorite Springsteen song. After several seconds he gave up on that attempt.
Presumably he would not choose “Born to Run” considering the trouble his team has had running the ball this season, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry, last in the Pac-12.
Here is that song anyway, and you can see why Wilcox likes The Boss:
Play that sax like you own it, Clarence!
Earlier this season the Led Zeppelin classic “Stairway to Heaven” might have been appropriate, when the Bears were 4-0 and ranked 15th.
That might ring a little off-key now that the Bears have lost four in a row and are 4-4 before its next game, Nov. 9 against Washington State in Berkeley.
But here’s that song in case it is ever appropriate for Wilcox and the Bears:
Jimmy and Robert together making it work
Here is a snippet of McMurphy’s findings -- the musical choices of the Pac-12 coaches:
