1937 California Golden Bears football team

American college football season

1937 California Golden Bears football

National champion (Dunkel, Helms)
PCC champion
Rose Bowl champion

Rose Bowl, W 13–0 vs. Alabama

Conference| Pacific Coast Conference
Ranking
AP| No. 2
Record| 10–0–1 (6–0–1 PCC)
Head coach|

* Stub Allison (3rd season)

Offensive scheme| Single-wing
Home stadium| Memorial Stadium

Seasons

<- 1936

1938 ->

1937 Pacific Coast Conference football standings

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| Conf |  |  | Overall

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|
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Team | W |  | L |  | T |  |  | W |  | L |  | T
No. 2 California $  | 6  | - | 0  | - | 1 |  |  | 10  | - | 0  | - | 1
Stanford | 4  | - | 2  | - | 1 |  |  | 4  | - | 3  | - | 2
Washington | 4  | - | 2  | - | 2 |  |  | 7  | - | 2  | - | 2
Washington State | 3  | - | 3  | - | 2 |  |  | 3  | - | 3  | - | 3
Idaho | 2  | - | 2  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 3  | - | 1
Oregon State | 2  | - | 3  | - | 3 |  |  | 3  | - | 3  | - | 3
USC | 2  | - | 3  | - | 2 |  |  | 4  | - | 4  | - | 2
Oregon | 2  | - | 5  | - | 0 |  |  | 4  | - | 6  | - | 0
UCLA | 1  | - | 5  | - | 1 |  |  | 2  | - | 6  | - | 1
Montana | 0  | - | 1  | - | 0 |  |  | 7  | - | 1  | - | 0

* $ - Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1937 California Golden Bears football team, nicknamed the "Thunder Team",[1] was an American football team that represented the University of California (now known as the University of California, Berkeley) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1937 college football season. In their third year under head coach Stub Allison, the Bears compiled a 10–0–1 record, shut out seven of eleven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 214 to 33.[2][3]

In the final AP Poll released on November 29, California was ranked No. 2 with 277 points, 50 points behind No. 1 Pittsburgh.[4] After the final rankings were posted, California shut out No. 4 Alabama in the 1938 Rose Bowl. The Associated Press did not conduct post-bowl polling at the time, but retroactive rankings by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Dunkel System declared California as the 1937 national champion.[5]

Three California players received first-team honors on the 1937 All-America college football team: fullback Sam Chapman; guard Vard Stockton; end Perry Schwartz; and center Bob Herwig.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Opponent| Rank| Site| Result| Attendance| Source

|
|
|
|
|
|

September 25| Saint Mary's| |

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| W 30–7| 65,000| [6]
October 2| Oregon State| |

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| W 24–6| 25,000| [7]
October 9| Washington State| |

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| W 27–0| 40,000| [8]
October 16| Pacific (CA)| |

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| W 20–0| 20,000| [9]
October 16| Cal Aggies| |

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| W 14–0| 20,000| [9]
October 23| No. 11 USC| No. 1|

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| W 20–6| 73,000| [10]
October 30| at UCLA| No. 1|

* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
* Los Angeles, CA (rivalry)

| W 27–14| 65,000| [11]
November 6| Washington| No. 1|

* California Memorial Stadium
* Berkeley, CA

| T 0–0| 60,000| [12]
November 13| at Oregon| No. 2|

* Multnomah Stadium
* Portland, OR

| W 26–0| 20,000| [13]
November 20| at No. 13 Stanford| No. 2|

* Stanford Stadium
* Stanford, CA (Big Game)

| W 13–0| 85,000| [14][15]
January 1, 1938| vs. No. 4 Alabama| No. 2|

* Rose Bowl
* Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)

| W 13–0| 89,650| [16][17][18]

* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

## Awards and honors

[edit]

Six California players received honors on the 1937 All-America college football team:

* Fullback Sam Chapman was a consensus first-team selection.[19]
* Guard Vard Stockton was a first-team selection by the United Press (UP),[20] International News Service,[21] Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA),[22] Central Press Association,[23] and North American Newspaper Alliance.[24]
* End Perry Schwartz was a first team selection by the All-America Board and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.[24][25]
* Center Bob Herwig was a first team selection by Newsweek.[24]
* Halfback Vic Bottari was a second-team selection by the NEA and a third-team selection by the UP.[22][20]
* Back Johnny "Jelly Belly" Meek was a first-team selection by Collyer's Eye.[26]

Nine were recognized by the Associated Press (AP), International News Service (INS), or UP on the 1937 All-Pacific Coast football team: quarterback Johnny Meek (AP-1, INS-1, UP-1); halfback Sam Chapman (AP-1, INS-1, UP-1); halfback Vic Bottari (AP-1, INS-1, UP-1); fullback D. Anderson (AP-2); end Perry Schwartz (AP-1, INS-1, UP-1); tackle Stoll (UP-2); guard Vard Stockton (AP-1, INS-1, UP-1); guard Evans (AP-2, UP-2); and center Bob Herwig (AP-1, INS-1, UP-1).[27][28][29][30]

Three were also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: Herwig (inducted in 1964),[31] Bottari (inducted in 1981),[32] and Chapman (inducted in 1984).[33]

## 1938 NFL draft

[edit]

The following players were claimed in the 1938 NFL draft.

Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club

|
|
|
|

Sam Chapman | Back | 3 | 24 | Washington Redskins
John Meek | Back | 4 | 27 | Philadelphia Eagles
Bob Herwig | Center | 4 | 30 | Chicago Cardinals
Perry Schwartz | End | 6 | 43 | Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)

[34]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Cal's 1937 'Thunder Team' rumbled to Roses". San Francisco Chronicle. November 28, 2004.
2. ^ "1937 California Golden Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
3. ^ "California 2015 Football Information Guide" (PDF). CalBears.com. Cal Golden Bears Athletics. p. 163\. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
4. ^ "Final AP Poll Ranks Pitt at Top". Clovis News-Journal. November 30, 1937. p. 4 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2020. pp. 112–114. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
6. ^ Prescott Sullivan (September 26, 1937). "Bears Crush Gaels, 30-7: U. C. Subs Play All of Second Half But Outscore St. Mary's". San Francisco Examiner. pp. 1SF, 2SF - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Year-By-Year Results". 2017 Oregon State Football Media Guide Football (PDF). Oregon State Athletics. p. 165.
8. ^ '16 Cougar Football (PDF). Washington State University Athletics. p. 81.
9. ^ a b Prescott Sullivan (October 17, 1937). "Bears Win Pair: U.C. Doesn't Look Any Too Good Beating Pacific, 20-0". The San Francisco Examiner. p. Sports 1 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ USC Football 2017 Media Guide (PDF). University of Southern California Athletics. p. 70.
11. ^ Frank Finch (October 31, 1937). "Mighty Bears Overpower Scrappy Bruins, 27-14: Washington Proves Star". The Los Angeles Times. pp. II-13, II-17.
12. ^ Prescott Sullivan (November 7, 1937). "O-Oh! Huskies Tie Bears, 0-0: Wonder Team Goes Through Test of Fire". The San Francisco Examminer. pp. Sports 1 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ Joseph Pigney (November 14, 1937). "Bears Trample Webfoots to Win 26-0: Score 3 Times Second Period; Nicholson's Kickoff Dash Starts Only Threat of Oregon Gridsters". The Oregon Statesman. p. 7 - via Newspapers.com.
14. ^ Henry McLemore (November 21, 1937). "Indians Never Had a Chance, Says M'Lemore". Oakland Tribune. p. A9 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ Art Potter (November 21, 1937). "Bears Crusher Blocking Sends Stanford Reeling". Oakland Tribune. p. A9 - via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ "Bears beat Alabama in Bowl, 13–0". The Los Angeles Times. January 2, 1938. Retrieved February 22, 2021 - via Newspapers.com.
17. ^ Henry M'Lemore (January 2, 1938). "Golden Bears Swallow Tide". Los Angeles Times. United Press. p. II-12 - via Newspapers.com.
18. ^ Grantland Rice (January 2, 1938). "Alabama Fumbles Play Big Part in California Victory". The Los Angeles Times. p. II-12 - via Newspapers.com.
19. ^ "Football Award Winners" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2016. p. 7. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
20. ^ a b Stuart Cameron (December 1, 1937). "(UP Sports Editor)". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern.
21. ^ "INS All-American Grid Selections". Waterloo Daily Courier. December 1, 1937.
22. ^ a b Harry Grayson (November 24, 1937). "Routt of Texas Aggies Places on All-America Picked by Grid Experts". Brownsville Herald.
23. ^ Bill Braucher (December 3, 1937). "NATION'S CAPTAINS PICK CENTRAL PRESS ALL-AMERICANS". Hammond Times.
24. ^ a b c ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. 2005. p. 1171\. ISBN 1401337031.
25. ^ "Walter Camp Football Foundation". Archived from the original on March 30, 2009.
26. ^ "Frank, White Unanimous Choices on Collier Team". Daily Capital News. December 10, 1937.
27. ^ "All Pacific Coast 1937". The Evening Record, Ellensburg, Washington. December 3, 1937. p. 8.
28. ^ "Associated Press Selects Its All-Coast Eleven". The Bakersfield Californian. December 2, 1937. p. 23.
29. ^ Harold Heroux (November 23, 1937). "Six Cal Stars On All-Coast". The San Bernardino Daily Sun. p. 17.
30. ^ James A. Sullivan (December 1, 1937). "Six Golden Bears Named On United Press' All-Coast Team; V. Stockton, Capt.; Poll Is Taken From Sports Editors In Five West States". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 4.
31. ^ "Bob Herwig". National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
32. ^ "Vic Bottari". National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
33. ^ "Sam Chapman". National Football Foundation. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
34. ^ "1938 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 2, 2022.

* v
* t
* e

1937 California Golden Bears football—national champions

* Vic Bottari
* Sam Chapman
* Bob Herwig
* Ray Rosso
* Perry Schwartz
* Vard Stockton

Head coach
Stub Allison
Assistant coach
Nibs Price

* v
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* e

California Golden Bears football

Venues|

* California Field (1904–1923)
* California Memorial Stadium (1923–2010, 2012–present)
* Oracle Park (2011)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Bowl games
* Stanford: Big Game (Stanford Axe)
* UCLA

Culture & lore|

* Oski
* "Fight for California"
* "Big C"
* History
* Marching band
* Tightwad Hill
* The Play

People|

* Head coaches
* Starting quarterbacks
* NFL draftees
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1886
* 1887
* 1888
* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906–1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

National championship seasons in bold

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* e

College football national champions (poll era)

1936–1949|

* 1936: Minnesota (AP)
* 1937: Pittsburgh
* 1938: TCU
* 1939: Texas A&M
* 1940: Minnesota
* 1941: Minnesota
* 1942: Ohio State
* 1943: Notre Dame
* 1944: Army
* 1945: Army (AP) / Oklahoma A&M (Coaches)
* 1946: Notre Dame
* 1947: Notre Dame
* 1948: Michigan
* 1949: Notre Dame

1950s|

* 1950: Oklahoma (AP, Coaches)
* 1951: Tennessee
* 1952: Michigan State
* 1953: Maryland
* 1954: Ohio State (AP) / UCLA (FWAA, Coaches)
* 1955: Oklahoma
* 1956: Oklahoma
* 1957: Auburn (AP) / Ohio State (Coaches, FWAA)
* 1958: LSU (AP, Coaches) / Iowa (FWAA)
* 1959: Syracuse (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF)

1960s|

* 1960: Minnesota (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ole Miss (FWAA)
* 1961: Alabama (AP, Coaches, NFF) / Ohio State (FWAA)
* 1962: USC
* 1963: Texas
* 1964: Alabama (AP, Coaches) / Arkansas (FWAA) / Notre Dame (NFF)
* 1965: Alabama (AP, FWAA) / Michigan State (Coaches, FWAA, NFF)
* 1966: Notre Dame (AP, Coaches, FWAA, NFF) / Michigan State (NFF)
* 1967: USC
* 1968: Ohio State
* 1969: Texas

1970s|

* 1970: Nebraska (AP, FWAA) / Texas (NFF, Coaches) / Ohio State (NFF)
* 1971: Nebraska
* 1972: USC
* 1973: Notre Dame (AP, FWAA, NFF) / Alabama (Coaches)
* 1974: Oklahoma (AP) / USC (FWAA, NFF, Coaches)
* 1975: Oklahoma
* 1976: Pittsburgh
* 1977: Notre Dame
* 1978: Alabama (AP, FWAA, NFF) / USC (Coaches)
* 1979: Alabama

1980–1991|

* 1980: Georgia
* 1981: Clemson
* 1982: Penn State
* 1983: Miami (FL)
* 1984: BYU
* 1985: Oklahoma
* 1986: Penn State
* 1987: Miami (FL)
* 1988: Notre Dame
* 1989: Miami (FL)
* 1990: Colorado (AP, FWAA, NFF, USAT/CNN) / Georgia Tech (Coaches)
* 1991: Miami (FL) (AP) / Washington (Coaches, FWAA, UPI/NFF)

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Pac-12 Conference football champions

Pacific Coast|

* Washington (1916)
* Washington State (1917)
* California (1918)
* Oregon & Washington (1919)
* California (1920)
* California (1921)
* California (1922)
* California (1923)
* Stanford (1924)
* Washington (1925)
* Stanford (1926)
* Idaho, Stanford, & USC (1927)
* USC (1928)
* USC (1929)
* Washington State (1930)
* USC (1931)
* USC (1932)
* Oregon & Stanford (1933)
* Stanford (1934)
* California, Stanford, & UCLA (1935)
* Washington (1936)
* California (1937)
* California & USC (1938)
* USC (1939)
* Stanford (1940)
* Oregon State (1941)
* UCLA (1942)
* USC (1943)
* USC (1944)
* USC (1945)
* UCLA (1946)
* USC (1947)
* California & Oregon (1948)
* California (1949)
* California (1950)
* Stanford (1951)
* USC (1952)
* UCLA (1953)
* UCLA (1954)
* UCLA (1955)
* Oregon State (1956)
* Oregon & Oregon State (1957)
* California (1958)

AAWU|

* UCLA, USC, & Washington (1959)
* Washington (1960)
* UCLA (1961)
* USC (1962)
* Washington (1963)
* Oregon State & USC (1964)
* UCLA (1965)
* USC (1966)
* USC (1967)

Pacific-8|

* USC (1968)
* USC (1969)
* Stanford (1970)
* Stanford (1971)
* USC (1972)
* USC (1973)
* USC (1974)
* California & UCLA (1975)
* USC (1976)
* Washington (1977)

Pacific-10|

* USC (1978)
* USC (1979)
* Washington (1980)
* Washington (1981)
* UCLA (1982)
* UCLA (1983)
* USC (1984)
* UCLA (1985)
* Arizona State (1986)
* USC & UCLA (1987)
* USC (1988)
* USC (1989)
* Washington (1990)
* Washington (1991)
* Washington & Stanford (1992)
* Arizona, UCLA, & USC (1993)
* Oregon (1994)
* USC & Washington (1995)
* Arizona State (1996)
* UCLA & Washington State (1997)
* UCLA (1998)
* Stanford (1999)
* Oregon, Oregon State, & Washington (2000)
* Oregon (2001)
* USC & Washington State (2002)
* USC (2003)
* USC (2004) vacated
* USC (2005) vacated
* California & USC (2006)
* Arizona State & USC (2007)
* USC (2008)
* Oregon (2009)
* Oregon (2010)

Pac-12|

* Oregon (2011)
* Stanford (2012)
* Stanford (2013)
* Oregon (2014)
* Stanford (2015)
* Washington (2016)
* USC (2017)
* Washington (2018)
* Oregon (2019)
* Oregon (2020)
* Utah (2021)
* Utah (2022)
* Washington (2023)

National championships in bold

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*[v]: View this template
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*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number