5 Best California Golden Bears Football Players, Ranked

The California Golden Bears have five claimed national titles, the most recent coming in 1937. 

The program hasn’t had much national prominence recently, as the last time they won double-digit games was in 2006. 

They also won 10 games in 2004, a season in which quarterback Aaron Rodgers nearly led them to an upset over No. 1 USC. They lost 23-17, but had the ball with about 4 minutes and 30 seconds to go in regulation. Imagine what those college football live odds would’ve been? 

Today, the team’s football odds are available at the BetMGM online sportsbook. 

Below is my list of the top five Golden Bears of all time. 

5 Best California Golden Bears Football Players, Ranked

California Golden Bears All-Time Greatest Football Players

1. Chuck Muncie

After transferring from Arizona Western, Muncie played for the Golden Bears from 1973 to 1975.

While with the Golden Bears, he was a consensus All-American, Pac-8 Player of the Year, won the Pop Warner Trophy (given to the most valuable senior player on the West Coast), two-time first-team All-Pac-8, and second-team All-Pac-8. 

He ran for 3,052 yards (fifth in program history), including 1,460 in 1975 (ranked fourth in a single season in program history). 

He also recorded 32 rushing touchdowns (second).

Muncie held the rushing record until Russell White broke it in 1992. 

While he didn’t win it, Muncie finished second in the 1975 Heisman Trophy voting to Archie Griffin.

2. Marshawn Lynch

Lynch landed with Cal in 2004 and stayed through 2006. While there, he had 3,230 rushing yards (second) and 29 rushing touchdowns (third). He also holds two of the top eight single-season rushing marks with 1,356 in 2006 and 1,246 in 2005. 

This production came despite just 71 carries as a freshman. 

He was first-team All-American, Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Pac-10, the Holiday Bowl co-offensive MVP, and the Las Vegas Bowl MVP. 

In 2006, he ran for 111 yards and two scores in the Holiday Bowl. 

Lynch also holds the Cal record for most 100-yard rushing games with 17. 

3. Jared Goff

Before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Goff played at Cal from 2013 to 2015. 

Today, he holds many program records, including passing yards (12,200), passing touchdowns (96), total yards (12,086), and total touchdowns (97).

He holds the program’s single-season passing yards (4,719 in 2015), passing touchdowns (43 in 2015), and total yards (4,711) records. 

He was first-team All-Pac-12 in 2015. 

4. Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers’ time at Cal was short-lived, playing two seasons from 2003 to 2004, but he left a major mark on the program after transferring from Butte Community College. 

First-team All-Pac-10 in 2004, he completed 66.1% of his passes for 2,566 yards, 25 touchdowns, eight picks, and added three rushing scores. His 66.1% completion percentage led the entire Pac-10. 

As a junior, Rodgers led the Golden Bears to a 10-1 record. They were a top-five program. Their only loss came to No. 1 USC. 

He tied an NCAA record of 23 straight completions in one game. 

The Golden Bears weren’t chosen for the Rose Bowl. Instead, Texas was. Cal then lost 45-31 in the Holiday Bowl to Texas Tech. 

After that loss, Rodgers left for the NFL. 

He finished his time at Cal with 43 passing touchdowns (ninth), 5,805 total yards (10th), and 51 total touchdowns (eighth). 

5. DeSean Jackson

Jackson played for the Golden Bears from 2005 to 2007, during which time he had 162 catches (eighth) for 2,423 yards (fifth) and 22 touchdowns (fifth). 

As a sophomore, he had over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. In 2006, he averaged 18.0 yards per catch. 

He was also a sensational return specialist, returning four punts for touchdowns in 2006. 

He was a consensus All-American, first-team All-American, first-team All-Pac-10, and second-team All-Pac-10.