CGB Hall Of Fame Round Of 32: Leon Powe v. Mike Pawlawski
by TwistNHook on Jul 17, 2009 2:00 PM PDT
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The next matchup in the California Golden Blogs Hall Of Fame is Leon Powe v. Mike Pawlawski. This should be a good matchup, people. For each athlete, you can vote in the poll; it closes a week from today at midnight. After the jump, you can read the athlete profiles written up by our commenters, and discuss in the comments your memories of each athlete and which one deserves to move on. (Check out the full bracket here. To check out the original nomination thread, click here. For those who want to track the CGB Hall of Fame posts exclusively, click here or right next to the timestamp above where it says "Hall of Fame".)
#2 Leon Powe
Not many Cal fans can find a bad word to say about Leon. ragnarok has this classic story from the old blogsome of Powe's greatest performance in gold & blue:
Already demanding notice after setting a tournament record with 20 rebounds in avictory over USC the previous night, Leon Powe had what is probably his signature game at Cal during the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament. Seventh-seeded Oregon was fighting for its season; with a 15-17 record, the Ducks knew there would be no postseason for them if they didn’t win the Tournament. Still, they had managed to beat hapless Washington State and then upset second-seeded Washington the next night, and early on, it looked like they might pull off their improbable run to the title game, sprinting out to a 32-16 lead in the first half. Then they ran into Leon Powe.
Of course, it took a team effort from the Bears to battle back from a 16-point deficit, including trailing by 7 with less than 3 minutes to go, but it often seemed that most of that team effort involved feeding Powe in the low post over and over and over again. And why wouldn’t they? The man was virtually unstoppable that night, shooting 14 of 17 from the floor and 13 of 18 from the line. You don’t really need an offense when you have Leon Powe, but the Bears did need every one of his tournament-record 41 points (and two overtimes) to hold off the Ducks in a game that had me (alone at home) screaming at my television and nearly convinced me to drive down to LA for the final. These Bears should have been upset, but Powe put them up on his back and barreled them into the final virtually singlehandedly.
As great as that performance is, we love Leon for a lot more than his put back dunks or even being the Show in the NBA Finals. His story from rags to riches would have left Jamal Malik reeling and Latika swooning. Leon Powe is where amazing happens.
#7 Mike Pawlawski
The old-timers remember him and the team he led quite fondly, perhaps in the same way the younger minds remember Rodgers and 2004.
LeonPowe: Quarterback for the 1991 Citrus Bowl Championship teams. Coming out of high school he had no arm strength, no accuracy and was rated by one recruiting service as "the worst recruit in the Pac-10"Damned if he didn’t will and win his way to becoming the Pac-10 offensive player of the year in 1991. And this was with a UW team that won the National Championship. I really dislike attributing stuff like "intangibles" and "leadership" – because good players usually prove themselves in some measurable way. Mike really didn’t – he had okay stats and won a lot. But it was the little things. Like when he scored on a keeper and knocked out the opposing linebacker. Like when he played special teams to get on the field. Like when he took an offense full of talent (Russ, Brian Treggs, Mike Caldwell, Greg Zomalt, Lindsay Chapman) and molded them in his image – they became a cocky, loud-mouthed, trashtalking offense that WON. Back-to-back Bowl Games (huge for Cal at the time).
In my freshman year after Pawlawski had graduated a lot of fans and students said (not jokingly either) that they should bring Pawlawski back . . .to coach the linebackers.
Ohio Bear: Until the 2004 team came along, the 1991 team was the best of my Cal fandom. And I think the 1991 team was better overall than the 2006 team.
California Pete: I think the 1991 team would have a great chance against the 2004 team, although the 91ers’ penchant for personal fouls probably would do them in. Both teams were Rose Bowl worthy—far better than the teams sent most recently by the likes of WSU and Stanford—but both unfortunately shared the conference with two of the all-time greats: UW 1991 and USC 2004.
He is dealing with neck issues in retirement, but many of us have seen him broadcast a Cal game, several this past season, and he seems to be in generally good spirits.
And let's put ourselves in good spirits with some highlights of that 1990 team!
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Can we have a caption contest?
What the hell is KG saying to Powe in that photo? Why does he need to be so close to say it? And why does Leon look repulsed by it? These are all questions I want the answer to.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
We might be able to fit it in sometime.
by Avinash Kunnath on Jul 18, 2009 2:59 AM PDT up reply actions
I’m sure it’s even better than you can imagine. I’ve heard some KG stories from someone that works for the Celtics – the dude is absolutely out of his mind.
by Missing Barry on Jul 18, 2009 6:26 AM PDT up reply actions
In a good way? Or in a “I will kill your children” way?
by Avinash Kunnath on Jul 18, 2009 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions
Not a good way for sure, but also not in a Mike Tyson psychopath way. Not so much a “I will kill your children” way as much as a “I will kill you, a full grown man” way…
by Missing Barry on Jul 19, 2009 2:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Tyson’s famous (or is it infamous?) quote:
“My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I’m just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!”
Praise be to Tedford!
As much as I love Leon, I had to go with Pawlawski here
Pawlawski brought swagger to a program that had no business having any swagger. When he became the starting QB in 1990, we really didn’t have an inkling of the success his teams would bring. Some thought we might take a step back because Pawlawski was an inexperienced replacement for the graduated (and highly respected) Troy Taylor.
Before Pawlawski became the starting QB, Cal had not had a winning season since 1982. With him, we went to 2 straight bowl games, including our 1st New Year’s Day bowl game since the 1959 Rose Bowl. Yes, we had a lot of talent around him, in 1991 especially. But Pawlawski was the unquestioned leader of those teams.
Praise be to Tedford!
Me Too; Sorry Leon
Both gamers who carried their teams on their backs. Both hard workers and tough, tough, tough. But Mike gets my vote ‘cause his attitude made him better than he should have been. Leon’s the size and strength of a NBAer; Mike was undersized, but made it happen anyway.
Sidebar, as I recall, Pawlawski helped us lose the Big Game that year by drawing a personal foul flag for taunting some Stanford ball carrier after he got drilled out o’ bounds. Kept the drive alive. Sometimes you need to dial back that cockiness. That Washington game was pretty wild, though….
I'd like to smell the Roses before I die.
The one black mark on his Cal career perhaps
Pawlawski helped us lose the Big Game that year by drawing a personal foul flag for taunting some Stanford ball carrier after he got drilled out o’ bounds.
It was the 1991 Big Game, which was the biggest of Big Games in quite awhile. Cal was 9-1 and ranked 5th or 6th in the nation. Stanfurd was ranked in the top 20 and Touchdown Tommy Vardell had been receiving some national attention. In a move that was unheard of at that time, ABC chose the Big Game for its regional coverage instead of the SC-Fucla game.
BTown85 refers to a play in the late 3rd quarter. We had just scored on a Pawlawski to Marty Holly TD pass (fullback all alone out of the backfield, FTW!) to cut stanfurd’s lead to 17-14. On the ensuing possession, with stanfurd deep in its own end, our defense stepped it up and forced a 3rd and long. A 3 and out would have solidified the momentum on our side. On the 3rd down play, stanfurd threw a sideline route to the Cal sideline that was incomplete. Not even close, though the furd receiver made a diving attempt. Well, Pawlawski happened to be right where the receiver ended up on the ground, and Pawlawski gave him a little taunt.
15 yards, 1st down, drive alive. One of numerous personal foul or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties we had that day. stanfurd ended up scoring a TD on the drive after what seemed like 100 plays.
Praise be to Tedford!
Pac-10 Referees and Cal, before Tedford
While the Bruce Snyder teams were the worst, Cal long had a penchant for picking up ticky-tack personal fouls. Yes, many of these flags were deserved, but time and again—especially in the Big Game—it sure seemed like the refs were out to get the Bears. Fortunately, that no longer seems to be the case, and it has been a long time since I felt Cal was suffering from biased officiating. At least that’s my perception.
Here are my questions:
1. Are these just my perceptions? Have I matured as a fan so that I’m just not so inclined to believe the refs are out to get us?
2. Or, are Tedford’s teams simply more disciplined than their predecessors? Do they actually get flagged less, and if so, is this simply a reflection of cleaner play?
3. Have the conference referees changed? Do they call as many personal fouls today as they used to? If they ever were biased, have they lost this bias toward the Bears and become inclined to give Cal the benefit of the doubt as one of the conference’s top-tier teams?
And as much as I sing the praises of Pawlawski—and I voted for him here—his failure to win the Big Game in both 1990 and 1991 remain painful, painful memories.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Jul 18, 2009 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I know that Pre-Tedford (and even a little bit at the beginning of Tedford) Cal always seemed to get called for lots of penalties, but my memory may be spotty and/or influenced by Joe Starkey complaining about Cal being undisciplined. I had retroactively blamed Gilbertson and Holmoe, and although I don’t have the stats to pack it up it’s not surprising to think that Tedford, with his ironclad devotion to preparation, execution and discipline would want to reduce penalties and succeed.
Pretty much the only penalty Tedford seems to tolerate is the “lineman blocking a little bit past the snap to whistle” personal foul. And I can’t anecdotally think of any particular type of penalty that Cal consistently gets called for, which indicates to me a good job of preparation by the coaching staff across the board.
Now I’ll bet somebody will dig through the archives and show that penalties have actually increased modestly across the board during the Tedford era.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
by norcalnick on Jul 18, 2009 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agreed. Seems we never commit stupid personal fouls. Follett headbutting White is the only thing that comes to the top of my head.
All aboard the Jahvid Best rickshaw!
by rollonubears on Jul 18, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions
My answers
1. You have matured as a fan, just as I believe I have. I used to have a similar “they’re out to get us” mentality.
2. I believe Tedford’s teams are TOADS more disciplined than previous Cal teams. Not only do we seem to get fewer personal fouls than under the Holmoecaust, Gilby era, and Snyder era, we have far fewer false starts, illegal substitution, and other sorts of mental-mistake penalties.
3. I dunno if the conference refs have changed. I’m inclined to say no. But I do also wonder if there is something to the notion that we might get the benefit of the doubt due to our being not only a top-tier team in the league, but one that probably has a good reputation for being well coached. The problem with the Snyder teams (esp. 1991) was that it had a reputation for being a little bit on the edge. So if something was borderline penalty-wise, we might not get the call. Perhaps it’s the opposite presumption working for Tedford’s teams.
I share your pain from 1990 and 1991. I can’t decide which was more painful. 1990 was absolutely brutal for how it ended (and, speaking of bad personal fouls, the one on John Belli to set up the game winning FB was a truly horrible call – I will believe that until the day I die) but 1991 was a disappointment of epic proportions.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Jul 18, 2009 7:44 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think it’s the discipline. I recall during the Snyder years, there was one year the seniors created one of those giant flags that read “Bad Bears” or something like that. The Snyder teams seemed to take pride in being the Pac 10 equivalent of the Flyers’ Broad Street Bullies teams. It was painful to watch, because there would be at least one unsportsmanlike flag against the Bears in every game — always deserved. Taunting, late hits, cheat shots, etc. It was tough to be a fan at times because I was actually embarrassed by some of the antics.
But then again, they did win. And win. And win.
Oh well.
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
But one more thought in California Pete's defense...
Regarding the “biased officiating” theory:
Cal is the only team I’ve ever seen lose a game because the officials allowed the game to be 61 minutes long. (Cal at Oregon State, 1988.)
Praise be to Tedford!
That was horrific, indeed, surpassed only by the fifth down that Nebraska got against Mizzou several years back.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Jul 18, 2009 8:25 PM PDT up reply actions
It was Colorado, not Nebraska, which got the benefit of the infamous 5th down. I think it was the year CU went on to win a split national championship w/ GA Tech.
The 5 down scenario is about as bad as the 61-minute game. I can almost understand (almost) how an officiating crew can lose track of the downs, when I’m sure they depend upon the down marker guy and the 1st down play was a spike to stop the clock. The 61 minute game, however, was inexplicable. How could no official notice that the clock ticked from 5:00 to 5:59?!?
Praise be to Tedford!
Thanks for the correction. :-)
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Jul 19, 2009 7:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Total Recall
Yeah, I was gonna say THAT.
Well done, Ohio Bear (except I remember it being a BIG taunt…..).
I'd like to smell the Roses before I die.
No relation to Pawlawski but...
The 1990 Big Game still stands fresh in my mind – about to wrap up an 8-point win, when Stanford scores a TD, recovers an on-side kick, and then Cal gets called for delay of game because the students stormed the field. UGH.
How can you not love a team that does this?
Delay of game (or was it actually unsportmanlike conduct and thus 15 yards?) + the horrific roughing-the-passer call that Ohio Bear mentioned above = a far-too-easy game-winning (and soul-crushing) field goal for the Furds. That one hurt. A lot. Still does.
And it ruined what was otherwise an epic showdown between two exciting young running backs from Southern California: Crespi HS’s Russell White and SaMoHi’s Glyn Milburn.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Jul 19, 2009 6:21 PM PDT up reply actions
The actual scenario was:
1. Ed McCaffrey catches TD pass for stanfurd w/ 12 seconds remaining to make it 25-24. stanfurd decides to go for 2 and the win.
2. On 2-point conversion, John Hardy breaks up a pass in the back of the end zone to preserve Cal’s lead. Cal students storm field in premature celebration. Some Cal players leave bench area to celebrate with the defense. We are penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct.
3. Because of the penalty, stanfurd kicks off from midfield. The furds recover an onside kick at around our 38-yard line. About 9 seconds remain.
4. stanfurd has time for one play. We force an incompletion with about 3 or 4 seconds left. But we are called for the BAD roughing the passer penalty against Belli. Penalty moves the ball to around our 23 yard line.
5. John Hopkins kicks 40 yd FG to win 27-25.
6. I get drunk after the game to try and dull the pain.
Praise be to Tedford!
by Ohio Bear on Jul 19, 2009 7:14 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not that I really want to dwell on this awful memory, but ...
Hardy, a favorite veteran CB of many Cal fans, made a great play on that 2-point conversion. If it hadn’t been spoiled by subsequent events, that highlight would have been enshrined among my all-time favorites (Ezeff’s hit vs. Oregon, WW’s overtime interception vs. Washington, Marc Hicks’s busted-play touchdown run vs. USC, etc.)
Russell White came oh so close to recovering that on-side kick, and then the ball came oh so close to rolling benignly out of bounds.
The context: Cal hadn’t held the Axe since Kapp’s miraculous finale in 1986. There was a blowout loss at the Farm in ’87, a gut-wrenching tie at home in ’88, another bad loss away in ’89. Then, there was all this optimism around the Bowl-bound 1990 team; this was the year we were finally going to get back the Axe. Of course, this just made the 1991 debacle all the more bitter.
Because of this history, I think it’s pretty difficult for alumni of our generation to not place extra weight on the Big Game. The Tedford generation has been spoiled by being (almost) able to take a win over Stanford for granted, and I fully understand why USC might resonate as THE team to beat each year. But while I dream about taking out the Trojans as much as the next Old Blue, beating the Cardinal never gets old, and last year’s 3rd-quarter sequence to blow the game open was some of the most enjoyable Cal football I’ve ever experienced.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Jul 19, 2009 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
I, fortunately, was around for Kapp’s finale. My poor wife, though, had to live through 87-90. Ouch!
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Jul 19, 2009 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Amen
Ohio Bear – thanks (I think) for the recap. All I remember was impatient student fans = Big Game loss at home = bad mood for the rest of the year.
California Pete – great recap on the context, too. It feels like just yesterday, and I agree that although my current ire is aimed at $c, it is always gratifying to beat the Furd.
How can you not love a team that does this?
This thread has been full of great memories
Thanks for sharing them with us.
by Avinash Kunnath on Jul 21, 2009 7:23 AM PDT up reply actions
Given the Tedford – Roth results, and the inexplicable closeness of Walker v Play, I am quite honestly stunned that Palawski is able to even able to keep this within 20%!
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Old-timer?
Pawlawski was “my” quarterback (I graduated in 1992).
I bought a Longshore #9 jersey a couple of years ago (when he wore #9), but as his performance started to slip I strongly considered using athletic tape to spell Pawlawski on the jersey instead.
How can you not love a team that does this?
WHOA
Powe 95, Pawlawski 89. It’s going to the wire people!
by Avinash Kunnath on Jul 21, 2009 7:22 AM PDT reply actions
It hurts...
…to choose between these two. I wish they were matched against other people.
I went Pawlawski. Still an active Bear in his way.
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Golden Bears Football Schedule
| Fresno St. | Sat 09/03 | W 36 - 21 |
@
Colorado
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| Presbyterian | Sat 09/17 | W 63 - 12 |
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Washington
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Sat 09/24 | L 23 - 31 |
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Oregon
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Pacific-12 Conference Standings
(updated 1.2.2012 at 11:12 PM PST)
| North | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Oregon Ducks
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8 | 1 | 12 | 2 |
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Stanford Cardinal
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Washington Huskies
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California Golden Bears
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| South | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
USC Trojans
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7 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
|
UCLA Bruins
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5 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
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Utah Utes
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4 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
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Arizona St. Sun Devils
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4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
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Arizona Wildcats
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Colorado Buffaloes
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