The CGB Hall Of Fame Tournament is heating up as we head into summer. We have another second round matchup. Joe Igber, former Cal footballer, is taking on Alex Morgan, soccer superstar! Joe Igber defeated Brandon Mebane in the first round. Alex Morgan defeated Joy Biefeld Fawcett in the first round.
You can view the full bracket here. Voting ends this Friday at noon, so go and vote. Full write ups after the jump. Go Bears!
Pete Newell Regional
Joe Igber (4)
I'll let BearStage talk about Igber.
Joe Igber. My all-time favorite Cal running back. Often overlooked, his name litters the pages of Cal’s record books.
- His 3,124 career rushing yards are the third most in Cal history. Only Russell White and Marshawn Lynch can claim more.
-His 2002 rushing total of 1,130 yards was the 3rd highest single-season total in Cal history (at that time)
His greatest performance: a 226-yard, one-touchdown performance in the 2002 Big Game, which Cal won 30-7. Not only did he set the record for most rushing yards in the history of the Big Game (which still stands), he helped bring the Axe back to its rightful home after a painful 7-year drought.
These accomplishments alone should be enough to garner him consideration. And while these are all great reasons to appreciate Joe Igber, I’m most impressed with him because his career typified what we strive for Cal to be. You see, Igber somehow managed to balance the workload of a star Pac-10 running back with the workload of becoming a civil engineer.
Now, most people can barely handle one of those challenges. We all know how time consuming and stress inducing engineering majors are – between physics/math/engineering courses, labs, projects, research (if you’re ambitious) – it’s more than enough for most of us. UC Berkeley is one of the best (and toughest) places in the world to study engineering. People come from all over the world to study engineering at Cal, and that reputation is well-deserved, and it was the main reason that Joe Igber decided to come to Cal in the first place.
Also, we’ve all heard about how much time, sacrifice, dedication it takes to play Pac-10 football, let alone be a starter – the practice, the training, and weight rooms, the film, the travel. Add to the that the pressure of being the star running back, and you’ve got yourself a full plate that very few have the patience and focus to handle.
On top of even that – to perform at the level that Joe Igber did, to set records and do things on the field no Golden Bear has ever done, while handling that academic workload – it’s just ridiculous.
Joe Igber is that rare combination, the very best of both of Cal’s worlds – an amazing athlete and an impressive scholar. As such, I nominate him for the CGB Hall of Fame.
(Bonus: follow this link for incredible pictures of Joe Igber from Life magazine)
Alex Morgan (5)
via grfx.cstv.com
Alex Morgan is somewhat of a cult heroine on CGB (mostly on the DBD) because of her wholesome good looks. But she is not CGB HOF-worthy simply because she has so many admirers among Cal fans. Alex Morgan is CGB HOF-worthy because she might be the greatest Cal women's soccer player ever there was. And since Cal is the alma mater of Joy Biefeld Fawcett, that is saying something.
Alex closed her Cal career as the third leading all-time scorer in California women's soccer history with 107 points (45 goals). She was the team's leading scorer in her senior season (2010) despite missing several games due to being called up to play games on the USA National team. She led the nation in scoring for much of the season and it's not a stretch to say she would have won that title easily had it not been for her commitment to USA Soccer.
The accomplishments don't stop there. Alex's career is dotted with achievement:
First team All-American as a senior
First-team All-Pac-10 selection four times
First Cal player ever to be named as a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, the Heisman of women's soccer
Led Cal to the NCAA tournament in each of her four years
Second-team Freshman All American in 2007
Alex has made Cal proud and she'll make America proud on the national team, that's for sure.