Twenty-one Cal football seniors concluded their Golden Bear careers in 2011. None of them was more valuable than linebacker Mychal Kendricks. Kendricks capped off his Cal career with a season to remember in 2011. The Fresno native racked up 106 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss (including three sacks), and two fumble recoveries on his way to capturing the 2011 Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Award. Kendricks played in all 51 games possible during his four seasons at Cal (2008 to 2011) and finished his career with 258 tackles, good for ninth all-time in the program's history. He was also somewhat of a stat-sheet stuffer in his career: his ledger includes 36.5 tackles for loss (13.5 sacks), seven fumble recoveries, four interceptions (one for a touchdown), a forced fumble, and a blocked punt.
Today, Mychal Kendricks leads off CGB's Remembering the Seniors series. Remember away! And see you in the NFL, Mychal.
Avinash: To start us off, HydroTech, could you relate to us the story that you heard about Kendricks when you worked with the team? And how would you say he performed relative to the standards set in the story?
Hydro Tech: I have two stories to tell of Mychal. First, was a memory from the 2008 Emerald Bowl luncheon. That day, while the team was having lunch with Miami as a part of the pre-game festivities, Zack Follett took the stage for a brief interview with the host. The host was asking Zack how this game would go down. Zack started talking about how he thought Cal was going to dominate Miami and how they were really going to get after the QB, but it wouldn't be him sacking the QB too much because he was being used in a different role this game. Immediately it became apparent that Zack was perhaps talking too much and revealing a bit of Cal's defensive gameplan. Mychal was seated at a table next to me and quietly hissed to our table, "he's saying too much!" with a very concerned look on his face. The other, and more senior, Cal players at my table agreed but couldn't help just laugh about it all.
Ohio Bear: I remember Mychal Kendricks' first game as a Bear. He was a true freshman, playing in the season opener at Memorial Stadium against Michigan State. In the 4th quarter, I believe it was, with Cal about to get the ball back on an MSU punt and perhaps seize control of the game once and for all, Kendricks made a mental mistake and roughed the punter. It gave Michigan State a first down, which the Spartans parlayed into points.
Avinash: Do any signature moments stand out to you for Kendricks and for what reasons?
solarise: Enuff said.
via imgs.sfgate.com
solarise: Fantastic from every angle.
via www.latimes.com
Ohio Bear: I will always remember four on-field moments in Kendricks' career:
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