Our next match-up features two of our lowest seeds still remaining and the only female left in the Sweet Sixteen. Andre Carter was a beast of a defensive lineman and has had a long and stellar NFL career. Michelle Granger is simply one of, if not the best softballer to come to Berkeley.
Carter advanced by beating coach Bruce Synder quite easily while Granger won her match-up by a mere 3 votes to best Lamond Murray. This is an interesting vote out of the Pappy Waldorf Region where both of these upset machines will be looking to take down Ron Gould in the vote for entrance into the CGB Hall of Fame. You can take a look at the full bracket here and the write-ups are after the jump. The voting will end on Friday. GO BEARS!
(7) Andre Carter
Coach Tom Holmoe pulled quite the coup in 1997 when he recruited studly Andre Carter to play his college football at Cal. Carter's college career was certainly forgettable from a wins-losses standpoint, as Carter was unfortunately in the middle of the Holmoecaust. But Carter was certainly a bright and shining light on Cal's "Hit Squad" defense of those years.
MinerNiner lays out the case for Carter.
Carter played for the California Golden Bears from 1997-2000. During his junior and senior years he was a unanimous All-Pac 10 Conference selection. In 2000 he won the Morris Trophy, awarded to the Pac 10's top defensive lineman as voted on by the starting offensive lineman from the conference. In addition to being selected as the Golden Bears' most valuable player, Carter was also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the nation's top defensive player. Finished as the school's all-time sacks leader.
#2 seed Scott Fujita was also big on his old teammate, calling Carter his favorite teammate (HT kolwave).
When Fujita got to Cal as a 6-4, 195-pound safety who was the last man on the depth chart, his intensity on the practice field routinely perturbed his veteran teammates. "I was kind of the annoying, walk-on, ‘Scout Team All-American' who irritated the old guys," Fujita explained. [...] It was hard not to feel excluded, especially when everyone was lining up for training table and I wasn't allowed to eat. Andre Carter would sneak me food all the time. He really took care of me in every way. He's my brother from another mother."
White might've been more important for us at Cal, but Carter has definitely had the better professional career.
Ohio Bear:
Great career as a D-lineman at Cal, became a top-10 pick in the NFL draft, and has had a long pro career. On top of that, he has become CGB's meme for "needing an adult."
Kodiak:
This guy was an absolute beast off the edge. Could stuff the run, rush the passer, and was known for running down backs/receivers down the field...even on the opposite side. If not for being knee-capped by the Holmoe era, he would have put up unreal #'s.
Similar in speed to Cam Jordan, but not as big. However in terms of motor/focus, he started from day one and was a force even as a true frosh.
(11) Michelle Granger
On the short list of best softball players ever. 1996 Gold Medalist. This article encapsulates her accomplishments
From 1989-93 Granger amassed 1,640 strikeouts and 94 shutouts in 183 games, both NCAA records.The statistic that perhaps exemplifies Granger's dominance are her 25 no-hitters, five of which were perfect games Granger holds the top four spots in single-season strikeouts at Cal, and her 484 strikeouts during her senior year were a record at the time.
25 no hitters. 25 no hitters.
Her Cal Bears bio states the following:
Granger was the winning pitcher when the USA Softball team that won the sports' first Olympic gold medal in 1996. At the 1996 games, Granger finished with a 2-0 record, a 0.87 ERA and 25 strikeouts. Granger, who now resides in Davis, Calif., compiled a 13-7 record in five U.S. Olympic Festivals, went 4-0 in two ISF World Championships and 9-0 in three Pan American Games. She holds record for most consecutive strikeouts in a Women's Major Fast Pitch National Championship (18).
Granger played for Cal from 1989-93. She is the Golden Bears' all-time career leader in wins (119), games played (183), games started (162), complete games (155), innings pitched (1,202.2), strikeouts (1,640), shutouts (94), no-hitters (25) and perfect games (5).