CGB Hall of Fame: (8)Mychal Kendricks v. (9)Tony Renda

(8) Mychal Kendricks

Cal Football: Mychal Kendricks Highlights - LB #30 (via calathletics)

Kendricks was a mainstay in the Golden Bears defense for many years and I think that everyone reading this has to say that they appreciated the intensity and skill with which he played the game. I am sure he'll make his mark while playing on Sundays next year and he should be just as fun to watch in Eagles green as he was in Blue and Gold.

Via Official Cal Bears Profile:

Earned several All-American honors as a senior, including second-team selections
by Phil Steele and College Sports Madness ... also a third-team All-American
selection of Yahoo! Sports and an honorable mention pick of SI.com ... named the
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection as a
senior, after earning second-team all-league honors during his junior campaign ...
finished his career with 258 tackles to rank tied for ninth all-time at Cal, while
adding 36.5 tackles for loss (-144 yards) to miss finishing among the school's all-
time leaders by one-half of a tackle for loss ... also had a punt return in which he
was credited with 26 punt returns yards after he blocked a punt before teammate
Bryant Nnabuife picked the ball up and ran 30 yards for a score vs. Colorado State
in 2008, five pass breakups and a forced fumble ... recorded at least 0.5 tackles for
loss 24 times in his career, including in 19 of his final 25 games ... played inside
linebacker as a 2011 senior after spending most of his collegiate career as an
outside linebacker.

And of course, who can forget this?

Mychal Kendricks vs. Derrick Coleman (via schmeezed)

(9) Tony Renda

Tony Renda will be remembered for many things. 2nd round draft pick. Pac-12 player of the year. Arguably the greatest pure hitter in Cal history.

The numbers speak for themselves - a career batting average of .358. He was always going to be a guy who could hit for average, but he developed a great batting eye over the course of his Cal career to go along with gap power and solid speed - all from a second baseman. If he had stayed for his senior season it's likely that he would have left with the most hits in program history.

But I'll remember him most for two things. First of all, he embodied the spirit of the 2011 College World Series team perhaps more than any one player. Gritty. Undersized (5'8'', 173, according to his Cal bio). Looking at him, you might think ‘utility infielder' rather than ‘best player on the team.'

What's the other thing I'll remember Tony Renda for?

Cal baseball walkoff over Baylor Danny Fry KALX Berkeley 90.7 FM (via dannyfreisinger)

Of course Tony Renda was involved in the rally, and of course Tony Renda scored the winning run while struggling home on a tweaked leg with a head first slide in the dirt.