CGB Hall of Fame: (2)Mike Mohamed v. (15)Steve Sweeney

(2) Mike Mohamed

CAL FOOTBALL - MIKE MOHAMED HIGHLIGHTS (via calbearsgobig)

Royrules sums it up nicely:

"He of Big Game glory. He went from an unheralded 2* recruit to a top-notch LB in the Pac-10." The pride of Brawley, CA, he was versatile and smart enough to play all three positions in a 4-3, or play either inside/outside in a 3-4. When fully healthy, he was an instinctive player who was a sure-tackler and equally adept defending the run or pass."

From Remembering the Seniors:

Hydrotech: " I remember when Mohamed first arrived on campus, there was a lot of talk about how the coaches thought he really was going to be special despite not being a big time recruit or the flashiest guy. Looks to me like they were right. I think Mohamed is definitely one of the best "diamonds in the rough" that the coaches found in the past five years or so."

Berkelium97: "In addition to remembering everything he did on the field, I remember his interesting background. He came from a small town in Imperial County, where he grew up on his family's farm. The farm was established by Mike's great grandfather, who left India, became a citizen, and bought 1000 acres of land. The farm has since been passed down through the family and played a big role in Mike's life when he was growing up. During his interviews at the Combine, Mike kept emphasizing his hard-nosed, blue collar work ethic. When asked about his life growing up, Mike says he learned these values by working at the farm. Off the field he works just as hard, as he was named to the Pac-10's all-academic team each of his four years. In a way, Mike is a lot like another recent Cal grad who earned great respect for his tremendous work ethic on and off the field: Alex Mack."

And the picture that is worth 1,000 words:

via cdn2.sbnation.com

(15) Steve Sweeney

Tightwad Hill sums things up much more nicely that I ever could have:

So, Steve Sweeney's career at Cal ended as it had begun - in the first game of the 1970 season against Oregon, the sophomore from Yakima, WA broke free for a 71-yard touchdown pass from QB Dave Penhall. He would go on to score 21 touchdowns in three years of play, which today places him third among all Cal receivers in scoring. Thirteen of those scores came in his senior year of 1972, along with 52 receptions. For his career Sweeney reeled in 132 passes for 2043 yards, and he left Cal as the school's all-time leader in receptions and yardage. The dependable receiver was twice named first-team all-Pac 8, and the Bear Backers voted him MVP after his senior season.

Sweeney was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 9th round of the 1973 NFL draft, and played one forgettable year before retiring.

And not to be outdone by Mikey Mo above, Sweeney has his own Big Game heroics:

All seemed lost for the Bears when, with only 2:28 left, Ferragamo threw his fourth interception of the day. Amazingly, the Bears got the ball back through a strong defensive stand, and careful use of time-outs. The Bears had the ball on their own 38-yard line with 1:13 remaining. With the help of two pass interference calls, Ferragamo drove the Bears down the the Stanford 8-yard line, with :03 left.

The Bears now had a choice to make: send out their outstanding kicker, Wersching, to attempt a virtually certain 25-yard field goal for the tie, or take one final shot at the win. With only :03 left, either choice would be the last play of the game. Rookie head coach Mike White decided to roll the dice and sent Ferragamo back out on the field. Cal's star wide receiver, Steve Sweeney, was sent out to line up at tight end. Sweeney collided with Stanford defender Jim Ferguson when he made his cut, and Ferguson fell down. Ferragamo threw to the corner of the end zone. Sweeney stumbled and dived for the ball, holding on even after he fell face down into the mud.