Just one step away from the CGB Hall of Fame, who will join Mark Bingham, Chuck Muncie, Joe Roth, Jason Kidd, Natalie Coughlin, Marshawn Lynch, Zack Follett, Leon Powe, Jack Clark, Jeff Tedford. Tony Gonzalez, The Play Players, Aaron Rodgers, Alex Mack, Glenn Seaborg, Jill Costello, Brent Woodall, Deltha O'Neal, Matt Biondi, Kevin Johnson, Dana Vollmer, Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien, Nathan Adrian, Ron Gould, Joe Kapp, Ken Montgomery, and Robert O. Briggs?
Will it be
(1) Alex Morgan
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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
She started playing regularly for the senior U.S. Women's National Team in 2010 and had her breakthrough in 2011. She scored vital goals all along the way for the Red, White and Blue and ended up accomplishing her goal of earning a Gold Medal.
Alex was also drafted first overall in the 2011 Women's Professional Soccer draft by the Western New York Flash where she helped them win the championship the same year. She is currently a member of the Portland Timbers Women's Soccer club, who play in the W-League.
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(2) Mike Mohamed
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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: