CGB Hall of Fame: (7) Justin Forsett vs. (2) 2010 Men's Basketball Seniors

(7) Justin Forsett

Justin Forsett Extended Highlights Part 1 (via ronenlish1)

When Marshawn Lynch left for the NFL following the 2006 season, there were some Cal fans who wondered if Justin Forsett cold handle the role of Cal's # 1 running back. Sure, he was great as Lynch's backup and and as a quintessential "change of pace" back during the Beast Mode years, but how would he do as Cal's feature back?

Just fine, thank you very much. Forsett rushed for 1,546 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior, which led the Pac-10 and tied for the best single-season total in Cal history. On top of all that, Forsett was a second team Pac-10 All-Academic selection. Forsett finished his Cal career with 3,220 rushing yards and was a valued member of teams that won 35 regular season games and three bowl games. These days, he is a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

Back in the day, danzig wrote one of the classiest tributes ever on this site, dedicated to Forsett (included in the post are his noted highlighted reels), chock full of emotion and memory. Here's the best of that post.

1) He's a great all-around guy: ALL fans love him. Great work ethic, high character, good morals, never got in trouble and patiently waited behind Marshawn without bitching about it. There are so few heros in life, but he's one of them.
All his life he's been told about the body he doesn't have... the speed he doesn't possess... to accept that he wouldn't go far... and he said to all of them... "F*** that, I don't give a shit what you think!!" (Actually, he probably would've have said, "Excuse me sir, I beg to differ" but...). To make it even more improbable, Ty Willingham yanked his only D-1 scholarship at the last minute, but he still became a star at Cal... I bet Ty is sorry now. His story is downright inspirational and I demand a movie be made about him immediately! Hey Hollywood, cancel that sequel you're about to make and do this instead: The Truth Laid Bear: The Justin Forsett Story. But if it shows up on Lifetime I'm going to F*ing kill you guys.

2) He's the son of a preacher man: And so am I. PKs (pastor's kids) don't have what you would call 'normal' upbringings. Pastors are incredibly strict with their kids because the kids' behavior reflects on the Pastor and the church itself. There are only two varieties of PKs... the ones that grow up to be upstanding role models in their communities and the 'rebels' who embrace all evil (I'm the latter). In short, it's tough to grow up as a PK and PKs the world over have somewhat of a kinship that grows from that. "Genesis says don't be spilling no seed"

3) He's got skillz: Admit it, sometimes when Marshawn was bogging down in a game or fumbling, we all secretly whispered to ourselves, "PUT JUSTIN IN !!!" When announcers said that he could be starting anywhere else in the country... they weren't kidding. He was an outstanding running back with accolades too long to list here. He's got moves and knows when to just run downhill. He's chocked my head full of great game memories...I'll miss him so much...sniff, sniff. (tearing up).

(2) 2010 Men's Basketball Seniors

When Monty retired earlier this year we looked back at our fondest memories of the Mike Montgomery era.  A common thread in our responses was the 2009-10 season, anchored by an unforgettable group of seniors.

What is your favorite memory of the Monty Era?

atomsareenough: Definitely, it was beating James Harden and Arizona State at Haas to win Cal's first Pac-10 championship in 50 years. I was there for that one too, and it was a great celebration. That year was also the lovable Randle/Christopher/Robertson/Boykin/Jorge team, which provided another top Monty era moment, the epic comeback at Haas against Stanford. Other honorable mentions: This year's Arizona game, the 3OT Washington game, last year's games against Oregon, beating Louisville in the Tourney.

Ruey Yen: Winning the Pac-10 conference and have all those seniors cutting down the net will always have a special place in my heart. It is a moment that I dream about when I was a student, and Monty played a huge part in making that a reality (even if the rest of the Pac was weak).

Berkelium97: Easy: winning our first conference title in 50 years.

Vincent S:
1. Winning the first Pac-12 championship in 50 years against ASU at home

LeonPowe: The entire season of the Randle/Robertson/P.Chris/Boykin senior team. Watching Jerome drop 3s from deep, P. Chris with his smooth game, Theo fill in exactly in the place he was needed. Jorge defending 7 different guys in 5 minutes. Boykin with his jump hooks. If only Kamp was healthy that year - I think we could've gone a few more rounds in the tournament.

Relive the magic: