CGB Hall of Fame: (3) Mike Pawlawski vs. (11) Harper Kamp

Results from the previous round

Third-seeded Mike Pawlawski routed 14th-seed Doug Brien 52-13, and 11th-seeded Harper Kamp upset sixth-seeded David Kravish 47-30.

(3) Mike Pawlawski

Cal fans from the early 90's remember him and the team he led quite fondly, perhaps in the same way the others remember Rodgers and 2004. Pawlawski was Cal's starting quarterback in 1990 and 1991. The 1991 team went 10-2 and won the Florida Citrus Bowl against ACC champion Clemson-Cal's first appearance in a New Year's Day Bowl since the 1959 Rose Bowl game. Pawlawski had an outstanding 1991 season, winning co-Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors with Washington WR Mario Bailey. And Pawlawski's 1990 team went 7-4-1 with a win in the Copper Bowl (nka the Insight Bowl), which was Cal's first bowl appearance since the 1979 Garden State Bowl.
LeonPowe and California Pete offer their thoughts on Pawlawski and the 1991 team he quarterbacked-

LeonPowe: Quarterback for the 1991 Citrus Bowl Championship teams. Coming out of high school he had no arm strength, no accuracy and was rated by one recruiting service as "the worst recruit in the Pac-10"
Damned if he didn't will and win his way to becoming the Pac-10 offensive player of the year in 1991. And this was with a UW team that won the National Championship. I really dislike attributing stuff like "intangibles" and "leadership" - because good players usually prove themselves in some measurable way. Mike really didn't - he had okay stats and won a lot. But it was the little things. Like when he scored on a keeper and knocked out the opposing linebacker. Like when he played special teams to get on the field. Like when he took an offense full of talent (Russ, Brian Treggs, Mike Caldwell, Greg Zomalt, Lindsay Chapman) and molded them in his image - they became a cocky, loud-mouthed, trashtalking offense that WON. Back-to-back Bowl Games (huge for Cal at the time).
In my freshman year after Pawlawski had graduated a lot of fans and students said (not jokingly either) that they should bring Pawlawski back . . .to coach the linebackers.

California Pete: I think the 1991 team would have a great chance against the 2004 team, although the 91ers' penchant for personal fouls probably would do them in. Both teams were Rose Bowl worthy . . . but both unfortunately shared the conference with two of the all-time greats: UW 1991 and USC 2004.

He is dealing with neck issues in retirement, but many of us have seen him broadcast a Cal game, several in the past few seasons, and he seems to be in generally good spirits.

You can check out his write-up on Tightwad Hill over here.

(11) Harper Kamp

Harper Kamp vs Stanford 3-5-2011 (via ihelpathletes)

iVinishe: Harper Kamp is quite simply a True Golden Bear. Kamp earned honorable mention Pac-10 All-Freshman honors. As one of Ben Braun's final recruits however, Harper was faced with a difficult situation when Braun left the University of California: leave the school he had only played at for one year and had just let his head coach go, or stay and play for a new coach in an unfamiliar system. Though courted by several programs, Harper remained true to gold and blue, donning a California jersey 3 of the next 4 years, in spite of severe back and knee limitations.

After being unable to play due to injury during the 2009-2010 season, Harper returned as an upperclassman leader of the next two teams. Over the next two seasons, he received 2nd-Team All Pac-10/12 honors while displaying some of the toughest balls any Cal player has ever had. Through every grimace after a blow to the back, every flu game he had to receive IV's for, Harper exemplified what it means to be a Golden Bear. He was never the flashiest or the most athletic; however, his leadership, consistent performance on the court, and representation of the University of California has earned the respect and gratitude of Cal fans world wide.

KPIX Cal's Harper Kamp and his Bulldog Franklin (1/6/12) (via kpixsports)

You can also read more about Harper from our Remembering the Seniors post here.