Six members of Cal's 2004 football team have signed free agent contracts with National Football League squads and will participate in mini camps this weekend. The Buffalo Bills added two Golden Bears - linebacker Wendell Hunter and defense tackle Tom Sverchek . Other Cal players to sign were defensive lineman Lorenzo Alexander (Carolina Panthers), quarterback Reggie Robertson (Indianapolis Colts), long snapper L.P. Ladouceur (New Orleans Saints) and tight end Garrett Cross (Green Bay Packers).
Cross will be reunited with quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Rodgers was selected with the 24th pick of the first round of the NFL draft by the Packers last Saturday. The pair also played together at Butte Junior College in Chico before moving to Cal.
The free agent signings, coupled with the five Bears chosen in the draft, brings the total to 11 Cal players who have joined NFL rosters this spring.
Southern California's defending national co-champions left no doubt as to whom the college football champion was in 2004. The 12-0 Trojans led both major polls throughout the regular season, then trounced unbeaten No. 2 Oklahoma 55-19 in the FedEx Orange Bowl on Jan. 4 for their 13th victory. California Golden Bears Football Tickets can be found above. And there really good seats. Junior quarterback Matt Leinart, winner of both the Heisman Trophy and the Walter Camp Award, passed for 332 yards and an Orange Bowl record five touchdowns as USC won its 22nd consecutive game and confirmed its 10th national title.
don't forget to go see California Golden Bears Football.
Auburn fans were disappointed that the Tigers (12-0 in regular season), winner of the SEC and victor over Virginia Tech 16-13 in the Nokia Sugar Bowl, had to settle for a final No. 3 ranking behind USC and Oklahoma. Utah fans, however, were delighted to see their Utes (11-0 in regular season) not only make it to a BCS bowl but clobber Pittsburgh 35-7 in the Fiesta Bowl. The Mountain West champions finished with a No. 5 national ranking.
The nation's other major unbeaten team, Western Athletic Conference champion Boise State (11-0), fell to Louisville (10-1 in regular season) 44-40 in the highest-scoring Liberty Bowl game ever. The Cardinals, in their last year in Conference USA before heading to the Big East, had led the nation with a 49.8 scoring average, while Boise State had averaged 49.7.
Utah and Auburn shared the national Coach of the Year awards, Urban Meyer of Utah winning the Football Writers award and Tommy Tuberville of Auburn taking the Football Coaches award.
Oklahoma may have finished with a disappointing loss in the Orange Bowl, but quarterback Jason White, the 2003 Heisman Trophy winner, won the 2004 Maxwell Award as well as the Davey O'Brien and Johnny Unitas quarterback awards.
The Outland Trophy went to another Oklahoma player, offensive tackle Jamaal Brown, while defensive end David Pollack of Georgia won the Vince Lombardi/Rotary Award along with the Chuck Bednarik Award.
Other notable 2004 season events included: