1937 California Golden Bears football team

1937 California Golden Bears football
National champion (Dunkel, Helms)
PCC champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 13–0 vs. Alabama
ConferencePacific Coast Conference
Ranking
APNo. 2
Record10–0–1 (6–0–1 PCC)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSingle-wing
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1936
1938 →
1937 Pacific Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 California $ 6 0 1 10 0 1
Stanford 4 2 1 4 3 2
Washington 4 2 2 7 2 2
Washington State 3 3 2 3 3 3
Idaho 2 2 0 4 3 1
Oregon State 2 3 3 3 3 3
USC 2 3 2 4 4 2
Oregon 2 5 0 4 6 0
UCLA 1 5 1 2 6 1
Montana 0 1 0 7 1 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1937 California Golden Bears football team, nicknamed the "Thunder Team",[1] was an American football team that represented the University of California (now known as the University of California, Berkeley) in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) during the 1937 college football season. In their third year under head coach Stub Allison, the Bears compiled a 10–0–1 record, shut out seven of eleven opponents, and outscored all opponents by a total of 214 to 33.[2][3]

In the final AP Poll released on November 29, California was ranked No. 2 with 277 points, 50 points behind No. 1 Pittsburgh.[4] After the final rankings were posted, California shut out No. 4 Alabama in the 1938 Rose Bowl. The Associated Press did not conduct post-bowl polling at the time, but retroactive rankings by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Dunkel System declared California as the 1937 national champion.[5]

Three California players received first-team honors on the 1937 All-America college football team: fullback Sam Chapman; guard Vard Stockton; end Perry Schwartz; and center Bob Herwig.

  1. ^ "Cal's 1937 'Thunder Team' rumbled to Roses". San Francisco Chronicle. November 28, 2004.
  2. ^ "1937 California Golden Bears Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "California 2015 Football Information Guide" (PDF). CalBears.com. Cal Golden Bears Athletics. p. 163. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  4. ^ "Final AP Poll Ranks Pitt at Top". Clovis News-Journal. November 30, 1937. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ 2020 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records (PDF). Indianapolis: The National Collegiate Athletic Association. July 2020. pp. 112–114. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.