| Charlie Butt established school
records in both the shot put (53-8.75) and discus (161-7.75)
in 1954, breaking marks that had stood since 1941. Since 1954, he was the only Cal athlete to
hold both the shot put and discus records at the same time until Dave Porath set both marks
in 1981. Butt placed third in the shot put (53-6.5) at the 1954 NCAA meet, helping Cal to
a third-place team finish. In 1956, Butt set another Cal mark and Edwards Stadium record
in the discus with a heave of 174-6 in a dual meet vs. Washington. He clinched the Pacific
Coast shot put title with a throw of 57-8.75 in 1956. After graduation, Butt became only
the fifth person in history to surpass the 60-foot barrier in the shot put with a mark
of 60-2 to place second at the 1959 Modesto Relays. He established a lifetime best of
60-9.5 in the shot put at the SPAAU meet on June 12, 1959, and placed first in meets
in Finland and in Sweden in July 1959.
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Pete Cutino, Jr.
, the son of legendary Cal water polo coach Pete Cutino, is one of
the most accomplished student-athletes to ever play water polo for the Bears. A two-time
All-American (1982-83) who was named 1983 Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year, Cutino, Jr.,
helped the Bears to the 1983 NCAA title with a 29-3-2 record, earning Co-NCAA Tournament
MVP and Co-National Collegiate Player of the Year accolades with teammate Alan Gresham.
Cutino, Jr., also excelled on the international stage, as he propelled the U.S.
national team to a gold medal at the 1982 National Sports Festival and to a silver
medal at the 1983 World University Games.
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A versatile three-year letterman,
Rusty Gill
played both fullback and halfback
for Cal's football team. He was a dependable back who gained his greatest fame in
his senior year, leading Cal to an 8-2 record and second place in the PCC in 1931.
Gill was tabbed with an assortment of All-America honors, including first team by
both the New York Journal and the American Football Players, second team by
United Press and honorable mention by the Associated Press. A first-team All-Coast
selection, Gill came from a very athletic family, as brothers Frank, Harry, Sam
and Carol all played football at Cal.
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Jim Hanifan
started three years at defensive end for the Bears, and in 1953 and 1954,
he also started at tight end. The Bears 1954 team captain led the nation that year in
receiving with 44 receptions for 569 yards and seven touchdowns. He received the Andy
Smith Trophy for most conference minutes, was a unanimous first-team All-Coast honoree
and was chosen to the Catholic All-America team. After participating in the East-West
Shrine Bowl, the Hula Bowl and the College All-Star game, Hanifan was drafted by the
Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League and later starred for the Toronto
Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. In 1973, he entered the coaching ranks
and has been a long-time NFL assistant and is a former head coach.
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While a member of the Cal swimming team,
Pelle Holmertz
won a silver medal in the
100-meter freestyle for Sweden at the 1980 Olympics. A four-time All-American, Holmertz
led Cal to its first NCAA team championship in 1979 and contributed to another Cal team
title in 1980. He was part of two NCAA record-setting relay teams - the 400-yard medley
relay (1979, 3:15:22) and the 800-yard free relay team (1982, 6:28:94). In 1982,
Holmertz won the 200-free title in 1:36.46 at the NCAA Championships and won the
Pac-10 100-free title in 43.73. His career-best time of 43.62 in the 100 free
ranks 11th in the Cal record book. Additionally, he stands in a tie for 12th
place in school history in the 50 free (19.78).
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One of the most decorated distance runners in Cal history,
Kirsten O'Hara
garnered
five All-America accolades as a member of the Golden Bears' cross country and track and
field teams from 1985-88 and is a member of Cal's Pac-10 All-Decade team (1986-96).
O'Hara is the only three-time All-American in Cal cross country history, placing 11th
at the 1987 NCAA Championships for the highest-ever finish by a Cal runner. She received
her other cross country All-America accolades by finishing 20th nationally in 1985 and
37th in 1988, adding to her credentials as Cal's Athlete of the Decade in cross country
from 1986-96. O'Hara earned track and field All-America recognition for her sixth-place
showing in the 5000m at the 1985 NCAA Championships, clocking the current school record
of 15:46.8. She wrapped up her Cal career with a third-place All-America performance
in the 10,000m (32:52.86) at the 1988 NCAA Championships. O'Hara's 10,000m school
record (32:40.76) also has endured for 21 years
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