This article appears in the Winter 2007-08 issue of Cal Sports Quarterly John McNellis remembers a different world when he attended the University of California from 1969-73. The Vietnam War was in full swing, and students were questioning how particle physics and Chekov could be relevant, as campus riots protesting the war became so heated that the University had to periodically shut down. Athletics were also questioned for relevancy. Football games garnered only smatterings of students on Saturdays, and McNellis recalled protestors occasionally running onto the field during games to wave the North Vietnamese flag. Today, John and his wife, Michele Robertson '71, look back at their undergraduate years with fondness. Although they didn't meet while students in Berkeley, the Cal alumni would team up to create a life together when fate stepped in four years after John's graduation and the two met as lawyers in San Francisco. John would go on to become a real-estate developer, founding McNellis Partners in 1982. Four years later, the McNellises had the first of three daughters, settling in Atherton. Today John and Michele remain committed to their undergraduate alma mater, doing more than their share as Bear Backers. "We want Cal to remain as affordable an option as possible and hope that other students will have an opportunity, as we have, to transform their lives through education," John said. "Surprisingly, Cal does not have a huge endowment. That's why it's so important for alumni to remember their roots." While a student, McNellis took to the water, first as a member of the rowing team his freshman year, and later as a lifeguard working for the legendary Pete Cutino at the Harmon Gym pool, where he also played intramural water polo. "Athletics led the way for me," he said. "It requires a tremendous amount of effort, discipline and determination." As a result of John's aquatic experience, Cal Athletics is a beneficiary of much of the McNellis' generosity. The College of Letters & Science is also a recipient. At Cal, John majored in journalism, while Michele earned Phi Beta Kappa in English. The two Cal undergrads first crossed paths after getting their law degrees at a continuing education course offered to junior lawyers in San Francisco. John had just been hired by the prestigious law firm of Landels, Ripley and Diamond, and Michele was working at the renowned firm of Bancroft, Avery and McAllister. Though they'd never met in Berkeley, they shared professional interests and had the same committed work ethic Cal had demanded throughout those turbulent times. The 1970s have fast-forwarded to the late-2000s, and some parts of history may seem to be repeating themselves. But today's war protests are woven into a different climate driven by an increasingly wired-in world that may, perhaps, yield a less in-your-face brand of political protest than John and Michele encountered as students. Everyone connected with Cal Athletics, however, knows protest is alive and well in Berkeley as the University makes progress toward the Student-Athlete High-Performance Center. "Berkeley is, as always, the extreme case, but it's not unique," John says. "Often when one is trying to do land development, adjacent neighbors act as if it is they, and they alone, who should decide the property's fate, as if they - and not the developer - were the owner of the property." The bottom line is that the McNellises want to support today's exceptional student and student-athletes who are striving the same way they did to reach the rewarding milestone of a Cal degree. "I feel an enormous debt of gratitude to the University," John said. "I received a great education there. One business friend says he prefers to hire Cal grads over Stanford's, because he knows the Cal kids are tough enough to get through without falling through the cracks." That Golden Bear toughness has generated remarkable success in athletics, as well, which has in turn energized the campus community. The positive impacts range from the wonderful student-athletes who emerge from Cal as highly successful people to the raised profile a successful program can garner for the University as a whole. But in the dawn of the 1970s, the equation wasn't so clear-cut. "The word `relevant' was beaten to death in the early '70's," John said of his era as an undergrad. "Everything had to be relevant. With the world coming to an end around us, the only `relevant' course of action was to stop the war. That was the cry over and again." Even in the midst of that united cry to effect change, participation in athletics was an anchor for John's experience. "Let's face it," he said. "With Cal the size of most U.S. cities, it's a huge boost for a freshman to be a member of any student organization, whether athletics or the band or the chess team. It gave me a sense of place and identity." John continues to enjoy challenging himself in the pool. After becoming a competitive swimmer while working for Cuttino, McNellis went on to swim for the Olympic Club, and today he takes time to swim during the lunch hour with the Stanford Masters near his Palo Alto office. "Swimming in the middle of a sunny, warm day, cracking out 3,000 meters with a great group of guys and holding the pace, that's the best," McNellis said. "At the end of a long, hard workout, the endorphin release is an intensely peaceful feeling. I love doing that." None of their daughters is en route to Berkeley for their undergraduate years, but that doesn't affect John and Michele's committed to Cal. Said John, "Michele and I think the University is fabulous." No doubt Cal would be less fabulous if not for the hard work of people like John and Michele. Bear Backers like them make Cal's reputation for drive and determination a deserved one. Click here for more information.
Hal Frey led the men's gymnastics team in some of its most successful years, including the 1968 and 1975 NCAA championship seasons. The Winter 2006-2007 issue of Cal Sports Quarterly features Frey's recollection of the Bears' special comeback against Southern Illinois in 1968 to win their first national title. Below are two more great memories of Cal Men's Gymnastics courtesy of coach Frey. Cal Edges Iowa State Before Capacity Crowd For the 1972 season, Cal scheduled a dual meet with Iowa State at Harmon Gymnasium. The defending NCAA Champions, Iowa State was making a western tour and its last stop was at Cal. Both teams were entered the competition undefeated. Iowa State had a record of 33 dual meets without a defeat and Cal was on a 48-meet winning streak. The meet was given good space in the Bay Area newspapers and the gymnastics community was aware of this special competition. The meet, scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m., was delayed to give all the spectators the opportunity to enter the gymnasium. The line of people waiting to gain entry extended to Bancroft Avenue. Eventually every seat in Harmon Gymnasium was filled and the competition started. The competition began with some very nervous athletes unaccustomed to competing in front of many thousands of spectators. Eventually they settled down and, after four events, Iowa State was ahead by almost two full points. On parallel bars, Charles Glass and Minoru Morisaki both executed their routines quite well and we pulled closer to the Cyclones. On the last event, Glass again did an outstanding routine on the horizontal bar to narrow the gap some more. We now had only Morisaki left to perform. He had to complete his routine with reasonable execution to give us an opportunity to win the meet. Morisaki mounted, started his routine and went through each skill flawlessly. He finished his routine with the highest dismount ever and landed without error. The audience was ecstatic and a minute later the head scorer, Gordon Sakaue, announced the result of the competition. Cal had outscored Iowa State by one tenth of a point! The audience and Cal gymnasts celebrated, and I too was ecstatic. Having been kept informed of the scores unofficially, I had congratulated the visiting coach on winning the meet. The announcer shocked me when he announced the actual final scores. It was a great win over a good team and our winning streak was intact. Of course the presence of the wonderful audience made it a special event for the gymnasts. Minoru Morisaki was simply wonderful that evening, leading the Cal Bears to a special victory! Tyr Wilbanks and The Thrilling Result of Hard Work Tyr Wilbanks was not a champion gymnast and, in fact, struggled mightily to elevate his gymnastics abilities to a level sufficiently high enough to compete on the Cal team in dual meets. In the mid-'70s the Cal program was strong, challenging for the team gold every season, and this made it a bit difficult for Tyr to earn a spot on the team. Wilbanks came to the gymnasium faithfully and to take his turns along with the team regulars. Because he may not have had the experience of the regular team members, he had to work harder, he had to take more turns, he had to take more falls, and yet he did not make the improvement to be a regular competing team member. But because of his commitment, the coaches decided to reward Tyr with an opportunity to show his routine to the judges and us. He was placed on our lineup for his best event, the parallel bar, in a meet with San Jose State and Stanford. The coaches were not prepared for the events that transpired shortly thereafter. Wilbanks competed and executed his routine without any major error. We had never seen him do this before and the Cal team erupted with cheers, congratulations and much fanfare. This individual had sacrificed so much time and energy to gain the opportunity to compete and succeed in something that he enjoyed being a part of. The important thing was not winning or losing but participating and succeeding at being a team member. One would have thought he had won a national championship, we were all so happy for Tyr Wilbanks. Click here for more information.
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