BERKELEY - Second best was not enough.

In fact, the sting of falling just short of the ultimate rung of success fostered a new level of focus.

In an environment where achievement was expected, more from an intrinsic knowing than any external pressures, it was hard to believe that a higher level of intent was possible. But, it was.

"It was a result of what we did," started California alumnus C.J. Faust. "We knew we had a championship caliber team, and that drove everybody to want to win and want to be the best. It wasn't that we had to win or else it was a failure, but we knew that because we were doing the right things the outcome would be a championship eventually."

And, it happened in 1997.

"We almost knew going in we were going to win," said Faust, who competed on parallel bars, pommel horse and rings. "We were so dominant that year. All we needed to do is execute that plan.

"I remember going into the last event, we already knew points-wise we had won. David Kruse was the last man up on high bar and he could have not finished his routine and we still would've won. Instead, he hit a flawless routine with an unbelievable dismount and stuck it. I think that was a culmination of the character of the team. It was pretty incredible."

One year after a closely-contested battle at the 1996 NCAA Championships, where California finished as runner-up with a 16-1 record, the Golden Bears climbed what then may have seemed the steepest four steps of their young lives.

As 14 gymnasts, all sporting the Blue and Gold, stood on the platforms of the championship podium in Iowa City, Iowa, on April 18, 1997, they reignited a program, now more than100 years running, to collective prominence. With a 17-0 record, the men's team posted its first perfect season since 1972.

"It was a bit like a party, said Evgenii "Zhecka" Zherebchevskiy, a Ukrainian native that competed on  still rings, floor, parallel bars and high bar for the '97 team. "It was a great feeling; still, 20 years later, it's a great feeling. It was a great combination of competition, beauty and toughness."

The program was not shy of NCAA championship appearances, sending individuals to represent almost yearly since 1938. In fact, the Bears garnered their first team national title in 1968 and then another in 1975 under Hal Frey, whose teams made 17 appearances in the championships during his 25 years (1958-1983, excluding 1970 when Don Nelson was the head coach).

"We knew [1997] was going to be a special year," said volunteer assistant coach Ron Bell, who was a member of the 1975 national championship team for Cal. "We knew from the summer of '96 that we had a special team and knew something great was going to happen. Everyone was very energized.

"Plus, I think the guys were tired of me telling them how great it was to win the 1975 championships, which I told them on a daily basis. They were thinking 'we got to shut this old man up' and they did it."

After a quarter-century of prominence that saw 11 conference titles, Cal, under new coaching, was unable to send a team to the final meet, and only notched one conference title in eight years, hovering around fifth place for most of that time.
 
Then Barry came.

Barry Weiner, a Philadelphia, Pa., native, who'd only coached at the junior elite level, had a vision for Cal when he took the reins in 1992. After the program had a single-season win in 1991, the worst finish in its history, Barry's Bears posted a 15-13 record, finishing third in conference and culminating the season with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Regionals. From 1992-2010, Weiner had a winning record in all but one season and was a four-time MPSF Coach of the Year honoree, two-time NCAA Coach of the Year recipient, and in 2009 earned collegiate gymnastics' most prestigious coaches recognition, the College Gymnastics Association Honor Coach award.  

"I didn't have much credibility in the senior elite program, but I thought it was an opportunity knowing that Cal was prominent when Hal Frey was here," said Weiner. "I thought it could be great again.

"I was looking for kids that were a good fit for Berkeley. '97 was a culmination of three really good recruiting classes in a row.

It was really difficult to make our team. I always liked beautiful gymnastics and we were aesthetically the nicest looking team and that's what we became known for."

His efforts to reestablish a winning culture climaxed in 1997 during one mid-April afternoon.

"They have me on film walking into a little leap," Weiner recalled of the moment his first NCAA title was realized. "It was a landmark achievement because it was something I set out to do. Everything lined up perfectly for us.  I don't think anybody even cared if they became individual champions; they were focused on the team.

"We had so many leaders on that team. Everybody was a leader. Our seniors and co-captains were terrific, but leadership ran through the fabric of that team."
Cal repeated in 1998, posting a 23-0 record on its way to the programs' only consecutive championships.

A score later, that moment still holds significance, not only for the '97 Bears, but for the Cal program.

"Some of the things Cal men's gym is known for is elegance, artistry, execution and that flare no other teams really had. It's been fun to show the guys some of the videos from the '97 team and to see what they were able to accomplish. To try to take some of those style points and transfer it over to modern-day Cal men's gymnastics is pretty awesome," said current head coach Brett McClure.  "The '97 team put everything into that competition.

"The alumni support has been tremendous. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for those guys, and we are so thankful to represent this school and to continue the tradition and the legacy they've put in front of us."

In fact, Weiner still lingers on occasion to lend support.

"He's put his heart and soul and whole livelihood into Cal men's gymnastics," said McClure, now in his fourth season. "He checks in to see how the guys and the coaching staff are doing. It's difficult for him to step away, and he's still so excited to see the progression the guys are making. He always has great words of wisdom that can pick us up anytime."
McClure, who took over in 2014, still is amazed by the program's history.

"The legacy here at Cal is unbelievable. Over 100 years of men's gymnastics and multiple national champions, world champions, Olympians. Difficult shoes to fill; it's terrifying."

Even with such monumental expectations, Weiner and the alum are confident in the program's current direction.

"We are thrilled to have Brett here," Weiner said. "He's just a great coach and we know he's going to do big things. I think when it's all said and done Brett's going to be one of the great Cal coaches."

The foundation has been laid, the torch passed. In 20 years, the only moment that will matter is the one when each individual became part of something bigger than himself; the moment he became a Golden Bear.