I know this is a route, but Coach Dykes and TCU have a lot to be proud of to have gotten this far. Georgia is a monster football team.
I don’t think I’ve ever told this story on here, but Sonny Dykes will always have a special place in my heart for what he did for me when he was at Cal.
I struggled deeply with major health issues the majority of my time at Cal. I was in a really bad place then, mentally and physically. I was in the band, and really enjoyed my time there, but I was struggling to keep up and my fellow bandsmen were getting more and more tired of my crap. They had seen me limp off the field at the end of practice so much that it really wasn’t on anyone’s radar anymore. We were practicing in memorial, if my heavily impaired memory serves, and I didn’t make it off the field with everyone else at the end of practice. I just kinda slumped against the edge of the bowl and tried to catch my breath. The team must’ve been doing something afterwards because one of the assistant coaches (I can’t remember who, my memory is heavily impaired from this time period) came and found me and brought me back to the football office, gave me some water, and made sure I got home.
I thought that was nice, because I knew it wasted some valuable time, so I decided to send the Coach that helped me a thank you card, and I also sent one to Coach Dykes. A few days later, I got a message from the football office, asking me to come to Coach Dykes’s office. He talked to me about life and stuff for like 15 minutes, and then told me that he had checked with Bob (the band director) and had heard that we would not be traveling to Colorado. He asked me if I would travel to the Colorado game as a guest of the team. They took me with the team, roomed me with the Chaplin, and had me on the sidelines with the team. I have a picture from the broadcast of me standing like 3 yards behind Coach Dykes.
That would’ve been really cool on its own, but what really meant the most was afterwards. From that point on, until the moment he was let go by Cal, every 4-6 weeks or so Coach Dykes would call me into his office and just check how I was doing and chat with me for like 20 minutes. I didn’t offer him anything. It didn’t help him win more games, get more money, or keep his job. It was just kindness.
That was a point in my life where my family didn’t think I would live that long. We weren’t sure whether that would be because of some of the medication I was taking, or because I wouldn’t be able to live with the pain anymore, but if you had honestly asked my parents, they would’ve said I wouldn’t have made it. I latched onto that little bit of kindness. I made it from game day to game day, and from meeting to meeting.
I graduated in 2017 and got married in May of 2022. We bought a house in November. I’m living a normal life, a blessed life, and I will never forget the time that Coach Dykes gave to me, the selflessness of it all. I’ll always root for Coach Dykes wherever he goes. I don’t have an easy way of contact Coach Dykes, but someday I hope to have a chance to tell him what that meant to me.
Congrats Coach! Even if it wasn't gonna be at Cal, happy to see you put to rest the saying, "the best offense is a good defense!". The best offense is a good offense!
After spending a fortune to upgrade Memorial and other facilities, most of us alums we’re interested in something modest: 6 or 7 wins a year and bowl eligibility. Wilcox isn’t getting it done
People who complain about Alabama, and now Georgia, having a cupcake or 2 on their schedule should note that after what happened to Oregon, and now TCU, not a lot of AD's are calling up to inquire about playing one of them down in Atlanta. And if they do, their head coach will strangle them.
This (24-7 Georgia and counting) is what I was afraid of/expecting. And it doesn't mean TCU isn't good; they have proven they are very good. But this is a whole different breed of dawg they are dealing with. The structure is different, but this reminds me of USC's 55-19 National Championship game. Another case where you have a team that's just better in a lot of ways and places.
Just curious. How many of you would be interested in a minor football league that included the semi-peo Berkeley Bears?
News Flash: Today's players could care less what “school” is providing their NIL money. Do today's players even bother to attend classes at the school that is playing them to play football?
In 2023 we're all just rooting for laundry. Like any other semi-pro team, which at best is mediocre, usually losing consistently. The “Cal” semi pro team gets “Cal” branding, at no charge, as do all the other “college” semi-pro teams at their schools.
2023 “college” football has nothing to do with what you rooted for during your time at Cal. The shame of it is the Cal semi-pro team is permanently buried in the group of also ran, really bad losing semi-pro teams. So we don't even get to pretend that this is anything worth cheering for.
I know this is a route, but Coach Dykes and TCU have a lot to be proud of to have gotten this far. Georgia is a monster football team.
I don’t think I’ve ever told this story on here, but Sonny Dykes will always have a special place in my heart for what he did for me when he was at Cal.
I struggled deeply with major health issues the majority of my time at Cal. I was in a really bad place then, mentally and physically. I was in the band, and really enjoyed my time there, but I was struggling to keep up and my fellow bandsmen were getting more and more tired of my crap. They had seen me limp off the field at the end of practice so much that it really wasn’t on anyone’s radar anymore. We were practicing in memorial, if my heavily impaired memory serves, and I didn’t make it off the field with everyone else at the end of practice. I just kinda slumped against the edge of the bowl and tried to catch my breath. The team must’ve been doing something afterwards because one of the assistant coaches (I can’t remember who, my memory is heavily impaired from this time period) came and found me and brought me back to the football office, gave me some water, and made sure I got home.
I thought that was nice, because I knew it wasted some valuable time, so I decided to send the Coach that helped me a thank you card, and I also sent one to Coach Dykes. A few days later, I got a message from the football office, asking me to come to Coach Dykes’s office. He talked to me about life and stuff for like 15 minutes, and then told me that he had checked with Bob (the band director) and had heard that we would not be traveling to Colorado. He asked me if I would travel to the Colorado game as a guest of the team. They took me with the team, roomed me with the Chaplin, and had me on the sidelines with the team. I have a picture from the broadcast of me standing like 3 yards behind Coach Dykes.
That would’ve been really cool on its own, but what really meant the most was afterwards. From that point on, until the moment he was let go by Cal, every 4-6 weeks or so Coach Dykes would call me into his office and just check how I was doing and chat with me for like 20 minutes. I didn’t offer him anything. It didn’t help him win more games, get more money, or keep his job. It was just kindness.
That was a point in my life where my family didn’t think I would live that long. We weren’t sure whether that would be because of some of the medication I was taking, or because I wouldn’t be able to live with the pain anymore, but if you had honestly asked my parents, they would’ve said I wouldn’t have made it. I latched onto that little bit of kindness. I made it from game day to game day, and from meeting to meeting.
I graduated in 2017 and got married in May of 2022. We bought a house in November. I’m living a normal life, a blessed life, and I will never forget the time that Coach Dykes gave to me, the selflessness of it all. I’ll always root for Coach Dykes wherever he goes. I don’t have an easy way of contact Coach Dykes, but someday I hope to have a chance to tell him what that meant to me.
Let's just get this out of the way...he wasn't gonna do this at Cal.
This is the Sonny I remember vs top-25 teams…
This defense looks familiar…
Congrats Coach! Even if it wasn't gonna be at Cal, happy to see you put to rest the saying, "the best offense is a good defense!". The best offense is a good offense!
Go Bears!
Why, because I know him and he’s a good and decent family man. Because he took a team and rebuilt their soul and instilled a strong competitive ethic.
He was a Techsun through and through, and was always going back home. And it was obvious from his first presser. Just a bad hire for Cal.
That said, props to Sonny for being positive about his Cal experience over the past few weeks. Respect.
After spending a fortune to upgrade Memorial and other facilities, most of us alums we’re interested in something modest: 6 or 7 wins a year and bowl eligibility. Wilcox isn’t getting it done
People who complain about Alabama, and now Georgia, having a cupcake or 2 on their schedule should note that after what happened to Oregon, and now TCU, not a lot of AD's are calling up to inquire about playing one of them down in Atlanta. And if they do, their head coach will strangle them.
There are a bunch of Ducks saying "See, I tried to tell you it wasn't going to be so easy!"
This (24-7 Georgia and counting) is what I was afraid of/expecting. And it doesn't mean TCU isn't good; they have proven they are very good. But this is a whole different breed of dawg they are dealing with. The structure is different, but this reminds me of USC's 55-19 National Championship game. Another case where you have a team that's just better in a lot of ways and places.
Georgia is just so much faster on both sides of the ball.
Those that had Georgia -50 are breathing easier.
nice try sonny
Stetson Bennett is older than all of the AFL playoff QBs
Ho-hum
It's exciting to finally have a team worth rooting for in the championship game
Go Sonny! Make the CAL Bears fans proud. It’s time for an upset!
Georgia even dominated the halftime show. TCU was quite good, and then Georgia came out, and was on a completely different level.
Wow! The fighting Sonny's gave up 65 points to a legit team. What a surprise! Definitely reminds me of the bad old days when he was in Berkeley and his defenses couldn't stop a sneeze. But wait! The real problem at Cal was that he had to share the football field with the band (https://247sports.com/Article/Ex-Cal-coach-Sonny-Dykes-says-school-once-canceled-practice-to-let-band-use-field-Mike-Leach-comments-195425532/) and a "deteriorating brand" (https://bearinsider.com/forums/2/topics/101557). TCU will finish 7-5 next season. I wonder who will get the blame for that?
Just curious. How many of you would be interested in a minor football league that included the semi-peo Berkeley Bears?
News Flash: Today's players could care less what “school” is providing their NIL money. Do today's players even bother to attend classes at the school that is playing them to play football?
In 2023 we're all just rooting for laundry. Like any other semi-pro team, which at best is mediocre, usually losing consistently. The “Cal” semi pro team gets “Cal” branding, at no charge, as do all the other “college” semi-pro teams at their schools.
2023 “college” football has nothing to do with what you rooted for during your time at Cal. The shame of it is the Cal semi-pro team is permanently buried in the group of also ran, really bad losing semi-pro teams. So we don't even get to pretend that this is anything worth cheering for.
Anybody still watching?
Georgia is already taking bows, celebrating, and sending in the bench- midway through the fourth.
Kind of dicks to roll it up, when they have a lock.
Classic, Sonny.
"We suck. You're gonna' roll over us."
"Surprise, we got big plays."