Our Golden Bears excel at the highest levels of academics and athletics and serve as distinguished ambassadors representing the University of California. Cal Athletics’ guiding principle is to create a supportive environment in which student-athletes can challenge themselves intellectually, excel in the sport they love, and grow as people to become the best possible version of themselves. UC Berkeley develops student-athletes who will be tomorrow’s leaders while fostering and maintaining an unwavering commitment to acceptance, inclusion, diversity, belonging, and support.

With 30 varsity intercollegiate sports, honors overflow for Cal. In its history, Cal has claimed 103 National Championships across 15 different sports. On sport’s biggest stage, the Olympics, current and former Golden Bears have earned 223 medals, including 121 gold medals.

UC Berkeley’s student-athletes also shine on the academic front. They consistently record high graduation success rates and are regularly strong performers in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR). The APR was created as a real-time assessment of academic success. It measures how student-athletes are performing term by term throughout the school year.

Cal’s tradition of the student-athlete has guided generations of Golden Bears to honor the balance between mind and body, to revere discipline and teamwork, and to strive for excellence in all they do. Cal’s student-athletes are engaged, curious, and they want to be part of the broader experience that only UC Berkeley can offer. The entire Cal family helps ensure our student-athletes fulfill their dreams at the No. 1 public university in the world and go on to make a difference.

All-encompassing excellence is more than a philosophy for Cal Athletics. The establishment of the Simpson Center for High Performance in 2011 marked a significant investment in Cal’s student-athletes. Construction of the 142,000-square-foot building was funded by private support, including a leadership gift from Barclay ’66 (Ex- ’43) and Sharon Simpson. The facility houses a weight training complex, locker rooms, a sports medicine department, four pools for aquatic therapy, sports physiology, biomechanics laboratories, team meeting rooms, medical clinic with X-ray and ultrasound imaging equipment, and more.

Built in 2016, Legends Aquatic Center honors coaching legends at UC Berkeley. Warren E. “Ned” Spieker ’66 , Rick Cronk ’65, Don Fisher ’51, and Warren Hellman ’55, all of whom played on water-based sports teams at Cal, were leading donors for the project. The facility is primarily for the training of Cal’s intercollegiate swimmers, divers, and water polo players.

Private giving provides critical support not only for scholarships for student-athletes but also for updates to athletics facilities. The 2012 reopening of the renovated California Memorial Stadium brought significant enhancements including improved fan seating and public spaces, seismic upgrades, the state-of-the-art Peter E. Haas Press Box, and restored western views through the facade’s grand arches. A scenic new space outside California Memorial Stadium, the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Plaza, was named in honor of the couple’s generosity to Cal Athletics.