The Cal Football Curse and Jeff Tedford's Lost Golden Era

It's been something of a wait since the California Golden Bears last smelled roses. 20,426 days, in fact. And even when Cal got the invite to The Granddaddy of Them All, it wasn't that much fun.

At least, not as much fun as the disciples of Lord Jeff Tedford seem to be having in today's NFL. Consider the Cal role-call: the league's highest-rated passer, most explosive receiver, most Beast Mode-ish rusher, and a stable of playmakers that make Nick Saban's NFL skill-player pipeline look pedestrian.

None were alive on January 1, 1959, though, for the Bears' last Rose Bowl. The outcome: a 38-12 Iowa victory, comfortably covering the 18.5 point spread. The highlight for Cal fans: probably Chick Hearn and Mel Allen calling the game for NBC. And yes, after a 20-0 halftime deficit, the jello jiggled pretty damn quickly.

It was merely a prelude to the difficult decades ahead: 1951-90, never topping eight wins. The 1990s brightspot, Steve Mariucci's 6-6 1996 campaign. Tedford righting the ship in 2002, naturally coinciding with Pete Carroll's Pac-10 buzzsaw of USC and their seven straight titles from 2002-08. 2004 saw Aaron Rodgers' magical 10-1 season, tainted by the Mack Brown-aided Rose Bowl snub, among the multitude of millenium gut punches. (For the ultimately depressing context, the Trojans have played in 21 Rose Bowls since 1959). A portfolio of futility that can turn even the most optimistically Rosy prognostications from young Berkeley writers into excitable stupidity, quickly.

Indeed, the half-decade long suffering runs deep in blue-and-gold-blood, the heartache echoing from recently-renovated Memorial Stadium. But the tragic compound for Golden Bears boosters these days comes every NFL Sunday via Fox, CBS, and NBC; an agonizing reminder of how close they came, the talent of two-a-days gone.

Because in no uncertain terms, Cal has taken over the NFL, with a decade's worth of Holiday, Las Vegas, Armed Forces, and Emerald Bowl banners to show for it, leaving behind a solemn, lingering question: if the Bears couldn't smell roses during the Jeff Tedford era, can they ever?

Who knows. Perhaps Bears fans can take small solace in glancing around the NFL to discover a league awash in Golden graffiti. Rodgers (2003-04) is a Super Bowl MVP and second-coming of Tom Brady's one-man Foxboro franchise. Marshawn Lynch (2004-06) is an earthquake-inducing, Super Bowl winning YAC-machine who's the NFL's third leading rusher (1,113 yards, 10 TDs). And DeSean Jackson (2005-07) is still the fastest solo show on earth, enduring gang-affiliation allegations and the Colt McCoy era to rank first in the NFL in 40+ yard receptions (10) and second in yards-per-catch (19.1, 957 total).

(To add a twist of the knife, though, none actually attended Cal, anyways, at least according to their NBC shoutouts. Rodgers repped Butte CC; Marshawn, Mr. Oakland Ice City; and even Brandon Mebane opted for his Crenshaw High love. Et tu, DeSean?)

Meanwhile, this season's ushered in a handful of old Bear faces into the alumni's offensive onslaught. The Ravens' Justin Forsett (2006-2009), he of five teams in six years, of early career journeyman and special teams glory, stepped into the uncomfortably sized cleats left by Ray Rice, and now leads Baltimore with 1,128 yards, fifth in the NFL. Where would Joe Flacco and the Ravens' playoff hopes be without him?

In Denver, CJ Anderson (2011-12) has averaged 100 yards a game with four touchdowns over his last six games, forcing the Mile High media to christen him a "touchdown train" and Peyton Manning to answer questions about the Super Bowl contenders' new Anderson-led run-heavy offense. Somewhere, Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, and Olandis Gary must be smiling at Anderson, a 2013 undrafted free-agent, carrying the torch for undervalued Bronco backs everywhere.

Lord knows what the Cal-centric future could've spelled if not for injuries, too. For example, Cleveland center Alex Mack (2005-2008), centerpiece of the NFL's most durable O-line, who never missed a snap in six seasons before breaking his leg this year. Or Chargers wideout Keenan Allen (2010-12), who led San Diego in receiving (1,046 yards) last year, trash-talked and "broke" Richard Sherman's ankles, remaining the Bolts leading receiver while playing through a broken collarbone. Or Cincinnati receiver Marvin Jones (2008-11) and his 10 touchdowns in 2013, missing the entire 2014 season with ankle and foot issues.

And most tragically: Jahvid Best (2007-2009), the uber-electrifier of all Bears from the Tedford era (or ever); a second-to-none speedster, haunted by injuries of all kinds across his football career, including the most horrifying-to-watch rushing-touchdown ever. Concussions forced the Lions to release him in 2013, leading Best to sue the NFL this year. In 2010, Detroit coach Jim Schwartz declared he watched Best's highlights in lieu of porn; this season, Best manned the sidelines for Cal's Sonny Dykes as a student-assistant coach.

Meanwhile, amidst the professional dominance, what's next for Tedford—and the Bears themselves—remains to be seen.

Cal appears to be, well, Cal; fresh off a one-win 2013, they improved to an encouraging but bowl-free 5-7 in Dykes's sophomore year, ultimately watching a 28-6 halftime lead at Arizona (and what would've become a 5-0 start) go up in flames via a ridiculously (or typically) heartbreaking hail-mary. A former Daily Californian writer even suggested there might not be a football team in Berkeley to root for 20 years from now.

As for Tedford, who cared for each star during his 2002-12 Strawberry Canyon tenure, he seemed poised to make NFL defenses beg for mercy himself (or at least, ask politely), hired to be Lovie Smith's offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, due to a heart issue, he was never able to take the reigns, passing them down to his old Cal quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo. Two weeks ago, news broke that Tedford (who is, thankfully, now in good health) and the Bucs would go their separate ways; with openings at former-conference stomping grounds Oregon State (since filled), Colorado State, and the CFL all calling his name.

But with bowl season upon us, and the likes of Holiday and Emerald Bowls again beckoning, one might imagine Tedford's difficulty navigating the televised-football-laden holidays:

Picture the old Bears general tuning in for a peaceful, New Years' afternoon, Marcus Mariota-Jameis Winston Rose Bowl shootout, only to turn away from his Vizio HD in horror; hallucinations of himself in a headset, Rodgers at the helm, Lynch and JJ Arrington manning the backfield, Michigan on the opposing sideline; a waking nightmare, in living color, 10 years too late. Some demons, especially those of Cal, are not casually exorcised.

Trouble is, when Tedford turns the channel to the NFL Wild Card games some 48 hours later, he'll be delivered to that same hell, all over again; forever left to ponder the harrowing history haunting Golden Bear Territory; summed up simply by 19th century American poet John Greenleaf Whittier:

"Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been.'"