The Cal football team originally christened Memorial Stadium back on Nov. 24, 1923 with a 9-0 victory over Stanford. The renovated stadium opens Saturday against Nevada. Here are 10 things to know about the original opening game:
The crowd of 72,609 fans was the largest ever to watch a college-football game in the West.
Memorial Stadium was built at a cost of $1,437,982. It was funded through the private sale of subscriptions that assured fans the best seats, and featured expansion joints to help absorb a potential earthquake.
The shutout of Stanford and its star back Ernie Nevers was the ninth in 10 games that season for the "Wonder Team," which outscored its foes 182-7.
The 1923 season was part of a five-year run under coach Andy Smith in which Cal went 44-0-4.
All-America center Babe Horrell scored the first touchdown at Memorial Stadium, falling on a punt by Nevers that he blocked in the end zone in the second quarter. Horrell later was named to the College Football Hall of Fame.
The margin of victory would have been greater, but Cal's Bill Blewett missed five field goal attempts.
Neither team amassed as many as 100 yards of total offense.
Stanford, which had not beaten Cal in football since 1905, responded by hiring Glenn "Pop" Warner as coach before the 1924 season.
Cal won 316 more games in Memorial Stadium before it was shut down for renovation after the 2010 season. The Bears are 317-213-6 all-time in the facility.
The 1923 Memorial Stadium debut game came just three weeks after Cal -- which was 33-0-1 over its previous 34 games -- settled for a 0-0 tie with ... Nevada.
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