Berkeley in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The Greatest Play in College Football History
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 2025
1. The Greatest Play in College Football History Marker
November 20, 1982
Cal 25, Stanford 20
The most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heart-rending... exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football!
Joe Starkey
Dedicated on November 18, 2022 in honor of the 1982 Cal football team and made possible by the following generous donors and alumni:
The Moen Family Andy Bark 83 & Andy Goetz 83 Ron & Judi Coccimiglio 81, 82 John E. Cook & John Raney 53, 83 Richard L. Disney & Family 82 Steve and Wendy Dunn & Family 84 Don James Jr. & Family 85 Kirk and Jonathan Karacozoff & Family 80, 09 Mick & Ruth Luckhurst Family Arthur Quinn & Family 30, 70, 90, 01, 05, 06
Erected 2022.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Sports. A significant historical date for this entry is November 20, 1982.
Location. 37° 52.215′ N, 122° 15.134′ W. Marker is in Berkeley, California, in Alameda County. It is on Piedmont Avenue north of Bancroft Way, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2240 Piedmont Ave, Berkeley CA 94720, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Piedmont Way (within shouting distance of this marker); International House
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Cal beats Stanford as band blocks field. An excellent writeup of 'The Play' on November 20, 1982.
On November 20, 1982, the UC Berkeley football team, referred to as Cal, wins an improbable last-second victory over Stanford when they complete five lateral passes around members of the Cardinal marching band, who had wandered onto the field a bit early to celebrate the upset they were sure their team had won, and score a touchdown.(Submitted on September 5, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)
After catching the last pass of the series, Cals Kevin Moen careened through the confused horn section and made it safely to the end zone. Then he slammed into trombone player Gary Tyrell. (A photograph from the Oakland Tribune of the jubilant Moen and the terrified Tyrell in the moment just before the collision is still displayed triumphantlyall over Berkeley.)Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 20252. The Greatest Play in College Football History Marker
Late in the games fourth quarter, with Cal leading 19-17, Stanford quarterback John Elway managed to nudge his team down the field and into field goal range with just eight secondsa crucial few seconds too many, it turned outleft to play. Mark Harmon (not the actor, who played for UCLA) kicked a 35-yard field goal, and Stanford took a 20-19 lead. The Cardinals flooded the field to celebrate, and the ref ushered them back to the bench and slapped them with a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. As a result, Harmon had to kick off from the 25 with four seconds to play.
Harmon squibbed the kick, and Cals Moen scrambled to retrieve it at the Cal 46-yard-line. He considered trying to run the ball for a touchdownbut then, as he wrote later in an alumni journal, I remembered gra-bass, one of Coach Kapps training games. It had no rules, just one bunch of guys trying to keep the ball away from another bunch of guys. So, thats what he started to do. He pitched the ball behind him to teammate Richard Rodgers, who tossed it to freshman Dwight Garner, who returned it just as two Stanford defenders barreled into him. (Some people still say that he didnt actually get rid of the ball before his knee brushed the turf. but Garner and his teammates swore that he did.) Then Rodgers lobbed the ball to Mariet Ford, who returned it to Moen by flingingthe ball backwards over his shoulder just as he was about to get nailed by three panicking Stanford defenders. Moen caught the ball and bolted for the end zone, 25 yards away.Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 20253. The Greatest Play in College Football History Marker
Meanwhile, Stanfords band, confident that their team had won the game, had already gathered at the end of the field. Apparently without noticing that 22 football players were hurtling toward them, they began to play Frees All Right Now. Before the band really knew what was happening, Moen crashed triumphantly into the end zoneand into trombonist Tyrell. The touchdown counted, and the Bears won the game 25-20. The Play, as it became known remains one of the most famous in college football history.
2. Cal Bears Football 82: The Play. UC Berkeley's YouTube post of 'The Play'
A legendary play that has become part of the lore of college football as Cal celebrates its 25th anniversary (of 'The Play')! Go Bears!!!(Submitted on September 5, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 24, 2025
4. The Greatest Play in College Football History Marker
Photographed by Associated Press
5. 'The Play'
Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 65 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 5, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. 5. submitted on September 8, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
