California Athletics Hall of Fame
Football 1951-52
Football Coach 1964-71
A quarterback and defensive halfback for the Golden Bears under head coach Pappy Waldorf, Ray Willsey helped Cal to an 8-2 record and No. 12 ranking in 1951 and to a 7-3 mark in 1952. In the 1952 Big Game, he stepped in at quarterback after an injury to the starter and led the Bears to a 26-0 win. Willsey went on to capture three Grey Cups playing in the Canadian Football League. After he entered the coaching ranks, Willsey returned to his alma mater and served as Cal’s head coach from 1964-71, overseeing the program during a tumultuous period in the school’s history that included the Free Speech Movement and war-time protests. Still, Willsey was able to hold the team together and produced a record of 40-42-1 over eight seasons. In 1968, he oversaw the famed “Bear Minimum” defense, leading Cal to a 7-3-1 record – the only Cal team to win at least seven games from 1959-73. Among the star players he coached were All-Americans Craig Morton, Ed White and Sherman White. Following his tenure at Cal, Willsey won two Super Bowl titles on staff with the Raiders, and he concluded his career as director of personnel for NFL Europe. Willsey, recipient of the 2002 Glenn Seaborg Award for outstanding career contributions by a Cal football player, passed away last November at age 85.
