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Coach Tom Holmoe and the Bears are excited about the 100th Big Game.
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Nov. 18, 1997
Tom Holmoe Quotes
100th Big Game Press Conference
BERKELEY--We are very excited to play this game. There may not be a bowl berth on the line and the players are not playing for watches or rings, but these young men will be playing for the pride of their school in what is one of the greatest rivalries in college football.
Q: Is it easy for a team to get caught up in all the events surrounding the game?
A: The thing that is important about a game of this magnitude is that you have to get the players to harness their emotion and energy. Not only so that they don't get caught up in all of the hoopla, but also so that energy and emotion is focused and released at the right moment.
Q: Are you planning anything special for the team before the Big Game?
A: As we have done prior to every game this year, I will have a guest speaker come in and talk to our team prior to the game. This week it will be John Ralston, a man who has been involved in this rivalry on both sides of the Bay.
Q: Now that you've had a chance to view this rivalry from both sides, what are the biggest changes coming in for you?
A: The main difference is that when I was a member of the staff at Stanford, I was an assistant coach. Now with Cal, I am the head coach so my role is quite different. The biggest change being that I am responsible for getting the entire team to come in and play at their best.
Q: What makes this rivalry different or special in comparison to others in which you have been involved?
A: I was involved in a pretty intense rivalry when I was at BYU with Utah. But the main difference in the Big Game is this rivalry is more than just between the two football teams, it filters down into everything else, especially into academics where the academic success at these two universities exceeds most others in the country. Also, the rivalry touches so much of the Bay Area. You have a lot of graduates from both schools throughout the region and they are the movers and shakers not only of this area, but the country.
