You don’t tie an NCAA record against the No. 1 team in the nation by accident. Back in 2004, Aaron Rodgers walked into a packed Coliseum in L.A. and threw 26 straight completions against USC, nearly pulling off an all-time upset for Cal. The Trojans escaped 23-17, but Rodgers? He looked flawless. That game cemented his rep as a precision passer with ice in his veins. By the end of his junior year, he posted the lowest interception rate in NCAA history: 1.95%. Not bad for a guy who didn’t have a single D1 offer out of high school.
And that’s the beauty of Rodgers’ Cal story—it wasn’t just talent, it was transformation. From a junior college transfer to Heisman contender in two seasons flat, Rodgers turned Jeff Tedford’s offense into a machine. He made Cal nationally relevant for the first time in decades and raised the standard for QBs in Berkeley. He threw for 2,566 yards and 24 TDs in his junior year, leading the Pac-10 in completion percentage at 66.1%, taking Cal inches closer to Rose Bowl berth.
Every throw, every read, every stat pointed to one thing: greatness. So imagine the surprise when, even with all that legacy, Rodgers didn’t take the top spot in SI’s latest list of greatest Cal athletes. That honor? It went to Tony Gonzalez, which, if we’re being real, tracks the logic. SI debated who belongs at the top of their 50 greatest Cal athletes, and somehow Gonzalez earned that honor.
Newly signed quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers Aaron Rodgers 8 works out at the Steelers Mini-Camp on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 in Pittsburgh. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY PIT2025061007 ARCHIExCARPENTER
The greatest tight end of all time, Gonzalez, arrived in Berkeley from Huntington Beach High School and became Cal’s greatest two-sports athlete. Yes, he didn’t just try his luck on the gridiron. In fact, he was a dual-sport star at Cal—on the gridiron and the hardwood. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds, including a 23-point NCAA tourney game in 1997, and later dominated NBA-lottery prospect Tim Thomas (No. 7 pick in the NBA Draft three months later) on the court.
Gonzalez left Cal as consensus All-American, and then became the NFL’s all-time leading tight end with 1,327 catches and 15,127 yards across 17 seasons (12 with the Chiefs and 5 with the Falcons). His 15K+receiving yards ranks him sixth all-time, and his 111 TD catches rank him eighth all-time and second among players at his position (trailing behind Antonio Gates with 116).
Count 14 Pro Bowls (tied with Peyton Manning trailing only behind Tom Brady with 15), Tony Gonzalez isn’t just Cal’s greatest athlete—he’s one of the most dominant forces the NFL has ever seen. And Aaron Rodgers? He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL with four MVPs, a Super Bowl ring, nearly 63K yards, and 10 Pro Bowl nods, sure.
But the thing is: it’s not a knock on Rodgers—it’s just a testament to how unreal Tony Gonzalez’s career really was. Rodgers gave Cal its swagger back, but Gonzalez gave it a legacy that stretched across two sports and nearly two decades in the NFL. Meanwhile, Rodgers just landed in Pittsburgh for what might be his last ride, and let’s just say the crowd isn’t totally sold.
Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh: One foot in, both eyes on the drama
Earlier this offseason, when the rumors swirled that the Steelers were signing Aaron Rodgers, it divided the Steel City into two halves. Fast forward to now, and Rodgers has arrived in the Steel City, but don’t expect the Steelers Nation to get united. But the 41-year-old quarterback shrugged off the outside noise and believed, “The history of this great area built the structure of the country. So, a lot of great people here. Great fan base.”
But deep down, you can’t deny the fact that Mike Tomlin is heading into the 2025 season with one of the NFL’s most polarizing stars. And what can you expect? For starters, his presence lit up the merchandise racks. But if you’re thinking that the Steelers Nation is all in for $120 replica jerseys, think again. In fact, the fans are sticking to $12 T-shirts. Why? Because “Some people are like, ‘I want a shirt just so I can burn it,” confirmed Danielle Dudas of Strip District Tees.
But Rodgers isn’t backing down either. During the 2025 American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, the four-time MVP first refused to sign a Packers-Saints game ticket from 2005. As per Rodgers, the fan failed his “test of sincerity.” Sheesh. Then Dov Kleiman chimed in as he shared a clip from the same event, adding another layer to this drama.
Yikes: New Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers almost hit a kid with his golf club and roasts him instead of apologizing:
Kid: “You almost hit me, Aaron Rodgers.”
Rodgers: “Almost doesn’t count.”
He couldn’t care less… pic.twitter.com/YBteEV28HO
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 13, 2025
“Yikes: New Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers almost hit a kid with his golf club and roasts him instead of apologizing: Kid: “You almost hit me, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers: “Almost doesn’t count.” He couldn’t care less…” Well, if you zoom in on the clip, you could find that Rodgers didn’t hit the kid, given that he maintained the distance.
Some argued that Aaron Rodgers was being rude. But it seemed like the kid was joking, and so did the quarterback. Long story short: Rodgers is grabbing a lot of attention in a city that doesn’t like the outsiders—some good, some bad—before even playing a game for the Steelers.
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