Although California began competing in intercollegiate football in 1886,[1] the school's official record book generally does not include entries from before the 1940s, as records from earlier times are often incomplete and inconsistent.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since the 1940s, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[2] The Golden Bears have played in nine bowl games since this decision, giving many recent players an extra game to accumulate statistics.
Since 2018, players have been allowed to participate in as many as four games in a redshirt season; previously, playing in even one game "burned" the redshirt. Since 2024, postseason games have not counted against the four-game limit. These changes to redshirt rules have given very recent players several extra games to accumulate statistics.
Due to COVID-19 disruptions, the NCAA did not count the 2020 season against the eligibility of any football player, giving all players active in that season five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.
California's 11 highest seasons in total offensive output have all come since 2003 under head coaches Jeff Tedford and Sonny Dykes. The 4 seasons under coach Dykes have been Cal's four highest passing yards seasons in school history, leading to quarterbacks Jared Goff and Davis Webb putting up unprecedented passing totals.
These lists are updated through the end of the 2020 season.
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