It was rumored earlier in the offseason that UC Davis was being considered for one of three spots in the Western Athletic Conference, vacated by Fresno State, Nevada and Boise State.

This conference leap never materialized, but the Aggies will nonetheless begin the 2012 season with slightly different scenery.

After accepting an invitation to join the Big Sky conference, beginning in 2012, the Aggies are one step closer to a possible move to the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.

Doug Fullerton, commissioner of the Big Sky conference, extended the invitation to UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi, who accepted on behalf of the university.

“UC Davis is a top-tier university in so many ways. Competing in the Big Sky Conference will bring even more recognition and excitement to our university and its Intercollegiate Athletics Program.”

The move in conferences is expected to be beneficial athletically, as well as financially and scholastically.

With all Big Sky teams in eight western states, student-athletes will miss fewer days of classes.

In addition, travel expenses are expected to decrease with the elimination of road trips to the east and southeast to face opponents in the Great West.

Since 2007 when UC Davis moved up to Division I, it has played games in Massachusetts, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arkansas, Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“The Big Sky offers great competition and it also eliminates the need to travel across multiple time zones,” said UC Davis athletic director Greg Warzecka. “Not only will that help our program contain costs, but it will help our team be more ready for the games.”

The Aggies will likely need the added rest, as the conference is a significant upgrade in competition and talent-level.

Statistically speaking, Big Sky is one of the most competitive Division I-AA conferences in the West, as three of its teams were ranked in the Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 as of Week 3 of this season.

It also counts three FCS national champions among its members – Montana twice – since the FCS began playing national championship games.

Additionally, the Aggies will benefit from the conference champion’s automatic play-off bid for the 20-team FCS championship – an opportunity they have not had as members of the Great West.

This is a great direction for our football program,” said coach Bob Biggs. “We look forward to building regional rivalries where postseason consideration could be on the line.”

The regional competition seemed to be a motivating factor in the selection of UC Davis to join the conference.

“The Big Sky is recognized as one of the top Football Championship Subdivision conferences in the nation,” said Doug Fullerton, the conference commissioner. “The addition of two great institutions like Cal Poly and UC Davis gives us more depth to compete for additional playoff berths and enhances our profile throughout California.

“This is a great fit for both institutions and the Big Sky Conference,” Fullerton added. “We are bringing in two strong western FCS programs.”

The change will not necessarily be entirely foreign to the Aggies, as UC Davis faces three Big Sky teams on the schedule this year in Portland State, Weber State and Sacramento State.

When the Aggies join the league, the hotly contested rivalry game, the “Causeway Classic,” will be a conference game for the first time in nearly two decades.

The move in 2012 will end the Aggies’ eight-year affiliation with the Great West, conference they have called home for the past six years.

“The Great West has been a wonderful home…and we’ve built some lasting memories, including two league titles,” Warzecka said. “It has allowed us to play for conference championships, our players to earn individual recognition and the Aggies to continue or renew long-standing rivalries.

“This is a move, however, that is best for our institution.”

GRACE SPRAGUE can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

It was a rough start to the season after great anticipation for the Cal-UC Davis matchup in the beginning of September.

So, the Aggies looked to rebound during the home opener against the Vikings of Portland State and on the road a week later against the Toreros of the University of San Diego.

Sept. 11 – Portland State 41, UC Davis 33

One week after the Golden Bears held the Aggies to just 81 yards, UC Davis picked up 331 against Portland State. Redshirt freshman quarterback Randy Wright contributed 261 yards through the air.

Despite the improvement in UC Davis’ stats from the previous week, Portland State was able to snap a three-game losing streak to the Aggies with a 41-33 nonconference victory.

“We just couldn’t stop them,” said coach Bob Biggs. “We still had lots of opportunities, but we just couldn’t take advantage.”

The Aggies jumped ahead early for their only lead with a 39-yard field goal from kicker Sean Kelley.

UC Davis was down 21-16 at halftime and shortened the gap to 35-30 late in the third quarter when junior running back Josh Reese caught a 15-yard pass from Wright.

That wasn’t enough to scare Portland State, however, who didn’t punt at all in the game. The Vikings finished the match with 435 yards of total offense, including 257 on the ground.

“They just kept moving the chains,” Biggs said. “It wasn’t always big plays, other than the fourth down play that they ran for a touchdown.

“I thought their quarterback did a great job nickel-and-diming his way down the field picking up first downs and scrambles.”

Aggie linebacker Dozie Amajoyi attributed the frustration to too many mental errors and a zippy opposing quarterback.

“We didn’t do a good job of tackling the quarterback on the quarterback scramble,” he said. “He was a pretty quick guy. We knew he was going to be quick and we thought we were prepared for it, but he was able to get loose and break free on a couple of third downs.

“That was one of the main things that hurt us – third down conversions and not being able to get off the field on defense.”

Defensive end Bobby Erskine, linebacker Marshall Congdon, safety Danny Hart and Amajoyi each had six tackles, while Amajoyi also posted a 12-yard interception return.

Additionally, six different receivers caught passes from Wright.

“We got better protection tonight, so [Wright] had more time to throw the ball.” Biggs said. “Every game, every snap is a new experience for him. He did some good things, but there is certainly room for improvement.”

“This was a tough loss,” Wright said. “I’m sure that we will rebound hard. We have to have each other’s backs, so hopefully we can get a win next week and get this thing on track.”

Sept. 18 – UC Davis 38, San Diego 24

When asked about the game against the Vikings, Wright said he hoped to rebound and get a win at San Diego.

The Aggies did both.

Junior running back Josh Reese rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns and Kelley hit his 12th straight field goal. The UCD defense held San Diego to just 31 rushing yards as the Aggies picked up their first win of the season.

Tight end Dean Rogers caught two touchdowns passes, the first a 38-yarder from Wright midway through the first quarter, and the second coming from sophomore Nick Aprile in the fourth.

Aprile also rushed for 85 rushing yards on 10 carries while Sean Creadick led the Aggie receivers with five catches for 67 yards.

UC Davis, who led by as much as 38-17 in the second half, improved to 1-2 on the year while San Diego lost for the third straight game to fall to 0-3.

The Aggies did however turn the ball over four times with two fumbles and two interceptions and also committed 10 penalties for 100 yards – a season-high mark.

A win is a win, nonetheless.

“It’s good to get a win,” Biggs said. “The effort was there but it was a sloppy game. We needed to get a win and start to get some momentum going now as we prepare for Weber State.”

The last time the Aggies faced the Wildcats was in 2004, when UC Davis posted a 31-29 victory on the road.

In that game, the Aggies led 28-10 at the end of the first half, but then allowed 19 straight points to fall behind 29-28 in the fourth quarter.

Aggie kicker Emmanuel Benjamin delivered a 22-yard field goal for UC Davis’ winning points.

Once again, the Aggies will take on the Wildcats Saturday at 5 p.m. in Ogden, Utah.

GRACE SPRAGUE can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

If you spend some time with the UC Davis field hockey team you will hear a lot of talk about teamwork and improvement.

In just their second year as an NCAA program the Aggies have already built a strong team philosophy.

The Aggies tested their mental toughness early as they faced Miami of Ohio in their first game of the year.

UC Davis fell behind 2-0 in the first seven minutes of the game, but the Aggies were resilient and were able to tie the game at two early in the second half.

Miami, however, scored two more goals to close out the game, and the Aggies lost 4-2.

UC Davis dropped their second game of the year as well, losing 3-1 on the road against No. 20 Stanford.

The Aggies were out shot 25-3 in the game, and UC Davis goalkeeper Lauren Sawvelle recorded a career-high 16 saves.

Although UC Davis lost, they made vast improvements over their 11-1 loss at Stanford last season.

“We played Stanford a few times in the spring,” coach Vianney Campos said. “I think that gave us a confidence boost. We came into the game this year with a chip on our shoulder. We didn’t want another 11-1 loss.”

Unfortunately UC Davis wasn’t able to carry this confidence into its next match at California. The Aggies lost 5-1, moving their record to 0-3.

The Aggies were down 1-0 at half, but a 37th minute goal from UC Davis sophomore Marissa Hughes tied the game.

From that point on it was all Golden Bears as California scored four unanswered goals to close out the game.

Despite the slow start to the season, the Aggies kept their heads held high.

“We never have the mentality of giving up and quitting,” Campos said. “We know we can play with anyone.”

UC Davis turned things around on their three game road trip to Missouri.

The first matchup was a thrilling double-overtime victory against Missouri State.

UC Davis came out of the gates slowly, and fell down by a goal early.

“Things couldn’t have started much worse,” Campos said. “We started timid.”

The Aggies mad their way back into the game as sophomore Nadia Namdari leveled the game in the 14th minute.

The game remained tied through the rest of regulation and one overtime period.

Finally in the 99th minute the Aggies broke through when sophomore Amanda Marinac took a pass from teammate Lydia Brambila and put it in the back of the net to end the game.

The goal was a huge moment in the early parts of UC Davis’ season.

“It gave us a great feeling,” Namdari said. “We saw all of our hard work pay off.”

“It was a huge confidence boost,” Campos said. “It gave us momentum for the road trip.”

The Aggies kept the momentum rolling as they defeated St. Louis by the score of 2-0.

The teams were scoreless through the first half, but goals by Namdari and sophomore Lindsey Valadez put UC Davis ahead, and the Aggie defense was able to hold a shutout.

UC Davis knew that the game was won largely in the preparation.

“Before the game we watched video and picked out what we’d been doing well,” Campos said. “It was one of the reasons we dominated St. Louis.”

UC Davis finished the road trip on a strong note, posting another shutout by beating Central Michigan 3-0 in Fenton, Mo.

Valadez, sophomore Emily Mecke and freshman Cloey LemMon each found the back of the net.

The victory put the Aggies’ record at 3-0 in Missouri and 3-3 for the season.

The three game winning streak has raised UC Davis’ confidence.

“The three teams we beat were solid teams,” Campos said. “We feel like we can compete with anybody.”

And the team has seen encouraging improvements.

“We know that we’ve gotten better and it’s shown,” Namdari said.

Now the Aggies will get a chance to finally play some games at home.

UC Davis will get chances to redeem itself against conference foes California and Stanford. The Aggies believe that playing in Aggie Stadium could be key.

“The biggest thing coming up for us is the home-field advantage,” Campos said. “Most teams don’t play on this type of surface and it will be difficult to adjust to the way the ball bounces. We should be able to dominate the possession. We’ll be well prepared.”

TREVOR CRAMER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

The California Aggie’s fall spotlight team was selected by Aggie sports editor Jason Alpert and Aggie sports writers Grace Sprague, Trevor Cramer and Matt Wang.

Name: Josh Reese

Sport: Football

With redshirt freshman Randy Wright under center, the Aggies are going to have a run heavy offense. Running back Josh Reese has stepped up to the plate. The Davis local leads the Aggies in net yards on the ground with 137 and has two rushing scores on the year. Reese earned Great West Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his 104-yard, two-touchdown performance against University of San Diego on Sept. 18. Look for Reese to cross the century mark in yards more than once this season.

Name: Dozie Amajoyi

Sport: Football

Learn how to pronounce junior linebacker Dozie Amajoyi’s name because you’ll be hearing it a lot this year. The UC Davis defense is going to be crucial to the Aggies’ success this year – and Amajoyi is the key. The San Bernardino, Calif. native leads the Aggies with 26 tackles on the season, one for a loss. Amajoyi also has an interception and one fumble recovered on the young 2010 campaign. Expect to see Amajoyi’s name on top of the tackles list on more than just one occasion this season.

Name: Lance Patterson

Sport: Men’s Soccer

Junior midfielder Lance Patterson has been the unquestioned leader for the Aggies on the pitch. He leads UC Davis with four goals and an assist for nine points. The Aurora, Colo. native has 14 shots on the season, seven of which have been on target. Patterson had the biggest goal for the Aggies on the young season – an overtime, sudden death score against San Jose State to give UC Davis its first win of the season.

Name: Allison Kelly

Sport: Women’s Soccer

The youthful UC Davis women’s soccer team has put up 100 shots in just nine games so far this season. Sophomore forward Allison Kelly has been the centerpiece of the Aggie offense, leading the squad with four goals. The Sacramento native scored the lone goal in the Aggies’ 1-0 victory over rival Sacramento State. In order for UC Davis to compete in the tight Big West Conference, Kelly needs to continue leading the Aggie offense.

Name: Kathleen Brandl

Sport: Women’s Soccer

Scoring is only half the path to victory – a strong defense is just as important. There has been no one as key to the Aggies’ defense than sophomore goalie Kathleen Brandl. The Redwood City, Calif. native has succumbed just seven goals in as many games and has posted one shutout. Brandl will need to be a wall in goal for the Aggies to succeed down the road.

Name: Betsy Sedlak

Sport: Volleyball

The Aggies are young but talented. One of the key veterans is junior middle blocker Betsy Sedlak. She is second on the team with 119 kills but it’s her hitting percentage that really separates her from the rest of the squad. The Pleasanton, Calif. native is hitting a staggering .495 on the season, tops on the squad. Sedlak earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Southern Methodist University Invitational earlier in the season, leading the Aggies to an undefeated record at the event.

Name: Kayla Varney

Sport: Volleyball

Senior outside hitter Kayla Varney is on her way to the UC Davis record books. The Murrieta, Calif. native became the sixth Aggie ever to top the millennium mark in career kills. Varney has stepped into the libero role nicely this season, earning top libero at two tournaments this season. Look for Varney and her leadership to be key for the Aggies once Big West play starts.

Name: Lauren Sawvelle

Sport: Field Hockey

It’s only been two seasons but the UC Davis field hockey team has been making huge strides with each game. The Aggies have already won three games, two more than they did all last season. Sophomore goalie Lauren Sawvelle has been a key to UC Davis’ successes. The San Diego native has been solid in the net this season, racking up 48 saves and giving up just 13 goals. Sawvelle already has two shutouts on the young season.

Name: Aaron Salit

Sports: Men’s Water Polo

Junior center Aaron Salit redshirted last year. It looks like the rest paid off. The Mill Valley, Calif. native is having a commanding 2010 campaign thus far. He has 20 goals on the season in just seven games. What’s more remarkable is Salit’s shooting percentage. The center has made 57.1 percent of his shots, a team high. He already has three hat tricks this season.

Name: Jonathan Sees

Sport: Cross Country

If the Aggies want to be successful this season, senior Jonathan Sees is going to need to be on top of his game. The senior from Newark, Calif. is one of the captains on the men’s side after finishing 12th at the Big West Championships last season.

Name: Austin Graham

Sport: Men’s Golf

Austin Graham is on his way to becoming one of the best golfers in UC Davis history. Graham led the Aggies in scoring, top 20 finishes and 54-hole scores last season. Graham had a busy summer playing as an amateur, winning the Memorial Amateur Title in Sacramento. He needed to sink a 25-foot putt to secure the victory. The experienced UC Davis men’s golf team will look to Graham to lead the way toward a Big West title.

Name: Alice Kim

Sport: Women’s Golf

Division I All American. NCAA Division I All-West Region. First Team All-Big West. And Alice Kim isn’t even done. The senior from Walnut, Calif. led the Aggies with 73.4 average last year. Kim finished 33rd at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitation at the University of New Mexico on Sept. 17 to 18. After a historic campaign last season, The California Aggie’s reigning Team of the Year will look to do it again. The Aggies should be in good hands with Kim leading the way.

The Aggie Sports Desk can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

The Aggies got their first ever Big West Cross Country championship last year in women’s individual champion Sarah Sumpter.

This season, UC Davis is looking to increase that total.

“Our goal this year is to win a Big West team title,” head coach Drew Wartenburg said. “After that, we’d like to qualify for regionals and possibly the national tournament.”

The road to a conference title is not easy. But Wartenburg feels if there is a team prepared to capture the award, it’s this one.

“The conference we play is one of the deepest in the nation,” Wartenburg said. “This team has the potential to win a league title, however. If we stay healthy and make the most of our opportunities, I think we can do it.”

UC Davis’ first meet of the year was on Sept. 4 in Davis. Both the men and women topped rival Sacramento State in the early season match.

Jonathan Peterson, Jonathan Sees and Calvin Thigpen finished one-two-three for the Aggies on the 5900 m course. On the women’s side, Sarah Sumpter and Samantha Kearney finished second and fourth in the 4000 m course, respectively.

The Aggies’ second meet was the Hornet Jamboree at Sacramento State. It was another successful afternoon for UC Davis as the men finished first and the women finished second. Peterson and Thigpen went one-two for the men in the four mile while Krista Drescheler came in first for the women in the five kilometer.

While winning the races was important to Wartenburg, the improvement he saw at the meets was more important.

“We weren’t focused so much on the results as just getting our legs under us,” Wartenburg said. “I saw a lot of good things in the first two races. I just really wanted to get us ready for the next phase. We have bigger races and more competitive fields ahead of us.”

Wartenburg believes it’s the blend of experience and talent that will continue the Aggies’ success.

“We got a good group of veterans and talented freshman,” he said. “Once we meet in the middle I think we can be very successful.”

Wartenburg believes the talented freshman will be a big factor if UC Davis wishes to capture a team conference title. The upperclassmen, however, can bring something entirely different.

“One of our biggest mistakes in the past was we would race too hard early in the season and we’d be burnt out come postseason,” Wartenburg said. “Our experienced players know this and know how to pace themselves.”

Peaking too early, Wartenburg said, has plagued the Aggies in the past. He believes a team that paces itself is in good shape for a conference title.

“Part of pacing is up to the competition level we play,” he said. “We have to be judicious in not pushing ourselves too hard too early. Over-racing and peaking too early can really hurt us.”

Its schedule, Wartenburg said, is what will keep UC Davis in good shape throughout the year. The Aggies third event of the year is this weekend: the competitive Stanford Invitational in Palo Atlo, Calif. UC Davis will have three weeks off before its fourth tournament of the year at the Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif. The Big West Championships are two weeks after that. Wartenburg believes the ample time off is what gives UC Davis its best chance at a Big West team title.

In terms of talent, Wartenburg believes this squad might be the most gifted he’s coached in his career.

“In my brief tenure, this is the most talented team I’ve ever coached,” he said. “I don’t think it’s safe to say this is the best team ever at UC Davis because there were some good teams in the Division II days. Part of how good a team is depends on the 12 inches on top of your neck.

“This team believes in itself, more so than previous teams. We have goals scary enough and realistic enough. That way we’re not reaching for impossible things and achieving something that’s below our potential. So far the team has been really engaged and getting better each and every day.”

JASON ALPERT can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

The term “must-win” game has been thrown around so much in sports it’s starting to taste like stale fish. I’m sure the San Francisco Giants had a “must-win” in April against the San Diego Padres. I’m sure every game the Giants have played against the Colorado Rockies is considered a “must-win.”

The only time the term “must-win” can be used in sports is if a team loses, then it’s out of postseason contention. That simple.

The reason the term is thrown around so often is because it is that simple. It’s a helluva lot easier to say “must-win” than “an-important-game-the-team-should-win-because-otherwise-they’ll-have-a-hard-time-getting-into-the-playoffs-without-it.” A better phrase for “must-win” is “key-game”. A “key-game” is one in which it really helps if the team wins, but it’s not the end of the world if they don’t.

So without further rambling, here are the “key-games” for every UC Davis team this fall.

Football – Saturday Nov. 11 at Cal Poly

This one is a no-brainer. Not only are the Mustangs the Dodgers to our Giants, this game could have implications on who takes the Great West Conference title. Cal Poly will come out gunning for the Golden Horseshoe after losing it last year and the Aggies need to be ready. If UC Davis wants to retain the Golden Horseshoe and repeat as Great West champions, we will need to come out gunning here.

Men’s Soccer – Oct. 2 vs. UC Santa Barabara

If there’s one thing the FIFA World Cup taught us this year, it’s that momentum can do wonders for a soccer team. Therefore, the Aggies need to come out of the gates strong to open up Big West Conference play. What better team to open up with that the reigning Big West Champion Gauchos?

Women’s Soccer – Oct. 3 at UC Irvine

UC Irvine, the preseason favorite in the Big West, is going to be a challenge to whichever team it faces. If the Aggies can top the Anteaters, they’ll be in a good position to win the conference and possibly earn a berth in the NCAA championships.

Women’s Volleyball – Nov. 6 vs. Long Beach State

The 49ers have lost just nine Big West matches over the past three years. The reigning conference champs and preseason favorite to repeat are going to be a handful for anyone this year, especially the Aggies. A win here will put UC Davis in great shape to possibly win the conference and qualify for its first-ever NCAA Division I postseason appearance.

Men’s Water Polo – Nov. 19 to 21, Western Water Polo Association Championships, Santa Clara, Calif.

The WWPA is arguably the toughest water polo conference in the nation. So if the Aggies have hope to qualify for the NCAA Championships, they’ll have to put on a good showing at the conference tournament. They don’t necessarily need to take the title. They just need to impress the selection committee enough to give them an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.

Field Hockey – Oct. 16 vs. Pacific

The young UC Davis field hockey program is still looking for its first NorPac Conference win. Its best shot might be against Pacific late in the season. The Aggies lost to the Tigers 1-0 and 2-1 last season. UC Davis has improved over the past year and it will be looking to top rival Pacific for the league win.

Cross Country – Oct. 16, Bronco Invitational, Santa Clara, Calif.

The obvious choice would be to pick the Big West Championships as the key-game for the Aggies this year but getting to the conference championships with some confidence can be just as important. The Aggies need to perform well and tighten any loose bolts at the Bronco Invitational if they want to compete for their first ever Big West cross country team title.

Men’s Golf – Nov. 1 to 3, Stockton Sports Commission Pacific Invitational, Stockton, Calif.

The Pacific Invitational is UC Davis’ last tournament until February. Therefore, the Aggies’ will need to perform well at the event to give them some confidence before the long layoff.

Women’s Golf – Oct. 4 to 6, Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, Tacoma, Wash.

The reigning Big West champions also have a long layover. As a result, they’ll need a confidence booster as they head into the break.

If you think of any other pivotal games, e-mail JASON ALPERT at sports@theaggie.org.

Bob Anderson pretty much did everything.

He flew planes over the Pacific in the thick of World War II battles.

He revolutionized magazine-format television.

He ruled on controversial tax lawsuits in California.

Heck, he was even friends with baseball great Ted Williams.

The one thing Bob Anderson didn’t do, however, was beat Cal.

“My grandfather was the sweetest kindest man you could ever meet,” said Anderson’s granddaughter Alli Dixon. “His only grudge was against the officials of the Cal game for what they did.”

Anderson was the starting quarterback for the UC Davis football team in 1939 when it traveled to California to take the Golden Bears in an infamous football match.

According to numerous firsthand accounts, the UC Davis squad was leading Cal after four quarters. In order to prevent the monumental upset from occurring, the referees had the teams play a fifth quarter, something only seen at the occasional Pop Warner and high school freshman football games. The Golden Bears went on to score in the phantom period and take the game 14-12.

“He thought the officials pulled something just terrible,” Dixon said. “He thought it was poor form.”

Anderson’s play earned him the clever nickname Bob “I played in the Cal game” Anderson. Just playing in the game wasn’t good enough for Anderson, though – he wanted to beat Cal.

“It’s so funny because after all he’s been through in his life, he never let go of the UC Davis-Cal game,” Dixon said. “You couldn’t mention ‘Cal’ or even watch a Cal game on TV around him because he still held that grudge.”

Off the gridiron, Anderson lived a truly amazing life.

Anderson was born on May 11, 1918 in Connecticut. He enrolled in San Diego State in 1936 and immediately joined the football team. Anderson was set for a successful four years for the Aztecs, but his inclination to become a rancher caused him to transfer schools. At the time, there was no better institution for agriculture than UC Davis.

Anderson’s relationship with the quaint farm town was love at first sight.

“He absolutely loved Davis,” Dixon said. “He loved the campus, the community, the sports and the academics.”

Anderson lettered in three sports. He was the starting quarterback from 1939 to 1941, starting catcher on the baseball team and anchor of the swim relay. Throughout his entire Aggie career, Anderson always wore the number 11, the date of his birth.

Anderson had offers from eight professional football teams at the time, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Brooklyn Dodgers football club. Anderson, however, wanted to serve for his country.

He rejected all eight offers and instead became an aviator in the navy. After training with the navy, Anderson joined the marines as a fighter.

Anderson’s longtime friend and baseball great Ted Williams flew alongside Anderson in the marines. The two played baseball together in the armed forces league and even co-managed one of the squads.

As a fighter pilot, Anderson helped escort American bombers and fought off enemy kamikazes. He was at Iwo Jima when the flag was raised and even flew 300 miles to safety after being hit by an enemy ground attack. Anderson’s squad was computer generated in Clint Eastwood’s film Flags of Our Fathers.

Anderson moved back to the town he loved the most in the early 1950s and started a local television show focused on farming and agriculture. He produced and hosted the program. Eventually Anderson created a second show entitled “Sportfolio with Bob Anderson” which focused on local and national sports. Anderson was recognized for his work by the Emmys after he passed away in October 2009.

Despite all he accomplished, Anderson was a family man through and through. As frustrated as he was with the Golden Bears, Anderson happened to marry one. His wife, Ruth Anderson was also deeply connected with UC Davis. She started off as the Dean of Women on campus and eventually moved up to Associate Dean of Students.

“He loved being with his family,” Dixon said, “especially the family reunions in Davis. He was so charismatic and outgoing.”

Even though Anderson lived a very eventful life, it was difficult to get some of his stories out of him, Dixon said.

“He was also one of the most humble people you’d ever meet,” Dixon said. “Even some of his closest friends didn’t know all he accomplished. It’s truly remarkable how someone who achieved so much was so humble about it all.”

If there’s one thing Anderson wasn’t so quiet about, it was the loss to Cal. According to Dixon, even to the day he died Anderson talked about the game.

“He was the sweetest, happiest man I’ve ever met,” Dixon said. “He had one of the best attitudes ever, except when he talked about the Cal game.”

JASON ALPERT can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

The UC Davis women’s golf team has been well traveled.

The Aggies first tournament of the season was in Japan at the Topy Cup. UC Davis finished second at the event behind Arizona. Sophomore Demi Runas finished second overall, shooting a 216 over the three-day tournament. Amy Simanton, Chelsea Stelzmiller, Alice Kim and Belen Hernandez each finished in the top 10 for the event.

UC Davis’ second tournament of the year was at Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational at the University of New Mexico. The Aggies tied for fourth with Denver.

Runas continued her strong play, finishing tied for eighth with a three-day total of 220. Stelzmiller finished tied for 11th, scoring 221 for the event. Stelzmiller shot a 69 on day two of the tournament.

The Aggies’ next event is this weekend at the Golfweek Challenge in Vail, Colo.

– Jason Alpert