The Big Game Pranks
Sometimes, beating the crap out of the other guy in football just isn't enough. Pranks are commonplace during the week before the Big Game, the football match between Cal and Stanford.
Minors pranks, such as painting the other school with the color of one's own, are routine and hardly worthy of mentioning.
The following are some of the major pranks I have found in books or internet, and will have more to come:
Cal Strikes:
1899: The Seizure of the Axe
During a baseball game between Cal and Stanford in San Francisco, Stanford cheerleaders brought the Axe with them and started chopping the Bears with it. Cal won the game. After the game was over, angry Californians decided to seize the Axe and they did, bringing the Axe back to Berkeley after numerous tactical maneuvers and changes of hands during the getaway. This incident marked the birth of the symbol of the rivalry. To get a detailed story of the birth of the Axe, click here.1964: The Treaty of Castle Lanes
In the Winter after its debut, Stanfordites stole the California Victory Cannon. Californians then stole the Stanford banner, 17,000 stunt cards, and a 400 pound bronze bell from the old tower behind the Stanford Memorial Chapel. Stanfordites retaliated by taking Cal's cards and the ASUC banner. Californians then met with Stanfordites at Castle Lanes in Alameda to negotiate a treaty. Californians brought the 17,000 stunt cards in a truck and left them with the truck's driver. During the treaty negotiations, Stanfordites surrounded the truck and tear gassed it. The driver promptly put on his gas mask and got away. He escaped only to be later arrested by the police, who then made sure that everything was settled between the two schools. As a result, all items were returned to their respective owners.1991: Spelling Correction
Most of the road signs on the freeway exits to Stanford University mysteriously had their spelling corrected to "Stanfurd," a intentional misspell of Stanford by Californians.1997: "Biased" Officiating
This is the most technological sophisticated prank to date. During the Big Game at Stanford, Californian Theodore B. Kelly managed to hack into the referee's microphone system, and subsequently announced in the Stanford's stadium amplifier: "Penalty, Unsportsmanlike arrogance, Stanford Sucks." The Stadium full of confused Stanfordites fainted, and the Californian roared.1998: The Phoenix Five
Five Californians "kidnapped" Stanford's mascot: the Tree. The theft itself is, of course, routine, but what follows is hilarious. The Five Californians, calling themselves the Phoenix Five, made a video featuring a Californian dressed in the Tree costume with blindfolds on, and danced around on the field, with the other 4 Californians appearing in the video and demanding random for the tree. The video was subsequently released and broadcast to the local media. A day later, a letter signed the "The Tree" claimed that he was happy to be set free and allowed to see the outside world, and no longer wanted to be on the Farm (Stanford).
Stanford Strikes:
1930: "The Immortal 21"
Probably the most perfectly executed Axe theft of all time, 21 Stanford students, arrived in blue car and disguising as Cal students, used tear gas and flash powder. In confusion, they wrestled away the Axe from Cal's baseball team captain outside of the bank where the Axe was kept in a safe vault. The Cal baseball captain was said to be crying after the incident. The 21 students are dubbed by Californians as "the Immoral 21."1982: The Daily Californian Hoax
This is my personal favorite, even though it comes from the evil Stanfordites. The 1982 Big Game features the most famous play of all time, simply known as The Play. Three days later, however, Stanfordites printed thousands of fake Daily California Newspaper and placed them in the news stands in Berkeley, claiming that NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) overruled the referees and awarded Stanford the victory. This has of course occurred before the internet and the ESPN.COM, and it gave numerous Californians a temporary cold sweat. Here is a copy of the Fake Daily Cal Newspaper. Perhaps the Stanfordites deserved the best prank title, for having the blunders of their football team and their bands replayed on national TV and sporting networks many times per year to this date.
