Texas Southern quarterback KJ Cooper was 19-35 for 137 yards with one touchdown against the Cal Bears at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley for week 1 in NCAA action on Sat Sep 6, 2025 (file photo by Texas Southern Tigers Football)
By Michael Roberson
BERKELEY, Calif. — The Texas Southern Tigers (0-2) made their first ever trip to the Bay Area, and Berkeley in particular; however they have been in California before. In 2008 they played Shaw University in Sacramento. The Tigers came, saw, but did not conquer the California Golden Bears (2-0) 35-3..
The Historically Black College/University, located in Houston, was a prohibitive underdogs (44.5); however, the Tigers clawed and fought the ACC sophomore Ursus Arctos Californicus during the first 15 minutes of the contest
“We have a very good team! Expressed TSU HC and former NFL DB Cris Dishman. “We can face anybody. If our guys play up to their capabilities, we can beat anybody.”
After the first quarter, Cal led the visitors from the Lone Star State 3-0, but the Tigers knew they were in the game and in position for a shocking upset victory. They also had to be cognizant that they let some opportunities get away from them. The Bears added another touchdown and a 2-point conversion to extend the slim lead to 11 by intermission, 11-0.
Halftime was a different story. Texas Southern’s highly acclaimed “Ocean of Soul” band put on a tremendous performance rarely seen west of the Mississippi River, or at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). During the mid game show, TSU had a zero on the scoreboard, grading the football team’s performance, but the band had to have received 10’s from the thousands of excited fans in Memorial stadium.
Not only is Texas Southern an HBCU, they are also a member of the legendary Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The 12-team conference has produced some of the greatest players and pioneers in football history.
Texas Southern’s most renowned alumnus, or football player, would be Emmy Award winning TV host, analyst and football hall of fame honoree, Michael Strahan. His 15-year NFL (NY Giants) career garnered him two Super Bowl victories and countless individual awards. For his his professional career, he was inducted into the HOF in 2014. For his days at TSU (1989-92) he also entered the College Football (2025) and Black College Football (2014) halls of fame. Strahan even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A few other luminaries from the SWAC would include the incomparable Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State), Walter Payton (Jackson State), Doug Williams (Grambling State), Steve McNair (Alcorn State), and countless others from the gridiron.
Back to the second half of the game, this is when the heavy favorite started to open up the lead and continue the shutout. Cal scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter, changing the scoreboard change to 25-0 after 45 minutes of gametime.
In the final quadrant, Texas Southern got off of the “Goose Egg” with a 39-yard field goal, although the Golden Bears followed that score with anther touchdown of their own efforts. After 60 minutes of regulation Cal did not cover the spread with their 35-3 dominant victory, but did secure the home opening win and remained undefeated.
Despite the lopsided game result, Coach Dishman did find enjoyment during their trip to the Golden State. “It’s been great! I didn’t know we had that many California alums out here. They were at the hotel cheering us on to victory.” Stated Dishman. He also humbly and publicly apologized that the Tigers could not secure that victory for the TSU faithful.
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