Tightwad Hill: 50 GREATEST GOLDEN BEARS - #26

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

50 GREATEST GOLDEN BEARS - #26 - BOB REINHARD

#26 - BOB REINHARD - TACKLE (1939-1941)

Despite an All-America career at Cal, and five fine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, you could say with no malice that Bob Reinhard might have peaked in high school. His 1937 Glendale High team were CIF champs and one of the great HS teams in state history, led by Reinhard at tackle and Frankie Albert at QB. Albert would go on to Stanford, where he and coach Clark Shaughnessy revolutionized college football and won a national championship in 1940 with the T formation.

Reinhard went to Berkeley, where he played on losing teams in each of his three years on the varsity. It was no fault of his own, though: #96 remains the only true lineman in school history to earn All-American honors (from the Associated Press) in consecutive years. In addition to being a devastating run stuffer, Reinhard was athletic enough to flank out at end on offense and even caught a memorable 41-yard touchdown against Washington during his senior year. He also handled kicking duties for the Bears.

Reinhard lined up against Albert once again in 1941 in one of the most memorable Big Games in history. The Indians needed a win to win a share of the PCC championship, and Cal limped into the game at 3-5. Reinhard and mates shut down the vaunted Indian offense, and Cal carried an improbable 9-0 lead into the fourth quarter. Cal was forced to punt, and Reinhard pinned the Indians deep in their own territory with a 45-yard blast. After three and out, teammate John Herrero blocked Stanford's punt, and Reinhard plucked the ball from the air and whirled into the end zone for the final score in the shocking 16-0 upset.

After serving his country during WWII, Reinhard played for five years with the Los Angeles Rams, earning All-Pro honors as a lineman. In 1969 he was named to the all-time all-Pacific Coast Conference first team, and he was inducted into the Cal athletic Hall of Fame in 1990. Bob Reinhard passed away on August 2, 1996 at the age of 76.