Hail to Oski: Cal Bears Men’s Basketball National Champion Bobblehead Review By Ruey Yen

There may be 8 Bear mascots in the NCAA Division 1 (including Black, Sugar, and of course Golden varieties), but there is only ONE Oski, the Golden Bear.

To commemorate Cal Bears’ 1959 NCAA Championship in men’s basketball, National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum (yes, that’s a place…in Milwaukee, WI) has exclusively released on March 1st, 2017 a special bobblehead. You can purchase one from THIS LINK HERE for $40 each plus $8 for shipping and handling.

In 1959, legendary Cal coach Pete Newell’s team defeated West Virginia, which had superstar Jerry West – The Most Outstanding Player of that Final Four, by a 71-70 score in the final. Coach Newell’s Golden Bears defeated Cincinnati and their superstar Oscar Robertson in that year’s semifinal. While that Cal squad does not feature any player of the prominence of a West or Robertson, it does include Darrall Imhoff – whose No.40 is one of the precious few jersey that’s hanging in Haas Pavilion (it was retired in 2009). Of course, instead of the great Pete Newell or Imhoff, it is our beloved Oski, Cal mascot since 1941, that is featured in the bobblehead that honors the lone (thus far) NCAA men’s basketball championship in Cal history.