Courtesy Cal Athletics
Three-Sport Legend Grover Klemmer Passes Away
1988 Cal Athletic Hall Of Fame Inductee Set Multiple World Records On The Track.
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OAKLAND -- Grover Klemmer, a three-sport star who set multiple world records during a Cal career that earned him a spot in the school's Athletic Hall of Fame, died Sunday at the age of 94.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988, Klemmer's standing as one of the great athletes in Cal history needs little embellishment. A member of the football, basketball and track and field teams, the native of San Francisco shone brightest on the track when it came to results.
In 1941, he participated on two Cal relay teams -- the mile and two-mile -- that set world records. During that same summer, he ran the 440-yard dash in a record time of 46.4 seconds and, just a few weeks later, set the world record in the 400 by stopping the clock in 46 seconds even.
No accomplishment or accolade meant more to Klemmer than his love for Cal. An avid supporter of his alma mater, Klemmer's ties to the university ran deeper than just his place in the school's record books.
"It's almost impossible to describe," said Klemmer's son, Rich. "I was sitting with him one evening and we were just talking about Cal football. This is a guy that's had an awful lot of athletic accomplishment and achievement, but he said to me that the most stirring moment of his life was running out of the tunnel onto the field at Memorial Stadium. He was a national champion and world record holder but running out of that tunnel, I would say that was his proudest moment."
After leaving the Bay Area during World War II, Klemmer returned in 1946 and joined the staff at City College of San Francisco. He served as a coach and administrator at the school for 39 years, coaching the football team for 20 in a stretch that included a national championship in 1948. He also went on to serve as an NFL referee from 1955 to 1986.
Services for Grover Klemmer have yet to be set, Rich Klemmer said.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988, Klemmer's standing as one of the great athletes in Cal history needs little embellishment. A member of the football, basketball and track and field teams, the native of San Francisco shone brightest on the track when it came to results.
In 1941, he participated on two Cal relay teams -- the mile and two-mile -- that set world records. During that same summer, he ran the 440-yard dash in a record time of 46.4 seconds and, just a few weeks later, set the world record in the 400 by stopping the clock in 46 seconds even.
No accomplishment or accolade meant more to Klemmer than his love for Cal. An avid supporter of his alma mater, Klemmer's ties to the university ran deeper than just his place in the school's record books.
"It's almost impossible to describe," said Klemmer's son, Rich. "I was sitting with him one evening and we were just talking about Cal football. This is a guy that's had an awful lot of athletic accomplishment and achievement, but he said to me that the most stirring moment of his life was running out of the tunnel onto the field at Memorial Stadium. He was a national champion and world record holder but running out of that tunnel, I would say that was his proudest moment."
After leaving the Bay Area during World War II, Klemmer returned in 1946 and joined the staff at City College of San Francisco. He served as a coach and administrator at the school for 39 years, coaching the football team for 20 in a stretch that included a national championship in 1948. He also went on to serve as an NFL referee from 1955 to 1986.
Services for Grover Klemmer have yet to be set, Rich Klemmer said.
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