BERKELEY – Saturday, May 2, the Cal baseball program will have a special ceremony prior to squaring off against No. 7 Arizona State at 6 p.m. at Evans Diamond. The Golden Bears invite all fans to join the 1991 and 1992 baseball teams and other members of the Cal baseball family in the honoring Brent Woodall, one of Cal athletics premier two sport athletes of the past generation.
On September 11, 2001, former Golden Bear Brent James Woodall was among the 2,977 victims of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Brent came to Berkeley from La Jolla High School in September of 1988 and lettered in both football and baseball.
Brent Woodall excelled in both the athletic and academic arena for the Golden Bears. Courtesy: GoldenBearSports.com
As a rugged tight end for Bruce Snyder’s bowl winning teams of the early 90s, Woodall excelled in blocking for Cal’s powerful running game, led by 1000-yard rushers Russell White and Anthony Wallace.
Woodall was also a clutch receiver for quarterback Mike Pawlawski’s passing game, recording 55 receptions for 565 yards and four touchdowns during his career at Cal.
On the diamond, the 6-4, 240-pound left-hander provided strong relief help out of the bullpen, averaging one strikeout per inning, while posting a 3.38 ERA in 10.2 innings for Bob Milano’s 1992 College World Series team.
In 1993, Woodall appeared in 22 games, earning an early season win over Santa Clara at Evans Diamond.
Because of his baseball talents, Woodall was drafted in the 17th round of the 1993 June amateur baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs. Pitching in 1993 and 1994 for the Cubs A level affiliates, Brent appeared in 47 games and continued to notch better than one strikeout per inning before a shoulder injury ended his baseball career after the 1994 season.
Academically, Woodall epitomized the best of the Cal student-athlete tradition.
In 1990, Woodall received The Frank Storment Award for the most outstanding student from southern California. In 1991, he received the Andrew L. Smith Award for academic excellence. Woodall completed his undergraduate studies in 1993, earning his degree in business from the Haas School of Business.
In 1995, Woodall moved to New York to start his career as an equities trader with Keefe, Bruyette and Woods. On that fateful September day in 2001, he was at work on the 89th floor of the south tower, and like so many others, he did not survive the attack.
Two weeks later, family and friends started the Brent Woodall Memorial Scholarship Fund, which annually honors Golden Bear student-athletes. He is survived by his widow, Tracy, and his daughter, Pierce.
“Coaches, teammates, and friends will always remember Brent for his outstanding character, quiet leadership, quick wit and team first mentality,” explained Milano.
“Brent was remarkable,” said Jon Zuber, a baseball teammate of Woodall’s on the stellar 1992 squad. “To play two major Division 1 sports and excel at both of them while maintaining fantastic academic standing at Cal says all anyone needs to know about not only his athletic ability, but also his desire and determination. Through all of that he was just a normal, easy going guy and a tremendous teammate. It was always about the team with Brent. Whoever had the good fortune to be on a team with Brent was incredibly lucky. If there is one person who exemplified a Cal student-athlete, it was Brent Woodall.”
