The Golden Bears will wear this identity in the 2026 opener against UCLA. Roth started at quarterback in 1975 and 1976, finished ninth in Heisman voting as a senior, and died of melanoma in 1977 at 21. His No. 12 remains the only retired number in Cal football. The program put it simply: some names live in the record book; others live in something larger. 

UCLA is the right stage. In the Pac-12 era, Cal brought this tradition out for the home game against UCLA or USC. Realignment broke the habit. The 2026 opener puts the Bruins back on the calendar, and the jersey comes with them. 

The official piece is the Nike Cal Bears Alternate Game Jersey in royal. It is a game-cut jersey with a standard fit: easy through the body, built to move.

The field is royal blue. Numbers and lettering sit in gold block type across the chest, back, and shoulders. The sleeves carry the signature gold-white-gold bars. Cal sits at the collar. The Nike swoosh and ACC patch finish the modern template. A gold "C" and the older script language still sit in the design vocabulary, the same details that made the 1970s look unmistakable: bold shoulder striping, a strong chest mark, and gold against blue. 

Nike builds it as an official game jersey: 100% polyester with Dri-FIT to pull moisture off the skin. Name, numbers, and team marks are screen-printed. The neck logo is embroidered. The hem carries a stitched twill jock tag. Apparel in Nike's Move to Zero line that is labeled sustainable uses at least 75% recycled content. Wash it inside out; tumble dry low. 

This is not a random alternate. When Cal refreshed its uniforms for the ACC in 2024, the shoulder stripes were already a modern reading of the Joe Roth bars. The 2026 jersey completes that thought: royal field, gold numbers, vintage striping, current Nike construction. It reads as Cal now, and still reads as Cal then.

Shop :Stitched Joe Roth California Golden Bears Throwback Jersey

That is the official jersey for this moment -- the one the program is putting on the field, and the one that carries Roth's era without turning the uniform into a costume.