"A century ago, Berkeley received the startling news Jan. 8, 1926, that football coach Andy Smith had died of the flu on a visit to the East Coast. Smith, who was only 42, had built the Cal football program into a national powerhouse. Arriving as head coach in 1916, he quickly developed a dominating program. From 1920 to 1925 his Wonder Teams won 44 games, tied four and lost none. They were judged national champions during three of those years."
"Although he's most closely associated with Oakland, where he grew up and lived much of his life, he did spend time in Berkeley and had some important connections to the town. London spent a semester as a UC Berkeley student before heading off for the Yukon Gold Rush, and his second wife, Charmian Kittridge, was connected with a number of Berkeley homes, including one where she grew up near the corner of Parker and Fulton streets."
On Jan. 8, 1926 Berkeley learned that football coach Andy Smith, age 42, died of the flu while visiting the East Coast. Smith became Cal's head coach in 1916 and built a national powerhouse; his Wonder Teams from 1920 to 1925 won 44 games, tied four and lost none, earning national championships in three seasons. His body was returned, cremated, and on Jan. 15, 1926 his ashes were scattered from an airplane over California Memorial Stadium. Smith lived at the Elks Club and left part of his estate to the University of California for football scholarships. Jack London had ties to Berkeley through a semester at UC Berkeley, his wife Charmian Kittridge's local homes, and fiction featuring Berkeley settings.
Read at www.eastbaytimes.com
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