From the Stands to the Sidelines: Michael Cooley’s Lifelong Cal Journey
5 min read
By the time most kids were choosing an NFL team, Michael Cooley was already climbing Memorial Stadium’s concrete steps with his dad, convinced his blood ran blue and gold.
Michael Cooley sits down on at Speroul Plaza to talk about his life-long journey to UC Berkeley
From the Stands to the Sideline
The third-year outside linebacker for the California Golden Bears grew up across the Bay, the son of a Cal alum who made sure Berkeley football was a family ritual. Saturdays meant driving over to Memorial Stadium, joining thousands of fans in the concrete bowl, and watching names like Jahvid Best, DeSean Jackson, and Jared Goff turn the field into a stage.
“I’ve been going to Berkeley games for almost all my life,” Cooley says. “My dad is a Berkeley alum, so pretty much bred blue throughout my whole life.”
Now, the kid in the stands is the linebacker on the field — playing through one of the most turbulent but hopeful stretches in recent Cal football history.
Growing Up Blue and Gold
Cooley’s roots are woven into the local football culture. He played at Bishop O’Dowd High School, a program steeped in Cal connections. His coaches included former Bears like Jahvid Best, Hardy Nickerson, and Tarik Glenn — names which still echo through Berkeley’s hills.
Cal wasn’t just a logo on TV; it was part of the fabric of his life.
“Even when I lived across the Bay, we’d always make our way out to Berkeley games,” he says. “The culture was huge — Big Game culture, Battle of the Bay. Alumni loved it. A ton of people from across the Bay would come out to support.”
Like a lot of Bay Area kids, he had his heroes. Jared Goff stands out.
“Jared Goff was… that was the peak for me,” Cooley recalls. “I actually got to meet Jared Goff at some event, so I got his autograph. Super cool, really quiet guy, but I loved watching him play.”
These memories — the roar of Memorial Stadium, the big-game moments, the feeling that Cal football meant something in the Bay — stayed with him as he developed into a college prospect.
The Call From Cal
When Cal finally called, it didn’t come in a quiet moment.
“I got the call actually while on another visit,” Cooley says, laughing a little at the timing. He was in Arizona at the time, and in a twist that feels almost scripted, the Cal swim team was there too. His dad knew them all.
“We were on the same flight back to Berkeley as the Cal swim team,” Cooley says. “So I’m telling them, I’m like, ‘I’m going to Cal.’”
That flight home doubled as a kind of informal welcome party. For Cooley, it was the moment the kid in the stands committed to the program he’d grown up watching.
“Emotions were definitely high,” he says. “I just remember going to these games and being fans of some of these players and having the honor to be part of that program and be a teammate of some of the guys I was cheering on. I was just in shock and thankful for everyone that’s helped me out—school, parents, trainers, coaches, God. Just fantastic. Very grateful.”
His recruiting journey was shaped by Cal ties as well. A former Cal player who now coaches and runs private training in the Bay was one of his first mentors during the process.
“He really helped me so much, both recruiting and just development getting ready for the next level,” Cooley says. As an outside linebacker, he also built a relationship with position coach Vic So’oto. “He’s been very helpful for me as well.”
Inside a Wilcox Program
Cooley arrived in Berkeley under Justin Wilcox, a coach he watched from the outside before becoming a part of the program. Wilcox’s tenure, which stretched nearly a decade, was defined by tough defense, disciplined football, and a steady presence on the sideline.
“It’s crazy—he’s been here for nine years and I got to be a part of a team within three,” Cooley says. “Very, very smart coach. He’d always emphasize playing smart football, making smart decisions, limiting penalties.”
Wilcox’s defensive schemes were tailored to disguise coverages and make quarterbacks uncomfortable.
“It was awesome to be a part of that,” Cooley explains. “We’ve been a defensive program for most of his tenure. He’s very active on both sides of the ball, but he places a lot of trust in people. Justin gives guys a lot of opportunities to be the best that they can be.”
That trust extended beyond football. At a school that proudly calls itself the No. 1 public university in the world, Wilcox leaned into the “student” part of student-athlete.
“He put a lot of emphasis on the student part as well,” Cooley says. “This is an elite school. He emphasizes that a lot—it is a privilege to go to this school. You have to perform academically to be eligible to play.”
Wilcox made sure players had support and he ensured the history and culture of Cal remained intact. During Big Game week, he’d show clips and bring in staff members who had played for both Cal and Stanford to talk about the rivalry and what it means.
“He’s very in tune with the school’s history,” Cooley says. “He’d introduce the new players to the history and lore of the game throughout the week. Definitely teaching people to have pride in this university—and to really play for each other.”
That pride matters in a place like Berkeley, where the energy in the stadium rises and falls with wins, losses, and the broader sense of momentum. Even from the sideline, Cooley has felt the crowd swing back into it during games like Miami and recent Big Games, even when the results haven’t always gone Cal’s way.
“When we’re playing great football, the students really get involved,” he says. “We’ve had some incredible game experiences.”
For now, Cooley is still carving out his role on Saturdays. He’s dressed, traveled, and warmed up, but snaps have been limited as he battles for a spot in a crowded outside linebacker room. The work, right now, is about staying ready and trusting that when his moment comes, he’ll be prepared to jump on it.
Shock, SMU, and Staying Together
This season hasn’t been smooth. A painful Big Game loss, followed by head coach Justin Wilcox’s firing earlier this season, left the program in a state of uncertainty — for players, coaches, and fans.
“People were just in shock,” Cooley says. “It’s more uncertainty because you know how things are in this current college football world. No one knows what’s really going to happen. Still to this day I don’t really know what’s going to happen with the new head coach.”
In that uncertainty, interim head coach Nick Rolovich became a key stabilizing force.
“Incredible guy,” Cooley says. “He came in and got everyone together and made sure we’re focusing—this team is about us. This is about the players. We have one more game, senior night. You’re going to play for each other and you’re going to play hard, play your best.”
That mindset carried into the SMU game, a down-to-the-wire win that felt like a jolt back to the kind of emotional football Cooley grew up watching. Even without seeing the field himself, he was on the sideline living every play.
“They came in lightly, thinking it’d be another easy notch win on their belt,” Cooley says. “But we weren’t going to let that happen. We were going to give it our all for each other.”
For those in the stands, and along the bench, it felt like a glimpse of what Cal football can be when the players, fans, and program are all locked in.
Looking Ahead: Tosh Lupoi and Personal Goals
As reports swirled about Oregon defensive coordinator and former Cal player Tosh Lupoi emerging as the frontrunner to take over as head coach, Cooley was watching like everyone else.
“I’ve seen those reports, and we’ll see,” he says. “From reports everyone has been seeing, it looks like they’re working to finalize him as a head coach.”
What stands out to him is Lupoi’s history with the program.
“I saw on Twitter a lot of former players—DeSean Jackson, Cam Jordan—were really pushing for this move,” Cooley says. “He’s from the area, played here, had his first coaching stint here. I think he definitely has a lot of history and connection to this program, which I think is important.”
That connection matters to a player who has spent his whole life orbiting Cal football.
“I’m excited to see what he brings if he is the one hired,” Cooley says. “It would be really cool to have a guy who played during the legendary Tedford era that you and I grew up watching. Kind of bring some of that nostalgia back, as well as everything he’s learned and his defensive mindset. Continuing the defensive focus for me, which I love.”
While coaching decisions play out above him, Cooley’s focus is on the things he can control: his body, his game, and his degree.
“I’ve got to definitely work on getting the right weight for my position,” he says. “Make things easier so I can really focus down on my technique and fundamentals. This winter, after the bowl game, I’m going to spend a lot of time working on getting my body to that right shape.”
In the classroom, he’s settled into the groove of balancing Cal’s workload with the demands of football.
“Academically, I’m trying to cruise through and do the best I can this year,” he says. “It takes time to kind of get in, but this year I’m definitely into that groove. I’m just trying to graduate in my four years here and hopefully get a degree in political economics. A vertical degree always comes a long way, especially around this area.”
For now, Cooley is where he’s always wanted to be: inside the program he grew up loving, working for his opportunity, and carrying the same blue-and-gold pride that first drew him to Memorial Stadium as a kid.
Watch the interview here: