Big Game
The "Big Game" is the annual football game between Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, held in November. California has won the past two games (2002 and 2003), but Stanford won the previous seven meetings before that. The first Big Game was held in 1892. It is the biggest college football event in the Bay Area, and has a rich history. Since 1933, the Stanford Axe has been granted possession to the victor of the game. If there is a tie, the Axe stays on the side that already possesses it. The Axe is a key part of the rich history, having been stolen on a couple occasions by both sides.The conclusion of the 85th Big Game in 1982 is know simply as "The Play". Many consider it one of the greatest plays in the history of college football. With 4 seconds left on the clock, Cal lateraled the ball five times and ran through the Stanford Band, which had run onto the field to celebrate prematurely. Although replays clearly showed that the ball should have been called dead, the referees erred in the chaos, and awarded Cal a touchdown. To this day, the final score is noted as Stanford 20, Cal 19 in many Stanford publications, whereas the official score went down at 25-20, with Cal winning.
