Many great players and coaches have been a part of Cal football throughout the years, and a long-standing record holder will have his moment to shine this weekend.
 
Ken Wiedemann will be inducted into the 32nd class of the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame Friday night. The Class of 2017 will also be honored during Saturday's home opener against Weber State.
 
"It is a truly humbling and unexpected honor for me," Wiedemann said. "I was able to be a part of some great Cal teams with excellent coaches and outstanding teammates. I could not have done it without them. I am also thrilled to be a part of a wonderful Hall of Fame class that includes the great Jason Kidd, one of the greatest point guards of all time. That will be a very special night for me, my family and those close to me."
 
A native of Corona Del Mar, Calif., Wiedemann grew up playing football, baseball and basketball. He attended West Covina High School where he focused more on football and baseball. Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers draft Wiedemann after his senior in high school, but he opted to accept a scholarship at Cal instead.
 
"Playing football at Cal was a dream come true for me," Wiedemann said. "Football was most enjoyable for me and it was a great to get a chance to play for an outstanding head coach like Ray Willsey because he was dedicated to rebuilding Cal's football program."
 
Wiedemann was a member of the famed Cal "Bear Minimum" defense that featured multiple future NFL players, including fellow Cal Hall of Fame inductee Ed White (Class of 1993). Led by the brilliantly defensive-minded Wilsey, the "Bear Minimum" allowed a mere 2.5 yards per play in 1968.
 
As a part of this intimidating defense, Wiedemann registered seven interceptions in 1968, which tied the single-season record at the time and wasn't surpassed for 31 seasons.
 
A first-team All-Pac-8 selection, Wiedemann's 16 career interceptions recorded during his time at Cal from 1967-69 have sat at the top of the list for the last 48 years as one of the longest-standing records in school history.
 
"We had a really great defense in those years," Wiedemann explained. "Those guys up front were a tough, great group of guys. They put pressure on opposing offenses and put me in great positions to play center field, anticipate passes and come away with opportunities."
 
A year earlier, the Bears played Notre Dame and USC when they were ranked No. 1 in the country, as well as a Syracuse team that was led by future NFL Hall of Famer Larry Csonka. Wiedemann is especially proud of the Big Game that year when the Bears crushed Stanford, 26-3, to end the '67 campaign.
 
Trying to soak in as much of the college experience as he could, Wiedemann was frequently seen at the Big Game rallies and bonfires at the Greek Theatre. He also has vivid memories of campus life during the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s.
 
"Cal was a very comprehensive campus at the time," he said. "So many things were happening on and around campus that gave us all a sense of pride to be a Cal Bear. The Greek Theatre also hosted many iconic free concerts like Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead."
 
Since graduating from Cal with a degree in economics, he earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a practicing psychologist in Southern California. Now a grandparent with his wife, Candy, he is still an avid supporter of all things Cal and routinely travels up to Berkeley to catch a couple games every year.
 
With the addition of Wiedemann and nine other new members, the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame now features 297 individuals and six rowing teams. The school's Hall of Fame, which is located on the west side of Memorial Stadium and is open to all ticket holders after each home game, was inaugurated in 1986.