Big Game ( American football ) The Big Game is an American college football rivalry game played by the California Golden Bears football team of the University of California , Berkeley and Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University . First played in 1892 , it is the ninth most played college football rivalry game in the United States . Stanford leads the series record at 59 – 46 – 11 ( wins – losses – ties ) . The game is typically played in late November or early December , and its location alternates between the two universities every year . In even - numbered years , the game is played at Berkeley , while in odd - numbered years it is played at Stanford . Stanford won the most recent Big Game at Stanford Stadium by a score of 63 – 13 . Series history . Big Game is the oldest college football rivalry in the West . The first game was played on San Francisco ' s Haight Street Grounds on March 19 , 1892 with Stanford winning 14 – 10 . Future U . S . President Herbert Hoover was the Stanford team manager for that game . The term " Big Game " was first used in 1900 , when it was played on Thanksgiving Day in San Francisco . During that game , a large group of men and boys , who were observing from the roof of the nearby S . F . and Pacific Glass Works , fell into the fiery interior of the building when the roof collapsed , resulting in 13 dead and 78 injured . On December 4 , 1900 , the last victim of the disaster ( Fred Lilly ) died , bringing the death toll to 22 ; and , to this day , the " Thanksgiving Day Disaster " remains the deadliest accident to kill spectators at a U . S . sporting event . In 1906 , citing concerns about the violence in football , both schools dropped football in favor of rugby , which was played for the Big Games of 1906 – 14 . The first incidence of card stunts was performed by Cal fans at the halftime of the 1910 Big Game . California resumed playing football in 1915 , but Stanford ' s rugby teams continued until 1917 . From 1915 – 1917 , California ' s " Big Game " was their game against Washington , while Stanford played Santa Clara as their rugby " Big Game " . The 1918 game , in which Cal prevailed 67 – 0 , is not considered an official game because Stanford ' s team was composed of volunteers from the Student Army Training Corps stationed at Stanford , some of whom were not Stanford students . The game resumed as football in 1919 , and has been played as such every year since , except from 1943 to 1945 , when Stanford shut down its football program due to World War II . A handful of Stanford starters — including guards Jim Cox , Bill Hachten and Fred Boensch , running back George Quist and halfback Billy Agnew — shifted to Cal in order to continue playing . Quist returned to Stanford , playing against Cal in the 1946 Big Game . Scenes for the Harold Lloyd silent classic " The Freshman " were filmed at California Memorial Stadium during halftime of the 1924 Big Game . Since 1933 , the victor of the game has been awarded possession of the Stanford Axe . If a game ended in a tie , the Axe stayed on the side that already possessed it ; this rule became obsolete in 1996 when the NCAA instituted overtime . The Axe is a key part of the rivalry ' s history , having been stolen on several occasions by both sides , starting in 1899 , when the Axe was introduced when Stanford yell leader Billy Erb used it at a baseball game between the two schools . In March 2007 , the National Football League announced that it intended to trademark the phrase " The Big Game " in reference to the Super Bowl , but soon dropped the plan after being faced with opposition from Cal and Stanford . In 2013 , the new Levi ' s Stadium in Santa Clara was proposed as the site of the 2014 Big Game , which according to the traditional rotation should be played at Cal ' s Memorial Stadium . The 2015 game would then be held in Berkeley , reversing the current rotation of odd - numbered years at Stanford and even - numbered years at Cal . But several days later Cal declined the offer . Since 2012 , the Fox family of networks has held exclusive television rights to the game , as part of Fox ' s contract with the Pacific - 12 Conference . Notable games . 1924 : Both teams came into the game unbeaten with a berth in the 1925 Rose Bowl on the line . With its star Ernie Nevers sidelined due to injuries , Stanford trailed 20 – 6 with under 5 minutes to go , but rallied to score twice to force a 20 – 20 tie and earn the Rose Bowl bid . 1947 : In the 50th Big Game , winless Stanford led the 8 – 1 Bears with less than three minutes left in the game , but Cal scored on an 80 - yard touchdown pass to clinch a 21 – 18 victory . 1959 : Stanford quarterback Dick Norman threw for 401 yards ( then an NCAA record , and still a Big Game record ) , but it was not enough to hold off the Bears , who won 20 – 17 . 1972 : Cal drove 62 yards in the final 1 : 13 , culminating in a Vince Ferragamo touchdown pass to Steve Sweeney for a last - second 24 – 22 Cal victory . 1974 : Mike Langford nailed a 50 - yard field goal on the final play for a 22 – 20 Stanford triumph over the 19th - ranked Bears . 1982 : " See below and The Play . " 1988 : With the score tied , Cal marched to the Stanford 3 - yard line with 4 seconds remaining in the game . Called " the Cadillac of kickers in college football " by Cal coach Bruce Snyder , all Pac - 10 and future all - American Robbie Keen lined up for a 21 - yard field goal attempt to win the game on the final play . When the ball was snapped , Stanford redshirt freshman Tuan Van Le raced from the left end of the defensive line to block the kick and preserve a 19 – 19 tie . As Stanford was the holder of the Axe going into the game , the tie meant the Axe returned to the Farm for another year . The result was celebrated in the stadium as a victory by Stanford as the Axe was paraded by the Stanford Axe Committee and football players before jubilant Cardinal fans , with stunned Bear fans looking on . This was the only Big Game to end in a tie after 1953 and under current overtime rules may be the last Big Game to end tied . 1990 : In a game that echoed " The Play " eight years earlier , Stanford trailed 25 – 18 late . Quarterback Jason Palumbis threw a 19 - yard touchdown pass to Ed McCaffrey to make the score 25 – 24 , but the team failed to convert the a two - point conversion . Thinking the game to be all but over , Cal fans rushed the field , resulting in a 15 - yard delay of game penalty . Stanford ' s Dan Byers then recovered the ensuing onside kick at the Cal 37 . Palumbis ' s pass to McCaffrey to set up a field goal fell short , but a Cal defender was called for roughing Palumbis . Stanford kicker John Hopkins then connected on a 39 - yard field goal as time expired , giving Stanford a 27 – 25 victory . 2000 : Stanford ' s Casey Moore caught the winning touchdown on the final play of the first - ever Big Game to go into overtime . 2009 : Cal ' s Michael Mohamed intercepted a pass at the Cal 3 - yard line with 1 : 36 left to preserve a Cal win over # 14 Stanford , 34 – 28 . 2010 : # 6 Stanford , in a 48 - 14 victory , ties Cal ' s 1975 record for most points scored in a Big Game . 2013 : Winning 63 – 13 , # 10 Stanford set the record for most points scored in a Big Game , shattering the previous record of 48 shared by Cal in 1975 and Stanford in 2010 . The 50 - point victory margin also set a Big Game record , breaking the previous record that had stood for 83 years when Stanford beat Cal 41 - 0 in 1930 . The 76 total points scored by both teams broke the record of 66 set in 2000 . With the victory , Stanford clinched the Pac - 12 North Division Championship while Cal ended its season at 1 – 11 , the most losses in one season in Cal football history . The Play . The conclusion of the 85th Big Game on November 20 , 1982 would go down as perhaps the most remarkable play in college football history . Cal held a lead late in the game , but Stanford , led by John Elway , drove down the field to retake the lead , and seemingly elevate Elway to the first bowl game of his college career , since a Stanford victory would have resulted in an invitation to the Hall of Fame Bowl . More importantly , Elway , with a victory , might well have won the Heisman Trophy . In what is now known simply as " The Play , " four Cal players lateraled the ball five times on a kickoff return with four seconds left on the clock . Kevin Moen , who was also the initial ball carrier , ran for a touchdown while knocking down the final Stanford " defender , " trombone player Gary Tyrrell , who had run onto the field with the rest of the band to celebrate prematurely . The Play is often recounted with KGO radio announcer Joe Starkey ' s emotional call of The Play , which he hailed as " the most amazing , sensational , dramatic , heartrending , exciting , thrilling finish in the history of college football ! " The legitimacy of The Play has remained controversial among some Stanford fans . To this day , the final score in the official record shows Cal winning by a score of 25 – 20 , whereas in many Stanford publications it is recorded as Stanford 20 , Cal 19 due to Stanford ' s contention that a Cal ball carrier had his knee down and the last lateral was actually an illegal forward pass , either of which would have resulted in the end of the play . Pregame traditions . In the week before the game , both schools celebrate the occasion with rallies , reunions , and luncheons . Cal students hold a traditional pep rally and bonfire at the Hearst Greek Theatre on the eve of the game , while Stanford students stage the Gaieties , a theatrical production that both celebrates and pokes fun at the rivalry . The week also includes various other athletic events including " The Big Splash " ( water polo ) , " The Big Spike " ( volleyball ) , " The Big Sweep " ( Quidditch ) , " The Big Freeze " ( ice hockey ) , " The Big Sail " ( sailing ) , and the Ink Bowl , a touch football game between the members of the two schools ' newspapers . In addition , the two schools compete in a blood drive called " Rivals for Life . " The Big Game Bonfire Rally is a pep and bonfire rally that takes place at University of California , Berkeley in Hearst Greek Theatre on the eve of the Big Game . More than 10 , 000 students gather to hear the history about The Stanford Axe and the Big Game . The University of California Rally Committee is in charge of the planning and setting up the bonfire , as well as refueling it during the rally . Specifically , freshman members of the UC Rally Committee , as well as freshman band members are sent out with pallets to the chanting of " freshmen , more wood . " Several alumni show up to perform traditional rituals . A tradition unique to Cal is the performance of the Haka , a traditional Maori war dance / chant . Traditionally performed by an alumni Yell Leader , the Haka performed was written in the 1960s by a Cal rugby player of Maori descent . The traditional Axe Yell is also made and visits from the UC Men ' s Octet and Golden Overtones are always expected . The University of California Marching Band is also present , playing traditional Cal songs throughout the duration of the Rally . The highlight of the Rally is the lighting of Big Game Bonfire itself , with the fire reaching over eight stories high at its zenith . The Big Game Bonfire Rally always ends with the reciting of a speech known as the " Andy Smith Eulogy " or " The Spirit of California " . Written in remembrance of the fabled Cal football coach , who led the Bears to five straight undefeated seasons starting in 1920s before tragically dying of pneumonia in 1925 , the speech closes the Rally annually . During the speech , candles are passed out among the attendants and are lit for the singing of the campus alma mater , " All Hail Blue and Gold . " For decades , Stanford also held a bonfire on the dry lakebed of Lake Lagunita , but this was discontinued in the 1990s due to the lake being a habitat for the vulnerable California tiger salamander . Stanford now holds a laser light show commonly known as the " Non - Fire , " as well as the annual student produced play , " Gaieties , " during the week leading up to Big Game in place of a Bonfire Rally . Rivalry in other sports . In other sports , matchups between Cal and Stanford are not as important to the students and the fanbase , but are still hyped and many feature their own nicknames based on the word " big . " Examples include : In addition , in rugby , the two schools have a trophy of their own called the " Scrum Axe " . In men ' s basketball the semiannual matchups are sometimes labeled the " Big Game " but it is not official . In women ' s basketball , the meetings are simply called the " Battle of the Bay . "