| Year: | 1976 |
| Team: | California Golden Bears |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Pacific-8 Conference |
| Short Conf: | Pac-8 |
| Record: | 5–6 |
| Conf Record: | 3–4 |
| Head Coach: | Mike White |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Stadium: | California Memorial Stadium |
The 1976 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Pacific-8 Conference during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Under fifth-year head coach Mike White, the Golden Bears compiled an overall record of 5–6 and 3–4 in conference.[1] [2]
The leader of the previous season's team was quarterback Joe Roth, a junior college transfer, who was a Heisman Trophy candidate as a senior in 1976. Roth had a great start, however halfway through it his performance started to drop. Unknown to almost everyone, he was diagnosed with melanoma the most dangerous form of skin cancer; only head coach White and his closest friends knew about it. With Roth continuing to play, he still had a strong season and was named an All-American. His last game was in January 1977 at an all-star game in Japan and he died several weeks later in Berkeley.[3] [4] His former locker is dedicated in his honor and the annual home game against UCLA or USC is known as the Joe Roth game.[5] [6]
Six Golden Bears were selected in the 1977 NFL draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club | |
| Offensive tackle | 1 | 15 | Chicago Bears | ||
| Wide receiver | 2 | 33 | New York Jets | ||
| Quarterback | 5 | 115 | Buffalo Bills | ||
| Linebacker | 5 | 139 | Oakland Raiders | ||
| Phil Heck | Linebacker | 11 | 297 | Denver Broncos | |
| Offensive guard | 12 | 332 | Dallas Cowboys |