Hall of Fame
Unlike the countless student-athletes and coaches he served, Bill Clendaniel’s contribution to the Vulcan athletic programs never appeared on any sports pages but were always invaluable behind-the-scenes.
Hired by the then-called Student Activities Association (SAA) in the spring of 1965, Clendaniel worked more than 20 years as the assistant equipment manager and gymnasium supervisor under the late Ed LaCotta, who was inducted into the Cal Hall of Fame in 2004.
“I felt great when I heard about this,” Clendaniel said about receiving the university’s highest athletic honor. “To be included with all those guys and gals is something. I’m only sorry Ed could not be around for his induction, but I know he would have been uncomfortable, because he did not want the limelight at all. This is fantastic and really means something to my family and me. We are all fired up about it. I am really going to enjoy this and am looking forward to it.”
Along with being responsible for the ordering, upkeep and repairs of the athletic equipment and uniforms, Clendaniel worked closely with the basketball, wrestling and baseball teams, while assisting LaCotta during the football season. He also oversaw the operation of Hamer pool and its lifeguards.
Soon after he began working at Cal, SAA, now called the Student Association, Incorporated (SAI) purchased equipment for the upkeep and development of what is now known as the Roadman Sports Complex. Along with student workers, Clendaniel and LaCotta helped to develop the park’s peripheral facilities, including fencing, picnic areas and athletic fields. Previously, only the baseball and tennis teams used the “College Farm” which now is the playing home for 11 of Cal U’s 18 varsity athletic teams.
One of many projects Clendaniel handled with little cost to the university was the reassembling of the prefabricated storage building at Roadman Park that co-workers affectionately dubbed “The William J. Clendaniel Building.”
“The only thing up there was the baseball field and tennis courts,” said Clendaniel. “There were trees all over the place, and we just went out and pulled trees where the soccer fields are now so contractors could come in and level things off. Ed and I even put the picnic tables up in the park.”
Living less than a half mile from the campus, Clendaniel by his own preference was on-call around the clock providing ready practice facilities, equipment or uniforms when needed.
A team player, Clendaniel emphasized how the strength of his working relationship with LaCotta paved the way to effectiveness.
“Ed was the worker who would do anything and could do most anything,” Clendaniel said. “I did most of the mechanical work on the equipment we had, because that was my field. Coaches would give Ed a project of something they needed and he would make whatever it was they wanted. If you gave him any type of problem he would just solve it. That was just the kind of guy he was. For 20 years working with him, we never had an argument. We just got along fine, and it was understood when there was a job that had to get done one of us would do it that’s all. It didn’t make any difference what time of day or night.”
Scheduled to retire the winter after the football team won the 1984 PSAC championship, Clendaniel delayed his final work date so he could work through the basketball season which culminated with the men’s team winning its second of now seven PSAC championships.
“I just felt I owed it to the team,” Clendaniel said.
Involved in many university happenings, Clendaniel and LaCotta were also the behind-the-scenes workers setting up for concerts and other forms of entertainment. This incomparable duo also took the pictures and made the student ID cards for all incoming freshmen.
Though retired for more than two decades, Clendaniel is in his fifth decade of work and support as an ambassador to Cal’s athletic program. He is still a frequent, and pleasantly recognizable, person at many Vulcan home-sporting events. His presence and participation at annual events such as alumni football weekend and Hall of Fame Banquets enhances the experience as well as rekindling fond memories for many returning student-athletes. His passion for Cal U athletics remains deep.
“I just turned 84 years old, and so I can’t attend the games like I used to,” Clendaniel said. “I lived Cal athletics all the time for 20 years and just could not get it out of my system. I just appreciate the young people, and I have met so many great people. It’s unbelievable how many great people have come through here. I enjoy coming back when I can to events such as alumni football. I may not remember the names anymore, but I always remember the faces. There were so many exciting moments, and every championship was special. Very seldom did I meet someone I didn’t like.”
Originally from Brownsville, and a 1940 graduate of Brownsville High School, Clendaniel served with the Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force for many years after graduating from aircraft mechanic school. He was honorably discharged in 1962 and saw considerable duty overseas in places such as Korea, Saudia Arabia and India. After returning to the United States, Bill went to barber school, but his timing was less than ideal.
“I became a barber right when long hair was the fashion,” Clendaniel said. “So there was not much work available, but I found out about the job opening at Cal through some people at the American Legion, and I went on to work there 20 years. Things could not have worked out any better for me, and I am grateful to be a part of it.”
Bill and his wife of 57 years, Fern, have lived in California since he returned from the military and are the parents of five grown children. Three of those children have earned bachelor’s degrees from Cal U while the other two have earned teaching and nursing certificates from Cal. Bill’s mother, the late Emma Juran, is a graduate of California Normal School.
