After devastation, some catharsis at Cal
Do-everything Netherda lost his familial home in Wine Country fires
Beau Baldwin started to say that Alex Netherda’s emergence as a running back has been unexpected, but then the Cal offensive coordinator stopped himself.
You see, nothing Netherda accomplishes should be all that surprising.
The junior has played safety, receiver and running back for the Bears, and amid all of those changes, he has managed to offer some even more inspirational moments off the field.
During the North Bay wildfires in October that burned 245,000 acres, killed 41 people and did $9.4 billion in damage, the Netherda family lost its Santa Rosa home of 22 years. Just four days after seeing the charred memories of his childhood, Netherda played in Cal’s 37-3 upset of then-No. 8 Washington State.
“During the walk-through that week, coach
( Justin) Wilcox took me under his arm and told me the whole team and whole community was behind me,” Netherda said recently. “He said he understood if I couldn’t play, but there was never a doubt in my mind. I was definitely playing.
“That was what I needed right then. That was what my family needed. My family brought as many people as possible to get away from all of the chaos.”
The chaos started as Sunday night ticked toward Monday morning as the second week of October began. Netherda got a call from his father, saying fire was ripping over the hills and the family was being evacuated.
Like father, like son: Netherda’s father sprinted door to door in the neighborhood to wake those who hadn’t heard the evacuation call, and Netherda got in his car and started driving north from Berkeley to help.
Netherda couldn’t get past a road block in Novato, so he started working his phone. Fighting shoddy cell service and sometimes having to call eight or nine times to wake up sleeping friends, Netherda contacted as many people as he could think of who might have families in the affected areas.
The next day, after meeting with the Cal coaching staff, he headed north again. Trying to ignore the gridlocked traffic, blackened sky and overwhelming smell of smoke, Netherda finally reunited with his family members at a restaurant where they were serving food to dozens who had been displaced.
At the end of the night, the Netherda family settled into a rental in Windsor, where it finally got a chance to “decompress, love each other and talk.”
Netherda told his family about Exit 491B/Bicentennial Way.
“It was jarring,” he said. “The hills you grew up running through were charred and neighborhoods were flattened. There were no points of reference. It was
“The hills you grew up running through were charred and neighborhoods were flattened. There were no points of reference.” Alex Netherda, Cal running back, on seeing the devastation last year
unrecognizable.”
Netherda made the same emotional trek every day that week, making sure to be back in Berkeley for practice. On that Friday, Cal played its best game of the season, entering the game as a heavy underdog and marching away as a 34-point victor.
“The team just gave me a huge embrace,” Netherda said. “It was kind of a cathartic experience.”
The following Monday, Netherda was presented a game ball with his family’s name on it. He gave it to his tearing-up mother, who undoubtedly will find a special place for the keepsake in the family’s rebuilt home.
Netherda’s mother just had a campout with friends on the lot of the family’s home, which already has a restored shell and recently had the second floor rebuilt. The construction team better hurry to create a room suitable to host game-watching parties, because Netherda is in line to make the biggest on-field impact of his career.
Since earning a walk-on spot, Netherda has won awards for his efforts on the scout team, has flashed in practice as a wide receiver and safety and has played in 16 games on special teams — not to mention his important role as the team’s party planner.
When Burl Toler joined the coaching staff in January, he approached Netherda about adding running back to his responsibilities. The two-way player, who racked up 70 tackles, six forced fumbles, four interceptions, 1,471 rushing yards and 305 receiving yards as a senior at Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa, jumped at the opportunity.
The 6-foot, 215-pound junior is in the mix to back up Patrick Laird after thriving in the spring, and producing again in the Aug. 18 training-camp scrimmage. He caught a 23-yard pass out of the backfield and then pounded in a 1-yard touchdown run three plays later.
“I shouldn’t say it surprises me, because I’ve always respected what a football player he is. He’s just that. No matter what position he plays, he’s a football player,” Baldwin said. “There are some natural things he does at running back that make me say, ‘Whoa,’ but he works at it.
“You’re not just good at a position because you’re good at it. You have to work at it, and I respect how he goes about it.” So do his teammates. As scores of players have done post-practice interviews during training camp, a trending topic has been hanging at Netherda’s Berkeley apartment over the summer.
The gatherings grew from a handful of players to 30 strong, with Netherda playing sous chef as offensive lineman Semisi Uluave whipped up his famed Hawaiian barbecue chicken.
As the crowd grew, players would bring their favorite dishes or pitch into the grocery fund. During one cookout, the players’ tiny grill housed three tri-tips the size of Netherda’s chest.
“It’s an egregious amount,” Netherda said, describing the food 30 football players can devour at a single cookout.
While the players ate, they shared stories of why they play football and what brought them to Berkeley. They sang and danced, and Netherda sometimes tried to play the ukulele.
“It’s not really my thing yet, but we’ll get there,” he said.
When he has that mastered, it should surprise absolutely no one.