Steve Grealish To Receive Glenn Seaborg Award

BERKELEY – Steve Grealish, a member of the Cal football team in the early 1970s who played for head coach Mike White, is the recipient of the 2021 Glenn Seaborg Award and will be honored during Saturday's game against Washington State at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium.
 
Named in honor of the Nobel Laureate and former UC Berkeley chancellor, the Seaborg Award is presented annually to a former Cal football player for his career accomplishments who represents the honored Cal principles and traditions of excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and attitude.
 
Born in San Francisco, Grealish lived in the Sunset District with his five siblings before his family moved to Daly City. He attended St. Ignatius High School, where he played football and participated on the Rally Committee.
 
Grealish enrolled at Cal as a freshman and walked onto the football team during White's first year at the helm in 1972. He was a member of the junior varsity his first season and, after participating in spring practice, was invited to join the varsity for 1973. Grealish earned a letter that year, but knee injuries forced him into an early retirement from football.
 
Grealish graduated from Cal with a degree in accounting and initially worked in a small tax firm before moving fulltime into bartending, using his Cal connections to get into the bar and restaurant industry. He moved to the Virgin Islands in 1981 where he opened a restaurant with two high school friends and met Linda, who would become his wife. They stayed four years before returning to San Francisco where he opened Shanghai Kelly's, Mick's Lounge and the Northstar. Grealish retired in 2019.
 
Grealish still lives in the Sunset and he and Linda have two children, Mick and Jackie. Mick also graduated from Cal and worked as a football team manager during Jeff Tedford's tenure as head coach.
 
"I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been admitted to Cal, and then to have an opportunity to play football," Grealish said. "My Cal connections are among the most important in my life, and I stay very much attached to the University. I am incredibly flattered to receive such an honor as the Glenn Seaborg Award."
 
Grealish said he has made more than 40 football road trips over the years and plan to taking many more. In the early 2000s, he worked with the football program to start the Extra Point Club, a group of fans dedicated to supporting the football staff and student-athletes. The club also sponsored dinners at the Colombo Club, where alumni had the chance to meet coaches and learn how they could support Cal football.
 
Grealish and Doug Cole have organized the annual Big Game Luncheon the past several years, with the event attracting more than 150 fans each year to hear from Cal football alumni.
 
Established in 1995, the Seaborg Award has been presented to 25 times previously. Past winners are:
 
1995 – Rod Franz
1996 – John Najarian, M.D.
1997 – John Ralston
1998 – Les Richter
1999 – Vic Bottari
2000 – Pete Schabarum
2001 – Ed Bartlett
2002 – Ray Willsey
2003 – Jack Hart
2004 – Bob Karpe
2005 – Harry Agler
2006 – Chris Markey
2007 – George Stathakis
2008 – Nick Veliotes
2009 – John Garamendi
2010 – Pete Domoto
2011 – Dick Erickson
2012 – Thelton Henderson
2013 – Mike White
2014 – Jim Hanifan
2015 – Paul Larson
2016 – Jack Clark
2017 – Ed White
2018 – Burl Toler Jr.
2019 – Craig Morton
2020 – Not Awarded