Brian Thure

Brian Thure was a 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman from Salinas High who was selected by the Washington Redskins in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft. He was recruited out of high school by such colleges as Oregon, UCLA, the Naval Academy and Stanford before accepting a scholarship to the University of California-Berkeley. He was a 3-year starting offensive lineman – a strongside tackle his sophomore and junior years and a weakside tackle as a senior. His freshman year Cal went 10-2 and won the Citrus Bowl. His junior year Cal went 9-4 and won the Alamo Bowl. He received one of Cal’s most distinguished individual awards following his senior year by being named winner of the Jake Gimbel Award that recognizes the graduating senior for successful integration of academics and athletics pursuits. It’s recognized as the award that “exemplifies the true Golden Bear spirit.’’ A neck injury prematurely limited his NFL career to four games after two seasons.