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CALIFORNIA BEARS
Strong Foundation — Mike Mohamed

By Kyle McRae

Fifth-year senior linebacker and preseason All-American Mike Mohamed spent the majority of last summer in Berkeley, taking classes and busily preparing for the 2010 football season.

But in late July, just before his final Cal football training camp began, he joined his family at a rented house in the Mission Beach area of San Diego. Although he could stay only for a weekend, he wasn't going to miss a family tradition that's been going on for more than a decade… even if it did include a trip to the local salon for a pedicure.

That's what can happen when you grow up in a family with six women.

"My dad started getting pedicures with my mom and I was like, Hey, I'll do it, sounds good," said Mohamed, whose family includes five younger sisters. "It's kind of like a foot massage. As long as you don't put anything on your nails, there's nothing wrong with a guy doing it."

Getting pedicures is certainly not the only thing that Mike and his father, affectionately known as Big Mike, have done together.

"My dad and I formed a strong bond being the only guys in the house," said Mohamed. "We did everything together — sports, video games, watching football, all those kinds of things — because it was just me and him. We had to bond being surrounded by so many different girls.

"Since I've been in college, he's kind of been left to face all of them on his own," he added with a smile.

Big Mike doesn't seem to mind too much.

"I grew up with a bunch of boys," said the elder Mohamed, who owns a farming business with his two brothers. "I've had to change the way I think. When you grow up in a house with a bunch of men, it's a lot different from growing up in a house full of women. You can't treat women like you treat men and Mikey is very aware of that. He's very respectful of other people, and I think his mother and sisters played a big part in that."

The eight members of the Mohamed household have always enjoyed each other's company and look forward to their annual beach get-togethers.

"It's awesome, just hanging out at the beach," said Mohamed. "With four of us now in college, there are not too many times we all get to be together."

"We really enjoying being together," added his mother, Molly. "We say we're just 'beaching it.' "

Big Mike and Molly raised Mike, 22, and his five sisters, Annie, 21; Calie, 19; Emily 18; and twins Gabi and Dani, 13, in the small California desert town of Brawley, located in the heart of the Imperial Valley about 125 miles east of San Diego and 30 miles north of Mexicali, Mexico. Although members are starting to spread out across the country, they remain a tight-knit family.

"We have a strong family that supports and loves each other," said Molly. "There's not a day that goes by that I'm sure Mikey doesn't stay in touch with someone from the family, even if it's just a quick text message. We have a really strong bond and a strong family foundation that is important to all of us."

That has been important as he has adjusted to life in Berkeley, where the culture is much different from the one he knew back home.

"It was definitely culture shock," Mohamed recalled about his arrival at Cal. "There were a whole lot of different people and a whole lot of different ideas that I'd never seen or been exposed to. I remember my first time walking down Telegraph Avenue, thinking, What the heck is going on? But now all the craziness is just second nature to me. I've met a lot of different people and it's made me a better person."

Being a good person is something Mohamed learned from his parents and much of what he is all about.

"My parents are the foundation and rock of our family," he said. "They kept everybody together and raised us to be good people."

There is no doubt he's been good — not just off the field, in class and in the community, but also on the gridiron. Mohamed is on target to receive his bachelor's degree in business administration in December with a GPA just shy of 3.5. Twice he has earned first-team Pac-10 All-Academic recognition and last year added District 8 All-Academic honors from CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine for the first time.

Mohamed has also been one of the team's most active players in the community with his outreach, including the Sage Mentorship Project, which matches Cal students with local youths to serve as one-on-one mentors.

"I just help out whenever I get a chance," he said.

Mohamed's accomplishments on the field flew largely under the radar during his first three collegiate seasons. But after the numbers he racked up as a junior in 2009, when he led the Pac-10 with 112 stops and earned first-team all-conference honors, he couldn't help but be noticed.

In fact, Mohamed was the team's most recognized player prior to the 2010 season, picking up multiple honors, highlighted by preseason All-America status. He is also on national watch lists for the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player), Rotary Lombardi Award (best lineman or linebacker), the Lott IMPACT Trophy (Defensive IMPACT player of the year) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player). In addition, he is Lowe's Senior CLASS Award candidate.

True to his nature, Mohamed is more concerned about the team.

"I'm aware of all the individual preseason honors, but at the same time I'm not really too worried about it," Mohamed said. "If I end up playing well enough to make some of these things come true, that's great, but my main goal is to win the Pac-10 with my team. That's all I really need."

Well before he gained recruiting notice from the Golden Bear coaching staff, Mohamed understood all the opportunities Cal offered.

"I always had Cal in the back of mind as a school to go to, even without the football part of it," he said. "When the opportunity to come to school and play football here came up, I definitely jumped on it. This is a great academic institution and getting a degree from Cal is something you can proudly put on your résumé. A Berkeley education opens up a lot of doors."

Reprinted with permission from the 2010 Fall Cal Sports Quarterly.