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Sturdy the Bear is a statue by Douglas Van Howd outside the northwest corner of California Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus. The UC Berkeley Library's bear guide lists it as installed in 1996 and donated by alumni.
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California Memorial Stadium Sturdy the Bear
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Site-level location · 37.8715° N, 122.2508° W
FIELD GUIDE
The story
Outside the northwest corner of California Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus stands a large grizzly bear statue.
The UC Berkeley Library's bear guide counts 23 places on or near campus where bears appear, and lists this one as sculpted by Douglas Van Howd, installed in 1996 and donated by alumni. A 2023 post on the International House blog calls it colloquially Sturdy the Bear, describes a grizzly with arms outstretched and roaring, and says visitors are frequently seen standing between its arms.
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
An outdoor statue beside California Memorial Stadium on the UC Berkeley campus. A 2023 International House blog describes visitors standing between its outstretched arms, and OLLI at Berkeley used it as a meeting point for a 2026 stadium tour.
ACCESS
Outside the northwest corner of California Memorial Stadium, 2227 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley, next to International House, on the UC Berkeley campus.
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