Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra Says Watching Berkeley’s ‘The Play’ Helped Shape A Leadership Quality He Later

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) CEO Sanjay Mehrotra has credited a legendary college football ending known simply as "The Play" with helping shape the professional tenacity that later defined his leadership at SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ:SNDK) and Micron.

The Play Shaped Mehrotra’s Long Business Mindset

During the 1982 "Big Game" between the UC Berkeley Cal Bears and the Stanford Cardinal, Mehrotra watched from the stands as a young Berkeley student. With four seconds left, Cal pulled off a five-lateral kickoff return through the Stanford marching band to score a game-winning touchdown.

In an interview with Business Insider, Mehrotra said he still remembers the moment vividly. "I was there, and it still gives me goosebumps," he said. "It was extremely exciting, an unbelievable finish."

Mehrotra said the play taught him the value of refusing to stop until the final whistle. He later carried that mindset into the memory-chip industry, where companies often face sharp boom-and-bust cycles.