Ron Gould Position: Associate Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator Experience: 15th Season at Cal Alma Mater: Oregon ('88)

Associate head coach Ron Gould enters his 15th season at Cal in 2011 and his first as the team's run game coordinator after being promoted to the position on February 5, 2011.

"Ron Gould has done a terrific job developing running backs at Cal for a long time," head coach Jeff Tedford said. "He is certainly deserving of this promotion and we are fortunate to have a coach with his qualifications, experience and expertise leading our running game."

Gould has coached some of the nation's top performing running backs year-in and year-out for the Bears over his first 14 seasons working with the team's running backs. Cal has produced a 1,000-yard rusher eight times in the last nine seasons, most recently when Shane Vereen surpassed the mark with a career-high 1,167 yards in 2010.

In 2010, Gould was a candidate for the American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

Cal has been known for a two-tailback system during Gould's tenure, with the Bears' top two rushers combining for at least 1,500 yards each of the last eight campaigns. There are many household NFL names that are former Cal running backs. Eight of his backs in the last seven seasons and 10 overall have gone on to the NFL, most recently with the second-round selection of Vereen by the New England Patriots in the 2011 NFL Draft. Jahvid Best was a first-round choice (30th overall) by the Detroit Lions in 2010. Others throughout his Cal career that have moved on to the NFL include J.J. Arrington, Adimchinobe Echemandu, Justin Forsett, Marshawn Lynch, Chris Manderino, Tarik Smith, Byron Storer and Will Ta'ufo'ou.

Before Vereen reached the 1,000-yard mark in 2010, Best was the most recent Cal running back to surpass the mark when he galloped for 1,580 yards in 2008 to lead the Pac-10 in rushing and rank second on the school's all-time single-season rushing list. Best is one of three Cal tailbacks to have led the Pac-10 in rushing under Gould, with Lynch (2006) and Arrington (2004) the others.

Arrington had the biggest season ever by a Cal running back in 2004 when he rushed for a single-season school-record 2,018 yards during a consensus All-American campaign and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting. Arrington rushed for over 100 yards in each of his 12 games that season.

Cal has had a 1,000-yard rusher in the backfield in eight of the last nine seasons in Joe Igber (2002), Echemandu (2003), Arrington (2004), Lynch (2005, `06), Forsett (2007), Best (2008) and Vereen (2010).

Three of those backs - Lynch (2006), Forsett (2007) and Best (2008) - were first-team All-Pac-10 choices. Lynch was also the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Best was a second-team All-Pac-10 selection in 2009, while Vereen was a second-team choice in 2010 after earning honorable mention honors in 2009.

Six of the players listed among Cal's all-time top 10 in rushing have played for Gould, while eight of the school's top 10 rushing seasons have been posted under his guidance.

Cal ranked sixth in the country in rushing offense in 2004 and then ninth in 2005. The Bears led the Pac-10 in both 2003 and `04, while also pacing the conference with 28 rushing touchdowns in 2003.

"Coach Gould has done a great job of producing big-time backs, not just with their talent but with their knowledge and fundamentals of the game," Tedford said. "He always does a really nice job of developing the whole player, not just a runner but a pass protector and a receiver."

Prior to his arrival at Cal in 1997, Gould was the defensive backs coach at Boise State for four seasons (1993-96), with the 1994 Broncos finishing as the NCAA Division I-AA runner-up and ranking among the nation's top five in pass efficiency defense and scoring defense.

During a one-year stint in the same role at Portland State (1992) he helped the Vikings to the 1992 NCAA Division II semifinals.

Gould started his coaching career with two seasons as a graduate assistant at Oregon (1990-91).

He has also served NFL internships with the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams.

Gould was a standout defensive back at Scottsdale Community College (1984-85) before earning a scholarship from Wichita State. He later went on to become a starter for Oregon in 1987 after WSU dropped its program and signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 1988.

Prominent Pupils

• J.J. Arrington (California) - Led nation with a school-record 2,018 yards and was eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2004; second round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2005 NFL Draft that spent the last four seasons in the NFL with the club.
• Jahvid Best (California) - A two-time first-team All-Pac-10 player who finished his three-year Cal career among the school's all-time leaders in rushing TDs (29, 3rd), total TDs (35, 4th) and rushing yardage (2,668, 7th).
• Adimchinobe Echemandu (California) - First team All-Pac-10 running back in 2003 who played five seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns (2004), Minnesota Vikings (2005), Oakland Raiders (2006-07) and Houston Texans (2008).
• Rashid Gayle (Boise State) - All-American defensive back; went on to play in the NFL and Canadian Football League.
• Justin Forsett (California) - First team All-Pac-10 choice in 2007 who spent the 2008 NFL season with both the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts.
• Joe Igber (California) - Set Big Game record with 226 rushing yards in 2002; No. 4 all-time rusher at Cal with 3,124 yards; played in the Hula Bowl.
• Marshawn Lynch (California) - 2006 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year; MVP of back-to-back bowl wins; No. 2 all-time rusher at Cal; selected No. 12 overall by the Buffalo Bills in 2007 NFL Draft.
• Chris Manderino (California) - Four-year starter at fullback who was in the NFL for three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals (2006-07) and Kansas City Chiefs (2008).
• Tarik Smith (California) - Four-year letterman who spent two NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Gould File

Birthdate       Sept. 15, 1965
Hometown        Tucson, Ariz.
High School     Santa Rita HS
College         Oregon '88
                Bachelor's in Criminology
Family          wife, Teresa
                sons, Tevin and Trae

Coaching History

Years           School
                Coaching Position
1997-Present    California
                Run Game Coordinator/Associate Head Coach
1993-96         Boise State
                Defensive Backs
1992            Portland State
                Defensive Backs
1990-91         Oregon
                Graduate Assistant

Bowl Games (8)

Year            Bowl             School
2009            Poinsettia       California
2008            Emerald          California
2007            Armed Forces     California
2006            Holiday          California
2005            Las Vegas        California
2004            Holiday          California
2003            Insight          California
1990            Freedom          Oregon
*season in which bowl was played

LAST UPDATED: August 20, 2011