Jim Michalczik Position: Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Experience: 9th Season at Cal Alma Mater (Year): Washington State (1988)

2011 Game Program Feature

Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Jim Michalczik returns for his second stint and eighth season overall on the Cal coaching staff in 2011. Michalczik spent seven winning seasons coaching the Golden Bears' offensive line from 2002-08 before serving as the offensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders the last two seasons (2009-10). He has a combined 21 campaigns of experience in the collegiate and professional coaching ranks.

"Jim is a fantastic coach with a proven track record of success," head coach Jeff Tedford said. "He understands our program and what it takes to win games at the highest level of football. We had a tremendous amount of success in our offensive line play during Jim's previous tenure at Cal and we plan to resume and surpass that level of success in the future."

The play of Cal's offensive line under Michalczik's direction from 2002-08 was a key factor in the Bears' 59-30 (.663) record during the period. Cal produced bowl bids in each of Michalczik's last six seasons during his first stint at Cal and bowl victories in five of those campaigns, including each of the final four. The 2004 and 2006 squads both tied single-season school records with 10 victories, with the latter sharing the regular-season Pac-10 title.

The Bears put a lot of points on the scoreboard with Michalczik as their offensive line coach, ranking among the nation's top 30 in scoring offense in six of his first seven seasons in Berkeley. Cal averaged at least 30.0 points per game six times during the period, including a 36.8 mark in 2004 that ranked second in the Pac-10 and seventh nationally as well as a single-season school-record 457 total points over a 14-game schedule in 2003.

Cal also chewed up the yardage both in the air and on the ground from 2002-08, averaging at least 350.0 yards per game of total offense in each of Michalczik's first seven seasons, including a school-record 492.4 yards per contest in 2004 as part of a five-year run from 2003-07 when the Bears averaged at least 400.0 yards per game every season.

Cal's rushing attack that produced 1,000-yard rushers in each of Michalczik's first seven seasons keyed much of the offensive production. In 2004, J.J. Arrington set a single-season school record with 2,018 rushing yards and ranked second in the nation in rushing yards per game (168.2 ypg), with Michalczik's offensive line clearing the way. Arrington was also the eighth-leading vote getter in the Heisman Trophy race that year. The Bears were ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing offense in both 2004 (sixth) and 2005 (ninth), while leading the Pac-10 in both 2003 and 2004.

Cal's offensive line also had a great deal of success protecting the quarterback under Michalczik, including a pair of back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007 when the Bears allowed only a combined 24 sacks in 26 games - fewest in the Pac-10 and third-best in the nation during that period. The protection helped Cal quarterbacks produce five of the six highest single-season TD passing totals in school history during his seven-year run. The Bears averaged at least 240.0 yards per game in passing four times in seven of those seasons, including an average of 264.6 yards per game in 2003 that is the fourth-best in school history.

Michalczik was instrumental in the development of two-time first-team All-American and three-time first-team All-Pac-10 center Alex Mack, who was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round (21st pick overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft and has started all 32 games possible in his first two NFL seasons (2009, '10). Mack, who was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2010, was a two-time finalist for the Rimington Trophy awarded to the nation's top center and twice earned the Morris Trophy on the offensive side of the ball in 2007 and 2008. The honor is annually awarded to the Pac-10's top offensive and defensive linemen. In 2008, Mack also won the Draddy Trophy (often referred to as the Academic Heisman). The award has since been renamed the Campbell Trophy.

There were other significant success stories on the offensive line under Michalczik, with a total of eight first-team All-Pac-10 selections occurring during his seven previous seasons at Cal. In addition to Mack's three consecutive selections (2006, '07, '08), Mark Wilson (2003), Ryan O'Callaghan (2004, '05) and Marvin Philip (2004, '05) were also first-team choices, with O'Callaghan a Morris Trophy winner as a senior in 2005 while Philip was a two-time finalist for the Rimington Trophy in 2004 and '05. All told, Cal offensive linemen earned 21 first-team, second-team or honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors under Michalczik, including all five starters in 2004.

Mack, along with current NFL players Brian De La Puente (New Orleans Saints), Mike Gibson (Seattle Seahawks), O'Callaghan (Kansas City Chiefs) and Mike Tepper (Indianapolis Colts) are five of the 10 former Cal offensive linemen that played for Michalczik to move on to the NFL. Aaron Merz (2006-07), Philip (2006-09), Erik Robertson (2007-08), Scott Tercero (2003-04) and Wilson (2004-09) have also spent time in the league.

Michalczik played a key role in the Oakland turnaround in 2010, as the Raiders went undefeated in the AFC West. The Oakland offensive ranked second in the NFL in rushing (155.9 ypg), sixth in scoring (25.6 ppg) and 10th in total offense (354.6 ypg). Tackle Jared Veldheer was chosen to several All-Rookie teams.

Prior to joining Cal in 2002, Michalczik spent three seasons at Oregon State coaching the tight ends, while also serving as special teams coordinator and an assistant coach on the offensive line. The Beavers posted their first winning season in 29 years in his first campaign in Corvallis in 1999. The following season OSU posted a final No. 4 national ranking after going 11-1 and tying for the Pac-10 title.

Michalczik was also the offensive line coach for seven seasons at Montana State from 1992-98 after beginning his coaching career with two campaigns (1990-91) as a defensive line coach at Miami, Fla. The Hurricanes won the 1991 national title after posting an unbeaten 12-0 season. In 1990, Miami was ranked fourth nationally and finished with a 9-2 mark.

After a standout prep career at Port Angeles High School, Michalczik earned three letters as an offensive guard at Washington State. He was an honorable mention All-American selection by Sporting News as a senior in 1988. Michalczik earned a bachelor's degree in Education from Washington State in 1988 and signed as a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals the following year.

The native of Port Angeles, Wash. and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Max and Chase.

LAST UPDATED: August 20, 2011