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Jeff Tedford has established Cal as one of the elite football programs in the Pac-10 and lifted the Golden Bears into the national discussion on a consistent basis during his tenure as the school's head football coach. The Bears have won more games than any Pac-10 school other than USC during his first eight seasons on the job. Cal has finished among the nation's Top 25 in four of the last six seasons and been ranked in the Top 10 at some point during the season in five of the last six years (2004-07, '09).
Cal also has a current school-record run of seven straight bowl appearances and is 5-2 in the postseason under Tedford, making him the first Cal mentor with more than two bowl victories. He is one of only eight current Football Bowl Subdivision coaches to have a current string of at least eight consecutive winning seasons with only sixth accomplishing the feat at the same school.
Tedford is also tied for Cal's modern-era record for victories with a 67-35 (.657) all-time mark at the school. He heads into the 2010 season tied with the legendary Pappy Waldorf (67-32-4, 1947-56) as Cal's modern-era victory leader and also tied for third with Waldorf on the all-time list behind Andy Smith (74-16-7, 1916-25) and James Schaeffer (73-16-8, 1909-15) with the majority of Schaeffer's victories coming when Cal played rugby rather than football. Only two other head football coaches in Cal history have coached 100 games, with Waldorff (103) and Stub Allison (102, 1935-44) the others. Tedford has already set the school record with 23 road wins and is also an impressive 41-27 (.603) against Pac-10 teams, finishing lower than fifth only once.
All of this from a team which won just one game in 2001, the year prior to his arrival. The Cal football renaissance rates as one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football history.
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89% percent of the seniors to play for Tedford have earned their
degrees and/or gone on to NFL careers.
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Not only have Tedford's teams got it done on the field, they've also got it done in the classroom. His players have been recognized as Pac-10 All-Academic honorees 83 times since his arrival. Of the 145 seniors who played for Tedford in his first seven seasons, 129 (89%) have earned their degrees and/or gone on to NFL careers. All of this from a team which won just one game in 2001, the year prior to his arrival. The Cal football renaissance rates as one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football history.
Tedford's success with the Cal program has resulted in local devotion and national attention. Cal drew an average of 59,472 fans in 2009. The Bears played in front of a sellout home crowd of 71,799 vs. USC on Oct. 3, 2009, and have played in front of at least 50,000 fans at Memorial Stadium for 37 games in a row. In 2006, the Bears set school records for average fans per home game (64,318) and overall (450,223) spectators. The following year in 2007, Cal set a season-ticket record of 41,366.
Nationally, the Golden Bears have also had multiple Heisman Trophy candidates under Tedford's tutelage with J.J. Arrington (2004), Marshawn Lynch (2006), DeSean Jackson (2007) and Jahvid Best (2009) among top candidates at some point in the season.
Other national recognition has come the Bears way in recent years. Alex Mack was the winner of the 2008 Draddy Award (often referred to as the Academic Heisman and now known as the Campbell Trophy). In 2006, the Bears had a pair of players collect prestigious national awards. Jackson was the recipient of the inaugural Randy Moss Award for the top return man in the country, while Daymeion Hughes earned the Lott Trophy given to a defensive player to equally recognize his athletic performance and personal character.
Despite his success and notoriety, Tedford remains devoted to being a mentor.
"Football is more than a game," he said. "I think it teaches so many values for young people as they move on into life - teamwork, sacrifice, dedication, hard work - all those things are very valuable to their futures. I'm going to be a person that they can trust and talk to while they're here. But I really hope that when they leave, they understand that they can come back and ask me for anything and count on me in any situation."
His legendary work ethic, exemplified by the well-used air mattress in his office, shows the coach's drive, which is not geared towards individual success. His true goals are success as a team and success for his student-athletes.
"Jeff is the hardest worker I have ever encountered in this business," Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour said. "He is not going to be outworked, because he believes he owes that to his student-athletes."
That relentless drive developed in Tedford as a young football player in Downey, Calif., and at Warren High School in his hometown. After a solid high school career, the undersized quarterback went on to a standout two-year stint at Cerritos College and a record-setting two-year stay at Fresno State. During his days as a Bulldog, he established several school passing records, including career marks for passing yardage (4,872) and touchdown passes (35), while earning honorable mention All-America notice in 1982 when he set Fresno State standards for passing yardage (2,993) and TD passes (24).
After receiving a bachelor's degree in physical education from Fresno State in 1983, Tedford played pro football in the Canadian Football League for six seasons with Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. He completed 54 percent of his passes during his career, appearing in the league's championship game (Grey Cup) with Hamilton in 1984.
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"Jeff is the hardest worker I have ever encountered in this business. He is not going to be outworked, because he believes he owes that to his student-athletes."
Cal Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour
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Tedford has used his own signal-calling experience to build a reputation as a quarterbacks guru. During his 17-year collegiate coaching career at California (2002-present), Oregon (1998-2001) and Fresno State (1992-97), Tedford has been integral in the development of six first-round picks in the NFL Draft, including Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, David Carr, Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers. In 2004, Rodgers, an under the radar junior college transfer like Tedford, ranked No. 8 nationally in passing efficiency, completing 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,566 yards and 24 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. He put up similar numbers the previous season when he completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,903 yards and 19 touchdowns with only five interceptions.
Despite his success with quarterbacks, Tedford's teams feature balanced attacks and have become notorious for their ferocity on the ground. In his last eight years at Cal, Tedford's running backs have posted 1,000-yard rushing seasons an eight times, including a string of seven consecutive seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher from 2002-08. In 2004, Arrington broke Chuck Muncie's single-season school record with 2,018 yards, which ranked No. 1 in the NCAA. In 2007, Justin Forsett's 1,546 rushing yards in 2007 were briefly the second-best in Cal history, but Best's four-game flourish (814 yards) at the end of 2008 gave him 1,580 for the year to move past Forsett. Lynch had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2005 and 2006, while Adimchinobe Echemandu (1,195 yards in 2003) and Joe Igber (1,075 yards in 2002) have also reached the magic mark under Tedford.
While offense has been Tedford's forte, California's defense has toughened considerably during his reign as well, allowing an average of just 22.5 points per game during his eight-year tenure, second-best in the Pac-10 over that period. In 2004, Cal ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 16.0 points per game, while in 2005, the Golden Bears led the Pac-10 in scoring defense, allowing just 21.2 points per game. In 2008, Cal led the Pac-10 in the two key categories of red zone defense (68.2%) and takeaways (34). In 2009, the Bears were second in rush defense (112.0 ypg).
Tedford's combination of precision passing and relentless rushing, as well as his pairing of potent offense and relentless defense, has led to eight straight seasons with seven or more wins, something only nine current FBS coaches have done with Tedford one of only seven having accomplished the feat at the same school. The Golden Bears posted a school-record-tying 10 wins for the sixth and seventh times in school history in 2004 and 2006.
Prior to his arrival in Berkeley, Tedford was a highly-regarded offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon, serving in that role for four seasons including 2001 when the Ducks earned a No. 2 final national ranking.
Tedford played an integral role in the rise of the Oregon program during his tenure in Eugene - a period in which the Ducks posted the Pac-10's best record (38-10) while finishing progressively better each year (8-4 in '98, 9-3 in '99, 10-2 in '00 and 11-1 in '01). During his first season as offensive coordinator in 1998, the Ducks set school records in passing yards, total offense and points scored. Tedford's passing acumen was clearly evident in the rapid development of Smith, who earned Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year accolades in finishing second in the nation in passing efficiency and later being chosen third overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by Cincinnati.
Duck quarterbacks A.J. Feeley and Harrington combined to pass for 3,131 yards and 24 TDs on the Sun Bowl champion team that ranked 13th nationally in scoring in 1999, while the 2000 club tied for the Pac-10 crown and defeated Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Tedford's last Oregon squad finished No. 2 in the nation and showcased one of the nation's premier quarterbacks in Harrington, who won Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished fourth in Heisman balloting.
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Along with the expectations, which we embrace, it's really important to always stay hungry. I don't think we've attained our full potential yet. It's something we always strive to do. We never want to be satisfied with where we've been. We always want to look forward to where we're going.
Cal head football coach Jeff Tedford
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In 1992 as the quarterbacks coach at Fresno State, Tedford began honing the skills of Dilfer, who quarterbacked Baltimore to a victory in Super Bowl XXXV. Under Tedford's guidance, the Bulldogs' quarterback earned first-team All-WAC honors for an offense that led the nation in scoring (44.2 points per game), ranked second nationally in total offense (541.9 yards per game) and beat USC in the Freedom Bowl. A season later, Tedford became the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator, and Fresno State ranked third nationally in scoring and total offense while earning an Aloha Bowl invitation. Dilfer ranked first nationally in passing efficiency (173.1 rating) and won the WAC Offensive Player of the Year award. He was later chosen by Tampa Bay with the sixth overall selection of the 1994 NFL Draft.
"I believe Jeff's one of the finest minds in all of football," said Dilfer, who currently serves as a football analyst for ESPN after a 14-year playing career in the NFL. "He's certainly the finest coach I've ever been around. He's a great leader and great teacher. He has very high expectations for himself and the people around him. And he will work tirelessly to meet those expectations. Jeff taught me more about toughness and the game of football than any coach I've ever played for, and I've had some awfully good coaches."
Tedford's coaching career began as a volunteer assistant at Fresno State in 1987, spending two years there before joining Calgary in the CFL in 1989 for three seasons, including the 1991 team that advanced to the Grey Cup title game.
Despite his success as a coach and mentor, Tedford still follows a basic philosophy.
"We try to focus on one game at a time and try to reach our full potential," he said emphatically.
And he still values each and every member of his football team.
"Whether it be the guys who are suited up, the guys who are going to play 50-60 plays or the guys who aren't going to play at all, I want them all to understand that they are very important to the success of the program. Their contributions are invaluable."
Tedford's hard work and dedication not only inspire his players, it has also made him a role model to the young men in the Cal program.
"Coach Tedford wasn't just a coach, I think of him as more like a father figure," said All-Pac-10 linebacker and current Green Bay Packer Desmond Bishop. "He taught us lessons about life. He taught us to have integrity, to have character. He prepared us to be men."
The Tedford File
Birthdate Nov. 2, 1961
Hometown Downey, Calif.
High School Warren HS
College Fresno State '83
Bachelor's in Physical Education
Junior College Cerritos College
Family wife, Donna; sons, Taylor and Quinn
Coaching At Cal
• Has posted a 67-35 (.657) record in eight seasons as head coach.
• Has led the Golden Bears to eight straight winning seasons and seven consecutive bowl games.
• Is 5-2 in bowl games and the only Cal coach with more than two bowl victories.
• Is 7-1 in the Big Game after inheriting a seven-game losing streak in the series.
• Has 13 wins over ranked teams in his first eight seasons, compared to three in the eight campaigns prior to his arrival.
• Cal has been among the nation's AP Top 25 in each of the last six seasons and reached the Top 10 in five of the last six campaigns.
• 89 percent of Tedford's seniors (129 of 145 student-athletes) have earned their degrees and/or gone on to NFL careers.
Playing Experience
• Honorable mention All-American at Fresno State, where he left the school as the all-time record holder in passing yards (4,872) and touchdown passes (35).
• Set single-season school marks in 1982 for passing yards (2,993) and TD passes (24).
• Accumulated a 54 percent completion rate in six seasons as a Canadian Football League quarterback.
Bowls (13)
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 2001 Fiesta Oregon 2000 Holiday Oregon 1999 Sun Oregon 1998 Aloha Oregon 1993 Aloha Fresno State 1992 Freedom Fresno State
Coaching Honors
Year Honor 2006 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Finalist 2004 Pac-10 Coach of the Year 2002 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
Coaching Chronology
School Year Position Record Highlights
California 2009 Head Coach 8-5 Poinsettia Bowl participant
California 2008 Head Coach 9-4 Emerald Bowl champions
California 2007 Head Coach 7-6 Armed Forces Bowl champions
California 2006 Head Coach 10-3 Pac-10 co-champions
Holiday Bowl champions
California 2005 Head Coach 8-4 Las Vegas Bowl champions
California 2004 Head Coach 10-2 Holiday Bowl participant
Pac-10 Coach of the Year
Ranked No. 9 nationally
California 2003 Head Coach 8-6 Insight Bowl champions
California 2002 Head Coach 7-5 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
Oregon 2001 Off. Coord. 11-1 Pac-10 champions
Ranked No. 2 nationally
Fiesta Bowl champions
Oregon 2000 Off. Coord. 10-2 Pac-10 co-champions
Ranked No. 7 nationally
Holiday Bowl champions
Oregon 1999 Off. Coord. 9-3 Sun Bowl champions
Oregon 1998 Off. Coord. 8-4 Aloha Bowl participant
Fresno State 1997 Off. Coord. 6-6
Fresno State 1996 Off. Coord. 4-7
Fresno State 1995 Off. Coord. 5-7
Fresno State 1994 Off. Coord. 5-7-1
Fresno State 1993 Off. Coord. 8-4 WAC tri-champions
No. 3 scoring offense nationally
Aloha Bowl participant
Fresno State 1992 Quarterbacks 9-4 WAC tri-champions
No. 1 scoring offense nationally
Freedom Bowl champions
Calgary (CFL) 1991 Off. Asst. 11-7 Grey Cup runner-up
Calgary (CFL) 1990 Off. Asst. 11-6-1 Western Division champions
Calgary (CFL) 1989 Off. Asst. 10-8
Cal Accomplishments Under Jeff Tedford
2002
• Named Pac-10 Coach of the Year as voted by conference coaches, becoming the third Cal coach to receive the honor since the award's inception in 1975.
• Enjoyed a six-win increase from the previous season, tying for the biggest one-year turnaround in the nation and the second largest about-face in school history (the 1947 club went 9-1 after a 2-7 season in 1946).
• Beat three nationally ranked teams (Michigan State, Washington and Arizona State) in the same season for the first time in 52 years.
• Scored three road victories over nationally ranked opponents in the same season for the first time in school history.
• Halted a 12-year victory drought in Sun Devil Stadium, mowing down Arizona State, 55-38.
• Set a modern day school record by scoring 427 points in 2002 (broken in 2003) with a 35.6-point scoring average that tied for 10th best in the nation.
• Defeated Washington to snap a 19-game losing streak to the Huskies.
• Capped the season by registering Cal's first Big Game win over Stanford in eight years, a 30-7 throttling of the Cardinal.
2003
• First back-to-back winning seasons at Cal in 12 years.
• Set school marks for total offense (6,061) and first downs (321), as well as a modern day record for scoring (457).
• Led the Pac-10 in rushing for the first time in 45 years with 2,356 yards and a 168.3 per game average.
• Posted first bowl win at Cal in 10 years (52-49) vs. Virginia Tech in the Insight Bowl.
• Set school bowl records for most points (52), total yards (530), passing yards (394), completion percentage (77.1, later broken), TDs (7) and rushing TDs (5, later tied).
• Beat a team ranked as high as No. 3 nationally for the first time in 52 years with a 34-31 victory in three overtimes over No. 3 USC.
• Defeated Washington in Berkeley for the first time in 28 years, with a 54-7 win the widest margin of victory by a Cal team in a conference game in 81 years, setting a single-game record for total offense with 729 yards in the contest.
2004
• Named Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second time, something no other Cal football head coach has ever done.
• Reached Cal's highest national ranking (No. 4) in 52 years.
• Posted school's best regular-season record (10-1) since 1950's club was 9-0-1 in the regular season.
• First perfect home record (5-0) in 55 years.
• Most road wins (5) in school history.
• Earned first back-to-back bowl trips since 1990 and '91.
• Set school record for total offense (492.4 ypg), ranking No. 1 in the Pac-10.
• Broke school mark for yards per offensive play (7.0), almost one yard better than old standard of 6.1 in 2003.
• Led Pac-10 in rushing (256.8 ypg) for second straight year, which were the first two times since 1958.
• Allowed fewest points by Cal defense since 1968, ranking eighth nationally at 16.0 ppg.
• Recorded first back-to-back defensive shutouts in 36 years (38-0 at Arizona, 27-0 vs. Arizona State).
2005
• Finished No. 25 in the AP and the coaches' poll, marking the first time Cal had appeared in final polls in consecutive seasons since five in a row from 1947-51.
• Finished the season ninth nationally with 235.3 rushing yards per game to mark the Bears' second straight season as a top 10 rushing team (sixth in 2004).
• Won fourth straight Big Game for the first time since the 1936-39.
• Won again at Stanford, marking Cal's first two-game win streak at Stanford since winning six straight on The Farm from 1937-51.
2006
• Guided Cal to 10 wins, just the seventh time in school history the Bears have posted 10 victories.
• Cal recorded its fourth straight season with at least eight victories.
• Named a finalist for Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, which honors the coach who best exemplifies responsibility and excellence on and off the field of play.
• Led Cal to its fifth straight Big Game win for the first time since the club won five in a row from 1919-23.
• Led Bears to a perfect home record.
• Beat Washington for the fifth straight time after dropping 19 straight in the series.
2007
• Led the Bears to a top 10 in-season ranking for the fourth straight campaign.
• Six players were selected in the 2008 NFL Draft - a school-record for the seven-round draft.
• Tailback Justin Forsett rushed for 1,546 yards - the third-most in school history.
• Opened the year with a thrilling 45-31 victory over No. 15 Tennessee on national television.
• Also defeated No. 11 Oregon on the road with the ESPN Gameday crew in attendance.
• Directed the Bears to a No. 2 ranking in the nation - their highest ranking since 1951.
• All 13 of Cal's games were televised - the first time in program history that every game was broadcast.
2008
• Set a record with its fourth consecutive bowl victory.
• Increased its school record run of bowl appearances to six.
• Posted a winning record for the seventh straight year, marking the first time the Golden Bears have had seven straight winning seasons since Cal had eight in a row from 1918-25.
• Increased Cal's victory total during his tenure to 59 - the best ever by a Golden Bears team in a seven-year stretch.
• Posted a 7-0 home record to mark the third time in the last five seasons Cal has been unbeaten at home.
• Cal finished No. 25 in coaches' poll to mark fourth top 25 finish in last five years.
• Tailback Jahvid Best rushed for 1,580 yards - the second most in school history and extending the school record of consecutive years with a 1,000-yard rusher to seven.
• Defense ranked sixth nationally in pass efficiency.
• Team recorded most interceptions (24) since 1948.
• Produced Draddy Trophy winner Alex Mack.
2009
• Recorded eighth consecutive winning season to equal a school record (1918-25), while also extending his school-record string of bowl appearances to seven.
• Equaled Cal's modern-era record for victories with his most recent win in the Big Game at Stanford on Nov. 21 in his 100th game as head coach.
• Became one of only three Cal football coaches to reach the 100-game mark and now has coached in 102 games at Cal, only one behind all-time leader Pappy Waldorf's 103 contests on the sidelines.
"This is a dream come true ... I am here to provide leadership, to create an environment for these athletes, both athletically and academically, that they can flourish in ... our team will be disciplined, our team will play hard, our team will play fast, they will have a lot of fun, but they will do it with class ... it will be something that you can always be proud of as Cal boosters, alumni and supporters. I have a goal and a vision that the University of California, through hard work and dedication, can get to where we are competing for the Pac-10 championship and at a national level. I am going to put together a staff that is going to care for the young men both on and off the field, that are great teachers, interested in their academics, interested in these kids in how they grow up, and that we can make an impression on their character that will last further than just the University of California ... again, I want to let you all know just how excited I am to be here, and how much of a great opportunity I believe that this is, that we can get this turned around and headed in the right direction."
- Jeff Tedford opening statement introductory press conference (December 12, 2001)
Last Updated: January 22, 2010
