Jeff Tedford

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Jeff Tedford

Tedford in May 2009
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Sport(s) Football
Biographical details
Born (1961-11-02) November 2, 1961 (age 51)
Lynwood, California
Alma mater Fresno State
Playing career
1979–1980
1981–1982
1983–1985
1986
1987
1988 Cerritos CC
Fresno State
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Calgary Stampeders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1989–1991
1992
1993–1997
1998–2001
2002–2012 Calgary Stampeders (OA)
Fresno State (QB)
Fresno State (OC/QB)
Oregon (OC/QB)
California
Head coaching record
Overall 82–57
Bowls 5–3
Statistics
College Football Data Warehouse
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Pac-10 (2006)
Awards
2× Pac-10 Coach of the Year (2002, 2004)
Jeff Tedford (born November 2, 1961) is an American football coach and the former head coach of the California Golden Bears football team, a position he held from 2002 to 2012. As a first-time head coach, Tedford won wide acclaim for revitalizing the Cal football program. Tedford currently has the most career victories of any Cal head coach, which was accomplished during the 2011 season. He was the highest paid state employee of California as of 2011.[1] On November 20, 2012, Cal fired Tedford as its head coach,[2] following a decline in the team's success over the preceding seasons.

Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 College
3 Coaching career
3.1 Early coaching career
3.2 Cal
3.3 Tedford's quarterbacks
3.4 Tedford's running backs
4 Personal
5 Head coaching record
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Early lifeTedford was born in Lynwood, California the youngest of five children to Joe and Betty Tedford. Tedford's parents divorced before he turned 10. His brother Dennis, 10 years his senior, helped raise Tedford, taking him on camping trips and driving him to football practice and games.[3] Tedford attended Warren High School in Downey, California, where he was a letterman in football, playing quarterback and earning an All-League selection. Tedford graduated from Warren High School in 1979.

[edit] CollegeAfter high school, Tedford enrolled at Cerritos College, becoming the first member of his family to attend college.[3] He spent two years playing quarterback at Cerritos followed by two years at Fresno State, where he established several passing records, including career marks for passing yardage (4,872) and touchdown passes (35). As a senior, Tedford led the Bulldogs to a Pacific Coast Athletic Association conference championship and a last-second, 29–28 come-from-behind victory in the 1982 California Bowl.[4]

After graduating with a Bachelors of Science degree in physical education in 1983, Tedford played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for six seasons with Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg.

[edit] Coaching career[edit] Early coaching careerAfter retiring as a player, Tedford became a volunteer assistant coach at Fresno State (1987–1988) under his former coach Jim Sweeney. He then coached as an offensive assistant for the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL (1989–1991); returned to Fresno State as quarterback coach (1992); was promoted to offensive coordinator at Fresno State (1993–1997); and worked as offensive coordinator at the University of Oregon (1998–2001). During his time at Oregon, the Ducks notched a Pac-10-best record of 38–10 while finishing progressively better each year (8–4 in 1998, 9–3 in 1999, 10–2 in 2000 and 11–1 in 2001).[5]

[edit] CalAfter previous Cal coach Tom Holmoe resigned from his post amid a 1–10 season in 2001, worst in Cal's history, then athletic director Steve Gladstone hired Tedford to become Cal's 32nd head football coach. Tedford inherited a program that had not had a winning season since 1993 and had only won 29 games on the field since then, including only 18 wins in Pac-10 play.

During his time at Cal, Tedford has become known for his work ethic, often working late hours in his office and sleeping on an air mattress.[6] In evidence of his turnaround of the Cal program, season ticket sales jumped from 16,200 in 2002 to 41,336 in 2007, setting new records each year from 2004 through 2007.[7]

In Tedford's first season (2002), he led the Golden Bears to a 7–5 record, their first winning football season since 1993, the nation's biggest turnaround of the year, and was named Pac-10 coach of the year. The Bears ended a 19-game losing streak to Washington and a seven-game losing streak to arch rival Stanford in the Big Game. Despite their resurgence, the Bears didn't go to a bowl due to NCAA sanctions for academic fraud that were handed down shortly before Tedford took over.[8] After the season, Tedford signed a five-year contract through 2007 to replace his original four-year contract, which ran through 2005.[9]

In the 2003 season, Tedford's record of 8–6 included the upset of eventual national co-champion University of Southern California in triple overtime, as well as a 52–49 shootout victory against Virginia Tech in the 2003 Insight Bowl. The Bears won 5 of their last 6 games.


Tedford accepts the 2006 Holiday Bowl trophyIn the 2004 football season, the Bears finished with a No. 9 national ranking in both the AP Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll with a 10–2 record, losing to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Tedford was named Pac-10 coach of the year for a second time. The team was undefeated at home, notched the fifth 10-win season in school history (and first since 1949). Since Pac-10 champion USC had earned a berth in the BCS national title game, it initially looked like the Bears, as runners-up, had the inside track to the Pac-10's berth in the Rose Bowl—which would have been their first appearance in that game since 1960. However, after heavy lobbying by Texas coach Mack Brown, Texas received enough votes to edge past Cal in the final BCS standings, giving them a berth in the Rose Bowl—an event that still rankles many Bears fans and players to this day.

Following the regular season, Tedford signed an extension of his contract through 2009, which nearly doubled his base salary to $1.5 million per year; in the deal he also had the pay of his assistant coaches raised significantly.[10]


Tedford (center) at the 2008 Big GameIn 2005, the Bears finished with a No. 25 national ranking in both the AP Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll with an 8–4 record. Cal rose as high as No. 10 in the AP Poll and No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll in week 6 before losing to UCLA 47–40. They beat BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl, 35–28.

In 2006, the Bears recorded an eight-game win-streak, including five straight games scoring 40 or more points, rising as high as No. 8 in the AP poll, and remaining undefeated at home. The Bears finished the season with a 45–10 Holiday Bowl victory over Texas A&M, a No. 14 ranking, and an overall 10–3 record. The Bears were also co-champions of the Pac-10 for the first time since 1975. Following the season, Tedford signed a contract extension through 2013, which raised his base salary to $1.8 million per year and included significant performance and retention bonuses.[11]

The 2007 campaign saw the Bears jump out to a 5–0 start and a No. 2 national ranking, Cal's highest since 1951.[12] However, this was followed by losses in six of the seven final regular season games, including Tedford's first losses as head coach to Washington and Stanford to end the regular season. During the losing streak, Tedford's play-calling was the subject of criticism.[13][14] Nevertheless, Cal was invited to a fifth straight bowl game for the first time in program history. Cal defeated Air Force 42–36 in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl, giving Tedford and Cal a sixth-straight winning season.

Tedford declared there would be open competition for all positions on the team in 2008.[15] In early January, Tedford reorganized his coaching staff, most notably hiring Frank Cignetti as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Tedford said he would give some of the play calling responsibility to Cignetti so he could spend more time with special teams and defensive players.[16] He named Kevin Riley his starter for the opening game of the 2008 season, but inconsistent play and injury to Riley led him to vacillate between Riley and senior Nate Longshore as the starter for parts of the season. However, with a much improved defense in place, Tedford led the Bears to a 9–4 overall record and a perfect 7–0 record at home. Cal accepted an invitation to play in the 2008 Emerald Bowl, the program's sixth-straight bowl appearance, where they defeated Miami, 24–17. After the season, Tedford agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2015.[17]

In 2009, the Bears went 8–5 and earned an invitation to the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl, which they lost to Utah, snapping a four game bowl winning streak that dated back to 2004. The team also did not produce a 1,000 yard rusher for the first time since 2002.

The 2010 season saw Tedford surpass the legendary Pappy Waldorf to become the Cal head coach with the most career victories with a victory over UC Davis in the first game of the 2010 season. Despite early successes however, the team had an inconsistent season. The Bears had only one road victory, lost the Stanford Axe to archrival Stanford in a 48–14 blowout, and ended the season with a three-game losing streak to finish 5–7, Tedford's first losing season and the team's first losing season since 2001.[18] Cal was ranked only once during the season with a No. 24 spot in the Coaches' Poll. One bright spot for the season was running back Shane Vereen going over the 1,000 rushing yard mark, as he finished with 1,167 yards.

Tedford became Cal's all-time leader in victories with the third win of the 2011 season to surpass Andy Smith with 75 wins. The 2011 team improved to a 7-5 season record. However, 2012 was again a losing season, with the team finishing with a 3-9 record.[19] A few days after the final game of the season, a 62-14 loss to Oregon State, Tedford was dismissed as head coach.

[edit] Tedford's quarterbacksTedford is known as a groomer of quarterbacks. Two of his pupils have achieved the highest success in the NFL: Super Bowl champions Trent Dilfer and Aaron Rodgers. Dilfer won Super Bowl XXXV with the Baltimore Ravens. Rodgers passed for over 4,000 yards in his first two full-time seasons after waiting on the bench behind Brett Favre for three seasons and led the Green Bay Packers to a championship in Super Bowl XLV. Rodgers was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2009.

There were several disappointments, including Dilfer (who, despite winning a Super Bowl with the defensively-oriented Ravens was never regarded as an elite NFL quarterback, finishing his career with more interceptions than touchdowns), Joey Harrington, Akili Smith, David Carr, and Kyle Boller, none of whom ever lived up to their first round pedigree and all of whom eventually moved on from the teams which originally drafted them.

Tedford coached each of the following first round NFL draft picks at the quarterback position:

Fresno State
Trent Dilfer 6th overall 1994, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
David Carr 1st overall 2002, Houston Texans
Oregon
Akili Smith 3rd overall 1999, Cincinnati Bengals
Joey Harrington 3rd overall 2002, Detroit Lions
California
Kyle Boller 19th overall 2003, Baltimore Ravens
Aaron Rodgers 24th overall 2005, Green Bay Packers
Tedford also coached Billy Volek, a backup quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, and A.J. Feeley, a backup quarterback for the St. Louis Rams.

[edit] Tedford's running backs
Ron Gould, the sole assistant coach to stay from previous head coach Tom Holmoe, in October 2008Though known primarily for his quarterbacks, Tedford, along with running backs coach Ron Gould, produced eight 1000-yard rushers during his tenure at Cal.[20][21]

2002: Joe Igber (1,130 yards)
2003: Adimchinobi Echemandu (1,195 yards)
2004: J. J. Arrington (2,018 yards)
2005: Marshawn Lynch (1,246 yards)
2006: Marshawn Lynch (1,356 yards)
2007: Justin Forsett (1,546 yards)
2008: Jahvid Best (1,580 yards)
2010: Shane Vereen (1,167 yards)
2011: Isi Sofele (1,322 yards)
[edit] PersonalTedford lives with his wife Donna in Danville, California. They have two sons, Taylor and Quinn.[22] [23]

[edit] Head coaching recordBefore his arrival, Cal had not possessed the Stanford Axe in seven years but he won it back for the Golden Bears in his first attempt. After the 2010 season, he holds a 7–2 record in the Big Game. He is second winningest California Coach in the Big Game, behind Pappy Waldorf's 7–1–2 record.

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
California Golden Bears (Pacific-10/Pacific-12 Conference) (2002–present)
2002 California 7–5 4–4 T–4th
2003 California 8–6 5–3 T–3rd W Insight
2004 California 10–2 7–1 2nd L Holiday 9 9
2005 California 8–4 4–4 T–4th W Las Vegas 25 25
2006 California 10–3 7–2 T–1st W Holiday 14 14
2007 California 7–6 3–6 T–7th W Armed Forces
2008 California 9–4 6–3 4th W Emerald 25
2009 California 8–5 5–4 T–5th L Poinsettia
2010 California 5–7 3–6 8th
2011 California 7–6 4–5 4th (North) L Holiday
2012 California 3–9 2–7 (North)
California: 82–57 50–45
Total: 82–57
National championship Conference title Conference division title
#Rankings from final Coaches' Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll.
[edit] References^ Search for State Worker Salaries. The Sacramento Bee.
^ http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112012aaa.html
^ a b Newhouse, Dave (2004-08-29). "Tedford, as a kid, hung on to rope's end". Oakland Tribune. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_/ai_n14581027. Retrieved 2009-01-09.[dead link]
^ "California Bowl II Recap". 1982-12-17. http://gobulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/120401aag.html. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
^ Tedford Bio at Calbears.com
^ Bulwa, Demian (September 2004). "Waking Up the Bears". California magazine. http://www.alumni.berkeley.edu/Alumni/Cal_Monthly/September_2004/Waking_up_the_Bears.asp.
^ California Renews its Rivalry Against Stanford in the 110th Big Game – Calbears.com
^ Fernas, Rob (2002-06-27). "Cal Is Hit With Bowl Ban". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jun/27/sports/sp-cal27.
^ Cal Reaches New 5-Year Agreement with Tedford – Press Release, December 20, 2002
^ Tedford signs 5-year contract to remain at Cal – Press Release, December 6, 2004
^ Tedford: $4 million incentive to succeed – San Francisco Chronicle, March 14, 2007
^ No. 2 Golden Bears Host Oregon State on Saturday at 4 p.m. – Calbears.com
^ Bay Area is second-to-none in second-guessing
^ Tedford primed for QB debate
^ Open competition for all positions in '08 – San Francisco Chronicle, December 30, 2007
^ Cal coach Tedford makes changes to coaching staff
^ Jeff Tedford Agrees to Contract Extension Through 2015
^ "Cal Football Postgame Notes – vs. Washington (Sat., Nov. 27)". CBS Interactive. 2010-11-27.
^ http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/cal-m-footbl-sched.html
^ Simmons, Rusty (2008-12-20). "Cal running backs grounded by Gould". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/20/SPRU14RDGP.DTL. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
^ "Isi Sofele Stats". ESPN. 2008-12-20. http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/482494/isi-sofele. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
^ "Player Bio: Jeff Tedford". http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/tedford_taylor00.html. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
^ "Player Bio: Quinn Tedford". http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/tedford_quinn00.html. Retrieved 2009-08-29.