Tedford Not Leaving Cal...

[Franklinnoble]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1939823

Associated Press

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Just a day after California missed out on a trip to the Rose Bowl, coach Jeff Tedford vowed to try again for five more years.

Tedford, the architect of the Golden Bears' swift transformation from a laughingstock to a national contender, agreed to a lucrative contract extension Monday that will keep him at Cal through 2009.

With other schools already inquiring about Tedford's availability for the third straight year, the coach and athletic director Sandy Barbour headed off any rumors by quickly reaching a new deal that's worth as much as nearly any other school could offer.

"It was very nice to get this done in a hurry, because I didn't want to entertain anything else," Tedford said. "I hope everybody knows by now that I am 100 percent committed to this program in the future."

And Cal is committed to Tedford, who will make $1.5 million per year plus as much as $300,000 in incentives, along with a $2.5 million retention bonus at the end of the contract. The bonus boosts his annual salary to $2 million -- exactly the amount that will be made by new Florida coach Urban Meyer.

It's an impressive financial investment for Cal, an academic power where athletics have always been viewed skeptically by certain faculty and students. It's also a significant coup for Barbour, who raised all the money to keep her football coach entirely from private donors in just 2½ months on the job.

"There was a call to action that we put out there, and I can't say enough about how people responded," Barbour said. "I've said for months that I believed Jeff wanted to be here, and now he has proven it."

The deal thrilled Tedford's players, who were downcast Sunday after learning Texas had sneaked past the Golden Bears to steal the final spot in the Bowl Championship Series. Cal, which had hoped for its first trip to the Rose Bowl in 46 years, instead will face Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl.

"It's a dynasty in the making," junior center Marvin Philip said. "Coach Tedford showed when he first came in here that he was dedicated to this university, and now he's proving it. The best is yet to come for us."

With the support of new chancellor Robert Birgeneau, who understands the countless benefits of a successful athletics program, Barbour got her tenure off to a great start with a deal befitting Tedford's growing national profile.

Tedford was almost certain to be on the wish lists of several schools with coaching vacancies, including Washington and Notre Dame. Last winter, he was courted by the NFL's Chicago Bears, among many other suitors, but stuck with the school that hired Oregon's former offensive coordinator for his first head coaching job.

From his California roots to his calm, cerebral demeanor, Tedford always has seemed to be a perfect fit in Berkeley. His players are academically solid at one of the nation's toughest public universities, and his offense is as inventive and successful as anything on the West Coast.

Tedford was the Pac-10's coach of the year in 2002 and again this season for leading Cal (10-1) to its best campaign in a half century. The fourth-ranked Bears' only loss was a six-point defeat by top-ranked USC, and Cal is making back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1990-91.

Cal is 25-12 under Tedford, with three straight winning seasons for the first time since 1950-52.

Tedford's deal also includes pay raises for his assistants, including defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, a rising star after his players' impressive performance this season. Cal is the only team in the NCAA's top six both in scoring offense and scoring defense.

"We'll be able to pay coaches what they deserve, and we'll also be able to be competitive when we're hiring coaches to live in the Bay Area," Tedford said. "That was a very important part of this for me. I'm just one part of a whole program here."

[MrBug708]

Amazing what two good QB's, a RB, and a WR can do

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

I wish hi well on the quest for a Rose Bowl berth.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Amazing what two good QB's, a RB, and a WR can do

Uh if thats' what you think then you really haven't watched Cal play.

[Glengoyne]

I loved this guy when he was at Fresno State. He was the favorite to succeed Jim Sweeney, but Pat Hill came onto the scene, and got the job. Tedford was Sweeney's choice to take over the program, and he didn't stay long after the snub. He moved on to Oregon State, and the rest is history. I hope he has great success there at Cal, anything to help the PAC 10 improve their level of competition.

[WSUCougar]

Impressive. Most impressive.

I like when other teams in the Pac-10 are spunky. It raises the bar.

[dawgfan]

Tedford is a hell of a coach, and if Cal does get serious about facilities improvements and Tedford sticks around a while rather than testing the NFL waters, Cal could rival USC for Pac-10 supremacy. The Bay Area is fertile recruiting ground and Tedford and his DC Bob Gregory rival Pete Carroll and Norm Chow for coaching ability IMO.

I would've loved to have seen him as the Husky coach - he's a great x's and o's guy, recruits very well, is highly organized and runs a disciplined program, he's had great success on the field especially considering the state of Cal football when he arrived. But the reasons why he stayed - his loyalty to his players, his desire to really build a long-term success at Cal, and his appreciation for the wishes of his family (his wife loves the Bay Area, his 2 teenage boys want to finish out H.S. where they are) - only further reinforce his strong character. Had he actually taken the job at Washington, it would've diminished his character a bit, making him look a bit like a mercenary. Good for Tedford, good for Cal, good for the Pac-10 (bad for Washington though - we'll just have to find our own Tedford now...)

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by moriarty

Uh if thats' what you think then you really haven't watched Cal play.

No. Tedford built a name with a Top talent QB in Cal that got him a few recruits. He lucked out when he discovered Aaron Rogers and has managed to build upon that. He's the second best coach in the PAC-10, no doubt, but it's pretty good to get going, especially when you have time, low expectations, and a first round QB waiting for you.

[moriarty]

If you saw Boeller play before Tedford got there, you'd realize that Boeller was hardly top notch until he received Tedford's coaching. He had natural ability, but he was hardly setting the campus aflame. Same with Rogers - his high ball positioning and quick release were things that Tedford & crew helped him develop. Even prior to Cal Tedford has had the reputation of developing great QB's.

[MrBug708]

Kyle Boller was a sure thing for the NFL for most campus. Tommy H was a terrible coach and I still am upset at UCLA for not taking two QB's that year.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Kyle Boller was a sure thing for the NFL for most campus. Tommy H was a terrible coach and I still am upset at UCLA for not taking two QB's that year.

Really? I could just have revisionist history here, but I recall Boeller being a stud recruit out of high school and pretty much mediocre until Tedford arrived. In fact the rap on him in the draft was that he had 'one good year'.

Here's his pre-Tedford stats. Doesn't exactly read like a NFL sure thing. <50% pass completions in his Jr year, with a 12:10 TD to INT ratio:

Year Att Comp Int Pct Yds TD Long Rtg
1999 259 100 15 38.6 1303 9 83 80.75
2000 349 163 13 46.7 2121 15 81 104.49
2001 272 134 10 49.3 1741 12 48 110.24

[MrBug708]

All it takes is a good coach. Not sure why you put that there since it just proved what I was saying. Look at Carson Palmer as well.

[moriarty]

I thought you were saying Boller was a lock for the NFL before Tedford came in. I was trying to make the point that I thought Tedford developed Boller into an NFL QB (although some Baltimore fans might disagree).

[moriarty]

edit - weird I replied to a post and it got placed before the post I replied to.

[MrBug708]

I meant out of HS, it was widely considered that he had an NFL future as he was a Top 5 HS QB

[moriarty]

Sounds like we're in violent agreement then.

[MrBug708]

My inital point was that Tedford ended up in a good situation with talent and probably gets more credit then he deserves for turning Cal around

[moriarty]

Well then we're not in agreement. Cal was 1-10 and w/out a prayer. To be where they they are now is amazing.

Not saying Tedford is god's gift to coaching, but I think him and his staff deserve every bit of credit for turning that ball club around.

[MrBug708]

Are you saying he developed Arrington, Lyman, and MacArthur?

[MrBug708]

Dola

I guyess I didn't finish that statement. Cal's cupboard wasn't bare, they just had a bad coaching staff. Look at UW this year. They were HORRIBLE, but it's not like they are talentless.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

My inital point was that Tedford ended up in a good situation with talent and probably gets more credit then he deserves for turning Cal around

I'll agree that the cupboard wasn't bare for Tedford, but 1-10 is 1-10, i.e. bad. The turnaround in Boller's career can pretty easily be tied directly to Tedford, and Tedford also did well in identifying and landing top JC guys to come in right away and right the program at Cal. Besides that, he's recruited very well among H.S. players as well. Many think that the Bears will suffer a big dropoff next year especially if Rodgers goes into the draft, but I think they'll still be pretty damn good, 8-9 wins good. They'll have Marshawn Lynch to replace J.J. Arrington, and they have a commitment from the top JC QB in the country in Ayoob, plus they got a H.S. stud last year in Longshore.

I think if Tedford stays at Cal for another 5 years or so (some are speculating he'll replace Erickson in a year or 2 with the 49ers) the Bears will be pretty clearly the #2 program in the conference, and competing with USC for the championship.

[ISiddiqui]

And btw, Cal's only win that year was over 1-whatever Rutgers. I was at that game and both teams looked like crap, so I think Tedford has done a great job, while Rutgers is still treading water.

[Franklinnoble]

No way Tedford takes the 49ers job... that team is a bloody mess, and only new ownership will fix it.