Someday, someone may write an instructional manual patterned
after Cal.
It would be a step-by-step blueprint on how to rebuild a
football program from the depths of ineptitude to one of the finest
in the country.
And it only took the Golden Bears three years.
It would provide hope to the many lowly programs across the
country desperate for success but mired in a tradition of
indifference and mediocrity.
Then again, there probably is no formula for what No. 8 Cal has
done to resurrect its football program.
It’s more likely that it just boils down to the firing of
the wrong coach and the hiring of the right one.
Coach Jeff Tedford may or may not be a one-of-a-kind miracle
worker, but at the very least, it appears he is exactly what the
Cal football program needed to become what it is today.
“Their university hasn’t had a great history of
long-term winning,” said USC coach Pete Carroll, who also
knows something about bringing a program to new heights.
“They’ve done a really nice job of recruiting in
California and Southern California. That’s really the
life-blood of these programs. When you can keep doing that and
coaching well, then you have a chance at being successful. And
they’re doing that.”
Not that it is particularly simple to just fire the problem and
hire the answer. Programs try that all the time and often get
nowhere.
“Many schools have done it, so it’s not out of the
ordinary by any means,” UCLA quarterback Drew Olson said.
“Obviously, the coaches they brought in have to be good
coaches to turn around a program like that. And he just gets his
guys to play hard.”
Tedford entered Berkeley with an impressive resume, having
served as the offensive coordinator for the high-powered Oregon
teams of the late ’90s. Known for his knack for developing
quarterbacks, Tedford boasts an impressive list of players
he’s helped mold into first-round NFL draft picks. Familiar
names include Trent Dilfer, Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Kyle
Boller and David Carr.
The coach who Tedford replaced at Cal, Tom Holmoe, lasted just
five seasons after going 12-43. In 2001, Holmoe posted a 1-10
record, including an 0-8 mark in the Pac-10.
Having inherited the Pac-10’s worst team, Tedford quickly
made an impact. He led essentially the same team to a surprising
7-5 finish, and for his efforts was named the Pac-10 Coach of the
Year in 2002. Last year, he guided new transfer quarterback Aaron
Rodgers and the Bears to an 8-6 record, collecting Cal’s
first bowl victory since 1993.
“I entered here in Tedford’s second year, and I
heard from all the guys how the fans treated (Kyle) Boller and the
way they treated all the team. There was not a lot of excitement
behind the program,” Rodgers said. “It’s exciting
having everyone out to support us and have the alumni on the
bandwagon.”
This season, the Bears (3-1, 1-1 Pac-10) entered at No. 13,
their highest preseason ranking in 50 years, and have climbed into
the top 10. Cal would be a top-five team if not for falling just
short to No. 1 USC last Saturday.
“No, I didn’t expect them to turn it around that
quickly,” said senior UCLA receiver Craig Bragg, who as a
freshman was on the Bruin team responsible for the Bears’
most lopsided loss of 2001, 56-17. “They’ve always had
good players, and a lot of people wanted to go there. Coach Tedford
has done a great job of having them believing in each
other.”
And suddenly Berkeley has started believing in them, too.
Never known as a football town, the Bears sold a record number
of season tickets and have sold out for Saturday’s game
against UCLA.
“I know there is a lot of excitement around town, at least
I hear there is,” Tedford said. “The main thing I see
is that when you talk to recruits, they’re listening to you.
They have legitimate interest in your program.”
This trend is a far cry from 2001’s half-empty Memorial
Stadium with fans openly cursing the team and wearing paper bags
over their heads. It may be just a one-year phenomenon, but then
again, it may be the beginning of something more.
One possible negative side effect of Tedford’s quick
success, for other young coaches at least, is it may lead to an
unfair benchmark. Athletic directors may have more of a quick
trigger if they realize their new man is not the next Tedford.
UCLA’s second-year coach Karl Dorrell is one coach who has
to deal with the comparison.
“He’s won more games than I have, so that’s
one thing I want to catch up to,” Dorrell said.
“Everyone has their own style, and he has his style to doing
things, and I have mine.”
UCLA certainly hopes the success Cal has had to this high point
will parallel Dorrell’s progress as he tries to guide the
Bruins in the right direction.
If Dorrell proves successful and has UCLA back in the national
spotlight in the next few years, future program architects could
very well be working with a Cal/UCLA blueprint.
“He’s done a great job of bringing Cal to the
position that they’re in right now,” Dorrell said.
“And I’m working to put UCLA back to the position that
we’ve been accustomed to as well.”