Jeff Tedford Fired by California Bears, According to Multiple Reports
By Jason McIntyre
Jeff Tedford, who spent the last 11 years coaching the Cal football team, has been fired according to multiple reports. The firing comes a day after reporters were speculating that Tedford would keep his job.
The Bears haven’t won a bowl game since 2008, which is also the last time they finished the season ranked. The Bears were a disaster this year (3-9, 2-7 in the Pac 12), and ended the season with five straight losses. It looked like his team quit on Tedford the last two weeks against the Oregons: the Bears lost by a combined 121-31.
Who’s getting the job? It’ll be a coveted one considering the location (Berkeley) and the rise of the Pac-12. But good luck winning immediately – it looks like Stanford is here to stay, and Oregon State and Oregon are programs that have been on the rise for years (even if Chip Kelly leaves, the Ducks have NIKE). Washington has one of the best young coaches in the conference in Steve Sarkisian.
A name that will almost certainly pop up first to replace Tedford? Northern California’s Chris Petersen (who listened to UCLA last year, but ultimately passed).
[UPDATE: Three other names are going around in Pac-12 circles – Mike MacIntyre, who has San Jose State 8-2 this year, Sonny Dykes, who is working wonders at Louisiana Tech, and Willie Taggart, who is rebuilding an awful Western Kentucky program.]