Contra Costa Times: Cal turns to Northwestern aide

By Jay Heater

BERKELEY - Already in his office at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, new Cal offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar said he isn't going "to reinvent the wheel" when it comes to the offense.  Dunbar, Northwestern's offensive coordinator for the past four years, guided the Wildcats offense to 500.3 yards per game in 2005. That ranked fourth in the country.  Dunbar ran a spread offense and used the shotgun formation. Cal coach Jeff Tedford has not been a proponent of the shotgun formation in the past. He has utilized a more conventional, although very complicated, offensive system.  "I am very aware of Coach Tedford's offensive success," said Dunbar, a University of Washington graduate (1972) who was head coach at Northern Iowa from 1997-2000. "I think this will be an opportunity to blend the two offenses together."  Since Tedford is heavily involved in his team's offensive philosophies and play-calling, Dunbar was asked if he minded going to a place where he might be overshadowed by the head coach.

"We talked a lot about it at great length," Dunbar said. "We have a plan. I know he has had success with the offense, and I don't want to mess it up.  "I do think the shotgun and spread offense have their place in college football. But the shotgun is dictated by a team's personnel. I think we are going to work on adding elements to the offense and putting the two together depending on what's best for our personnel."  After beginning his tenure at Northwestern in 2001 as the tight ends, H-backs and special teams coach, Dunbar was elevated to offensive coordinator the next year by coach Randy Walker.  "I always have been impressed with the Northwestern offense," Tedford said in a release. "Mike is a quality person. I'm excited about what he brings to the program."  Dunbar replaces George Cortez, who left the program to pursue other interests.