Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Daily Cal: Tedford Contract Awaits Regents' Approval

BY Julia Szinai

Cal football coach Jeff Tedford is likely to have his contract extended for an additional five years if it is approved by the UC Board of Regents at its meeting at UCLA this week.  Tedford’s new contract would be in addition to his current five-year, agreement, signed in 2004 and worth $10 million before incentives.  Tedford’s standing contract includes a $1.5 guarantee per season and a $2.5 million bonus if he stays with Cal for all five years.  Bonuses would also be awarded for winning national championships.  The new contract would go into effect after 2009 and would continue through 2013, according to UC Berkeley athletics officials.  The announcement about the contract was made during a post-season press conference in January.  The details of Tedford’s compensation package have not been disclosed to the public and will first be debated in a closed-session meeting of the regents’ finance committee before a final vote of the full board.

Under Tedford, who has coached the football team since the fall 2002 season, the Bears have accumulated a record of 43-20. In 2001, the Bears finished the season with a 1-10 record.  Since Tedford took over, Cal has played in four-straight bowl games after playing in only a total of four bowl games in the previous 22 seasons.  The Bears reached a No. 4 ranking in 2004, their highest national ranking since 1952.  Tedford, who was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in his first year at Cal, previously worked as Oregon’s offensive coordinator.  He also played on the Fresno State team and in the Canadian Football League after graduation.

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