Contra Costa Times: Cal's Tedford cautiously optimistic after ruling

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By Jonathan Okanes

BERKELEY — Cal football coach Jeff Tedford is taking a cautious approach after Wednesday's ruling regarding the university's proposed Student-Athlete High-Performance Center and renovation to Memorial Stadium.  "I know a lot of specifics still need to be worked through," Tedford said. "I'm kind of in a holding mode to see what it all means. I know there are people working on it so we'll just have to wait and see."

Cal officials claimed victory Wednesday after Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller ruled the proposed athletic facility, with a few exceptions, is in compliance with environmental and earthquake zoning laws. University attorney Charles Olson said he was confident the remaining issues could be cleared up in a matter of days.  Tedford has said his program, along with others at the school, are in desperate need of upgraded facilities to compete on the Pac-10 and national level. Some speculate the new center could be a deal-breaker for Tedford's desire to stay at Cal for the long haul, although he never has said so publicly.

Although Tedford wasn't as quick as athletic director Sandy Barbour or vice chancellor of administration Nathan Brostrom to claim victory, he said a conversation with Barbour was encouraging.   "I felt like her attitude was pretty positive," Tedford said. "That's the impression I got from Sandy. That's all I can really go by."   The proposed center, which is slated to be built  next to Memorial Stadium, will feature training facilities, offices, conference rooms and locker rooms for 13 sports. About 450 staffers and athletes who work every day in the stadium would move to the new facility.

When asked if the ruling was a positive development in the context of Tedford's longevity at Cal, Barbour said it was an encouraging turn of events for all coaches affected. "It's a complicated ruling," Barbour said. "But the bottom line is we believe that this ruling gives us a road map, after a couple of technical issues we need to address, to give us the opportunity to move forward.  "We believe this gives us the opportunity to get this thing under way. Because there is a light at the end of the tunnel, all of our coaches are pleased."