By Rob Calonge
lSo much for my break. I guess if I was going to stop taking time off from the Examiner, this is probably the best reason to do it. Cal head football coach Jeff Tedford is going to be a Bear for at least another six years. Happy 2009 Bear Backers! Tedford has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in the blue and gold through 2015. In Tedford's seven years, he's created a program that is a national powerhouse. During that time, he's taken a program that was one of the whipping boy's of the Pac-10 and turned it around to where even an Emerald Bowl victory has some disappointment. Tedford's record during that time is 59-30 with a 5-1 record in bowl games. Those 59 wins are the most in a seven year span in over 80 years of Cal football.
“On behalf of our entire University community, I want to congratulate Coach Tedford on the outstanding job that he has done with our football team, achieving both on-field and academic success. Under Coach Tedford, the football program now provides a reliable and robust financial underpinning for the entire Cal Athletics Department, helping to support 14 women's and 13 men's intercollegiate teams.”
- Chancellor Robert Birgeneau
He's not kidding about that either. Since Tedford has joined Cal, donations to Cal's annual fund has risen from $4.7 million to $10.4 million, ticket proceeds from $3.6 million to $11.2 million, television revenue has tripled, and sponsorship and marketing revenue has also seen similar increases.
“Not only does this extension reaffirm my dedication to Cal, but it demonstrates the long-term commitment the Athletic Department and University of California have to our program. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish and am excited for our players, staff and fans about the direction of the program, especially with construction of the Student-Athlete High Performance Center now underway.”
- Tedford
Cal supporters can thank whatever higher power they subscribe to for that. Tedford's work has enabled Cal to raise in excess of $100 million for that new High Performance Center and launch the $500 million Building Champions campaign that will include the renovation of Memorial Stadium and the Endowment Seating Program (ESP) to ensure of the financial future of the Cal Athletics.
“Jeff Tedford's leadership of our football program has placed us among the nation's finest in combining on-field success with academic and community excellence. He truly represents `Athletics Done Right.' The Cal football program has become an integral part of the comprehensive excellence of the Berkeley campus. I'm pleased that we've agreed to this mutual long-term commitment.”
- Cal Athletic Director Sandy Barbour
While they're at it, how about extending Sandy's contract as well? For those of you that may have trouble swallowing the amount of money that Tedford will be receiving (at least $2 million per year - terms not yet disclosed), know that of all of the players that Tedford has coached, he has an 89% graduation rating. That is no easy figure to accomplish when running a top-ranked college football program. Not only is he very good at recruiting and getting these guys ready for the field, but he's also good at getting them through the struggles of academics at a top-flight university.
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