Saturday, January 07, 2006

Oakland Tribune: Tedford says he's 'committed' to Cal

By Dave Newhouse, STAFF WRITER 

BERKELEY — Jeff Tedford turned around Cal's football program, now he spends a good part of his time turning down offers to leave.   With eight NFL head-coaching positions open Monday, and seven available Friday after Minnesota named Brad Childress, Tedford's name has come up again as a possible successor ... somewhere.   But he isn't leaving Cal.  "I have been contacted by NFL teams, some directly and some indirectly, about coaching vacancies," Tedford said Friday. "Although I'm flattered by the interest, I am firmly committed to remaining the football coach at the University of California."  Tedford wouldn't say which NFL teams approached him. The Chicago Bears made him a serious offer a year ago.  "This is an exciting time for our program," he said. "We have a lot of young talent returning to the team, and we are on the verge of another strong recruiting class. The stadium project is now under way, and our student-athletes are excelling in the classroom."

Tedford is 33-17 at Cal after inheriting a 1-10 team in 2002. Cal was 8-4 this season, won its second bowl game in three consecutive tries and finished No.25 in the Associated Press and USA Today polls.

 

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