New Cal Chancellor Rich Lyons Supporting Athletics But Expects Wins

New Cal chancellor Rich Lyons has a vision for Golden Bears athletics and says the campus will support the school’s sports teams.

He also expects results.

In a recent interview with Jon Wilner of the Mercury News, Lyons said success in athletics benefits the university overall and he will approach things with that as a driving force.

“If you don’t invest, you aren’t going to be competitive in an average year,” he said. “We need to be disciplined. But part of the story is, this is an investment.”

A Cal alum and an avid sports fan, Lyons told Wilner that investing in athletics doesn’t subtract from other priorities. Just the opposite is possible, he said.

“A lot of people view it as a two-dimensional problem: ‘If you’re spending on sports, you aren’t spending on other things.’ But this is actually three-dimensional,” Lyons explained.

“What is the principal device for driving alumni engagement? When you invest in athletics, you are investing in alumni engagement, and when you invest in alumni engagement, you advance your mission.”

Lyons has a 10-year plan but he also expects the Bears’ revenue sports, especially football, to generate success.

“Our revenue sports need to be competitive, like so many of our other sports,” Lyons said. “Another six-win regular season (in football) will be disappointing given how much we are investing. We can’t keep investing and not deliver in our revenue sports.”

Cal’s football team reached bowl games the past two seasons, but finished 6-7 each year. The Bears haven’t posted a winning season since going 8-5 in 2019.

Coach Justin Wilcox has fielded generally competitive teams and has dealt with hurdles including the COVID pandemic. But his offenses often have been disappointing and his eight-year record is 42-50 with just two winning seasons. When the 2025 season begins, Wilcox will become Cal’s longest-tenured football coach with a sub-.500 record.

Wilcox has three years remaining on the six-year contract extension he signed in 2022. He is due to earn $4.275 million in 2025, $4.475 million in 2026 and $4.975 in 2027, not including bonuses.

He also has the safety net of a buyout clause that would force the university to pay him more than $8 million if he were to be fired after next season.

Wilcox clearly is feeling the urgency to improve. He swapped out virtually his entire offensive coaching staff this offseason, and when spring practice begins on March 12 new coordinator Bryan Harsin’s priority will be identifying a quarterback to replace the departed Fernando Mendoza.

Meanwhile, Lyons is working to give football and Cal’s other athletic programs all the support he can generate as the school approaches its second year in the Atlantic Coast Conference next fall.

Cal athletics has operated at a deficit for years — a $29.7 million shortfall for the 2024 fiscal year, according to Wilner — and the financial burden is about to be greater as athletic departments are expected to be allowed to share a maximum of $20.5 million with athletes starting in the fall.

Among the strategies Lyons is employing are 20-year term endowments, which could fund sports programs for 20 years. “Donors are looking at that … (They) want us to succeed. They understand this is a defining moment for Cal athletics.”

Lyons made reference to a “10-year vision” for athletics and sees potential for a successful road ahead.

“I have been around a long time and I can feel, I can taste, the link between athletics and alumni engagement,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we just keep investing without bounds. But in 10 years, I would like there to be electricity.”