Jeff Tedford Reportedly Interested in a Return to Coaching
This will send your head spinning.
Former Cal coach Jeff Tedford, who announced two years ago that he has retired from coaching for health reasons, reportedly is considering a return to coaching.
Pete Thamel of Yahoo announced via twitter on Wednesday that the 60-year-old Tedford may be coming back to the sport.
With the head coaching openings at USC, Washington and Washington State on the West Coast -- and Tedford having a little bit of a history at Washington -- the report makes you wonder whether Tedford is serious about a return and who might hire him considering his age and health history.
With current Cal head coach Justin Wilcox reportedly being someone Washington might be interested in to fill its vacancy, further speculation seems unavoidable.
There is no doubt about his acumen as an offensive coach, and it may be that Tedford is only interested in returning as a consultant or advisor or some capacity as an assistant coach..
Tedford retired from coaching in 2019 for health reasons after being the head coach at Fresno State for three years, going 10-4, 12-2 and 4-8 in those seasons.
Heart problems interrupted his coaching career on several occasions, but he said in an August 2021 interview with Cal Sports Report that he is 100 percent healthy.
Tedford was Cal's head coach from 2002 through 2012 and had an overall record of 82-57 at Berkeley. He helped Cal get to eight bowl games during his time at Cal, and he coached future NFL players Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch and DeSean Jackson and many others who played in the pros.
His 2004 Cal team ended the regular season ranked No. 4 in both polls, although the BCS rankings dropped the Bears to No. 5, ruining their chance for a Rose Bowl berth. Tedford's 2006 Golden Bears shared a Pac-10 championship with USC
He was fired at Cal following the 2012 season, when the Bears went 3-9.
However, he returned to Cal for a visit during preseason training camp this year, and he was honored on the field during a Bears football game this fall.
One of the assistant coaches Tedford hired while he was at Cal is Justin Wilcox, now the Golden Bears' head coach.
Tedford did not coach in 2013, but was hired as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014. Heart problems plagued his only season in Tampa Bay and he was forced to leave the job in December.
He was the head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League for one season, then was an offensive consultant at Washington in 2016, before being the head coach at Fresno State, his alma mater, the next three years.
He admitted in the interview with Cal Sports Report that his long hours on the job were partly responsible for the major health issues related to his heart .
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about it,” he said.
His most recent surgery was an ablation (a procedure for restoring normal heart rhythm) in January 2020.
He said in August that he's fine now, and planned on staying retired, although he did not completely rule out the possibility of a return to coaching.
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Cover photo of Jeff Tedford by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports.
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