Jeff Tedford - Football Coach

The Fresno State Bulldogs take on the HawaiiRainbow Warriors at Valley Childrenâ??s Stadium in Fresno, California on November 5, 2022. (Samuel Marshall Photography)

Jeff Tedford

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
HeadFootballCoach@mail.fresnostate.edu

THE TEDFORD FILE

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Hometown: Downey, Calif.
High School: Warren
Junior College: Cerritos College
Family: Wife, Donna;
Son, Taylor;
Son & Daughter-In-Law, Quinn & Randi;
Grandsons, Tanner & Tyce

EDUCATION
Fresno State
- Bachelors in Physical Education (1992)

COACHING HISTORY
Career Record (D-I head coach): 127-79
Bowl games record (D-I head coach): 9-3

Fresno State
Dec. 2021-Present: Head Coach
2016-19: Head Coach
Washington
2016: Offensive Consultant
B.C. Lions (CFL)
2015: Head Coach
Tampa Bay (NFL)
2014: Offensive Coordinator
California
2002-12: Head Coach
Oregon
1998-01: Offensive Coordinator
Fresno State
1993-97: Offensive Coordinator
1992: Quarterbacks
Calgary (CFL)
1989-91: Offensive Assistant
Fresno State
1987-88: Volunteer Assistant Coach

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Position: Quarterback

1983-88: CFL (four teams)
1983-85: Hamilton
1986: Calgary
1987: Saskatchewan
1988: Winnipeg

1981-82: Fresno State
1979-80: Cerritos College

Last Updated: Jan. 26, 2024

Since taking over the reins of his alma mater, Jeff Tedford has taken the Bulldog football program to new heights. In five seasons as the head coach, Tedford led Fresno State to three West Division titles, two Mountain West Championship wins, four Bowl Game victories, and two Top 25 finishes to cap a season.

Tedford coached Fresno State to three 10-win seasons in his tenure (2017, 2018 and 2022). He has the second-most 10-win seasons as head coach in Fresno State football history, behind Jim Sweeney (1976-96). Tedford coached the Bulldogs to their winningest season in program history with 12 wins in 2018.

In his first stint as the Bulldogs’ head coach, Tedford inherited a 1-11 football program when he was first announced as head coach. In five seasons as head coach, he has led the program to a 44-22 overall record and a 27-13 record in Mountain West play.

Summary
Tedford, who coached the Bulldogs for the 2017-19 seasons, made his return to the helm of the program for his second stint as head coach of his alma mater. Tedford was hired as head coach of the program on Dec. 8, 2021.

In his second year back leading the program, Fresno State entered the 2023 season on a nine-game winning streak for the third-longest active winning streak in the FBS at the time. The Bulldogs picked up where they left off, opening the 2023 season with a 39-35 win at Purdue for its 10th win in a row. Fresno State stretched that winning streak to 14 games before its first loss in almost a full calendar year.

In 2023, the Bulldogs defeated a pair of Power 5 opponents, both on the road, at Purdue and Arizona State. It was the first time since 2004 that the Bulldogs picked up two road wins over Power 5 opponents. Fresno State found itself in the AP Top 25 three times throughout the 2023 season, marking the third year in-a-row that the Bulldogs were represented in the poll.

Tedford was unable to coach the Bulldogs in the 2023 Isleta New Mexico Bowl due to health reasons, but Fresno State capped the year with a 37-10 win over New Mexico State to win its fifth-straight bowl game and finish the season with a 9-4 overall record.

Academically, the Bulldogs had 48 Academic All-Mountain West selections to lead the conference for the second-straight season.

The 2022 season was one that will be remembered for years to come. Fresno State became the first program in FBS history to begin its season 1-4, and finish with 10 wins. Fresno State closed the 2022 season with nine-straight wins to end the year with a 10-4 record, highlighted by a Mountain West Championship title and a dominant 29-6 win over Washington State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.

The Bulldogs finished the season ranked No. 24 in the final release of the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll for 2022. It was just the fourth time in program history that the Bulldogs closed out the year as a nationally ranked team, and the second time under Tedford. After finishing in the Top 25, Fresno State cemented itself as the only program in the Mountain West to appear in the Top 25 at any point in the season.

In 2022, Fresno State had 12 All-Mountain West selections, including first team honorees in quarterback Jake Haener, wide receiver Jalen Cropper, running back Jordan Mims and defensive end David Perales. Fresno State’s four first team selections in 2022 were the most for the Bulldogs since the 2018 season. Also of note, Haener became the first Bulldog to earn a first team All-Mountain West nod since Derek Carr in 2013.

Haener was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft to the New Orleans Saints, becoming the first Bulldog quarterback to be selected in the draft since Carr in 2014.

Tedford puts an emphasis on academics, and the Bulldogs had a program record 53 selections to the 2022 Fall Academic All-Mountain West team. Also that year, Fresno State had a program-best 990 APR (Academic Progress Rate).

Tedford stepped away from coaching following the 2019 season due to health concerns, although still residing in the Valley.

In 2019, Fresno State finished 4-8. Five of Fresno State’s eight losses that season were decided by one possession, notably falling by a small margin to both USC and Minnesota that season. The Bulldogs were highlighted by first team All-Mountain West linebackers Mykal Walker and Justin Rice in 2019. Six Bulldogs were honored by the conference that season, in addition to Walker and Rice, running back Ronnie Rivers earned second team honors, and defensive lineman Kevin Atkins, punter Blake Cusick and defensive back Juju Hughes were honorable mention selections. Rice was tabbed the preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the conference, entering the 2020 season. Walker and Hughes went on to have professional NFL careers.

In 2018, in addition to defeating Boise State on the road in overtime, 19-16, for Fresno State’s first conference championship since 2013, the Bulldogs capped the season with a 31-20 triumph over Arizona State to win the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl. The bowl win left the Bulldogs with their first 12-win season in the 97-year history of the program. This, one season after engineering one of the greatest turnarounds in FBS history guiding the Bulldogs to a 10-4 record, an appearance in the MW title game and a Hawai’i Bowl win over Houston.

The renaissance under Tedford has led to FBS history being made as Fresno State became the first team to secure back-to-back double-digit winning seasons following a double-digit loss season.

The 2018 Bulldogs finished nationally ranked in the final rankings of the season for the first time since 2004. Fresno State finished ranked No. 18 in both the AP Top 25 and Coaches poll, announced Jan. 8, 2019. It was the best finish in the AP Top 25 in program history, besting No. 22 in 2004. The ‘Dogs also held a No. 21 ranking in the final College Football Playoff poll released on Dec. 2, 2018.

Individual accolades in 2018 included Tedford being named an Eddie Robinson Award finalist and a Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award finalist. Fresno State sported 15 all-conference honorees in 2018, including the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in linebacker Jeff Allison. In addition, 19 student-athletes were named to the Fall Academic All-Mountain West team.

With a 10-4 record in his first season, Fresno State became the third team in FBS history to turn a double-digit loss season (2016) into a double-digit win season (2017) the following year. The season included an appearance in the nation’s top 25, clinching the Mountain West’s West Division crown and leading the ‘Dogs to their first appearance in the MW Championship game since 2014. He also guided the ‘Dogs to the program’s first bowl victory since 2007 with their win at the Hawai’i Bowl.

Great success brought great notoriety as Tedford was named the 2017 Mountain West Coach of the Year, was a semifinalist for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award presented by the Maxwell Football Club, a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, and the AFCA Region-5 Coach of the Year.
While Tedford was honored as the league’s coach of the year, the team had 16 student-athletes recognized with MW postseason honors - the most for the Bulldogs in a single-season since joining the conference in 2012. In the classroom, the ‘Dogs also set a team-best number since joining the conference as they had 24 named to the Fall Academic All-Mountain West team.

Tedford, a former Bulldog quarterback and Fresno State assistant coach, returned to the Valley after holding the position of offensive consultant for the Washington Huskies – a 2016 College Football Playoff team.

Tedford assumed the role of acting head coach on Nov. 27, 2016, following the conclusion of the 2016 season as Eric Kiesau carried out interim head coaching duties for the remaining two games on the 2016 schedule following Tedford’s introductory press conference. Tedford was officially hired on Nov. 10, 2016.

Tedford, who was an already proven winner on the West Coast, came to the Valley with 11 years of head coaching experience at the Division I level – having led the California Golden Bears to 82 wins from 2002-2012. He left as the school’s all-time winningest coach.

Tedford’s ties to the Valley and Fresno State run deep. He played quarterback at Fresno State in 1981-82 under Jim Sweeney and coached at Fresno State under Sweeney from 1987-88 and 1992-96, and under a then-first-year head coach Pat Hill in 1997.

Tedford’s coaching career started at Fresno State, volunteering as an assistant for the 1987-88 seasons. From there he picked up his first full-time position as an assistant for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League – a familiar league in which he played quarterback for six seasons after his collegiate career at Fresno State.

He returned to Fresno State in 1992 as the quarterbacks coach and served as the offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs over the ensuing five seasons.

Tedford held the same position at Oregon (1998-2001) before he became the head coach at Cal. He was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice, leading the Golden Bears to a school record seven consecutive bowl games and to a conference title in 2006.

Following Tedford’s stint at Cal, he moved on to the NFL in 2014 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator. The stop did not last long due to health issues during the preseason that evolved into an indefinite leave of absence, which resulted in the two sides mutually agreeing to part ways.

Tedford made his return to the CFL in 2015 as he was named the head coach of the B.C. Lions. At the conclusion of the season, Tedford elected to exercise an option in his contract to resign and pursue opportunities in college football.

Tedford made his return to college football as an offensive consultant for the Washington Huskies under head coach Chris Peterson in 2016. A relationship rekindled after their time together as assistants at Oregon under then-coach Mike Belotti. Washington’s staff also included associate head coach Bob Gregory, who served as Tedford’s defensive coordinator at Cal for eight seasons.

Tedford graduated from Warren High School in Downey, California and attended Cerritos Junior College for two seasons before becoming the Bulldogs’ quarterback in 1981.

He and his wife Donna have two children, Taylor and Quinn. Quinn and his wife Randi have two sons, Tanner and Tyce - Tedford and Donna's first grandchildren.

Cal Football (Head Coach, 2002-2012):
After accepting his first head coaching position in 2002, Tedford spent 11 seasons at the helm of the Cal football team. Tedford left Cal as the winningest coach in program history with 82 wins; the Golden Bears posted a school-record run of seven straight bowl appearances from 2003-09 and ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in 2007 - its highest ranking since 1951.

The Bears were 5-3 in the postseason under Tedford, including a school-record string of four consecutive bowl wins from 2005-08, making him the only Cal mentor with more than two postseason victories. The Bears also won enough games to be bowl eligible with a seven-victory season in his first campaign in 2002, but were ineligible for a bowl. In addition, Cal put together a school-record-tying eight consecutive winning campaigns from 2002-09 and added a ninth in 10 seasons in 2011. Cal twice posted a school record-tying 10 wins under Tedford, the sixth and seventh times in school history, in 2004 and 2006.

All of this at the head of a program that won just one game in 2001, the year prior to his arrival - making the renaissance of the Cal football program over that decade arguably one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football history.

The Bears had 40 players selected in the NFL Draft during the 11 drafts following seasons that have occurred while Tedford was the head coach at Cal, including eight first-round picks.

Tedford also has earned a reputation as a strong recruiter, with his last three classes in 2010, ’11 and ’12 being ranked as high as No. 11, No. 13 and No. 15 nationally. Prior to the 2011 campaign, Sporting News bestowed the honor of the Pac-12’s best recruiter on him.

But Tedford’s teams not only got it done on the field, they got it done in the classroom in Berkeley. His players were recognized as conference All-Academic honorees 110 times in 11 seasons.

Tedford’s success with the Cal program also resulted in local devotion and national attention. Cal averaged more than 57,000 fans per contest for seven consecutive seasons from 2004-10, before moving to the 45,000-seat AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium underwent an extensive renovation and retrofit prior to reopening for the team’s 2012 home contests. The seven-year stretch included a string of 43 consecutive games in front of at least 50,000 fans at Memorial Stadium (Sept. 11, 2004 – Nov. 20, 2010). In 2006, the Bears set school records for average fans per home game (64,318) and overall spectators (450,223). The following year in 2007, Cal established a school record with 41,366 season-ticket holders.

Nationally, Cal had multiple Heisman Trophy candidates under Tedford’s tutelage, with J.J. Arrington (2004), Marshawn Lynch (2006), DeSean Jackson (2007) and Jahvid Best (2009) among top candidates for the prestigious honor at some point in the season; Arrington finished eighth in the final voting.

Tedford has used his own signal-calling experience to build a reputation as a quarterback guru. During his lengthy collegiate coaching career at Cal (2002-2012), Oregon (1998-2001) and Fresno State (1992-97), Tedford has been an integral piece in the development of six quarterbacks that became NFL first-round picks – Kyle Boller, David Carr, Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington, Aaron Rodgers and Akili Smith.

Rodgers, an under-the-radar junior college transfer like Tedford, ranked No. 8 nationally in pass efficiency in 2004 when he completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,566 yards and 24 touchdowns with only eight interceptions for the Bears. He put up similar numbers the previous season when he completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,903 yards and 19 touchdowns with only five interceptions. After being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Rodgers has become one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and followed his first Pro Bowl selection in 2009 by earning Super Bowl XLV MVP honors the following season after leading the Packers to a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In addition to his success with quarterbacks, Tedford’s teams have featured balanced attacks and became notorious for their ferocity on the ground. In nine of his first 10 seasons at Cal, Tedford had at least one running back post a 1,000-yard rushing season, including a string of seven consecutive years with a 1,000-yard rusher from 2002-08 and then again in 2010 and 2011.

In 2004, Arrington broke Chuck Muncie’s single-season school record with 2,018 yards, which led the country (168.2 ypg) as Arrington rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his 12 contests. In 2007, Justin Forsett’s 1,546 rushing yards were briefly the second-best in Cal history, but Best’s four-game flourish (814 yards) at the end of 2008 gave him 1,580 for the year to move past Forsett. Lynch had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2005 and 2006, while Adimchinobe Echemandu (1,195 yards in 2003), Isi Sofele (1,322 yards in 2011), Shane Vereen (1,167 yards in 2010), and Joe Igber (1,075 yards in 2002) each reached the 1,000-yard milestone under Tedford as well.

While offense has been Tedford’s forte, Cal’s defense toughened considerably during his reign as the Bears’ coach. His 2004 team ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 16.0 points per game. In 2005, the Bears led the Pac-10 in scoring defense, giving up only 21.2 points per contest. In 2008, Cal led the Pac-10 in the two key categories of red zone defense (68.2%) and takeaways (34). The Bears were second in the conference in rush defense (112.0 ypg) in 2009. Cal then had a stellar season on defense in 2010 in their first year under former Super Bowl coordinator Clancy Pendergast, leading the league and ranking among the top 25 nationally in sacks (2.83 spg, No. 13 NCAA), total defense (319.08 ypg, No. 18 NCAA) and pass defense (187.0 ypg, No. 21 NCAA). In 2011, Cal again led the Pac-12 in total defense (332.92 ypg) and pass defense (204.23 ypg), ranking 25th and 37th nationally. Cal also continued to make big plays on defense in 2011 as the Pac-12’s top team in tackles for loss (7.69 tflpg, No. 7 NCAA) while ranking third in the conference in sacks (2.62 spg, No. 19 NCAA). In addition, the Bears led the Pac-12 in opponents’ first downs, allowing only 17.4 per game.

Other national recognition that came the Bears way under Tedford was: Alex Mack picking up the 2008 Draddy Award (often referred to as the Academic Heisman), while Mike Mohamed was one of 16 players across the country in the National Football Foundation’s Scholar-Athlete Class of 2010 and a finalist for the prestigious honor won by Mack now known as the William V. Campbell Trophy. Giorgio Tavecchio was a semifinalist for the same honor in 2011. In 2006, the Bears had a pair of players collect national awards. Jackson was the recipient of the inaugural Randy Moss Award as the top returner in the country, while Daymeion Hughes earned The Lott IMPACT Trophy, given to the nation’s top defensive player to equally recognize his athletic performance and personal character.

As an Assistant Coach
Prior to his arrival in Berkeley, Tedford was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon, serving in that role for four seasons, including the 2001 campaign when the Ducks finished with a No. 2 national ranking.

Tedford played an integral role in the rise of the Oregon program during his tenure in Eugene – a period in which the Ducks posted the Pac-10’s best record (38-10) while finishing progressively better each year (8-4 in 1998, 9-3 in 1999, 10-2 in 2000 and 11-1 in 2001). During his first season as offensive coordinator in 1998, Oregon set school records in passing yards, total offense and points scored. Tedford’s passing acumen was clearly evident in the rapid development of Smith, who earned Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year accolades as he finished second in the nation in pass efficiency and was later chosen third overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by Cincinnati.

Duck quarterbacks A.J. Feeley and Joey Harrington combined to pass for 3,131 yards and 24 TDs on the Sun Bowl champion team that ranked 13th nationally in scoring in 1999, while the 2000 club tied for the Pac-10 crown and defeated Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Tedford’s last Oregon squad in 2001 showcased one of the nation’s premier quarterbacks in Harrington, who won Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

In 1992 as the quarterbacks coach at Fresno State, Tedford began honing the skills of Trent Dilfer. Under Tedford’s guidance, the Bulldogs’ quarterback earned first-team All-WAC honors for an offense that led the nation in scoring (44.2 ppg), ranked second in total offense (541.9 ypg) and beat USC in the Freedom Bowl. A season later, Tedford became the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator, and Fresno State ranked third nationally in scoring and total offense while earning an Aloha Bowl invitation. Dilfer ranked first nationally in passing efficiency (173.1 rating) and won the WAC Offensive Player of the Year award. He was later chosen by Tampa Bay with the sixth overall selection of the 1994 NFL Draft.

Tedford’s coaching career began with two seasons as a volunteer assistant at Fresno State (1987-88) before he joined Calgary of the CFL for three seasons (1989-91), including the 1991 team that advanced to the Grey Cup title game.

Playing Career
A relentless drive developed in Tedford as a young football player at Warren High School, in the Southern California city of Downey, that led the undersized quarterback to a solid prep career. Tedford had a standout two-year stint at Cerritos College (1979-80) before a record-setting two-year stay at Fresno State (1981-82). During his days as a Bulldog, he established several school passing records, including career marks for passing yardage (4,872) and touchdown passes (35), while earning honorable mention All-America notice in 1982 when he set single-season Fresno State standards for passing yardage (2,993) and TD passes (24).

After departing Fresno State, Tedford played professionally in the Canadian Football League for six seasons with Hamilton, Calgary, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. He appeared in the league’s championship game (Grey Cup) with Hamilton in 1984.