As Jeff Tedford leaves Bulldogs, another heart procedure next for football coach

Fresno State football coach Jeff Tedford, who pulled off an extraordinary rebuild at his alma mater, walked away from the sport on Friday due to concerns of his health and desire to spend more time with his family.

“It’s with a heavy heart, and no pun intended with that, that I’m announcing today that I need to step down as the head coach here,” Tedford said.

“I’ve had some recent medical situations and concerns that really have been going through since midseason. I had a procedure a couple of weeks ago where I was struggling a little bit and went into the hospital and had to get shocked back into rhythm a couple of times . Since then, I’ve had a chance to consult with physicians and have been counseled that right away I need to have another procedure done and I’ll be going to the Mayo Clinic to have that done.

“I’ve been coaching for 30 years and it has been awesome. I’ve been playing football since I was 8, so I’ve been in this business for 50 years. It’s time now to focus on my health and my family.”

Tedford, who will have that procedure (an ablation) in early January, will remain at the university in an advisory role to athletic director Terry Tumey and have a hand in choosing his successor as well as fundraising efforts for a department that has fallen behind its Mountain West Conference rivals in terms of facilities and program infrastructure.

“Jeff Tedford embodies everything that we want in a Bulldog,” Tumey said. “He’s a tough competitor. He’s tenacious. He’s smart. He’s strategic. He’s a hell of a coach. But the things that I don’t know if many of you appreciate are his amazing depth of character, his loyalty, his integrity, his compassion and his commitment to the development of young people.

“That is the legacy that Jeff Tedford will leave here as a coach, and that is the legacy that we will continue and I am honored to be able to continue that legacy with Jeff as a partner in our athletics department.”

Ryan Grubb, the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator and line coach, will be the interim head coach.

Next coach

The Bulldogs staff will continue to recruit leading up to the early signing period that starts Dec. 18. The university must post the position for 14 days, so Fresno State will not officially have a head coach by then.

Kalen DeBoer, the Bulldogs’ former offensive coordinator now at Indiana, is considered a leading candidate for the job.

Sacramento State coach Troy Taylor, Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain and UNLV defensive coordinator Tim Skipper also are likely to be involved in the process.

McElwain and Skipper also are former Fresno State assistants.

Tedford’s legacy

Tedford, 58, was hired at Fresno State in November 2016 when the Bulldogs were closing out a 1-11 season. He jettisoned staff, cut loose recruits committed to the program and started anew, going 10-4 with a Hawaii Bowl victory in his first season and 12-2 with a Mountain West championship and a Las Vegas Bowl victory in his second season.

In doing so, Fresno State became the first program in FBS history to from double-digit losses in one season to double-digit victories in the next two.

That only solidified a reputation as a program builder, having in his first job as a head coach taken Cal from 1-10 to 10-2 in just four years.

Tedford also has been known for his work developing quarterbacks including Aaron Rodgers at Cal, Trent Dilfer and David Carr at Fresno State and Joey Harrington and Akili Smith at Oregon.

The Bulldogs coach retires with a career record of 108-71 going 82-57 at Cal and 26-14 at Fresno State.

The Bulldogs went 4-8 this season, losing five games by eight points or less and missing out on a bowl game.

Tedford was under contract through the 2023 season with a base salary of $1.615 million and $2.765 million available through performance bonuses. He will receive a new deal for his advisory role to Tumey.

New perspective

“Things have happened over the last little while with some people around that has really kind of opened my eyes to how important the one go-round you get with this life is,” Tedford said.

“While I appreciate football and everything that it has brought to me, all the relationships with players, coaches, community, all that, I’ve been advised that the stress and anxiety of this job does not match up well with some of my cardiac issues.”

Tedford had a coronary angioplasty in 2014 eight months into a job as the offensive coordinator of the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers, taking leave from the team after the third preseason game. He was to return in September, but took an indefinite leave toward the end of the month and he was released from his contract in December to pursue other opportunities.

A short time later he was hired as coach of the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League, going 7-12 including a loss in the playoffs.

He left that position that year and came back to the college ranks as a consultant to Washington coach Chris Petersen.

One year later, he returned to his alma mater.

But the second round of heart issues weighed heavily.

“When you go around the second time and you realize you’re not 30 years old any more – which is hard for me to believe until I walk by the mirror and then I realize that I’m not – it has just been a great ride,” Tedford said.

“I’m going to miss the kids and the staff the most, because that’s what it’s really all about.”

This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 10:45 AM.