Will Jeff Tedford coach again? Here’s what he says about that and Fresno State’s road ahead

Jeff Tedford in July stepped away from his alma mater for a second time due to heart-related health issues, leaving in his wake 44 wins, three division championships, two conference championships, four bowl wins, two Top 25 finishes and one brief statement from the coach in a Fresno State press release:

“It is with sad emotions that following my recent medical checkup it is clear that due to health concerns, my family and I have made the decision to step aside as Fresno State’s head coach and allow someone else to lead the football program.”

His family and his health have been his focus since then.

“I’ve been spending most of my time with the family and grandkids and focusing on my health, making sure that I’m healthy for my family and things like that,” Tedford told The Bee recently.

The first time Tedford stepped down, following the 2019 season, Tedford suggested there would in the future be something to stay busy with or engaged in and he ended up back at Fresno State, where he and the Bulldogs made college football history for a second time.

In his first run, he had inherited a 1-11 program and won 10 or more games in his first two seasons. In his second, the Bulldogs started 1-4 and then ran off nine wins in a row to finish 10-4. No coach had done either, ever.

Is it different this time? Will he be back on a sideline, or in a less-pressurized role as a quality control coach or an analyst? Tedford answered that question, and a few more in a brief interview with the Fresno Bee. 

“I still keep an eye on it from afar. I’m not really involved in much of it, but obviously I still care about the people and the program.

“If something comes along, if I get called to be on a committee or something like that, I’d be open to that, but not coaching. I’m not going to coach or be an analyst or anything like that. I’ve stepped away from coaching for good — mainly just to focus on my health and my family, and I feel like I’m in a really good place that way.”

You still have your hand in it to some degree. Athletics Director Garrett Klassy said he spoke to you during the coaching search, before the hire of Matt Entz. He talked to you, Pat Hill and Kalen DeBoer apparently.

“Garrett did consult generally just about Fresno State, because he’s a new athletics director, and I did play a role in Garrett’s hire. When we talked, he mainly was trying to figure out the landscape of Fresno State and what’s the best fit, so on and so forth. He made a comment that he consulted with me and a couple of other coaches, but it was unfortunate that he didn’t have the opportunity to expand on that comment because it was a little misleading and it implied that I wanted change, which wasn’t the case. 

“I was hoping (interim coach Tim Skipper) and the staff would have the opportunity to continue and I thought that was probably going to be the case after becoming bowl eligible. 

“But now that (university president Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval) and the athletics director have decided to move forward, or move in a different direction, I look forward to meeting coach Entz and supporting him and the program, because I always want the players and the program to succeed.”

I think people here will be glad to hear that.

“I’ve been involved in the program since I played here in 1981 and, hence, knew the people from 1977, the championship team in 1977, because a lot of those guys were around when I first got here. I have a good deal of history about the place, playing for legendary coach (Jim) Sweeney, then I had the great experience working under coach (Pat) Hill for a year when he took over. He did awesome things with the program. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to come back and be in the role of head coach at my alma mater.

“There is a lot of history with people around town and the program. I’m always going to be supportive. Bulldog born, Bulldog bred. I think I can definitely say that’s the case with me. I’ve been around here a long time. I care about the success of this program.”

Do you have any advice for Entz?

“I think it’s important for anyone who takes over to find their own path. I look forward to giving any history or advice, if they want it. But I think anybody who takes over as head coach, they’re going to put their own spin on it. I do think it‘s important to understand the community and the Valley, for sure, and the importance of recruiting the Valley because I think it’s a special place and there’s a special type of person here.

“But it’s no different than with coach Skipper. If coach Skipper would have had a chance to go longer, he would have his own spin on it. I wish coach Entz well and I wish Garrett well. I support them, and I think they’ll do a real good job.”

So, where do you think Fresno State is right now, within college athletics? The move to the Pac-12 is looming, but athletics has had difficulty keeping up even within the Mountain West. Are the Bulldogs on the right track?

“I think college football in general is as exciting as it’s ever been with the new playoff system, with all conferences having an opportunity at the playoffs, like what Boise State went through this year. The home field venues have made it more exciting. The expanded playoff system I think has been good for the game, and when I heard about the move with Fresno State to be in the Pac-12, I thought that was great. 

“I see college football going in a direction, unless something happens, where it will be the haves and the have-nots. In my opinion, we’d run the risk of going backward if we didn’t do something, so I’m looking forward to the transition.

“It all starts with recruiting and there are many things that affect recruiting: facilities, support, coaches, the conferences they play in, having the ability to compete for championships. It comes down to financial support at some point. But I’m very happy that the program made the move to go to the Pac 12, because I think in time it’s going to help Fresno State compete financially. It may take a couple of years, from what I understand. I don’t know all of the ins and outs of conference realignment, but I’m sure there’s going to be a couple years of transition. 

“I think it’s going to end up in a really good place because. TV money and things like that are going to help, but internally, here, things need to happen with facilities both for recruiting and for fan engagement. That’s an old stadium, the facilities are very old and that is part of recruiting. It’s going to be important to build the infrastructure to play at the level you want to compete.”

Looking back, you made history twice at Fresno State, inheriting a team that was 1-11 and winning 10 or more games in your first two seasons in 2017 and ‘18 and then getting off to a 1-4 start and finishing with 10 wins in 2022. Which was more difficult? Which was more gratifying?

They’re both gratifying, for sure, and I think both situations helped teach life lessons. That was the second time I’ve been able to take on a one-win team — I did it at Cal, as well — and it takes a huge mindset swing. It means trust, building trust and confidence. The process of doing that is very gratifying, and to see the difference it makes in people’s general livelihood from a day-to-day experience is really something. 

“For the players involved, to go through a one-win season can be pretty demoralizing. I got to see them turn that around and buy in — you have a new person coming in, a new staff coming in. It takes a lot of trust to adhere to the things you’re going to change and move forward with. I have a great deal of respect for that group, and the second year here we won 12 games and the conference championship. To continue it — and I think that was a record at Fresno State, to win 12 games — those memories and the life experiences those guys are going to take with them, that’s pretty special. That’s going to be a bond they have for the rest of their lives. 

“I went back to a Cal reunion and to see those guys — it’s 20 years ago and they’re all in their 40s — and to see how they appreciate that experience and the bond they have with one another over those accomplishments, I think is going to hold true with this group at Fresno State as well. Twenty years from now, they’re going to have a reunion and they’re going to have a lot to talk about, both on and off the field.

“Those experiences, that’s what is really cool, that those guys really accomplished something. They accomplished something that had never been accomplished before. Yeah, I was the head coach for it, but they were the players for it. The players did something that had never been done before in college football, and that’s something that they can always take a great deal of pride in.”

Same thing I would imagine in 2022. That was the season the stadium really started to fill up again, and if it had not turned around who knows where Fresno State is right now.

“The team that was 1-4 and won 10 games, a lot of those guys went on to win 14 games in a row. That was huge — a huge life lesson in dealing with adversity. I think it’s different when the expectations are low, which they were when the program had won just one game. When you go into something where there are very high expectations and you go 1-4, that can be even more challenging, because the expectations are so high.

“For them to turn that around and overcome adversity in this day and age with social media … there are a lot of harsh things said. To stay together and bounce back and accomplish that, that was equally as gratifying because they did overcome a lot of adversity, along with the expectations that the adversity was created under.”

This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 5:30 AM.