Next up for Fresno State in Ring of Honor: Coach and quarterback Jeff Tedford

Jeff Tedford, who led Fresno State to big victories as a quarterback and twice made college football history as the Bulldogs’ coach, will be inducted into the university’s Ring of Honor at its Homecoming football game on Oct. 25 against San Diego State.

Tedford will be the third former coach to be inducted following Jim Sweeney and Pat Hill, who were honored in 2023.

Linebacker Ron Cox joined the ring of honor last season and prior to 2023 Fresno State retired jersey numbers of nine players — No. 4 for quarterback Derek Carr, No. 8 for quarterback David Carr, No. 9 for quarterback Kevin Sweeney, No. 12 for quarterback Trent Dilfer, No. 14 for kicker Vince Petrucci, No. 15 for wideout Davante Adams, No. 21 for running back Dale Messer, No. 22 for running back Lorenzo Neal and No. 83 for wideout Henry Ellard.

Tedford, who retired before the 2024 season due to heart-related heart issues, coached the Bulldogs for five years in two stints, going 44-22 with two Mountain West Conference championships and three bowl victories.

He resuscitated a program that had slipped to a record low, going 1-11 in 2016, and became the first coach in history to inherit a one-win team and win 10 or more games in his first two seasons.

He was forced to step down following the 2019 season due to heart-related health issues, but returned in 2022 after a cardiac ablation surgery and time off and away from the game. The Bulldogs started 1-4 with quarterback Jake Haener suffering a severe ankle injury that initially was thought to be season ending. Haener was able to return, with an assist from a phone call from Tedford to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who had a line to one of the top foot and ankle specialists in the country,

Haener was back on the field just six weeks later, leading the last seven of a nine-game winning streak that included victories at Boise State in the Mountain West Conference championship game and over Washington State in the L.A. Bowl. Before Fresno State, no team in college football had won 10 or more games in a season after a 1-4 start.

The Bulldogs went 8-4 the following season, but Tedford had to step away due to health reasons before a New Mexico Bowl victory over New Mexico State.

He was back a few weeks later, preparing for the 2024 season, but had to step away for good in July just before the start of fall camp. Tim Skipper, the linebackers coach, took over on an interim basis, as he had the previous season for the bowl game.

As a player, Tedford led the Bulldogs to a Pacific Coast Athletic Association championship during his senior season in 1982 and a last-second, come-from-behind 29-28 victory over Bowling Green in the California Bowl, which was played at Bulldog Stadium.

More than 40 years later, Tedford still has three of the Top 50 passing performances in school history with 373 yards against Montana State and 373 yards against Bowling Green in 1982 (tied for 36th) and 365 yards against Nevada-Las Vegas in 1981 (46th).

This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 4:29 PM.