12/8/2021

FRESNO, Calif. – He’s Back!
 
The collective anticipation of the Red Wave came to an exciting end on Wednesday when Director of Athletics Terry Tumey announced the hiring of Jeff Tedford as head coach of the Bulldog football program.
 
Tedford, who coached the Bulldogs for the 2017-19 seasons, makes a return to the helm of the program for his second stint as head coach of his alma mater.
 
Tedford will assume the role as the acting head coach at the conclusion of the 2021 season. Interim head coach Lee Marks will continue to carry out his duties for the PUBG Mobile New Mexico Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 18.
 
“I am incredibly excited to welcome Jeff Tedford back as the head coach of Fresno State Football,” said Tumey. “Jeff is a true Bulldog alumnus, an incredible coach and leader, and has continued to be a vital member of our Valley community. The Pride and Tradition of Bulldog Football is alive and well.”
 
Tedford’s first stint as Fresno State’s head coach began in 2016 as he led the program to one of the best turnaround stories in college football history. He inherited a 1-11 football program when he took over the reins of his alma mater and was driven to re-instill the pride and tradition of Bulldog football. In three seasons as head coach, he guided Fresno State to a 2018 Mountain West Championship, two MW West division titles, two bowl wins and 26 wins.
 
Until surpassed, 2018 will remain in the record books as the winningest season in the now 100-year history of the program by achieving 12 wins during their championship run. The renaissance under Tedford also led to FBS history being made as Fresno State became the first team to ever secure back-to-back double-digit winning seasons following a double-digit loss season.
 
Individual accolades in his time at Fresno State included being a two-time finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, a 2018 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award finalist, a 2017 semifinalist for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award, the 2017 AFCA Region-5 Coach of the Year and 2017 Mountain West Coach of the Year.
 
Tedford is a proven winner in the world of college football, having accumulated a 108-71 all-time head coaching record. He was head coach at Cal from 2002-12 and left the program as the all-time winningest coach and a two time Pac-10 Coach of the Year. In three seasons as head coach at Fresno State (2016-19), Tedford has a 26-14 record with two Mountain West championship appearances, one championship title and two bowl game victories.
 
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 then-first-year head coach Pat Hill in 1997.

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COURTESY FRESNO STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS